Xbox One and PS4 – Release Dates

Ashley Crocker ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff

With Microsoft having recently announced the release date for the Xbox One, its time once again to compare the Xbox One and the PS4 in the console wars.
Microsoft’s Xbox One will be released on November 22 in America. Microsoft also announced that they bumped the CPU to 1.75GHz CPU from an original 1.6GHz CPU, resulting in a ten percent power increase. The starting price is $499, which includes the Kinect. The console also includes a Blu-ray and DVD player, DVR, 8GB of RAM and a 500 GB Hard Disk Drive. Microsoft will also offer pre-order extras, throwing in FIFA or Forza game titles. Some Xbox specific day one launch games include: Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5, and Ryse: Son of Rome.
Sony’s PS4 will be released on November 15 in America. It will hit stores with a price tag of $399. Similar to its rival, the PS4 will feature Blu-ray and DVD capabilities, DVR, 8 GB of RAM and 500GB of storage. Sony PS4 is also offering a $499 bundle that comes with a PS4 Camera, two DualShock 4 Controllers, and the game Killzone: Shadow Fall. In other news, online play on the Playstation Network will no longer be free. Online play through Playstation Plus will cost 5 dollars a month, a pricetag similar to Xbox Live. Some PS4 specific day one launch games include: Killzone: Shadow Fall, Knack, and DriveClub.
With November fast approaching it seems that Microsoft is still scrambling to catch up to their rival Sony. Ever since Sony’s E3 press conference, the PS4 has held the favor of gamers who like its lower price tag, online policies, and traditional retail style. Although Microsoft has conceded by dropping its always online and digital retail policy, will it be enough to dig itself out of the hole? And now, with the announcement of release dates, it seems that Sony is still ahead of Microsoft. While it is true that Microsoft has almost leveled the playing field, it seemed that Sony’s policies were for the gamers while Microsoft’s policies were for the profit. In short, Sony has a good chance of coming out of this on top.