Since the beginning of the year, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have been surrounded by rumors of release date, specs, and price. Both have debuted at their own respective release events, both made appearances at E3, and both provided gamers with demos at Comic Con 2013. Now, as both consoles are gearing up for consumer availability, users were wondering which is better overall: the Ps4 vs. the Xbox One. We’ll let you compare.
Release Date & Pricing
PS4 release date has been announced as the 2013 holidays season with a price tag of $399. Conversely, the Xbox One has a known release date of November of this year but a more expensive $499 cost.
PS4 Specs
PS4 will run relatively standard PC hardware. It will have x86 processor, a customized graphics processor and GDDR5 memory. PS4 will be capable of 170GPBS bandwidth and will include a Blu-ray/DVD drive, as well as USB 3.0, Ethernet and Bluetooth. The PS4 eye accessory will have two cameras and four microphones and be capable of 1280 x 800 video at 60fps, 640 x 400 at 120fps and 320 x 192 at 240fps.
Xbox One Specs
Microsoft did confirm some of the rumors recently. The Xbox One will run on an 8-core CPU, feature 8GB of RAM, offer 500GB HDD, boast a Blu-ray drive, and connect through a wireless Wi-Fi direct and HDMI input/output. The Reveal Event and E3 both offered glimpses into the new line of games and entertainment poised to be outfitted for the Xbox One. A pre-recorded Steven Spielberg video introduced a just-for-TV series of Halo, while NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell mentioned a new deal with the NFL and Microsoft to take advantage of the sports offering feature.
PS4 Features & Controller
PS4 allows background uploading and downloading. Meaning that the console can both update itself and download games while still being played. You will also be able to stream your game play sessions and create quick video clips to send to friends and share with the PS network. PS4 also allows the ability to stream games instantly. The spectation feature allows you to share your game session and allow friends to take over your control. PS Vita can be used to play remote sessions of PS4 games.
The PS4 will be controlled by DualShock 4 controller with a touchpad, share button, lightbar and headphone jack. The lightbar syncs with a camera on the PS4 that allows the console to track the depth similiar to Wii.
Xbox One Features & Controller
A voice activated function, Instant Switching lets the user seamlessly switch from live television to gaming to movies. Hand cues such as extending arms towards the Kinect camera and grasping and minimizing in mid-air selects the screen and subsequently minimizes it for the ability to toggle between screens. Similar to Instant Switching, Snap Mode lets the user split the screen between multiple entertainment platforms. Yusuf Mehdi demonstrated Snap Mode at the Reveal Event by using the new sports offering as an example. Users can watch their favorite sports game all the while receiving live stat updates for their favorite Fantasy athletes as they watch highlights and update their roster–all on the same screen.
The Xbox One Guide lets users take advantage of the same voice recognition technology to find, watch, and keep up with their favorite shows. Favorites and Trending likewise lets users navigate through television channels to find shows they love and make it easy to stay up to date with the latest drama. Skype will also be available on the Xbox One. The Kinect cam allows for group video calls on TV during Snap Mode. When the notification appears on the top of the screen, all the user has to do is say “Answer call” and Snap Mode will run, splitting the screen between whatever entertainment you’re engaged in as well as your Skype call.
