In the past, it was Nintendo and Sega. Two powerhouses of technology duking it out for the undivided love of a consumer. Sonic the hedgehog sped through level after level of 2D scenery collecting rings galore while Mario jumped in and out of pipes hoarding mushrooms, saving a princess in distress from various villains. The opponents are different now, but the goal is the same. To ensure that we, the consumer, are playing the right games made by the right companies. Sony vs. Microsoft: round two.

For the past 7 years, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s Playstation 3 have been feuding. Both companies are constantly trying to one up each other by releasing new and unique games. Sony holds sway with exclusive titles like the God Of War series, Gran Turismo, and this year’s The Last Of Us (reviewed in detail in this issue). Microsoft, not one to be outdone, owns the Halo series as well as the Gears Of War series (two of the biggest shooter genre games in the market) along with Forza Motor sports. While the majority of gaming companies produce games for both systems, everyone seems to have a preference. Some would rather use the 360 due to the controller fitting their hands better. Others would rather stick to PS3 because of the Blu-ray disc reader. The list goes on and on. This year the battle for supremacy is moving into the later rounds with the release of the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One.

Due to be released on Nov. 15, 2013, the PS4 will have a $399.99 price tag, which isn’t too bad considering that a brand new PS3 is $299.99. While the Xbox One has no release date as of yet, it does have a price tag of $499.99 for the “Day One Bundle” (which includes a Kinect camera sensor). An Xbox 360, brand new, sells for between $299.99 to $399.99. There should be less expensive models of the Xbox One available to the public after the release, but when that will be is unknown to the public outside of Microsoft. While the prices for the systems are relatively in the same ballpark, the PS4 wins the prize for affordability AND availability. Nov. 15 is a date that Sony has dedicated itself to reaching. Microsoft has a tentative release set for Dec. 31 of this year, which, according to employees of a local video game retailer, is “a nice way of saying maybe the end of this year or the beginning of next year.”

As of Aug. 25, one local store has 177 PS4 pre-orders, and only 47 Xbox One pre-orders, A ratio of almost 4 to 1 in favor of Sony’s new system. When the Xbox One was originally announced, there were various limitations that angered Microsoft’s customer base. The new system would no longer play pre-owned games (you wouldn’t be able to play the games on another system at all) and it would be required to be connected to the internet at all times. In the months following the announcement of the PS4 and the fallout from the Xbox One’s new decisions, those policies have changed. The question is, now that the differences between the two systems appear to be minimal, which will customers be picking? Will you remain faithful and dedicated to the same old company? Or will you jump ship and experiment with something new? Either way, it should make for an interesting year in 2014.