PS4 vs XB1
Alatar
Questions of power in gaming hardware are often a rather subjective idea. Even if you look at current-generation systems, the Xbox 360 might generally make better looking games, but the PS3s Cell processor is actually a good deal stronger than what Microsoft put in their configuration. The truth of the matter is, it's all about opinion. However, that hasn't stopped many different publications from outing the PS4 as the next-gen power winner.
So what is it that makes Sony's option such a gosh darn beast? Look no further than the installed 8GB of GDDR RAM. Even though the One has 8GB RAM as well, the additional graphic capabilities of the sticks increases performance by about 90%. The SRAM of the One however, does not seem to have such a staggering effect. You can compound this data by also noting that the PS4s GPU runs at 1.84 teraflops to One's 1.23 teraflops. If you aren't a math person, that's a 30% increase in performance over its rival. It may be some time before we actually see whose games look and perform the best, but so far the PS4 looks to be the setup to beat!
Alatar
Neil O'Loughlin
Sent from Mailbox for iPhone
On Wed, May 29, 2013 at 10:17 AM, Alatar <martin....@gmail.com> wrote:
Also, as Shark's article pointed out, some of the XB1's core's and memory are going to be dedicated to task switching and keeping everything running simultaneously. It certainly looks like the PS4 will be the better option for people who are gamers first and foremost.
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Armand
Microsoft reverses controversial game licensing policies [Updated]
Take this with a grain of salt for now, but Giant Bomb news writer Patrick Klepek is reporting that "multiple sources" are telling him that Microsoft will be announcing a complete reversal of its controversial Xbox One game licensing and online policies later today.
According to the report (which is currently killing Giant Bomb's servers), this means the Xbox One will no longer have to check in regularly online but will instead only use the Internet once when the system is initially set up. Game discs will be just as portable as they were on the Xbox 360, with no restrictions on resale or transfer, and downloadable games will work offline as well as online. Region locks on the system will also reportedly be dropped.
A separate report from WhatTheHiFi confirms the essential facts of the Giant Bomb report through its own unnamed sources, adding that developers are being informed of the change before consumers hear about it officially later today.
While neither site gives any more details on where this information is coming from, Klepek says that his sources tell him that Microsoft has definitely been listening closely to consumer feedback in the weeks since first revealing its information.
We're reaching out to our own sources on this and will of course let you know when anything official comes down on this.
Armand
Jono
On Wednesday, June 19, 2013 11:16:31 PM UTC+1, Armand wrote:
Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.
For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future.
Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One.
You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.
So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:
An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.
Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.
In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console — there will be no regional restrictions.
These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.
We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.
Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.
Falin
Jono
Armand
M$ had to do something, They were actively being mocked. Not just in the gaming press but by the main stream as well. Criticism is one thing being mocked is another. And to support the mocking the pre sales must have been truly shocking to stir them into that kinda u-turn so close to launch. Wonder how much damage they have done?
I might be in line for a PS4 (birthday in Nov and Xmas) but right now I’m not sure I would get much value given the backlog I have on both PS3 and Vita. May difficult to get one anyway if I wait too close so that might take the choice away anyway which might not be a bad thing.
Jono
M$ had to do something, They were actively being mocked. Not just in the gaming press but by the main stream as well. Criticism is one thing being mocked is another. And to support the mocking the pre sales must have been truly shocking to stir them into that kinda u-turn so close to launch. Wonder how much damage they have done?
I might be in line for a PS4 (birthday in Nov and Xmas) but right now I’m not sure I would get much value given the backlog I have on both PS3 and Vita. May difficult to get one anyway if I wait too close so that might take the choice away anyway which might not be a bad thing.
Alatar
Xbox Live gold members get free game on 1st and 16th of each month through 2013
Microsoft has outlined its plans to give away two free games to Xbox Live Gold members each month until the end of 2013, starting with Assassin’s Creed 2 and Halo 3.
OXM reports that both games will be free next month, and the program of free games will see new titles added on the 1st and 16th of each month until year’s end.
Once you have the games they are yours to keep indefinitely. No strings it seems.
