The Next Generation

Gaming has come a long way over the past few decades, from the legendary classics like Pong and Mario, to the more advanced 3D rendered worlds like Doom and Half-Life, to the now incredibly detailed worlds such as Watch Dogs, InFamous and Assassins Creed, gaming has evolved greatly to what it is today. From mere pixels to now fully fledged environments, we truly have come a long way. But as games advance, so must the technology, and it's that time again; for Microsoft and Sony to go all out on the proverbial battlefield and win over consumers, and of course with us, comes our hard-earned cash.

For those that may just be becoming interested in gaming, the concept of what is best for you may seem rather daunting. In all honesty, speaking as a gamer from all the way back within the era of the PS1, I must say that even I am having a difficult time deciding what may suit my needs the most. For those that are lucky enough to afford both, this may not be difficult, but I am speaking for those that are not so fortunate.

The flame wars have already sparked up, those already taking sides and at arms with their respective companies, but don't let them sway you or force your hand; gaming should always be about preference, and as someone who is already leaning towards the PS4, I'm not going to burn up with rage for those buying from Microsoft.

But enough of that; I thought I would give my opinion on the consoles, and explain a little bit about some of the strengths and weaknesses of each. But first, let's have a quick recap of everything we have seen so far...

It seems Sony's conference kicked it off with what most at the time may have considered slightly lackluster and dull. They brought some games to the table, and I must admit, they did not disappoint me, with the incredible detail of "Deep Down", to the more cartoony and childish animation style of "Knack", they surely set the bar for Microsoft.

But what is it they lacked? Well, the console itself. There seemed to be an aura of mystery surrounding the actual console design, which was teased, but not revealed. Whilst the games showed us some great promise, there seemed to be negative feedback from the mere lack of an actual console. Overall, opinions were mixed, but with E3 coming up fast, there was nothing to say that the initial reveal would decide completely for anyone. After all, we still have the Xbox One reveal coming up...

...and when it did, well, let's just say not quite everyone was too amused. Hundreds upon hundreds of angry rants littered Youtube, thousands of people voiced their anger, there were riots in the streets...well, not really, but we could all feel the tension rising. But what is it that Microsoft did wrong? What was it that spiked up such controversy across the internet? Well, where do we begin? There was one thing that annoyed gamers to no end; the fact that the conference wasn't even really about GAMES. It seemed the entire thing was sports and television, two things that have already existed for decades. It seemed Microsoft were more inclined to speak about the media functions of the console than the gaming features...you know, the thing that makes it a GAMES console? We were not impressed; it was, by and large, incredibly tedious. The two games that they did reveal, was CoD Ghosts (a multiplatform game, so it didn't really aid their case), and some sports game about American football that I couldn't care less about. Two games...two games!!

We all went to bed feeling cheated and robbed, knowing that Sony would already be ahead. But as if this wasn't bad enough, Microsoft just had to go ahead and spill salt in our wounds; whilst the information was not quite accurate, we were informed that used games would not work on the console, but instead we would be forced to pay a fee for used games...I know. Microsoft had very much reached an all time low, which for Microsoft is, well, pretty low. However, we are only partway through our journey, and so let us continue to the next step; Sony's response in E3...

Sony pretty much just swaggered out, effectively kicking dust into Microsoft's face, showing a load more gaming footage, the console (lo and behold), and taking multiple stabs at Microsofts poor policies, including a parody on "how to share games on PS4". All this news was naturally great news to gamers all around the world, and earned a huge response from the crowd. But attacking Microsoft was not the purpse of the conference; it was, of course, all about the games. With huge amounts of content for all the exclusives, along with the announcement that the PS4 will be fully supporting indie developers, the conference was exactly what Sony needed to kick Microsoft while they were down. But Microsoft, naturally, were going to go out swinging.

Finally, for the Xbox One, there were games. Exclusives were revealed, like Quantum Break and a rather innovative looking title named Project Spark. This was what Microsoft needed to pick themselves up, and to at least attempt to turn the tables on Sony. I'm sure the E3 conference dampened the impact, but the damage seemed to have already been dealt, and gamers all around seemed to still sway towards the PS4, merely because of the DRM (that's digital rights management, ie. the downfall of used games, along with a mandatory 24 hour sign in). People just weren't biting for Microsoft, simply because they weren't supporting gamers. EVeryone voted with their wallets, and soon, there was a great response;

First, the used games DRM was removed. Whilst there is speculation that they will merely reinstate it, it is gone for now, and hopefully, for good. And it was us that made the difference (well, I'm sure Sony played their part as well, but still...). This was fantastic news for Xbox fans, but that wasn't all...

Next, the always online DRM was removed, another victory for the us. Whilst this did not affect too many of us, it was still an issue if, for example, you wished to take your console away on holiday, to an area that may not have strong internet connection.

Finally, the mandatory Kinect connection was abolished, meaning we could disconnect it (finally). For a piece of hardware that hardly anyone really enjoyed too much, anyway, they really tried to force it upon us. But they removed it, and all three of the big issues had been removed from the picture.

And so here we are, only about a month away from the big release of both consoles, but the question still remains; which is the best? I find it's all down to preference, now that all the villianous restrictions have been removed from the Xbox One. Personally, I find the exclusives for the PS4 look greater, and the extra power it is packing may well be worth sacrificing a few Xbox exclusive titles, especially when it seems said titles are just old franchises that I feel have overstayed their welcome; Forza and Halo? I don't want to sound cynical, but they're certainly getting old, and I'm looking for new scenery. I also feel the PS4 controller will be far more comfortable, and whilst I can't say this for sure, I grew very fond of the PS3 controller over the 360's. I'm a fan of indie titles; not a die hard fan, but a fan nonetheless. And finally, I much preferred the PSEye to the Kinect. I found it was more responsive, and more leniant on space, although this was still an issue.

So, of course, I lean towards Sony, although I will admit that the Xbox has it's positives; Quantum Break, Project Spark, Dead Rising 3 are all looking to be pretty stunning exclusives, but I must say that the Xbox is more for those looking for an experience with other applications, rather than just gaming, and being a gamer, this doesn't appeal to me at all.

So, my final verdict is this; if you want to Skype and watch sports and TV on your console, then buy an Xbox. You may find the exclusives rather intriguing, but in the long run, the advertisements and useless applications (the kind you can get on your PC for free) will just get in your face. If you want a gaming experience, focused on gaming and for gamers, then go PS4. I'm not saying the Xbox isn't for gamers, but I strongly feel that the focus will be lost, and you will find your Xbox is more a basic PC than a console. But whatever the case may be, I can't speak for you as a consumer, so go out and buy what you feel is best for you, and have fun.