The Game Times: October 23

PS4 and Xbox One are closer in pre-orders than you may think

The unspoken rumor that PlayStation 4 will trounce Xbox One in pre-orders has gained ground since Sony's E3 2013 smack down, but new evidence suggests the gap isn't as large as once thought.

VGChartz, an online treasure trove of databanks and figures for all things gaming, recently updated their next-gen US pre-order stats, revealing a surprisingly close race between the two November competitors, PS4 (releasing the 15th) and XOne (releasing the 22nd). Xbox One has racked up 525,000 pre-orders, a full 200,000 (approximately) shy of PS4's 725,000. 200k is a sizable gap, to be sure, but one narrow enough to remind gamers that November has yet to be won by either side.

Xbox One is best friends with Windows 8

Gaming console or no, the Xbox One is still from the House of Windows. Early talks and presentations from Microsoft left a strangely Windows 8-flavored taste in the mouths of gamers, and a new promotion from Dell (reported by Neowin) has all but confirmed the extent of the OS integration.

Under "Xbox One Features," the promotion reads, "Consider the game officially changed. With all your favorite Windows 8 apps able to be run on and synced to your Xbox One, now your phone, desktop, tablet and TV can all give you a unified web and entertainment experience."

Given Microsoft's focus on multimedia with Xbox One, it's unsurprising to hear that the system itself may share an OS with its potential companion device, the Microsoft Surface. Such a functionality, however, has yet to be confirmed.

PS4 touts its 8-way cross-game voice chat

PlayStation Network has been praised for being a free service, but simultaneously derided for the limitations brought on by its lack of funding. Topping that list is the PlayStation 3's lack of cross-game chat, preventing players from talking with their friends list unless they are in the same game. Luckily, DLB reports, a post from Sony Social Media Manager Sid Shuman has confirmed that PS4 will be adding "Party Voice Chat," which will support up to eight players.

The updated chat comes as a relief to PlayStation fans, and a justification for the impending $5/month fee that PS4 will enforce by putting multiplayer behind the PlayStation Plus paywall. Sony has yet to confirm or deny potential cross-platform voice chat between PS4, PS3 and Vita systems, though the option remains on the table—and particularly likely, given the Vita's recent resurgence.

Titanfall confirmed, Driveclub delayed

An announcement straight from Titanfall's official site details the much-hyped shooter's official debut. The award-winning title will hit Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC March 11, 2014, as will its new $249 Collector's Edition. For the unfamiliar: Titanfall is a next-gen first-person shooter based in a military/sci-fi setting, complete with assault rifles galore, stunning graphics, and its namesake, massive titan androids which add a refreshing mix of mech to the warfare.

On the other side of the coin (the one where Watch Dogs was begrudgingly stowed away), Sony Computer Entertainment President Shuhei Yoshida has confirmed (through the PlayStation blog) the delay of Driveclub, a socially connected next-gen racer exclusive to PS4. The game, previously set for a launch alongside PS4 mid-November, will now release early 2014, presumably around the same time as Infamous: Second Son. PlayStation Plus subscribers will be glad to hear that the free version of Driveclub, available only to PS+ members, will still be up for grabs free-of-charge come 2014.

Other game news

• We've seen the systems, we've seen the gameplay, and now we've seen the boxes themselves; check out the PS4 and Xbox One game cases.
• The PS4's new controller looks to innovate on the much-loved norm, but the ride there wasn't without some interesting, and often downright mutant, testing.
• See a brand new batch of screenshots of The Order: 1886, a (not)steampunk shooter so pretty that'll it put any jaw to the floor...
• ...alongside the many jaws these Forza 5 screens have dropped.

The part with the videos

See the next generation of Killzone in Shadow Fall's new trailer:

Get the goods on Battlefield 4's single player campaign:

Music gaming isn't going anywhere but forward, says this Rocksmith 2014 dev talk:

Final Boss

You may remember a recent Final Boss in which we broke the one-video rule because we simply had to tack on Michael Jordan's thoughts on twerking. Well, we're breaking the rule again. Call us rebellious, but every gamer should see this video from YouTube personality TotalBiscuit, in which he attempts to tackle an issue that threatens gaming as a whole.

But this wouldn't be a Final Boss without some proper quirky entertainment, so we've also got this delectably pirate-y installment of "Man at Arms." If you've ever fantasized about running through Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise yourself, or just like sharp things, check it out.