Is it worth it to buy a PS3 in 2013?

If you buy a PS3 it will do exactly the same thing after the PS4 comes out as it does now. The new console will not affect the old one, that’s the beauty of consoles. The only difference is it might be cheaper then. Maybe. Cheaper than a used one? In the mean time you won’t be playing it. What do I know, I still play Gamecube and Dreamcast.

PS3's are great for watching video/music on as well as games. There are also loads of great games that aren't FPSs, if they turn out not to be right for you. For instance, Journey, which is incredible. So basically, if you can afford the price, go for it. If you can't, then as said above, you should be able to get a second-hand one pretty cheap, and the price will presumably drop when the PS4 comes out also. Nothing wrong with staying a generation behind, console-wise -- it means your console will always have a full complement of cheap games available, rather than waiting for a drip-feed of expensive games, if you stay current.

I would go for it...you would probably also really like Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas (which you can get for under $10) and adore Skyrim as well (swords and sorcery and bows and arrows and dragons...woot!) Also the Borderlands games...like Fallout, they're FPS's with a sci-fi theme. I buy used games and gear all the time from GameStop...their return policy is really good: if you hate it, return it, and they have a TON of used games under $20...also, everything they sell is guaranteed to work. When buying games look for 'Game of the Year' editions, as they usually have a bunch of extra content for cheaper than downloading it. Katamari Forever (while not a FPS) is another must-have game...

oh...FWIW...I just read that Sony is just NOW stopping production of the PS2 (two)...and Gamestop is going to stop taking them for trade-in starting Jun 1...so, yes the PS3 will still be around for a while...and even if they stopped making games for it Right Now, there are already more games for it than you could ever possibly play.

A PS3 is a wonderful living room machine that is totally worth the money. Get it and enjoy the hell out of Infinite - you're new to shooters, so play it on easy and just enjoy the experience. Put your Netflix or Hulu or Amazon Prime on it and you can cancel your cable or satellite subscription. Also, I strongly recommend getting a Playstation Plus account. Lately, they've been offering some amazing games free to members - Spec Ops: The Line, which you should also play if you enjoy Infinite, was free last month, and just yesterday they made Sleeping Dogs free to members, which is still selling to non-members for $50. Finally, there are the PS3 exclusives, like the amazing Journey. That game has gotten a heap of attention, and for good reason.

If you're excited about playing Bioshock, I would buy the PS3. No point waiting for the PS4, because I personally doubt it will be backwards compatible, it will be way more expensive than a PS3, and probably will be hard to lay your hands on one for a while too. I doubt the PS3 will be discontinued when the PS4 comes out, Sony typically keeps selling them at an even lower price for a year or so. Buying a console at the end of its lifespan is actually a perfectly valid strategy for non-hardcore gamers. You get it for less money, and can enjoy playing through that a fantastic backlog of games already available. I also recommend trying out Journey. I recommend this to everyone who has access to a PS3, but you also sound like a perfect fit for it, in terms of your gaming preferences. Its also much cheaper than Bioshock!

The PS3 is a pretty competent Blu-ray player and media streaming device (if you have something like Hulu or Netflix), so even if you hypothetically never buy or play another game it still has value in that respect.

I have never played an FPS. Is this a stupid idea? The danger is that you'll spend some money and then maybe it won't end up being as fun as you want. At which point you can either sell the PS3 or try to find some other games that you do like. And if you get it used in the first place, and decide you don't want it within a couple months (before the PS4 comes out) you'll probably be able to sell it for about what you bought it for. So it's only a stupid idea if you're so broke that you can't really afford it in the first place. I have never purchased or owned a console. The whole point is that they're easy. They're not as easy as they used to be (PS2 and earlier), but they're still easy. I wouldn't buy a ps3 now. The new one is coming out soon. The new one won't be out until "holiday season" and won't let her play PS3 games, such as Bioshock Infinite (unless they port it eventually). But the PS3 won't be discontinued immediately, and people will still be making some games for it, though at a diminishing rate. If you get a used one, I would look for a PS3 slim, or for the newest iteration (I forget what they're called). They're smaller, use less power, get less hot, and are less noisy than the original device.

I'm not sure what video rental places are in your neck of the woods, but in my area you can rent consoles the same as a DVD or game. Might be worth a shot to see how you like it, before you sink $300 on a PS3 when the PS4 is right around the corner.