The console wars between Microsoft and Sony has been heating up with each company vying to convince customers that they’ve got the real deal for gamers and fans alike. The already established Xbox has boldly moved forward claiming to be more than just a gaming console – an entertainment hub; while also boldly applying restrictions on used games and always on internet. Knowing that the restrictions won’t go down well with customers, Sony has played its cards well claiming its Playstation 4 has great hardware, offers no game restrictions, and comes at a much lower price. If you are contemplating how the two consoles stack up, here’s a comparison between the two.
Xbox One and Playstation 4 – Which to Choose?
Hardware
The Xbox One and the Playstation 4 have AMD chips, 8-core CPUs and 8GB of RAM. However the PS4 appears to have the advantage with a more powerful memory, GDDR5 as against the GDDR3 of the Xbox One. That said, the Xbox One also has a 32MB of eSRAM embedded memory for caching, which Microsoft believes makes it a supercomputer.
In the graphics department, the PS$ appears to have an advantage again with its GPU almost on par with Radeon 7870, whereas the Xbox One is one step lower at Radeon HD 7790.
Other aspects where both devices even out is storage and optical drives: both come with a 500 GB hard drive a standard BlueRay/DVD drive.
As far as connectivity is concerned, both devices offer Wi-Fi, Ethernet, optical out and USB 3.0, but PS4 offer Bluetooth 2.0 while the Xbox offers HDMI in as well as out.
As far as motion sensors are concerned the Kinect 2.0 is far superior to the PS4 Camera Eye.
Controllers: Sony’s DualShock 4 brings in motion control functionality, includes a Share button, a built-in speaker and a headphone jack.The Xbox One simply improves upon the previous model with subtle changes such as the redesigned D-pad and thumb stick. There’s also an Impulse Trigger to offer better feedback.
Community Gaming
There’s no doubt that the Xbox One has a powerful LIVE community. The company has removed the limit on the number of Xbox Live friends you can have as well as abolished Microsoft Points. Achievements are also expected to undergo a drastic change. Then there’s deep integration with Skype and SmartGlass, Xbox Live trends tracking, seeing what your friends are playing, recording the last few minutes of gameplay to show off to others, live streaming (audio and video) your game play ( for Xbox Gold Subscribers), as well as watching streaming videos of fellow gamers.
The Playstation 4 on the other hand attempts to bring social sharing through its Share button. Players can broadcast live play, or capture screenshots/videos to brag with friends. You can even call in friends to help out with a difficult situation and engage with others by sharing comments. Playstation Vita fans will be happy to note that streaming a PS4 game using Remote Play will be possible in some cases.
Used Games
A huge sore point for Xbox lovers, used games kinda get the boot with the latest console. Players can lend the game just ONCE to a Xbox Live Friend for 30 days. Microsoft is also giving some game developers the option to trade their games at select retailers and that’s all. PS4 doesn’t place any such restriction for now.
Entertainment
Each company has its own lineup of self published games such as Halo, ( Microsoft ) and Killzone (Sony). Microsoft also debuted some new games at the E3 conference, Dead Rising 3, Forza 5, Ryse: Son of Rome, Killer Instinct, and Quantum Break just to name a few. Sony, on the other hand showcased titles including Killzone: Shadow Fall, Infamous: Second Son, Knack, The Order, and The Dark Sorcerer among others. The Xbox One also intends to offer non gaming entertainment by integrating it with TV so that you can set up your own personalized television viewing experience. Gamers will also see Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and other streaming services in action and a more compelling NFL integration as well.
The Playstation 4 currently does not offer live TV integration, but streaming video through Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Redbox Instant, Crackle, and Flixster will be available on the the PS4.
The Xbox clearly appears to dominate this area with much more enticing games and entertainment options.
Price
All said and done, price still matters. The Xbox One is available at $499 including the price for the Kinect sensor while the PS4 is cheaper at $399 without its PlayStation Camera add-on costing $59 extra.
Xbox One vs PS4: A Recap
Pricing: PS4 scores over the Xbox One by at least $40, if that matters to you. It rarely does to a hardcore gamer.
Online requirements: PS4 scores over the Xbox One, which requires devices to connect online at least every 24 hours.
Used Games: PS4 scores over the Xbox One as the latter’s restriction on used games and inability to play games from different territories is sure to irk consumers.
New Games: The Xbox One appears to have a slight edge over the PS4. Both offer great self published titles, while PS4 even offers indie game developers to self publish tiles.
Physical Looks: If you’re really into looks, you’re sure to appreciate the PS4’s slimmer, sleeker, and smaller design compared to the somewhat bulky looking Xbox One.
Hardware: The PS4 gets a slight advantage in the graphics department, but its even steven with most hardware components.
Games: The console is after all, all about the games, and both companies have been showing off some awesome trailers at the E3. The PS4 only has a handful of exclusive titles and the Xbox One, more than a dozen. So all things compared, if its games that matter to you, you are looking at the Xbox One.
Entertainment: The Xbox One is a winner here offering to give you a TV viewing experience the likes of which you have never seen before. If TV and NFL are just as important to you, then the Xbox One should be the winner.
There’s still a few more months before both devices hit the market( around the holiday season), so considering some cool Black Friday deals and such, the price factor may not be such a huge deal.
All things remaining more or less equal, a hard core gamer will only want to get the best gaming experience in mind when picking up a console.
Microsoft unfortunately appears to have played its cards badly here. Always on internet and other game restrictions will ultimately become a significant factor that will make consumers decide between the PS4 and the Xbox One.
image credits : Playstation, Xbox
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