As an object, there is no mystery surrounding the Xbox One. It is as accessible as a household device could possibly hope to be. ‘I look like something you’ve used before,’ it seems to say.
‘Love me?’
The Xbox One is familiar. The Xbox One looks like a VCR. It looks like a DVD player. The Xbox One could be a blender for christ’s sake. It looks like it might make you a cup of coffee or toast your sandwiches.
The PlayStation 4, on the other hand, is drenched in mystery.
The PlayStation 4 looks like a monolith. Like an object from the future, or another dimension. It looks like it came from space. It’s sleek; a shape strange enough to feel beguiling, weird enough to dazzle the eye. I approach the device apprehensively. I plug it into my television. Where is the on button? ‘I can’t find the on button’.
The PS4 is so mysterious it won’t even tell you where the on button is.
I clumsily dance around the device grunting and panting like a confused gorilla. “Where is the on button?” I vocalise — barely — as I begin slapping the monolith at random points in its architecture. On button? On button! ON BUTTON! TURN ON GODDAMN YOU!
Thus Spoke Zarathustra plays softly in the background. A beam of blue light shoots up the centre of the device, splitting the monolith in half. I have turned the PlayStation 4 on.
The PlayStation 4 is on.
Let’s talk about the PlayStation 4.
People want to pretend the things that make the PlayStation 4 valuable as a product aren’t important. People who write about video games will say these things with a straight face. Words like: ‘The design of the console isn’t that significant’. ‘The difference in visual quality between the PS4 and its rival the Xbox One isn’t important’. They’re wrong.
They are important. It doesn’t matter if the difference in visual quality is insignificant, it only matters that there is a difference. I do not care how silly it makes me look. This is a newsflash: as long as there is a difference in performance between two rival consoles it is important to know what that difference is and which one is more powerful. This information will help you make an informed choice and that is important. It may not affect your decision — obviously there are other factors — but it is an important tangible. When people say these things aren’t important what they’re really trying to do is make a grander point about video game aesthetics or design. That’s fine, but it doesn’t make you a more informed consumer.
So, to open this hands-on of the PlayStation 4, I am here to tell you what you most likely already know: when it comes to 3rd party games that run across both consoles, those games are going to run better on the PS4. They will most likely run at a higher resolution. They might run with a smoother frame rate. The difference between the two may shrink in time. It most likely will shrink as developers get used to creating games for both consoles but, for now, there is a difference and it is noticeable. And it is important.
But there is more.
Other things are important.
Because, conversely, people may try to tell you the things that make the Xbox One valuable as a product aren’t important. They’ll say things like, ‘I just want to play games, I don’t want to watch TV on my console. I don’t care about apps and music’. This may apply to you but it doesn’t mean these features won’t be useful to other people.
Let’s place this in the context of a review. As a device designed to sit at the centre of your living room experience, the PlayStation 4 simply cannot compete with the Xbox One, not even now as Microsoft’s Trojan horse takes its first clumsy steps in the Australian market. As a media center, The Xbox One is a device brimming with potential; The PlayStation 4 is curiously muted.
And as rudimentary as the Xbox One’s app selection was upon launch, the PS4’s choice is significantly worse. The prices you are expected to pay to watch television are just as overpriced as they are on Xbox. $2.99 for one standard definition episode of Breaking Bad? No thanks.
And it’s missing what is perhaps the most forward facing feature of the Xbox One: the HDMI-in.
I am currently not using the HDMI-in on my Xbox One. I don’t have a digi-box, I don’t have Foxtel, but the mere presence of this input is reassuring. ‘Time will pass’, it seems to say. ‘One day you will have a use for me, and I’ll be here waiting’.
The PlayStation 4 does not have a HDMI-in. I’m not sure if that’s a mistake, but it’s definitely an omission worthy of note. It may not be important to you, but it is important.
Let’s talk about controllers.
The Xbox One’s controller is a refinement of something that was already close to perfect. The PS4’s controller represents a far more dramatic shift. It takes something old-fashioned and it wipes the slate clean. It upends the tea table. Perhaps the most glorious compliment I can grant the PlayStation 4’s controller is this: it makes things competitive.
