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WITH THE RUN-UP to Christmas well underway, it’s a pretty exciting time for gamers as two new consoles enter the market. The Wii U may have had a year-long headstart, but it will be eclipsed by both the arrival of the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One. With the Xbox One out today and the Playstation 4 due a week later, it’s time to look at what each one has to offer.
The Contenders
Of the three main players, the Xbox One is probably in the strongest position, coming off the back of what was a very successful period for Microsoft. The original Xbox allowed Microsoft to get a foothold in the console market, but the 360 helped it dominate the market. Its retail price is €499 across most stores.
(Image: Xbox One Official Site)
The Playstation 4 aims to help Sony recover from the problems that followed the PS3. After the original PSX changed the perception of video games and the PS2 built upon this, the PS3 came up against a strongly placed Microsoft and a revitalised Nintendo.
The news that it sold one million consoles in the US in 24 hours will be encouraging as it recovers the ground it lost to the Xbox 360. The PS4 is cheaper than its rival with a €399 price tag.
(Image: Playstation 4 Official Site)
Speaking of Nintendo, we have the Wii U which is still trying to find its feet after a rather lacklustre year. Despite it having a year-long headstart, it failed to capture consumers’ imaginations and has lagged behind the Xbox 360 and PS3. Unsurprisingly, the Wii U is the cheapest of the three, selling for €299.
(Image: Wii U Official Site)
What do they offer?
Much like their predecessors, both the PS4 and the Xbox One aren’t content with being your favourite console; both are determined to become the focal point for all your multimedia needs. They build upon the foundations set by the Xbox 360 and PS3, and want to make sure
Both include apps, video, music, motion controls – thanks to the Playstation Camera and Kinect – and cloud capabilities, the latter means that an internet connection is a necessity as the majority of games require it.
Unfortunately, neither console will allow you to play your old Xbox 360 or PS3 games directly, which is annoying for those who built up a large catalogue of games. However, Sony is planning to provide a streaming service that will give the PS4 backward compatibility, which it will launch in 2014
Microsoft’s effort is the more ambitious of the two. Describing the Xbox One as the “all-in-one entertainment system”, it’s focuses on bringing gaming, television and the web together in one place. If you’re used to the interface on Windows 8 or Windows Phone, you will feel right at home.
One of the main features is being able to place certain apps like Skype or Internet Explorer to the left or right-hand side of your TV so you can keep tabs on things while you play.
(Image: Xbox One Official Site)
Its hardware, along with the Kinect, gives it a lot of potential and its strength in cloud computing gives it a clear advantage over its rival. It’s also rather large so if you’re hoping that it will blend in with your other devices, you may be disappointed.
Sony’s effort, on the other hand, is both sleek and stylish. While it has a lot of multimedia features, the ability to upload screenshots, videos and broadcast games gives it an advantage (Xbox One can do the same but requires you to have a Live Gold subscription), it is very much focused on gaming.
The extra power allows games to play at a higher resolution, which is noticeable if you’re playing titles that have been released on multiple platforms.
(Image: Battlefield Official Site)
The Games
Let’s face it, while you can talk about the hardware and extra features, a console is only as good as the games that appear on it.
The timing of certain releases like Grand Theft Auto 5 and The Last of Us has meant that there are few, if any, must-have titles unique to each console, but both still have solid titles to get you started.
The three biggest games – Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4 and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag - are being released on both consoles as well as the annual updates to FIFA, NBA and Madden so there isn’t much to separate the two yet.
At the moment, the Xbox One has the stronger lineup, but only barely. The title worth getting is Forza Motorsports 5 which has been praised for bringing one of the most comprehensive driving sim out there, and Dead Rising 3, a solid if unspectacular zombie sandbox game.
(Image: Xbox One/Forza Motorsports 5)
The exclusives on the PS4 are harder to get excited about as the only unique games it has are Killzone: Shadow Fall, which is a decent first-person shooter, and Knack, a fantasy platform adventure aimed at younger players.
(Image: Killzone Official Site)
As a rule, the true A-list titles come shortly after it launches since developers need time to get to grips with each console. Both have a lot of potential, but it may be a while before it gets the games that truly show what they’re capable of.
What about the Wii U?
It’s easy to forget that Nintendo’s latest console has been around for a year, but it still has yet to make an impact. Part of this is down to the unconventional controller which can either be the Wiimote and Nunchuck or a large tablet controller called the Wii U Pro controller.
While the Wii’s accessibility brought in those who wouldn’t normally associate themselves with gaming, the Wii U failed to build upon its success, offering a tablet controller which neither appealed to causal or hardcore gamers.
