The Console Gaming Wars At The E3 Expo

By Nathan Young on June 11, 2013

So the E3 Expo is going on in Los Angeles and I have paid attention to Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo in their presentations. After viewing the details of the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U, here is my thinking. Sony is going to dominate the video game console market this holiday season! Sony and the PlayStation 4 pretty much came loaded with lots of firepower and kept on firing at Microsoft until the ammo was out!

Sony and the PS4 completely and utterly destroyed Microsoft during E3. Sony wanted to create shockwaves across social media and embarrass Microsoft and the Xbox One for their plans to charge people to play used games and having to check in online every 24 hours. First, let’s talk about the hardware. The PlayStation 4 uses 8GB GDDR5 RAM, while the Xbox One uses 8GB of DDR3 RAM. The GDDR5 RAM used in the PlayStation 4 is the same type of RAM used by most PC video cards and is optimized for graphical throughput. Both consoles will have Blu-Ray availability, Ethernet access, Wireless access, background downloading, gameplay sharing and streaming, and the consoles will have USB and HDMI ports.

Both the PS4 and Xbox One will have some pretty awesome games! The Xbox One will have Dead Rising 3, Ryse: Son of Rome, Killer Instinct, Quantum Break, Project Spark, Titanfall, Forza 5, and Activision’s Call of Duty: Ghosts. The PS4 will have Killzone: Shadow Fall, Infamous: Second Son, Knack, The Order, The Dark Sorcerer, and 10 new indie titles. So Microsoft in my opinion has a slightly better game selection than Sony. But after what I will tell you about the new Xbox One later in this post, you will probably don’t care about the game selection as you will pick the PS4.

Both gaming consoles will feature some cool features. The Xbox One will use Kinect to determine who is using the controller and use Wi-Fi Direct to connect its controller. The PS4 controller is called DualShock 4 and will use Bluetooth 2.1+EDR to connect its controller. The DualShock 4 is going to look very different as it will have motion control; and it can even actually adjust the split-screen orientation during multi-player couch gaming! The DualShock 4 will also include the social-focused Share button, a built-in speaker, and a headphone jack. So in my opinion, I think PS4 has a better controller.

Both consoles will have motion detection. The Xbox One will have a second generation Kinect and will feature better tracking of individuals, the ability to track more overall bodies, and it can also determine your current heart rate. My only concern about the Kinect camera is it will be always on unless you unplug the device. So who can be tracking you in your living room? The PS4 Move Controller will also have similar technology like the Kinect has. So I give both motion detectors a tie.

As for other entertainment, The Xbox One will allow you to switch from game to TV show, to the Web, to a movie, to Skype, easily and smoothly, with just the sound of your voice. You’ll also have the ability to multitask, running games, and other apps simultaneously. You will plug-in your cable box into the Xbox One which will allow you control of live TV through your Xbox One. You’ll even be able to create your own personalized “channel” with the shows and services you choose. The PS4 will offer streaming video through Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Redbox Instant, MLB.TV, and Sony’s own Video Unlimited Service, which hosts more than 150,000 movies and TV shows to rent or own. Other services like Music Unlimited, Crackle, and Flixster will also be available on the PS4. I give this area to the Xbox One.

Both consoles will also have many ways to share your gameplay on social media. Xbox One social features include built-in Skype, the ability to track Xbox Live trends, and see what your friends are playing or watching most. You can also DVR some of your gameplay to share with friends. The PS4 will have live video chat and Facebook integration. But the biggest difference is the “share” button on the PS4 controller. When you use this button, you can broadcast live gameplay, take screenshots, or share videos of your latest gaming triumphs. Your friends will post comments to your screen while they watch you play. And if a player is stuck in a particularly difficult section of a game, he can call in an online friend to literally take over their controls.

As for pricing, the Xbox One will cost $499 while the PS4 will cost $399. Both consoles will come with a 500 GB hard drive. But I now want to talk about why the PlayStation 4 will win the console battle this holiday season. There are a few interesting features about the new Xbox One that will make many gamers angry. One, the Xbox One box will require an online check-in every 24 hours. So what if you are playing this console in the woods somewhere and internet access is miles away? Will the Xbox One simply quit working?

Two, Microsoft will only allow games to be resold at selected retailers. And games may be shared only among a limited number of friends and family members. Sony embarrassed Microsoft by saying the PlayStation 4 won’t impose any new restrictions on the use of pre-owned games. Microsoft’s daily check-in is designed, in part, to make sure users haven’t resold, traded in or given away a game they’ve already downloaded on their consoles. The idea is to prevent more than one person from effectively owning a game that was purchased only once. That means Microsoft wants their publishers to charge a fee for someone to play a used game, I don’t like that! Sony put out this video that has gone viral.

And think about this. Could this new used game fee break consumer protection laws? I guess we will see. As for Nintendo, they are still using Wii U as their gaming console and they will have new games in the in the Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Mario Kart series. Some games like Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, and the new Super Smash Bros. Game. Here’s a video of that game!

So after seeing all the announcements. I believe the PlayStation 4 crushed the Xbox One during E3. And Nintendo, well they just came limping in. If Microsoft wants to sell more Xbox One consoles, they need to abandon the 24 hour internet check in rule and the fees for buying used games. All of this brings us to this, console gaming is slowly dying as computers and smartphones offers more and better gaming. Could this generation of consoles be the last? The lesson here is, listen to your customers!