[dropcap size=dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you want a cool gadget for gaming, you have to choose between Xbox One and PlayStation 4. I know, it is hard choice, even harder nowadays, when both consoles are advertised as the next gen miracle we were always waiting for. However, there are a few pluses and minuses for each of them. I will try to make a brief comparison and a mini-review side by side. Thus, we will find out together the benefits of each product.
Gamers are being put to a hard test, this fall. They can choose between Xbox One and PlayStation 4, two gadgets that were launched after a long wait, both aiming to change the way we play. If we compare them by price, the decision is easy to make:
PlayStation 4 cost $ 399, 100 dollars less than the Xbox One. It was released in the U.S. on November 15 and starting with November 29, it will be available in Europe as well. The official release date for Xbox One is November 22, the day the consoles will be made available in most countries around the globe.
Side by side preliminary comparison:
Xbox One
– Offline gaming is available for up to 24 hours on the primary console, one hour maximum if the user logs in to a separate console.
– No backwards compatibility with old Xbox 360 games. No future perspectives.
– Kinect sensor must be plugged in but it may be turned off during gameplay.
– Used games must be reactivated at “participating retailers” before reselling.
– Indie developers cannot self publish their games.
PS4
– Offline gaming is available indefinitely.
– No backwards compatibility. Cloud streaming for old PS1, PS2 and PS3 games will be available soon.
– No information available on PS4 Eye requirements.
– No information available on used games DRM. We imagine though that it will be hard to enforce on a console capable of offline gameplay.
– Indie games are a focus.
And the comparison continues…
Despite the differences from above, those who want to buy a next gen PS4 or Xbox One gaming device should carefully compare the two products and clearly consider the differences because Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are similar rather than different. Yes, the Xbox is bigger and heavier, but they both look glossy and the size doesn’t matter in the end.
At a first glance, PlayStation 4 seems to be a little bit more powerful in terms of specifications, but it requires the PlayStation Camera accessory, which costs $59 in the U.S. On the other hand, the Xbox One kit includes the Kinect sensor for motion detection.
Meanwhile, the main difference between Xbox One and PlayStation 4 is the default RAM memory. PS4 uses 8GB of GDDR5 RAM, while the Xbox One comes with 8GB DDR3 RAM memory. And the “G” from the PS4’s GDDR5 RAM is what counts in the first place. According to the specifications, this is the same type of RAM memory hardware companies are using in graphical units, a type of RAM that is mainly optimized for the gaming tasks, which the new toy manufactured by Sony should eventually accomplish.
According to the Digital Foundry, the PS4 CPU is also more powerful, as it is capable of a graphical processing of up to 50% more than the Xbox One is. In conclusion, PS4 is a device more capable than Xbox One, not to mention that it is capable to support a native resolution higher than of its counterpart. See below how Battlefield 4 looks and feels, side by side, on Playstation 4 and Xbox One:
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In order to be able to asses better whether you want one or another, here’s the complete list of specifications for both, Xbox One and Playstation 4:
- Price: $499 Xbox One, $399 Playstation 4
- Availability: Nov 22 2013 Xbox One, November 15 2013 PS4
- Dimensions (inch): 13.5×10.4×3.2 Xbox One, 10.8x12x2 PS4
- Weight: 6.7Kg Xbox One, 4.2 pounds PS4
- Blu-Ray support: Yes, for both
- HDD: Built in, 500 GB Hard Drive. Non-removable on Xbox One, Removable on PS4
- Motion control: Kinect for Xbox One, PS Camera for PS4
- CPU: 8-core x86 processor on both the consoles
- RAM: 8GB DDR 3 on Xbox One, 8GB GDDR5 on PS4
- USB 3.0 support: Yes, on both the two consoles.
- Wireless, gigabit Ethernet and HDMI support on both the two consoles.
- IR remote: Yes on Xbox One, NO on PS4
- Suspend – resume game option, download in background, gameplay sharing and real time streaming features available for both consoles.