Months Later Who Has The Upper Hand?

Welcome to another random Monday blogpost, trying to keep these short and sweet going forward. So not sure if you recall but a couple months back when E3 2013 happened we did our summary of the big question going into the holiday season. Which Next -Gen console to invest in? You can see that video below:

Months later and the dust has settled and the numbers are in. *Drumroll Please* Who comes out on top in the battle for Next-Gen Supremacy after all the changes and releases?

I called this from day one. Whether they want to call me a fanboy or not I was right. The facts were all there, even if certain policies and features changed here and there over the time period of when I released this video and now. So by now if you are a heavy gamer and been following the console wars you should have a firm grasp of what has solidified Sony's victory in the battle of Next Gen gaming, but here is  a updated glimpse of why.

The Games

Sony has the potential for more exciting exclusive games than Microsoft. Granted everyone is hyping over Titanfall right now, but already PS4's release of Infamous: Second Sun has further helped sell PS4's on release. As great as Titanfall is it isnt exactly the great console seller for theh XBOX One like Halo was for the original XBOX. According to a trusted source of the market for computer and videogames (MCV); PS4 hardware sales have been boosted a full 106% since the release of inFamous: Second Son. Supply constraints may have prevented that number from being even more significant. inFamous: Second Son is the first post-launch testament to the PS4's power, offering owners a chance to see visuals unlike ever seen before on a console. Sony has gone on to release a list of over 100 games that are scheduled for release on PS4 over the next year which you can see by clicking here.

Services

Essentially Sony went the route of appealing to gamers while Microsoft tried to be a jack of all trades by trying to appeal to everyone. Sadly when you are a jack of all trades but master of none it doesn't always workout so well. Granted now both consoles require you to pay for an online gaming experience but at least with Sony you get value for your money from all the PlayStation Plus deals and free games they offer. Couple that with the upcoming testing and release of PlayStation Now which will provide access to all the previous generations of games at your fingertip and its a no brainer. Ill give Microsoft the nod as far as service integration goes simply because they have the better dashboard and motion gaming setup but I play games and so do many others. I don't really care much about a voice control system that doesn't work well enough for me to abandon the idea of just using my controller to navigate the menu.

Performance

If you saw the video I did you should know the specs between both systems are relatively the same but the PS4 has a slight edge over the XBOX ONE. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes developer Kojima has gone on record saying his game will look better on PS4. And there's been a lot of argument around games like Call of Duty: Ghosts that run natively in 1080p on PS4 vs. 720p on Xbox One. Of course, the Xbox can run games in 1080p and 60fps, but with multiple titles coming in with lower native resolution on Xbox, Microsoft's machine has been publicly perceived as less powerful. Granted the experiences and games are almost identical like on Xbox One and PS4, but people will gravitate to what seems like the better system for the money. At at a $100 lower price point and essentially better gaming specs the choice is clear.

more.

The One?

Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the long waited day. It finally happened; Microsoft hit the stage an revealed to the world their submission into the next generation of gaming aptly titled the XBOX One. Now I know I have never been much of an advocate for XBOX related gaming since i'm a PlayStation fan-boy at heart but I figured since I did a post on the PS4 release it is only fair that I do one for this as well in the interest of video game journalism. So with that being said lets take a look at the press conference unveiling for the Xbox One.

You can skip to the 1:27:30 to watch the actual start of the press conference if you don't feel like sitting through the entire color commentary of IGN covering the event. If you haven't watched it and don't want spoilers go back up and finish. ***SPOILERS AHEAD*** don't say I didn't warn you; so without a doubt comparisons have been long awaited to be cast between the PS4 reveal press conference and this and I must say Microsoft did play for play pretty much exactly as I would have expected from them with their current marketing scheme. Minimal actual gaming with a hard focus on the interoperability of the dashboard and Kinect with a hint of sporting appeal for the mass market. One thing I will say though; they definitely got the upper hand on Sony's press conference by actually showing the console in its entirety so now the pressure seems to be on Sony to put all their cards on the table come E3. As far as an overall showing comparison wise between the two press conferences I would say Microsoft had the most to offer as far as showing what their next console actually is and what its main focus will be.

The Xbox One will feature a wide variety of features aimed at capitalizing on its name as the One piece of technology you will need to have a complete at home entertainment setup. It will be your computer to surf the internet, the console to play your games on, your cable provider to deliver you all your favorite shows and sporting events, and so much more. Hopefully you watched the video and have a firm grasp on the capabilities of this new next gen console so I wont have to go into details but here are the top 5 noteworthy points:

1. Vibration motors ("impulse triggers") in the triggers
2. The d-pad on the controller has been redefined to be much better and precise.
3. The Xbox One has a disc loader like the PS3 instead of its traditional disc tray.
4. The Xbox One has both HDMI in and out ports.
5. Xbox One utilizes blue ray technology finally so say bye bye to DVD's.

Here you see the final specs that will be available for retail in the Xbox One

Now lets take a look at the top 5 things that were not shown or not answered in this press conference:

1. Will the console be required to always be online?
2. Will gamertags and gamerscores be transferable?
3. Will the Kinect no longer be pushed as an addition to the potential gaming library or will it just be used for apps?
4. Price of the console and an actual sales date. 
5. Live Video Game Demos!!!