Because before there was no competition. The Xbox 360’s controller was a refined, delicate thing. The PS3’s was a steam rolled car crash trundling towards death; creaking and groaning with its spongy analogue sticks, and its unresponsive, ill-positioned buttons. The Dual Shock 3 was a controller in dire need of reinvention; the direct, technical equivalent of the middle aged man wearing the exact same clothes for the past 30 years because that’s what he wore back when he was skinny and beautiful. My Dad is 53 years old. He still wears Adidas Samba. In this analogy my Dad is a PlayStation 3. His Adidas Samba running shoes are the Dual Shock 3. Dad, you really need to get a different pair of running shoes.
The PlayStation 4 controller doesn’t fit into my analogy, it fits into your hand. It looks and works in the way you couldn’t imagine a PlayStation controller working until this point. It’s comfortable, it’s responsive. The analogue sticks have changed to the point where I think I may actually prefer them to the Xbox One equivalent. Never in a million years would I have thought I could be capable of writing that sentence, but now that sentence exists.
And the controller innovates — in the right areas. It lacks the sheer brilliance of the Xbox One’s fourway rumble rotors, but the addition of a touchpad and an internal speaker more than makes up for that omission. And, guys, it has a headphone jack in the controller. In the controller.
Last generation, the PS3’s controller was bad to the point where I actively chose not to play third party games on the PlayStation unless forced to. Now it’s a competition. Hell, it’s more than a competition. It’s neck and neck, to the point where I legitimately don’t know which controller I prefer.
Video games. The PlayStation 4 plays video games. It plays them very well.
Much has been made of the PlayStation 4’s sparse launch line-up. It’s razor tight, but there is an argument to be made that the Xbox One’s slate is slightly better, particularly when it comes to exclusives. There’s Forza Motorsport 5, Ryse (if you like that sort of thing) and Dead Rising 3. The PlayStation 4, on the other hand has Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack.
But here’s the weird thing: I’ve spent way more time playing games on the PlayStation 4 than I have on the Xbox One. Why is that?
There are two answers to that question.
The first answer is Resogun. The expanded answer is that Sony, already, bears the fruit of a far more extensive digital focus when it comes to video games. The PlayStation 4 has launched with a decent line-up of digital exclusives and in 2014 that number looks set to swell considerably. This is significant.
The second answer is simple: whenever I want to play a third party game that’s available on both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, I play that game on the PlayStation 4.
I do so for a number of reasons. Games install quicker on the PS4, they look better on the PS4, they run more smoothly. I can play them quicker. I like rattling through the PS4’s slick UI. I like the blue light the PS4 makes when it turns on. Slowly but surely I’m starting to like the controller more. At this stage, when you play a game on the PlayStation 4, it feels like you’re playing the definitive version of what that game should be.
Last generation the PlayStation 3 had a more lengthy list of compelling exclusive titles, but that didn’t matter to me. I played my Xbox 360 more. Far more. The ability to play a better version of the game that appears on both platforms is paramount and, for now, in that regard, the PlayStation 4 has the Xbox One beat.
I’m going to say something most people won’t say in console ‘reviews’ for fear of offending someone.
I have a favourite. The PlayStation 4 is my favourite.
The PlayStation 4 is my favourite for a whole bunch of reasons specific to me. I don’t want/need a console that functions as a media center. I don’t like the idea of trying to talk to a device that doesn’t understand my Scottish accent. You might want/need some sort of media center. You probably don’t have a Scottish accent.
My brother has a Scottish accent. In a phone call recently he asked me which console he should buy. I told him to buy a PlayStation 4. After hearing my reasons why he should buy a PlayStation 4 he decided to ignore me and buy an Xbox One. Why? Once again there are two answers.
The first is simple: his reasons for buying a console were slightly different than mine.
The second answer is far more interesting: the PlayStation 4 is my favourite because I already have an Xbox One. The feature set the Xbox One brings to my life? I am already taking it for granted.
The ability to seamlessly use Skype, the ability to stream content to my TV, the YouTube app, the exclusives. They matter less to me because I already have them. Their very existence as part of the Xbox One package allows me to just indulge in the PlayStation 4 as a machine that plays games.
Here is the real question, this is the one I find more difficult to answer: if you were to ask me to walk into my living room right now and throw one of those consoles over the balcony, I have no idea which one I would choose. I prefer the PlayStation 4. But could I really live without the Xbox One now that it has become an integral part of my life? I just don’t know.
