We have seen some gaming consoles in our days. PS Vita, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 2 are just a few names of the hundreds of consoles out there. The two consoles that are most popular at the moment are the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, which were both launched around the same time. They are the most recent flagships of Microsoft and Sony, but which one should you buy? We take a closer look at the two consoles in this article.
The design: The PS4 obviously looks different than Microsoft’s Xbox consoles. The design is a lot sleeker; this is where it becomes evident that Sony really went for the minimalistic approach. The ports are all relatively small, whereas the Xbox console has more ports that are more visible. Of course Microsoft’s Xbox One is not the ugliest duckling there is; its design is a lot less clunky looking than any previous Xbox consoles. This shows promise for the future. Maybe the next Xbox will finally be on the same level the PlayStation 4 is at right now.
Under the hood: Sure, the Xbox One might be a little bit more powerful than the PS4, but only by about 10 percent. This is because the Xbox has a 1.75GHz AMD 8-core CPU, whereas the PS4 only has a 1.6GHZ CPU. This small of a difference does not make a significant impact when comparing the two gaming consoles. Certainly more important are the graphic cards that come with both consoles. The PS4 has a 1.84 Teraflop GPU made by AMD Radeon. The Xbox One also has a similar AMD Radeon GPU, but this one clocks in at a mere 1.31 Teraflops. Because the PlayStation 4 has a slightly better graphics card as compared to the other gaming console we are talking about in this article, graphics in games will be rendered faster.
What’s also under the hood is the amount of RAM both consoles carry inside of them. Both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One have a good amount of RAM, both have 8GB of it. However, they both use two different types of RAM. PS4 uses 8GB GDDR5 RAM, which is actually significantly better than what the Xbox One uses (8GB DDR3.) It’s not just that, it’s also the amount of RAM that’s actually available. You see, when you have a gaming console, you need to have room and memory for the actual operating system. PlayStation 4 reserves 3.5GB of RAM for their operating system, whereas the Xbox One reserves only 3GB of RAM for its operating system. In this scenario the Xbox One is slightly better.
The differences are in the little things, but there is one thing we cannot deny: PlayStation 4 runs games in a higher quality, mainly because of the superior graphics card. Whereas Xbox games run in either 30 or 60 frames in a 720p or 900p resolution, PlayStation does not compromise with its 1080p resolution at 30 or 60 frames per second. PlayStation 4’s better graphics card make foliage look better and improve clarity in-game.
There is no denying that both consoles do very well, but there is, of course, a difference in price in the two. When the PlayStation 4 first launched, it was sold with the camera and controller separately. It was also more expensive than the Xbox by about a hundred bucks. The Xbox One wasn’t sold in every country, whereas the PlayStation grew in popularity in every country. People didn’t seem to mind that the PlayStation 4 didn’t come with a game and that you have to buy some things separately. However, since both consoles have launched, Xbox One has caught up to PlayStation. The console is now sold worldwide and is consistently cheaper than the PlayStation 4. So, where PlayStation got off to a great start, sales are starting to slow down. People are more likely to go for the slightly cheaper Xbox One.
Both consoles come with different controllers. Of course, which one you like best is up to you; it’s all personal preference. Microsoft has really put a focus on making the controller more ergonomically comfortable for your hands, as well as adding extra rumble effects via “impulse triggers.” There’s even a wireless Xbox One controller. Its sleek design makes this a pro-level controller, and it adds four back pedals, new settings for the left and right shoulder triggers, swappable analog sticks and more. It’ll cost you 150 bucks, but it’s totally worth it.
Sony has paid more attention to its users as well; making the controller’s (official name “DualShock 4”) handles a little longer, and the dual analog sticks have recessed divot. This makes it so much easier to grip the controller, and in turn makes it possible to be more precise in game. PlayStation 4’s DualShock 4 controller also interacts with the user through its touchpad and mono speaker.
