I'm TORN between PS3 & Wii U....

[BadrHari]

I suppose I'm a casual gamer... I grew up on SNES / 64 and then lost track of video games, played them here and there... Then I got PS2 much later after it came out and loved it...

I kept telling myself I'm going to get a new gaming system each christmas since 2013. Then xmas gets here and I dont get one for whatever reason. But I'm going to try to get one this xmas for myself yet again - and hopefully I do follow through.

So I'm stuck between PS3 (200 dollars) and Wii U (300 dollars).

I am NOT nearly as in tuned with video games as I used to be....But I've been doing my homework and here is my wants for each system:

Wii U - Lego games, Super Mario Bros games, Mario Kart games, the Goldeneye remake game (loved the 64 game) , SNES old school games like Mega Man X, Super Star Wars, Super Street Fighter II, etc....

PS 3 - The fighting games like Mortal Kombat X, Justice League v MK, PS 2 games such as Street Fighter Anthology, Star Wars games - Battlefront, Spider-Man games, Mega Man X anthology

Both have: Lego Games, Batman Arkham City

I'm really not sure which system to buy for this christmas - but I really want to get something fun for myself.

 

[KevanG]

I prefer a PS3 to a Wii/U. Lego games are on the PS3 as well, the street fighter games are on PSN (I got one of the ultra super remix whatever versions of SF2 recently), most of the Mega man games are there as well.

PSN also has a bunch of good sales on every few weeks. I picked up some Mega Man games and the SF2 game for under three dollars each.

I don't know much about the WiiU for games/sales though.

 

[Perfect Cell]

I thought they cancelled the PS3/360 port of Mortal Kombat X. So, that's out, since you'd only be able to get that on PS4/Xbox One. In terms of sheer catalog, I would say the PS3 (especially when it's a lower cost too), but I do love my Wii U all the same. The pragmatist in me says to save a little longer and take that 300 for a Wii U and put it towards a PS4 or Xbox One though. If you want longevity with your purchase, that's a better choice, since the PS3 has already been replaced, and the Wii U is about to be in a year or so. Not to say they'll stop making PS3 and Wii U games right away, but you can already see the PS3 winding down ever so slowly (like with that Mortal Kombat business), and it's hard to really say where Nintendo is going with their next console.

 

[X Knight]

I thought they cancelled the PS3/360 port of Mortal Kombat X. So, that's out, since you'd only be able to get that on PS4/Xbox One. In terms of sheer catalog, I would say the PS3 (especially when it's a lower cost too), but I do love my Wii U all the same. The pragmatist in me says to save a little longer and take that 300 for a Wii U and put it towards a PS4 or Xbox One though. If you want longevity with your purchase, that's a better choice, since the PS3 has already been replaced, and the Wii U is about to be in a year or so. Not to say they'll stop making PS3 and Wii U games right away, but you can already see the PS3 winding down ever so slowly (like with that Mortal Kombat business), and it's hard to really say where Nintendo is going with their next console.

I agree with the last part about longevity, especially with the PS3.

If you buy a PS3 now, just know you'll be buying it mainly for its library of past games and not really for future games - as more and more new games are only coming out for the PS4 and Xbox 1.

I would personally wait and save up more for one of the new systems ( PS4 or Xbox 1 ).

Also, the Xbox 1 will start being BC with Xbox 360 games this November. So, there's a chance that many of the PS3 games you're interested in might also be on the 360 and could become playable on the X1 in the future.

The PS4, currently, has no BC option, except for their subscription/rental service PS Now. Also, the PS3 is only BC with PS1 game discs. There might be some PS2 games released for the PS3 digitally through the PSN store, but, you can't just pop in your PS2 disc into the PS3. Early models of the PS3 were BC with PS2 games, I believe, but they removed that feature.

So that's something to keep in mind, too.

