The Xbox One and PS4 are nearly upon us. People are excited. Some people are also, as people are prone to be, getting a little weird. “Fans” of both systems are eager to prove that one console is somehow “better” than the other, and will use any piece of information they get their hands on to prove their point.
It’s inevitable that, of the two systems, we’ll eventually come to a conclusion as to which is more powerful in terms of raw performance. Sure, each console will have their relative strengths and weaknesses, but after a while the world will eventually crown an overall winner in this regard.
But does this matter?
Consider what’s going on right now. Across forums and comments sections, people are trying to decide which console is “best” based on performance specs from third-party games. Games developed and designed to also run in some form on current-gen hardware. Games that will run on next-gen retail hardware that none of us has actually played. None of these being the best indicators of a console’s ultimate technical potential.
You know what, though, even if they were, now’s a good time to remember there’s more to a console than specs! Examples:
- I prefer the Xbox 360 to the PlayStation 3. Why? Because I prefer the controller. That’s got nothing to do with framerate or resolution.
- Others will prefer the Xbox 360 to the PS3 because Xbox Live suits their habits better.
- Others will prefer the PS3 to the Xbox 360 because of the insane bargains they get with PlayStation Plus.
- Then there are those whose favourite series is Halo, or Uncharted, and if they’re going to buy one console (or one initially), will buy the console that gets those games.
- There was a disparity between Call of Duty games on the current generation of hardware, too. The first Modern Warfare ran like poop on the PS3. Which is the same system that ultimately brought us The Last Of Us.
- The key point here? If I’d only ever bought one console in 2006, and never bought the other, I’d have been a very happy gamer with it, regardless of which one it was or how powerful its specs in comparison to the competition.
Look, if raw technical specs are what lights your fire, that’s cool. If you play only big multiplatform titles and are concerned that one console will run them better than the other, that’s cool. Let that influence your decision!
But if you’re dying to get a new console later this month (or year), and like most people will only be getting one at launch, at least try and exercise a little caution. Don’t let it be the only thing that’s driving you. I know it’s tempting to get caught up in “resolutiongate”, as it’s the only real form of competition between the consoles at this point, but as I’ve hopefully reminded you above, there’s a lot more to your enjoyment with a console than raw specs!
Comments
78 responses to “Let’s Be Cool, Guys. The Xbox One And PS4 Aren’t Even Out Yet.”
appealing for reasoned discussion on the internet is sorta like expecting a tsunami to not destroy your city if you ask it nicely.
still… good luck with that.
What’s happening with consoles at the moment is the same thing that happens to any other purchase of moderate expense. People want reassurance that they made the Right Decision(TM), so they find justification that their decision was the Right Decision(TM) in every report, every difference, every specification and developer comment and opinion piece. “My console has more Pees than that other console so it’s better”, “My console has more internets so it’s better”, it’s all just low-level attempts to find affirmation that yes, “my decision making skills are A-okay”.
In other words, it’s petty as all hell, but you’ll never stop people doing it. It’s not good enough to just like something, the thing you like has to be better than all those other things.
Spot on. Didn’t see this but it’s essentially exactly what I just posted below.
I think we posted about the same time =)
I’m stealing your “Right Decision” TM..
The zero-cost licensing fee is very attractive!
My newly formed ‘Liberty License'(tm)(patent pending) for licensing options that are not encumbered by price is definitely better, don’t you think?
well said.
I applaud your well though out answer and totally agree, however, as I am purchasing a PS4 at launch I feel obliged to yell “Moar betta grafix!”.
But otherwise, yes.
Oooh. Truth hurts 🙂
The foundation of ‘fanboyism’ and endless comparisons between the two consoles comes down to one thing: Buyers remorse. People want to validate their purchase and arguing that one console is ‘better’ than another provides people with a sense that they have made the smarter, worthier choice with their money. The majority of people won’t have the disposable income to afford two systems, and let’s be honest, unless you just HAVE to have that one console exclusive, there isn’t a whole lot of incentive to purchase both. Therefore the interminable comparisons will continue ad infinitum.
its not the one console exclusive, each console has and will have a raft of games that are exclusive to them. I also have a large amount of disposable income (though not as much disposable time). I will be buying both, and will even get a wii U when they decide to lower the price. I like the ability to pick up any game I am interested in and play it and never having to think oh I wish I had system x so I could play that game.
