Joss Whedon, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones and what? Consoles? All at Comic-Con? We're ecstatic already.
Next-gen consoles Playstation 4 and Xbox One have made an appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con and the TechRadar team was on the scene to scope out reactions of the dedicated fans.
Players had Knack, Driveclub and Octodad for the PlayStation 4 to choose from, with Ryse: Son of Rome and Killer Instinct for Xbox One.
Responses to both the One and PS4 were remarkably different from what we expected.
So, what'd you think about 'em?
After playing Ryse: Son of Rome on the Xbox One, Miguel Galindo only had praise for the much harassed console when asked if he was impressed with the graphics:
"It plays really smooth, like how a computer game plays...like on a desktop or powerful gaming computers. So it looks and feels a lot more like that."
It's surprising and nice to know the Xbox One can hold its own against a PC.
Galindo goes on to say, "for just this game alone I would purchase the system. But hopefully this isn't the only big battle. That's what I'm afraid of."
That's a pretty big deal considering all the hate the Xbox One received after the big E3 reveal. If they can keep pushing out great games, maybe they'll win back their once loyal fans.
Your turn Playstation 4
Apparently Sony's repertoire of games just isn't cutting it for players, but that doesn't necessarily mean the console itself is bad - just that the few games they're touting right now make it look bad.
Another player by the name of "Q" mentioned issues with the PS4 games when discussing the console's graphics, or lack thereof: "Unfortunately with Knack I can't exactly say - with the graphics they're using because they're using 'kiddier' graphics...It's simplistic, simplistic colors..."
However, he did like one aspect of the game, saying, "it looks more cartoonish but it's focused a lot more on dynamic lighting which I do like."
So there's great lighting, but the graphics just weren't demanding enough to really experience the power of the console.
Galindo mentioned the PS4 as well and how the games just weren't up his alley compared to the Xbox One:
"The PS4 has better specs, on paper or whatever, right? But Xbox One feels a lot cooler. And the PS4 games all seem like they're all geared towards little kids or people that are even nerdier than I am so I don't even know where to go [with that]...and I'm a pretty hardcore Playstation fan - ever since the Playstation One, I've had it - but I might switch over because no games [are available]."
We think it's a little too early to tell if a switch is necessary based on the few games out, but Sony probably should have flaunted more graphically demanding pieces to show-off its next-gen console abilities.
What else?
Though Q had difficulty assessing the PS4 graphics, he did enjoy the feel of the DualShock 4 controller. Citing his "big hands," a comfortable controller was important to him.
For Q, the PS4 controller felt much better than the older models and did not feel "claw-like" when playing the game.
Galindo did not mention the Xbox One gamepad, but he did remark on the 24-hour check in and DRM policies stating "Well they said they're going to take them out but we'll see what happens on launch day and PS4 still has a few months to figure out what they're launching with."
So there you have it. The first public play-throughs on both consoles at Comic-Con have been enlightening - the Xbox One may not be the horrible monster people expected and the Playstation 4 needs to step up their game, or so to speak and release a better selection.
