With Japan-based Sony recently confirming that it will avoid any delays in the release of its hotly-anticipated PlayStation 4 (PS4), gamers can heave a sigh of relief and look forward to the gaming console's launch this holiday season.
However, the PS4 will face stiff competition at the hands of Microsoft's next-gen Xbox 720 aka Durango or Infinity. The Redmond giant is slated to unveil the gaming console on May 21 much before the Sony offering makes it debut.
With both the gaming consoles gearing up to lock horns, consumers will have a field day choosing the better device of the two. We take a look at what the Xbox 720 needs to outsell PS4.
1. Power
The PS4 will feature an X86 processor, an enhanced PC GPU, 8GB of unified memory, local HD and GDDR 5 system memory. This basically means that the PS4 will be considerably more powerful than its predecessor PS3; however, one should not expect a leap in graphics as was the case for PS3 from PS2.
The Xbox 720 too is speculated to have an X86 processor and 8GB of RAM. Moreover, its graphics will likely run on an 800MHz D3D11.x GPU, which is similar in power to that of the PS4's.
However, it remains to be seen if the Microsoft offering can eventually match the graphics of the Sony console. Microsoft would do well to have a meatier GPU that would have more potential in the future.
2. Social Features
Sony will incorporate social infrastructure in the PS4, possibly its trump card. Apparently, the gaming console has been built keeping this factor in mind and would look to integrate real-world identification, Facebook and dynamic real-time sharing. Gamers will be able to not only cut clips of recent gameplay footage, but also be able to stream live game sessions to their friends courtesy of Sony's tie-up with UStream.
Microsoft would hopefully have something up its sleeve in this area. Considering Xbox Live has been a popular social hub for Xbox gamers for a while now, some innovative enhancements to the service would breathe in a fresh lease of life.
3. Backwards Compatibility
PS4 would apparently (eventually) allow gamers to play even PS2 and PS3 games. This means that one can play old favorites on the upcoming console. How will this compatibility happen? Apparently, with the use of cloud and PS4's streaming abilities which would allow for the emulation of the entire PlayStation line-up of games.
If Microsoft wants to go one-up on its rival, it will need to offer backwards compatibility for Xbox 360 games. Considering the company's Xbox to Xbox 360 compatibility was poor (remember specific software downloads on a title per title basis?), one can only hope that Microsoft has taken a lesson or two and will look to bring changes with the Xbox 720.
What may even sway things in Microsoft's favor is if it offers some sort of trade-up service, where the Xbox 720 can gather data on a user's Xbox Live account and will be able to determine the games attached to a user's account and provide a digital version for a nominal fee, if not for free!
4. New Controllers
The PS4's DualShock 4 controllers will tout a touchpad in the center. They will also have a share button and feature color-coded sensory bars. These in turn will allegedly interact with a light bar to determine depth, location and more.
On the other hand, Microsoft will reportedly retain the button, trigger and analog control stick (like in the current model). However, the controller may get a touch-sensitive strip, similar to the one Sony showed off for its PS4 Dual Shock 4 controller. This would help add new ways to interact with games and the Xbox Dashboard.
What's more, Microsoft is allegedly looking to incorporate alternative control methods, including the Smartglass which enables a user to use their tablet or smartphone to display secondary information.
If Microsoft does come through with these functionalities for the Xbox 720, it could well give Sony stiff competition.
5. Games
So far the game demos we've seen for the PS4 are pretty impressive. However, Microsoft could steal the thunder from Sony with ease in this department. Imagine an Xbox 720 launch event where Microsoft gives us a peek into next-gen versions of Xbox exclusive titles like Gears of War, Halo etc.
