PS4 / Xbox One console war

[TransatlanticFoe]

Joining Japan in not getting Xbox One until 2014:

Belgium
Denmark
Finland
Netherlands
Norway
Russia
Sweden
Switzerland

But it's not all bad news. Xbox is apparently likely to get exclusive rights on the Blake's 7 reboot! Rejoice, lovers of rehashing old concepts and most likely ruining their legacy!

[dave4shmups]

Joining Japan in not getting Xbox One until 2014:

Belgium
Denmark
Finland
Netherlands
Norway
Russia
Sweden
Switzerland

But it's not all bad news. Xbox is apparently likely to get exclusive rights on the Blake's 7 reboot! Rejoice, lovers of rehashing old concepts and most likely ruining their legacy!

Yeah, I read about those delays. But the article on Gamespot said that people-AFIK, just those who pre-ordered the system-will get a free game that's packaged inside. So that's nice, although it the delay still stinks.

I do like how well ventilated the Xbox One looks-I'm sure that Microsoft wants to avoid any kind of RROD-type issues with the console.

[trap15]

Joining Japan in not getting Xbox One until 2014

They didn't even mention Japan or any of Asia in their last post. I wonder if they're even going to launch it there at all

[Pretas]

It's been confirmed in Famitsu that the One will eventually launch in Japan, and they've advertised it (albeit very little) on the JPN 360 dashboard.

[spadgy]

Necro-ish bump.

On Tuesday I spent a good few hours playing Forza 5, Dead Rising 3, Killer Instinct, Ryse, Kinect Sports Rivals and… Peggle 2 on an Xbox One. Oh, and a bit of CoD. Now the embargo's lifted I can talk about any of them here if anybody is interested. Don't ask me anything too detailed about CoD though. I'm so shit I may as well have not played.

Most were 20 or 30 minute play slots, so my insights will be brief, but it was Forza 5 that most beguiled me. I gave it a couple of hours and quite fell for it. Ragged it about in a 1983 Golf GTI Rabbit like some Euro-Inital D player.

[Udderdude]

How was the framerate stability? Was the 720p upscale noticeable?

[spadgy]

Specifically on CoD? It seemed perfectly playable and very slick to me, if a little bit frantic on the eyes with fast movements. But I'm neither a CoD expert or a skilled FPS player. Perhaps other players with more experience would find it less pleasing.

[Teufel_in_Blau]

Tell us more about Peggle 2!

[spadgy]

Tell us more about Peggle 2!

I genuinely like Peggle. I mean, it looks lovely, and there's loads of new levels and abilities, which all seemed very well designed. Barely a showcase for the potential of Xbox One though - but much better than Ryse! I'm guessing you might have been joking, but there you have it!

[system11]

Does the machine suck as much as we all think it does?

[Udderdude]

Is it worth $500?

[system11]

Is it worth $100 for less power?

There's a video on Wired at the moment showing a PS4 being dismantled by a Sony engineer, he highlights some of the parts while doing so. It's a much more elegant design.

[Udderdude]

My twin has been keeping up on the Xbone and yeah, it looks like it's going to flounder compared to the PS4.

[Ganelon]

I'm actually concerned about PS4 in the short term. Ultimately, games are what drive systems. I think I'll have some fun with Forza Motorsport 5 and Killer Instinct on the Xbone. On the other hand, with DriveClub delayed, there's nothing that remotely interests me on the PS4 for the foreseeable future except a touched-up port of Injustice.

I'm actually considering at this point handing off my PS4 pre-order to a friend (and pick one up later down the line) if there aren't more good news. $100 cheaper and more power is great, especially from a company that has the most consumer-friendly practices at the moment, but not when it would only act as an expensive doorstop for the time being. Long-term, I'm hoping PS4 gets the better port of every multi-platform game so we no longer have uncertainty over which version to get, as has been the case this generation.

[Pretas]

The Xbone will pick up once Microsoft releases a $400 unit without the worthless Kinect. It's only a matter of time.

[Specineff]

I myself am concerned about issues like the RROD and YLOD happening again.

[Ed Oscuro]

I saw this the other day. I think this should be a wake-up call to some folks. I do think that the next-gen systems will have a noteworthy advantage when it comes to total world details, but for the kind of "eye-popping" difference people have come to expect, I think the old expectations might have finally shattered.

Also, a perhaps not-terrible article with a terrible byline: The 5 Best Reasons For Buying The Xbox One Instead Of A PS4. Don't stifle that laugh, but the guy has written some intelligent stuff. He followed that post with this, which I'm hoping will prove to be the most important facet to this whole discussion.