The Wii U has its flagship title Super Mario 3D World coming up in time for Christmas, and its HD re-release of the Gamecube classic The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker as well as its catalogue of games means that it offers more variety, but Nintendo’s insistence on trying to be different, without considering that gamers might use their console for more than gaming, means that it’s going to be another tough year for it.
(Image: Legend of Zelda Official Site)
Which one is worth getting?
Chances are you’ve already made up your mind about the three consoles but it’s really depends on whether you treat your console as a games machine or as a media device.
If it’s the former, then the Playstation 4 offers the greater potential for gaming and will really get going when the exclusives begin to roll in. The Xbox One provides a more rounded experience and managed to find a good middle ground between gaming and multimedia experiences. The Wii U has the greatest library and imagination, but the lack of killer exclusive games, outside of the usual flagship Nintendo games, means it will have a tough Christmas.
The key word here is ‘potential’. Both the PS4 and the Xbox One have the ability to outshine each other, but when a new console launches, it always takes a bit of time before the real attractions arrive. It will take a little bit of time before either side begin offering the first essential games, but when they do, that’s when the real fun begins.
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Also breaking that he is on the look out for a ditch , a bottle of whiskey and a gun.
@Dave Hammond: brilliant!!!
@Dave Hammond: the brexiteers just don’t see it. They can’t leave with a no deal, thankfully some folk can see and stop this happening knowing it’s bad for the country, and they also can’t get the deal they want because of the North. Are they stuck, for sure. They have no choice but a soft brexit or staying in.
They are 3 years and still not at this conclusion.
What happened to ‘do or die’ leaving on October 31st!?
@Fergus Murphy: Borris was always “Do or Lie”.
@Fergus Murphy: playing to his party so when an election comes around he can say he tried and it’s not his fault. His plan all along, general election, win majority, throw the DUP under the bus, border down the irish sea, job done
@Fergus Murphy: the slimy freker has plans…. Getting a country like Hungary to veto the extension is a real possibility. Then Boris can say he asked for an extension, but didnt get one. Oh that Boris need a good kicking
Shock Surprise… There will be No Brexit on 31st of October … Never saw that coming ..
@Joe Shea: The request still has to be granted by the EU
@Rochelle: And we all know it will be approved …..
@Rochelle: Which it will but shouldn’t. It’s a joke at this stage. Dublin will have 15 in a row won and Brexit will still be going on
@Rochelle: it will be approved, unlike BoJo the EU don’t want a no deal.
BUT the EU will not give the UK a deal that weakens the EU and rightly so.
The UK is leaving the EU, it is not the EU leaving the UK…accordingly the EU owes the uk very little.
@Barry Somers: BoJo doesn’t want a no deal either, he couldn’t give a toss. He’ll do whatever will keep himself in power.
@Joe Shea: In my opinion, if the EU agree to extend article 50 yet again, it will show a weakness on their part. The UK can and will continue to extend it as long as they like without having to offer a serious deal agreement.
@The Guru: BoJo does want a no deal – everything he does makes it more likely. If he gets a no deal, the rich aristos get to avoid the tax regime of the EU, plus all the hedge funds and other rich twuts get to buy up big in the economic slump and pocket billions when things eventually pick up. Meanwhile the British public are just sacrificed, as is Ireland
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson will seek a Union asking a Brexit extension if a withdrawal agreement has not been agreed..
What does that even mean…
@Geraldine O’Riordan:
Ha….only took 10 mins for them to fix headline and 1st line of article..
Glad to see they’re paying attention to the comments…
@Geraldine O’Riordan: careful Geraldine. I made a joke about a few misspelled words in a headline and they banned the account I’d had for 7 years. I’ve had to create a new one. Some of the journos don’t have a sense of humour.
He is desperately trying to find a way around the Benn act. The Docs might say he’ll send the letter but he’s definitely going to try and pull a fast one.
Problem (for him) is that the Courts will find against him should he try anything.
@Bob Earner: If BoJo doesn’t request AND accept an extension then Britain is out on 31st October. That is the agreed time as of now and if nothing is done to change that (an extension) than that is the date BREXIT will be effective – with or without a deal.
Sure, someone could go to the courts to enforce the Benn act if it is been broken and he has taken them out without an extension. But the UK courts don’t have jurisdiction to force the UK back into Europe once they have left so I am not sure what remedies there would be.
@lambda sensor: Neither the Financial Times not The Times believe there is a way round the Benn Act (there are 12 days between the Oct 19th & Oct 31st, plenty of time for a Court decision).
The FT states “One could imagine a situation in which he refuses to apply for an extension, saying this has been imposed on him by parliament and in defiance of the will of the people. As a result, the extension might be formally applied for by a Whitehall official such as the Cabinet Secretary or by a court clerk.”
