PS4 vs Xbox One Comparison: Graphics, Specs, Differences

[Andy Shandy]

Well this is one of the better "Vs" comparisons I've seen, even if I disagree with the idea as a whole - mainly because it encourages the "console war" idea that turns big parts of the internet into rabid fanatics.

It is interesting to see the "winning" video game console not be considered the winner on games as well.

Good read, anyway!

 

[Greg Tito]

Sigh...This is all quite depressing really. None of them feel or look truly next gen, the creativity for design just seems to have been thrown out the window...i mean, come on...some curves at least would be appreciated!! It all feels like they are made so you can buy all the other technologies that connect with them and become part of a particular 'modern' group. But only the specified group the companies allow. Which family will you choose?? Plus, aren't they both just trying to one up nintendo's wii U by sneakily robbing their ideas and tarnishing it with higher specs and apps?

Fck it! I'm just going to get a wii u i guess. Or hope valve can bring some hope with their fabled steam-box

Curves? Seriously? I hate that my PS3 had a curved top, making it absolutely impossible to stack something on top of it. In electronics anyway, straight lines are king.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Well I see a lot of differences, but not a lot of graphics or specs.

Either way I'm going full PC next gen. Both consoles look awful with the subscription fees.

 

[Eldritch Warlord]

The power brick is really odd to me as well. The PS4 fits everythin nice and neatly inside its own case and its more powerful in pretty much every way while bein smaller. Unless some ridiculous overheatin issues crop up soon (not outside the realm of possibility) then it makes no sense why the bigger, bulkier, and weaker Xbox One couldn't do the same.

I think it's more a matter of Microsoft wanting their console to be very resilient. Externalizing the AC adapter, having more ventilation, and having bigger fans and heatsinks means the components will stay cooler and last longer.

Overcompensating to avoid repeating the 360's high failure rates basically.

 

[Vivi22]

The power brick is really odd to me as well. The PS4 fits everythin nice and neatly inside its own case and its more powerful in pretty much every way while bein smaller. Unless some ridiculous overheatin issues crop up soon (not outside the realm of possibility) then it makes no sense why the bigger, bulkier, and weaker Xbox One couldn't do the same.

I think it's more a matter of Microsoft wanting their console to be very resilient. Externalizing the AC adapter, having more ventilation, and having bigger fans and heatsinks means the components will stay cooler and last longer.

Overcompensating to avoid repeating the 360's high failure rates basically.

The irony is that the 360 had the external power brick as well so that did absolutely nothing to help it. Still can't fault them for being absolutely terrified to put it inside though. But it also leaves me confused that they found the XBone to be very large despite the power supply not being in the case. What the hell is in that thing?

I found the commentary on the launch lineup a bit strange though. They basically state that the XBone's wins because it's more "intriguing" despite also mentioning that the games they name are all over the place in terms of reviews, and basically admitting that the only reason they're interested in Ryse is because it's a glorified tech demo. Now, I haven't played any games from either system and I don't plan on getting either for a very long time, if at all, so I have no pony in the launch lineup race. Frankly, I think both systems leave a lot to be desired in that regard. But am I just crazy for thinking that having games that are good should be the measure of a good launch lineup? I don't care if Ryse is going to look pretty if it also looks like it'll be the worst God of War clone I've ever seen.

 

[antidonkey]

The Xbox line has never appealed to me. I've always been more of a PS guy regarding consoles. That said....I'm very intrigued by the Xbone. Enough so that it makes me consider getting one. I still doubt that I will but you never know. While I'd very much like a PS4, I'm in no rush to get one. I'm still very much a PC gamer but if I happen to stumble upon a PS4, I'm positive I'll purchase it.

 

[MonkeyPunch]

I really quite like both controllers, but I still prefer the Xbox controller over the PS one, even though the PS controller is sooo much better now, in my opinion.
I wish Sony had stayed with their plan to move the left analogue stick up (a la Xbox controller). If feels so much more natural that way and moving down to the d-pad is much more intuitive to me as when the d-pad is above the analogue nub it feels like you have to move over it, reach the d-pad.
On the other hand the PS controller's touch pad thing is surprisingly good too.

