Next-Gen console purchase on day-one?

With both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One coming out next month, it might be tempting for some of you to buy the console on day-one. New hardware is always exciting, and new consoles definitely are since they only appear every 6 to 8 years. And how much I would like it to have both a PlayStation 4 and a Xbox One sitting under my TV in a month, there is a list of reasons I (and you) shouldn’t buy the next-gen consoles on launch. I have listed the 4 most important reasons that might make you think twice about getting a new console on day-one.

Which console is more powerful?

The rumours that we have heard so far have always said that the PlayStation 4 is more powerful than the Xbox 360, and the latest comparisons are only validating this. It would also be nice to know what console runs its games in 1080p and what the framerates are for these games. The new consoles are new systems that have a new architecture that developers haven’t had years of experience with yet, and this is also why most launch games don’t look that impressive.

You’re buying version 1.0

Brand new products don’t oftenly ship Not to mention the size of the HDD that comes with the early versions of the consoles, which will be 500GB for both new consoles. This may sound like a lot for now, but with some games becoming around 40GB for an install, it won’t leave space for a lot of games. The PlayStation 4 HDD will be replaceable, but the Xbox One won't and will only support external HDD’s. The first run of the next-gen consoles won't have what future versions of the consoles may have, such as bigger HDDs and fixed bugs in the system itself (RROD anyone?).

They don't come cheap

Purchasing a new console on day-one means that you will be paying top dollar: the console will only get cheaper (and better) after it has been launched. The PlayStation 3 launched with an incredible high price of $599, and a few years later you could pick it up for around $350. While $399 for the PlayStation 4 doesn’t sound like that much, you will also have to add the costs for a game and a PlayStation Plus membership if you want to play online. It’s just something you should think about when you want to buy a day-one console.

Where are the games?

The next-gen consoles don’t come with a lot of new games and most of the games that are available can also be played on the older consoles. The Xbox One has a better lineup for launch games, but to be honest neither the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One have an impressive lineup. The biggest AAA titles this year will also be playable on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. So if game titles are your biggest reason to buy a next-gen console, there isn’t really a need to buy a next-gen console: most games will be playable on older consoles and PC.

Of course, in the end it is totally up to you if you decide if you’ll buy a next-gen console or not. Getting a new console on day-one isn’t a bad thing, but most of the time it definitely isn’t necessary and waiting for a few months is a smart thing. But my advice is: wait a bit, soft- and hardware will have been patched out or replaced and there will be a bigger library of games available, and it will probably be cheaper as well!

Read More...

Xbox One SmartGlass: What's new?

You might remember Microsoft's SmartGlass that got announced at the E3 of 2012, and you might also know that there will be an updated version of SmartGlass for the Xbox One. For those that don't know what SmartGlass is, it basically is a second-screen (such as your phone, tablet, PC or laptop) for your Xbox One.There already was some information known about the new SmartGlass, such as the option to set up matches on their second-screen for their game and edit the gameplay that was recorded.

But what else will you be able to do with SmartGlass for the Xbox One? One of the most exciting features is that you will be able to use SmartGlass as a controller for the Xbox One since the latency between the app and the console is low enough for that now, however not much is known about this yet. But we now also know that you will be able to use your second-screen as a remote control for the TV feature of your Xbox One. You can check what programs are on right now with SmartGlass without messing with the TV screen, and you will of course be able to just use it as a remote control when your remote isn't in close range.

There will also be a special help-button inside of the app, which will give you tips when you use it while you're playing a game. SmartGlass follows your progression in the game and knows exactly where you are in the game. Since the game developers have to implement this feature themselves, it's not sure what we can expect from this feature. Will it be a walkthrough, will it get videos to explain certain things in the game or will it just be a handful of small tips that should help you when you get stuck? We will see when the app launches in the end of 2013.

