It’s almost Christmas time again and for gamers that means going to great lengths to get their hands on one of the new must-have, next-gen video game consoles. On Nov. 15, Sony will release the PS4 while Microsoft will release the Xbox One on Nov. 22 – one week before Black Friday.

Did you pre-order? If the answer to that question is no, then good luck trying to get your hands on one of these consoles before the year goes out. Your best bet now is to wait in the really long line at your neighborhood Gamestop for the small chance that you may walk away lucky. But if you’re a real gamer you probably knew that already.

Xbox One: Invitation

 Playstation 4: Greatness Awaits

Gamestop, Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart have all closed their reservations.  It seems as though every Fall for the past several years there’s a frenzy for the next Xbox or PlayStation.

For those of you that are still hoping to get a Xbox One or PlayStation 4 – you ain’t gonna get one for cheap. The Xbox One is priced at $499, and the PlayStation 4 goes for $399. The retail cost of these two items may be a bit hefty but these are not just games they are entertainment centers.

The Xbox One comes with advanced voice and motion control and switches easily from game to TV or a movie. In order to take advantage of premium features, like access to apps, downloadable games and online messaging, users of the Xbox One will need to pay extra for the Xbox Live service.

Sony claims that PlayStation 4 has better graphics than Xbox One, but the graphics quality for both consoles are so incredibly realistic that subtle differences will be undetectable for most gamers. The PlayStation 4 does, however,  come with Ustream – a feature that will allow PlayStation 4 users to upload and share video game clips to the internet. PlayStation 4 also has a lower price tag that should make it an attractive alternative for hardcore gamers looking to save money.

(image via YouTube video)