If you like Nintendo games, then I'd also wait to see what they reveal about their new system next year. Maybe it will be BC will Wii U games.

another thing to keep in mind is that if you're a fighting game fan, which you seem to be, then the PS4 will have an edge over the Xbox 1 in that area, especially with Street Fighter V being a PS4 console exclusive next year. And again, Street Fighter V will be another game not coming to the PS3.

 

[BadrHari]

I would want to purchase the console just for the library... If i get PS4 - then I wont be able to play all the games I've always wanted to play for the PS2 & PS3... Gotta remember, its been YEARS since I've played any games and I've got a lot of catching up to do...

I had Lego Star Wars for PS2 and that was by far my favorite game. Wii U has all the lego games, so that is def incentive to get that one (Lego Undercover Cop game).

If PS4 had BC , I would without a doubt get that one for sure for the past games and future games + Battlefront for PS4.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I suppose I'm a casual gamer... I grew up on SNES / 64 and then lost track of video games, played them here and there... Then I got PS2 much later after it came out and loved it...

I kept telling myself I'm going to get a new gaming system each christmas since 2013. Then xmas gets here and I dont get one for whatever reason. But I'm going to try to get one this xmas for myself yet again - and hopefully I do follow through.

So I'm stuck between PS3 (200 dollars) and Wii U (300 dollars).

I am NOT nearly as in tuned with video games as I used to be....But I've been doing my homework and here is my wants for each system:

Wii U - Lego games, Super Mario Bros games, Mario Kart games, the Goldeneye remake game (loved the 64 game) , SNES old school games like Mega Man X, Super Star Wars, Super Street Fighter II, etc....

PS 3 - The fighting games like Mortal Kombat X, Justice League v MK, PS 2 games such as Street Fighter Anthology, Star Wars games - Battlefront, Spider-Man games, Mega Man X anthology

Both have: Lego Games, Batman Arkham City

I'm really not sure which system to buy for this christmas - but I really want to get something fun for myself.

I would recommend you wait until Black Friday if you're in no immediate hurry. For those two, you should get some very good deals.

But if you want to buy them now, I would have to say PS3. The PS3 has an immense library. A library which is still getting additions. Metal Gear Solid V just came out on it.

You’ve missed out on some really great games. Games like Red Dead Redemption, GTA IV and V, Uncharted, Tomb Raider, Skyrim, the Bioshock series, Fallout 3, all the Arkham games (except the next gen one) The Last of Us… the list just goes on and on. Also, if you’re into fighting games, well. The PS3 has almost all of them. Street Fighter, Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur, etc.

Not only is the library incredible, it’s also dirt cheap. All those games I mentioned, most of them can be had for less than ten dollars.

As for the Wii U. Well, as most probably know here, I’m not a fan of it. I have one, and it has some great games. But for every 1 great Nintendo game, there are 5 great PS4 games. For every 1 good Nintendo game, there are 10 good PS3 games. And those 5 great PS3 games cost you about what 1 great Wii U game would cost you.

The Wii U does have greater backwards compatibility in the form of the virtual console, but i haven’t been thrilled with their emulators. I still have the original consoles, so I really notice the input lag in the N64 and SNES emulator. The latter is so bad I can’t play certain games on it. But it doesn’t seem to bother others so much. And some like the Gameboy Advance emulators run perfect.

Also, Wii backwards compatibility is great. But again, Nintendo games are pricy. The PS3 is backwards compatible with the PS1, and has a good few PS2 games available on the store, through collections, and remasters.