The SmartGlass app will also make it easier for the user to browse the web. You will also be able to control music and video with SmartGlass, and also select games with it. Other features are checking Xbox Live achievements and chatting with your friends. As mentioned earlier in the post, the possibility to use SmartGlass as a controller exists. SmartGlass won't be a replacement of the controller and Microsoft also said that they are not aiming to make tablets and phones a sort of Wii U type of gamepad.

While the old SmartGlass app was designed for the Xbox 360, the Xbox One has been designed with SmartGlass in mind. If you have been using SmartGlass for the Xbox 360, you will notice a huge change in speed of the app. While the old app could take about 15 seconds to start, it will now take about 4 seconds. And the app doesn't have to send data to Microsoft datacenters anymore, it will now directly communicate with your Xbox One over wifi.

Read More...

Ryse: Son of Room gameplay footage

Ryse: Son of Rome is one of the titles that will be exclusive for the Xbox One, and it has got a lot of negative feedback from around the internet. While the graphics of the game look really good, the combat would be way too simple, all the footage that was shown made it look like the combat would rely too much on Quick Time Events (QTE's) and not actual skill.

But a recent video documentary that has been published by Microsoft shows a different side of the combat system in Ryse: Son of Rome. The in-game footage shows us something different than we have seen before: no QTE's and it looks a lot more like you have to actually do something instead of pressing a few buttons.

The video documentary shows a lot more than just the combat though, it also shows us how the environment the main character Marius moves around in looks both alive and moving. You can see shadows moving over the grass and rocks, and you see some leaves floating through the air. All these small details make the world feel more real, but as the trailer says 'Work in Progress - This does represent final game quality'. This can be both a bad and a good thing. It's good if it means the graphics and gameplay will only get better, but there is also the chance that all of this is played on a high-end PC and that the Xbox One owners will never get to see to see the graphics that are shows in the footage.

The post that comes with the video also has a lot of information about the game that wasn't known yet. The game wasn't always known as Ryse: Son of Rome, the name it has been given in the start was Codename: Kingdoms. Of course, as the name suggests this was just a codename. But the post also tells us that the game had three different versions, a Kinect Only version, a version with both the new Kinect and the controller, and the final version that is only playable with a controller. The post also discusses what the rewards are for executing enemies, and these include XP, Health, Focus and a Damage Boost. The Focus is an important aspect of the game, as it will allow you to give yourself a little breathing room when you're surrounded by enemies when you use it.

As the official Xbox post says at the end, there is more to come and we will keep getting more information about Ryse: Son of Rome.

Read More...

Xbox One reduces countries for Day One release

If you were planning to get an Xbox One before Christmas, there might be some bad news for you. The Xbox One will start with a release in only 14 countries, instead of the 21 countries it had planned. The unlucky countries will be getting the console somewhere during 2014, not specifically announced when exactly.

Residents of the United States have no need to worry, since the countries that have been scrapped of the list for the first release round are all European. Those who live in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Russia, Switzerland and the Netherlands will have to wait to get their hands on Microsoft's new console, or visit another country where the Xbox One will be available. While this is good news for the countries it will be getting a day one release, it’s not sure how many Xbox Ones will be available in the countries that will still be getting the console.

Microsoft states that the delay is being caused because they have to adjust the console for each country. Translations have to be made, certain partnerships for apps have to be made and the voice-recognition has to be suitable for certain languages as well. Consumers in the countries that will be getting the Xbox One later that have a pre-order on the console before 08-14-13 will get a free game once the console gets released in their country.

What this will mean for the future of both the Xbox One and Microsoft isn’t sure yet, except for the fact that some consumers might jump over to the PlayStation 4 in order to get a next-gen console as soon as possible. But who knows what will happen, since Microsoft keeps making changes with their new console. Let’s just say that the countries that will be getting the console at launch can be deemed lucky (or unlucky if you really dislike the Xbox One).

Read More...

Consoles: What do you get for free?

We know a lot about both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, but there are some things that may not be very clear to most people. Both Sony and Microsoft offer an online service: Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus. While both subscriptions offer online multiplayer, you might also need a subscription for some other services that the consoles offer.

