As you all know, the Console Wars is about to step it up another level: The next generation is coming, and its approaching fast. We already have one forerunner, the Wii U, but it has made less of an impact than Nintendo had hoped for. Let's be honest, it didn't have the same impact that the Wii had, not by a long shot. What it needs is something to stand against. It needs competition.
Enter the Playstation 4, Sony's new purebred stallion. We know very little about it, but rumors run abound. The design of the console itself varies, as does the release date. The controller will do away with regular analogue sticks and replace them with touch-sensitive pads. Not a fan of those personally, but we will see how they're implemented What we do know, though, is that we will not in Europe til early 2014 at the latest.). Backwards compatibility seems to be a thing of the past, as well as second-hand games. Neither will be playable on the new hardware, it seems. It comes with the PS Eye, the far more accurate successor to the Eye Toy of old. We also know that, in Japan, it may cost more than 40,000 yen (roughly £275) but that price can fluctuate wildly as the release date approaches. One thing is for certain though. We will learn more at a huge unveiling on February 20th.
Microsoft is another veteran in the battle for supremacy, weighing in with the Xbox 720. Latest rumors have it being 'weaker' than the PS4 in terms of sheer power, but with nothing concrete to work on, it's just smoke and mirrors at this moment in time. The design of the box and the controller are a total mystery, and it will not allow for used games to be played on a different console. Logic would dictate that it will have a better version of the Kinect sensor, probably built into the console. The price is rumored to be between the £250-£300 mark, so competitive pricing against the PS4 is a no-brainer. The mystique should be broken at this years E3, so keep an eye open for that. I have a feeling that the Xbox 720 has more to offer, and that we will see the true extent of its might this summer.
However, neither of these next-generation consoles will match up to high-tier gaming PC's. That much is for sure. Valve has caused speculation by discussing the Steam Box, a possible console version of the incredibly popular software distribution system Steam. However, there are no specs for this device, nor is there pricing, physical appearance or even an estimated release date. It will, by all reckoning, come to the market but at this moment in time it is little more than conjecture. The market could do with an injection of fresh blood, and it would have been a welcome change.
The Ouya could have been that breath of fresh air. Another new 'console', it emerged from the Kickstarter website with grand dreams: Be your own game developer! Look! You can 'hack' the system and upgrade it however you like! All games have free-to-play aspects, whether that is the whole game or a simple trial. It has a $99 selling price and is set to become available in March. Yes, I know this all sounds fantastic. But the console itself is smaller than its controller, and runs on a modified Android operating system. This has to be one of my biggest let-downs in the console wars. Get it sorted, folks.
In conclusion, it seems that the giants have not left enough scraps for anything worthwhile to emerge. The Steam Box could very easily hold its own, and introduce a whole new generation to the idea of PC gaming but it doesn't seem set to make its appearance anytime soon. So, for the time being, we will have to make do with the Big Three. But, with steadily-improving graphics and larger, more in-depth games to play, will that be such a bad thing? That's for you to decide.
No comments:
Post a Comment