As a gamer with varied tastes, if I were to buy one RIGHT NOW (which I won't), it would be the Xbox One. There's a couple of exclusive games out on it that I'd totally play right now, and a few coming out that interest me. I never liked inFamous either so that's not looking appealing to me, and the PS4 has little coming up that I'm interested in that I couldn't just get on PC. Although I love the look of the PS4 controller.

I ALREADY GOT THE XBOX SO JUST LIKE COME ON MAN

Err after reading through more of this thread I should note that this is a joke.

Xbox One is a fine choice. While its interface, like the PS4's, has a ton of rough edges it also has a bit more ambition and, given how dramatically the 360 evolved over the years, it's a safe bet they'll get to where you want it to be in a few years. Additionally if you don't care about pure performance (which is not as cut and dry as everyone likes to make it out to be since, A, we're in the Perfect Dark 0 phase of the new generation (Current gen games are just shinier last gen games at the moment) and, B, we don't know how much of an impact offloading to cloud will have) The difference the consoles will have will be exclusives and as far as less discerning players go Microsoft has a good catalog of them. They have Halo, Gears, some Kinect bullshit and Rare's franchises. What does Sony have? Just Uncharted basically? inFamous and indie games are great and all but there's a good chance your friend has simply never heard of it before. And besides at this point exclusives are a rarity and most great games come to everything except Wii U.

Should have told him to get Wii U. From your description of them it sounds perfect for them.

Plus it's better than two powerful machines with NOGAEMZ /fanboy

I guess ignorance is bliss. Not saying the Xbox One isn't a fine gaming machine, but at this point it's pretty much a given that many multiplatfrom games will simply not stack up when compared against their PS4 counterparts. Depending on how technically ambitious these games are, the ramifications of playing on the significantly weaker hardware will be quite severe. I guess if you are unaware that these games are better elsewhere, you'll still be okay. Still - shitty advice, if you ask me.

And really, the PS4 has just as good, if not better media streaming capabilities than the Xbox One, and there's no paywall to access these services on PS4, unlike on Xbox One. I guess Microsoft's box does enhance the TV-experience, but let's be honest - who in their right mind wants their media to be broadcasted on a schedule anymore? Outside of live TV for sports events and such, the medium is pointless, and its insistence on existing and keeping it a viable business model is a hinderance to progress. And it's not like you could just as easily watch a livestream instead. Cut the cord already.

Rambling rant over.

@seppli: So basically, for the first 4 years of the PS3, everybody who bought it were wrong?

Thank you Shuhei

@connerthekewlkid: I also enjoy how @seppli posits that the memory bandwidth difference will make some mind blowing difference in the games. The Xbox One is definitely weaker, "significantly" weaker though....ehhhh that's kind of a stretch. The difference will always be in the ballpark of what the differences were on the PS3 vs 360, so there will definitely be differences just nothing so distinct that one is clearly the inferior version.

This thread has been one big ball of depression, it's highlighted how even on a platform specific board on Giantbomb. You can never escape the "My plastic box, is better than the other plastic boxes and if you don't agree you're dumb." We're talking about games guys, video games and the divisiveness of this crap has to change or what the hell is the point?

that gold paywall will burn your friend in the long run. $100 more expensive this year, $50 more expensive every year going forward.

Don't forget that the PS4's APU is roughly one quality tier above the one in Microsoft's box. It isn't just the RAM.

In short, the PS4′s GPU is — on paper — 50% more powerful than the Xbox One. The Xbox One’s slightly higher GPU clock speed might ameliorate some of the difference, but really, the PS4′s 50% higher CU count is a serious advantage for the Sony camp. Furthermore, Microsoft says that 10% of the Xbox One’s GPU is reserved for Kinect. Games on the PS4 will have a lot more available graphics power on tap.

