Sony and Microsoft showcased their new gaming consoles at E3 videogame expo, which will put them at the heart of home entertainment.
Both companies have displayed blockbuster titles for high-powered machines that will not only allow for rich, immersive gaming, but will expand the user’s capabilities for socialising online; accessing films, music, sports, or television shows; and perhaps one day even allowing for mobile gambling on sites like Jackpot Capital slots.
“There is certainly going to be a massive spotlight on the two next-gen consoles,”said Bethesda videogame studio marketing vice president Pete Hines, ahead of the E3 expo that gets its unofficial start on Monday in Los Angeles. “Certainly, games are going to look better, but not so dramatic in terms of differences,” he continued. “A lot of stuff is in the margins with changes you can’t wrap your head around easily.”
In February, Sony unveiled a new generation PlayStation 4 system, laying out its vision for the “future of gaming” in a world rich with mobile gadgets and play streamed from the internet, with computer entertainment unit chief Andrew House saying at a press event in New York that the PS4 “represents a significant shift from thinking of PlayStation as a box or console into thinking of the PS4 as a leading place for play,”and the fact that there was not even a glimpse of the PS4 at the launch event, it definitely made hands-on debut at E3 a mind blowing event.
Those attending the Expo will also be able to try the next-gen Xbox One that Microsoft introduced last month, touting it as an entertainment hub that goes far beyond games. It is powered by software that allows for instant switching between games, television, and internet browsing, while also integrating Skype for online group video calls. The Kinect motion and sound sensing accessories that accompany the consoles recognize users, respond instantly to commands spoken in natural language and even detect a person’s pulse.
“This is the beginning of a new generation of games and entertainment and a new generation of smart TV,”said Microsoft entertainment unit executive Yusuf Mehdi during the console’s unveiling at company headquarters in Redmond, Washington.
In the end it will depend on the consumer to determine which next generation gaming platform will come up tops.
