Video games once evoked images of coins slipping away, forever lost into the slots of large-screened arcade-machines, joysticks which poorly maneuvered characters, and hours of button mashing fun surrounded by eager faces, each basking in the glow of the warm light.
Times have changed, and while arcades have declined, gamers enjoy the relative privacy of their homes through PC games as well as consoles.
One game that has risen in popularity in recent years is League of Legends. Such is the demand for this game, that players can even purchase a LoL PBE account to access exclusive in-game content.
Consequently, the price to stay on the edge of the technological gaming curve can be high.
Two of the heavy hitters in the console world, Microsoft’s Xbox One, and Sony’s Playstation 4, were released in November of 2013. The high cost of these consoles bring speculation about their value. Both products come from well-known and trusted companies, but sometimes the brand name isn’t enough to sell a buyer. Enter the viral ad-campaigns. Huge amounts of hype generated a buzz for the systems including lip service to gamers at the E3 gaming convention and even a nod from “South Park” whose trilogy of episodes satirized the rivalry between Sony and Microsoft supporters.
The ad-campaigns worked. The Playstation 4 and Xbox One were among the most anticipated releases in the gaming world, representing the next step forward in gaming consoles. But, was it worth the money?
Gamers from both Pierce College and CSU Northridge weighed after having a chance to break the new systems in respectively.
One thing that works effectively for businesses is listening to the needs and wants of their customers. According to Pierce College student and Playstation 4 owner Chris Garcia, Sony did just that.
“They delivered on consumer needs and fixed some issues that the PS3 had,” said Garcia.
The company that tries to reach out to the uncommitted to make them a committed customer succeeds. Taylor Aguilera, a student from CSU Northridge is a perfect example of an uncommitted customer that turned into a proponent.
According to Aguilera, the Xbox One surpassed her needs and expectations because of its versatility.
“The graphics were amazing and I love that it functions as a blue ray player as well,” said Aguilera.
“I used to have an Xbox 360 that my brother gave me. I wasn’t big on games, but after playing for a couple months I began to like it,” said Aguilera. “It wasn’t until the Xbox One when I became addicted.”
The small things that Microsoft improved on turned Aguilar into a true Xbox gamer. With its potential for multiplayer functions when combined with games like Minecraft and hosting servers such as https://ggservers.com, it’s no surprise that the Xbox is a popular choice.
But others still find Sony to be superior.
One such example is Pierce College student Charles Booker, who feels that the Playstation 4 has an edge over the Xbox One.
“The graphics for PS4 and Xbox One are similar,” said Booker, “But the PS4 is a better buy because of the features in the games.”
Booker is happy with his purchase, in spite of the high cost.
“I believe it’s worth it,” said Booker. “The controller makes gameplay more live, with better control of the characters.”
Even with the high cost of consoles it seems Sony and Microsoft answered the requests of their market this time around, delivering hits, perhaps earning them a few extra lives with their customers.