You know, even PS4's "touchpad" area seems off and frumpy compared to that new touchpad controller (nVidia's, I think - Edit: No, Valve Software's) with the two touch discs rather than moving sticks. I am also wondering about what things will look like to gamers if (or maybe "when") nVidia GSYNC becomes the standard and the consoles are still sputtering along with tearing and V-sync.

[AntiFritz]

You know, even PS4's "touchpad" area seems off and frumpy compared to that new touchpad controller (nVidia's, I think) with the two touch discs rather than moving sticks. I am also wondering about what things will look like to gamers if (or maybe "when") nVidia GSYNC becomes the standard and the consoles are still sputtering along with tearing and V-sync.

Assuming you're talking about what I think you are. That controllers being made by valve for their new steam machines.

[CMoon]

I saw this the other day. I think this should be a wake-up call to some folks. I do think that the next-gen systems will have a noteworthy advantage when it comes to total world details, but for the kind of "eye-popping" difference people have come to expect, I think the old expectations might have finally shattered.

Really supports my thoughts that this next gen is coming too fast. Of course, once people learn to really use the hardware, maybe it will be amazing, but right now the upgrade looks really unjustified.

[ACSeraph]

If touchpads become the new standard in gaming controls I'll end up quitting the hobby. There's plenty of retro crap to keep me busy until I die.

I read that article on the argument for the Xbone over Ps4, I do tend to agree that kinect has the potential to be the best thing to come out of this generation. But until a truly talented developer makes a decent game for it no one is going to want one. I do hope we eventually see a game that utilizes it in a meaningful way though.

At the moment I have no intention of picking up either console, but I'll probly get a PS4 when some of the games I'm interested drop.

[Ganelon]

Really supports my thoughts that this next gen is coming too fast. Of course, once people learn to really use the hardware, maybe it will be amazing, but right now the upgrade looks really unjustified.

Just a note that although it may feel as if the next gen is arriving faster than it should, Sony has actually slowed its console development cycle down from 6 years to 7 years this time around and Microsoft has doubled its cycle from 4 to 8 years (had to check to confirm the exact difference). Part of why these companies have delayed so long is likely a recognition that the visual changes may appear more marginal to the mainstream this time around.

However, we have to be careful not to judge a system's graphics potential by its first-gen games. I remember when the 360 first came out, numerous folks—myself included—were disappointed at the graphical difference compared to the original Xbox (for full disclosure, the PS2 launch didn't graphically amaze me either). Some of us thought the PS4 would blow the 360 out of the water but there turned out to be not much difference although all current-gen games did start looking better and better.

I agree it's harder to tell now than ever though with the same aspect ratio across generations. The main draws that will wow everyone again is when a system finally manages to make lifelike graphics, which is not a guaranteed physical possibility, or introduces very convincing 3D popout graphics.

[Lord Satori]

You guys should know better than to judge a console by its launch titles.

[GaijinPunch]

You guys should know better than to judge a console by its launch titles.

Nobody's doing that. They're judging whether they're going to buy it at launch based on it's launch titles, which only makes perfect sense.

[spadgy]

Does the machine suck as much as we all think it does?

To answer this and address much of the points made thereafter, I do think the PS4 is the better machine, mainly due to the accessibility, potential, support, internal architecture and development environment it offers developers.

But the Xbox One is by no means a bad machine. Forza 5 was remarkable and did feel to me 'next-gen'. 3D graphics so long ago became glossy and detailed it seems harder for a new generation to have the same impact it used to, but the detail in the words, and the things the machine allows for (how far Turn 10 have pushed the 'Drivatar' thing is insane, even if the word is horrendous!).

And I will say I was impressed with the new Kinect. The original Kinect was like Leap Motion; an ultimately flawed glimpse of something with potential that has only managed to add novelty to games; all too often very badly. I for one put my Kinect straight in the back of the cupboard. Kinect 2, however, in my experience works brilliantly in very low light in tiny (and large) spaces. It's accuracy is pretty damn good (Having to use your hand to squeeze a throttle trigger to accelerate in the jet ski game in Kinect Sports Rivals was amazing). I'm not interested in leaping about and flailing my arms around to play a game, but I can see how it could offer some truly beneficial extras to a sit down console game (interacting with alien UI, for example) and be the core of some wonderful indie-style games. And the fact it comes bundled mean more developers will feel confident in supporting it; which means more will be learnt collectively by the industry, pushing what can be done and what us games can enjoy.

