E3: Microsoft and Sony at the crossroads - ZDNet

Business: The largest exhibition dedicated to video games opens in Los Angeles on Tuesday, but Microsoft and Sony will make their major conferences on Monday to present their new consoles

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2013 edition of E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is certainly the most strategic for many years for the sector. It must be said that the time is crucial. On the one hand, the two giants Microsoft and Sony will present and what their new consoles. The market had not seen the news since 2005 …

another, these new machines arrive in a context upset with increased competition from smartphones and tablets that they do not offer the same experience, just cut back on the time spent on game consumers. How then seduce these new consumers torn between their multiple screens

Microsoft, who opened fire on Monday night with his press conference, has detailed its strategy with the Xbox One. This is more like a super box connected to a single video game console, as the contents are highlighted.

Microsoft has signed in the United States exclusive partnerships with content providers like the NFL. In every country where the console will be sold, Redmond intends to duplicate this strategy. In Britain, an agreement was signed with the Sky network. In France, Canal +, which would be in the running, growing out The Edge. Negotiations are under way for an agreement of exclusive distribution.

dates and prices

The publisher intends to make the Xbox One, the central point for distributing TV content in the living room. In France, the challenge will be difficult given the dominance of the Internet box on the ground.

However, the gaming capabilities are there through technical architecture including an AMD octo-heart processor, 8GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive and a Blu-ray disc player.

Still on the use of games, Microsoft’s strategy disappoint. The issue of mandatory to activate the game (and play) or the limitations for the used game Internet connection was not very well received by players … That is an understatement. Redmond will have to be explained more clearly.

addition to these issues, the main unknown is the price, but according to the crystal ball of some analysts, it should be around 399 dollars. Xbox One will obviously be launched before the end of the year.

Later in the day (at night in France) is that Sony finally lift the veil on its PlayStation 4 or PS4. Unlike its American competitor, the Japanese remained very discreet about his new machine and kept the buzz.

In February, Sony held a press conference to discuss his machine, but without showing any picture.

finally on the controller, the DualShock 4, which is known more for the moment. This accessory will allow the PS4 to identify up to 4 players with an indicator light located on the front panel. The controller then follow the movement of users and transmit the information to the console so that it adjusts the display accordingly.

If for example two players switch places in the room, PS4 reorganize the layout of the split screen. The engineers also indicate that the sensitivity of each button has been reviewed and refined.

hardware side, the most consistent rumor suggests the presence of an eightfold heart AMD 1.6 GHz based on the architecture Jaguar would be the same as the PlayStation 4.

Convergence with tablets, smartphones

Regarding the price, there still remains a mystery, but according to experts, it could be fixed around 350 dollars, 50 dollars less than the Xbox One …

price will be a determining developed especially for the launch of the machines this Christmas. these consoles must indeed be competitive with other smartphones and tablets that are now the preferred technology consumer purchases

Finally, the games will be at the height of these launches and major publishers like Electronic Arts are expected to turn to enhance the capabilities of these new machines.

Besides the graphics power, the idea is also to bring together the screens just limit competition from mobile devices. Objective: to ally with these screens rather than fighting and Microsoft and Sony playing cards are present in both areas

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Xbox One, Redmond and plaera Windows Phone 8 in the center of the experience. In the form already since the new console interface uses the famous tiles of Windows Phone and Windows 8.

In addition, a Windows Phone (or Windows 8 tablet) smartphone can also be used as remote control to operate the Xbox One and displayed contents such as movies, music or navigate menus.

But the most important role assigned to the mobile OS is the second screen. He can fly and related to the content displayed on the TV applications, whether it is a game but also and especially a TV program (from the perspective of social TV) or film.

At Sony, convergence is central to the strategy for several quarters and the PS4 should logically communicate and interact with Xperia smartphones and tablets Japanese.

short, between hardware and strategy to win, expectations are multiple for this vintage 2013′s E3. Eyes will no longer be just glued to the capabilities of the machines or the wealth of games but on the ability of giants offer a new experience for the gamer and the mobile user is now the same person.

Nintendo? The former king of game consoles should be very quiet this year in Los Angeles, he will not hold a press conference. The WiiU launched last year has indeed not really unleashed the crowds.