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Eighth generation of video game consoles

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In the history of video games, the eighth generation is the 2013 iteration of video game consoles, following the previous seventh generation: Nintendo's Wii, Sony's PlayStation 3, and Microsoft's Xbox 360. The eighth generation includes Nintendo's home console successor, the Wii U, which was released in the fourth quarter of 2012. The PlayStation 4 was officially announced on February 20, 2013, and is anticipated for a Q4 2013 release.[1] Microsoft announced the successor to the Xbox 360, the Xbox One on May 21, 2013,[2] also to be released in Q4 2013.[3] For video game handhelds, the generation began in February 2011 with the release of the Nintendo 3DS, successor to the Nintendo DS, in Japan, followed by a North American and European release in March. The successor of the PlayStation Portable, the PlayStation Vita, was released in December 2011 in Japan, and Western markets in February 2012.

Claims have been made that the eighth generation of video game consoles will face stiff competition from the smartphone, tablet, and Smart TV gaming markets.[4][5][6][7][8][9] Due to the proliferation of these devices, some analysts speculate the eighth generation to be the last generation of home consoles.[9] The multi-million dollar pre-sale success of Ouya through crowdfunding has raised open-source development and the free-to-play model as key issues to be addressed by 8th generation consoles.[10][11] The GameStick, NVIDIA Shield, Razer Switchblade, Ouya, Project Mojo, GamePop and Steam Box are attempting to compete in this market; however these are seldom referred to as "eighth generation consoles".[12][13][14] The Wall Street Journal reports that the internet giant Google is planning to release an Android based game console Q4 2013.[15]

Transition

Though prior console generations have normally occurred in five to six-year cycles, the transition from seventh to eighth generation units has lasted more than six years.[16] The transition is also unusual in that the prior generation's best-selling unit, the Wii, is the first to be replaced in the eighth generation.[16] Microsoft have stated they have begun looking at their next console, but as of 2011, they, along with Sony, consider themselves only halfway through a ten-year lifecycle for their seventh-generation offerings.[17][18][19][20] Sony and Microsoft representatives have stated that the addition of motion controllers and camera-based controllers like Kinect and PlayStation Move have extended these systems' lifetimes.[21] Nintendo president Satoru Iwata had stated that his company would be releasing the Wii U due to declining sales of seventh generation home consoles and that "the market is now waiting for a new proposal for home consoles".[22] Sony considered making its next console a digital download only machine, but decided against it due to concerns about the inconsistency of internet speeds available globally, especially in developing countries.[23]

Home consoles

Wii U

In November 2010, Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime stated that the release of the next generation of Nintendo would be determined by the continued success of the Wii.[24] Nintendo announced their successor to the Wii, the Wii U, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011 on June 7, 2011.[25]

After the announcement, several journalists classified the system as the first eighth generation home console.[16][26][27] However, prominent sources have brought this into speculation because of its comparative lack of power with respect to the announced specifications for PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.[28][29]

The Wii U's main controller, the Wii U GamePad, features an embedded touchscreen that can work as an auxiliary interactive screen in a fashion similar to the Nintendo DS/3DS, or if compatible with "Off TV Play", can even act as the main screen itself, enabling games to be played without the need of a television. The Wii U is compatible with its predecessor's peripherals, such as the Wii Remote Plus, the Nunchuk, and the Wii Balance Board.[citation needed]

The Wii U was released in North America on November 18, 2012, in Europe on November 30, 2012 and in Japan on December 8, 2012. It came in two versions, the Basic Model and the Deluxe/Premium Model, at the price of $299 and $349 US Dollars, respectively.

PlayStation 4

On February 20, 2013, Sony announced the PlayStation 4 during a press conference in New York City, and will be released during the final quarter of 2013. The new console places a heavy emphasis on features surrounding social interaction; gameplay videos can be shared via the PlayStation Network and other services, and users can stream games being played by themselves or others (either through the console, or directly to services like Ustream). The PS4's DualShock 4 controller is similar to the previous model, but now includes a touchpad and a "Share" button, along with an LED light bar on the front to allow motion tracking. An updated camera accessory will also be offered for the system; it now uses 1280×800px stereo cameras with support for depth sensing similar to Kinect, and remains compatible with the PlayStation Move peripherals. The PS4 will also have second screen capabilities through both mobile apps and the PlayStation Vita, and game streaming through the recently-acquired Gaikai service.[30][31]

The PlayStation 4 is set for a Holiday 2013 worldwide release at $399 US dollars.

