This generation has gone on so long, people have forgotten what to expect from next gen!
CHOOSING SIDES
Unless you’re just flush with cash, odds are you’re going to have to choose a console and stick with it if you plan on being an early adopter. While pricing hasn’t been revealed for either system at this point, the smart bet is on a 399-499 price point. That’s really not so bad when you consider how much stuff is under the hoods of these bad boys, and downright cheap when you start looking back at consoles like the Neo Geo or the Panasonic 3DO, which launched at 699 in 1992, or over 900 bucks after inflation. Still, this will be a serious investment, and it’s a choice that requires research.
Yes, some people paid almost a grand to play Way of the Warrior.
When it comes to pure power, both systems are on a level. The PS4 has a slight advantage with its memory and GPU, but it’s nothing that the Xbox One can’t compensate for with some deft programming. This was basically true with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as well; the PS3 was more powerful on paper, but was difficult to develop for, giving the 360 the ability to easily compete. This time around, both systems are based on PC architecture, so not only will they both be easy to develop games for, but porting between the consoles should be far smoother, so weird problems like the PS3 version of Bayonetta should be a thing of the past.
You also have all of those media features, but I think most early adopters aren’t in this game for things like media streaming or watching live TV on a console. Again, the systems are very comparable, with the PS4 offering lots of ways to connect with players through live gaming streams or sharing recorded game footage. The Xbox One allows all sorts of multitasking, so you can take that important Skype call while you’re playing the next Halo game. Yeah, that doesn’t excite me, either, but it’s worth comparing feature sets to see what, if any, of these things interest you as a new console owner.
For those of you reading this, it really comes down to the games. Here, I feel that it’s too early to begin placing bets, as both companies have shown little in the software department. People are quick to assume that the big franchises from this generation are a sure thing for next gen, and to an extent that may be true. Sure, the PS4 will probably have another God of War or Uncharted and the Xbox will have more Halo and Gears of War. Consider though, that with a new generation of hardware comes a new generation of exclusive titles.
Yes, we'll see more of Kratos and Master Chief, but expect new heroes to emerge, too.
I think Naughty Dog is a perfect example of this. They’ve had a big franchise for each of the Sony consoles, from Crash Bandicoot to Jak and Daxter to Uncharted. It’s unlikely that they will be continuing any of these franchises on the PS4, although someone else certainly could. In similar fashion, we already know that 343 Industries will be releasing at least two more Halo games to finish off the trilogy that Halo 4 kicked off. However, at the Xbox One reveal it was stated that at least eight original first party IPs were in development for the upcoming console. Even if half of those get cancelled, that’s a high number of exclusives in an era where most games are going multiplatform.
When looking at which console you want to purchase, you need to take all of these things into consideration. What do you want from your system? Which gaming pedigrees are you interested in pursuing? These are important questions that will take more research, and of course a close look at this year’s E3.
Comments