Looks like another developer is stepping forward to blur the lines between Sony and Microsoft's next-gen consoles. Not long after Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami stated that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are almost identical, Battlefield 4's own Executive Producer Patrick Bach seems to be echoing Mikami's sentiments.
Speaking with MMGN, Bach said of the new consoles, "Even on an extremely high level, I think they have more things in common. It's much easier to develop and to deliver on five platforms, which is good for us."
"With Frostbite, being able to work so long on the current generation, it's allowed us to ensure that the engine, whatever platform we have it on at the end, that it's able make the most of the platform, so that's been [a benefit] of the extended generation."
Again, it's more from the development angle, but it'll be interesting to see if that extends to the player experience as well. Despite working on both platforms, even Bach isn't sure how things will wind up. He went on to say, "Overall we don't know what to expect with new hardware, even when we're working on it. I think we've been extremely privileged to have the time to work on this generation, and embrace the possibilities it's presented. It's helped the transition."
Microsoft's Xbox One launches on Nov. 22, and will be available in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, UK, and the United States for $499.
The new console claims an 8-core x86 processor and Microsoft hopes it will take the place of the family room cable box by letting you watch Blu-ray movies and TV through the console, in a "seamless transition" that lets players switch from playing games to watching shows and/or movies. It will come fully loaded with 8GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive.
A cross-country tour where Microsoft is demoing the system at various locations is already underway, and demo kiosks have begun arriving at certain retailers.
As for Sony, the PlayStation 4 boasts Supercharged PC architecture, X86 CPU, Enhanced PC GPU, and 8GB Unified Memory under the hood. It will support the same PlayStation Plus service as the Vita and PlayStation 3. However, a Plus subscription will be required for online multiplayer games, but not for additional media services like Netflix. Sony has also updated the Dual Shock controllers with a touch screen and improved shoulder triggers, and bundles the console with a headset.
Demo kiosks have already started making their way to various retailers, with more and more rolling out the closer we get to the console's launch date.
The PlayStation 4 is set to release on November 15 in North America and on November 29 in Europe. Day one games available for the system include Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Killzone Shadow Fall,Madden NFL 25, Minecraft, NBA 2K14, Need for Speed: Rivals, and more. It will retail for $399.
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