The new generation of game consoles again confuses users. Which of the consoles to buy? Which one has the best technical characteristics? Which console will have the most exclusives? And these are just the first questions that come to mind. It's time to deal with them, having made a kind of comparison of the Xbox One and PS4.
A bit of history
First you need to put in a word about the past generation. This example clearly shows how large corporations react to their own mistakes. PlayStation-3 started later than its competitor. The features of the console were almost identical to those that the Xbox-360 had. But the price tag was much less humane. Spending five hundred bucks on the console did not dare in those years. Later, the cost of the console fell, the price was reduced, but it was already difficult to fix anything. The most massive sales went only in the current decade, when the best exclusives began to appear on the console.
Due to the high price tag of the Xbox-360, if it did not win the war of consoles, then at least it felt noticeably better. The prefix sold well in the early years of its life. Then a certain recession began, which was solved by entering a device called Kinect on the market. It allowed you to control the gameplay without any accessories, using only your own hands.
There have been some problems with Xbox 360 sales in recent years. It seems that the game console has exhausted its own capabilities. A scanty number of exclusives began to appear, and questions arose about their quality.
As you understand, both manufacturers had certain problems. Sony has put a too high price on its console. At Microsoft, after a while, they seemed to have lost interest in their creation. The company has ceased to stimulate developers, because of which the release of exclusives has become a very rare occurrence. It is very interesting how manufacturers reacted to their own mistakes.
Announcements of new consoles
The best conclusions are clearly made by Sony. The PS4 game console received a very “tasty” price tag, which was seriously emphasized during the presentation. Also during the announcements they talked about the mass of impressive games that gamers are waiting for in the future. And let it not always be exclusive. However, playing them on the new gamepad is a pleasure.
The announcement of the Xbox One aroused mixed feelings, if only watching the presentation was not an ardent fan of American television. Microsoft devoted a minimum of time to games. The main emphasis was on other entertainment services. The price was too high. The manufacturer brazenly threw a hundred bucks for the obligatory Kinect, which many did not like. Contrary to popular belief, many players like to control using a gamepad, rather than jumping and waving their hands in front of the TV, like a monkey.
Conclusions are made?
Sony won the preparations for the war effortlessly. She remembered her own mistakes, not allowing them when announcing her new console. The price was not very high. The specifications of the Xbox One and PS4 when comparing were far from equal (this will be discussed a bit later). The manufacturer did not impose its own camera on the consumer. Also, the Japanese continued to bend the idea with exclusives, thanks to which at the start of sales a new part of Killzone appeared with great graphics.
At Microsoft, it’s like they’re not following the development of technology. They presented to the public a huge "box". It outsized the standard Xbox-360, although it seemed impossible! Questions arose about the design of the device. The trouble with a low number of exclusives at Microsoft is also not going to solve. Forza, Halo - that's all that awaits the Xbox One in the near future. And before them, gamers are provided mainly with sports games and other multi-platform. There is a feeling that the American corporation is tired of all this, that it wants to gradually leave the market for game consoles. But without too much noise.
Buying consoles
But let's get started on finding out which is better: PS4 or Xbox One. Announcements are past affairs. Now both consoles can be bought if desired. However, difficulties may arise with this too. For unknown reasons, Microsoft is delaying the start of sales of its new set-top box in some markets. For example, in Russia the console is still impossible to find in stores. It is expected that sales in our country will begin only in September. Almost a year after the start of sales in the United States! The only way out for a stubborn gamer is to buy a console in another country.
Sony’s console is much easier. She is officially sold in our country for several months. But a severe shortage affected the price tag. In Russia, more than five hundred dollars are already being asked for a PS4. The price will certainly fall, but when this happens is unknown.
Appearance
Assessing the game console by its appearance is stupid. However, some do. They wonder what is best: PS4 or Xbox One. And they answer it only after getting acquainted with the design of devices. This idea looks stupid. But not in the case of the current generation.
The fact is that the PS4 turned out to be more beautiful and more compact. The current technology has reached such a level that they manage to put up to three gigabytes of RAM and a quad-core processor in thin smartphones. Everyone would be very surprised if the PS4 had the dimensions of its predecessor. The beveled facet gave another prefix style.
Well, what about the Xbox One? The answer to this question is deplorable. Microsoft has released a huge box, which is just missing the wheels. Moreover, the power supply did not fit in this giant box! He will occupy an additional place on the table or on the floor.
Menu interface
It would be interesting to ask Microsoft developers about what the Xbox One is better than PS4. Probably, they will point to the program interface of the console. In fact, the new console has as many as three operating systems. The main one is a redesigned version of Windows 8. It is responsible for the selection of games and all kinds of services. The second system works on displaying games. The third is intended to be kept in the background of some processes.
Theoretically, Microsoft's OS can be added to the advantage of the console. But the Sony PS4 is pretty good at that. The menu looks pretty, everything works quickly. Therefore, in the battle of “Xbox One vs PS4” on this front, both consoles can be assigned one point.
Ease of use
The everyday use of game consoles is twofold. Here you immediately understand which is better: PS4 or Xbox One. Of course, the first option is much preferable. The Japanese company Sony even before the release introduced the updated PSN service, which began to work much faster. Access to it is possible not only from the console, but also from a mobile device! So you can get acquainted with your achievements and find out what your friends are doing. You can also buy a game from a smartphone, after which it will automatically start downloading to the console.
The most important advantage of the PS4 is its speed. Games run instantly. The speed of their download from the PSN service depends only on your operator. But now you do not need to wait until the purchased game is fully loaded on the hard drive. In most cases, just ten percent downloaded is enough, after which the toy can be launched! This is an unprecedented opportunity that completely changes all the sensations from the digital acquisition of goods!
Specifications
PS4 or Xbox One? If you still have not decided, then take a look at the technical specifications of both devices. They seem very similar. But in practice, it turns out that the PS4 is a more powerful console.
The secret lies in the RAM. Both consoles have 8 GB of this type of memory. But in PS4, it belongs to the faster GDDR5 standard. In fact, this is video memory, a block with random access memory (512 MB) is located at a distance from it. The Xbox One uses DDR3 RAM, which is much cheaper, but its high-speed characteristics respond worse to modern requirements.
Summarizing
You can recall a lot of Xbox One, refusing to buy it. But in most cases this is not necessary. It’s very difficult to buy without it. Sony is selling the new console in 57 countries. Its owners are already 5.3 million people. Microsoft cannot boast of this. It supplies its products to just a few countries. But they rarely buy it there, because of which they can soon stop producing the set-top box for a while in order to get rid of its oversupply.
We discussed with you which is better: PS4 or Xbox One. Perhaps we missed something? Separate words deserve graphics. Xbox One vs PS4 - It turns out a kind of battle installed inside the graphics chip. This war is also won by the console from Sony.
A simplified architecture close to a computer and a detailed manual provided by game developers allow her to do this. As a result, many PS4 games come in Full HD resolution. The developers claim that on the Xbox One this does not allow to achieve limited resources and slow RAM. Therefore, on this console, the maximum resolution is most often 720p. The exception is those moments when the owner of the console launches indie projects and simple sports games. When developing them, achieving the maximum resolution is easiest.
The winner of our comparison is PS4. Not a single gram of doubt remains. The winner is so obvious that in the future Microsoft may have problems promoting its console and creating games for it. Or Americans will have to release an improved version with faster memory. But gamers will definitely not wait for this.