sigh. my thread has been relegated to PC vs. PS4 because of the second reply..... grrrrrrrrrrrrrr....
I was asking about the versatility of the PS4 compared to offerings in the past gens, simply comparing it to the versatility of PC gaming, not calling it out as superior or anything.
Sorry the thread became so crazy derailed. Mostly was just saying "I love the increased focus on indies and more niche genres. But where are my "oh ballz!!!!" AAA titles!?"
Without a doubt, the PS4 is off to a good start, and I'd say it is more versatile than in previous generations but in part that has to do with how things are today.
Technology advancements make versatility easier in the sense of digital downloads, installation, remote play, indie devs, AAA etc.
Indies on the other hand are rather part of a larger issue to do with the notion of "AAA" on consoles. The increasing development costs of AAA titles will only continue to increase as will the development time, and indie developers are now desperately needed in those gaps, especially at the start of a generation of consoles where titles remain in the works for the future. I think it will be interesting to see later in the generation when "AAA" titles are more available, how prominent will the indie titles actually be.
As far as versatility goes, I don't feel like your using the definition of the word in the same sense I would. It seems to me like you mean that there are more types/categories/genres of games... which I don't think is versatility.
Games wise I think it has only really increased for the few that are hooked into this platform exclusively or like a certain subset of games. I'm sure there is data out there, but it is plain to see that AAA titles are more beloved on consoles and a primary motivator for purchasing.
On the PC side its a different story, those AAA titles are popular but not to the same degree. Many of the popular titles are rapidly evolving titles that have a rolling development and regular updates. Those games are versatile in what they can do. Some are competitive, but also open to casual players while often taking on different mechanics as time goes on. They also tend to be highly modifiable creating entire genres within themselves.
I suppose it's a matter for different people to discuss as they all derive value from different places. In the broadest sense, by the definition of versitility being adaptability to different functions and activities, the playstation platform is more versatile than it has been before, but certainly not enough to be a defining quality compared to other platforms. Games themselves are not adaptable at all other than updates to improve and patch games which was available before.
On your terms, yes there are games on the system that were not there before like f2p and mmo, but that is not versatility to me. Thats just a few more types of games available to you. Indie is a broad term in itself as it can encompass many genres and types of its own, but again, I don't think that is versatility. It's just more availability than before thanks to increased connectivity and better support.
