mKeRix said:
1. Used games:
The blockade of selling used games is entirely up to the publisher, so are the fees. What Microsoft has done here is an official way of what already happened before. Remember the Online Passes? That's just like that. Nobody has has to use them. They can. Now, if EA would decide to be a dick and use it - what would happen? They'd do it on every platform. They won't be interested in holding up Sony's image of the messiah console, they want their money. So afaik, it doesn't matter. The possibilities are there on both platforms.
It... really isn't. The entire system is made so you can't trade physical copies of games without giving them to specific 'partnered retailers' who are going to be Gamestop, Game, EB Games, etc, etc. This is not an optional thing. It's the only reason the 24 hour phone home thing exists. Yeah, nobody has to use online passes because Microsoft have built a wonderful, closed garden where publishers can screw over consumers without having to lift a finger.
2. Game sharing:
After Sony's admittedly hilarious video about sharing games (which was also perceived as childish by some, but I think these little slaps are fun in a way) people have been saying that you won't be able to share games on the XBone. Well, yes and no. You can still share games, you can give your game to up to 10 of your friends without even having to hand them your disc, they'll just have it on their account and can easily download and play it right away. The only thing here is, you need to have them on your friends list for at least 30 days and you can only give them them every game once. But honestly, I don't think that's too limiting. I wouldn't hand out my games to people that I just met either. And if you know them for a while and they just made a new account, then 30 days isn't bad either. Apart from that, I've never seen anyone rent a game twice. If you like it after playing it, you usually just buy it.
So what you're saying is, these needless limitations aren't especially limiting because 'they're not
too limiting'? Compared to the PS4 and the WiiU, it's still absolutely absurd. It means you can't sell your games unless you trade them into a big retailer, and the whole giving friends your games without handing them over is brought about by this limitation and it's still incredibly imperfect.
3. 24h offline time:
This is a point I can't say much about. I can think of many reasons why they'd do such a thing, but there's nothing I really want to defend here. For me it's no problem at all, I like my games and consoles (and PC) for the online multiplayer, but I see why it would bother people. On the other hand, I'm sure this is nothing they couldn't change. It happened before, so you can hope. If you know you'll be offline for longer than a day, then definitely don't buy the XBone yet though.
You may have a perfectly stable and fine internet connection, but remember Diablo 3 and Sim City? The issue is not the consumer's internet, it's the servers belonging to Microsoft and other publishers. What if there was a Sony-style mass hack? A whole month (or more!) without being able to play your games because of noxious, unnecessary, corporate serving architecture.
4. Evil spying Kinect:
This wrong, just wrong. It has been confirmed that the Kinect can be turned off completely long ago, and you won't be spied. The Kinect itself is also a fairly useful tool, I own a Kinect 1 and there are some fun games for it out there, and it adds functionality by voice commands etc. I know people don't like being forced to get a product, but it's entirely possible that there will be an "Arcade" edition like with the 360, which is cheaper and delivered without Kinect. "Why did Microsoft do this in the first place?" you could ask now. To prevent segmentation. This way everyone has the same setup and games can be designed in that way. Apart from that I believe that if people don't try something new over time, things can't evolve.
Can't be completely turned off. Needs to be plugged in and will still react to certain voice commands. Assuming there will be an arcade edition is, well, an assumption.
5. Hardware:
The hardware isn't too different, really. You have about the same specs in both consoles, if I trust some of the other posts I read the XBone is slightly worse, but that's nothing you could notice. Apart from that, Microsoft has the whole cloud computing thing going, and while you might start laughing at me now, this is the future and even Sony knows it.
PS4 is estimated to be 50 percent more powerful than the Xbox One. [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-spec-analysis-xbox-one] Consumers won't notice or care, but developers surely will. And this isn't like the PS3 where it was more powerful but came bundled with a whole bunch of programming headaches - both systems have the same architecture, meaning that the only way a multiplat game could be worse on the PS4 is if it is deliberately gimped.
As for cloud computing, ha. Hahahahahaha. Ha. No. Microsoft have yet to show anything intensive running on cloud computing, and so far it appears to be an excuse to bundle always-online into games. And if cloud does blossom into a big thing, Sony have Gaikai. So they'll be able to use cloud and have that 50 percent extra power.
7. Controller:
For some reason I also found some people complaining about the controller. I can't really understand that, for me the XBox controller has always been the best one on the market right now. Wasn't able to hold a PS4 controller so far, but the PS3 ones were none I could really play with.
Controller looks great. Can't wait to use it with my PC. All the reports coming from E3 say the PS4 controller feels considerably better than the PS3 one too. Not hard, but nice to see progress.
8. Design:
The simple design (even though it really shouldn't matter) is used so it can fit anywhere in your living room. It's elegant and I like it. Your choice. Although both consoles don't look too different.
PS4 looks like a PS2. Xbox One looks like a laserdisc player.
9. Games/Exclusives:
This is anyone's game. If you like the PS4's exclusives, go buy that. If you like the XBone's games (of which there are more announced at the moment), go buy that.
I fail to see how this is a point in MS's favour. They will have Xbox exclusives? Yay?
10. Price:
I know, I know, money doesn't grow on trees. However, the console price is essentially the same for both. What makes up the other 100 dollars are the extra things in the package, like the Kinect, that you'd have to purchase separately for the PS4. And Gold doesn't count as an argument either, Microsoft and Sony both do the paying for multiplayer now. And so far, Microsoft's servers seem more powerful (waiting for statement on Sony's side), and they've been that way in the past as well.
The console price is not 'essentially the same'. Not even remotely. You can't say 'Oh it comes with the Kinect so that's why it costs more! Really it costs $399.' What an utterly baffling argument. Is there currently even a hint of the Xbox One coming without the Kinect at any point? Nope, so it costs 100 dollars more to the consumer. You don't just subtract money from a price because something in the box adds to that overall price. You're just reaching at this point.
As for PSPlus vs Xbox Live, PSPlus costs less than gold, has better features than gold. Microsoft have so kindly graced Live subscribers with Halo 3 and AssCreed 2 now, a game that's six years old and a game that's four years old. How kind of them. PS4 also allows watching of any apps like Netflix and Flixster without a PSPlus subscription, unlike the Xbox One.