Oh come on Mark you big pussy, just choose one.
Okay, I’ll throw the PlayStation 4 over the balcony.
But only because it has a far better chance of surviving the fall.
Comments
105 responses to “The Things That Are Important About The PlayStation 4”
I prefer to use my consoles as media centers rather than my PC, and the XBOX One has totally failed me in that regard. Can I stick a USB stick in a PS4 and watch an avi file? I’m guessing the answer is yes. Like last generation I’m guessing the line ‘well, you can, but it lacks the features of the most basic desktop media player applications’ would be fitting, but the XBOX One has gone lower than that. Right now I rank it underneath my Surface Pro’s built in media player apps.
From what I’ve read, the answer is no.
Argh. I just don’t get it. They both want to be these fancy all purpose media centers, and yet every time they get blown out of the water by entry level desktop programs. Windows Media Player actually looks good compared to the stuff on the XBOX 360 and PS3.
The problem is that the media centre you want is not the media centre Microsoft or Sony have made/want to make; they cant make money off you if youre wanting to stick your USBs into it or stream stuff from another device.
This times 10000000000000000000x
I have my portable 2gb HDD, I have everything i watch on it, I used to plug it into my 360 and most things worked, movies, tv shows. Anything else I had to use my laptop and plug that into the tv. (which was realy only 1080p anime shows.)
Now neither console will play my hdd.
I would also state they both fail beyond belief as any kind of media center because I can’t control them. The ps4 wont accept a universal remote, the XB1 does. But the XB1 wont accept my tv remote or the 360 remote or the ps3 remote and neither will the PS4 and to make it worse.
NEITHER DEVICE HAS A FUCKING REMOTE AT LAUNCH WTF IS THIS NONSENSE ! ! ! ! !
trying to control the XB1 with kinect is a joke, there is so much delay between pausing playing and rewind and you have to say it so many times. The controller is just as bad, now instead of just pressing A to pause i have to press B to activate the pop up menu to press A to pause and even that has a horrible delay or a few seconds. Not sure if the ps4 controller will be the same as last gen or the XB1 but either way its not good enough (there is a reason i bought the ps3 remote.)
In related to the article I Think mark has missed one of the most important aspects, multiplayer. The ps4 has nothing on Xbox live, it doesn’t have the dedicated servers it doesn’t have the robust everything. So the ps4 might look better or run at a slightly higher res but without having the best multiplayer it can’t be the “best”.
I was like mark too, any and everything was 360 for me, ps3 was my cheap bluray and exclusive only machine.
Have I just woken up and travelled back in time to 1993? If so, I’m going to buy shares in 3DO.
Boy do I miss their games.
clearly I missed something?
Far easier to just transfer everything I watch onto one HDD than set up a convoluted network and watch each separate device fail to pull x or Y. Certainly not going to set up a dedicated anything either when I can just use a HDD that takes mere seconds to swap data.
Not a lot, 2 Tera bytes… not Gig. Sure I would be surprised if you made by with just 2gb.
But I would be calling you a GOD if someone had a 2gb hard drive in 1993!!!
200mb HDD was like $600… in 1995/6 or something crazy like that…
I used to know prices by heart when I was 14, bit fuzzy now and not worth remembering. 😛
Not sure about the 3DO reference, but I think its the fact that you can store all your movies and whatnot on just a 2gigabyte HDD
You have a 2gb HDD – I have a 64GB USB. Can you figure it out yet?
And DMA design. Don’t forget Apple!
“I was like mark too, any and everything was 360 for me, ps3 was my cheap bluray and exclusive only machine.”
Same here. Same here.
I love Sonys online store on the PS3 and MediaGo.. Its fantastic. I buy a new Walking Dead episode each week. I agree with your points regarding the functionality of the systems. It really is hard to think of the Playstation as an all media entertainment device when they get so many simple things wrong . I havt used a Ps4 but hopefully its better than what im reading.
Smartglass is good for xbox one, I use my current phone or my older phone as a remote when I watch SBS on demand etc
The two worst things about the Xbone as a media center is that it can’t play USBs, but more importantly there’s currently no way to have you own music streaming over a games audio (a custom soundtrack) unless you’ve got the music player ‘snapped’ to your screen so you’re playing the game within a window.
