Whilst many may have been slightly underwhelmed by the range of games offered to the so-called ‘next generation’ of consoles last year, there are signs that things are about to take a turn for the better. With all of the amazing new features packed into the PS4 and Xbox One, 2015 looks to be the year that these consoles will reveal their full potential in more than a few surprising ways.
Games
First and foremost in any console owner’s mind will be the question of what games to expect in 2015.
PS4 owners can look forward to lots of exclusive and third-party games coming to the console, including the massively anticipated No Man’s Sky that promises to show off the console’s ability to generate open-universe storylines.
And something slightly more recognisable will follow in the form of Batman: Arkham Knight that will illustrate the console’s incredible graphical abilities as you get to grips with attempting to drive a Batmobile!
And then for the Xbox One it really doesn’t get much bigger than the arrival of the next chapter in the Halo series – Halo 5: Guardians. This features a massive universe to explore with graphics running at a very impressive 60 frames per second, as well as the introduction of a mysterious new central character!
Networking
2015 also looks to be the year where developers push the networking abilities of these machines to the limit.
This was heralded with the recent launch of the WWE Network in the UK, which will allow console owners to watch the Royal Rumble from the comfort of their own console.
This is expected to be something of a watershed moment in the role of consoles, as it is expected that many more online sites containing casino games will seek to infiltrate the home gaming market too.
Peripherals
Developers have also been working keenly on extending the consoles’ capacities through an impressive amount of peripherals due for release in 2015.
One highly practical offering is that of the Nyko dock for the PS4 that enables the device to support 3.5 inch hard drives, thus supporting games installs from the larger and relatively inexpensive hard drives.
Plus the Xbox One will reportedly start offering support for the highly ambitious HoloLens project that uses a headset to place holographic imagery over your field of vision.
And with the rumours currently circulating that a Sony virtual reality headset is currently in the pipeline, it seems that the future’s wide open for these amazing consoles.