In fact, the [i]only[/i] reason I'm tied to Microsoft is friends. I don't care about Gears or Halo anymore, and I fell in love with The Last of Us when I played it (had a PS3 for a little while solely to play TLoU). I think I like PS4 better, but I don't know if I want to only be able to play with my friends by going back to out 360s. They're all getting Xbone (eventually.) And I'm not selling my 360. Too much stuff that I bet I'll want to play in future years (I still play PS2, Gamecube, etc sometimes.) Essentially, my decision is Console vs Friends, and it's damn tough.

I got a PS3 back in 2008 even though all my IRL friends (literally all) had/have a 360. I personally just like Playstation more than Xbox after playing both of them. I have tons of online PS friends now so I don't mind not having the same console as my IRL friends. That is also why getting a PS4 was a no-brainer; I'd have plenty of people to play with. If you are literally the only one out of your friends getting a PS4, then it's going to suck when they all talk about Destiny and you're on a different console. On the other hand, finding people to play with isn't hard at all, so I think it's fair to say the issue would eventually be would you rather play with IRL friends, or friends you make online? Most of my friends on Xbox One are eventually going to get the Master Chief thing and they're not sticking to Destiny for that long, which is also why I kept my PS4 and didn't trade it in. With that in mind, you said you don't care for Halo or Gears, but do your friends? In that case, it's possible you get a XBone for Destiny to play with your friends, but then they all move on to other games in a few months. Then you're stuck with a console you didn't really want in the first place, and you don't have people to play with. Just things to consider. Edit: For what it's worth, when MW3 came out I bought a 360 to play with my friends who all said they would be playing it a lot. But it only lasted a few weeks to a month, and it ended up being a complete waste of money (lesson learned, and I was a dumb(er) kid at the time). When Halo 4 came out the same thing happened, and I made sure to ask, "Hey, are you guys going to play this for months/a year+?" and they all said yeah. Nope, wasted money again. I suppose the "lesson" here if there is one is don't tailor your gaming to what other people are doing, because if they change their minds/do something else you get boned. Where as by pursuing solely what you want to do, you'll get it, and you'll meet other people who are doing the same thing as you are = people to play with, and lots of fun.

It's not going to suck when they talk about Destiny... because they won't. They're not getting it. At [i]least[/i] not at launch. At least. I don't care much about Gears or Halo, but most of them are still Gearsheads. I'm afraid if I get Xbox One, they'll stop playing everything we'd been playing together and only play Gears once the new Gears comes out. (Note, they are online friends. Known them for about 2 years.) They're still my friends, and I go into Party Chat with them most days... but they play so much Gears.

I edited my post with some more info/experiences that is actually sort of relevant to what you just said. I know what it's like having a lot of online buddies, so I hear you. In that case I would lean more towards a PS4. If you want to keep in touch with your buds, there is always Skype, etc. If they're not going to play Destiny, or play it that long, when you are pretty sure you will (it sounds like it), then based on that alone, there isn't much reason to get an XBone (not telling you how to spend your money, just giving my opinion). If it ends up being you playing Destiny and them playing Gears, you can Skype instead of party up. I bought a 360 to play with friends because they said they would play the same games, and when this turned not to be true, the 360 was a massive waste. If you get an XBone to play Destiny with your friends, and they end up not playing Destiny, then that sucks. Or get Destiny for PS4, meet people who will play Destiny as much as you, get the console you like, and Skype with your friends. Based off this conversation that seems like the option that would make you happiest.

Don't worry, I don't feel like you're telling me how to spend my money. Just giving me helpful guidance. When I get the chance, I'll ask them straight up if they're honestly going to play some games I'm interested in. What they say then, could be the decision-maker. Thanks for the advice.

No problem! Just remember that while they might say they will play it, that doesn't mean they will. Not because they're dishonest, but they just may not realize they're not going to play it that much. They could still think it's an awesome game, but if another game comes along, like Gears, they could easily forget about it. Just keep that in mind when deciding. If you do get a PS4 though, I'll add you and we can play.

I'm planning on being pretty "direct" with them. Hopefully they'll take it quite seriously then and think harder about their answer. And I'll let you know what I decide, in case I end up choosing PS4.