PlayStation 4

Somewhere around the world, someone is panicking over the fact that they can’t find a PlayStation 4 right now. Sony’s next generation system has been playing hide-and-seek with store shelves since its release on 15th November, with the platform holder’s global approach leaving scant supply for those that didn’t have the foresight to pre-order this Christmas’ hottest holiday gift in the hazier days of February. The firm has been shipping new stock to specialist retailers and supermarkets, but so sought-after is the super machine that they’re leaving the shops almost as fast as they arrive. With demand for the device sky-high, though, do you really need the console right now?

Before the angry online mobs start throwing petrol bombs at the comments section, I should clarify that I adore Mark Cerny’s surprisingly miniscule masterpiece. As I pointed out in Push Square’s hardware review, the console represents an enormous leap forward from the poor launch of the PlayStation 3, and there’s a really solid basis for the manufacturer to build from as a result. Granted, there are some system level oversights – such as the absence of MP3 support and the lack of organisational options – but the interface is fast, fluid, and functional. Despite offering an incredible environment from which to play, however, I can’t seem to settle in it for long.

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PlayStation

The problem is not the platform or its supposedly lean launch lineup, but the fact that the Japanese giant’s existing system has really come into its own over the past three or four years. Venturing back into the static setting of the XMB can feel like spending a weekend in a hotel without an en-suite, but there’s just so much that I want to play on the PS3 that I’m finding it difficult to tear myself away. I was lured back by the brilliant Gran Turismo 6 earlier in the month, and aside from a few fleeting moments spent in the Pinball Arcade and Zen Pinball 2, I’m yet to really enjoy a prolonged session with my PS4 in over two weeks.

The next generation may have arrived, and it may be legitimately great – but that doesn’t mean that you’re required to embrace it right now

Now, I’m one of the few that subscribes to the idea that the next generation console’s launch lineup was rather good – but it can’t compete with the epic backlog that I have sitting to the side of my ageing black box of tricks. If it’s not Polyphony Digital’s abovementioned simulation racer augmenting oodles of addictive Seasonal Events, then it’s the faint cry of Deadly Premonition: Director’s Cut, Max Payne 3, and Bayonetta that are demanding that I dive back in and give them another try. And that’s without really mentioning the pile of shame that’s sitting on my system’s overstuffed hard-drive – a list that appears to get longer with every single PlayStation Plus update.

It’s anecdotal, but I’ve noticed a similar trend among my freshly fattened friends list. With the pretty set pieces of Killzone: Shadow Fall out of the way, many of my online associates are now taking refuge in Minecraft: PlayStation 3 Edition, skipping the scenery of Redview County for the complimentary GRID 2, and clubbing the underrated-but-still-not-exceptional Knack for something truly critically acclaimed. It’s not a mass exodus – there are still plenty that are eager to see their team lift the FA Cup in FIFA 14, and some that are even daring enough to bypass Battlefield 4’s bugs – but it’s clear that the PS3 still commands pride of place in many players’ entertainment centres.

PlayStation 3

As far as I’m concerned, this isn’t the end of the honeymoon period for Sony’s hottest new hardware, but more an indication of just how incredibly dense the PS3’s library has become. It’s hard to imagine that there was once a time when people pondered whether the manufacturer should axe the device such were the scale of its troubles, as it’s proving difficult to let go of the platform now that its successor has arrived. Of course, as publishers apply the brakes to their current generation output and my Blu-ray-based backlog finds itself being auctioned off on eBay, I’m sure that my attention will naturally gravitate back towards my underused futuristic format. But that time is not now.

And that’s why if you’re sobbing into a snowball over the fact that you haven’t got one of Sony’s new systems sitting under your over decorated indoor fir tree, then it’s really not the end of the world. Once you’ve got past the initial thrill of the visual leap, you’ll find your eye wandering back towards the dozens of current generation titles that you’re yet to complete. The next generation may have arrived, and it may be legitimately great – but that doesn’t mean that you’re required to embrace it right now. I dived in head first, but that’s not going to stop me from spending my festive break with Far Cry 3.

Have you found yourself gravitating back towards your PS3 over the past few weeks? Where do you intend to do the majority of your Christmas gaming? Did you decide to pass on the PS4 for the exact reasons outlined within this article? Handcuff your hardware in the comments section below.

Which PlayStation console will be occupying your attention this Christmas? (68 votes)

  1. I’ll be playing the PS4, as I’m still yet to beat all of the launch games24%
  2. Despite picking up Sony’s new machine, I can’t stop playing my PS316%
  3. I don’t actually own a next-gen system, so it’ll be the PS3 by default37%
  4. I’ll probably give both the PS4 and PS3 fairly equal attention overall24%

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