Hi everyone,
Apparently there are some new games consoles being launched this week and next. I’ve heard a few rumours to that effect anyway. In the unlikely event that this proves to be correct I thought some of you might be interested in hearing what we think of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
First up is our Senior Producer Al, who goes by ev4nac on Twitter, who says: “For now I’m going to wait and watch developments. Plus I can’t afford a new console right now. ;)
Sony and Microsoft have pitched their tents in very different camps. Right now, the PS4 is by far the more attractive proposition for gamers. It’s a real beast, scratches my passion for indie games and has a juicy line up of games in the near term. It also gives me more privacy and just… games! ^^
But, since last gen, people have become used to multi-functional OS’s that are continuously iterated upon. Lots of users like to switch between game, the internet, apps, even whole screens, in a very fast and fragmented way. Personally, I can no longer bear to be bored for a single second!! Those behaviours are only going to be amplified in the future.
There’s a niggle in the back of my mind that maybe Xbox One considers those facts a little more? Just maybe Microsoft aren’t mad after all, and if they get through the next year or two a subtler, future-focused approach could emerge. Or perhaps they’re MENTAL and have betrayed gamers in the worst way possible. Time will tell. ^^
If I was going to buy one right now… PS4 all the way.”
After speaking to Al I then moved on to Daren (Twitter username Midaskid), our Development Manager, who had this to say:
“What can I say? I’m a Sony fan boy!! Brand loyalty all the way.
Personally I don’t see a major difference between the two. The architecture is very similar, which should stop the arguments about which version of a game is better. They are incredibly similar to code for, which means that there won’t be huge differences in release dates. Now it’ll be easier for the dev studios to create a title that will work well across both platforms. So I should see titles for PS4 being released without the issues that have been shown in the past as, previously most devs worked on Xbox first and the PS3 was viewed as the awkward one. No more! That should keep me happy.
On a more general point, some might not want the controlling factor that MS are putting forward – “One Box to rule them all”. I know that I am not a fan of the Kinect issues that have been highlighted.
Price will also be a big factor in the lead up to Christmas. £70 difference is quite a chunk, 2 games worth nearly! Also, I think the exclusives for each platform will push you in a particular direction: Forza or Drive Club, Killzone or Titanfall? The big question though: What about all your mates? What are they going to buy? :)”
One of our programmers, Gavin, is also more interested in the PS4. He views it as a cheaper, more powerful platform, that is particularly good value for Vita owners due to remote play. Gavin also says that he felt turned off by many of Microsoft’s original plans, particularly regarding DRM.
Marc, one of our artists, is planning to pick up a PS4 next year because he views the PS4 as being cheaper, more powerful and sexier than the Xbox One. Since all he wants is to play games on his console, the extra features the Xbox One boasts cannot compensate for this. As Marc didn’t own a PS3 this gen he also seemed very keen on being able to Stream PS3 games later in the coming generation. Finally, Marc wants a console to bring back 4-player split screen, something which the PS4 is more likely to be able to achieve with the extra processing power and the focus on games by gamers, for gamers.
Moving on to Ben, games tester and occasional level designer, who is primarily a PC gamer. He’s not planning on picking up any console for the time being, as he’s already buried under a massive pile of Steam games he has yet to finish. He has, however, mentioned he’s considering getting a Vita or 3DS sometime next year. :)
As for myself, while I haven’t pre-ordered I’m planning to pick up a PlayStation 4 sometime next year when my piggy bank is filled. :) Why? Well, for me it mainly comes down to the games themselves. As some of you may know I’m a big fan of Japanese gaming and traditionally Sony consoles have received a lot of support from Japanese developers. And with work already begun on a PS4 Tales of game I am expecting this to continue this generation. Not only that, but I have been incredibly impressed at the way in which Shahid and the team at Sony have been reaching out to indie developers in recent years. While the Xbox team do seem to have made some strides forward in that direction as well, Sony do seem significantly more advanced in that regard. And with games such as Velocity 2X, Rime and Cosmic Star Heroine already announced for PS4 it does seem like PlayStation gamers are going to be getting some fantastic games out of it. There might even be something from us! :) Finally - and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to mention it - there’s Sony’s great roster of first party studios. I mean who isn’t curious to see what Naughty Dog, Media Molecule and Japan Studio can cook up on PlayStation 4?
So, there’s what we think about the new consoles. But what do you think? Why not tell us in the comments below?
That’s all for now. I’ll be back next week, but until then you can join us on our Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Google+ pages where we will be posting all the news from Laughing Jackal.
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