Late last month Sony Computer Entertainment drew first next gen blood (sorry, Nintendo) when they revealed their plans for the PlayStation brand’s future in the form of *drumroll*…
the PlayStation 4… “Catchy” name (note: sarcasm). Boosting a massively powerful internal architecture it would seem Sony’s new system has the “higher ground” (as far as leaked specifications are concerned) over Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox successor codenamed, “Durango”. Loaded with a staggering amount of internal RAM (8gb GDDR5), 50 percent more compute units, a user interface that could easily put Xbox Live to shame (and tons of other technical jargon I couldn’t possibly begin to understand) it would appear as if Microsoft is currently in the hot seat…. or are they?
Right now the video gaming industry is riddled with leaks and rumors regarding an upcoming Microsoft event taking place sometime in April, where sources believe the “house that Bill Gates built” will in fact reveal the third generation of Xbox hardware. Traditionally, new hardware has always been announced at the industry’s largest showcase event “E3” but Sony rattled the cages by announcing the PS4 months in advance opting instead to focus more on software and services later in June at E3. According to analysts, by taking the time out to reveal the PS4 by itself earlier Sony managed to avoid the avalanche of gaming information that normally encompasses every annual E3 event. This has many wondering if Microsoft might suffer from launching last, just as Sony suffered immense losses by coming a little too casually late to the party in 2006 with their problematic PlayStation 3. Especially, with the Durango reportedly already having an inferior chipset.
It’s plainly obvious that Microsoft walked away with the crown this generation, but have they grown overconfident that their business approach will continue to thrive come this fall when Sony’s new system is expected to launch? Especially, in a time when if you asked most hardcore gamers they would quickly tell you Microsoft is too interested in catering to casuals, and even non-gamers by pitching the Xbox 360 as more of a “all inclusive entertainment system” (that just so happens to also play games) in lieu of cementing the Xbox brand as the end all be all home for video gaming bliss. After all, we witnessed Sony fall asleep on their throne after the success of the PlayStation 2 as they struggled for years getting people to take the “PS3 plunge”…. Is Microsoft doomed to make the same mistake?
-Lordgrey