I don’t know if everyone else remembers, but when the Original Xbox launched with a HDD custom soundtracks were one of the biggest features and it’s a massive deal to me that you can’t do that right now, particularly with Forza being the best of the launch games. Most games I don’t mind, but Forza is probably the game I’m most likely to have a custom soundtrack on for, even if I’m just painting cars I don’t want to listen to the default music.
Losing that functionality is a perfect example of how ‘beta’ the Xbones front-end seems at the moment.
Yeah. I’ll admit I didn’t use the XBOX 360’s music player that much, but funnily enough the games that I used it most with were Dead Rising and Need for Speed.
I used it for just about everything that didn’t have a narrative and wasn’t using music to build atmosphere.
So basically just about everything on Xbox Live(as brilliant as it was I don’t think people would have played Trials as long as they did if they had to listed to that music), anytime I was playing a multiplayer game with mates and during every racing game ever. Forza is the PERFECT game for it, doing laps or painting a car while listening to a favourite album makes the experience so much better.
To blatantly overlook that function at launch (especially since it’s basically there, it plays music over the top of a game as long as 1/3 of the screen is ‘snapped’ to the music player) shows just how badly MS struggled to get the Xbone out the door in time for Nov 22.
I actually just hooked up my old gaming PC to my TV as a media centre, and with things like Steam Streaming coming, between my Wii U and gaming PC i’m not going to bother with a PS4 or Xbone.
Xbox One will support streaming via USB at some point. For now it supports “Play To” streaming from Windows PCs, tabltes and Windows Phone…you right-click on a file > Play To > Xbox One. Works for Music and Video. It works pretty well…and I can watch files as soon as they finish downloading no 5 minute wait to transfer to USB. It is very different to using my 360 but I’m getting used to it and even enjoying it. PS4 does not have an equivalent streaming system – you cannot stream media AT ALL on PS4.
Yeah – I think consoles are lousy media players for a bunch of reasons, the key one being a lack of file support. I also don’t like how both Sony and MS are pushing their own services, which are crap.
I don’t know about the Sony offering, but Xbox Music is pretty effing good.
Even the USB support on 360 was kind of weird. I remember plugging in a USB and being told the video was an invalid format or something, but I was able to stream that same file from my PC.
Yeah there were alot of problems until they added that codec pack after the first year or so. but everything that is properly encoded in mp4 right now works perfectly on the 360.
At this rate I’m going to need to keep it connected untill the new stuff sorts this stuff out >.
Unfortunately not. Though it will probably be patched in at a later date.
Actually, I think the answer is no. At this point, anyway. Apparently they’re looking at putting that support back in, but right now as far as I’m aware the PS4 doesn’t support external USB media storage and I don’t think it will stream from a media server, either.
Not sure when they’re planning on patching that support in, but I hope they hurry up and do it before I get around to buying one next year sometime.
No, you can’t stick a USB into the PS4 and play videos. It is actually a worse media centre than the XBONE.
I don’t think I’m sold on either device at the moment, although if I did get one, I’d buy the XB1 for the media center feature because we use that a lot in my house.
I’ve got 8 years worth of games built up on both consoles and both my PS3 and Xbox 360 work perfectly. If the new gen did backwards compatibility, then I’d probably be more inclined to go and purchase one, but I’m a uni student with bills and shit and it’s an awful lot of money.
Lack of backwards compatibility is probably the biggest issues for both console, despite it seemingly being the least discussed prior to launch. Everyone was too hung up on ERMAGHERD DRM to focus on much else.
I’ve heard many people say the same thing about their backlog taking priority over next gen and it makes sense.
That’s what I’m doing. Have decided that I’m going to try and wait till at least next christmas for both, maybe even longer if there are rumbles of redesigns by then. The awesome games I miss out on in the meantime will instead become the cheapest, most awesome launch lineup in history.
I got a PS4 because I’m terrible with back catalogs and have gone the opposite way – I’m using this gen and lack of backwards compatibility to basically wipe the slate clean and move on. Between my PC, the now PS4, my 3DS and Vita, I’m anxious enough about having too many games to play without adding half of an entire generation’s catalog to my misery. =)
That’s essentially my plan, too. My steam backlog is ridiculous – i have no time to play all of them. I will only buy content rich games this year and play the crap out of them. Hell, im expecting BF4 to last me until Dark Souls 2. That and Titanfall will consume the rest of the year and we havnt even mentioned watch dogs or the witcher yet. All these games promise a massive wealth of content. Im done with my back catalogue – at least for 2014
The next trick will be to stop buying games I put 30 mins into, plan to play and never quite get to.
