The PS4/XBO generation is the first in my life-- I turn 42 this year-- that I won't be participating in. It's significant because there had always been something in each generation before that grabbed my attention, but there is literally nothing for this one.
Moving to the SNES to the NES was an easy decision because the visuals were sharper, there was stereo sound, there was a mix of existing and new franchises at or near launch, and the controller was more evolved with extra buttons for more functions.
Moving from the SNES to the PlayStation was easy because the 3D visuals that Nintendo had teased us with via StarFox and Stunt Race FX (or what SEGA did with Virtua Racing for the Genesis) were better (and more consistently) executed on Sony's machine. Ridge Racer absolutely sold me. The evolution to CD for bigger games and better sound also was a factor.
The Dreamcast was, to me, a huge leap from the PlayStation. When I saw Sonic Adventure for the first time in 1999, I was blown away by the texture detail. Arcade ports like NFL Blitz, Hydro Thunder, and NBA Showtime were as close to their coin-op counterparts as I had ever seen. The PlayStation 2 and Gamecube were both big jumps from their predecessors as well. Going from Rogue Squadron on the N64 to Rogue Leader on the Gamecube was shocking. NHL 2001 on the PS2 was faster and smoother (except for a few bouts of slowdown at center ice) than most of the PlayStation games, and Ridge Racer V had the new-gen facelift that I was hoping for.
Overall, the jump from the 32/64-bit generation to the PS2/GC/Xbox generation was the most significant for me.
The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were HD, which was significant, even though 30fps was pretty much the rule (which took some getting used to). The introduction of the Achievement system for the 360 hooked me early, and persistent online leaderboards always gave me new scoring goals to shoot for. Then the Wii made motion controls standard and I wound up bowling hundreds of frames in Wii Sports. The Wii also brought new life to light gun games, so playing Ghost Squad or Target: Terror felt and responded more like their coin-op brethren than ever as the Wiimote was quite accurate.
With this new generation, though, aside from prettier visuals... there's nothing for me. The graphics are better, but not to the extent of a jump that we saw in generations past. For the first time, there wasn't anything at launch for any of the consoles that grabbed my attention enough to make me feel like I had to have them. Perhaps game streaming and recording of footage is the big new thing-- much like the jump to HD and maturation of online play last gen, or the big leap in visual quality in the generation before-- but that doesn't resonate with me, personally.
Admittedly, carryover and/or extension of things that gradually made me more cynical of console gaming last gen to this gen plays a role, too. Focus on multiplayer and "constantly connected, social worlds" over solo play (which I strongly prefer) has been a turn off. Microtransactions are almost invasive now. DLC continues to be a real sticking point for me. The move to digital and required installs make hard drive space scarce, and the inevitability of having to buy a bigger hard drive or having to continually "clean out the fridge" is something I don't wish to do again.
I'm sure that this gen will eventually have its impressive moments, and there will be times when I might feel the temptation to buy in... but I just don't see enough now or in the future to impress me enough to join in.
