The upcoming Xbox 720 and PS4 rumored to be priced no more than $400

In 2013, many people are expecting for the arrival of June. The annual E3 exhibition in Los Angles always attracts great attention worldwide. It is also the right time that Microsoft and Sony would announce their next-gen game consoles. There’re analysts saying that the upcoming Xbox 720 and PS4 game consoles would be priced between $350 and $400.

GameIndustry.biz talked with analyst Colin Sebastian, analyst of Baird Equity Research, at this year's CES, who indicated that the Xbox 720 and PS4 might be priced between between $350 and $400. Gamesindustry International reported that Sebastian has talked to several different electronic game developing companies to get the conclusion about the price of the upcoming game consoles. He also predicted that the next generation of Xbox would be available in market in November while the PS4 might get street released in October or earlier.

Sebastian also suggested that the next game consoles would adopt the existing PC accessories, including Intel chipset. He mentioned that such design on Xbox 720 would make it more convenient for Microsoft to consolidate the next Xbox, Windows 8 and Windows Phone devices. As for the specs of the next Xbox, Xbox World said that the new Xbox would come with quad-core processor, 8GB RAM and the second generation of Kinect somatosensory.

Nintendo to Launch Wii U Game Console with Special GamePad since November

On Thursday, Nintendo officially announced online that its new Wii U game console will be on sale starting on November 18^th in the USA and November 30^th in Europe, while the sale in Japan will be on Dec. 8^th. The company said the new console will be in time for the crucial holiday season, available in two versions: 8GB internal memory version at $299.99 and 32GB internal memory version for $344.99.

The new Wii U game console could meantime be used as a home entertainment center while connected with streaming services. It allows users to stream video content from Hulu, Amazon and Netflix to their TV sets. The touchpad will show additional content, such as box scores and statistics for sports broadcasts, a timeline of key moments for TV shows, and previews for movie services.

Both versions of the Wii U come with a single "GamePad", which is similar to a full-fledged handheld console in itself, with a touchscreen, motion detection, camera and stylus. Its small screen can be used to supplement games played on a larger TV or serve as the main display.

In game demonstrations, the company showed how the controller can be used for two-player gaming, with one user playing on the main TV screen and another on the GamePad. The main console will use NFC (near field communication) technology that is widely used in mobile payment systems, as well as an expanded online system that includes game play and social networks based around various titles.

Wii U specs:

CPU: IBM POWER7-based multi-core processor

GPU: Custom AMD Radeon High Definition GPU (GPGPU Support)[citation needed]

RAM: 2GB Total; 1GB for games and 1GB for System Software.

Storage

Basic: 8GB, Premium: 32GB Internal flash memory, expandable via SD memory cards and USB hard disk drives.

Slot-loading optical disc drive compatible with 12 cm "proprietary high-density optical discs" (25 GB per layer) and 12 cm Wii optical discs

Ports and peripheral capabilities

SD memory card slot (supports SDHC cards)

USB 2.0 ports (2 at front of console, 2 at rear)

Sensor Bar power port

"AV Multi Out" port

HDMI 1.4 out port

Wii U GamePad specs

Built-in 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope and a magnetic sensor

Stereo Speakers and Microphone

Front-facing camera

IR Sensor strip

6.2 inch (15.7 cm) 16:9 resistive touchscreen

Two clickable analog sticks and one D-pad

Stylus

Select, Start, Home and Power buttons

A/B/X/Y face buttons, L/R bumper buttons and ZL/ZR trigger buttons

Rumble

Controller sync button

Wireless communication with console based on IEEE 802.11n

NFC

Note: The Wii U is also compatible with the Wii Remote Plus, Wii Nunchuk, Classic Controller, and the Wii Balance Board.

Video

1080p, 1080i, 720p, 576i (PAL Only), 480p, 480i, standard 4:3 and 16:9 anamorphic widescreen

"AV Multi Out" port supporting composite video, YPBPR component video, S-Video (NTSC consoles only), RGB SCART (European consoles only) and D-Terminal (Japan only)

HDMI 1.4 out port supporting stereoscopic 3D images.

Audio: "AV Multi Out" port. Six-channel PCM linear output through HDMI

As for the games, the Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime stressed that the console will have a full complement of games early in its launch. The lack of games available for Nintendo's 3DS handheld launch last year was a major reason that device stumbled after it went on sale, forcing the game company to slash prices. He said over 50 games would be available from the launch through the end of March 2013, such as a new version of its classic "Super Mario Brothers" franchise, "Metroid", "Call of Duty Black Ops 2," a "Transformer" title, the successor to the "Bayonetta" combat game, etc.

The game company has long tried to market its hardware at less extreme gamers, featuring family play and titles aimed at women. But the titles show it also intends to pursue the "hard-core" game market along with rivals Sony and Microsoft.

The ability to use the Wii U as a home entertainment center means Nintendo will compete with companies like Sony, which has emphasized its networked music and video offerings' availability through its PlayStation franchise.