Most the games I want are coming out on 360 or PS3 anyway (Watch Dog and Titanfall) so there’s no point in investing for those either.
Yeah. I’m never that outraged by the lack of backwards compatibility. Long term I find it pretty useless, but in the first six months it’s so handy. I’ve got XBOX 360 games that I want to play and I’d love to be able to do that on my XBOX One. Call me a sucker, but I’d gladly pay extra to have these games on XBOX One or PS4 even if there were no improvements made to them at all. I’m probably going to miss Arkham Origins because it’s too late now (although I’ve heard I’m not missing much).
I can understand why from a technology standpoint backwards compatibility would be difficult, the hardware is so drastically different that they would have to develop a very advanced emulation system for it to work. But it is kind of crap, I want to be playing the New Persona game coming out, or replay Shadow of the Colossus in HD. Also, from what I can tell none of the playstation 1 and 2 games are available on the ps4 yet, I would hope that any previous purchases on your account would move forward if it’s merely emulation.
Yeah, like you said – hardware is so very different, it’s difficult. The PS4 makes more sense – the PS3 used Cell Broadband which is vastly different to anything else, and the x86 processors they’re using now. Emulation would take crazy amounts of grunt and might not even work that well. Cell Broadband was the main reason the PS3 was notoriously difficult to code for and why some game ports that worked perfectly well on PC and 360 were a buggy, laggy mess.
The Xbone is a bit of a mystery to me though, They’re still using x86 processors (to my knowledge, correct me if I’m wrong) , like they have done previously. Not sure why they couldn’t.
That DS4 is amazing. It’s long overdue, but Sony finally reworked it and did a fantastic job. Despite the PS3 winning the title for me last gen, even I couldn’t deny the 360 controller’s superiority.
While I haven’t held an Xbone controller, all pictures seem to indicate it hasn’t changed much – and that isn’t a criticism – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But the DS4 pips the 360 controller for sure, and Sony definitely wins the ‘most improved’ category’ with the controller. But some would argue they couldn’t have made it any worse. I didn’t hate the DS3 as much as some, but it had it’s quibbles.
Still need to use an Xbone before I comment on the rest of the system, but I have friends in both camps, and both seem pretty chuffed with their purchases. We probably need to wait until we’re all settled in with our new housemates and the honeymoon period has worn off before we make proper judgement, though.
The XBOX One controller is pretty good. It’s not mind-blowing and I’d struggle to name ten of the ’40+ innovations’ but they’ve really done a good job or refining the XBOX 360 controller with subtle additions and changes.
I’m a bit wary of the DS4, it looks like there’s a little too much forced innovation going on there, but I’m guessing when I get one in my hands it’ll be good.
See how you feel about it with it in your hands, but I picked mine up and said ‘Wow.’ immediately. Had my PS4 for a week and I still think it’s fantastic. The whole thing is brilliant – just need to see how well the touchpad works later down the line.
But everything else – smaller diameter analog stick tops, with an indentation for your thumbs to sit in, instead of sliding off the giant, convex DS3 sticks – the L2 and R2 triggers, the hand grips, the textured back for grippiness, inbuilt speaker/mic, headphone jack, Micro B connector, it’s all improved.
I actually found that I didn’t like the way the Xbox One controller sat in my hands. X360’s felt perfect immediately, like pulling on a glove. XB1 feels smaller and awkward somehow. Haven’t used it for any substantial gaming though so it might just be a case of needing to adjust.
Sony controllers are a big deal for me. I cannot stand them and I think they are way way too small, feel cheap and are too light (don’t even start me on the placement if the thumb stick placements) . I used the new controller today and while it does have improvements, it feels the same. I understand a lot of people don’t feel the same but don’t try and tell me the new controller is light years ahead of the ps3 version. It’s the same layout. I would probably pick up a ps4 tomorrow if I didn’t dislike it that much.
