Konnichi wa, minna-san!

Now, this may be a little controversial but I don't care. I'm going to speak my mind. So, we all know that Sony kicked butt at E3 this year. They spanked Microsoft with their used game statements during their press conference, and they showed off some pretty cool games for the PS4. But, is the massive number of pre-orders for first day so neccessary? I sure don't think so. Let me give a few reasons why I think gamers are over-reacting to the PS4.

1. Graphics

Some people are already saying how much "better" the next-gen games look compared to their current-gen counterparts. It is true, they do look better, but is that a big reason to go out and spend over $400 for a new console? It's not like we went from 480p to 720p or 1080p like the 360 and PS3 did. The PS4 still uses 1080p graphics, just like the PS3. If PS4 used 4k or something, then it would be different. But the games only look slightly better thanks to better processing power.

2. Launch and launch window games

Ok, so the PS4 has a decent launch line-up. The standard sports games that come with each console launch, Watch Dogs, Battlefield 4, and Killzone Shadow Fall among others. But, with the exception of Killzone, are you really going to go out and buy a PS4 for Watch Dogs or Battlefield 4 when you can already play it on the current platforms? How about waiting for some big name game to come out on the system before you buy it? The only reason I bought a Wii U early was to finally say a bought a console at launch and a couple of games I wanted were due out in just a couple of months. Even now, I'm kind of regretting buying the console so early simply because of the lack of games. So, my rule is: buy a console for its games. If you can already play a game on a current console, why spend so much money buying a brand-new console? Buy a console when you simply can't wait to play that one (or multiple) game that you can't play on current platforms.

3. There's no backwards-compatibility, so why are you trading in your current console?

Since I work at EB Games/GameStop, I'm noticing a big increase in console trades. I can understand trading in your console if the next is backwards-compatible; you can play your games on the next console if you want. But the PS4 won't feature backwards-compatibility, at least not in the conventional way. In fact, I don't even understand how they're working backwards-compatibility in with the PS4 (if someone knows, can they please explain it to me in the comments). Sony has already stated that they plan on supporting the PS3 for at least the next couple of years (if they don't, they're breaking their tradition). To me, that signals that, at least for the next little while, we can still expect some games on current consoles. Grand Theft Auto V, Batman Arkham Origins, and Rayman Legends aren't featured in the PS4 lineup. Gamers are going to miss those experiences simply because they don't have a PS3 to play them on anymore. A console isn't dead until its produced its last game. Unless you're truly done with the console, I see no reason to get rid of it.

I think I've gotten everything I wanted to say about the PS4 off my chest now. Don't take this the wrong way; I too am looking forward to the PS4. But people's reasons for buying it on day one are ridiculous. So I thought I would rant about it. Anyway, if there's any future topics I want to rant about, or if I remember a couple more reasons why I think people are over-reacting to the PS4, I'll be sure to do this segment again.

Mata ato de!