[edit] Hmmpf. The reason you liked the PS4 controller over the Xbox One's is because of the Kinect? That's quite ridiculous (tbh read: stupid). It's either better or worse. The Kinect has no bearing on the controllers.
Also, I agree (as seen above) that the PS4 controller is vastly improved, but that doesn't automatically make it the better controller. The Xbox controller only has small, incremental changes, because that's all it needed.
Your reasons here are quite... silly.

 

[JonB]

I find the reviews that criticize either console by their appearance as amazingly stupid.

While aesthetics may not matter to you, they're valuable to some. Lots of gamers don't care about how their console looks - I'd venture the majority - but that doesn't mean the minority who do care don't deserve to have that given criticism alongside everything else.

 

[Mr_Terrific]

A mostly fair comparison, but mentions of the PS4's hardware failures, laggy interface and lackluster exclusives seems conspicuously absent in the conclusion.

It seems like these are the kind of things that should definitely factor in when you objectively portray the two consoles' value proposition from a consumer standpoint.

I'm all for subjective opinions in comparisons like this, and the Escapist makes it clear that's really about what you want as a customer, but leaving things like the above mentioned issues out from a comparison that strives to be objective like this feels weird.

Hardware failures happen with all electronics and they will happen with the X1 and probably Kinect 2 as it has it's on bits that will overheat.

The Lag in the interface only happens while installing or downloading games. It doesn't happen on a regular basis like how Kinect has no idea what you're saying 50% of the time. There's a measurable difference in boot time and home menu to gameplay as well that goes the PS4's way so a little lag while downloading or installing is not a big deal.

Both systems have lackluster exclusives. F5 is the worst one in the franchise sporting half the cars, and most importantly, half the tracks. No Nurburgring? No thanks. DR3 has gotten mostly positive reviews much like Resogun. Lococycle is the worst next gen game. Knack is mediocre but scored higher than Lococycle. Killzone (and had more preorders than the entire X1 lineup)is a solid 7 on meta but you have no idea how Ryse will turn out, but based on the previews, it will probably tank. Killer Instinct is a solid 7. That Kinect fighter will probably bomb.

Both systems have lackluster titles so the point is moot.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Sigh...This is all quite depressing really. None of them feel or look truly next gen, the creativity for design just seems to have been thrown out the window...i mean, come on...some curves at least would be appreciated!! It all feels like they are made so you can buy all the other technologies that connect with them and become part of a particular 'modern' group. But only the specified group the companies allow. Which family will you choose?? Plus, aren't they both just trying to one up nintendo's wii U by sneakily robbing their ideas and tarnishing it with higher specs and apps?

Fck it! I'm just going to get a wii u i guess. Or hope valve can bring some hope with their fabled steam-box

Curves? Seriously? I hate that my PS3 had a curved top, making it absolutely impossible to stack something on top of it. In electronics anyway, straight lines are king.

Well, curves as an example. Although i'm not a stacker of consoles yet, it would be nice to have something sleek looking and sort of giving some impression of innovative design other than a shiny box. This is my shallow mind coming through, but it is like they aren't even trying. Maybe they could employ me to make some crazy shapes, i'll include some straight lines for you and your stacking habits of course

 

[Dr.Awkward]

snip

Curves? Seriously? I hate that my PS3 had a curved top, making it absolutely impossible to stack something on top of it. In electronics anyway, straight lines are king.

Did you complain about the SNES's uneven top surface back when it was new? Besides, as they get more powerful, I would not stack electronics together for the sake of heat management, and something like the PS4 or XBox One is definitely not an exception to the rule.

 

[Colt47]

Doesn't everyone, publisher and consumer, lose at launch? Right now it seems like both Sony and Microsoft need more games released and some time to get their software kinks worked out. Meanwhile, early adopters have to shell out for consoles with limited launch libraries and rely on the alternative entertainment features of the consoles to fill in the gaps.

