Believe it or not, the holidays are right around the corner.  Every year the holiday season brings everyone together, helping us put aside our differences and be joyful, but it also brings a lot of new videogames to the market.

In the same way that movies dominate the summer, videogames own the fall season.  Nearly every week from September to December, a new game is released.  Usually, the games that are released during this time are the best of the best.  Two games released last fall, “Borderlands 2” and “Far Cry 3,” are considered by many to be some of the greatest games this generation. As usual, this fall will bring many new games; however, this year, it also brings new ways to experience them.

In November, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will be released (November 15 and November 22, respectively) to the joy of millions of gamers hoping to experience the future of gaming.  Both consoles include many new features, along with a massive increase in power in order to deliver the best gaming experience possible.  The Playstation 4 and Xbox One also feature special ways to interact with the games, with the DualShock 4 for Playstation 4 and the Kinect for Xbox One.

The DualShock 4 is an average looking controller, but unlike the Xbox One controller, it features a built-in touchpad.  This touchpad can be used by developers to add features that can’t be done on other consoles, like having the ability to quickly scroll through an inventory and select an item.  The touchpad is also clickable, like the buttons on a mouse.  The updated controller will also feature motion control like the DualShock 3.

The Xbox One also features very advanced ways of controlling your game, through the use of the all new Kinect.  An evolution of the Kinect for Xbox 360, this new version is much more advanced than its predecessor.  It has the ability measure the human body in 3D space, which can be used for nearly any game.  It also has the ability to recognize a player and sign them in automatically when they walk in the room.

The Xbox One controller is more advanced now as well.  While very similar to the Xbox 360 controller aesthetically, it is much different on the inside.  One of its most notable features is its “Impulse Triggers.”  These new triggers have haptic feedback.  What this means for games is that these triggers can now actually adapt to gameplay.  For example, in a racing game the triggers can actually react to the car’s movements.  If the car stalls, the right trigger can vibrate and make you feel the car.  The creators are calling this enhanced vibration “High-Definition Vibration.”

The students of CHS are very excited for the new consoles. Junior Celeste Fenon said that she believes the Xbox One will be “more efficient than the Xbox 360.”  She is also  “excited for the new controller” and believes “it will make the gaming experience so much better.”

Geoff Haut, junior, said that he is excited for the new Xbox One controller because “it’s supposed to be more comfortable than the Xbox 360 controller, and that is awesome.”

James Coutts, senior, said that he is more excited for the PlayStation 4 due to “its specs looking better” and he believes that the DualShock 4 will “put a new spin on things with its integrated touch pad.”

Andrew Lopez, junior, said that he will be buying the PlayStation 4 because “it is cheaper than the Xbox One and the controller looks sick.”

No matter which console you purchase this fall, one thing is certain:  It’s a great time to be a gamer.