As Nintendo pushes ahead with its Wii U videogame console, the industry is also eagerly awaiting news on Sony and Microsoft's machines.

The good thing is that 2013 looks like the year in which we'll finally see the new Xbox and PlayStation unveiled.

Both consoles have been subjected to plenty of claimed leaks, although the latest round of news, by vgleaks.com and Eurogamer, seems to be the most credible. We sifted through the tech speak to give you the details.

Name

No official name has been dropped for the latest console just yet, although the industry has taken to using the purported codename of "Orbis" when referring to it.

At this point in time, any name is possible, although we'd be surprised if Sony drops the PlayStation branding in any way.

The new Xbox has also not seen a proper name yet, although it's not surprising considering that it hasn't even been unveiled either.

However, "Durango" has been used as a codename by Microsoft, with the gaming press taking to it as well.

Horsepower

While the PlayStation 3 used an exotic set of internals, such as the custom-built Cell processor, its successor looks to use more traditional hardware.

The consensus is that the next Sony console is running an eight-core AMD CPU, clocked at 1.6Ghz, with low power consumption in mind.

Interestingly, the same setup will be powering the next-generation Xbox, according to a report by VGLeaks.com.

As for the graphics department, Sony's console will be powered by a Radeon HD chip, with 18 cores running at 800Mhz.

This is shaping up to be a more powerful graphics chip than that of the next Xbox, which is running similar hardware with 12 cores, Eurogamer stated.

Of course, being a Sony console, it wouldn't be the same without some form of out-there technology, with Eurogamer claiming that an additional "Compute" module is present.

This module looks like it will fulfill a similar role to the SPU processors in the PS3. That is, developers could leverage it as a way to take the workload off of the main processor, freeing it up to do other tasks.

When it comes to RAM, this is the one area where the next Xbox has an advantage – at least in terms of volume.

The next PlayStation's RAM has been pegged at 4GBs of fast GDDR5 memory, with 512MBs purportedly reserved for operating system functionality. This is compared to Microsoft's reported 8GBs of RAM, albeit using slower DDR3 memory.

Eurogamer's sources suggest that a massive 3GBs of RAM in the Microsoft console could be dedicated to the operating system.

Disc storage

Both the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii made use of DVD storage for games, but Sony made a huge leap with the PS3 and its Blu-Ray drive.

Featuring up to 50GBs of storage, as opposed to 8GBs for DVD, Blu-Ray discs meant that developers could pack loads of game content, multiple audio tracks and higher quality video on a single disc.

Nintendo's new console, the Wii U, has already taken heed of these changes by incorporating a proprietary disc with up to 25GBs of storage.

The latest specs leak for Microsoft suggests that Microsoft is looking to adopt higher capacity discs too, with a 6x Blu-Ray drive and 50GB discs mooted.

News on the latest disc format from Sony has been suspiciously quiet, which could mean that Sony is likely to stay with the Blu-Ray format for its next console.

So, which one is more powerful?

Despite the similar hardware make-up, it seems like Sony's console is shaping up to be the more powerful console. Although, the gulf between the two isn't nearly as huge, with both consoles making sacrifices.

While both CPUs are pretty similar, it's in the graphics chip that we see Sony's console eke out a big advantage, featuring 18 cores as opposed to 12 for Microsoft's machine.

Much like the previous generation, it would appear that RAM is an advantage in Microsoft's favour, with 8GBs as opposed to Sony's 4GBs.

Of course, the huge amount of RAM dedicated to the next Xbox's operating system also means that Microsoft has big plans for the software. We've already seen the company introduce live TV channels, an internet browser, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and a host of other services to the Xbox 360, so it's only fair to assume that Microsoft is stepping up in this department.

Either way, judging from these reports, both consoles have been made with specific intentions in mind. Microsoft is targeting the living room experience, while Sony is hoping to create a gaming powerhouse. 

Nevertheless, 2013 looks set to be the year in which we finally see what Microsoft and Sony have in-store for us. All eyes look to be on this year's E3 extravaganza in June, but don't be too surprised to hear more news in the interim.

SEARCH