Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4: these are the consoles which have dominated the console gaming industry for a long time now. They are constantly evolving, with new and interesting features added to them with each installment and exclusive game titles, just to occupy that space in your living room. Needless to say, the game libraries of both the consoles have expanded greatly, and both of them now starting at $350, there was never a better time to get the best in the gaming arena. But which one should you … [Read more...]
Need for Speed Rivals Release Date Meshes with Xbox One, Not PS4
Speculation has run rampant that Electronic Arts is in cahoots with Microsoft, leading to EA executives actually stating that the second-largest game publisher doesn't favor the Xbox One over the PS4 in any way. Still, today's announcement from EA about the Need for Speed Rivals release date for both next-gen consoles is enough to make one wonder whether the statement was sincere. In North America, Need for Speed Rivals will be in stores Nov. 22 for Xbox One, making it a day-and-date Xbox One launch title. The … [Read more...]
Microsoft Boosts Xbox One Specs for Both CPU and GPU
Lost in its announcement of the Xbox One release date was Microsoft's note that it has increased the Xbox One specs for both the CPU and GPU since revealing them at E3. The increased Xbox One specs don't on the surface seem like much, but when you consider the overall power of both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, any incremental boost is notable. Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft Corporate VP of Marketing for Xbox, said "the development team has increased the CPU from 1.6GHZ to 1.75GHZ, roughly a 10 percent increase in CPU … [Read more...]
PS4 vs Xbox One: “Essentially the Same,” Says Carmack
In the PS4 vs Xbox One debate, which has seemingly consumed the Internet since E3, industry veteran John Carmack says the arguments are pointless because the consoles "are essentially the same." Carmack made his argument-defusing comment during his keynote address at QuakeCon, which is going on now in Dallas. Carmack, technical director at id Software, has been revered for more than a decade for his insight into hardware specs and capabilities. Hearing his take on the great PS4 vs Xbox One battle is therefore quite … [Read more...]
Analysts: “PS4 Will Win,” Claim 50% Lead Over Xbox One
In the PS4 vs Xbox One battle, the analysts at Strategy Analytics have taken a distinct stance in the matter: "the PS4 will win." This straightforward and simple statement came in the firm's recap of their latest ConsumerMetrix survey, which showed consumers have a 50% greater chance of buying Sony's PS4 over an Xbox One. The results were based on near-term sales predictions and not necessarily reflective of the longer-term PS4 vs Xbox One war that's destined to wage for the next five or more years. According to the … [Read more...]
Xbox One Games Pre-Orders: Is Xbox One the Next GameCube?
The back-and-forth battle between Xbox One pre-orders and PS4 pre-orders has waged since Microsoft and Sony announced their respective consoles’ pricing and release this holiday season. But while the posturing among fanboys has focused on hardware pre-orders, nobody’s discussed how game pre-orders are performing. That tale is equally interesting, because the trend in Xbox One games pre-orders may not bode well for Microsoft’s console. In fact, Amazon data shows the Xbox One may be overly reliant on first-party games, … [Read more...]
PS4 vs. Xbox One: Microsoft’s Advantage if Hardware’s Irrelevant
All the talk before E3 was the battle looming between Sony and Microsoft going toe to toe with dueling press conferences. Sony seemed to have the last laugh, both literally and figuratively, with its press conference scheduled for the end of the day and the revelation that the PS4 would retail for $399, a full $100 less than the Xbox One. Yet this final article in our three-part series explores whether Microsoft -- in spite of history being stacked against it, and in spite of failing to learn from the past -- is still … [Read more...]
PS4 vs. Xbox One: Microsoft Hasn’t Learned Its Lesson
Leading up to and through E3, the flame wars fanned to epic heights about the benefits, drawbacks and question marks surrounding the PS4 and Xbox One. With either Microsoft or Sony seemingly destined to win the next generation, we’ve prepared a three-part series digging into the issues surrounding their forthcoming launches. Our first article focused on the historical context for the looming console war, pointing out that history isn’t on Microsoft’s side. This second article looks at what’s actually transpired as we … [Read more...]
PS4 vs. Xbox One: History is Not on Microsoft’s Side
The next-gen consoles and E3 2013 have inspired more questions than answers, from Microsoft’s position on used games (read our Xbox One used-game policy analysis) and the status of PS4 pre-orders to the future of GameFly on Xbox One and the Xbox One and PS4 release date. Much to Nintendo’s chagrin, the upcoming console war is clearly a PS4 vs. Xbox One discussion. In light of this, we’ve prepared a three-part series to take a deeper dive into the issues that have surfaced during the past few weeks and to see what we can … [Read more...]