I don't know what I speak of. It's not first-hand knowledge. I just repeat what the consensus seems to be amongst the developers and technologically-minded reviewers that have spoken out publicly (which are few enough, you don't want to burn any bridges, or damage your own industry haphazardly).

I'd consider an estimated *power* difference of 20%-30% to be significant. That's like 60 FPS versus 40 FPS, which also seems to be reflected by the multiplatform games we've seen thus far - anecdotally, it rings true.

Thinking of games like The Witcher 3, which will likely already push these new consoles to the limit, the disparity in computing prowess will have significant impact - of that I am certain. Just like it did with with some games on PS3, which was hamstrung due to its impractical architecture. Debacles like Skyrim on PS3 will likely happen again, and if it does, it will be the Xbox One versions that'll draw the short straw.

Sounds like you gave him fine advise, but who knows how these systems will shape up down the road. Also i think i would have based it on the games he plays and what he had before.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that, or had the thought myself. That's a myopic way of trying to see why people might make a case against owning an XBox One. We're actually not talking about video games - we're talking about a platform to play games and watch media on. And there's actually a whole lot of merit to debating which one is a suitable choice for consumers. It's also kind of a cut and dry situation: The XBox One is more expensive, less powerful and hides all media streaming functionality behind a paywall. The tradeoff is Kinect and the ability to pass live cable feed through. A lack of DVR functionality is a killer, and I've never found Kinect to hold much genuine value. I stress that word - value. The device and it's functionality provide so precious little improvement, utility or value to me that I'd rather use a remote control even if it were available in the same room.

Microsoft has also gotten by with a lot of good will - from gamers and those in the media. From day one, it was assumed that "look, these guys know what they're doing. They made the XBox and XBox 360, they're a massive corporation. They HAVE a plan." The reality is that Microsoft has had a lot of failures with hardware. Remember the Kin? Just because there is a vision backed by a big company doesn't mean it will succeed. It isn't unfair to say that on paper and in practical application, the XBox One experience has been hamstrung in order to facilitate live television pass through and Kinect. If that makes you excited and want to go buy one, great. But the box doesn't exist in a vacuum - there's great competition from the WiiU and PS4 that only serve to further highlight the deficiencies of Microsofts offering.

To say "the differences are in the ballpark of what were the differences between the 360 and the Ps3" is objectively wrong. If the power differences are not "significant" they are at the very least, in many cases, very noticeable.

@marokai: Really? tell me how or show me how. I don't have a PS4 and would like to know what I'm missing.

@sdharrison: Well its good to know that the only reason I would want to turn on my PS4 at the moment would be for free Netflix

What?

You really should have just said 'The cloud!"

How is it a better jack of all trades? The cable stuff is messy (no PVR), the voice stuff seems like it goes off at random, and Kinect is, well, Kinect.

I think you're off you're rocker saying it's a better jack of all trades. It's a worse gaming machine with two features which may never pan out and one (Kinect) which we'll just have to see about later.

If I have a friend who doesn't care about resolution, etc. I just tell them to get a last-gen console. There are far more games and they are usually discounted and the console is cheaper too.

That's incorrect. The cable stuff is messy because it doesn't have PVC.

People will complain about it endlessly, but Microsoft knew full well they had a market for the XBOne, even if it's not the sort of person that spends their time posting on gaming forums.

Assassins Creed 4 looks significantly better on ps4 in my opinion.

Free

Netflix

@spraynardtatum: Am I missing something? I played AC4 on the PS4, but those screenshots don't look very different, except the gamma on the PS4 version is cranked.

The differences come in with a game like Tomb Raider, though. The graphical quality is much higher on the PS4, but the frame rate is unlocked and kinda looks bad when it goes from 30 to 55 to 30, depending on the direction you are looking. The Xbox One version has a lower graphical quality, but they locked the frame rate at 30. I would much prefer a lower locked frame rate than a frame rate that moves any day of the week.

