BBC Knowledge April 2017

| GAMES

ON THE SHELVES

Developed by Japanese giant Sony,

PlayStation is currently at its 4th

generation stage, and has taken

over a whopping 53 million households

since its debut in 2012. If this weren’t

enough, last November, the brand-

new PlayStation 4 Pro hit the market,

boosting core capabilities considerably.

Despite the absence of a 4K Blue-ray

player, PS4 Pro supports 4K graphics,

showcasing a graphic processor

twice as powerful as that featured

by the original PS4. Additionally,

it features 1TB of inbuilt storage

size, with a bandwidth of 218 GB/s.

This overcomplicated jargon means

that Sony’s newborn will be a serious

threat to its direct competitor Xbox One.

That is, unless Microsoft can somehow

tackle the assault of what is definitely

to be the best-selling console out

there. PlayStation 4 Pro is available

now for $399.

SONY, NINTENDO, MICROSOFT, ZELDA

To the joy of many nostalgic gamers,

2017 will be characterised by the console war.

So pick a side, put your blindfolds on, and defend

one of these consoles till death does you part

CONSOLE

WAR

PlayStation 4 Pro

Nintendo Switch

Xbox Project

Scorpio

Unveiled last October and finally presented

during a live press conference on 13 January

this year, Nintendo Switch reflects the

company’s truest ethos when it comes to its

strategy: innovation rather than hardware

power. Switch will be the first hybrid console

of all times. It’s a home console when docked to a TV, and a handheld device otherwise.

Its 720p touchscreen tablet can be taken anywhere for a seamless gaming experience on

the go. While the competitors count on pixels and frame rate to appeal to tech-heads,

Switch will feature what is arguably the most versatile gamepad on the market – the Joy-Con.

It will also focus on local rather than online multiplayer, which means real-life gaming with

friends wherever, whenever. Another point in favour of Nintendo is the exclusive titles

the company is known for Super Mario Odyssey, for instance, is expected to be out by

the end of 2017. Nintendo Switch launches on 3 March at $299, along with The Legend

of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, reportedly the most anticipated title of the year.

Unlike the PS4 Pro, Microsoft’s Xbox Scorpio

won’t simply be an upgrade to Xbox One, but

a middle ground between the current console

and a full-fledged new hardware. Similar to its

competitor, Xbox Scorpio will boast 4K graphics,

and, thanks to the partnership with Rift, aims to bring

Virtual Reality to the common gamer. Allegedly the

most powerful console ever built, Scorpio is the answer

to Sony’s PS4 Pro. Talking numbers, Scorpio will show off

a processor worth 6 teraflops, which will allow a bandwidth of 320

GB/s. In simpler words, it’s a true video gaming monster that aims at leaving its competitors in

the dust. We know that with great power comes an even greater price; still, although we have

nothing but speculation so far, Xbox head Phil Spencer said that Scorpio will fall within the

usual console price range, in spite of wielding the specifics of a high-end PC. Xbox Scorpio

was unveiled during the 2016 E3 MEANS, and is scheduled for release at the end of 2017.

WORDS: NICOLO GOVONI

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