Why gamers don't buy a game because it is for another console?

[Cobretti2]

MrT-Tar said:
I always make quick mental cost/benefit analyses regarding platform purchases (and therefore my likelihood to buy one for a specific game); my perceived value of present, future and potential exclusive games vs price of the platform and how large my backlog is, if I have one. For example, my current 3 platforms are 3DS, Wii and PS3 (I have irregular access to a PSP, although I don't own one, so it doesn't really fit in with the example). I am certainly purchasing a WiiU (most likely on PAL launch), have moderate interest in a PSV, but no plans on a 360.

A WiiU is a definite purchase for me as what I expect the price to be (£229) is heavily outweighed by my perceived value of the games confirmed and what I expect to be announced over the course of the 8th gen; NSMBU, SSB4, Rayman Legends, DQX, P-100, Batman: AC (never got round to getting the PS3 version) and Pikmin 3 are all definite buys, I'm not certain on, but might get the likes of Lego City Undercover, Nintendoland and Trine 2, and there are also the other 1st party games which are certain to come. The WiiU will also have only a limited effect on the growth of my backlog, as I don't see the Wii getting many new games I am interested in from 2013 onwards. Arguably most importantly, I value some of those games very very highly, greater than some games I might theoretically play instead on Wii/3DS/PS3 if I held out on a purchase, thus encouraging me to purchase alongside some of those releases..

The PSV, although less than a year old, already has a few games that highly interest me (Persona 4 Golden, Gravity Rush, the new LKS and Soul Sacrifice). However, I don't value any of those games as highly as certain upcoming ones on the 8th gen handheld I already own (Fire Emblem: Awakening, Paper Mario, Monster Hunter 3G and 4, Soul Hackers, Shin Megami Tensei IV, NSMB2, etc). Also future interesting games (for me) are less certain for the PSV as a higher proportion are 3rd party (whose support cannot be guarenteed, especially with current sales). The PSV is very much a 'wait and see' platform for me, despite a few great looking games.

The 360 on the other hand, is not going to be added to my gaming collection, despite having more 'must buy games' than the PSV, which for me are Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, Kameo, Tales of Vesperia and Shadow Complex. My perceived value of the 360 is very low however as I expect no future games to interest me that I couldn't play on platforms I already own.

Basically, whether I buy a platform or not is due to a series of mental cost/benefit analyses, with results varying on the games in question, but also the value of the platform. The three examples I used all had a similar number of games I would certainly buy if I had the platform, however the likelihood of the console purchase varies greatly due to several factors; one of those being how many new announcements that interest me I expect. I am definitely getting a WiiU as more games I want to play are effectively guaranteed to come in the next few years; the PSV however will likely get many, but it is by no means certain; the 360 on the other hand is almost guaranteed to not get any more. I also take into account my individual subjective value of games (including those for platforms I already own), those for the 360 and to a lesser degree the PSV do not interest me to the same degree as upcoming games on the 3DS and WiiU, affecting my decision how to spend my gaming money.

To directly relate this back to the question in the op, I could miss out on a game, even one I value very highly, if it came out on what I see as an unattractive platform (theoretically, if the likes of FFVSXIII, Rayman Legends and ToX 1 and 2 all became 360 exclusives in the West, I would skip them).

Without going into a long response, this s a good example of valid reason on why someone does or does not purchase a certain gaming device.

The reason OP stated is indeed stupid. "Oh I won't ever play this game because it is on an inferior system and I will never give it a go because I care about spec numbers and not the value games on the so called inferior system offer"

Kind of reminds me of the whole Apple vs PC debate haha.