Xbox One

On May 21, 2013, Microsoft announced the Xbox One at an event in Redmond, Washington. The console has an increased focus on entertainment, including the ability to pass television programming from a set-top box over HDMI and use a built-in electronic program guide, and the ability to multitask by snapping applications (such as Skype and Internet Explorer) to the side of the screen, similarly to Windows 8. The Xbox One also includes an updated version of Kinect with a 1080p camera and expanded voice controls, a new controller with "Impulse Triggers" that provide force feedback, and the ability to automatically record and save highlights from gameplay.[32][33]

The Xbox One is set for a November 2013 worldwide release at $499 US dollars.

Home console comparison

Name Wii U PlayStation 4 Xbox One
Manufacturer Nintendo Sony Computer Entertainment Microsoft
Design
Release dates
Launch prices Basic Model
  • US$299.99
  • £/, set by individual retailers
  • A$348.00
  • ¥26,250

Deluxe/Premium Model

  • US$349.99
  • £/€, set by individual retailers
  • A$428.00
  • ¥31,500
Launch Model[36]
  • US$399
  • €399
  • £349
  • A$549
Launch Model
  • US$499
  • €499
  • £429
  • A$599
Units shipped Worldwide: 3.45 million (as of 31 March 2013)[37]
Best-selling game Nintendo Land, 2.6 million units (as of 31 March 2013)[38]
Media Wii U Optical Disc

Similar to a 25 GB single layer BD at 5x CAV[39]
Wii Optical Disc
Similar to a 4.7 GB DVD or 8.4 GB DVD-DL at 6x CAV

Blu-ray, DVD
Blu Ray 6x CAV, DVD 8x CAV[40]
Blu-ray, DVD
CPU Tri-Core IBM PowerPC "Espresso" @ 1.24 GHz[41][42] Octa-Core AMD x86-64 "Jaguar"-based @ 1.6 GHz[43] Octa-Core AMD x86-64 "Jaguar"-based @ 1.6GHz[44]
GPU AMD Radeon "Latte" GPGPU[45]
320 shaders @ 550 Mhz[29] (0.35 TFLOP/s)
Fillrates: 4.4 Gpixel/s, 8.8 Gtexel/s[46]
AMD Radeon "Liverpool"
1152 shaders @ 800 MHz[44] (1.84 TFLOP/s)
Fillrates: 25.6 Gpixel/s, 57.6 Gtexel/s[47]
AMD Radeon "Durango"
768 shaders @ 800 MHz[44] (1.23 TFLOP/s)
Fillrates: 12.8 Gpixel/s, 38.4 Gtexel/s[48]
Memory 2 GB DDR3 RAM[49]@ 1600 MHz
(1 GB available for games)
System Bandwidth @ 12.8 GB/s
32 MB eDRAM (70.4 GB/s)[citation needed]
8 GB GDDR5 RAM[44]@ 5500 MHz
(7 GB available for games)

System Bandwidth @ 176.0 GB/s
8 GB DDR3 RAM[44]@ 2133 MHz
(5 GB available for games)[50][51]

System Bandwidth @ 68.3 GB/s
32 MB eSRAM (102 GB/s)[52]
Storage 8 GB (Basic), 32 GB (Deluxe/Premium) flash memory
Supports up to 32 GB SDHC memory cards (only available for use in Wii Mode)
Supports up to 2 TB USB hard disk drives (not available for use in Wii Mode)[53]
500 GB HDD (replaceable)[54][55]
Also supports USB hard disk drives
500 GB HDD (non-replaceable)[56]
Also supports USB hard disk drives
(All games must be installed to a hard disk drive)
Network
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • Built-in 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
Dimensions 172 x 46 x 268.5 mm (6.7 x 1.8 x 10.5 in)
(width x height x length) when lying down
275 x 53 x 305 mm (10.8 x 2.0 x 12.0 in)
(width x height x length) when lying down
309 x 83 x 258 mm (12.1 x 3.2 x 10.1 in)
(width x height x length) when lying down
Weight 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) 2.8 kg (6.1 lb) 3.2 kg (7.0 lb)
Included accesories All Models

Deluxe/Premium Model only

  • GamePad stand
  • GamePad charging cradle
  • Console stand
Video

1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 576i, 480i; standard 4:3 and 16:9 anamorphic widescreen

Resolutions other than 576i and 480i available via HDMI and YPBPR only.

4K, 1080p, 1080i and 720p
  • HDMI



4K resolution supported for videos, movies and pictures only.

