Microsoft finally unveiled their next Xbox , called the Xbox One. Microsoft emphasized that the Xbox One will be the console that is the center of your living room. Microsoft wanted to hammer home that you can do everything and connect to everything with the Xbox One the, all the while it features playing games as well. That’s been the attitude from Microsoft for awhile now and that plan is still very much in full effect.
PS4 and Xbox One comparison round 1.
Microsoft did give us some nice details about the console, the power, what it looked like, what the controller looked like, etc. But, overall, Microsoft played it pretty close to the vest, much like Sony did at their press conference. Without further ado let’s dissect both consoles a little bit and figure out which one seems more appealing right now.
What’s Under The Hood?
Both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 seem to be pretty even on paper. There’s not much separating the two consoles.
The Xbox One features:
- RAM: 8GB DDR3
- CPU: 8 Core CPU
- Graphics Processor: D3D 11.1 chip with 32 MB embedded memory
- Optical Drive: Blu-ray/DVD
- USB 3.0
- Audio/Video: HDMI input and output 1080p, 4K support, Optical output
The PlayStation 4 features:
- RAM: 8 GB GDR5
- CPU: Single-chip custom x86 AMD “Jaguar” processor, 8 cores
- Graphics Processor: 1.84 TFlops, AMD Radeon Graphics Core
- Optical Drive: Blu-ray/DVD
- USB 3.0
- Audio/Video: HDMI 1080p, 4K support, Analog-Audio Video, Optical output
So, overall, if you had to give an edge to either Sony or Microsoft, I’d probably give the slight edge to the PlayStation 4. There might be just a tick more of power, and developers seem to gravitate more to the PlayStation 4, at the moment. But, the Xbox One is no slouch either though, there really isn’t much separating the two consoles. It really is, very, very close.
Fine Tuning the Controller
We haven’t seen the PlayStation 4 (besides some very blurry pictures), but we have gotten a good look at the DualShock 4. And it’s more a less the same as previous PlayStation controllers in the past. The same can be said about the Xbox One controller. Both Sony and Microsoft decided not to make any changes to their well received controllers. Which is a good thing. When jumping over to the next generation, the feel won’t feel foreign. Design wise, Sony looks like they’ve done a bit more work including a built-in speaker, touchpad, and a Share button.
Overall, the controller is a push. If you do most of your gaming on the PlayStation, you (more than likely) like the feel of the DualShock. If you do most of your gaming on the Xbox you (more than likely) like the feel of the controller. While if you take a predominantly PlayStation gaming and give him the Xbox controller, he may think it’s a bit bulky. While the Xbox gamer may not like where the left stick of the DualShock is located, it’s not ideal for First-Person Shooting. All in all, the controllers are a push, it’s just whatever your preference is.
Continuing To Move
Microsoft is upping the ante with the next generation Kinect sensor. The new Kinect features a 1080p camera, and the field of view is 60% larger than the original Kinect. Also, it can recognize up to six people and can detect people up to four feet closer. Which is a very good thing because all Xbox One’s will be required to have the new Kinect. So, if you were to buy an Xbox One, but not for your living room, but a bedroom much smaller, it wouldn’t do you much good to have it if the Kinect starts going bonkers. Last bit of details about the new Kinect is that the Kinect can read player’s facial expressions, read the player’s biometrics, and scan the player’s heartbeat. It seems to be a bit much, but hey it might be a fun little useful tool. Plus, voice recognition is improved as well.
Sony meanwhile, isn’t as invested it moving as Microsoft, but it’s definitely there. As we mentioned, the DualShock 4 will feature a touchpad and a glowing LED pad on the top of the DualShock 4. And a higher res camera that will track your movements and track where you are.
Xbox One is the entertainment console; PlayStation 4 is the gaming console
What it all boils down between the two consoles is Microsoft wants you to watch T.V on your Xbox One. Sony wants you to play great games on your PlayStation 4. Now, that’s not to say the Xbox One won’t be able to play games, it will. You’ll still be able to play the Call of Duty: Ghosts, and EA Sports games. But Microsoft seemed to hold off on the games and we are pondering whether or not they are saving the games for E3.
While, Sony, we know we are getting games. InFamous: Second Son is coming out, DriveClub, Killzone: Shadow, and numerous others on tap. But, as far as how much of an entertainment box will it be, we don’t know. We know that it will have Netflix, Hulu, MLB.tv, NHL, NFL, etc. just like what the Xbox One and the PlayStation 3, but just how far will the PlayStation 4 take it? That we don’t know. And Sony might be saving that for E3. Going more in-depth about what the PlayStation 4 will be able to do.
Other Tidbits
Sony’s conference was pretty concise, not many loose ends. Microsoft’s meanwhile, there have been a lot of loose ends and Microsoft is trying to clarify some of the things they said.
Is the Xbox One always-online? Not really…it sort of is….we don’t really know. UK marketing director Harvey Eagle made a statement:
“The answer to that question is no. You do not require an always-on connection to be able to use Xbox One. It is clearly designed to be connected to the Internet, and hopefully from what you’ve just seen you realize some of the benefits that brings. But if your Internet connection drops, you will still be able to play games, still be able to watch Blu-Ray movies, and still be able to watch live TV.”
While Microsoft vice president Phil Harrison in an interview with Kotaku had this to say:
“There are many devices in your life that require the Internet to function. Xbox One is no different in that it requires, at some point in the beginning and at various times through its on state, to connect to our cloud and to our Internet.”
When pressed about how long you could offline before the Xbox One stopped you from playing a single-player game, Harrison responded with:
“I believe it’s 24 hours.”
We’ll know more about this as the days progress, but it’s a bit of a muddled mess over at Microsoft right now. That wasn’t all, though. Microsoft also talked about Used Game Fees and Installation Requirements.
Rumors have it is that the Xbox One will require all games to be installed on the console’s HDD before they can be played. Which means, your storage data will be used up quite a bit if that’s the case. As of now, Microsoft hasn’t followed up on this, so, as of right now, this may be true.
Also, in regards to the Used Games Fee, if you pop in a disc to your account, that game is tied to your account. Meaning, you can go to a friend’s house, log into your profile, and play that game. But, if a second account wants to play that game, you will have to buy that game that you own again this is where the “fee” comes into play.
One final note, the Xbox One hard drive can’t be replaced.
Who has the lead?
There’s been a lot to take in. All in all, I think with the initial information we have about both consoles, I’m more inclined to buy a PlayStation 4. The difference is basically games. Sony has more games, and more exclusive games than Microsoft. That was the case during this current generation that is winding down, and the next generation looks to be more of the same. Sony has a slew of exclusive games to get excited about, while Microsoft doesn’t. This doesn’t mean that can’t change though. We are still several months away from the next generation of consoles launching, and E3 is less than a month away. Microsoft definitely have exclusive games up their sleeves and I look forward to hearing about those. As we get more information about both consoles the picture will get clearly. As of right now, Sony has the edge with the PlayStation 4.
That’s just my opinion though, but what about you? Which Next-Gen console are you most excited for? Leave your comments below.
