With the month of November signaling the future of video games, it is time to give a final evaluation of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. There has been plenty of posturing and promising from both Microsoft and Sony as we head into the next generation, but which one is really better? Let’s review.
Release Date
PlayStation 4: November 15th, 2013 US November 29th, 2013 (UK)
Xbox One: November 22nd, 2013 Worldwide
As opposed to the launch of the previous generation, both consoles are releasing almost simultaneously. Sure, on the west side of the Atlantic the PlayStation has a week-long headstart on the Xbox, but across the pond it is the vice-versa. Foreign markets like Brazil and Japan seem to split pretty equally on which platform is preferred, but in the end it seems like the launch date is a pretty even split.
Winner: Tie
Price
PlayStation 4: $400
Xbox One: $500
The have been a few rumors circling in regards to the last minute slashes to the PlayStation price, where perhaps the camera was removed from the bundle at the last second, regardless $100 is a lot of money. While having the Kinect bundled into the Xbox One is a nice way to ensure developer resources are allocated to the motion-control device, motion controls are not likely to mean much to the majority of players until someone can prove they can be used consistently well. Thus, the $100 seems to be a steal for the PlayStation.
Winner: Playstation 4
Controller
Playstation 4: Dualshock 4
Xbox One: Xbox Wireless
This is a tough one, last generation the Xbox controller was considered by many to be a masterpiece. There’s no doubt that the Dualshock 3 lived under it’s competitors shadow for the last seven years, however the Dualshock 4 is looking to turn the tide. With a wider base, better button spacing, and improved analog sticks, the new PlayStation controller has drummed up heaps of praise. Meanwhile, the Xbox One controller has received little more than shoulder shrugs. It might be a case of failing to improve on a perfect product, but then why bother to change the product at all?
Winner: PlayStation 4
Games
PlayStation 4: Knack, Killzone, and Resogun
Xbox One: Ryse, Dead Rising 3, Forza 5, Killer Instinct
Even before Drive Club was bumped back, Playstation’s launch looks pretty uninteresting. As stated last week, the best game for the new Sony console is easily Resogun, which comes free to all PlayStation Plug members. Xbox One’s lineup much more impressive, as Ryse has mixed early reviews and people are questioning Dead Rising’s frame rate. While Xbox One’s library isn’t better, Forza provides a driving sim that is lacking in the PlayStation roster. Also, while PlayStation’s launch games feel almost paint-by-numbers with a shooter and platformer, Xbox’s third-person sword-and-sandal action game and open-world zombie title are a more off the beaten path.
Winner: Xbox One
Online Support
PlayStation 4: PlayStation Plus
Xbox One: Xbox Live
Xbox Live dominated the conversation about online console gaming early when it launched with the Xbox 360. Games like Halo and Call of Duty almost seem to be a natural fit for its smooth and easy to use interface. Sony had notable issues with their online functionality early, but PlayStation Plus has paved the way for a competition between the two platforms. PlayStation’s online capabilities can go toe to toe with Xbox Live. Where PlayStation has started to own the conversation is with their free games program through PlayStation Plus. PlayStation Plus members will be adding two new games to their collection, not to mention the large library of titles that come each month. With a cheaper price point, PlayStation has turned the tide for online gaming.
Winner: PlayStation 4
Hardware
PlayStation 4:
RAM: 8GB GDDR5
Optical Drive: BD x 6 CAV, DVD x 8 CAV, Blu-ray and DVD playback
Hard Disk Drive: 500 GB Hard Drive, External Hard Drive
Main Processor – Shared CPU+GPU: x86-64 AMD “Jaguar” single-chip custom processor
Frequency: 1.6 Ghz
AV Output: HDMI Out, Digital Out (Optical)
Xbox One:
RAM: 8GB DDR3 + 32MB eSRAM embedded memory
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray/DVD
Hard Disk Drive: 500 GB Hard Drive, External Hard Drive
Main Processor – Shared CPU+GPU: 8 Core AMD custom CPU
Frequency: 1.75 GHz
AV Output: HDMI Out, Digital Out (Optical)
For all of the arguing back and forth about the power of these two machines (specifically qualms with the Xbox One’s power) in the end they are relatively identical. The two consoles are more like PCs than ever before, with specs that would compare to most mid-high end PCs. Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, who is currently working on The Evil Within, recently stated how comparable the two consoles are.
Winner: Tie
Peripherals
PlayStation 4: PlayStation 4 Camera, PlayStation Move
Xbox One: Kinect 2.0
While the Kinect 2.0 will drive up the price on the Xbox One, there is no argument that it also is the superior peripheral. Part of its superiority can be boiled down to a commitment from Microsoft. Building Kinect into the Xbox One is a symbol of a Microsoft’s desire to push the hardware, which is better and will continue to get better than the PlayStation 4 camera (or PS4 Eye). While the DualShock 4 will also have Move functionality, it won’t do much good without the camera that no one seems interested in buying.
Winner: Xbox One
Overall
Winner: PlayStation 4
It is amazing how this conversation has changed over the year. It was easy to say that Microsoft was playing defense coming off of the Xbox 360, Sony had spent the majority of the PlayStation 3’s lifecycle simply trying to play catch up with Microsoft. The conversation changed after announcements of the future turned the conversation in Sony’s favor with unpopular used-games policy and a vision of always-online. After some backpedaling and closer look the policies, the two stand at a relative tie. Don’t worry, ties are boring. While the launch lineup is not impressive, the PlayStation 4 still comes into this generation with the advantage. For proof you only need to look at what is being said and what people are buying. The conversation is far from over as the consoles will continue to evolve, but no matter what you buy at launch , now is the time to get excited about the future.
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