Microsoft has dominated the headlines over the past couple of weeks with its very public preparations for the launch of the Xbox One. But the present days are all about Sony and the PlayStation 4, though, and as well as announcing the PS4 release date, the Japanese company has taken the opportunity at Cologne-based Gamescom to announce some interesting news regarding the all-important initial titles. There will be no fewer than 33 games available for the next-gen machine by the year's close, and although the sum total doesn't quite match the number of titles available for the Xbox One, there's still plenty of variety therein.
All the talk amongst gamers right now may be of what Sony has up its sleeve for the PlayStation 4 release later this year, but that doesn't mean that fans of the Gran Turismo franchise have nothing else to look forward to.
When it comes to popular gaming franchises, Call of Duty always seems to leave competitors in its wake. We're coming up to that point of the year again when Activision drops its latest blockbuster, and this time around, CoD fans are gearing themselves up for the release of Call of Duty: Ghosts. On a day that has seen much by way of game-related announcements, Activision and Infinity Ward have collectively announced that the special, Prestige Edition of the upcoming title will include an added extra in the form of a 1080p action camera. More details can be found right after the break!
Although the PlayStation 4 remained rather elusive for a period of time following its February launch ceremony, we have now seen enough videos and images of the console to gather a rough idea of its size. With that said, it's always nice to try and get a sense of perspective, particularly given how soon Sony's next games machine will be hitting the market, and as the folks of IGN have shown in a rather entertaining clip, it's certainly not going to command as much of your precious shelf space as you might have thought.
With any next-generation product, particularly within the image-conscious technology industry, we expect a thinner, lighter, and slicker form factor all round. While the jury's still out on whether the PlayStation 4 console looks as cool as its predecessor did when it launched all those years ago, there's no doubting that Sony has scaled down the packaging while scaling up the hardware beef within the PS4. Sony’s PS Access channel has a short video pitting new and old side-by-side, which not only lets you make up your mind as to which looks better, but also gives you some idea as to how much more compact the PlayStation 4 is.
If the excitement over the soon-to-be released Xbox One and PlayStation 4 hasn't quite managed to ramp your adrenaline levels, then thankfully EA is on hand to try and raise the stakes a little more. As part of the ongoing push to publicize the latest iteration of the Need for Speed franchise, EA has released an extended version of the Rivals trailer that was shown off during the E3 Conference, with a lot more emphasis placed on the Cops Vs. Racers aspect of the next-generation video game.
The battle between Microsoft and Sony for console supremacy this generation is certainly beginning to capture the imagination of gamers and press alike, and one of the biggest differentiators between the two companies has been their approach to pricing. Whilst Microsoft's Xbox One will retail for a hefty $499, Sony's PlayStation 4 offering will land at a considerably more wallet-friendly $399. That $100 could be the difference between making an Xbox One purchase or going for the Sony option instead, and the Japanese company knows it.
As lead architects of pivotal tech gadgets go, it's fair to point out that Sony's Mark Cerny is a bit of a maverick. Far from being a fusty, out-of-touch droid, he's a gamer to the core, and at this week's Gamelab in Barcelona, told a refreshingly candid tale of his career from the days of working at Atari aged 17 to being the key figure in the development of the PlayStation 4.
Sony has gone to great lengths to gatecrash the Xbox One launch event by showcasing its PlayStation 4 right atop the ceremonious entrance of the next-gen Microsoft console, and to further push the PS4 envelope, the Japanese electronics giant has just introduced a new video showing off some of the machine's features. Included in the new clip are some glimpses of the next-gen user interface, a look into how the so-called video sharing feature will work, as well as insight into game downloads. Check out the details, as well as the video, after the jump.
Both Sony's PS4, and Microsoft's Xbox One, are now available for pre-order through various retail outlets. Details and more info on pre-ordering can be found right after the break.