So while I might be in the minority, I don’t see the point to the console fanboism, but from my perspective its always come from people who can only afford one system, and need to justify to themselves that their choice was better than anyone who did make the same one. (sorry might be a bit nonsensical I just got off a 12 hour shift and am pretty tired)
Cept now another large gaming site is reporting cod chugs on ps4! Chuggate!
Most of the Kotaku US posts over the last week or so have been piling shit on the new consoles, so this article strikes me as more than a little odd.
Agreed. While I understand it’s important to provide information so people can make an informed choice, in terms of performance etc. on day one. But, the focus, and in many ways the tone of the US Kotaku articles (and this applies all the way back to the Vita, Wii U and 3DS release) is overwhelmingly negative, and appealing to populism.
I think the same thing applies to the US Kotaku reviews as well (as epitomised by their Diablo 3 review and SimCity review).
Who cares about the new consoles. My 47 year old PC is more powerful then those and between that and my OUYA I have all the gaming potential anyone could ever wish for.
Plus it’s all just a conspiracy to make you buy games. Like sheep.
hmmm, I can’t tell if trolling or not
Really?
hmmm, I can’t tell if trolling or not
Really?
hmmm, I can’t tell if trolling or not
You forgot the Virtual Boy and powerglove noob.
I know it goes against peoples base instincts to want the things they’ve invested in to be ‘the best’ (and I’ve been guilty of it myself), but what people really need to remember is that when BOTH machines go well we all win no matter which console you’ve bought.
At the end of the day the competition between the two breeds better games, better services and better value for us consumers.
I like toast.
Well, yeah. EVERYBODY likes toast. That’s not really the issue. The question is what do you put on it? Vegemite? Peanut butter? Nutella?
Vegemite is obviously the best and anybody who likes peanut butter or nutella is a moron.
It is a battle between Peanut Butter and Vegemite. Nutella shouldn’t be brought into the equation – and the fact you brought Nutella into it will haunt my dreams forever.
In the two horse race – Vegemite wins but only by a nose. If you are gonna go Peanut Butter – its crunchy or nothing.
Me, I put peanut butter AND vegemite.
Oooh me too 🙂 has to be crunchy peanut butter and needs real butter on the toast too 🙂
Vegemite wins if spread WITH butter. Without butter, Peanut butter wins.
Nutella Master Race!!!!!11one
NO WAY MAN, EVERYONE KNOWS ENGLISH MUFFINS ARE FAR SUPERIOR!
Damn straight! You can’t make a bacon and egg muffin with fucking toast!
Not unless you want a black eye.
Those of us who are part of the baguette master race laugh at your muffins.
Crumpets + melted cheese + peanut butter = 70 odd flavors of awesome.
You forgot to throw some honey on there too.
and bacon.
And banana.
I didn’t forget honey, I forgot bacon.
CRUMPETS. GODDAMN CRUMPETS.
I prefer crumpets. Toast my have more fibres/cm, crumpets render a lot thicker and can withstand more chews/cm
1. Kotaku US has had a wealth of articles shitting on particular features of particular consoles non-stop since E3. Not only that, articles shitting on consumers for not buying into the DRM mess that was the Xbox One launch.
2. Release performance and projections of continued performance throughout the gen is important stuff when you’re throwing half a thousand dollars on a bit of tech,
3. Obvious and important differences in two competing products deserve to be held up and analysed. One might win X, another is better at Y, but they’re still important differences to acknowledge.
This “why can’t we all be friends?” and “pah, those differences don’t mean anything guys, I swear” is a bit rich, given the above (especially point 1).
I don’t think the article is really directed at the people who are engaging in calm and rational discussion of the pros and cons of each platform though.
As for the hypocrisy, well, you come to expect that. One day they run a ‘Xbox One is shit and here’s why’ article, then the next day they run ‘Xbox One is super awesome and you should buy it’. It’s all click bait in the end, articles like that get people in and arguing so the ad revenue goes up.
True.
I’d love more “Here’s why console X is AWESOME!” and “Console Y is AWESOME!” articles. People will make a choice, let them know what’s great about that choice – fi there’s honestly not much, then that’ll show.
Both consoles have good features, although res quality for the Xbox doen’t look awesome right now. Could come better, same as some of the PS4 features – just needs time.
