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Hello everyone:
I’m thinking of buying a video game console here in Chengdu to help me survive this dull weather we’re having.
I’m not particularly tech-savvy, nor I’ve been a dedicated gamer for several years, so I’m pretty rusty when it comes to video game consoles nowadays, so I’m hoping to get some tips and advice from someone with more knowledge and experience in the matter.
Here’s the thing, I’m split between either a PS2, a PS3, a PS4 and a Wii U. I never owned any of the Playstation consoles, and there’s more than enough games that I never had the chance to play to keep me busy for a while. Now, can you still find a PS2 for sale nowadays? What about their games?
I read Charlie’s 2011 article on buying a PS3, but I’m guessing that with the new generation consoles out in the market, some of the info (particularly regarding price) might be a little outdated. Does anyone know how much is a PS3 these days?
Regarding the PS4, I have a friend that has one and he’s pretty happy about it, but I’m wondering if the game selection currently available makes it worth to get now, or better to wait? I’m guessing the PS4 is also not modded, so that means a higher price for those few games that I do want to play in it. Any experience on this?
Lastly, I would like the Wii U mainly for the new Smash Bros game, and the upcoming Zelda game, so I’m wondering if anyone owns one and can share their experiences with it here in China?
I appreciate any info you guys could share with me, thanks.
– Rafa
Is price an issue? If so, get a PS3, it will certainly be dirt cheap. You can pirate games on it if you like.
If you can afford it, I recommend PS4. It has a lot of good games, buying it because it doesn’t have enough games is no longer a concern. It cannot be cracked and you must buy real games, though. You can buy them digitally on PSN (which is what I do) or get discs in Chengdu, which range from 100 – 300 kuai.
The WiiU looks like a lot of fun for a few first-party games, like you mention. I’ve never used it before but I think it sells for around 2,000rmb in Chengdu, a little bit cheaper than the PS4.
So PS4 is not backwards compatible with PS1/2/3 discs. They are releasing older consoles’ games on the PS4 online store, but that limits your choices. PS3 would be a better choice if you’re looking for a console that’s capable of playing older game discs as well as DVDs and such. (edit: Charlie got in before me and he knows more about this topic)
As for the WiiU, my experience with it has been very positive. A couple of REALLY fun games (new mario kart is amazing, new smash is fun multi and single player game), the gamepad is a unique piece of hardware that hasn’t been fully explored yet, and the online offerings are growing. I heard Bayonetta 2 was an incredibly fun game.
That said, the Nintendo DS (handheld) is also a viable option, if you’re considering handhelds as well. The game catalog is MUCH bigger and more well-regarded than the WiiU’s and everyone I know who has one takes it with them everywhere. Perhaps we could get a DS-owner in the conversation.
Thanks for the advice guys, it’s quite helpful. Maybe you can answer me a couple other things, what would be the best option for purchasing the console and games? Taobao or at the computer buildings near Raffles city? Do most consoles come with some kind of region lock? Has anyone had any experience bringing it back home?
Thanks again for the info.
So PS4 is not backwards compatible with PS1/2/3 discs. They are releasing older consoles’ games on the PS4 online store, but that limits your choices. PS3 would be a better choice if you’re looking for a console that’s capable of playing older game discs as well as DVDs and such. (edit: Charlie got in before me and he knows more about this topic)
The older games on PS4 are available through something called Playstation Now, which is some kind of rental/streaming service. It looks dumb, in my opinion. Some of the really classic games are available outright for sale (like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 7, etc).
what would be the best option for purchasing the console and games? Taobao or at the computer buildings near Raffles city? Do most consoles come with some kind of region lock? Has anyone had any experience bringing it back home? Thanks again for the info.
I would buy locally. In case you have problems, you can go back to the same shop for any issues. It’s a good idea to price check on Taobao before you buy locally, but the local shops will probably be like 50rmb more expensive, something pretty insignificant.
I don’t think that Playstation games are region locked. I’ve heard of some region locked games but I think that 99% of games are not region locked. I don’t think you’ll have a problem if you bring it home.
Just saw this on gochengdoo, PS4 with games for 3000: http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/classifieds/item/38985/ps4
As for the WiiU, my experience with it has been very positive. A couple of REALLY fun games (new mario kart is amazing, new smash is fun multi and single player game), the gamepad is a unique piece of hardware that hasn’t been fully explored yet, and the online offerings are growing. I heard Bayonetta 2 was an incredibly fun game.
Dan, seeing that you have a Wii U I hope you can clear some of my doubts regarding it, did you buy it in China or did you bring it from home? If bought in China, how much did you pay for it, and does it have a regional (language) system for default? Also, do you purchase the games physically or have you downloaded any while in China? Thanks again for your help, I must say that PS4 offer is very tempting.
– Rafa
I do not have a Wii U, just played a friend’s back in the States. As for downloading games, this guy bought a North American Wii U on Taobao and can download games no problem. You might be able to get more info on that on the r/China or r/WiiU subreddits.
So a Nintendo DS and 3DS owner joining the thread 🙂
DS is basically a dead format now unless you have some fond old memories from those games and the energy to hunt down the games, or illegally download from the net, then with the right add on you are set.
3DS is much more alive, I actually got the non 3D version since Im not to crazy about 3d…
Over to the games, lots of Mario, Donkey Kong and the other Nintendo franchises that I always loved so much so for me its the perfect format. There is also a TON, (yes, caps on) of old good games available for download from the official 3DS store like Streets Of Rage II, Out Run, Space Harrier from Sega, lots of old NES games like SMB3, even more old Game Boy games. You get the idea but you also realize that its not the machine for anyone. If you like Nintendo and their style along with Sega and their 16-bit glory you are in for the coolest thing ever, if not, well go for something more 2015 🙂
One more thing, the 3DS is region coded so if you are American make sure you get an US machine so you can use the download service etc etc…
Battery time sucks on the 3DS, even the soon to be released “New 3DS” (yes, they actually named it that) wont be that much of an improvement… 3-4 hours.