A smaller detail is the controller. Having spent a good few hours with both consoles now, I can reasonably confidently say I prefer the PS4 controller; it is a better shape for my hands and more robust/high-quality. But playing Forza 5, the vibration in the Xbox One controller was amazing, in that it seemed to come form different directions in a way that communicated the physicality of the game very well. I liked that a lot.

So, better than the PS4? Almost certainly not. But the only options here aren't that it has to be fantastically good or just awful. It's a good bit of kit, and I'm sure it will deliver some great game playing experiences over the years.

[Ed Oscuro]

You know, even PS4's "touchpad" area seems off and frumpy compared to that new touchpad controller (nVidia's, I think) with the two touch discs rather than moving sticks. I am also wondering about what things will look like to gamers if (or maybe "when") nVidia GSYNC becomes the standard and the consoles are still sputtering along with tearing and V-sync.

Assuming you're talking about what I think you are. That controllers being made by valve for their new steam machines.

Ohh, that's the one. Thanks for the fact-check!

If touchpads become the new standard in gaming controls I'll end up quitting the hobby. There's plenty of retro crap to keep me busy until I die.

Take a look at some articles -
https://www.google.com/#q=steam+controller

I have no idea what it feels like but getting rid of the traditional problems of analog overshoot by going with a digital control style sounds promising.

Basically I am not going to shoot my mouth off yet about things I haven't experience (unless it's a Zelda game, I guess).

So, better than the PS4? Almost certainly not. But the only options here aren't that it has to be fantastically good or just awful. It's a good bit of kit, and I'm sure it will deliver some great game playing experiences over the years.

I don't mean to be mean-spirited but this kind of constant equivocation drives me nuts. I do understand the feeling of a need to not put out a pronouncement before the systems are mature, but nobody spared the Obamacare website implementation when that kind of rationalization was offered.

Anyway, there's been plenty of potentially-upsetting minor revelations about restrictions within the PS4 on content playback - mostly they don't seem like a big issue to me but that's because Sony isn't going to make money off regular media (films, music) from me; I wouldn't use the system for that. For people who do, it does look like a calculated abandonment of the principles they supposedly embraced with their E3 presentation.

[system11]

When pressed on what users could do with the Xbox One before the update is added to the console, Penello said "nothing."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-57611 ... ne-update/

[Ganelon]

Getting some credit is a pleasant new incentive for a launch PS4: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/11/ ... s4-owners/

That new Hadouken Cabs PS4 teaser could also turn out to be very promising. Not bad for some last minute surprises.

Note: I understand this is the Xbone thread but don't think it still makes sense to discuss the 2 very similar next-gen systems in separate threads at this time.

[Ed Oscuro]

When pressed on what users could do with the Xbox One before the update is added to the console, Penello said "nothing."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-57611 ... ne-update/

First they said "we can patch games..."

[spadgy]

So, better than the PS4? Almost certainly not. But the only options here aren't that it has to be fantastically good or just awful. It's a good bit of kit, and I'm sure it will deliver some great game playing experiences over the years.

I don't mean to be mean-spirited but this kind of constant equivocation drives me nuts. I do understand the feeling of a need to not put out a pronouncement before the systems are mature, but nobody spared the Obamacare website implementation when that kind of rationalization was offered.

No worries - that's a totally reasonable perspective. But I do feel it's worth giving any tech a change to release and grow.

In the end, it's as simple as this. I had lots of fun playing games on an Xbox One, so I figure it's OK. Does it deliver enough to justify the price tag? That's a very subjective one, but how much I enjoyed Forza 5, and how nice it was, I'm confident at least its a capable next-gen triple-A machine. Will it be a success? Does it offer a good model for developers and consumers? Time will tell. But my only experience of playing with one thus far has been having fun (apart from Ryse, which felt a bit clunky).

[CMoon]

Really supports my thoughts that this next gen is coming too fast. Of course, once people learn to really use the hardware, maybe it will be amazing, but right now the upgrade looks really unjustified.

Just a note that although it may feel as if the next gen is arriving faster than it should, Sony has actually slowed its console development cycle down from 6 years to 7 years this time around and Microsoft has doubled its cycle from 4 to 8 years (had to check to confirm the exact difference). Part of why these companies have delayed so long is likely a recognition that the visual changes may appear more marginal to the mainstream this time around.

Thing is, upgrades shouldn't be based on time but rather whether there is something new to offer or not. I agree that it IS time, if you're just looking at years. I don't know if there is much justification though for the hardware upgrade.