And this is the question should be asking, What do you want the next console for. That will be what drives the sales. Personally I am buying a PS4 and to a degree am worried about not getting the XB One – However I think I will be happy with that purchase because I have so many other gadgets that can do the Media Center thing for me, and realistically I dont rely on Media stuff that much.
I’m buying the PS4 for a Gaming machine and am very much looking forward to it…
Does someone want to knock me out for 3 weeks please so I dont have to wait long?
Buy either console and you won’t be disappointed. They will both be great.
Played a little with the PS4 demo station at Dick Smith (dont worry, I didn’t enter any shitty competitions while I was there) and it felt good. The games dont seem like much just yet, but I liked the UI and the controller felt fantastic. I didnt realise the touch screen actually pressed in like a button as well. And the headphone port in the controller was a brilliant touch.
Havent had the chance to get near an XB1 yet though.
The XB1 media centre stuff is currently borked for Australia, and Sony have said they are bringing DLNA etc. soon anyway, so I don’t see the media centre/connectivity issue being a factor in either of them within 6 months.
e.g. Skype for PS4. http://www.handytips.info/1567/microsoft-we-want-skype-on-ps4/
Thanks for sharing Mark but i’m still curious about one part I didn’t read about. How’s the Online play? Not the games but the functionality and getting people together. I found the 360 to be a lot better for getting friends together, playing and chatting compared to the PS3 (Sony just never realised how nice MS made it). I expect the XB1 is the same sort of standard like 360 (XBL parties, head set, chat stuff will all work). I always MP’d on 360 because of that so I’m hanging to hear how the PS4 holds up with playing online with friends. This is more important to me than the graphics so if you know, please tell 🙂
I have played one game of Fifa14 online on XBone and it was really good – quick connection and gameplay didnt suffer at all… Thats playing on roughly 10mbs connection. Coming from a PS3 background the online felt amazing… But id love to see how Sony are going with their servers for PS$ and I also need to see what Ryse, DR3 and Forza are like online… DR3 has a drop in drop out co op mode for the storyline but i just wanted to run through it myself first time after the abomination that was Dead Island Riptide – Went out for a cigarette and came back on a new level completely missed the cutscenes and couldnt go back!!! I have a feeling DR3 wouldnt do that anyway…
Actually I’m going to smash Ryse online tonight and let yall know how it goes
Um sadly MS have kinda dropped the ball on the multi, at this stage, partying up is quite a chore, there is no ‘invite to game’ or ‘join session in progress’ if your in a party, the host basically drags everyone into the game with them, took me and a mate about 40min to get Dead Rising 3 working, would hardly call it drop in and drop out was a chore, Ryse seems pretty easy to get a buddy in the arena but even that doesnt work 100% of the time. I too loved the 360 multi compared to ps3 so hopefully MS works on it, it has definately taken a few steps backwards.
I’m curious to learn if the Xbone is using dedicated servers or if things are still peer to peer with a host as is presently the case?
I would have thought that was based on the game? I’m sure BF3 didn’t use P2P servers on the 360.
No it didn’t but it was the only one.
“The PS4 was a steam rolled car crash trundling towards death” ???
It’s nice to know I’m not the only one that thinks noting the differences between the technical aspects of the machine is important to making a purchasing decision. All other things being equal I’m going to pick the better performing/looking version of the game every time, why lessen the experience out of stubborn loyalty?
PS4 For me.
I have my pc hooked up to my tv and I don’t bother with foxtel or austar. I have no need. I just watch every current show a couple of hours after that episode has aired in the US, so I’m not behind and I won’t miss out on anything. I have no need for a media player and the options for AU compared to the US are crap as it is anyway.
My PC plays the third party games maxed out, PS4 is for exclusives, pure and simple for me. Don’t even need to use it as a blu ray player, that’s what my pc is for.
And I’m not a fanboy. I’ve had two ps3’s and still currently have a 360 S hooked up, so these two systems will sit nicely side by side. But as you can see, for me it’s pretty easy to decide between the two which one suits me the best.
I just wish I could use that XB1 controller, will probably buy the PC version lol.
Mark. This article….is amazing.
I have tears. Fucking tears.