Daniel
Big nerd here. I own or have regular access to a PS4, PS3, Wii U, Xbone, etc…
The Wii U is probably my favorite console at the moment now because it has great stuff you can’t get anywhere else.
However, the Wii U, like everything Nintendo this generation, is region locked. This means that once you buy it you’re locked into the region it belongs to insofar as games/online/etc. Most of the ones that come into China are coming through HK and are US versions, but make sure it’s a US version （美版）unless you really want an EU or JP version. EU versions can be had, but are way more expensive compared to US or JP.
Another issue is Nintendo is crazy in the year of 2015 and a JP or US version Wii U will have a power supply that will NOT work properly in China if you just plug it in. You to buy a step-down transformer to use the Wii U here since the voltage in China is higher than in Japan or the US. This will add another 300-600rmb to the cost of the device.
The PS3, PS4, 360 and Xbone are varying degrees of region free and have proper PSUs that can handle any voltage you throw at it, so those are way easier when it comes to that.
I’d also invest in a Pro Controller if you got a Wii U. These ARE region free and the Japanese ones are the cheapest by a fair margin. The Gamepad is kind of a crappy controller, so for any game (Bayonetta 2 is a great example) that doesn’t use it’s unique features the Pro Controller is a better choice.
The Wii U is probably my favorite console at the moment
Never played it before, but it looks like a lot of fun. All the Nintendo first-party games are always fantastic.
You to buy a step-down transformer to use the Wii U here since the voltage in China is higher than in Japan or the US. This will add another 300-600rmb to the cost of the device.
These are actually much cheaper, you can get them for under 100rmb. I have a few of these of varying wattage for DJ gear. Here’s what you’ll want to look for on Taobao: 变压器
I do think a combo of nice PC + Wii U will get you 95% of the best games to come out in the last three years. The only decent exclusives to the PS4 or Xbone I can think of off the top of my head would be Sunset Overdrive and the Last of US.
For the Wii U, Bayonetta 2 is my absolute favorite, but I also had a lot of fun with Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Super Mario 3D World, Wonderful 101, and Hyrule Warriors. If you happen to have/had a Wii, the Wii remotes work as controllers for most games on the Wii U so it’s easy to get together a bunch for multiplayer.
About transformers, I originally bought a cheap one like that when I first got the Wii U and it died within a month. I bought second cheap one and it again died in a few weeks. The one I got now was about 400 and has lasted over a year and is still going. I might have just been unlucky, but especially considering I leave the thing on sometimes for very long periods of time when I’m not at home or asleep to download games which are sometimes well over 20GB, I feel better with the higher-end, non-Chinese branded one I have now. I don’t think those cheaper ones are designed with close to 24/7 use in mind.
Another thing about consoles, is that the PS4 will be MUCH harder to get in the near future. Once the Xbone released domestically in China they actually started cracking down on the sales of grey market HK and JP models, due to those being over 1000rmb cheaper and region free. Before they released domestically last fall you could see dozens of Xbones in any electronics market and easily online, but since it released domestically they’ve dried up. You can still find them, but it’s nowhere near as easy to do so and the price has gone up. Looking on Taobao right now, there are only about 5-6 sellers with the price of 2000~2300 the console should be, most are 3.5-4k Chinese models.
The PS4’s release got delayed two weeks ago and I’ve not yet heard of a new one, but they’re still everywhere. I only bought mine 3 weeks ago before the delay because I saw what happened to the Xbone.
Chances are once they release domestically (only a 200-300rmb markup compared to 1.3k for Xbones) that will likely change. Also, the reason it was delayed was so they could region lock the thing so you definitely don’t want a Chinese model.
Basically, if you think you want a PS4 get one soonish or it’ll get more expensive and harder to do so without heading to HK yourself.
And if you’re interested in a 3DS at all, wait a couple weeks for US and EU model New 3DSs to show up (release mid-Feb in both regions). I’ve been messing around with a Japanese model and it’s such an improvement over the current model it depresses me I already have an old 3DS. I purchased it only about 2 weeks before they announced the New 3DS and still have buyers remorse 🙁
I leave the thing on sometimes for very long periods of time when I’m not at home or asleep to download games which are sometimes well over 20GB
How does buying games on WiiU in China work? Do you purchase them online and then download onto the console? For me, that’s much preferable to buying physical discs. On PS4 I just buy and download games from PSN.
the PS4 will be MUCH harder to get in the near future.
This is interesting. Having a console region-locked to China doesn’t sound good at all.
Glad I picked up my PS4 when I did! If you guys post your PSN ID I’ll add you when I get back, need some more leaderboard competition.
Glad I picked up my PS4 when I did! If you guys post your PSN ID I’ll add you when I get back, need some more leaderboard competition.
Mine is thugrave
You can buy them online, but the HDD is really small and tbh I think the storefront isn’t very well made. Most Wii U games I just buy on Taobao. The price is usually about the same or even less than the digital version and shipping is rarely more than a day. Most of the downloading I do is updates for the games.
PS4 for new stuff and computer to emulate everything else from 8 bit to PS2 (not sure about PS3 emulator state atm).
8 bit battletoads ftw 🙂
8 bit battletoads ftw
I had this game, I remember how incredibly difficult it was… that game and Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out I spent so many hours trying to beat and never did.
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