A Microsoft statement reads, “As our way of saying thanks, we’re giving all active Gold members two bonus Xbox 360 games each month for the rest of the year. Each specially selected, fan-favourite game will be available to download only for a limited time, so grab them before they’re gone and keep them no matter what.”
What do you make of the above? Is it a good incentive to get Xbox Live Gold? Let us know below.
Falin
Jono
Looks like they're very scared of PS4...
Falin
Falin
Humans are amazing optimizers. There is a game shop here in Warsaw, where all you have to do is to buy one game, and then from now on for about fifteen dollars you can exchange it for any other new game. In other words, after the initial purchase any new console title costs you fifteen bucks. Is it right? Is it wrong? It doesn’t matter. What matters is that many people are playing off one box of a game, and while this makes the consumers and the shop happy, it’s not making the developers and publishers happy.
And, you know, just like salesmen and gamers are great optimizers, so are the developers and publishers. A good few years ago, a mantra was born: “…so they keep the disc in the tray”.
That is how the DLC was born. “Don’t sell your copy yet, there’s more to come!” Not all gamers fell for it. But those who did, were paying five, ten, fifteen dollars for a content that making of which took only a tiny fraction of developer’s resources and time needed to make the full game, but cost these gamers 25 per cent of it. It was often enough to cover the perceived loss from used game sales. Not unlike when ‘whales’ cover the cost of ‘freeloaders’ in free to play games.
That is also how filler content was born. Far Cry 3 is not a better game because you need two boar hides to craft a simple rucksack item, but it certainly is longer. For some game players, length equals value. But then somehow the same people often do not finish such a game (industry standard is about 25 per cent). They put it back on the shelf, promising themselves that they will finish it one day. Most of the time, they never do. But the important thing for the publishers is: the gamers hold on to the game, they’re not selling it, all is good.
This is how artificial extenders were born. The hardest difficulty is inaccessible on your first play-through not just because the developer wants to stop you from making a mistake. It’s so you replay the game at least one more time and double your play time. And if you don’t care about that? Hey, there are always achievements to collect, right?
That is also how microtransactions were born. There will always be people who are ready to pay for a golden saddle or extra ammo in a game they already paid sixty bucks for. The numbers are insane – some triple-A games made tens of millions this way. Again, ‘whales’ were paying for ‘freeloaders’.
Alatar
Xbox One built with advertising in mind, Kinect integral to next-gen adverts
Xbox One was designed with advertising in mind, members of the Xbox Live advertising team have confirmed.
Speaking with StickTwiddlers, a number of Microsoft staffers in the Xbox Live advertising division have shed light on the lessons learned through Xbox 360 adverts, and how this will be applied in Xbox One. It also places Kinect as a key part of the strategy.
Confirming that Kinect will use voice and facial recognition to tailor adverts on your console, one unnamed technical account manager said, “With the new Xbox One, the technology and Kinect has improved a lot, so that actually the voice recognition, the way you speak to your Xbox and the transition between gaming and watching TV is a lot smoother, and hopefully we can transpire [sic] that into advertising that we do.”
The strategy goes hand-in-hand with Microsoft’s ‘Nuads’ campaign, which resulted in adverts that housed interactive polls, as a way of making users feel like they were participating in adverts, rather than absorbing them passively.
The Microsoft employee added that Nuads, “transform passive TV advertising into something interactive, immersive, and actionable, redefining the relationship between consumers and brands with amazing new advertising opportunities”.
While this might all sound intrusive and that Kinect is spying on users to sell them products, one of the Microsoft employees stressed that the company does not want the technology and its customers to be abused. However, the volume of data captured by Microsoft and advertisers via Kinect is said to be significantly lower than the information recorded by game developers.
“This sort of works at two levels,” the Microsoft employee added. “There’s the game producers who have a different API, so a different set of code and system that they use, and they’ve got a lot more control of the whole thing, whereas from the advertising point of view we have a slightly more limited set, which is designed to protect the user. The company is very keen on protecting the user from any sort of abuse so we can’t do certain things.”
Because Microsoft is wanting to move Xbox One into the living room of families using Kinect, the device can – for example – recognise when there are many people in a room, and target adverts to families and people of varying ages.
Microsoft’s Senior Digital Art Director/UX Designer explained, “Xbox is moving more outside of the bedroom. We’re seeing much, much more people use it in living rooms where there is family, friends, there is lots going on, so there is a context of perceiving the content.
