The gaming console market, although a niche area, has gained a lot of traction among hard core gamers in recent years. Unlike smartphones and tablets, which get an upgrade every few months, gaming consoles are released every few years. This year will see only two new gaming consoles making a debut in India - the Sony PlayStation 4 (already launched) and the Microsoft Xbox One (to be launched soon). While new consoles are selling like hot cakes, the older versions have seen a price drop that make them a good buy. And popular game titles are being launched both for older and newer generation consoles.
Microsoft Xbox One Microsoft-Xbox-One-Kinect
Microsoft Xbox One
The Xbox One made its global debut last year and is scheduled to launch in India on September 23. Microsoft has pitched it as an all-in-one entertainment system. The
Xbox One has Internet-based features such as the ability to record and stream gameplay, integration with a set-top box to watch cable or satellite TV through the console, and Kinect-based voice control. The Xbox One will include a console, which features a 500GB hard drive, a Blu-ray player and built-in WiFi, and one wireless controller. There will be a free 14-day trial of Xbox Live Gold for new members. The console will have a Kinect version, too, where users will be able to experience gesture controls, biometric sign-in, controller paring, Skype video calls, instant scanning of QR codes, and enhanced features only available with Kinect games such "Kinect Sports Rivals," "Dead Rising 3," and "Project Spark." The gaming line-up will include AAA titles like "Forza Horizon 2" and "Halo: The Master Chief Collection".
Xbox One: Rs 39,990; Xbox One with Kinect: Rs 45,990
Sony PlayStation 4
Sony PlayStation 4
Released in the US in November last year, Sony's
PlayStation 4 was an instant success. About 2.1 million units of the
PS4 were sold in less than three weeks of its launch in North America. Sony was aggressive with the global launch and introduced the gaming console in India in January this year. The initial units were sold in a matter of few hours on January 6. The next stock arrived in May, and it is now readily available on all major online portals. The PS4 is powered by an eight-core AMD Jaguar CPU, and features a 500GB hard drive, 8GB of unified memory, a built-in Blu Ray drive and the new DualShock 4 controller. It also offers WiFi connectivity option, an Ethernet port, Bluetooth 2.1, and two USB 3.0 ports. Sony has worked on the on-screen UI and has placed the games icon in a horizontal bar. At the time of the launch, the game titles included 22 games of different genres, from military shooters to sports simulations to family-friendly adventures including "Killzone: Shadow Fall", and "Drive Club."
Price: Rs 39,990