So far, I have definitely played more games on my PS4, but to call it out as a "significantly more powerful" device isn't true. I even think games will start to look more and more similar across the two platforms once devs learn how to use the eSRAM on the Xbox One, similar to the PS3 as time went on.

I see a big difference in those pictures. It might be more noticeable with the slider from this article. The Xbox One screenshot looks fuzzier to me. And I agree it does look darker too, I guess I'm assuming they were using the same gamma settings.

I haven't seen Tomb Raider on the PS4 or Xbox One but I think I'd prefer a locked framerate too.

@spraynardtatum: You are on crack (in a friendly way). I can't tell the difference. you can find better :)

@ericsmith: based on specs alone the Ps4 is 50% more powerful than the Xbox one. I would call this significantly. But you will really see the difference in 1-2 years down the line and especially with first party games.

Have fanboyism run as hard as it has during this generation of gaming consoles? I really can't see how you could go wrong with either console. You know you have two great machines on your hands when you wish you could merge the two into one machine. But I digress, if the OP loves his Xbox One so much and wants his friend to enjoy it just as much as he has, good on him. His points are valid because, hey, they are steeped in opinions.

I love it when fans spout buzzwords and phrases like "enhanced TV viewing experience!!!"

Exactly how is this $500 paperweight enhancing anything with my TV viewing experience, above and beyond what my hd-dvr box/tv is doing right next to it...

You can rattle off 20 bullets of garbage, but it boils down to one thing, Microsoft blew it. I have an XBone, it is gathering dust. If I bought a PS4 it would be gathering dust also....but at least I would know if a game ever did come out for a next-gen system that didn't suck and I wanted to play....I would have the peace of mind knowing the game would be running the best it can be on my system of choice....

I've said this before BUT for the same money a PS4 and a Roku3 are great companions if you want tons of streaming apps and a media hub and the best console gaming experience for $500 total out the door. Spoken as someone who has (and so far, mostly doesn't like) an Xbox One.

My PS3 has been getting the most mileage lately even next to the next gen systems. So many great cheap games and PS+ games. PS3 is in the middle (or i guess maybe toward the end now) of a real golden era for me. I probably could have held off on both new consoles for now and continued to enjoy my PS3 for another year.

Sony fanboys, I cringe for thee.

<clears throat> I like my PC. <walks away>.

Console zealot thread is back again. Fantastic.

it's way to early to tell which of these boxes will be the 'better' one, As someone who also owns both and has been asked this question i think what you did (breaking it down into points specific to that person) is really the only way to pic just one.

I got an Xbox One because of a few reasons, and I'm going to talk about it because sometimes it feels nice to get your thoughts out (I have no real world friends that play games, it's weird but I guess I'm unlucky like that)

I've always liked how Microsoft handled it's software in it's consoles, it iterates like no other game company and kinda leads the way with software refreshes. That's something I always appreciate, it's an easy way to make your device feel better over time.

I actually dig the hardware design of the console, it's simple and in my wheelhouse of how things should look. Taste is of course subjective... I do own a Zune HD and still to this day would pay the crazy prices (they never really dropped in price I think) to replace it if I broke, I fucking love it's... everything. It's only downside is it's insane lack of support though, it is one of the devices Microsoft left to rot, I'm glad it started out so well though at least.

Out of all the games shown before release and using my brain to project into the future, the Xbox One has more games I am interested in outside of my PC. I recognize the great and very public push from Sony within the Indie games space, and it was harsh to see zero response from Microsoft at that time or really even at all since then (they may have said something... but whatever I'm not exactly scraping the internet). But seeing the vast majority of that Indie support be games I had played already, and understanding that Microsoft created that indie space on consoles in such a great start as well I couldn't really made heads or tails from THAT situation as far as seeing if it would turn out good or not.