 

[vansau]

I am still not sold on either and this article certainly didn't help, seems like it was written by people who just realized video games exist

How did you get that impression? The article seemed pretty thorough and well written to me. They analysed a lot of relevant areas, made comparisons between the two consoles and came to an overall conclusion.

You also just insulted the entirety of the website's staff as this was a jointly written article.

Don't bother feeding the trolls. Dude's got a total of two posts and used it to bash the site; clearly not worth our time or attention.

 

[Raziel]

What I really want to know is how online multiplayer compares. Head to head on the same games. Is one or the other more reliable, less prone to lag?

We haven't been able to test Xbox Live on the Xbone much, because of the pre-launch environment, but the PS4 works like a charm in multiplayer. No complaints of lag whatsoever from the console side. Now if your internet is spotty ...

Yeah, I've had issue with lag on the ps4. Pretty much the same online experience as ps3. I've also had lag on the 360. I'm not really hopeful the xbo will do better. Its not like M$ can do anything about individual user connections. Of course I guess this means it needs to be tested by someone who experiences lag on 360 to see if xbo makes any difference.

 

[search_rip]

what I've seen so far with the Xbone voice control, IMO, is either gimmicky or "I'm so fucking lazzy I can't be bother to use the controller" but I do reckon it's capacity to make life easier to people with disabilities, anyway, I'm not going to use any of those functions and the UI looks so clustered... also like TJC wrote

That "OMG everything entertainment system" is basically defunct outside the US anyways.

so I'm sticking with my PS4 pre-order (México's launch day november 29th)

 

[TerribleAssassin]

But then again, not very many people have got their hands on PS4's latest Dualshock and it could truly be the turning point.

My local game retailer had a PS4 and the new FIFA up today to play. There isn't a "holy shit this is so different" feel to the controller, but there are subtle differences to it that make it feel comfortable, more easy to use and make it a better experience than the normal DualShocks.

I'll probably pick up the Xbox One once it takes a bit of a price drop but it's nice to see the Escapist actually do a comparison that doesn't come down to "omg PS4 dus the 1080p 10/10 buy now."

 

[ThunderCavalier]

Honestly, I find things like app interfaces, sharing abilities, etc. nice additions, but ultimately not the reasons I'm buying a console. I'm not a LPer and I have a laptop and a smart phone that already does all of the little things already; I'm here for the games, and since PS4 has already been proven to have the superior hardware at a lower price, that already gets my vote.

And, let's be fair here, the launch lineup ALWAYS sucks. Xbox One may have an objectively better lineup, but that's probably not saying much. Dead Rising 3 looks pretty meh, and Ryse didn't exactly blow me away in its E3 reveal.

 

[Ophiuchus]

Curves? Seriously? I hate that my PS3 had a curved top, making it absolutely impossible to stack something on top of it. In electronics anyway, straight lines are king.

Damn right. When I go to bed, my glasses and phone lay on top of whichever console I have set up at the time - great if it's the 360, not so great if it's the PS3.

I have all of the main 7th generation consoles, but this new generation... I'm really not sold on any of them. It's the lack of backwards compatibility that puts me off the most, and none of the new features interest me enough to make up for it. I don't want to have Kinect on all the time and, even if I did, it's unlikely to work properly in a small room where I play video games while laying on my bed. I don't care about any of the social stuff - hopefully it can just be ignored when I don't intend to use it (particularly on PSN where I only have two friends, both of whom are family that I regularly see IRL to talk gaming), but if it results in people bugging me with requests all the time (more likely on the Xbox, where I have a lot more distant friends), that'll be a huge pain.

I dunno, I might get one of them a while down the line when they're down in price and there's a lot more games out, but right now I'm content to stick with what I've got.

 

[Rabidkitten]

Yeah I gotta call you on the controller. That Xbox One controller is awesome.