Welcome back, everyone, to the fifty-eighth installment of The Late Duck! Indeed, we have passed the one-year anniversary of this blog's humble beginning. I've finally recovered from my wee accident from Cinco de Mayo and will return to focusing all effort to the progress of this jumbled mess of a blog. Much has occurred whilst on my sabbatical. Let's get moving, shall we?
I am rather pleased at my waiting to post on the next-generation console race. Microsoft held their fated reveal conference back on the 21st and it couldn't have gone any more confusing/disappointing. The Xbox One or Infinity, Durango, Xbox 720, NextBox (my favorite) was unveiled to an anxious crowd of people I wished I was for that moment. While Sony rose to the occasion earlier in February, they never really showed how the damn thing looked. Yes, it's not over until the fat gamer screams various obscenities at the "n00bs" on Halo 5, Ghosts, or BF 4. Sony still has the chance to wow crowds at E3 and win the hearts of fanboys whether they be Sony or Microsoft. What I know is this: my PS3 is little over a year old while my 360 nears the five year mark. I'd love to jump on the PS4, but given the perfect condition my Sony console's in, I'm leaning to the newer tech on the One just on the landscape of an upgrade.
The One finally touts a Blu Ray player, but hey, my PS3 already does that. Great job, Bill Gates, you took your dear sweet time including tech that another system introduced seven years ago. Both consoles are running on 8GB of RAM and I believe an octo-core processor, so we're not looking at tremendous differences. Sony's going for more social integration while Microsoft is attempting the all-in-one home entertainment system. Both manufacturers have changed the design of their respective controllers in ways, I believe, that reflect the new features of the consoles themselves.
Sony ditched the Start and Select buttons for Share and Options. Microsoft has done similar with View and Share. The PS4 controller's thumbsticks are concave allowing a better hold when nervous gamers can't keep their thumbs in one place. What was especially interesting was the touchpad on the PS4 controller. It only looks to be around two maybe three inches across, but perhaps that inclusion paired with a more ergonomic design akin to the 360's will make for a comfortable experience. The One's controller is only slightly bigger than the 360's, but does away with most of the weight. Microsoft ditched battery packs for a smooth backing made possible by an embedded rechargeable battery. This will probably play out like the USB cable with the PS3. I'm fine with less trips to the junk-drawer to grab AAs at two in the morning.
The One also brings Kinect 2.0 bundled with the console. Everything about the motion-sensor has been redesigned to allow a more user-friendly experience. Voice recognition and camera recognition now allows players to speak at a more indoor volume and move faster without worrying about the camera lagging. Kinect 2.0 now picks up individual joint movement like elbows, knees, and wrists for example. While Kinect has been somewhat of a let-down in regards to its range, I honestly have faith 2.0 will allow players with limited space to expand without rearranging the living room furniture.
The only One you'll ever need
This is all we know until 10 June
I'm only to guess Sony wants to hit E3 hard and leave Microsoft crying in the corner. We know a majority of the controller specs, but a wee bit on the console itself. The PS4 controller, as you can see, has a built-in microphone for various in-game command options or voice-navigation on the dashboard. I believe Microsoft is doing the same with the One's controller given the fact they're heading in the home entertainment direction. However, with the upgraded Kinect, it may not.
So, there's the tip of the iceberg. Microsoft is going for what looks like a VCR-looking console (honestly, look at the damn thing. BetaMax, anyone?) while Sony is shying away for the opportune moment to strike. Sony's bringing in the AMD x86 Jaguar CPU while Microsoft is going for their own brand of CPUs. Hard-drives look to be around 500GBs starting off, but bundles will most likely give lower options or maybe even more. Both line-up almost neck-to-neck. We'll see in five days who goes through the adolescent growth spurt and reaches the win. Several launch titles (both exclusive and multi-platform) will be available with the consoles later in the year. Most likely another holiday debut, so get those accounts ready for some abuse. Developers and their grandmothers are cranking out more exclusive titles than we'll be able to count (Microsoft has exclusives again!). More Call of Duty and Battlefield is on the way, but I know you all want something to really shake things up again.
Check out the interwebs or just stay tuned here throughout E3 for more information on the next generation on all your gaming goodies.
In a last tid-bit, Kryptonians and Earthlings unite! Man of Steel hits theatres next Friday or Thursday if you're into the early premieres. June has arrived and it's time for some f*cking awesome cinema sauce. World War Z, Monsters U, and so much more.
Catch it late or on time only at The Late Duck.
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