Sony and Microsoft in console fight

Sony is expected to square off against Microsoft this week as it
unveils its hotly-anticipated PlayStation 4.
The Japanese electronics giant will finally lift the lid on the next
generation console at a conference in Los Angeles.
The device is expected to go on show hours after Mircosoft reveals
further details about the latest addition to its Xbox series.
Their competition for living room supremacy will heat up as Apple
stages a conference where it is expected to showcase its newest
operating system. All three tech companies are keeping tight-lipped
about precisely what they have in store. But rumours suggest eachplans
to make a splash.
Sony revealed some details about the PS4 earlier this year but has yet
to offer gamers a complete view of the product - its first major game
machine since the PlayStation 3 went on sale in 2006. New features
focuson social networking and remote access, while the device is
equipped with a button allowing users to broadcast video of play to
friends.
At an event in New York in February, PS4 system architect Mark Cerny
said the console would have eight gigabytes of memory and an updated
controller called the DualShock 4.This will come with a touchpad, a
headphone socket and a light bar which can be tracked by a camera to
detect where the player is.
There has been no indication yetas to the console's price.
Industry observers also expect big things from Microsoft following the
introduction of theXbox One last month - touted as an "all-in-one
system'' for games, live television, films and music. The new machine
followsin the footsteps of the hugely successful Xbox 360 which sold a
reported 77 million consoles around the world.
The introduction of the Xbox One sees Microsoft add a blu-raydrive to
its console and the use of video calling service Skype. Anupgraded
Kinect camera allows the device to better analyse bodymovements and
can even read a user's heartbeat when exercising. The cost of the new
machine has not been revealed but some rumours suggest it could be
cheaper than its predecessor.
Meanwhile, crowds are expectedto gather over in San Francisco for
Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) where observers expect
the US company to introduce the next versions of its iOS operating
system - iOS 7 - for the iPhone and iPad and the next version ofMac OS
X. The company, which has faced recent scrutiny of its tax
arrangements on both sides of the Atlantic, promises to offer an
"in-depth look at what's next in iOS and OS X, and learn how to take
your apps to the next level".