by Carl Bunton 5 years ago 
Video games are as popular as ever today and that’s partly due to the vast selection of games and consoles available. There’s no denying that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One home consoles are leading the charge, but what console and games are best and what can we expect next year? If you’ve got a penchant for something a little more retro, why not check out the arcade machines featured over on the GameQuarium website and begin your collection of some of the finest games from yesteryear.
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 was released in February 2014 in Japan, and November 2013 in North America and the rest of the world. The current generation of PlayStation console consists of the base PS4, the PS4 Slim and the more powerful PS4 Pro. All consoles play PS4 games but the Pro is significantly more powerful and quieter than its base counterpart and support 4K definition.
The console hit new levels of success over the last few years following the launch of several PlayStation exclusive games including Horizon Zero Dawn, Death Stranding, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Days Gone, Bloodborne, Uncharted, and God Of War. This generation also saw Sony PlayStation release its virtual reality PSVR kit for unique gaming experiences. Those who decide to go for this console will want to make sure that they have a customised PS4 controller to go with it.
Xbox One
The Xbox One was released in November 2013 around the world and in September in China and Japan. The current generation of Xbox consoles consists of the base Xbox One, the Xbox One S, and the more powerful Xbox One X which has officially become the world’s most powerful console. All Xbox One consoles play Xbox One games and are backwards compatible with older games (The PS4 isn’t backwards compatible with its older games).
Microsoft also released a slew of exclusive games for the Xbox One console including Halo 5: Guardians, Sunset Overdrive, Gears Of War: Ultimate Edition, Forza Motorsport 7, Sea Of Thieves and much more. Although the Xbox One doesn’t support VR technology, players can join the Xbox Game Pass, a subscription service from Microsoft which allows gamers to play from a range of publishers for a single price.
PC, cross-platform games and others
While both consoles have released exclusive games, they also play cross-party games, many of which have been widely praised by fans and critics alike. Said cross-party games are also available on PC and can be bought from the Steam store or other sellers like https://gamegator.net. Of course with a PC you can enjoy many games with very powerful graphics, though you will need to have computer parts that are equally as powerful.
Some of the most popular games released this year that are cross-platform include Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (Which won Game of the Year at this year’s Game Awards), a remake of 1998’s Resident Evil 2, The Outer Worlds, Control, Star Wards The Last Jedi: Fallen Order, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled, and several others.
However, older games have continued to thrive this year such as Rockstar’s GTA: V which this year released a controversial casino expansion for its online services. The update allows players to convert their in-game cash to casino chips which can be used to play slot machines or table games such as roulette or blackjack just as you would at a regular online casino and their sister sites.
Video Games in 2020: What’s Planned
2020 is going to be a huge year for video game fans. Next year will see the launch of several eagerly awaited games including The Last Of Us Part II, Ghost Of Tsushima, Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel’s Avengers, and more.
Meanwhile, both Sony and Microsoft have announced that they will be releasing their next-generation consoles during the holiday period. Sony will be releasing its PS5 and Microsoft will be releasing its Xbox Series X console. Reports state that both will support 8K visuals as well as ray tracing. However, the PS5 will have adaptive triggers which change the resistance felt when players complete actions in games. The new Xbox console, meanwhile, will support frame rates of up to 120 fps.
Cloud gaming is expected to hit-off next year. Google released its Stadia cloud gaming service last year, allowing users to play video games over Wi-Fi wherever they are. Although the service’s launch was met with bugs, Google seems to finally be on track with the service. However, it faces stiff competition from Microsoft’s Project xCloud and Sony’s PlayStation Now services, all of which offer a wider selection of games.
While the upcoming consoles are due out at the end of 2020, it won’t necessarily be worth buying them immediately as there will be a lack of new games to play. It’s a much better investment to stick with your PC or purchase an Xbox One or PS4 console as there’s a wide backlog of games you can get your hands on for cheap. We’d suggest the PS4 if you’re after story-driven games, or the Xbox One if you’re someone who wants to enjoy shooter games and all previous Xbox games.