“It’s not like when you’re at work when you sit in front of a screen and your experience is very personal. But with Xbox, it’s lots of people in front of once big screen. They are playing or watching together and advertising is being consumed in a totally different way.”
They added, “On Xbox, the ad is part of the actual experience, it’s not something that is outside. The only difference is that the advertisement we have is quite small and not disruptive so people are not aware of clicking on the banners because they know this is a part of the whole experience on the dash.
“So the users know that this is something that when they click on it, they won’t be hit by something crazy or something dangerous like on the web. Everything that lands there, we create.”
One source called the development of adverts for Xbox One “exciting”, because, “the 360 console wasn’t built with advertising in mind, it was more of an afterthought, so we’ve had to adapt to the technology and how we work to fit them in to the console, whereas this new one is going to have advertising in mind.
“So a lot of the limitations that we have now, hopefully the release of the boundaries will widened so the opportunities will be a lot greater.”
Armand
GAMES VENDOR Microsoft has revealed that games for the Xbox One will be just as expensive as those for its Xbox 360 console.
That's judging by some listings at Microsoft's online Xbox One store, with the firm offering Kinect Sports Rivals, Dead Rising 3, Ryse: Son of Rome and Forza Motosport 5 for £49.99 each. That seems to confirm that titles will be priced the same as they were for the Xbox 360, bad news for those hoping for cheaper games.
It seems that we're not the only ones to have noticed the games up for sale on Microsoft's website, as Amazon has since dropped the price of its Xbox One titles that previously were priced at £54.99. It has even dropped one title, Need for Speed: Rivals, to £43.99.
This revelation comes amid reports that Xbox One preorder figures are smashing records, outselling Microsoft's last generation Xbox 360 and its biggest rival, the Sony PS4. While we have yet to catch a glimpse of any numbers, both EA and Ubisoft have noticed the "record" number of preorders for the console.
Speaking during Ubisoft's earnings call last week, the firm's CEO Yves Guillemot said that according to retailers Xbox One preorder numbers are more than double those of the Xbox 360, despite the console facing much more criticism following its announcement.
Guillemot said, "Some retailers are saying, not all of them, but some retailers are saying that their preorders are two times what they sold at the last generation launch. At the moment they are really getting more preorders than what they saw before."
Microsoft has yet to comment about Xbox One game prices.
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2284485/xbox-one-games-will-be-priced-at-gbp4999
Falin
Falin
Armand
On Wednesday, 24 July 2013 17:01:33 UTC+1, Falin wrote:
After the recent shitstorm? Just goes to show the loudest are normally the smallest.
Alatar
Indies mixed on Xbox One self-publishing
In a surprise turn around from its historical policies, Microsoft has announced it will allow self-publishing on the Xbox One. Unsurprisingly, the news has raised both excitement and skepticism among indie developers.
Shack News collated a couple of responses to today’s news.
Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine creator Andy Schatz of Pocketwatch Games said that an open platform is much better, because it gets rid of arbiters of taste, reduces energy expended on pitching games, and negates the need for publishers.
“While I enjoyed working with [publisher Majesco], had self-publishing been an option on the Xbox 360 it would have saved me a lot of trouble in the long run, since my destination platform was in limbo until a year before launch,” Schatz noted.
“If Microsoft doesn’t promote your game, it will still be a gigantic uphill battle to see any sort of meaningful sales,” he added.
TowerFall creator Matt Thorson said self-publishing would make “a huge difference” to him.
“For me, lack of self-publishing makes it very difficult to consider launching on a platform. I’ve never worked with Microsoft, but I’ve heard horror stories from other indies,” he said.
“Fingers crossed they’re aware of the problems and are ready to put in the work to catch up to Sony. They seem to be on the right track with this and the recent removal of the XBLA patch fee.”
But Jennifer Schneidereit of Tengami developer Nyamyam Games was not so ethusiastic.
“Up until now Microsoft have displayed a mentality that excludes independent developers,” she said.