Daisy, daaaiiis-syyyy
Nice article! Best review on either I’ve read yet! I bought an XBone and I totally appreciate the PS4’s power but wanted to get the XBone first – Exclusives did sway me but so did all the potential!.. I love the part where you prefer the PS4 but couldnt throw away the XBone… I feel this is going to be my sentiment when i get my hands on the PS4 in the new year… They both do their own stuff really well by the looks of things and I cant wait to get my hands on the DS4 in time for EA UFC!!!
So basically if you have both machines and you prefer to play games on the PS4 there is still a use for the Xbone. But if you prefer to play on the Xbone then there is no use for the PS4 (ignoring exclusives)
And the better version of multiplatform games.
But you can get a PS4 for games (especially 3rd party games that run better) and a separate media player for media stuff (like I already have) to replace what the xbone does (and more, ie support more formats of media, bigger storage capacity, not locked into specific platform for dling music/movies) for MUCH cheaper.
Note the the word “prefer” in my comment. If you have a subjective opinion that you like one more than the other (maybe you like the controller more or your friends play one console and not the other) than my comment (based on Mark’s article) is true.
If you throw “objective” into the mix then we would all play PCs and not consoles anyway (again, ignoring exclusives)
Ok. So I already have a pc that I use as a media centre. It is hooked up to my tv via hdmi and to my 5.1 denon reciever via optical sound. It has terrabytes of hdd space, and plays everything. It streams music via wifi and has an inbuilt tv card in case I get too lazy to swich over my tv. Since I have this, would I be better off getting the ps4 as it looks like its superior for games and my media centre takes care of the rest?
yes
Yes, basically, if you’d read the article.
“Rumble is a last generation feature” – Phil Harrison, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, 2007.
I like this new Sony better than the one that launched the PS3 and said it wasn’t possible to have motion sensing and rumble in the same controller.
Some good inclusions on that DS4.
Oh god. I had a conversation about that whole thing a while back. That was just so crazy. So hilariously crazy and batshit insane that he thought people would swallow that line of bullshit.
Is it a coincidence that Phil Harrison is now at Microsoft? It seems wherever he goes, companies start shoving their heads up their arses. Or maybe he’s just the poor bugger who has to go out and clean up the PR mess left by other peoples’ decisions.
Nope pretty sure he was the moron Eurogamer quoted when they outed the DRM situation.
Notice that since Mattrick left PR has been confined to Phil Spencer, Mark Whitten, Larry Hryb and Yusuf Medhi whereas Phil Harrison has disappeared off the face of the earth!
Why has no one talked about party chat. That was one thing the ps3 was dieing for and now that it’s on the ps4 I haven’t heard anything of it. I know the concept isn’t new as Xbox has it already but it’s still something new to ps4.
It’s a pretty freakin’ big deal, but the other changes are overshadowing it I think. It was one of the biggest things I missed when I ditched my 360 for the PS3. Me and mates used to just party up and talk for free, playing completely different games at times. Always boggled the mind how it was never a thing on PS3, and it’s not like people didn’t ask for it.
I haven’t had a chance to use it yet because I’m waiting for more friends to get their PS4s!
This is bias. & the ps4 is balls.
I had ps1,2&3
But its now booring! just another playstation , the new gen needed fun interesting stuff like voice recognition etc. Loving my Xbone.
You’re aware that PS4 has voice recognition, right?
that doesnt work properly. it will never be fully supported by Devs because half ps4 pple wont buy it. & doubt it works in aus for ages
Oh, come on. I don’t disagree with you that the PS4 is uninnovative and unimaginative but you can’t just call “bias” when a reviewer has an opinion that you don’t. You wouldn’t be calling Mark biased if he said he preferred the Xbone.
They are soooo boring !
yep playstation Bore! haha
i call it bias because the dude is the small percent that cant use the xbox properly because he has a heavy accent. therefore he doesnt like it and that is a bias review.
I have to call it like I personally see it. But you make a good point. It definitely has impacted my thoughts on Kinect as a device.
Yeah fair enough Mark, let me point out that I think you are a good reviewer and i like your work BTW.
I wanted to point out the fact to other people that the xbox was never going to work for you. But calling the ps4 balls was a little tongue in cheek to stir them up.. maybe to much 😉 I will probably have one as well soon but i stand by the fact it is missing something to make it really interesting for me as a new next gen machine should have. owel
[high five]
I developed for kinect on 360 and I have an aussie accent. That experience has possibly put me off for life, even if the tech has improved since then. The only bright side is I got my own office so I could fruitlessly yell at my devkit in private.
