• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

What is a console?

For me a console is something I can plug to my TV and play while I'm at my bed or couch and doesn't bug me to look for software/hardware updates to make games works, for which I think a closed ecosystem is for.
 
Yeah, try that with Fallout 4

A handful of games that dont use playgo to install while you play doesnt change the fact that the vast majority of ps4 games do use it. And most of the games that dont use playgo are online only so the newest client would have to be downloaded anyway.
Playgo was designed to make the ps4 as much of a plug-and-play console as possible.
If a dev doesnt take advantage of it then blame the dev not the console.
 
Plug in and play.
First post is right. But it also means that PS4 and Xbox One already aren't consoles! Plug in, wait ages for patches to download, and play.. I hate my slow internet connection :(
A weak PC made for avarage people
You might be lucky and make it in to the dictionary as a first rate example of the term 'elitist', further improving your credentials.
A handful of games that dont use playgo to install while you play doesnt change the fact that the vast majority of ps4 games do use it. And most of the games that dont use playgo are online only so the newest client would have to be downloaded anyway.
Playgo was designed to make the ps4 as much of a plug-and-play console as possible.
If a dev doesnt take advantage of it then blame the dev not the console.
Indeed PS4 is leaps and bounds ahead of Xbox One in this regard. I should have added 'and wait fucking ages to install' above for Xbox One.
 
A console is cheap hardware with expensive software that isn't forward compatible.
A pc is expensive hardware with cheap software that is forward compatible.

I'm speaking very general of course, and yes I know there are exceptions.
 
yeah nevermind day 0 patches and shit lmao
I suppose he's pointing out that games will work offline without patches almost instantly, which is true - but given how incomplete retail games are at launch these days with day 0 patches, it's not the best point. And the 'incomplete' doesn't just affect multiplayer, far from it.
 
You can take a brand new ps4 out of the box, plug the power in, plug the hdmi into the tv, pop a game disk in and play within two or three minutes.
You have no idea what you're talking about.

I haven't bought a game on a disk in a while but dont games still need to install to the hard drive? I'd say the only console with true "plug and play" nowadays is the 3DS, minus the plug of course
 
A thing i will buy and spend thousand of euros on it, like 360 or Ps4 or ps2, all the others i dont even care lol
 
You can take a brand new ps4 out of the box, plug the power in, plug the hdmi into the tv, pop a game disk in and play within two or three minutes.
You have no idea what you're talking about.

That's just plain bs dude and you know it.

Chances are (high) the console needs a firmware update.

Chances are (high) the game needs an update/patch.

Chances are (high) PSN/ PS Servers will fuck you over

Game needs at least an initial install.

Chances are you still can't do shit even if you the game let's you boot early, so you sit there like an idiot wondering what is even happening while your disc drive goes jet engine.

Most of these things are even worse on X1.

And let's not forget all the account management, HDMI black level issues, gamepad firmware updates, the list just goes on and on.

And don't give me no "just don't connect to the internet". At some point you will have to and you WILL have a bad time.

Plug and play is just not happening anymore on modern consoles.
 
A handful of games that dont use playgo to install while you play doesnt change the fact that the vast majority of ps4 games do use it. And most of the games that dont use playgo are online only so the newest client would have to be downloaded anyway.
Playgo was designed to make the ps4 as much of a plug-and-play console as possible.
If a dev doesnt take advantage of it then blame the dev not the console.

It is hard to design a definition for something when there are instances in which that very something doesn't adhere to the general definition. Definitions are supposed to be inclusive by nature. Where there are counter examples, the definition is flawed by nature. It is like saying; Ice Cream is sweet treats of cooled dairy and water. If there are savory or lactose intolerant products that are vernacularly considered "ice cream", then the definition is wrong.
 
I suppose he's pointing out that games will work offline without patches almost instantly, which is true - but given how incomplete retail games are at launch these days with day 0 patches, it's not the best point. And the 'incomplete' doesn't just affect multiplayer, far from it.

Yes this is exactly what I was getting at. And I have yet to play one game this gen that was unplayable without a day one patch. Sure some games had bugs or some performance issues without a patch but none of the games I have played were unplayable without a patch.
 