“This makes it difficult for me to trust their motives for reversing their stance now. From my time at Microsoft, I know that company goals and direction change frequently. These new plans might just be a last minute band-aid and we’ll end up with a similar situation to Xbox Live Indie Games, where Microsoft provides a system, but doesn’t give it the support it needs to be successful.”
“Microsoft will have to do a lot more to gain my trust than just changing their self-publishing policy.”
Polygon also spoke to a couple of developers, including Jamie Cheng of Klei Entertainment.
“I think the real test will be the discoverability of the games on the dashboard,” Cheng said.
“The gauge of a healthy channel is the success of the middle – it’s not enough that a few games are hits, there also needs to be a wide base of developers that are making a decent income. This lowers the threshold and allows more developers to jump in and take risks.”
Retro City Rampage creator Brian Provinciano said Microsoft has a way to go to catch up with Sony, saying he has heard that the tools on ffer through self-publishing are quite limited.
“After my experience working with them to release on Xbox 360, I have no interest in even buying an Xbox One, let alone developing for it,” he added.
“The policy changes are great, but they don’t undo the experience I had. I’m not ready to forget what I went through. Working with Microsoft was the unhappiest point of my career. Policies are one thing, but developer relations are another.”
Peter Bartholow of Skullgirls developer Lab Zero Games is also wary.
“I’d need to see the fine print before making any kind of final judgment. After all, these new policies were crafted by the same people that made the last set of awful policies,” he said.
Visit the Shack and Poly links above for more comments from indie developers.
Although The company’s major rival is Sony, one of the more interesting comparisons to make after Microsoft’s announcement today is with Nintendo, which has apparently been doing quite a good job of fostering indies behind the scenes.
Armand
Alatar
Armand
Alatar
Microsoft has announced extra controllers for the Xbox One will come at $59.99 each, according to new listings on the Microsoft Store website. A controller that comes with a play-and-charge kit will cost $15 more.
Microsoft has slowly rolled out information about the new controller and its rumbling impulse triggers, new d-pad, and redesigned analog sticks. As is the custom for most gaming consoles, only one controller will be included in the box with the $499 Xbox One (along with two AA batteries and a USB port for external power).
For comparison, the Xbox 360 wireless controllers were priced at $49.99 back in 2005, while the wired controllers cost $39.99. The 360 play-and-charge kits were $20 standalone packages, while a standalone Xbox One play-and-charge kit will cost $24.99.
Microsoft also announced the pricing of Xbox One headsets, which will not be included in the box. They will debut at $24.99 (some models of the Xbox 360 are packaged with a headset).
Armand
Alatar
Game DVR functions on Xbox One require an Xbox Live Gold account
Microsoft has been touting the Xbox One's ability to record and share video and screens from a rolling buffer of your Xbox One gameplay since the system was first unveiled back in May. Now, though, we know that Xbox One owners will only have access to that feature if they pay for an Xbox Live Gold subscription.
The news comes via an Xbox Live Gold features list published on Xbox.com, and it was confirmed by a Microsoft spokesman speaking to One Hit Pixel. The page lists features like Skype calling, NFL on Xbox, and the "OneGuide" customized view of live TV content as Gold exclusive features.
Xbox 360 users that don't pay for Xbox Live Gold have long been limited to extremely basic online features, such as the ability to purchase and download games and entertainment content, plus a limited selection of video apps. Services like online gameplay, party chat, Internet Explorer, Twitter, Facebook, and most streaming video services (including Netflix) require the extra subscription. The price for an Xbox Live Gold subscription rose from $50 to $60 annually back in 2010.
Armand
THE GAMES CONSOLE Xbox One will work without being connected to a Kinect.
Until now we had been told that Microsoft's next games console would not work without the Kinect contraption, but in an apparent Xbox One about-face Microsoft has changed its mind.
Microsoft chief product officer Marc Whitte confirmed the change last night in a talk at IGN, explaining that while it had been the case before, those days are now over.
"Like online, the console will still function if Kinect isn't plugged in, although you won't be able to use any feature or experience that explicitly uses the sensor," he said.
Users might have been concerned about connecting the always on and watching Kinect whenever they play, and with the Xbox One it comes as part of the bundle. You can leave it in the box now though, unless you are in the mood for some arm waving or voice controlled interaction.
