So I own a ps4, and love it.

It has free games, the interface is intuitive and well made(as opposed to the horrendous kinect cluster the xbone is), and the controller is pretty damn good...

But since they've both come out, more and more of my friends have gotten xbones, until I've found myself with 2 friends on ps4 and 10 on xbone.

I genuinely believe the ps4 is the better system for ME, but because of the friends list thing it feels like....meh.

Ya know?

Well I would say that "free" games that come with a $50 yearly membership aren't really free.

But I would say that the friends list issue might be a good opportunity to make some new friends to play with. I'm sure there are plenty of people here on the forums who'd be happy to share their info with you. The Spelunky thread alone has a bunch of PSN names on it. Might not be your "real" friends, but, again, this might be an opportunity to find more people to game with.

Friends are overrated.

not really :(

If an online heavy game comes out, check the game's forum pages here since a small community usually crops up. Like Rorie said, the Spelunky thread made my leaderboard way more interesting.

My regular friends usually stick to PC or don't play much at all, so my friends list is more of a leaderboard thing. But I'm sure if you wanna actually communicate with people, GB duders would be down.

If he's looking at the system from a platform to play with his friends perspective then he'll be required to pay the plus or live gold subscription anyway so he probably sees the instant games collection on plus as a nice bonus thrown in that they consider free or would describe that way (certainly the way my brother sees it) Sure there's games with gold but that's a poop service compared to plus, here's hoping it catches up and proves to eventually be as great a boon as the instant game collection.

There's always the opportunity to meet new people through the services for each platform, I remember thinking my xbox live friend list comprised only of my school friends was the be all and end all of who I'd regularly play games with until Steam and adding people through there, then mixing that with my League of Legends friend list and people I played guild wars and WoW with. You'll eventually find likeminded people on psn and form a friend list, eventually people may end up with both consoles for exclusives anyway, that's what happened last generation for me in any case.

@rorie: ps4 comes with a month of ps+ for free. So it's the one time the free games are free.

How is the user interface intuitive? Xbox One is all kinds of bad too. Just saying...

I bought an XONE, and its definitely pretty worth it. Titanfall, and friends. That's what my friend and I are doing. :)

I hear you. A lot of my army friends all bought the Xbox Ones. My civilian friends bought PS4s. If the PS4 is the system you want enjoy it. It's a great device. Maybe get an Xbox One later if you want to play with your friends or they can get PS4s. The bottom line is that you should enjoy what you bought if it's right for you.

Yeah that is a pickle. Here is the thing though sure you'll miss out on the multiplayer element with your friends but overall when the exclusive Single Player games come that you want to play you'll feel better that you aren't stuck with a system you only half-heartedly enjoy.

Also, I know its not the same a playing with IRL friends but hey I'm sure any number of us on here wouldn't be opposed to playing with you. Heck, you can add me if you want. "Demoskinos" the only multiplayer I really get up to right now is Battlefield.

Fuck Yo Friends. That controller is really good though.

@rorie said:

Yea. $50 yearly memberships just plain suck. Anyone who puts content behind a $50 paywall is a huge jerk and poo-poo head.

I mean, yes, you need Playstation Plus to keep the games, but I've always felt like Sony had a little more goodwill. When Sony screwed up, it's because "HELP!!!! We don't understand the internet!!", whereas when Microsoft screwed up, it always felt like Snidley Whiplash was trying to be sneaky or something to that effect...it always felt like a "yeah, but..." situation. Sony always felt like they were trying, Microsoft felt like they were trying to get into your wallet. I've been adding people on here to shore up my PSN experience a bit (my PSN handle is Squig_Hunter), but I was sort of shocked at how many people went for the Xbone, even with the bad press around it(as in, these people followed all the e3 stuff that happened).

Ah well. I'm happy with the PS4, and this might have a bit to do with this being the first Sony console I viewed as my primary(I was an Original Xbox and 360 guy mostly), but it's just felt like an odd transition. Add me! I'm big on Killzone: Shadowfall right now, but I have b4 and ac4. I've also got a PS3 and have been playing "Demon's Souls" along with brad/vinny's stuff.