Numbers 1,4, and 5 are the most pertinent and pressing that have the social media world a blaze with rumors and speculation and anger. Many denizens of the online world especially took to Twitter and Tumblr and voiced their concerns as such. I'm not exactly sure if maybe people realized or knew that Microsoft had already planned on having the press conference in two parts. Part one being the unveiling primarily of the console and its hardware and part 2 being most likely about the gaming and software side of the console. So for those hungry to see that side of things you will just have to wait until E3 in 19 days. So for those that are up in arms about what they didn't see or don't like about the presentation just chill and wait for part two at E3 cause you just gotta...

With all that said and done the most important thing to take away from all of this is the final comparison that can now be made between both the latest next generation consoles. Cause we all know that the console wars are never ending so who do you think will come out on top with this upcoming generation of gaming consoles? Leave a comment with where your money will be going and why...

more.

Next Generation Gaming Has Arrived...

Well after much hype, rumors, and anticipation Sony has unveiled their entry into the next generation of console gaming; the PS4. Personally I super pumped for this console even if I wont be purchasing it anytime soon. The tech demos that were showcased along with some of the console exclusive titles are looking really strong for the PS4. Hopefully you got to see the presentation in its entirety but if you didnt feel free to watch it here:

Brought To You In Part By Zalgo Cometh

Now before I go any further let me just address the haters for a second. Yes they didn't show the actual console, yes you probably feel like your time was wasted, but ask yourself why would you as a business show all your cards regarding the most hyped up to be released gaming product for this year. Be glad they even had a release and just chill. They showed enough to keep the hype train rolling until a month or two when they will have to show something else. Without a doubt you can expect full disclosure at E3 so you know it will be worth the wait. It might have seemed like Sony fucked over a lot of people but in reality they fucked everyone just right. Give up just they tip of the dick and leave the bitches wanting more. The big highlight of the presentation was:

The Controller - I AM SO RELIEVED!!! I knew they were planning to make changes to the controller and there were talks of a whole new controller design so when I saw this my heart jumped for joy. Dual Shock 4 has arrived in fine style and I am fine with its new design. We see an enhanced joystick and shoulder button setup, better vibration from the rumble pack, decreased latency for wireless connectivity, a touch-pad for new ways to interact with the user interface, a color coded identifier for distinguishing players and finally the long discussed share button. It almost seems like they incorporated the actual PS Move controller into the Dual Shock Controller. Here are the specs:

External Dimensions Approx. 162mm x 52mm x 98mm (width x height x depth)
(tentative, excludes largest projection)
Weight Approx. 210g (tentative)
Keys / Switches PS button, SHARE button, OPTIONS button,
Directional buttons (Up/Down/Left/Right),
Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square),
R1/L1/R2/L2 button, Left stick / L3 button, Right stick / R3
button, Pad Button
Touch Pad 2 Point Touch Pad, Click Mechanism, Capacitive Type
Motion Sensor Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, threeaxis accelerometer)
Other Features Light Bar, Vibration, Built-in Mono Speaker
Ports USB (Micro B), Extention Port, Stereo Headset Jack
Wireless Communication Bluetooth® Ver2.1+EDR
Battery Type Built-in Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery
Voltage DC3.7V (tentative)
Capacity 1000mAh (tentative)

After that was done the games were the next thing that got me all hot and bothered. Here are my top picks:

inFAMOUS: Second Son- I so called this while talking to my friend during the presentation. Happy to see the inFamous series getting some love especially for the new PS4. Its definitely a flagship title and deserves to be on the starting line up for the PS4.

Watch Dogs- We had gotten a night time demo of this game at E3 last year and it blew everyone away; well its back and this time showcasing daytime play. Without a doubt this game is positioning itself as a must have for the PS4 when it launches. Watch Dogs Will Be Out On PC, PS3, 360, And Wii U. But First It’ll Be On PS4.

To round it all out here are some overall things I am looking forward to hearing and seeing more about in the coming months...

Remote Play for PSVITA:

Gaikai's Dave Perry took the stage to announce a bunch of new "social" features for the PS4 today: including Ustream/Facebook support, streaming capabilities, and and "remote play," which allows you to play PS4 games on your Vita. "Our vision is to create the first gaming social network with meaning," he said. Perry said the long-term goal is to make "every PS4 game" playable on the PlayStation Vita. This positions the PSVITA as a very necessary handheld to have if you are a serious gamer and will undoubtedly boost their struggling sales as people would have cross play access to their entire library of games.

Check out full specs at: http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/pdf/130221a_e.pdf

The PS4’s Specs, in Brief :

We've been speculating and spilling them for months, but Sony has finally revealed, at least partially, the basic spec sheet for the PS4. It's...very basic, but as you can see, there's 8GB of memory, a hard drive and an x86 CPU. This is looking a lot like a PC rig build and if that's the case the gap between console gaming graphics and PC gaming graphics is going to be come less and less of an issue. So as developers push the limits on what the console can do and harness as much of its raw power as possible we will have one less reason to worry about building a top quality PC. We will just buy a PS4 for the price of a top end graph card for a PC rig.

Well I think that covers everything I wanted to touch on for the PS4 press conference so hope you are as informed as you would hope and until next time keep on gaming.

more.