"You can turn the sensor back on at any time through settings, and if you enter into a required Kinect experience (like Kinect Sports Rivals for instance), you'll get a message asking if you want to turn the sensor back on in order to continue," added Whitte.
Separately, Microsoft has also said that owners of the games console will be able to control their PC with its wired controller.
The controller has been pored over in a seven minute long Youtube video hosted by Major Nelson, the regular Xbox blogger. The video prompted a request for more information from the Penny Arcade report, and it got it.
"As we've stated, the Xbox One controller, although it looks similar in many ways, shares no underlying technology with the current Xbox 360 controller," a Microsoft representative told the gaming publication.
"[The] new wireless protocol, combined with the ability to work in 'wired' mode, and the addition of features like Impulse triggers, means that new software has to be written and optimized for the PC."
The suggestion is that Xbox One controllers could be used to control a PC game
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2288424/xbox-one-will-not-require-kinect
Alatar
Falin
Jono
On Tuesday, 13 August 2013 11:31:56 UTC+1, Falin wrote:
It's a shame they could not have integrated the Kinect camera into the console itself which was what I was expecting.Clearly it still needs to be a certain height, maybe in v3.0 then!
Falin
Neil O'Loughlin
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Neil O'Loughlin
Tel # : 0044 (0)7894088352
Falin
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Sony focusing on Remote Play with Vita instead of Cross-Controller support because people lack “four eyes”
Sony has said it is focusing more on Remote Play between PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita instead of using the latter as second controller because “people don’t have four eyes.”
Speaking in an interview with CVG at gamescom, Sony World Wide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida said the firm tried out dual-screen gaming with LittleBigPlanet’s Cross-Controller support, and while it is interesting in theory, “you have to tell people when to watch the portable and watch the TV.”
“But people don’t have four eyes, so I think that’s why we are focusing on Remote Play,” he said. “I like playing console games in bed on Vita.”
Almost all PS4 games can be played remotely on Vita going forward, and the tech was demonstrated yesterday during Sony’s gamescom press conference when Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot took the stage to show how it works in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.
PS4 is out in November.
Neil O'Loughlin
Alatar
The next console generation has, finally, dropped its pants. We can now see its bits. Patrick Garratt sums up the trends you can expect to see emerge in living room gaming after PS4 and Xbox One release in November.
Wii U spearheaded the idea of controlling the TV action in tandem with a second screen, but PS4 and Xbox will take the concept further by natively synching with phones and tablets. Watch Dogs is a prime example of how fast this is going to become the norm. The possibilities here, especially taking a new focus on console indie development into consideration, could be awesome.
Mystery be gone. With E3 and gamescom behind us, we know what PS4 and Xbox One will and won’t do. The next console generation is going to look markedly different to the current. How? This.
Downloading. It’s coming. The FIFA 14 copy inside European Xbox One pre-orders is a download, and we’re likely going to see day-and-date parity – price included – of digital versions with discs very quickly. Most second tier games will move away from discs altogether in the next two years (at the most). Steam-like sales and a focus on retailing the type of games which floundered on discs in the current gen will become normal on PSN and XBLA after November.
Indie. Unless you’ve been watching the games media through a steel shield for the last year, you’ll know independent console development is a serious focus for Sony, with Microsoft finally playing catch-up. Digitally self-publishing games created by singletons, large teams and everything in between will be one of the great differences between the coming console generation and the last. We may well see Steam’s monopoly on indie eroded in the years to come. This’ll be a big deal.
Always-on. Xbox One and PS4 are designed to be constantly connected to the internet. It doesn’t matter how much you rail against it, game-makers are now going to be assuming you’re online. Those UI’s you’re seeing are online. You are online. You may not have to be to play, but you will if you want to use all the social networks you’ve implanted into your brain. Get used to it. Offline’s done.
Free-to-play. Free-to-play will become normal to console users within the next year, with games like Planetside 2 and World of Tanks being early examples. A good indicator of just how much the world of business models is changing in the triple-A space is the reaction to Bethesda’s announcement that TESO will need a sub. The word “free” will be heard regularly in relation to PS4 and Xbox One.
