Sony’s new-generation PlayStation 4 console scored an opening skirmish triumph over Microsoft’s Xbox One on the eve of the Tuesday start of premier E3 videogame conference/AFP
LOS ANGELES, June 2013 – Sony’s new-generation PlayStation 4 console scored an opening skirmish triumph over Microsoft’s Xbox One on the eve of the Tuesday start of premier E3 video game conference.
Sony and Microsoft each hosted distinctly different private events on Monday to spotlight their new champions in long-running console wars.
Both titans showcased blockbuster games, but Sony triggered unbridled cheers with assurances it would not interfere with sales of used titles or require Internet connections for play.
The points were in sharp contrast to Microsoft, which designed Xbox One consoles to check-in on the Internet once every 24 hours for games to work, and set conditions on used games.
Sony also priced PS4 at $399 as compared to the $499 Microsoft said it will charge for Xbox One consoles when they are released in the US and Europe in November.
“Clearly, Sony won the battle of the day,” said Gartner analyst Brian Blau.
“The price point is going to be a big factor,” he continued. “At a minimum, it is a poke in the eye because Sony is just cheaper.”
Blau responded that the price divide widens when taking into account that Xbox One console owners must subscribe to an Internet service, because the device requires an online connection if users want to play.
He cautioned that it was still too early to tell which console would prove more popular because hardware and games, no matter how slickly they were presented at the media events, have yet to get into people’s hands.
“Overall, they are both strong platforms,” Blau said.
Microsoft fired the opening shot with a media event providing more details about the Xbox One home entertainment hub it revealed in May.
Microsoft focused on its core audience of gamers at the E3 presentation of a box designed to become a hub for films, television shows, music and other home entertainment streamed from the Internet.
“Xbox One is designed to deliver a whole new generation of blockbuster games, television and entertainment in a powerful, all-in-one device,” said Microsoft president of interactive entertainment Don Mattrick.
The beefed-up hardware is powered by software that allows for instant switching between games, television, and Internet browsing.
