New video game consoles out after 7 years.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: As it does every year, the holiday season has descended upon us. Christmas decorations are up everywhere, stores are stockpiling their inventories in anticipation of Black Friday, and families are stockpiling their coupons for the same reason. But this year, holiday shopping will almost certainly be just a little more crowded and, dare I say, even more violent. Why? Because for the first time since 2006, there are new video game consoles available: Sony’s Playstation 4 and Microsoft’s XBOX One.
The hotly anticipated game consoles will be the first major releases for serious video gamers in seven years, when the XBOX 360 debuted in November 2006 (Sony’s Playstation 3 debuted the same month but one year earlier). While Nintendo has carved out a very respectable market share for itself by catering predominantly to younger players – its popular Wii system features games like Wii Sport, Mario Bros. and Pokemon, a far cry from what most people over the age of 16 have any interest in – the arrival of the PS4 and XBOX One could not have come sooner.
The systems are expected to sell like hotcakes in the coming months, and have already opened over the past couple of weeks to robust numbers. The PS4, which hit shelves November 15, sold one million units in just the first 24 hours alone. The XBOX One, which came out one week later, has put up similarly solid numbers. The vast majority of consumers are only going to be able to buy one or the other, not both. So for all you parents out there who are undoubtedly getting requests from your children for one of these, which one is the better buy? Well, let’s break things down:
For starters, let’s examine the XBOX One ($499 + tax), primarily because the previous two XBOX systems are the ones I have the most familiarity with. The system allows to you record live TV, video-conference with friends, watch movies (it can now play Blu-ray Discs, which its predecessor could not), and share game data, among other functions. It can playback full 7.1 surround sound and can even output in 4K resolution, if your TV is capable.
The XBOX One also comes standard with a 1080p Kinect camera, which is similar to the Wii in that it allows games to be played by tracking the motion of the player, rather than via a controller. The camera puts out millions of invisible dots around the room that track movement and translate it onto the character within the game. Some love it, some don’t – your mileage will vary.
Microsoft received a lot of criticism early in its development of the XBOX One for disallowing users to share games, meaning that each new game would come with a code that could only be used once, and after that, you could only share the game with a limited number of friends that you would first have to prove to Microsoft that you knew. This essentially prevented users from buying and selling used games, which represents a huge chunk of the game industry and keeps stores like Gamestop alive.
Thankfully, Microsoft heard its fans complaints and abandoned this idea, but kept one significant caveat: the XBOX One must be connected to the internet in order to function. If the system goes without internet connectivity for 24 hours, it won’t let you play games. The reason for this is that Microsoft is trying to market its system more aggressively as a complete entertainment hub, not just a video game console. That’s partly why they named it the XBOX One, as if to say that it’s a one-stop shop for all your entertainment needs. These functions make use of cloud computing, which requires constant internet access via Wi-Fi or hard-wired Ethernet.
So why buy the XBOX One? Frankly, if you’ve already gotten used to the XBOX 360, the new system won’t present a huge learning curve for you to adjust to, since functionally they operate very similarly. There’s more hard drive and memory capacity under the hood, and a faster 64-bit, AMD processor as well, but the system also comes with a heftier price tag than its competitor. If you or your kids are into shooter games, like the massively popular “HALO” and “Forza Motorspot” franchises, XBOX One is probably the better bet, especially since the aforementioned games are exclusive to Microsoft.
Now on to the Playstation 4 ($399 + tax), Sony’s new system and, in my opinion, the better buy. Sony’s system offers many of the same things that the XBOX One does: Blu-ray playback capability, a 500 GB hard drive capacity, 8 GB RAM, and AMD Processor, namely. Both systems feature huge upgrades in the quality of their graphics, creating more life-like visuals than ever before, but that shouldn’t be a surprise at all (it may be important to note, however, if your kid is trying to buy an ultra-violent shooting game, since the violence will look all the more realistic now).
The PS4 also has its own version of the Kinect, which is called Playstation Move and is modeled more closely after the Nintendo Wii. You hold two stick-like controllers, one in each hand, and as you move them, your character on the TV will move, too. It also has a Playstation Camera, which works almost exactly like the Kinect, sensing movement throughout the room. The regular controller for the PS4 is largely the same as the PS3, but now has a small screen on it, similar to the Playstation Portable (PSP).
Unlike the XBOX One, however, the PS4 does not require being connected to the internet to function, although it is recommended. This may not be a big deal for many, but for those with paranoia about information being shared and the security of having your information store “in the cloud,” the PS4 will probably give you more peace of mind.
Another problem with the PS4 is, unlike its predecessor, online gaming will no longer be free. While XBOX has always charged a subscription fee for its XBOX Live service, which allows users to play with others around the world, Playstation’s has been free. That has changed with their new system, which will require payment to join the Playstation Network (pricing information can be found here for PS4 and here for XBOX One).
Both systems allow you to connect your smartphones and tablets via a specific app, which allows you to use your device as a “second screen” with which to play a game or watch extra content that you stream through the console. It’s one of those functions that probably won’t get a whole lot of use, but it’s a sign of the XBOX One and PS4 trying to be fully integrated entertainment stations that function as more than just video game consoles.
A big problem with both the XBOX One and PS4, however, is that they will not play any games you (or your kids) already own for the XBOX 360 or PS3, meaning that if you have Madden NFL 25 for the old system and want to play it on the new one, you’re going to have to plunk down around $60 to buy Madden NFL 25 all over again.
Essentially, both Microsoft and Sony haven’t made just “video game consoles,” they’ve made complete entertainment hubs, something that they hope will become the focal point of your home theater. Neither system is just a toy for only the kids to play with anymore, they’re for the whole family. Money is probably the biggest difference between the two systems, and frankly, I don’t think the XBOX One is significantly better enough than the PS4 to justify costing $100 more. On the other hand, if you’ve had the previous XBOX models and are comfortable with the interface and controllers, not a whole lot has changed in those regards, so you may want to stick with it – ditto for the PS4.
It’s also important to note that both game systems, especially the PS4, will likely come out with better, cheaper versions in a year or two. The Playstation 3 went through several iterations during its lifespan; every couple of years, a new version came out that was smaller, sleeker, and faster, and it’s likely that Sony will do something similar with their new console. If you’re willing and able to wait that long (no official announcement of an upgraded version for either console has yet been made), I’d advise doing so, rather than spending a few hundred now and then another few hundred down the road.
Consumers should also be wary that the first batch of consoles released inevitably have bugs and hardware kinks that the company’s generally don’t sort out because they haven’t properly tested them, leaving it to buyers to find these problems and go through the headaches of redeeming warranties, spending time on the phone trying to get a new console sent to them, and so on. While it’s very likely that whatever you buy will work just fine, keep in mind that you’re sort of an unofficial guinea pig when it comes to ironing out wrinkles in the systems’ hardware and software.
So, to sum up: my pick is for the Playstation 4. I’ve been an XBOX guy ever since the original came out more than a decade ago, but the cheaper price tag and fewer restrictions on Sony’s system has won me (and more than a few XBOX users I know personally) over to their side. That’s not to say the XBOX One is a total failure, but I simply don’t see enough of a reason to pay $100 more for it when the PS4 already does everything I want it to do. True, XBOX has some better console-exclusive games, but the vast majority of the big games come for both Sony and Microsoft, so it’s not a huge loss at all.
When it comes to these systems, I really only care about the console’s ability to play games and movies – your individual preferences will undoubtedly vary, but hopefully I’ve given enough of an overview for both systems that you can now make an informed decision.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com