So yeah. PS3 all the way. The console itself is a media center and it has an immense, incredible, inexpensive library that is still growing.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Or to give a good example of what I mean

Best Wii U games in no particular order:
Mario Kart 8
Mario 3D World
Wind Waker HD
Smash Bros
New Mario
Bayonetta 2
Pikmin 3
Splatoon

Best PS3 games:
The Last of Us
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto IV
Red Dead Redemption
Tomb Raider
Dark Souls
Diablo III
Uncharted 2
Uncharted 3
Portal 2
Skyrim
Metal Gear Solid IV
Fallout 3
Bioshock
Bioshock Infinite
Mass Effect Trilogy
Crysis 3
Journey
Assassins Creed: Black Flag
God of War 3
Dishonored
Tales of Vesperia
Far Cry 3
South Park: Stick of Truth
Oblivion
Ultra Street Fighter IV
Borderlands
Borderlands 2
Battlefield 3
Little Big Planet

Okay, i’m going to stop there. Please bear in mind that I don't personally like all those games, but that's just what comes to mind and the general consensus of which games are good.

 

[X Knight]

I would want to purchase the console just for the library... If i get PS4 - then I wont be able to play all the games I've always wanted to play for the PS2 & PS3... Gotta remember, its been YEARS since I've played any games and I've got a lot of catching up to do...

I had Lego Star Wars for PS2 and that was by far my favorite game. Wii U has all the lego games, so that is def incentive to get that one (Lego Undercover Cop game).

If PS4 had BC , I would without a doubt get that one for sure for the past games and future games + Battlefront for PS4.

fair enough.

Then I would echo what Thunder said above and wait till BF if you are in no immediate hurry.

there's bound to be great deals and sales on the PS3 and Wii U.

Another advantage of the PS3 is that you don't need to pay for PS+ to play online, which you need to do now for the PS4. so that would be good for fighting games or games that are MP heavy.

also, just curious, but are you loyal to the PlayStation brand? Would you consider getting an Xbox 1?

Like I said, the Xbox 1 will be getting BC starting in November. They said 100 titles will be available to start with, with more added each month.

Of course, we don't know yet what titles will make the BC list, but there's a chance that many of the PS3 games that you are interested in are also on the 360 which means they could become BC on the X1.

So, if you are in no hurry, perhaps you'd want to check to see if the games you are interested in are also available on the 360 and then wait to see what the BC list will be for the X1. That way, you'd be able to enjoy past games as well as future games.

Of course, if you prefer the PlayStation brand and if there are games you want that are only on the PS3 and if you want to play those old PS1 games, then you'd be better off getting a PS3.

 

[Thundercrack85]

An Xbox One would not be a terrible purchase.

...I can't believe I just typed that. But it's true.

Phil Spencer is the man.

Still, if you can pick up a (new) 500 GB PS3 for 150 dollars come Black Friday... That's a really good way to go.

 

[BadrHari]

The closest I came to purchasing a console was indeed X-Box 360 in 2013 - that was because it went on sale for like 130 at Target and there was a 15 dollar off coupon - which means I could have gotten it for 115 ! But sadly, rent was due...so that was out.

But PS3 has a lot of more games im interested in....

X-Box would have lego games, fighting games, GTA, spider-man games and of course the KOTOR sw game i've heard so much about....but then there is PS games like mortal kombat trilogy for ps1, street fighter alpha anthology, x-men vs. street fighter, x-man vs. capcom, all those type of games that are just for ps1 / ps2.

I wish i had my list on me that i wrote down all the games for each system i wanted..

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Get a PS3, from what I get of different folks experiences; it doesn't annoy as much to install.
Some games play normally, then ask for an update on the PS3 for whatever reason, and some games proceed with an update since the get go.

Don't get any Spider-Man game, those have the habit of disappointing and/or annoying players.

 

[X Knight]

The closest I came to purchasing a console was indeed X-Box 360 in 2013 - that was because it went on sale for like 130 at Target and there was a 15 dollar off coupon - which means I could have gotten it for 115 ! But sadly, rent was due...so that was out.

But PS3 has a lot of more games im interested in....

X-Box would have lego games, fighting games, GTA, spider-man games and of course the KOTOR sw game i've heard so much about....but then there is PS games like mortal kombat trilogy for ps1, street fighter alpha anthology, x-men vs. street fighter, x-man vs. capcom, all those type of games that are just for ps1 / ps2.

