PlayStation 4 vs Xbox One
When it comes to choosing your next gaming console, it’s always difficult to make a decision between the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Both systems have grown a lot, acquired many new features and managed to increase their game library as well since their release. Each system offers some unique advantages and disadvantages. Here, we will help you go through the advantages and flaws and find the best console that suits your needs perfectly.
Price
Before we go on and start talking about their specs and features, let’s talk about price. The Xbox One is available for about 1699 AED (with Kinect) while the PlayStation 4 costs about 1599 AED (500GB PAL version). The price difference is really negligible, and you will probably not make a purchase decision purely on that.
PAL vs NTSC Version
One thing to consider when choosing a console is the console format. There are actually three game consoles formats to look for whether you buy the Xbox One or PlayStation 4: NTSC, PAL and NTSC-J. The PAL version is designed for New Zealand, Australia and Europe and Middle East countries which is what you see in most of the stores in the UAE. The NTSC version is designed for USA, Canada and the rest of the world while the NTSC-J is designed for Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and other countries in South East Asia. To know more about this difference between the PAL and NTSC version, you can check out this discussion on Reddit.
Design
Both the PS4 and the Xbox One are quite big and heavy. However, the PlayStation 4 is slimmer and smaller compared to the Xbox One and won’t look too big under your TV. Sony’s console is also lighter and doesn’t include the big power brick with the charging cables. It’s a really important feature when you want to keep your wire organization neat and clean and you are always move your console from room to room. The Xbox One is quite bigger than the Xbox 360 as the company wanted to avoid the Red Ring of Death plague like last time. It includes extra cooling features to avoid major hardware issues. Overall, the PlayStation 4 features a stylish, sleek and slim design compared to the Xbox One which makes the PS4 a winner.
Winner: PlayStation 4.
Connectivity Options
Now, let’s come to the connectivity part. The PS4 includes 802.11 WiFi bands b/g/n and gigabit Ethernet while the Xbox One offers all of these and the 802.11a band as well. The PlayStation 4 doesn’t support the newer 5GHz channels and only supports the 2.4GHz ones which is not the case with the Xbox One. Both the consoles offer 500GB space, but the PlayStation 4 supports replacing their internal drives. Replacing the hard drive in the Xbox One will void the warranty. However, the PlayStation 4 doesn’t support external storage whereas the Xbox One supports external storage that are USB 3.0 compatible and 256GB or larger in size. Both the consoles include a Blu-Ray/DVD combo drive but the number of ports in PlayStation 4 are less. Moreover, the Xbox One packs IR blaster connections and HDMI in which makes the Microsoft console slightly feature rich than the PlayStation 4. This makes the Xbox One a winner in this category.
Winner: Xbox One.
Collection of Games
Most of the third-party big games like Assassin’s Creed, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor are available in both the PS4 and Xbox One. However, these consoles feature some exclusive games as well.
Xbox One offers a lot of shooting exclusive games like Titanfall and Halo: The Master Chief collection. If you are already a fan of the Gears of War or Halo series, there is no reason to not choose the Xbox One. Moreover, the Rise of the Tomb Raider is also an Xbox One exclusive and will be released for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 only for now. Other notable exclusive games are: Sunset Overdrive, Forza Racing games series and Crackdown.
Now let’s see what the PlayStation 4 has to offer. For those, who are into action games, the number of exclusives are really attractive. There is the Infamous: Second Son, The Order: 1886 and the action-RPG based Bloodborne. If you love a mix of theatricality, adventure and action, there is the Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Moreover, the number of indie games are mostly in the PS4’s favor compared to the Xbox One. Although the Xbox One now offers backward compatibility and most of the biggest games are available on Microsoft’s console, it’s the exclusives and number of indie games that keeps the Sony’s PlayStation 4 ahead of the Xbox One.
Winner: PlayStation 4.
Performance and Graphics
Both these consoles pack 8GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive, AMD Radeon GPU and 64-bit enabled x86 8-core AMD Jaguar processor. However, there are differences as well. Gamers can enjoy more resolution with the PlayStation 4 and enjoy games like Shadow of Mordor and Far Cry 4 at Full HD resolution and 30 fps. This is not the case for Xbox One users as they will get 900p resolution when playing these games. While this change in resolution might not be a big deal, the crispness and details is what makes the PS4 a winner in this category.
Winner: PlayStation 4.
Controller
One of the key factor when playing a game is the controller. The Xbox One features a lighter and more stylish version compared to the controller of the Xbox 360. The buttons are snappier and flatter. However, The DualShock 4 which is the controller of PS4 includes a built-in speaker, a light bar that will show you the status of your battery level and USB charging support. To get microUSB charging feature in your Xbox controller, you have to spend some extra money. Comparing these two controllers, the DualShock 4 offers more features right out of the box and is the clear winner here.
Winner: PlayStation 4.
Interface and Apps
The user interface of the Xbox One is quite user-friendly. Moreover, users can start playing their game backup right where they turned off their Xbox One last time. However, this resume mode has been included in the PlayStation 4 and there are some extra features as well. If you are into sharing, the PlayStation 4 offers Share Play feature which allows you to invite your online friend to see you play, stream your games to other supported devices, capture and sharing screenshots and more. The multitasking features and customization support is more in Xbox One while the game sharing feature is great for those who loves sharing their game moments with others.
For those who want a complete entertainment system, the number of apps matter to them. This is where the Xbox One works as a complete entertainment box and supports transmitting TV signal of your cable box. Users will be able to switch to their TV feed while playing or watch both at once. Most of the popular streaming services are available in both the Xbox One and PS4 like YouTube, NetFlix, Amazon Instant Video and Hulu Plus. However, users get exclusive access to Fox Now, HBO GO and Comedy Central using Xbox One. The Online TV service is also better in the Xbox One and allows you to watch TV even without a cable subscription which makes the Xbox One a winner here.
Winner: Xbox One.
Online Experience
The Xbox One offers a monthly and yearly subscription offer titled as Live Gold which costs about 37 AED per month and 221 AED yearly. Gold subscribers get one Xbox One game per month and two Xbox 360 games per month for free. On the other hand, Sony offers the Sony PlayStation Plus membership system that costs 37 AED per month and 184 AED yearly. Users will get two PlayStation console games monthly per console. The PlayStation plan includes PS Vita, PS3 and PS4 while the Xbox subscription is designed for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Both these subscriptions offer cloud storage, but the PlayStation Plus offers limited 3GB of cloud storage and there is no limit for storing your Xbox One saves on the cloud. However, the PlayStation subscription is more affordable and offers more free goodies.
Winner: PlayStation 4.
Conclusion
Judging from how the PlayStation 4 managed to beat the Xbox One in most of the sections, the PlayStation 4 is the clear winner in this battle. Users get to enjoy most of the popular games at Full HD, share their gameplay, play comfortably using the DualShock 4 controller and also use it as an entertainment system when not playing games. However, if you love playing the Halo series or Tomb Raider, the Xbox One is the only choice for you. Both these consoles offer a great collection of games so the rest depends on what types of games you are interested in and what are the features you are looking for in your console.