The console MMO. Persistent online play is going to be an immovable next-gen feature. While “straight” MMOs will be available, there’s going to be an inexorable drift towards instance-based multiplay with friends, Guild Wars style. GTA Online, Destiny and The Division are all early examples of this: they aren’t “mass” in the traditional sense, but more about smaller groups enjoying persistent worlds.
The living story. Console gaming is about to suck up a lot of the attributes of PC. Service-style games are to be constantly updated with smaller pieces of content, as opposed to whopping great packs and sequels after multi-year waits. Guild Wars 2 is updated every two weeks with small-ish bits, and you can expect the same from the always-on triple-A console titles. Anything with a persistent world on PS4 and Xbox One won’t be a static product.
The second screen. Wii U spearheaded the idea of controlling the TV action in tandem with a second screen, but PS4 and Xbox will take the concept further by natively synching with phones and tablets. Watch Dogs is a prime example of how fast this is going to become the norm. The possibilities here, especially taking a new focus on console indie development into consideration, could be awesome.
Streaming. Both PS4 and Xbox One have Twitch integration, and, thanks to that always-on thing you’ve been doing for the past 15 years, you’re going to have the option to stream next-gen console play from day one. Sony showed how simple it’s going to be to drop into the game of a streaming friend in its gamescom press conference. Watching tournaments is bound to become more popular on console. This isn’t going away.
Cameras. Xbox One may have had a bit of a nightmare with Kinect’s messaging this year, but it’s in the box for a reason. Whether or not you use it for motion-tracking, having your face on the screen, for telephony as well as games, is about to become standard. When was the last time you bought a laptop without a camera? They’re going to be just as ubiquitous in the living room.
Social networking. Like, dur. Twitter, Facebook and whatever else you use to show your borked name on a Starbucks cup are so integral to internet life that leaving them out of the next console equation would be a darker shade of ridiculous. Everyone shares everything. Expect your triple-z web stardom to follow you onto Xbox One and PS4 as assuredly would a hungry puppy into a butcher.
PS4 and Xbox One release in November.
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Survey on next-gen console purchases may spell trouble for Xbox One
26 percent of respondents plan to buy a PlayStation 4; 15 percent for the Xbox One.
While many hardcore console gamers have already preordered a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, more casual gamers and eventual holiday shoppers are still making up their minds which next-generation console (if any) they'll buy. The two consoles will be released one week apart in November, and a poll commissioned by research firm Ipsos and Reuters is a bit of unwelcome news for Microsoft.
Just 15 percent of survey respondents said they were going to snap up an Xbox One, compared to the 26 percent who said they were planning to buy a PS4. And when it comes to the younger crowd, the news gets worse for Microsoft. Only 27 percent of survey respondents under the age of 40 anticipate getting an Xbox One, compared to the 41 percent planning to buy a PS4. Both consoles have seen strong preorder interest in the US since their unveiling.
Some of the diminished consumer enthusiasm for the Xbox One may be due to Microsoft's confused messaging in the months between its May unveiling and November 22 launch. During the Xbox One reveal, Microsoft spent a significant amount of time emphasizing its credentials as a living-room jack-of-all-trades as opposed to focusing on its gaming features. And some of the features it did show off irritated a significant chunk of Redmond's intended audience. Outcry from gamers in the weeks and months after its Xbox One reveal spurred Microsoft to abandon initial restrictions on used-game resale and a mandatory every-24-hour Internet check-in.
Since the PS4's unveiling (which failed show off the actual console), Sony has stayed on target with its messaging, emphasizing the PlayStation 4's bona fides as a gaming console. In contrast to the angst over some of the Xbox One design choices, the biggest technological controversy surrounding the PS4 has arguably been the question of whether or not it would support gameplay capture over HDMI.
Both consoles will be launching in mid-November with roughly the same number of launch titles (22 for the PS4 and 23 for the Xbox One). The PlayStation 4 bests the Xbox One when it comes to total announced games (79 vs. 55 as of late August) as well as price ($399 vs. $499). Those details, especially the cost, could be deciding factors for parents trying to discern which shiny new console should show up under the Christmas tree come December 25.
For many gamers, however, the choice has already been made. Diehard Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 fans will almost certainly upgrade to their successor consoles. If and when they get around to it, platform loyalty will almost certainly trump other factors.