Go buy a Nitendo if you want that gimmicky crap
Honestly? We’re coming out of a generation that thrived on the unique, the new, we had motion controls released for every system, phones became a viable platform for development, we had a huge indie scene swell up on pc and be supported. Consoles for me need to be boring, It’s what I look for when I just want to play some normal games.
Great 2001: A Space Odyssey reference at the start.
My body is ready.
I am sure someone has already raised this….I seem to constantly!!!. I would love to know how many people have a smart TV…I do….I also wonder how many people have an Apple TV or PC plugged into their TV (or media device). I raise this as some of the multimedia benefits are therefore not that important…given some of us already have ~2 devices already plugged into the tv that allow for all of the benefits that you raise the Xbox provide.
Have I ever mentioned I like your writing Mark? Cause I do.
Good article.
This article was great. No bullshit, honest discussion on features, not a hint of bias. I’m super impressed.
I’ve been following Kotaku for almost 2 years and I just made an account purely to say this article is absolutely fucking amazing. THIS is how it should be DONE!
I am not in any way referencing the functionality of the machine which I am sure will please pretty much everyone who buys one, it suddenly occurs to me it literally looks like a door stop.
This review shows why you’re my favourite games journalist.
I like this style of review, not afraid to say whether you prefer a certain aspect over another. Glad this comparison exists for me to compare features, thanks Mark 🙂
If a media center is the defining feature of the Xbox One as a console, then it’s already dead on arrival. PS4 will sweep traditional consoles and Steam Boxes will sweep the media guys. I have 22TB of media. I’m not going to be putting up with devices that can’t handle DLNA/obscure file formats properly. Samsung TVs already do a very good job, but when I have Steam booting in seconds and then launching XBMC on top of it…. I don’t care about HDMI input, it’s a stupid feature I won’t use. Adding a UI to cable TV, really? Why use cable when there’s bit torrent? You only ever download 3-4 US shows anyway. Voice activated TVs already exist and there’s always the remote as a fallback. Frankly I think both the PS4 and Xbox One are dead on arrival because of Occulus Rift, which neither has seen coming or planned for. But I think if I do buy a console it’s going to be PS4. Power matters, graphics matter, speed of launching matters. PS4 gets you into better looking games faster. That’s what matters as a gamer.
I have a rift, it is okay, but isn’t going to replace consoles, ever. Driving and flying games are great, but FPS and other games just have too much disconnect as you ar sitting still while the image is tilting, jumping etc. but your body isn’t.
It is also tiring to use. I can play an 8 hour session on my PS3 or PC, but an hour of the rift is about all anyone can take comfortably (except the first day you get it.)
Great article. I really enjoyed that 😀
Nice, if a little bare bones review. Ill probably end up getting both.
Got my ps4 tonight and Damn I love the control feels just right.
Likewise. I am really surprised how much better it feels compared to the DS3.
Picking mine up in a couple of hours.
Behold as I throw my PS4 off my balcony!
I see a lot of people whining about the fact they cant watch the media content that they have stolen via torrents on next gen. Boohoo to you.
With that said MS and Sony are frikken nuts. People WANT to stop torrenting but with the prices that they are charging for content it wont happen. Don’t they realise if they just charge 50c or 1$ for an Episode of something that lots more people will buy them?
Hmmm – full page PS4 advertisement all over Kotaku AU. Top 5 articles all PS4 related with nary an XBox One mention in sight. A smattering of strange “excellent review!” comments for credibility. The marketing/social media team at Sony sure can smell Christmas!
Um the PS4 launched today. Did you see our site the day of the Xbox One launch?
Mark props to an awesome article mate. You have a great writing style and you’re actually one of the few journalists brave enough to out and out name your preferred console. I went with a PS4 primarily because I want my game console to first and foremost play great games, and Sony had better exclusives last gen. I also hate the way Microsoft dumps its current console as soon as the new one is around the corner (what was the last good 360 exclusive Halo 4, maybe Forza Horizon???) where as Sony keeps supporting their systems much longer – hell GT6 is coming out on PS3 next week! Saying that I will pick up an X1 next year when Halo 5 comes out as its the one MS exclusive franchise that I really love.