4K,[58] 1080p, 1080i and 720p
  • HDMI in / HDMI out
Integrated 3DTV support Yes[59] Yes Yes
Second screen Wii U GamePad (bundled with console) PlayStation Vita
PlayStation App on iOS and Android devices
SmartGlass on Windows 8, Windows Phone, iOS, and Android devices
Local game streaming via Off-TV Play to Wii U GamePad for some games Local and remote game streaming via Remote Play to PS Vita for all games
(except those that require the PS Camera or PS Move)[60][61]
Audio
  • Analog stereo via the Analog AV port.
  • Six-channel PCM linear output via HDMI
TBA TBA
Peripheral abilities
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
  • HDMI out port
  • Optical out port
  • 2 USB 3.0 ports (at front of console)
  • AUX port (for PS4 Camera)
  • Ethernet port
  • Wi-Fi Direct
  • HDMI 1 in port and 1 out port[62]
  • 3 USB 3.0 ports (1 at side of console, 2 at rear)
  • Optical out port
  • Proprietary port (for Kinect)
  • Ethernet port
Controller
Online services Nintendo Network PlayStation Network Xbox Live
Full game downloads and automatic updates in the background via SpotPass Segmented game downloads and automatic updates in the background via PlayGo Segmented game downloads and automatic updates in the background[63]
Free Paid subscription required for online multiplayer via PlayStation Plus[64]
(Not required for media applications such as Netflix. Publishers of free-to-play games can optionally offer free online multiplayer.)[65]
Paid subscription required (details)
Regional lockout Region locked[66] Unrestricted[67] Unrestricted[68]
List of games List of Wii U games List of PlayStation 4 games List of Xbox One games
Backward compatibility

Natively

In Wii Mode

Not compatible with PlayStation 3 titles due to hardware incompatibility.[a] Not compatible with Xbox 360 titles due to hardware incompatibility.
  1. ^ The Gaikai cloud gaming service will provide streaming of titles from previous PlayStation systems starting in 2014.[69]

Handheld systems

Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Nintendo DS. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories.[70] The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software.[70] Announcing the device in March 2010, Nintendo officially unveiled it at E3 2010,[70][71] with the company inviting attendees to use demonstration units.[72] The console succeeds the Nintendo DS series of handheld systems,[70] which primarily competes with PlayStation Portable.[73] It competes with Sony's handheld, the PlayStation Vita.[74]

The Nintendo 3DS was released in Japan on February 26, 2011; in Europe on March 25, 2011; in North America on March 27, 2011;[75][76] and in Australia on March 31, 2011. On July 28, 2011, Nintendo announced a major price drop starting August 12. In addition, as of September 2011 consumers who bought the system at its original price have access to ten Nintendo Entertainment System games before they are available to the general public, after which the games may be updated to the versions publicly released on the Nintendo eShop. In December 2011, ten Game Boy Advance games were made available to consumers who bought the system at its original price at no charge, with Nintendo stating it has no plans to release to the general public.[77]

On June 21, 2012, Nintendo announced a new, bigger model of the 3DS called the Nintendo 3DS XL. It has 90% larger screens than the 3DS and slightly longer battery life. It was released on July 28, 2012 in Europe and August 19, 2012 in North America.

PlayStation Vita

PlayStation Vita is a handheld game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment.[78] It is the successor to the PlayStation Portable as part of the PlayStation brand of gaming devices. It was released in Japan and parts of Asia on December 17, 2011[79] and was released in Europe and North America on February 22, 2012.[80][81]

The handheld includes two analog sticks, a 5-inch (130 mm) OLED multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, and supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and optional 3G. Internally, the Vita features a 4 core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor and a 4 core SGX543MP4+ graphics processing unit, as well as LiveArea software as its main user interface, which succeeds the XrossMediaBar.[82][83]

The device is backward-compatible with a subset of the PlayStation Portable and PS One games digitally released on the PlayStation Network via the PlayStation Store.[84] However, PS One Classics and TurboGrafx-16 titles were not compatible at launch.[85] The Vita's dual analog sticks are supported on selected PSP games via button mapping. The graphics for PSP releases are up-scaled, with a smoothing filter to reduce pixelation.[86]

Handheld comparison

Name Nintendo 3DS / 3DS XL PlayStation Vita
Manufacturer Nintendo Sony
Console
Release dates Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo 3DS XL

All versions
Launch prices Nintendo 3DS
  • ¥25,000
  • US$249.99[87]
  • £/€, set by individual retailers[88]
  • A$349.95[89]

Nintendo 3DS XL

  • ¥18,900
  • US$199.99
  • £/€, set by individual retailers
  • A$249.9
Wi-Fi
  • ¥24,980
  • $249
  • €249
  • £229.99

Wi-Fi+3G

  • ¥29,980
  • $299
  • €299
  • £279.99[90]
Current prices Nintendo 3DS
  • $169.99[91]
  • €169.99
  • ¥15,000[92]
  • A$249.99[92] (as of 12 August 2011)

