The Trouble with PS4

I want to want a PS4.

I have coveted every new videogame console generation since I was a child. Up to now, the giant leaps in graphics and gameplay introduced with each succeeding generation have always been easy to see. To the point where I've always erred toward early adoption.

Atari 2600 to Colecovision. NES to Master System to Genesis/SegaCD/32x. (Buying into a used SNES late in the lifespan.) That very first Playstation was awesome. The PS2 was a huge upgrade that doubled as a DVD player. The PS3 was another huge upgrade that doubled as a Bluray player.

Now the PS4 has dropped and... I've seen nothing to persuade me to upgrade. I've got that childish itch that desires an upgrade, but it's really more of a reflex desire.

I appreciate that it's more powerful but it seems that it essentially plays the exact same types of games but with higher resolutions. So I could play a version of Grand Theft Auto 5 that's sharper and has better shading/lighting. They'll probably toss in some bonus content to sweeten the pot but it's still the same game. Still the same gameplay. And to be honest, when I play Grand Theft Auto 5, I'm not bemoaning the level of graphics.

I also don't have the time for videogames that I once had. I've got a backlog of videogames that could probably sort me out for the next few years. It is a destructive use of time. I could spend 100 hours playing a videogame and beat the shit out of it... and have nothing to show for all that time. It's a great distraction and I have need for distractions, but it takes way too much time away from WRITING. Playing videogames is an irresponsible use of free time. More than the MSRP of the console and the games, I can't afford the time lost. It is an irresponsible waste of time. Booze and drugs would be a more responsible investment: at least I could WRITE on those.

Somewhere along the way, I downgraded from being a serious gamer to being... a casual gamer.

I'm still fascinated by them and, I'm sure, will eventually be lured to a PS4 to experience some unique new experience. But I don't see that on the horizon yet.