That's just plain bs dude and you know it.

Chances are (high) the console needs a firmware update.

Chances are (high) the game needs an update/patch.

Chances are (high) PSN/ PS Servers will fuck you over

Game needs at least an initial install.

Chances are you still can't do shit even if you the game let's you boot early, so you sit there like an idiot wondering what is even happening while your disc drive goes jet engine.

Most of these things are even worse on X1.

And let's not forget all the account management, HDMI black level issues, gamepad firmware updates, the list just goes on and on.

And don't give me no "just don't connect to the internet". At some point you will have to and you WILL have a bad time.

Plug and play is just not happening anymore on modern consoles.

Yeah man i can never play on my Ps4, PSN is down 365 days per year, not just 1 or 2.

Lol

Sure Consoles are not Plug in and play anymore, game need patches and all those things but its good to have those things that make games better these days, its just evolution like everything, its great that we have those things these days.

BUT rushing games and patching later because they launched the games broken, now that is NOT GOOD and should not be acceptable.
 
So many Dracula jokes... OP knows stuff

But yeah, it's a box that you plug into your TV developed to play games in the first place
 
That's just plain bs dude and you know it.

Chances are (high) the console needs a firmware update.

Chances are (high) the game needs an update/patch.

Chances are (high) PSN/ PS Servers will fuck you over

Game needs at least an initial install.

Chances are you still can't do shit even if you the game let's you boot early, so you sit there like an idiot wondering what is even happening while your disc drive goes jet engine.

Most of these things are even worse on X1.

And let's not forget all the account management, HDMI black level issues, gamepad firmware updates, the list just goes on and on.

And don't give me no "just don't connect to the internet". At some point you will have to and you WILL have a bad time.

Plug and play is just not happening anymore on modern consoles.

Stop calling others liars when you clearly dont know what you're talking about. Its not a good habit.
I did exactly as I described on launch night 2.5 years ago with the ps4 and killzone shadowfall. Plugged the power in, plugged hdmi in, popped the disk in and started the campaign within a couple of minutes.
No firmware update required. There was one available day one for ps4 but it wasnt needed to start playing.
As I stated in another post I havent played a single game this gen that was unplayable without a day one patch. Some bugs and some games had performance issues sure but none were unplayable. Online only games are the exception here obviously.
PSN isnt down nearly as much as you apparently wish it was. Certainly no more than its primary competition this gen.
Playgo is designed to let you play while the game installs and works incredibly well. The vast majority of disk based ps4 games use it, Fallout 4 and Arkham Knight are two exceptions that come to mind.
Also rest mode will take care of game updates including day 1 updates if you pre-order digitally.
Now keep in mind I'm speaking of the ps4 here the xbox one isnt nearly as good at these things as ps4 especially game installs.
 
I haven't bought a game on a disk in a while but dont games still need to install to the hard drive? I'd say the only console with true "plug and play" nowadays is the 3DS, minus the plug of course

The ps4 has a feature called playgo that lets you play the game while it installs. Pop the disk in and after a few minutes a "start" icon appears on the game icon. When you start the game it installs while you play.
There a few exceptions, mainly online-only games but the vast majority of ps4 games use playgo.
Xbox One disk installs take substantially longer than ps4 mainly because updates are downloaded while the game is installed. Putting the xbox one into offline mode while the game installs from disk speeds things up somewhat.
 
Stop calling others liars when you clearly dont know what you're talking about. Its not a good habit.
I did exactly as I described on launch night 2.5 years ago with the ps4 and killzone shadowfall. Plugged the power in, plugged hdmi in, popped the disk in and started the campaign within a couple of minutes.
No firmware update required. There was one available day one for ps4 but it wasnt needed to start playing.
As I stated in another post I havent played a single game this gen that was unplayable without a day one patch. Some bugs and some games had performance issues sure but none were unplayable. Online only games are the exception here obviously.
PSN isnt down nearly as much as you apparently wish it was. Certainly no more than its primary competition this gen.
Playgo is designed to let you play while the game installs and works incredibly well. The vast majority of disk based ps4 games use it, Fallout 4 and Arkham Knight are two exceptions that come to mind.
Also rest mode will take care of game updates including day 1 updates if you pre-order digitally.
Now keep in mind I'm speaking of the ps4 here the xbox one isnt nearly as good at these things as ps4 especially game installs.

