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Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4

With the unveiling of Microsoft’s newest console, the Xbox One, firmly behind us we can now take a step back and begin to compare which entry to the next generation of gaming is top dog. We’ll take a look at internal architecture of both the Xbox One (X1) and PlayStation 4 (PS4) along with announced features.

 Features

Xbox One
The name ‘Xbox One’ derives from Microsoft’s belief that it’ll be the “One” system you’ll need and considering it incorporates a huge amount of TV and networking-centric features they’re probably not wrong. The X1 utilizes a new “Snap” feature, which allows users to flit effortlessly between gaming, watching live TV, Skyping and surfing the web. Although many of the features discussed at the reveal weren’t particularly focused on games the console looks set to usher in a whole new way we’ll be using our games consoles.

The improved Kinect that comes bundled with the console also allows easy navigation with the use of verbal commands such as “Xbox, go home” as demonstrated in the reveal event. These features come together to deliver an intelligent TV, Internet and gaming experience. The X1 installs the entire game from the disc meaning it won’t be backwards compatible and used games are said to be only available to buy and sell online whilst sharing owned games will incur a fee the same value as the game.

PlayStation 4
The PS4 event held back in March took a rather different approach to debuting their next-gen console. Their main focus was new games that would be available for the console, however they did talk at length about some of the new features it’ll have as well. The main new feature is the “Share” button that is located on the specially designed Dualshock 4 controller. This button allows users to easily share in-game clips and images with friends thanks to an encoder that records the last few minutes of your gameplay. The share button can also be used to stream live gameplay footage of what you’re playing, Sony said the aim of this was so users can help each other progress through games or simply show off more easily.

The re-developed PlayStation Eye also brings facial recognition to the PS4 allowing users to pair PSN profiles with their facial features allowing the console to “see” who’s playing and assign the correct profile to them. The final main feature is the connectivity the PS4 will have with the already available PS Vita Handheld. This connectivity will allow users to play PS4 games on their Vita over the wireless internet much like the Wii U does, the connectivity has also been announced to work with many Sony devices (Tablets and Xperia mobiles probably). Similarly to the X1, the PS4 has been confirmed to not be backwards compatible natively but many past PS games will be available to purchase via the Gaikai Cloud service. Sony has remained relatively quiet about used games and sharing owned games.

Specifications


Xbox One
  • CPU: 8 cores processor
  • GPU: 1.2 TFLOPS
  • 8 GB RAM (3GB reserved for system tasks)
  • 500 GB Hard Disk Drive
  • Blu-ray Optical Drive
  • HDMI in/Out, 1080p, with 4K and 3D support
  • USB 3.0
(A More in depth list of specs for the Xbox One can be found here: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-spec-analysis-xbox-one)

PlayStation 4
  • CPU: 8 cores processor
  • GPU: 1.84 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon™ Graphics Core Next engine
  • 8GB RAM (1GB reserved for system tasks)
  • Hard Disk Drive: Built –in (unconfirmed size)
  • Blu Ray Optical Drive
  • USB 3.0
  • HDMI In/Out with 4K support
(A more in depth list of specs for the Playstation 4 can be found here: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/df-hardware-spec-analysis-playstation-4)

From the brief technical specifications above we can see that both systems are relatively well matched when it comes to what’s under the hood. There are, however, two outstanding differences. The X1 possesses 1.2 TFLOPS of GPU and reserves a whopping 3GB of RAM for system tasks whereas the PS4 possesses 1.84 TFLOPS and reserves only 1GB of its 8 to system tasks. In short, the PS4 actually has nearly 50% more raw power in its system than the X1 that it can apply to graphics and gameplay stability.

To summarize, it would appear that on paper the PS4 has a slight architecture advantage whereas the X1 maintains an impressive array of features. Both consoles seem to adhere to two very different types of gamers, however from a recent GameStop twitter poll the PS4 would seem to be grabbing the attention of a larger market (see poll results below).

Which console do you intend to pick up on their expect release dates (Xbox 30th November, PS4 December 31st Source: Zavvi Pre-Orders) or do you intend to stay loyal to the current generation of gaming?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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