E3 2013 Hardware Announcements: 7 Top Reveals Of The Week

As expected, E3 was a huge source for news on both Sony and Microsoft's next-gen consoles. Both companies revealed a ton of information on the PS4 and Xbox One, and not all of it was great news. Read on for the biggest console feature reveals of the week.

Holiday Season 2013

While neither company revealed the exact date, it was confirmed that both consoles will be available this year. Start saving, it's going to be an expensive holiday season!

$399 vs $499

We've been debating and speculating on the next-gen console prices for almost two months now, so it was very refreshing to have both Microsoft and Sony flat out state what the devices will be priced at.

Microsoft's Xbox One will launch at $499, while Sony stunned the crowd by announcing the PS4 would feature a $399 launch price. Is this bad news for Microsoft? Absolutely. Is this great news for PlayStation fans? You know it.

SmartGlass Is Actually Pretty Cool

It's a shame Microsoft botched its E3 presentation, as a number of the Xbox features shown off were pretty inventive. SmartGlass technology in particular just might be a way to make touch screens work for gaming.

The functionality in the Project Spark demo was particularly enticing, allowing you to shape and mold the world as if you were working with clay. It's pretty exciting stuff, and one of the best uses for the tech I can think of.

Cloud Processing

Both Microsoft and Sony are very interested in cloud computing, with the Xbox's Azure system launching with the One, and PS4's Gaikai tech coming soon after the console's release. In both cases, the access to remote processing is going to allow these two devices to remain competitive with high-end gaming PCs for much, much longer.

The last console generation lasted almost a decade, but if Microsoft and Sony can pull this off, this next one might be even longer. And while neither console will offer native backwards compatibility, Gaikai's streaming technology in particular will allow for near-unlimited access to games released on previous consoles.

Xbox One's Controller

Microsoft offered an early peek at how the new Xbox controller would function, and it works as well as it looks. Many have been saying it might be the best controller design yet, and the hands-on impressions seem to confirm that notion. Better button layouts, response hardware, and four (count 'em, four) rumble packs help give Microsoft at least one win at this E3.

PS4 Lets You Share Games

It's a sign of the times when the announcement that you can share a game you paid for receives a near standing ovation. Still, with Microsoft's draconian policies pretty much set, it does feel like Sony stepped in to provide gamers an alternative. Good on them for that, bad on the industry for letting it get so bad.

PS+ Required

Despite winning over gamers' hearts and minds with their anti-Xbox policies, Sony managed to sneak in one huge change for the worse. Not only will PlayStation Plus be required to play almost every multiplayer game, it will also cost $50 a year. That's still about $10 cheaper than Microsoft's yearly plan, but for fans accustomed to free access to PSN features, it's an unwelcome addition.