The new generation of gaming

For gamers, this year represents one of the most long-awaited releases in console history. For the past seven years, people have speculated about the potential successors to the PS4 and Xbox one. On December 12th of last year, the Xbox Series X was officially unveiled at The Game Awards under the name of Project Scarlet. Six months later, on June 11th, Sony revealed the design for the PS5. After many years of waiting, gamers were finally getting a new generation of consoles.

Two months after the reveal of the PS5, Sony announced that they had planned to live stream another event about important upcoming dates on games for the PS5 and other future information. On September 16, a lot of information about new cross-generation games was released. Games such as Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon Forbidden West, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Gran Turismo 7 were confirmed to be Playstation exclusives coming all within the next year. PS5 consoles support 8K Output, ray tracing, 120fps for compatible games, haptic feedback, and 3D Audio. All of these new features can aid a more immersive feeling when playing games, and allow studios to produce higher quality games.

Also at the September event, two different models for the PS5 were revealed: an all-digital version of the PS5 console with no disc drive and a version that has a disc drive. The PS5 digital edition costs $399, whereas the PS5 with a disc drive is $499. Both versions of the console will be backwards compatible with PS4 games, allowing for you to keep playing your favorite games. As for pre order, the PS5 has a limited release from Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and GameStop. When sales first went live after the event, retailers sold out in a matter of hours. Now most consoles are sold in waves to help fight the overwhelming demand. But for those who wish to wait on purchasing the PS5 until the console is officially released, Sony has stated that the console will be released on November 12th 2020.

The Xbox Series X has been in close competition with the PS5. After the announcement of the Xbox series X at the Game Awards, Microsoft waited seven months to stream an event that gave fans more details about the upcoming games and console. Halo Infinite, State of Decay 3, Forza Motorsport, and Avowed are some of the exclusives for the new Xbox consoles, with Halo Infinite being pushed back until 2021 due to public issues with the

graphics seen at the event. The new Xbox is backwards compatible, meaning that you can play older games on newer consoles. The Xbox series X will support 8K output, 120fps on 4K display, 3D sound,and ray tracing. The Xbox will also release with two distinct consoles: the Xbox series X and the Xbox series S. The Xbox series X will have a disc drive and will cost around $499, whereas the Xbox series S is a compact all-digital version of the Xbox series X that can be preordered for $299. Both consoles release on November 10th of this year.

With the release dates of these consoles coming closer with every second, there is only one question left- when will you get yours?