E3 finally revealed the prices of Sony and Microsoft's next gen consoles - with many declaring the latest battle in the console war already over. The Xbox One comes in a little steeper - which has only fanned the flames of the haters already up in arms about the DRM and online connectivity issues. With prices at £429, €499 and $499, it's clearly a big investment - something which Sony has cleverly countered by undercutting it significantly. The super sleek PS4 comes in at a slightly less eyewatering £349, €399 and $399 depending on region.
So Sony wins the console war, right?
Not so fast. As you no doubt know, the Xbox One comes packaged with Kinect - largely explaining the price difference... conversely, Sony's slanty new console doesn't come with the updated version of its camera,the EyeToy. Knock off £80 for Kinect (still considerably less than the launch price of the original a few years back) and the console prices are equal.
I'm not a motion control fanboy but the new Kinect gizmo looks pretty awesome - and a huge improvement on its predecessor. In fact, I'm actually quite psyched about its launch. Imagine the potential of something that is so accurate, and so flexible, and the possibilities for upcoming games are huge. It's also a strategic move by Microsoft to ensure one of these cameras is in every box. That means developers can target addons, services and gameplay that every single user can enjoy.
Not so with the PS4. Leaving the EyeToy optional will be an interesting move and probably mean it will fall by the wayside down the line. Will people really choose to buy one rather than a game (it will retail for around $50-60 apparently)? And what really takes the biscuit is the fact that the new dual shock controllers will include a motion sensor - bumping up the price of the peripheral for everyone but being useless unless you own the camera. That will surely grate a little?
Factor in the fact that online gaming is no longer a free service either, requiring a PlayStation Plus subscription and the price differential between the two systems closes up further still.
Yes, Xbox One is expensive... but the PS4 isn't dramatically cheaper. Factor in these other issues too and it's perhaps not as clear cut as you'd think. The war will rage on!
So Sony wins the console war, right?
Not so fast. As you no doubt know, the Xbox One comes packaged with Kinect - largely explaining the price difference... conversely, Sony's slanty new console doesn't come with the updated version of its camera,the EyeToy. Knock off £80 for Kinect (still considerably less than the launch price of the original a few years back) and the console prices are equal.
I'm not a motion control fanboy but the new Kinect gizmo looks pretty awesome - and a huge improvement on its predecessor. In fact, I'm actually quite psyched about its launch. Imagine the potential of something that is so accurate, and so flexible, and the possibilities for upcoming games are huge. It's also a strategic move by Microsoft to ensure one of these cameras is in every box. That means developers can target addons, services and gameplay that every single user can enjoy.
Not so with the PS4. Leaving the EyeToy optional will be an interesting move and probably mean it will fall by the wayside down the line. Will people really choose to buy one rather than a game (it will retail for around $50-60 apparently)? And what really takes the biscuit is the fact that the new dual shock controllers will include a motion sensor - bumping up the price of the peripheral for everyone but being useless unless you own the camera. That will surely grate a little?
Factor in the fact that online gaming is no longer a free service either, requiring a PlayStation Plus subscription and the price differential between the two systems closes up further still.
Yes, Xbox One is expensive... but the PS4 isn't dramatically cheaper. Factor in these other issues too and it's perhaps not as clear cut as you'd think. The war will rage on!
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