Can Next-Gen Setbacks Push Through the Holidays

We’re not the XBOX 720! We’re XBOX One. At least that’s what they want us to believe. As a huge fan of both consoles, it’s a bit daunting to know that next-gen systems are ready for next-gen games and gaming, but not quite ready for the gamer.

It’s eye-opening to see titles for the Xbox one and PlayStation 4 are requiring a massive amount of space just to perform an installation. Titles for the PlayStation 4 like Killzone 4 needs 39GB and Call of Duty: Ghosts is requiring 49GB as a minimum for the PS4. It’s to the point where next-gen systems needing to upgrade hard drive size is practically mandatory.

So just doing the simple math here, about 10-12 games will blow out the HDD easy. So if this is just the disk install requirements, what can we expect from digital downloads? For example Assassin’s Creed IV, Battlefield and Call of Duty have been announced as a $9.99 digital upgrade. Will the install be greater in size?

Then there is the talk of gameplay will have a different feel , visually. Call of Duty: Ghosts has the biggest rumor of being 720p on Xbox One while full 1080p on PlayStation 4. Having the opportunity to play Call of Duty: Ghosts on more than one occasion, I must say, the game graphically didn’t look much better than what I’m used to on current-gen.

But would it really matter if the games aren’t hitting the full production expectancy? If Xbox One allow their titles to slack in production, does is really deserve to be noticed as an upgrade? Is it really intended to be All-in-One?  I took a second to even attempt to pat them on the back considering it’s a marketing plan to preserve hard drive space in the long run. Even then how could that be fair to the consumer?

The best decision you can make right now if you have any intentions on picking up a Next-Gen console this holiday season is to invest now on a 2 Terabyte HDD to properly cover all of the content that can and will devour 500GB as if it never existed in your console.

So we look at the Xbox One, a 4K Ready console that still prefers to hold back on its potential and a PlayStation 4 that requires more space upon purchase. Which system would are you looking forward to? Both systems still have their uniqueness to them and advantages, but could these setbacks become a huge game changer for the consumer?