The Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 will be released before 2013 ends. This is an exciting piece of news for gaming fans everywhere, because they can now experience the next generation of gaming without having to depend on their PCs (which need constant upgrades to play newer and better games).
Although precious little was revealed about the PS4, the recently held event by Microsoft gave us a lot of information about the upcoming Xbox One. This successor to the popular Xbox 360 console is touted to be the all-in-one entertainment system for the living room.
Indeed, this point was stressed upon by dedicating more than half of the presentation to non-gaming aspects of the Xbox One. While this did not go down well with a lot of hardcore gamers, it did make for some interesting discussion among casual gamers. People will soon have the power to control their TV using only their voice, and gestures. All this sounds well and good in countries like the US and the UK, where there are large enough living rooms to accommodate devices the size of the Xbox one. But the question is, will the One succeed in Asia?
It is commonly known that the PlayStation 3 (PS3) outsold the Xbox 360 in Asia. This success can be attributed to the fact that the PS3 had nearly all the titles that the Xbox 360 offered, but the key difference was that the PS3 offered online play for free. The Xbox 360 on the other hand, charged users for an online subscription called Xbox Live, which is required to reap the benefits of online gaming.
In many Asian countries, where internet access is restricted, having to pay extra for online play was not a well-received concept, which resulted in the PS3 outselling the Xbox 360.
Now, looking at the introduction of the Xbox One, it remains highly doubtful if the new console will manage to beat the PlayStation in Asia. From what we know so far, the Xbox One will have a deep integration with the cloud, and this might likely involve a deeper relationship with the Xbox Live service as well.
Also, the much talked about voice and gesture controls of the Xbox One might not sell well in Asia, because a lot of countries do not have standardized cable connections that can be linked to game consoles!
To make things worse, the sheer size of the Xbox One makes it difficult for a lot of people to give it a place in their living rooms. The console includes the main gaming unit and a separate Kinect unit, which is required to be connected for the voice/gesture features.
To sum up, the Xbox One needs to bring a lot more to the table if it aims to outsell the PS4 in Asia. With Sony having a strong fanbase in Japan, it would be interesting to watch this "next-generation" battle unfold between the two giants of the game console industry.
Aditya Rayaprolu is a technophile, living in India. He enjoys keeping a watch on the ever-changing technological landscape, especially the one that is called the internet. He is also an avid reader and gamer.