2K Sports today released the first official NBA 2K14 next-generation screenshot, showing off cover star Lebron James, leaving gamers wondering if it will offer NBA Live '14 competition.

A 2K Sports representative confirmed with GameSpot that the screenshot was indeed captured on PS4, GameSpot.com reports.

NBA 2K14 will be released on PS4 and Xbox One as a launch title for those platforms next month - the game been "built from the ground up" to leverage the capabilities of the next-generation platforms, 2K Sports said, according to GameSpot.com.

NBA Live 14 has captured the attention of gamers around the world for its new specs and features, but one analyst says it must focus on marketing its in-game footage in order to compete with its rival NBA 2K series.

"I'm a firm believer that competition is good in everything. It pushes all involved to be at their best or to clearly be defined as inferior," BleacherReport.com writes.

"If EA Sports' NBA Live series is going to regain its place as a virtual hardcourt juggernaut, or at least a legitimate threat to the NBA 2K series, the next two-to-three weeks of marketing and exposure are critical."

EA Sports has released an official gameplay trailer, revealing that players within the game can use their individual playing styles on the court.

"The graphics are on the next-gen engines, so of course they look fantastic, even as Iving's facial expression doesn't move in-flight," CBSSports.com writes.

"They've focused a lot on the ball and dribbling physics, going so far as to bring in players to record their specific dribbling styles and having the ball using its own physics engine. The result is an animation process a lot closer to reality that anything before it."