Call of Duty is PS4’s best seller, EA says no annual Battlefield
Activision has announced that Call of Duty: Ghosts is the best-selling game on the PlayStation 4 and the most pre-ordered on the Xbox One. Meanwhile, EA explains why they won’t make Battlefield an annual series and Microsoft CEO defends the value of Xbox and Bing.
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| X-Box One vs PlayStation |
The release of the PlayStation 4 in North America - it goes on sale in Europe and Latin America in a fortnight - is seen by many as the true dawn for next-generation console gaming after the troubled launch of Nintendo's Wii U.
Early reviews of Sony's new machine have praised its graphics for looking "cinematic"; commended its latest DualShock controller's added touchpad and redesigned thumbsticks and triggers; and remarked that the console is much quieter and easier to navigate than the seven-year-old original PS3.
In a week's time Microsoft fires back with the launch of the Xbox One.
It will be more expensive, but includes a more advanced body-movement sensor in the Kinect; better voice recognition; and a more ambitious bid to take charge of your living
room thanks to its ability to control satellite and cable TV set top boxes.
The revelation that two cross-platform launch titles - Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts - both feature higher resolution graphics on the PS4 than Xbox One, has played to Sony's favour.
But at this point the Xbox's exclusive games, including Forza Motorsport and Titanfall, are creating more positive buzz on tech sites than Sony's Killzone Shadow Fall and Infamous: Second Son.
The releases come at a critical time for both firms.
Sony recently slashed its full year profit forecast by 40%, surprising investors. Chief executive Kaz Hirai would like the PS4 to mirror the healthy sales of its smartphones, rather than its struggling TV unit.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has still to declare who will replace Steve Ballmer. The next chief executive has already been urged to "get rid" of the Xbox unit by the fund manager looking after Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's $2bn (£1.2bn) stake in the business.
But at this point the Xbox's exclusive games, including Forza Motorsport and Titanfall, are creating more positive buzz on tech sites than Sony's Killzone Shadow Fall and Infamous: Second Son.
The releases come at a critical time for both firms.
Sony recently slashed its full year profit forecast by 40%, surprising investors. Chief executive Kaz Hirai would like the PS4 to mirror the healthy sales of its smartphones, rather than its struggling TV unit.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has still to declare who will replace Steve Ballmer. The next chief executive has already been urged to "get rid" of the Xbox unit by the fund manager looking after Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's $2bn (£1.2bn) stake in the business.
Microsoft's Xbox One game console went on sale in the UK at midnight.
ReplyDeleteAbout 300 game shops and 100 Tesco stores across the UK stayed open so gamers could buy the device.
Microsoft held launch events in London, New York and Los Angeles to mark the arrival of the successor to the Xbox 360.
The launch comes a week after the US launch of Sony's PlayStation 4 and sees the two start their fight for dominance during the key Christmas season.
No advantage
Although the PS4 launched first in the US, it will not go on sale in the UK and Europe until 29 November. By contrast the Xbox One went on sale in 13 countries on Friday, 22 November. Neither console is set to be available in Japan until 2014.
Marc Whitten - and chief producer officer, Xbox One, told the BBC Microsoft had experienced an unprecedented number of pre-orders for the Xbox, far exceeding those of the Xbox 360. "I feel very very good about where we are. Today's launch is just the beginning of an amazing journey."
Launches are typically staggered so console makers keep manufacturing costs down, to give makers time to translate content into different languages, and to ensure deals covering what media can be seen on the gadget are in place.
In the UK the Xbox One is expected to cost about £429 (514 euros) and the PlayStation 4 £349 (418 euros).
The more expensive Xbox includes a bundled Kinect sensor that does a better job of spotting movement and hearing sounds than the first generation of the device.
Microsoft also has ambitions for its console to act as a hub for anything seen on a TV, and the device can act as a controller for cable and satellite set-top boxes. Microsoft's Skype net calling system is also integrated into the device.
The technical specifications of the two devices are broadly similar and the graphics on games are much improved on the preceding generation of consoles. Experts suggest that Sony's PS4 has the edge on graphics and early reports revealed that two games - Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts - would play in higher resolution on the PS4.
Both consoles attempt to round out the social side of gaming, giving owners tools and services that let them play with or against friends or find opponents online.
"If history has anything to say about it, core gamers tend to favour Sony," said Brian Blau, research director at analyst firm Gartner. "There is nothing I've seen to say that one platform is going to have an advantage over the other."
Rob Crossley, associate editor of ComputerAndVideoGames.com, called Microsoft's build up to the launch "luckless and calamitous" because it had had to drop features, such as restrictions on used games, that had been widely criticised.
"With Sony's PlayStation 4 being such a similar device and £80 cheaper, Microsoft will face significant challenges convincing shoppers that Xbox One is the smarter investment," he added.
In 2013, Microsoft and Sony face a very different games market than that seen when the Xbox 360 and PS3 were launched. The past few years have seen the rise of indie and casual games, a renaissance in PC gaming and the emergence of rivals such as Valve, which is preparing its own gaming gadget.