We are eight days away from the real beginning of the eighth generation of console gaming. Yes, Xbox, we all know that Nintendo’s Wii U came out a few months back, but who honestly cares? Everyone knows that this era of gaming, as well as this holiday season, will be ruled by Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One. Nov. 15 (eight days from now) the PS4 will drop. A week after that comes the Xbox One. Which one should you buy? Well, let’s take a closer look.
Microsoft’s Xbox One couldn’t have started off any worse. It’s original requirements of online connectivity, absolute Kinect integration, a $500 price tag and restrictions on the sale and resale of its games turned off even the most hardcore Xbox lovers. Many fans of the original Xbox and its successor, the Xbox 360, have now jumped ship to the PS4, even after Microsoft retracted and canceled most of these plans. Not to mention the One’s lack of original series outside of the Halo and Gears of War franchises and soon to be limited indie games have really hurt its early sales projections. Plus, many gamers are afraid to go out and purchase the new console because they fear it will suffer many of the problems that plagued its predecessors, such as the “Red Ring of Death” that many 360 owners had to endure.
However, the One does have its positives. An expanded Xbox Live service will expand the One’s content outside of gaming to an even further extent than it did on the 360. There is integrated support of live stream gaming online in addition to cloud computing and improved Kinect connectivity. Furthermore, the One is being compared to the next home entertainment system to rival Apple TV and Google TV. Who doesn’t want to say “Xbox on” and have their console turn on without pushing a button?
Meanwhile, Sony’s newest edition of the PlayStation has come out of the gates like a tsunami waiting to engulf gamers. For everything the Xbox One has messed up, the PS4 has gotten right. Legions of former Xbox fanboys have jumped ship to Sony’s newest installment of the PlayStation franchise, and the console will not disappoint. The biggest difference will be Sony’s partnership with Gaikai, a cloud-based gaming service that will allow its gamers to stream video game content with other services and devices such as cell phones and tablets. Sony’s focus on more social gameplay is also introduced on the new Dual Shock 4 controller, which features a “Share” button that allows gamers to share their top gaming moments on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as the ability to see in game play that is streamed live from friends. The continuation of big franchises such as Infamous, Killzone and God of War will ensure that Sony will rule the holiday season.
Of course, each system has its similarities to one another. After exclusively using the Blu-Ray drive for the seventh generation’s PlayStation 3, Sony has allowed Microsoft to use that technology for the Xbox One. Furthermore, each system has gone back to simpler operating systems to encourage indie developers to publish their games exclusively on one of the consoles. Plus, all of the major franchise games such as Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed and Madden share the consoles because Activision, Ubisoft and EA want to make money off all of them.
Each system has its own pluses and minuses, but the PS4 is leading the way in projected holiday sales. And why shouldn’t it? It didn’t alienate half of its fanbase with ridiculous requirements that gamers neither want nor need. However, once Christmas passes, we will see which console comes out on top.
Jordan Llanes can be reached at jordan.llanes@theminaretonline.com