Gen Next: How to prepare for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

Gen Next: How to prepare for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
By Brian Crecente
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NOTE:  SEE THE LINK ABOVE, FOR THE COMPLETE LIST OF ALL TRANSITION ARTICLES. MANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED AS WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU BRING YOUR NEW NEXT-GEN CONSOLE HOME.

Just because the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles are coming doesn't mean that it's necessarily the right time to make the video game generational leap.

In these stories we will be examining the transition from PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to PS4 and Xbox One, what it means if you don't make the transition and if and when you should.

Follow along as we try to answer in daily stories the big questions of the transition.  

Console Wars: PlayStation 4 vs. Xbox One Showdown Infographic
Nov 6, 2013 by Denny Connolly
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Xpango PS4 PAGE:  

The days until the official start of the next console generation continue to fall off the calendar and bring gamers closer to November 15 and November 22, when the PS4 and Xbox One release, respectively. Console enthusiasts who plan to pick up either (or both) may have already secured a pre-order, but plenty of gamers are still weighing the pros and cons of each system. A fair share of bad press and rumors about the Microsoft console facing pre-launch problems has given Sony fans plenty of ammo to use against the Xbox One army, but some analysts still suggest that the Xbox One has a slight edge over the PS4 – which we recently found out can’t play MP3s or upload YouTube videos – in terms of prospective sales.

Consumers still coming to a decision on which console to side with have plenty to consider. It’s undeniable that the Sony console has had a much more successful series of pre-launch press releases and announcements, while Microsoft has continued to stumble through the summer and live up to the less than flattering “Xbone” nickname. Savvy shoppers who are interested in looking beyond name-calling and getting down to a heads-up comparison of the two consoles to help make their decision have a new tool thanks to Xpango.

A detailed infographic (shown below) posted by an admin account on Xpango illustrates side-by-side comparisons of the two new consoles on everything from tech specs to online multimedia services. The infographic may weasel out of offering a decision on which console will reign supreme, but it is full of stats and information that will be useful to shoppers. Take a look…



It’s nice to see that gamers on both sides of the fence will be equipped with a powerful enough processor and enough RAM to deliver a noticable difference in performance compared to the aging current gen consoles, but the upgradable PS4 HD is a big perk for gamers that like a little extra control. 500 GB sounds like more than enough for now, but if this upcoming console life cycle is really going to last for a decade, the potential to upgrade seems like a valid selling point to us.

The infograph also bring up some good points about aesthetics and controller design. I don’t think anyone is arguing that either console is very pretty, but the PS4 is slightly less of a potential living room eyesore. We’ll reserve judgement on the controllers until we’ve put in a respectable about of hours on each, but at first glance, the Xbox 360′s offset joysticks and tried and true layout may seem more appealing, especially for shooter fans. That said, the folks at Sony do have research to support the decision to stick with the symmetrical stick layout which they believe is better.

The neck and neck nature of nearly every category will likely bring the decision down to exclusive launch titles for most consumers. Options for exciting new games aren’t quite as uncommon as they were when the Wii U launched last November, but there still aren’t enough highly-anticipated exclusives to make the choice easy. Titanfall (releasing next year) and Dead Rising 3 (a launch title) are likely to win over a fair number of buyers for Microsoft, while Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack will be the big draws for the PS4.

How are you making your decision on which console to pick up this holiday season (assuming you’re lucky enough to find one) or is it better to wait for lower prices, more games, features and potential bug fixes? Sound off in the comments.

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The PlayStation 4 launches on November 15 and the Xbox One launches on November 22.

Sony’s Updated ToS Reserves The Right to Monitor All PSN Usage, Restrict Monetization of User-Generated Videos
Tom Gregorio November 11, 2013
LINK HERE:  http://bit.ly/HNSDqC

While privacy concerns have arisen previously with Microsoft over the inclusion of Kinect, Sony has expanded upon what data they can record in an effort to combat griefers. In the updated Terms of Service, Sony outlines what information they can monitor:

   14: Are we monitoring PSN?

   14.1: Yes but we can’t monitor all PSN activity and we make no commitment to do so. However, we reserve the right in our sole discretion to monitor and record any or all of your PSN activity and to remove any of your UGM at our sole discretion, without further notice to you. Your use of PSN and our community features may be recorded and collected by us or sent to us by other users as described in 13.1. Any information collected in this way, for example, your UGM, the content of your voice and text communications, video of your gameplay, the time and location of your activities, and your name, your PSN Online ID and IP address, may be used by us or our affiliated companies to enforce these Terms and the SEN Terms of Service, to comply with the law, to protect our rights and those of our licensors and users, and to protect the personal safety of our employees and users. This information may be passed to the police or other appropriate authorities. By accepting these Software Usage Terms, you expressly consent to this.”

Sony has also outlined restrictions for those looking to monetize UGM (User-Generated Media). It seems without publisher permission, you won’t be able to. Furthermore, Sony reserves the right to use any gameplay footage in their own marketing material or for subscription-based services.

   11. Creating and Sharing Online
   11.1. UGM created and shared by you belong to you but we and, where applicable, the relevant Software publisher still have intellectual property rights in your UGM so you must not commercially exploit UGM without our consent and the consent of the Software publisher.

   11.2. You authorise us and other PSN users, to use, distribute, copy, modify, display, and publish your UGM, your PSN Online ID (and, if you choose to use it, your name) throughout PSN, the Sony Entertainment Network and other associated services such as websites associated to the Software. You also authorise us, without payment to you, to license, sell and otherwise commercially exploit your UGM (for example, selling subscriptions to access your UGM (alone or in combination with other UGM) and/or receiving advertising revenue in connection with UGM), and to use your UGM in the promotion of PlayStation® products, Software and services. You recognise that we and other PSN users may alter your UGM and you waive any moral rights you may have in your UGM.”

You can read the entire updated Software Usage terms here.

What do you guys make of Sony’s attempts to stop greifing? Are they monitoring too much or not enough? Let us know in the comments below.

Sony PlayStation 4 User Interface Walkthrough
David Veselka November 14, 2013