[SETTLED DUST] The Next Generation of Gaming, Compared

The pre-E3 conferences have disappeared, and from the dust, the internet appears to have settled on one, almost overwhelming winner:

The Omega GameCast!

Since Microsoft's conference in May, and the ensuing PR battle since, many have been looking to Sony to win gamers over where Microsoft lost. Sony had been heavily rumored to follow suit with the DRM on used games, much in a manner like Microsoft. Seeing as the PS4 is also more powerful than the Xbox One, we were also expecting a price tag on par, if not higher, than the Xbox One. Sony came out of their E3 conference glowing with radiance, with a $399 price tag, no used game DRM for first-party games, the ability to play rented games, and let your friends borrow those games. During the conference, Jack Tretton received an absolutely overwhelming ovation for this news.

[PRE-E3] Xbox One Impressions

Top-to-bottom: HAL-10000, a VCR, and the Xbox One controller.

In just one hour, Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One, the hot new shit that gamers will (or may not) want later this year. While they have opened the flood gates for their steps in the next generation, they've left behind some impressions - some good, mostly bad - with mainstream media and gamers, alike. Already, Microsoft has disabled comments on all Xbox One YouTube videos. That should paint a picture of how bad the situation is.

It's always great to hear about the wonders of what a new generation of gaming machines can offer, but we are entering dangerous waters with the concept of always-on (forcing you to maintain an internet connection, alienating the areas of the world that don't have immediate access to broadband internet), multi-media aspects (detract from the meat of the system, the games), and a multitude of others.

The eighth generation of gaming consoles are upon us, and E3 is not even a week away, where more questions will be answered (and unanswered). What do we know about the Xbox One? Well...