No firmware update on console launch day, no shit.

You are clearly loving your PS4 way too much and are completly oblivious to everything that has happend in 7th and 8th gen console gaming.

I'm not saying that everything is terrible or anything. I see the upsides of patches as much as the next guy and I enjoy playing these systems (all of them in fact) as much as I do playing on PC.

I was merely stating (in a slightly exaggerated way clearly) the fact that "plug and play" is not the defining thing for playing games on (stationary) consoles anymore and hasn't been for quite some time in my experience.

Also stop talking to people about bad habits, fuck is wrong with you?
 
In regards to the argument about "plug and play", of course it's all relative. PS1 is more "plug and play" than PS4, but PS4 is more "plug and play" than PC. Sure, you have to download patches, updates, and firmware updates on PS4, but those are all automated. You literally just have to push "X" to select "Ok" and it holds your hand.

On pc, Steam has been very helpful in making the process easier, but you would be surprised how many people still get intimidated by driver updates, manual patches, and fixing issues that are specific to their hardware.

As a recent example, a friend of mine wanted to play Bioshock on his Windows 10 machine, and he couldn't figure out why he didn't have sound. We had to search for a good while to find a working solution. Sometimes you won't find a solution at all and get frustrated.

You also have to worry about adjusting graphics settings on pc. There are tons of people that don't like "tinkering" with settings, and they don't care researching what aliasing, v-sync, and post-processing means. That type of audience prefers to just launch a pre-optimized game and go, which to them fits the definition of "plug and play".
 
If I have to look at anything beyond the name of the device to determine whether or not it'll run on mine, then it's not a console.

If I have to fiddle with performance options until I find the perfect balance between looking decent and running decently, then it's not a console.

If I try to run a game and it doesn't work and I have to fuck around with drivers and shit to try to make it work, then it's not a console.

If I can't play all games and navigate all aspects of the OS with some sort of gamepad or other device designed for the sole purpose of playing video games, but instead need a keyboard and mouse to do a lot of things, then it's not a console.
 
This. People saying today's consoles are plug n play are hypocrits.

They are plug and play. I don't understand how they could be consider anything else. I don't think about anything, I don't even have the ability to do something differently if I wanted. I plug it in and play, outside of the system doing all patches/updates on its own.
 
They are plug and play. I don't understand how they could be consider anything else. I don't think about anything, I don't even have the ability to do something differently if I wanted. I plug it in and play, outside of the system doing all patches/updates on its own.

The issue is that it's over simplified. You stated "outside of the system doing all patches/updates" but it doesn't occur outside. It's required for games to run effectively and for the OS to function. You can apply the same logic to a PC.

- Oh a game console is a PC, "outside of all the other features it has".
 
Video game devices(or at a device with video games as the primary function) with fixed hardware and a walled garden ecosystem. Today's consoles aren't plug and play but the line's haven't blurred that much. The line that separates PC and consoles are still there(Despite PC gaming becoming more accessible and and console gaming becoming more obtuse). I guess a console to me is a fixed hardware, closed ecosystem, device with video games as the primary function. This device is also the most accessible way of playing games at the time.
 
The issue is that it's over simplified. You stated "outside of the system doing all patches/updates" but it doesn't occur outside. It's required for games to run effectively and for the OS to function. You can apply the same logic to a PC.

- Oh a game console is a PC, "outside of all the other features it has".

Did you miss the part where on a console I don't think about anything. Anything needed is told to me. I can't change what is needed, I have no options, I can't change anything at he hardware level or software level.

I plug it in and it does what it needs all on its own. This is what I mean by plug and play, and I don't think the advent of patches changes this fundamental difference between PC and console.
 
Did you miss the part where on a console I don't think about anything. Anything needed is told to me. I can't change what is needed, I have no options, I can't change anything at he hardware level or software level.

I plug it in and it does what it needs all on its own. This is what I mean by plug and play, and I don't think the advent of patches changes this fundamental difference between PC and console.