I wish i had my list on me that i wrote down all the games for each system i wanted..

If PS3 has more games you're interested in, then I'd go with that.

just curious, but do you still have your PS2?

If you do, I'd still hold on to that so that you can play PS2 games, since the PS3 isn't BC with PS2 games.

 

[O_B_Juan]

I bought a Wii U and a PS3 and would recomend PS3. PS3 seems to have more game choices, unless you plan on playing with little kids, then it's Wii U.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Also worth pointing out that the PS3 is a pretty damn good entertainment system. It plays DVDs, Blu-rays, and CDs. It also has USB support for numerous file types, so if you want to watch movies, or listen to music from that. It also has a bunch of media apps like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Spotify, Pandora, etc. It also has a dedicated media remote.

The Wii U has Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video. That's about it.

 

[BadrHari]

Wow - I'm glad I made this thread !!

Because I wanted a PS3 for the PS3 and PS2 library - but as a member has stated - PS3 does NOT have capability to play PS2 games !!! This is a deal breaker for me !!

After researching it - it seems the older models of PS3 (20,60,80GB) fat models do in fact have the chips to play Playstation 2 games ! So if I'm getting a Playstation - I gotta find this ones...

Otherwise, I'm going with the Wii U.

I wanted the PS3 to play all previous Playstation games like these:

 

[BadrHari]

Ok...so.....Playstation 3 (BC ability)...

1700 - for new console
980 - new console

Hmmmm.....

I think I would be better off getting a 200 PS3 slim & a new PS2 system (Old one went away).

Guys - I really dont know that much about gaming - will a future model of PS4 have BC features to play PS1 , PS2, and PS3 games ???

**Updated**

PS2 (New) - 190
PS3 (New) - 200

Total: 390 - and you can play all the PS1, PS2, and PS3 games.... versus 300 for Wii U which you can play all the Wii and SNES and 64 games (from the Wii Network).

 

[X Knight]

Yeah, unfortunately, the only way to get PS2 BC on the PS3 is to buy one of the original fat models. And of those, I think only certain fat models have PS2 BC.

you're probably better off buying a used PS2 console cheap + a PS3. Do they even sell new PS2?

Here's Gamestop's listings for used PS2 consoles:

http://www.gamestop.com/browse/playstation-2/systems?nav=28-xu0,138b-c4

as for the Wii U being BC with the classic NES, SNES, and 64 games, keep in mind not every NES/SNES/64 game is offered through the Virtual Console. In fact, I think they are just starting to add 64 games.

Here's a list of the Virtual Console games playable on the Wii U (and I'm assuming it's accurate):

(North America)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Virtual_Console_games_for_Wii_U_(North_America)#Nintendo_64

(Japan)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Virtual_Console_games_for_Wii_U_(Japan)

(PAL Region)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Virtual_Console_games_for_Wii_U_(PAL_region)

I don't know what region you are in.

As for PS4 getting BC, Sony's most recent comment ( when MS announced BC for the Xbox1 ), was that they had no plans for BC and that it was a very difficult thing to do on the PS4.

Now, could that change in the future? Sure. And it wouldn't surprise me if Sony has people already working behind the scenes to try to get BC on the PS4.

But as of right now, the PS4 doesn't have BC and there are no plans in the immediate future to add that.

currently, the only BC "solution" for the PS4 is Sony's PS Now service. Which is a Netflix like rental/subscription service that streams the games to your console. And right now, it only supports PS3 games.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Now

I'm personally not a fan of that model, because you don't really own the games. And streaming the games means you have to have good internet service.

It's not the same as actually owning the game discs and being able to put them into the console to play. Plus, you're limited to the selection of games available on that service.

So, I think you're best bet would be to find a PS2 used for a good price and use that for PS2 and PS1 games. Then, you can wait till Black Friday or Xmas time for a good deal on a PS3 ( new or used ).