But again, I go back to my original point, he is looking for a way around it. I don’t trust him.
This is hilarious. Borris is such a chancer.
@Dave.: a grade A1 spoofer
Time for cool heads. Simon Coveney playing a blinder
Theresa may must be feeling quite vindicated right about now.
Ha ha, the Brexiters will have a conniption over this.
@Lisa Saputo: wont it be some show with Mark François foaming at the mouth and shouting about Dunkirk, Steve Baker bawling like a babby and Arlene packing her stuff to move home to her mainland. Cant wait.
Aw, I was looking forward to a load of terrible Brexit Halloween puns here if they left.
Ah hear, c’mon, where’s the resident Brexiteer trolls to run over with the Boris Bus?
@Skybloo: I’m sure John and Willy are waiting for the daily express to tell them what to think. They aren’t ones for original thought.
Does this mean he has taken the ditch option off the table? Regrettably he keeps getting it wrong!
Some poker player Boris …
Is he bluffing for best deal..
Here’s hoping Lieo and co don’t twith, despite EU folding and desperate for deal to avoid inevitable recession with no deal. No border is no border.
@Willy Mc Bride: the EU can “fold” all they like, they won’t, that should be clear by now. But at the end of the day any withdrawal agreement has to be ratified by all 24 members and if Ireland don’t like it it doesn’t happen.
We’ve entered Autumn and the ditches are cold lol..
Is he trustworthy, the devil in the detail.
Dump the DUP. Tell Snarleen et al to pack up and move to Scotland. I’m sure there is suitable accommodation in the Scottish hibredes for her and her club. Problem solved over night.
Only BoJo and DUP leaving 31st October, after they have done with their fancy dress, masks and trick or treat collection … For the rest of us, business as usual.
Straight to the MailOnline for the angry comments
@Daniel Finucane: they even added a pic of poor leo varadkar to get the dullard readership foaming at the mouth. Daily mail really hate the Irish. Comedy gold.
@Daniel Finucane: Spent 10 minutes just to have a browse, makes TheJournal comment section look civilised.
An extension must have unanimous agreement by the other 27 colonies of the EU. If for example Hungary decided to veto the extension then the UK leaves with no deal
@Billyjoe Remarkable: Clutching at straws much?
@Skybloo: Not at all, it’s like last nights storm a non event
Three wheels on our wagon !
BoKIP has run out of road
Seems that he is legally required to seek an extension, but if one is offered he has no legal requirement to accept it and can leave on Oct 31st as promised
MP’s need to wake up to this before it’s too late. Get rid of Boris or live with the fallout that follows
Boris changing his mind how very not like him but
Actually an applause for Leo from me for making a stand on this. I feel the plan needs a referendum vote from all of Northern Ireland, not Ireland held to ransom by the minority DUP party. Arlene and co are not Northern Ireland just like Boris is not really UK as the country did not vote for him. At least Teresa May’s deal seemed to fit the referendum result, delivering what 51.9% voted for and a compromise for the other 48.9%. To me, that seems democratic … first past the post winner takes all is not democratic.
Wow that really caught me out. This week I was thinking its all over soon. I thought Boris will jump off the cliff. To me brexit is over now. Its unlikely to be implemented.
Just listening to the bould Christy Moore, don’t forget your shovel if you want to go to work, that reminds me, i must send Boris my old chum a copy, as he mentioned something about a ditch………….
Absolutely NOT ! No more extensions ! Its only adding to the uncertainty of what is going to happen . They had 3 years to figure this out and they still cannot agree even among themselves. ! And this think another few months extension is going to sort this out. Not a chance .
Just leave and let us get on with life. Brexit has taken priority over our housing and heath services problems in Ireland and these are urgent problems that need to be tackled now.!!!! Not a few months/years down the road when they will be asking for yet another extension.
Just leave Boris ……… and let us deal with whatever happens , because as bad as it may be for Ireland and the rest of the EU it will be worse for Britain. And forget about Trump’s promise of a special trade deal between the USA and Britain as a) he needs the backing of both houses , one of which he does not even control and B) he is 1/2 way through his term of presidency and on his way out and I am not even mentioning that he cannot be trusted !!!
Hahahahahahahaha
Borris is a Looney
God I’m so tired
He will twist again
He’s the man who never sleeps !
Article 50 ,
Is anyone surprised?
The Fresh Tw@ of Bellend
Can some tell Pascal this information befor he horses us out of it in next weeks Budget
He aint gonna ask for an extention
@Geoff Bateman: You’re right, but he is legally obliged to ask for an extension if they can’t agree to a deal.
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