On the video game console front, many might have considered 2013 and 2014 to be the most exciting years to come along in quite a while. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released worldwide during this period, with the former of the two selling an amazing number of units within a relatively short space of time. In fact, many seem to feel that the PS4 seems poised to even outsell one of its predecessors – the PS2, which is by all accounts the most popular video game console of all time (so far). Anyway, that’s really old news, today we’re going to look at the consoles that might release in 2015, so without further ado, let’s get started…
Slim Pickings
While we’re not really talking about completely new machines when the issue of slimline consoles comes up, nevertheless, they ARE new releases. Bucking the trend of waiting a few years to unveil slim versions of their flagship products, both Sony and Microsoft are indeed nearly ready to unveil their Mach 2 lines.
As for the PS4 slim – expect a much lighter, thinner and smoother machine (no surprises there). Of course, what slim iteration would be complete without any hardware improvements, eh? In short, it would seem that Sony is indeed ready to up the ante in this department as well, with rumors abounding that they might even completely remove the Blu-Ray drive altogether. At any rate, they’re definitely pushing forward with further enhancing their streaming capabilities, which in turn could boost the future of cloud-based gaming as well.
Never a company to be left completely in the dust, Microsoft is also now talking about their ongoing efforts with a slim Xbox One. They’re looking at new chipsets and trimming down their console’s chassis while also reducing the overall price and maybe even improving performance a bit. Regardless of whether or not you’re a Sony fan or Microsoft “all the way”, certainly this fine 8th generation console will only be even more appealing after this transformation.
Nintendo’s mysterious new console
Above and beyond everyone, Nintendo always seems to play it extremely cool, letting everyone else run around like crazy and then swooping in at the last moment to pick up the pieces. In other words, it would seem that regardless of whatever period in video gaming we’re looking at – they always seem to produce a quality console that performs well in the market. In fact, they had a major triumph with the Wii despite the fact that it still seemingly took a backseat role to the Xbox 360 and PS3. Of course, the Wii U hasn’t necessarily been quite as successful as many might have hoped, but let’s give it some more time. The BIGGEST news out there in Nintendo land is the rumours circulating about a NEW CONSOLE…
This new machine is said to be truly next gen (well, “current” now) and might even be branded the Wii U 2. Due to a lack of official statements from Nintendo itself, we can really only speculate at this point, however, the mere prospect of a new console from this classic manufacturer is certainly enough to get one’s blood pumping.
The Steam Machine(s)
Finally, we come to the last entry on our little list here – the Steam Machine line, which are really just pre-built gaming computers taking the form of a console. Arguably, this is the most exciting development to come along in years, largely because all sorts of secondary and third party candidates are getting involved. For instance, when you consider that companies like Alienware are throwing their hat in the ring and getting ready to unveil their own wildly powerful steam machine(s), you can’t help but be excited, can you?
Currently, Valve and co. are planning on implementing this project in 2015, so this new era of PC / console hybrid gaming is just right around the corner. Also, the Steam OS in development is apparently going to be available to download and install in any PC, so it’s not as if you’d absolutely HAVE to snatch up a steam machine, but certainly there are going to be perks associated with doing so. For starters, there’s the hardware capabilities – the more powerful steam machines are likely to be so wonderful that they can handle any game out there, running a steady 60 fps without so much as blinking an eye. Likewise, we have to consider how great the steam library already is, with a beyond impressive assortment of games that you won’t find anywhere else. Moreover, since we are to assume that there’s more of a direct link between steam machines and traditional PC’s, game developers might also be better served in this area as well.
Well, there you have it, the consoles which might be dropping in 2015. Whatever model you end up going for in the end, it’s going to be awesome.