That should hold you over for several years or longer as you get caught up on the games you missed out. By then, the PS4 will most likely be cheaper and it may even have BC. Not to mention more PS4 games that might interest you.

Then, you can decide if you want to trade in your PS3 for a PS4.

 

[X Knight]

Also worth pointing out that the PS3 is a pretty damn good entertainment system. It plays DVDs, Blu-rays, and CDs. It also has USB support for numerous file types, so if you want to watch movies, or listen to music from that. It also has a bunch of media apps like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Spotify, Pandora, etc. It also has a dedicated media remote.

The Wii U has Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video. That's about it.

Yeah. The PS3 was a great entertainment/media hub. Indeed, that was one reason why I ended up using my PS3 more than my 360.

It's a shame the PS4 and X1 still can't match the PS3's media features.

 

[Thundercrack85]

It's worth pointing out though that while the current PS3 does not have local backwards compatibility, a lot of PS2 games are actually available on the PS3. For example, you have Jak and Daxter, God of War, Metal Gear, Ratchet and Clank, and Sly collections. You also have remasters of PS2 classics like Final Fantasy X / X-2, and the Kingdom Hearts games. Some PS2 games like Soul Calibur II, GTA: San Andreas, and Suikoden III (odd examples, but they come to mind) are available via the PS store for PS3.

So, while total PS2 backwards compatibility would be nice, the PS3 does actually give you a lot of options.

 

[X Knight]

It's worth pointing out though that while the current PS3 does not have local backwards compatibility, a lot of PS2 games are actually available on the PS3. For example, you have Jak and Daxter, God of War, Metal Gear, Ratchet and Clank, and Sly collections. You also have remasters of PS2 classics like Final Fantasy X / X-2, and the Kingdom Hearts games. Some PS2 games like Soul Calibur II, GTA: San Andreas, and Suikoden III (odd examples, but they come to mind) are available via the PS store for PS3.

So, while total PS2 backwards compatibility would be nice, the PS3 does actually give you a lot of options.

good point.

but I think the TC will still be better off getting a used PS2 console so that he/she can play all the PS2 game he/she wants.

 

[Tron Bonne]

You can still access all of the Wii's VC with a Wii U through Wii mode. You'll need a Wiimote to do so, but you're not just limited to the Wii U's native VC with the system.

 

[BadrHari]

Thanks for everyone replying to this thread - its helping me out a lot getting various aspects of which system should I throw my 300 dollars their way....

Wii U - Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Country, Mario Kart, Lego Undercover, Mario 3D
PS3 - GTA,Street Fighter 4, Classic Sega Games, Mortal Kombat X, MK vs. Justice League, DC injustice gods among us

Both Systems have: Arkham Batman, Lego Marvel Superheroes, Lego Star Wars, Ghostbusters the video game, Aliens Colonial Marines

 

[X Knight]

you're welcome BadrHari. hope you get the right console for your needs.

but, just so you know, I see Mortal Kombat X is one game you want on the PS3.

However, MK X is NOT coming to the PS3 ( or Xbox 360 ) - those versions were recently cancelled.

So, if you want to play MK X, you'll need to buy a PS4 or Xbox One.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Thanks for everyone replying to this thread - its helping me out a lot getting various aspects of which system should I throw my 300 dollars their way....

Wii U - Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Country, Mario Kart, Lego Undercover, Mario 3D
PS3 - GTA,Street Fighter 4, Classic Sega Games, Mortal Kombat X, MK vs. Justice League, DC injustice gods among us

Both Systems have: Arkham Batman, Lego Marvel Superheroes, Lego Star Wars, Ghostbusters the video game, Aliens Colonial Marines

You get a PS3 get the following 3 game: The Last of Us, Red Dead Redemption, and Uncharted 2.

Trust me on this.

 

[ThePhantasm]