Nintendo 3DS XL
Same as launch prices

Wi-Fi
  • ¥19,980

Same as launch prices
Wi-Fi+3G

  • ¥19,980

Same as launch prices

Units shipped Worldwide: 31.09 million (as of 31 March 2013)[37] Worldwide: 2.2 million (as of 30 June 2012)[93]
Best-selling game Super Mario 3D Land, 8.29 million units (as of 31 March 2013)[38]
Display Top:
Autostereoscopic (3D) LCD 800 × 240 px (400 × 240 px per eye)
  • 3.53 in (90 mm) (Nintendo 3DS)
  • 4.88 in (124 mm) (Nintendo 3DS XL)

Bottom:

2D LCD Touchscreen 320 × 240 px QVGA
  • 3.02 in (77 mm) (Nintendo 3DS)
  • 4.18 in (106 mm) (Nintendo 3DS XL)
5 in (130 mm) OLED 960 × 544 px[94]
3D enabled Yes No
CPU Dual-core ARM11 MPCore Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore[94][95]
GPU Digital Media Professionals PICA200 PowerVR SGX543MP4+[94]
Memory 128 MB FCRAM, 6 MB VRAM 512 MB RAM, 128 MB VRAM[96]
Camera One front-facing and a set of two rear-facing 3D 0.3 MP (VGA) camera sensors Front and rear 0.3 MP (VGA) camera sensors[94]
Storage 2 GB (1.5 GB usable) NAND flash internal storage

Supports up to 128GB SDXC cards, and up to 32GB SDHC cards[97]

  • 2 GB SD card included (Nintendo 3DS)
  • 4 GB SDHC card included (Nintendo 3DS XL)
No internal storage
4 GB to 32 GB of proprietary removable memory sticks
Media Nintendo 3DS Game Card (1–8 GB) / Nintendo DS Game Card (8–512 MB) PlayStation Vita Game Card (2–4 GB)
User interface
Battery Nintendo 3DS
1300 mAh lithium-ion battery
  • 3DS Mode: 3–5 hours
  • DS Mode: 5–8 hours

Nintendo 3DS XL

1750 mAh lithium-ion battery
  • 3DS Mode: 3.5–6.5 hours
  • DS Mode: 6–10 hours

(determined by screen brightness, Wi-Fi, sound volume, and 3D effect)

All versions
2200 mAh lithium-ion battery
  • Gameplay: 3–5 hours
  • Video playback: 5 hours
  • Music: 9 hours[100]

(determined by screen brightness, Wi-Fi, sound volume, and whether 3G is active)

Connectivity
Console Connection Wii / Wii U PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4
Stylus Nintendo 3DS
Extendable up to 100 mm (3.9 in) long

Nintendo 3DS XL

96 mm (3.8 in) long
Weight Nintendo 3DS
235 grams (8.3 oz)

Nintendo 3DS XL

336 grams (11.9 oz)
Wi-Fi model
260 grams (9.2 oz)

Wi-Fi+3G model

279 grams (9.8 oz)
Dimensions Nintendo 3DS
  • 134 mm (5.3 in) W
  • 74 mm (2.9 in) D
  • 22 mm (0.87 in) H

Nintendo 3DS XL

  • 156 mm (6.1 in) W
  • 93 mm (3.7 in) D
  • 22 mm (0.87 in) H
All versions
  • 182 mm (7.2 in) W
  • 83.6 mm (3.29 in) D
  • 18.6 mm (0.73 in) H[94]
Online services Nintendo Network Sony Entertainment Network
Preloaded applications
  • Trophies
  • PlayStation Store
  • Friends
  • Party
  • Group Messaging
  • Notifications
  • Music
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Internet Browser
  • Email
  • Maps
  • Settings
  • Content Manager
  • Remote Play
  • Cross-Controller
  • Welcome Park
  • near
Regional lockout Region locked[104] Unrestricted[105]
List of games List of Nintendo 3DS games List of PlayStation Vita games
Backward compatibility Nintendo DS/DSi Game Cards

Downloadable only

Downloadable only

Other systems

There are other consoles and handhelds released during the same time period. These include Microconsoles, handhelds, and other niche products.

Name Manufacturer Release date Type OS CPU GPU Notes
GamePop BlueStacks 2013 Home console Android 4.2 Unreleased specs Subscription-based
GameStick PlayJam 2013 Home console Android 4.2 Amlogic 8726-MX Mali-400 MP GPU
MOJO Mad Catz TBA Home console Android-based Unreleased specs
Nvidia Shield Nvidia July 2013 Handheld Android 4.2 Tegra 4 Custom 72-core GPU
Ouya Boxer8 June 25, 2013 Home console Android 4.1 Tegra 3 GeForce ULP GPU
Razer Switchblade Razer 2013 Handheld Windows 7 Intel Atom Unknown GPU

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