Xbox One -- I'm going to start here because this is a really curious situation. My biggest criticism of the 360 was that it really lacked true exclusives. I've always wanted to play Halo but, to me, it just wasn't worth the price for one series and a few XBLA games. Now that it looks like the Xbox brand is finally pumping out exclusive games, Microsoft bungles PR and sets brand image back a few notches. On a personal level, unlike the 360, I think I will end up buying an XO eventually, as long as they keep adding new titles--and when that price tag comes down by a couple hundred dollars. I'm seriously not paying an extra $100 for Kinect at the current price point.
There is still a long ways to go before we can decide if Microsoft exclusives rank up with the other two but it looks like they're trying. The other criticism I've held with the 360 was that Gold held no value for the consumer beyond what it roped off. It looks like they might be changing that, as well, thanks to PS+, though I still really dislike video services being behind the pay wall.
PS4 -- I'm a Playstation customer because I think it offers the most variety in content and because I think World Wide Studios is the best developer group in the world. I don't see either of those things changing. Though Microsoft has upped their game in terms of content, I don't see them bringing as many Japanese games to the table or offering the same kind of variety with first-party content. Because of that, a PS4 is my next intended hardware purchase.
Yoshida is my favorite person in the gaming industry. I love how WWS has evolved under his leadership. I love how studios like Naughty Dog and Santa Monica can decide their own projects, how Japan Studio can create programs like Playstation CAMP and games like Tokyo Jungle and Rain.
In terms of hardware, I don't see much difference with it and the XO. I care about games a lot more than the box that plays them.
Wii U -- It has a few games I want to play. However, it also centers around franchises that interest me very little. Nintendo likes to purposefully avoid complex characters and storylines, two elements that attract me. They also specialize in platformers, a genre that I got burned out on years ago. I don't need more than one or two platformers a year (though I'm enjoying Knytt Underground at the moment, surprisingly). In terms of the type of content I prefer, the 3DS seems much more my style, which is why it's blown past the Wii U on my Most Wanted Hardware list. If the Wii U got some of the types of games the 3DS has, it might be a different story. The Xbox One, which I thought would be in last place, has also (probably) passed the Wii U, thanks to their unexpected interest in creating original games. At this point, I don't see myself buying a Wii U unless I fall into a lot of unexpected money.
