The latest generation of consoles
Okay, so my first ever post is going to be a look at one of the biggest parts of my life; gaming. There is currently a lot of talk going around about the Xbox 720 and the PS4, and I’m going to try and round-up all the information and give a comparison between the two.
First off, I’m going to look at the Xbox 720 (as I am more of an Xbox person than a Playstation guy). Much about the new Xbox is still uncertain, even the name. Many in the public have taken to calling it the Xbox 720, but as far as I am aware there has been no official confirmation that this is what it will be called. The developers currently are codenaming it “Durango”, although personally I think it unlikely that this is what it will end with. Among the blogging community though, many think that it will be called the Xbox Loop or Infinity or something similar. These names are backed-up a bit by the fact that Microsoft has allegedly bought xbox8.com (the 8 being like the infinity symbol on its side).
As was predictable, rumours are going around about it having 3D compatability, but again, there has been no official verification. Microsoft is also allegedly going to be using off-the-shelf, high-end computer components for as much as they can in order to keep the price down. This will also allow developers to have an easier time so more and better games can be produced.
Microsoft has confirmed that there will be plans for integration with tablets, computers and possibly other consoles using Microsoft Play. There has not been any talk yet of updating the controller, which personally I love, so it is unlikely that there will be any dramatic changes. Despite that though, there is a possibility of using touch-screen devices (phones, tablets, etc.) as additional screens. Kinect is rumoured to be receiving an update, but unless some better games are set for it, I really don’t care about it. The new Xbox is likely to Blu-Ray capabilities, but there is some debate online as to whether or not you will actually be able to watch Blu-Ray DVDs with it, or will it just be for gaming/online streaming purposes. Anonymous sources have also been saying that Microsoft may well be integrating Skype into the console, but I am not aware of this having been confirmed yet.
Finally, the new console is supposed to be using something called Illumiroom. It’s meant to expand the experience of gaming, but I don’t really know how to describe it other than that so here’s a video showing it in action; http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=re1EatGRV0w I’m not sure whether or not I will actually like this. I think it could either work really well, or just end up as an irritating gimic.
The release date is likely to be late this year, but almost definitely in time for Christmas.
So overall, not much has actually been confirmed, but from what we have to go on so far, it seems unlikely that there will be any ground-breaking alterations, but why change what isn’t broken. This seems to be more of an upgrade than a new console, much like the Xbox to the Xbox 360. I’ll deal the PS3 and the comparison another day.