With only a few details released thus far about both the PS4 and the Xbox 720, it’s hard at this stage to predict what exactly we can expect from the next generation of video gaming consoles.

Sony has only just released a few details so far, and now images of what the new PS4 will look like have surfaced online, too. Only a few details are available for the Xbox 720, and they might just be rumours. This article makes the most of the information available in order to give you a rough idea of what to expect. 

Storage

The trend that both consoles seem to be espousing is that gamers won’t need discs anymore. The PS4 allegedly has a very cool feature that lets you download games in segments. This means that you’ll be able to start playing a game, even if it hasn’t finished downloading completely.

PC games download only updates – as far as we know, commercially released PC games require discs, so it’ll be interesting to see how the lifespan of discs for gaming pans out.

Processing power

Again, it’s hard to determine the exact details. However, Sony has announced specifications for the processing power of the PS4. It will come equipped with an 8-core x86-64 AMD Jaguar processor, with 8GB of GDDR5 RAM. Its graphics car will have a unified array of 18 compute units, ready to process 1.84 teraflops.

Hopefully, this will mean that the PS4 will be more powerful than contemporary gaming PCs – but they evolve so rapidly that whether the PS4 will be outmoded by PCs quickly remains to be seen.

The processing power for the Xbox 720 is still not known. There are several rumours running around the Internet, of course, and some of them state that the machine will be equipped with an 8-core AMD processor too.

Social gaming

So far, the biggest change that the new generation of consoles is bringing is the fact that social gaming will be integrated flawlessly into the user’s experience.

The PS4 controller will have a ‘share’ button that will allow you to instantly record and upload your gaming to a cloud network where your friends will be able to watch you play – and even take over remotely!

It’s unclear if the Xbox will attempt to match the PS4’s social sharing capabilities. Gamers around the world are holding their breath, no doubt – it’s going to be a titanic battle, wherever your loyalties lie!

I want to read your comments on the next generation of consoles. Le’go there!