So the announcements have came and went, the big E3 (E3 is a large convention for electronics and video games that all major electronic companies take part in) presentations are over. So what console is the one to go with? Which one will win the war? Is it the Microsoft Xbox One or the Sony Playstation 4?
Let us examine some of these questions, the first one I would like to discuss is who will win the war question. Does it really matter? If Sony wins or Microsoft wins, or by some miracle Nintendo, do you get any of the profits? How does a gamer benefit besides bragging rights, I have never understood super brand loyalty with fan boys and never will. So let’s put that question to rest and not care who actually wins.
As far as the new systems go, specs wise they are pretty similar, now some hard core guys will break it down and show you why this console has this much more power and blah blah blah, but in the end, the graphics and game play will be very similar. So then you go with features and price and that is where the difference is.
Starting with the Xbox One, the price will be $500, now that does include a Kinect sensor which is now required for all systems. Depending on how you feel about the Kinect, this maybe a deciding factor for you, myself, I am not a big fan, but a family with lots of room could enjoy it.
The Xbox One did reverse its stance on used games (because of pressure that PS4 was not doing it), originally Microsoft was going to charge you to play used games on its system. Another option they reversed on was always online connection, meaning you could not play a game if it was not connected to the internet, even a single player game. People are still wary of Microsoft because of this, and wonder if they could flip the switch to go back to these policies in the future.
Other areas of focus for Microsoft is TV and cable. They have tons of features to integrate your cable into your Xbox One as well as exclusive deals with NFL and other partners, but the NFL deal will not be Sunday Ticket. Microsoft really focused on multiple options for their system, and targeted everyone not just gamers, but the whole family, will this strategy pay off we will see.
The Sony Playstation 4 is taking a different approach. The first thing that sticks out is the $400 price tag. Their system will not include a motion sensor, you can buy that separately if you wish. This is a nice deal, so you are not forced to own one if you do not want one.
The PS 4 main focus seems to be the social aspect of gaming. They want you to share your gaming experience, with buttons to auto share stuff to your social media websites, also features to record gameplay and post it. Sony’s focus is much more of a streamlined video game focus with some TV and applications being offered.
For what it is worth, if you love just gaming and could care less about TV or motion controls the early pick is the PS4. It comes in at $100 cheaper and focuses way more on games. Not that the Xbox One is not a good system, but judging by how useless the kinect is and the crap games that came out for it they can keep it.
Of course, when the price drops, most gamers will probably own both anyways. But then you ask, what about the Wii U. The Wii U will be given the side kick role, or main kid based system. The main problem with the Wii U is the lack of games, if they can start cranking out quality games and get 3rd part developers to start making more games they should be fine.