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June 24, 2013
One of the major reasons a lot of people have decided to side with Sony's PlayStation 4 instead of the Xbox One is down to the restrictions that Microsoft originally planned out for the Xbox One. These restrictions include clamping down on used games, no unhindered access to the console without a constant internet connection, and region locks forcing players to only be able to play their Xbox One in their home country.
Since Microsoft's announcement of these features, there has been an outcry in the gaming community, and surprisingly, after noticing, Microsoft has decided to make an apology and make a change to the DRM features on the new Xbox One.
The Xbox One will now be capable of playing used games, so gamers can still swap, trade and lend games between one another, and there are now no region restrictions on the console. On top of this, the console will no longer need to be online to be used after a first time set-up.
It's
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June 23, 2013
There's always a lot of tension between companies when they are competing to make the better product, and this certainly is the case when considering Microsoft and Sony. They were the first most noticeable company to have a 'war' between each other, drawing fans on either side of the battle as each side would try and explain why their favorite beat the other in every way possible.
The tension was present leading up to this year's E3 as well, but it seems like Sony is currently jumping in joy because of Microsoft and their decisions made for their new console.
Head of Sony Worldwide Studios Software Product Development, Scott Rohde, commented on the situation, saying that their team were 'running up and down the aisles' when they heard about the price difference between the cheaper PlayStation 4 and the more expensive Xbox One.
Rohde went onto saying "Absolutely great. It was an amazing feeling. Absolutely. We went nuts. We
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June 22, 2013
As technology evolves, there are some steps that are needed to move the masses forward. For example, we went from video and cassette tapes to CDs and DVDs, and before that we had vinyl. We're currently seeing a shift from DVD to Blu-ray as well, and now, on top of that, a lot of the world has started to move to 'HD only.'
This is certainly the case when regarding the PlayStation 4- the next gen console will only have HDMI adaptively, so if you want to make the most of it, you'll need an HD capable TV.
Luckily though, if you've bought a TV in the last 6 or 7 years it's more than likely your TV already has HDMI input, and if it doesn't perhaps it's time for you to update your living room a little.
Although it's not confirmed, it wouldn't surprise me if the Xbox One had the same connection options. We also don't know yet whether you'll be able to use an adapter, and if you can, what quality will be reached by using such equipment.
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June 17, 2013
A lot of grumbles and groans have been directed at Microsoft for forcing users to buy the Kinect 2.0 sensor when buying an Xbox One. One reason for this is privacy- amongst talk about the NSA snooping data and Microsoft having an online connection, there's a reason to be concerned- but the other reason is much more consumer-based, and this comes down to price.
This is one of the reasons Shuhei Yoshida of Sony decided not to include their camera with the PS4, saying that "Rather than forcing every user to buy the camera, I think it's better to to allow a separate purchase just for those that will enjoy it. Selling the camera separately means that the main console can be more affordable."
Yoshida also believes that making the camera mandatory is a bad choice right now as it is a medium that many have yet to adapt to- "I believe, and this is personal opinion, that for a technology to gain universal acceptance a certain degree of maturity
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June 15, 2013
If you have been persuaded to not get an Xbox One as a result of the E3 press conferences or what you have read online, you might not be the only one.
Amazon recently asked their consumers to vote on one simple thing: Would you prefer an Xbox One or a PlayStation 4? The results that followed were staggering, and it showed that the most vocal gamers are choosing the PlayStation's next console, the PS4 over the Xbox One. While the results of the survey may not pan out as poorly for Microsoft as it may appear, it cannot be a good thing for Microsoft to see.
The vote ended with a huge 38,984 votes for the PS4, and just 2,162 votes for the Xbox One. The PS4 received close to 20 times the amount of votes the Xbox One did.
It will be interesting to see what changes Microsoft might make in their policies to respond to the negative press or what new reveals they might have to settle consumer worries.
