Next Generation Consoles: What to Expect

The excitement for the next generation of gaming consoles is starting to heat up with the release of Xbox One (November), and PlayStation 4 (during the holiday season). Why exactly should gamers be getting so giddy over the release of the new consoles?  They are both black, with slightly altered gaming pads, and pricey.

Ok, so these features alone certainly aren’t going to get the consumers lined up at retail stores on the release dates.  Why is it that Microsoft and Sony feel that they have the consoles worthy enough to be called “Next Generation” gaming consoles?  It’s time to take a peek into both of these gaming giants new bag of tricks.

Xbox One:

• This console boasts the ability to turn on when you simply say “Xbox on”, and will even turn the television on
• Downloads and updates are supposedly in the background and shouldn’t interfere with a user’s busy life
• When you pause games, they are suspended where you left off, so that you can resume instantly
• You can connect your satellite or cable box to the console so that you can watch all your favorite channels/shows with the sound of your voice
• Want to watch all your favorite shows on “your” channel?  Just pin shows to “your” channel
• Skype and the NFL will be available
• It will tell you what your friends are watching…kind of creepy
• Challenge your multi-tasking skills by having your games, television, and Skype all side by side on the screen

PS4:

• A better game designer platform, which promises endless possibilities of games
• 8 GB of fast and unified memory (GDDR5 memory) that the developers can rely on for higher speed and efficiency. This would also enable faster data transfer between the GPU and CPU
• Will learn your game and show preferences based on what it knows about you, again… kind of creepy
• Downloads and updates are supposedly in the background and shouldn’t interfere with a user’s busy life
• Remote Play with the PS Vita 

These are just the preliminary looks obviously, but the similarities are well…very similar.  Xbox One offers the laziness of voice activation, and the PS4 offers accelerated graphics.   Makes one wonder if the designer of these systems sits across the hall from each other while creating these consoles doesn’t it?  Gamers obviously can’t proclaim a winner just yet, and it still remains to be seen if the “Next Generation” consoles are worthy of the hefty price tags.  But it does seem that each of these systems will offer a little bit of something for every busy gamer.  That is the Skinny, and yes there is a big old TBD on the “Next Gen Consoles”.