Thanks for the thoughts guys, valuable stuff. Might be a good excuse to stop being a lurker member(I've been here since before Tested existed, but mostly just lurked), and actually participate in the community a bit.

To be clear; not slamming PSN+ at all. Love the service and the games. Just nomenclature! If it was indeed a free trial thing, then so much the better.

Totally. Thanks Matt, appreciate the advice.

@jakethesnakeyea: I would say anyone that bought any system at launch made a very common mistake of letting the hype win over the logic but here I am watch people play resogun and there you are playing resogun, so there you go.

About the friend list thing, I live in japan, where people my age no longer plays video games. Playing with friends you made in game and like-minded people you talk to on forums can be a very different and often time very rewarding experience. Afterwards, you can still go grab a beer with your rl friends.

I practically have zero friends on all game consoles, who cares? =(

Playing games with friends can make even the shittest game fun. I remember playing MW2 all day long with my friends at Uni, then i was the only ones who bought BLOPS the next year and not playing with them really made the game just feel boring. Not saying BLOPS was not as good as MW2 but playing games with friends is really important for my enjoyment of games so thats why i chose a Xbox One, because they all got one.

I say it is too early to regret, for all we know Titanfall is a huge bummer. I think it is the lack of software at this point that is bumming me out. The game I want to get is a year old and just upgraded graphics...that depresses me but around March things start coming out and I expect something to come out and blow me away, some indie game or something.

@jakethesnakeyea: well you will be playing the beta of destiny first

Those 10 friends are going to regret it when Demon's Souls 2 is announced and you're invading chumps while they wait for the next call of duty.

@audiobusting: That's the most perfect .gif usage I've ever seen. Bravo.

Nothing in life is free.

And if it is, then it's not.

But when the ps+ trial runs out after a month, you can no longer play the games. Right? That's the way it works on the PS3.

I get what you mean. I guess it really depends on how how much you want to play multiplayer games with those guys. It's probably worth you saving up to get an Xbox as well.

You can say either the games come free with the online functionality or the online functionality comes free with the games seeing as the price hasn't changed... in fact it hadn't changed from when it has neither? I might be wrong though I've never owned a Sorny since the Playstation 2

Here's a thought; get friends who don't play video games.

No really, those are the best friends to have as it forces you to do other things than sit in front of a screen and waste away.

I have a few friends on my friends list but I almost never play any online games with them. For me, I value more about the games I want to play than the people I play it with.

@zombie2011: Except 'BLOPS' wasn't as good as MW2. OK, fine, that's my opinion, and most people probably disagree with it (but come on, MW2's really better...)

Dude, I have no friends that has ps4, but I fucking love that console. I been playing BF4 like my life was on the line. I do hop on Warframe, DC Universe, Resogun, and Shadow Fall from time to time, but BF4 is like Cocaine, its giving me that rush. Only game that I don't really care for is Blacklight Retribution.

Paying $50 for access to thousands of dollars, you can call it whatever you like.

Make more friends on PS4, it is not that hard...it just takes time and effort

1) Scope around Giant Bomb forums for people playing that same games you are, and ask those people to add you.
2) A lot of people are in the same situation as you, if you meet some randoms online who acts like damn humans instead of a 'smegma rags', ask to add them too.
3) To have a friend you must be a friend, when online don't act like an ass and you will get some people to add you.

I have not met nor do I live near any of the twenty people I often play online with, they are all people I met online replying to their blogs, playing with them weekly in online games, etc.

Brought to you by the self loathing section of the video game website forums.

I've never had a problem with playing multiplayer games on random servers without my friends. When I bought a PS3 around launch none of my friends did. Lots of them had 360s. Over the next couple years though more and more of them got the system. I knew when I bought it that I'd be using the system for 5 or 6 years. I knew the problems early on with lack of games and lack of a player base would be resolved over time.

@claude: yep

Just save up and buy both. It's not an all or nothing decision.

@xalienxgreyx: I assume you were talking about Microsoft. But, I can't be sure as all of your assertions were untrue.