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June 15, 2013
Thanks to Reddit user IceBreak, we now have a huge confirmed list of all of the titles available to the PlayStation 4 at launch. Some will be ported over from PC, others will be available on other platforms such as the Xbox One or older generation consoles, and some will be exclusive to the PlayStation 4.
Luckily, IceBreak listed them in a format that's easy to tell what's what, and we've made it even easier so you can check what exclusives the PS4 has, as well as what other titles will be coming at a glance.
Console Exclusives:
Super Stardust (Untitled)
Hohokum
inFAMOUS: Second Son
Killzone: Shadow Fall
Knack
Doki-Doki Universe [Free-to-Play]
DriveClub
Destiny of SpiritsPC Ports:
DC Universe Online [Free-to-Play]
Blacklight: Retribution [Free-to-Play]
Daylight
Carmageddon: Reincarnation
Planetside 2 [Free-to-Play]
Primal Carnage: -
June 10, 2013
Whilst the Sony E3 press release, a place where we'll see the PlayStation 4 in all its glory for the first time is only just later today, we thought it'd be worth looking at a fan made concept design of the PlayStation 4. The Reddit user took lots of screens of the teaser video to help piece together what he thinks the PlayStation 4 may end up looking like.
The Reddit user went onto describing his design, saying that "I rendered these a few weeks ago but didn't have the time to post these until now. Was finishing my bachelor in Graphic Design."
The Reddit user got inspiration from Albino-Zebra's rendering and decided to have a shot at himself for the PlayStation 4.
He then took inspiration from other renders and the teaser video to make his own, using plenty of ideas to fuel his imagination.
Overall, the design looks like a more squared out version of the PlayStation 3, with a nice strip of cobalt blue going through the middle of the design.
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June 10, 2013
Whilst you should always take an analyst's word with a pinch of salt, their estimates on prices are usually well thought out. Investment firm Wedbush Morgan has made some comments on the pricing and production costs of both next-gen consoles, with Michael Pachter, analyst for the company, stating that the PlayStation 4 will retail in the United States for $349.
He also stated that the Xbox One could retail for $399, and that production costs for each individual Xbox is $325. The PlayStation 4 is also similarly priced with a production cost of $275.
If these stats are true, there's no denying that these prices are quite fair on the customer considering the high production costs, however, Michael Pachter has been wrong in the past, like many analysts.
Pachter also talked about possible subscription methods for the Xbox. This would make sense - Microsoft has already tried such plans for the Xbox 360 in the US.
"We believe
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June 07, 2013
With news from Microsoft about the whole used games fiasco, there's no doubt that we're all a little worried that Sony will take a similar route with the PlayStation 4. Many gamers and PlayStation fans took to twitter to hash tag the phrase #PS4NoDRM, which stands for PlayStation 4 no Digital Rights Management.
As you can guess, many gamers do not want Sony to make any more restrictions on the way we play games, especially when it comes to selling, buying and trading used video games.
So far we haven't got a straight-up answer from Sony about the issue, but instead, we have the president of Sony, Shuhei Yoshida, trolling everybody involved.
How did he do this? With this tweet-
"Death Ray Manta" coming to PlayStation Vita! #DRMPSVita http://www.inquisitr.com/678568/death-ray-manta-blasting-its-way-to-playstation-vita/
Whilst this doesn't
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June 06, 2013
Minecraft managed to land a huge amount of sales on the Xbox platform, but since then, talk of moving the popular game to PlayStation has been pretty quiet. However, Sony has very recently sent Notch, the main developer of Minecraft, a golden PSOne as 'special VIP pass' to E3. On top of this, Notch also got sent a copy of Dungeon Master 2 to play on the console.
Could this mean anything past the fact that Sony want Notch to come and view them reveal more information about the PlayStation 4? - Probably very likely. But what could the reason be for Notch's VIP pass? The first thing that comes to mind is that Minecraft will be revealed for the PlayStation, but whether that's for PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 3 is currently unknown.
It would make sense that Minecraft was put out for both platforms as it would allow players to play Minecraft whether they are on the new console or the old one.
Another possibility is that Notch may be teaming up with Sony