A lot of the services that come with the Xbox One will require a Live Gold membership, just as some third-party services. But exactly what will you be missing out if you don't have a membership to Xbox Live Gold? As example, if you want to spend the night watching a movie on Netflix through your Xbox One without a membership to Xbox Live Gold, you can't. Want to stream your gameplay to your friends, or record it with DVR? You can't. Want to call your grandma with Skype? You can't. Or what about a NFL match? Sorry, you can't.

It doesn't look very bright for the people that want to use their Xbox One as a multimedia device without a Xbox Live Gold membership, and that is a shame. While most consumers will probably get a membership, there will always be enough people that won't and these people won't get to enjoy some features you'd expect from an 8th gen console.

For those that will be getting a PlayStation 4, it looks a bit different. It's official that you won't require a PlayStation Plus subscription if you want to use Netflix. And also unlike the Xbox One, you will also be able to stream your gameplay and that DVR won't require PlayStation Plus.

But who knows, Microsoft might make another turn with the Xbox One since they have done it a few times already.

Read More...

Xbox One GPU Update & more

You have probably heard that the Xbox One isn't as powerful as the PlayStation 4, but today the GPU of the Xbox One got an update. Corporate vice president Marc Whitten announced that the speed of the GPU has been increased by 6%, which pushes the 800 to 856 mhz. Since the rumours are that the PS4 will have the same GPU as the Xbox One that would mean the GPU in the Xbox One would now be a bit more powerful.

An update to the power of the GPU is always welcome, but will it really affect how well the console performs? Since the GPU's in both consoles aren't what you can call high-end graphic cards, will overclocking make the console a lot more powerful? A change like this can definitely tweak the fps in games by a few frames and that surely makes a difference.

The developers working on titles for the Xbox One have also received consoles with the updated GPU. They have also updated the graphics driver for the GPU of the console, so it is optimised for the Xbox One. He states that they used the base DirectX driver and that they "took out all the parts that don't look like Xbox One and you add in everything that really optimises that experience. Almost all of our content partners have really picked it up now, and I think that it's made a really nice improvement." However, it is fairly common that console manufacturers keep updating their development kits with updates and new drivers before the new console gets released.

There was also news about what they like to call asynchronous matchmaking for Live, which actually just means that it is smart matchmaking. In random matches you will be playing with other players that should share your skill-level and you will be able to choose with what kind of people you want to be playing. This means you won't have to listen to kids yelling through their mics and you might finally just hear the sound of your gun.

With Gamescom later this month, we are expecting to hear more about both consoles from Microsoft and Sony.

Read More...

Kinect 2 a gamechanger?

If something has received a lot of questioning and critism about the Xbox One, it is probably the Kinect. And let's just be honest, the PRISM scandal did not really help the Kinect, to put it gently. But that is not what this post will be about, it will be about the good things of the Kinect (yes, there are enough good things to write a post about.)

The main reason the Kinect is a good thing, is because it is bundled with every shipped Xbox One and this means that all the game-developers know that you got Kinect. In the end this leads to games that make full use of the Kinect, no longer will developers have to guess if it is worth to add Kinect features to their games since not that many people have a Kinect anyway. And with the new Kinect being a lot more power- and resourceful, I am sure the developers will find ways to amaze us!

For most games the power of the Kinect may lay in the simple things: natural movements and voice commands. When I am playing a game I rather keep my controller in both hands, I don't want to wave at the camera to make weird movements. If I have to move my body left or right to dodge a rocket or laserbeam that feels pretty natural, as far as laserbeams and rockets feel natural though. The voice commands might feel a bit silly since you will be basically talking to your console, but it can add a whole new dimension together with the natural movements.

When a new generation of consoles arrives, I expect some innovation. The Kinect is one of the interesting new features that the Xbox One has to offer. The original controller only has a certain amount of buttons we can use, and with the Kinect that can amount can be unlimited (fine, not unlimited - but a lot!). We should not stop the original controller from using and experiencing new experiences, and I think the Kinect can be a good experience if it is used right. We can only hope!

Read More...