Your friends sound real lame. You have us though.

One of us.

ONE OF US.

ONE OF US.

@hosstile17: nothing he ever writes about Xbox should be taken seriously as he seems to have a real chip on his shoulder when it comes to that particular console developer. I think secret Microsoft ninjas murdered his family for not liking Blinx the Time Sweeper.

As far as the console choice - I ended up playing more xbox this past generation because all my friends were on it, and partly because the online and user interface was way better than the initial PS3 endeavors. So if you like the PS4 then it wasn't a wrong choice, but it can get awfully lonely at times and despite how cool people can be from this site, nothing beats being able to play and chat with people you actually know.

@jakethesnakeyea: This fits perfectly

Wow this sort've blew up.

This isn't a situation where all my friends play games, and I just chose a different system. Many of my friends play games, but most of my best ones don't. It's just that ever since mechassault(yes, back on the pre-halo xbox), gaming has been social. It's been something that I do with friends more often than not. Also, saying the ps3/ps4 doesn't have free games is sort of moot for the level of investment I feel people are making into the consoles nowadays. I feel like calling them free is more to differentiate them from discounts you get with the services.

I don't think Microsoft is inherently evil, it just feels like they're tone-deaf. They don't have a grasp on what people want out of their systems. I was talking to one of my Xbone buddies on Skype the other night(over Xbone) and while talking about the Xbone itself, it was constantly throwing him into menus he didn't want because of the name being thrown around. For something that's so integrated into the system(I own a Playstation camera, it has fallen behind my tv and I'm in no hurry to set it back up), that seems like something they didn't have to get "mostly" right, they had to nail it perfectly, and it sounds like they didn't.

Ah well. More of a lament of not wanting to spend 500$ on a system I know I don't want, but being screwed out of a friends list because my friends either didn't do their research or don't care(there's noticeable regret from 3-4 of the 10, the rest aren't into online gaming enough to care I don't think) sort of sucks :\.

Also, the decision to go Sony wasn't easy. The first party games ARE better from Microsoft, but the 100$, more honest consumer interactions, my personal experience with the ps3(I bought one just before the credit card hassle, and got actual free games because of it), and 1080p(which on larger tvs does make a difference, switching from 360 to ps3, it definitely showed), it's a better console for me.

Just not for most of my buds :\.

There was an xbox before halo came out? I must have missed it....

I dunno man, that whole wall of text makes you sound like you don't actually give a shit about your friends. Why even have friends who don't do their research? Cut them off from your life and make new friends, then your $400 purchase will be totally justified.

@vinny_says: lol I'm talking halo 2 man. You're right, I need to just cut ties. THE BOMBCAST HAS ALL THE FRIENDS I NEED BWAHAHAHAHAHA.

Who cares how many stupid lame-ass nerds you have on your friends list? Friends lists on consoles have been dead since Halo 2 became less popular online.

Friend's Souls.

Frames > Friends

Which parts? The part where the 360 didn't have an original game after Alan Wake in 2010? Or the part where Microsoft played the last three quarters of its console life cycle out on Halo and Gears sequels? Or perhaps its the part where Microsoft was charging Indie Developers $40,000 dollars to patch a game? Nah, couldn't be any of those cause as you stated, they are all untrue.

I'll be picking up an Xbox One at the end of the year, hopefully they drop the Kinect and update the OS to be less resource hungry. I don't want a $500 dollar tv remote that spies on me.

Do this, life is much simpler when you can just buy any game anywhere and you don't have to rationalize your console choice by gurgling sweet nothings about a game library that is currently empty and a UI that is at least as unfinished and unwieldy as the Xbox One's is. You can just relax and play games wherever. You should also get a Wii U if you don't have one already. Nintendo needs money, it's going to a good cause.

Microsoft Ninjas stole my video games then said I could have them back if I made youtube videos praising the Xbox One.

Jesus! You're trying to tell me.. there are companies out there, that pay people to talk about their products? Like.. like some sort of marketing? This is ridiculous, you mean that toothpaste on TV won't make my teeth magically white like on the commercial?!