PS4 vs. Xbox 720; Rumor Comparison of Sony and Microsoft's Upcoming Gaming Consoles
Microsoft will likely release its Xbox 720 near the time that Sony will unveil the new PlayStation 4.
The details of both the next-generation consoles are still only rumors, but how do the two game machines stack up in a preliminary comparison?
Both the Xbox 720 and PS4 will reportedly pack eight 1.6GHz CPU cores which, coupled with their potent 800MHz AMD 7000 series graphics cards, should deliver more than enough power to keep gamers on the leaderboards.
The key performance difference between the two consoles could be down to the RAM. While the Xbox 720 is expected to have 8GB over the PlayStation 4's 4GB, it'll reportedly be running slower DDR3 RAM over the PlayStation 4's DDR5 offering. That means the PlayStation 4 will have more bandwidth to play around with and could possibly give PS4 titles a slight visual edge over those for Xbox 720. Both consoles are expected to come with Blu-ray drives.
Sources close to the development of Microsoft's next-generation game system said it may function completely through the Internet connected to the new Xbox Live, according to The Edge.
The Xbox 720 will also allegedly block the use of used games by having customers either download a game straight to the console or buy discs that will have the necessary one-time use activation code.
The alleged decision by Microsoft to wipe out the used game market and force internet connectivity may push some customers away from the Xbox 720 and toward Sony's new PlayStation 4.
The Xbox 720 may also take advantage of Microsoft's new Illumiroom technology, which uses the Kinect and a projector to extend your TV display across an entire room.
Sony and Microsoft are expected to further develop their motion-capture control systems, with the Xbox 720 reportedly featuring an updated Kinect 2.0 and AR glasses. The PS4 will reportedly pack an updated version of the PlayStation Eye.
It is still too early to tell what the price for both the gaming consoles will be but the latest rumors put them around $350 to $400.
The release date for both game machines is still up in the air. Sony has a planned event on Feb. 20 in which the company will discuss the future of PlayStation. On the other hand, Microsoft may wait for later in the year and unveil the Xbox 720 at either the Game Developers Conference in March or E3 in June.
While users may not be able to pick the exact date that the consoles will be unveiled, it is safe to assume that Microsoft and Sony will put their next-generation products on store shelves by the holidays.
