Console Preference Actually "Weapon of Choice"

      Console Preference Actually "Weapon of Choice"

     Throughout history there have been countless choices that have divided the populous along two distinct lines.  Is the world flat, or is it round?  Join the Union or join the Confederacy?   Support the New York Yankees or back the Boston Red Sox?  No clearer have these two lines been drawn, however, until the month of November, 2013.  It was upon this historic date that fan boys/girls and gamers the world over had to make their choice between Microsoft’s XBOX One and Sony’s Playstation 4.

     In 2001, Microsoft launched its first game console, the XBOX, to directly compete with Sony’s industry-redefining Playstation 2.  They certainly had their work cut out for them, as the PS2 had already been out for a year, and it had been wowing consumers and critics with graphics, game play and innovations the likes of which had never been seen before.  Still and all, the XBOX, with its 40gb hard drive, (which did away with the need for external memory cards), post-modern console design and most importantly, its implementation of their online service “XBOX Live,” garnished their fair share of fans, and therefore a good deal of the market.

     Flash-forward a few years to the year 2005.  Green Day and Kelly Clarkson are at the top of the Billboard charts.  King Kong, Batman, Willie Wonka and Star Wars all return to the big screen.  Overshadowing all of that, though, is the launch of Microsoft’s vision of the future of gaming…the XBOX 360.  Though troubled by technical bugs and glitches that one can expect from any new technology hitting the market, (overheating, the well-documented “red ring of death,” etc.), few could argue the effect this console had on both the state of gaming and of its future.  With a triple-core processor, 512mb of RAM and a proprietary ATI video card, not to mention a variety of hard-drive sizes to cater to individual customers’ pocketbooks, the XBOX 360 took the gaming, and one might argue the entertainment world by storm.

     A year later, Superman, the X-Men and James Bond returned to the silver screen, Justin Timberlake brought “Sexy Back,” and Sony launched its’ own next generation system, the Playstation 3.  Touting a stronger processor than the XBOX 360, and having the advantage of a year to learn from its competitor’s mistakes, the Playstation 3 was considered by critics and fans alike to be a stronger, more stable gaming console.  

 

     However, this innovation did come at a price, and that price was roughly $200 more than an XBOX 360.  For primarily this reason, Sony’s growth in the console market was slow, but steady.  As prices became more competitive, though, sales of the Playstation 3 picked up.  Then, of course, there was the debate of HD-DVD versus Blu-Ray DVD as the new standard for hi-definition movie viewing.  After a much publicized battle for domination, Blu-Ray won a decisive victory, giving a leg up to Sony and dealing a crushing blow to the XBOX 360.  The XBOX 360, you see, supported HD-DVD’s with the purchase of an additional drive.  The PS3 came packaged with a Blu-Ray player in every unit.  Sales for Sony picked up again, and it has been a close race between the two ever since.

     That brings us to present day.  For the first time since their war began, Sony and Microsoft launched their consoles near-simultaneously.  This year begins the true head-to-head battle of these giants…the “Clash of the Titans,” if you will.  Both carry a hefty price tag, but many say that the prices are lower than they expected.  Without even taking inflation into account, the PS4 launched at a lower price than the PS3 did in 2006!  The PS4 retails for about $400 in the U.S., and the XBOX One is $500, but it does include a Kinect in every box.  Though both are hard to come by, with inventory of either being little to none at most stores, reportedly due to an overwhelmingly higher demand than expected, the war between the fans carries on undaunted.

     Here’s the odd thing about this particular battle in the nearly decade-long console war between Sony and Microsoft: strip away the box surrounding both system and the hardware, or at least its capabilities, are nearly identical.  Both Sony and Microsoft’s systems carry an eight core processor.  Similarly, both are rocking eight gigabytes of RAM under the hood, (though the type of RAM utilized by the companies differs).  Also, both have proprietary video cards made specifically for their individual systems by ATI technologies.  Finally, both the XBOX One and the Playstation 4 include a Blu-Ray DVD drive in every unit, so there will be no “war over media” in this go around.

     Simply put, it all comes down to personal choice when it comes to your console purchase in this current generation.  One must also never forget that a console is only as good as the games available for it.  Does anyone remember the Sega Dreamcast?  Okay.  Point made.

  Are you a fan of “Gears of War” or “God of War?”  Do you fancy “Forza Motorsports” or “Gran Turismo?”  The preference of system in this iteration of consoles will, more than ever, come down to the preference of the games exclusive to each system.

     So, do your homework.  Watch game trailers and videos, read reviews and try demos if you can before you make your game console investment this year.  For, let’s not forget, at $400 and $500, respectively, these system purchases are, indeed, and investment. 

My first car didn’t cost that much.  To be fair, however, my first car couldn’t play Blu-Ray DVD’s or let me eviscerate a zombie either.  Happy Gaming!