The PlayStation 4 (PS4) has been officially on the market now for only a matter of hours now, but one thing is clear: the launch went both briskly and reasonably smoothly for Sony's many fans, and by extension, Sony itself as a variety of PS4 launch events at locations throughout the United States rang with the fervor of excited gamers looking to get a slice of the next generation of the console wars. Sony's troops were out in full force, and there were plenty of stories to emerge around the event as well.

The new PS4, selling for $400 at retailers throughout the United States—Europe will get its crack at the PS4 in two weeks as November 29 hits—offers up some substantial enhancements over its predecessor, as would normally be expected. The PS4 packs in fully eight AMD (News - Alert) Jaguar cores for its processing system, and turns to AMD once again for its graphics via Radeon Graphics Core Next. A PS4 also boasts 500 gigabytes of storage, running at 1080p resolution and at a brisk 60 frames per second. The Sixaxis controller has been thrown over for the DualShock 4, which boasts not only a touchpad control, but also a light sensor and a button for one-touch sharing. Fully 26 games will accompany the system in its launch, including the hotly-anticipated “Killzone: Shadow Fall” as well as major names like “Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag” and “Call of Duty: Ghosts.”

 In perhaps a blow to Microsoft (News - Alert), “Call of Duty: Ghosts” will reportedly run at a better resolution on the PS4 than it would on the Xbox One when it emerges November 22. But the launch event also brought excitement with it as several major sub-events took place. Sony, for example, brought out its big guns to Manhattan's Standard High Line Hotel, renting out the whole hotel and running a light show.  Over 500 fans showed up for the event, and some had been in line since Wednesday, braced for an over 24 hour wait in the cold. Even GTTV's Geoff Keighley turned out, hosting a live episode complete with a variety of clips covering both the next game in the “Uncharted” lineup and the downloadable content for “The Last of Us.”

 It was clearly a huge event, and the gaming public responded with what can really only be described as the expected level of fervor. This is going to prove to be a tough event for the Xbox One to beat, though it won't come without some advantages of its own. Of particular note is the exclusive release of “Dead Rising 3,” as well as several other exclusives including the triumphant return of 1990s-era arcade and home system titan “Killer Instinct.” There's also an improved likelihood of indie games arriving on Xbox One, as every Xbox One, at last report, can operate as a developer's kit, something that's a bit more expensive of a proposition with Sony.

 While only time will tell just who takes the edge in the earliest months of the newest round of the console wars, the first studio to issue a price cut will likely take the advantage post-launch. Plenty of cash-strapped consumers out there are eager to see discounts, and both systems' chunky price tags aren't helping matters much. But as the games arrive and the bargains hit the floor, this is likely to be one console war without a clear winner for some time.