Setting up Wifi connectivity if required, signing in with your designated account. It's much more simplified that a PC no question. However it's not a case of the system doing everything for you. There is enough user input required to make the phrase "plug in and play" not applicable.
 
Setting up Wifi connectivity if required, signing in with your designated account. It's much more simplified that a PC no question. However it's not a case of the system doing everything for you. There is enough user input required to make the phrase "plug in and play" not applicable.

I plug a LAN line into my consoles when available, also they all lead you through a wizard.

Yes, I am told to sign into my account one time, the system tells me to do so.

So yes it does those things for me, I just do as told. I don't really have a choice in the matter.

It is still plug and play. Being told to do some once and done things doesn't stop that and is a ridiculous literal interpretation of the phrase plug and play.
 
I plug a LAN line into my consoles when available, also they all lead you through a wizard.

Yes, I am told to sign into my account one time, the system tells me to do so.

So yes it does those things for me, I just do as told. I don't really have a choice in the matter.

It is still plug and play. Being told to do some once and done things doesn't stop that and is a ridiculous literal interpretation of the phrase plug and play.

Lets take your liberal interpretation of the phrase and apply it to PC.

Yes, I am told to sign into my account. Yes I am told to go to Steam/GOG etc. when searching for games on google (much like psn store or xbox marketplace). Yes I'm told to wait while installing. Yes I'm told to update driver...

Regardless of semantics there are more steps involved then "plug in and play" implies. It's objectively not the case. It's far more streamlined and linear than PC, but in no way is it as simple as those "plug in and play" systems you buy for £19.99 and immediately load up several games to choose from.
 
The ps4 has a feature called playgo that lets you play the game while it installs. Pop the disk in and after a few minutes a "start" icon appears on the game icon.

Sounds like plug-and-wait a few minutes-and-play. Cool feature though.

To answer the OP a console these days is a box designed for playing video games where you aren't supposed to muck about with the OS and you have limited upgrade potential (HDD mainly). If MS goes the route of releasing the upgraded Xbox One that will be a console too, locked to its own set specs and walled off storefront. Not sure how you even argue otherwise unless you have a boner for screaming "MS isn't making consoles anymore! They tapped out!"
 
I plug a LAN line into my consoles when available, also they all lead you through a wizard.

Yes, I am told to sign into my account one time, the system tells me to do so.

So yes it does those things for me, I just do as told. I don't really have a choice in the matter.

It is still plug and play. Being told to do some once and done things doesn't stop that and is a ridiculous literal interpretation of the phrase plug and play.

Agreed. "plug and play " in the context of my OP means any sort of OS and game management is 100% managed by the system.

If there's a utility that lets you play with drivers or you can ( have to!) go to a website to find the latest driver set for your game then it ain't plug and play.

If you put a disk in or turn the machine on or whatever, and the system takes care of everything like that, even if you need to wait for stuff to download or do a one time setup to join wifi, then it's plug and play. Or do I need to start a thread saying "what is plug and play?"??
 
Or do I need to start a thread saying "what is plug and play?"??

No we already know what it means:

"denoting or relating to software or devices that are intended to work perfectly when first used or connected, without reconfiguration or adjustment by the user."

There's the loose part of the definition. Playstations and Xbox's do require adjustment by the user. Therefore they are not innately "plug in and play".
 
Lets take your liberal interpretation of the phrase and apply it to PC.

Yes, I am told to sign into my account. Yes I am told to go to Steam/GOG etc. when searching for games on google (much like psn store or xbox marketplace). Yes I'm told to wait while installing. Yes I'm told to update driver...

Regardless of semantics there are more steps involved then "plug in and play" implies. It's objectively not the case. It's far more streamlined and linear than PC, but in no way is it as simple as those "plug in and play" systems you buy for £19.99 and immediately load up several games to choose from.

LMAO off at the stretch of being told. For f*** sake the difference a user experiences between console and PC is blatant, in fact it is a huge pro to PC gamers that they have more freedom/choice in their actions and are not having their hand held.

Is this better? Plug, have your hand held through simple shit, play? Does that make it better for people who want to point out how consoles have diverged so far from literal plug and play?
 
Top Bottom