Really it seems I was destined to buy an Xbox One the day I bought my Xbox 360, for all the Xbox One's selling points are directly tied to how I saw Microsoft handle the 360 in the first half of it's release, and a bit past that in some cases (I never hated the later dashboard updates, but I also never had a million games to make the system slow down like the giantbomb fellows seemed to have).

Talking about the hardware specifics I always thought the things Microsoft aimed for were unique and smart, at least they seem that way to me. I guess I'm more specifically talking about the use of eDRAM. At the time it seemed very progressive to me and an excellent way to tackle bottleneck problems of modern computing. Of course this little feature not only turned out to be kinda forgettable to the public (instantly maybe) but an actual none-starter with developers, as it wasn't enough to really do much with and if anything caused more overhead to actually use (both dev time/work AND actual CPU usage)... it did sort of achieve it's goal in allowing 'free' or close to free use of anti-aliasing and such, I still admire it's initial reasoning and goals, it just didn't at all scale with how the system was used in the real world. This tactic has been used once again within the Xbox One and seems to have the potential to be more useful, in the sense that the entire system is more segmented and leans into smarter usage of resources, the way the system breaks down into multiple running systems for games/apps/system etc. Having that actual system rely on some smart use of caching, and most of that work having been down by Microsoft themselves rather than just relying on it's usage within games only, means the thing might actually be getting it's value pumped out of it simply by the system doing it's thing. Of course I'd love for the system to have more of everything and it's a shame that it can't be a match for the PS4, but I guess the things it lacks in RAM don't matter as much to me knowing that what it's doing with what it has is more down my path of thinking. I don't at all dig how the PS4 interface looks, I do dig how fast the ps4 boots up and becomes responsive but the differences is none existent when the Xbox One also boots very quickly.

As a side note I wonder if the continued use of the eDRAM strategy is a big part of why these games are roughly 'less than' on the Xbox One so far, the lower resolutions on the 360 and ps3 were directly related to both performance (obvious) but also the use of eDRAM (it could handle the tiling of the image at lower resolutions). The only difference this generation being that it is in fact a new generation and both consoles are out at the same time meaning that instead of tackling this in your game on the 360 for a year THEN moving that game to the ps3, both versions are being made at the same time (in line with current games for old consoles) and this issue is only having to be dealt with on the xbox one itself and is no longer having an affect on the actual core game foundation, likely being built more on PC than ever before even if to just get a starting place (Watch Dogs as an example of PC first development). I wonder if skill in utilizing this part of the Xbox One will always hamper games in ways gamers can see, namely resolution stats, or if this will all come in line when all games push the systems enough that they are all compromising things enough that it all looks like gravy anyways and I doubt 60fps 1080p as a standard going forward, it would be rad but there's always more shiny graphics developers will wanna compromise the performance to get in.

/notsayingyoushouldtrustsonyeither

Paying full price for live shouldn't be a point in the discussion. There are so many chances to pay half or even less for Live and Plus.

I bought a day one PS4 on day one and now wish I had waited for the xbox one.

The graphical comparisons are pretty meaningless. The majority of the time you can notice in side by side screenshots but in real world situations it really doesn't matter unless the frame rate is crap. Multiplatform games are designed to run on both platforms and I could care less if one was a tinsy bit shinier.

As of late, I've recently bought a PS4. And so I've had an XONE for a while now since I got it Day One. My most anticipated this year remains to be Halo 2: Anniversary Edition. That's about it.

I bought *insert console* and this is how I justify my purchase. Please, for the love of god someone confirm my choice as correct before this weird feeling inside me eats me alive.

@ssully: You were right. *insert console* has more good games, more multimedia functions, more cool features, more p's, and more merit than *insert other console*. You can rest easy now that a stranger has affirmed your decision.

I think you gave good advice, bunch of fanboys getting mad that you recommended the other console. I don't think half the responses fully read and understood what you wrote, plus they don't know your friend like you do. Also the fact that his wife likes Dance Central, and Kinect type games is important.

good for you. I think you are wrong but good for you dude.