The hypocrisy of lambasting something then telling people to stop getting worked up is really irksome, though. Happy to hear that from someone who hasn’t been clickbaiting, or at least accompany it with a “We got caught up as well, but you shouldn’t”.
Pokemon Y is definitely the better version.
Agreed
These kind of arguments always amuse me. It’s sort of like religion; mine is right, yours is wrong and I will defend mine to the death. It was inevitable that the “console wars” would flare up again, because most will only buy one and they will, obviously, have made the right decision (whatever that may be).
The thing is arguing over trivialities washes away while you’re actually playing. Yeah, so the PS3 version of Red Dead Redemption was jaggier and not quite as pretty as the Xbox version, but did that take away from my enjoyment of the game? Hell no. Did I even notice until some fanboy pointed it out? HOW THE FUCK COULD I HAVE?
Long story short, I think everyone needs to feel some sort of justification that they spent their money wisely and if that means slagging off strangers on the internet, so be it. I’ll be watching from the rafters.
in the past, I’ve had multiple consoles, because i used to write reviews for various websites, so I could justify it. I’ve given up most of that now, so I’ll only be getting 1 console, and it’ll be an xbone, but that’s purely because I know more people who are getting one, so I wanna be able to play games with my mates? I couldn’t give a rats’ about the technical specs – they all end up being about the same in the end anyway.
if you’re the sort of person who find whether or not a game is running 60fps at 1080p at all times to be a dealbreaker, then go buy a goddamn PC.
fanboyism is pointless and stupid. Just shut up and play the damn games.
Do you ever get called Sergeant Dan? Or Lieutenant Dan? Just curious. I have a friend who is actually a Lieutenant and his name is Dan and we’re merciless with him.
usually “Sarge”, but whenever I do something stupid, usually while drunk, I hear something like “YOU AINT GOT LEGS, LIEUTENANT DAN”
Welcome back fans, to the eagerly-awaited launch of the 8th Newconsolympics!
970*574 for that that picture Luke?
LOL kotaku can’t do 1080p
i’ll give you that one… as much as i’d like to punch you… i’ll give you that one 😛
But which of Firefox, IE or Chrome does a better job of upscaling the 574p image?
Real users use Lynx.
Whats there to be cool about??
everyone knows the Playstation is better than the xbox……………always. I hear the PS4 can resurrect the dead and cure AIDS where as the xbox one will make your first born child blind….don’t say you weren’t warned.
As usual I can’t take Luke’s articles seriously since if you look back at his recent posts, he’s been more than willing to shit all over Sony products lately. How can I believe his call for neutrality from commenters/readers when he himself does not practice it.
BUT GHOSTS IS 720p ON XBOX ONE AND 1080p PS3!!!!
fucking morons. fanboys piss me off. it’s like you’re personally ruining someones life because you prefer the console they don’t.
that goes for everything in life really. there’s too much “i’m right and you’re wrong” instead of “i prefer this one but i respect that you prefer that one”
Being a fanboy is ruining other peoples lives? People like you make fanboys look bad.
Ps4 900 upscale xbone 720 upscale
I was hoping (in vain, it seems) that this generation wouldn’t devolve into a holy war quite so quickly; post-purchase rationalisation usually kicks in after you’ve bought the thing, after all.
“Blessed are the fanboys, for their determination knows no bounds.”
A lot of people have already bought them, they just haven’t got them. Preorders let you kick in that buyers remorse long before you even get the object you will come to hate for not being perfect like the other choice.
Well, I think it’s exacerbated by the fact that you either stick by your preorder, or you get a refund – supply problems means you have no option to change your mind this late (unless you’re willing to wait for the next wave). I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more than a few people rationalising purely because they feel that they no longer have the option of switching their preorder to the other console.
Why doesn’t everyone buy a Wii U instead of one of the new consoles. See what Sony and Microsoft do about that
Wii U this generation is for the people that really don’t give a shit what other people think. That’s why they’re happy =)
Can confirm. I’ve enjoyed my Wii U far more than I anticipated. In fact, after buying it, my gaming PC was untouched for nearly a month.
The Wii U is my most played at the moment as well – by a long shot. As a gaming machine, I don’t really have much use for my PS3 at the moment. And as soon as Mario 3D World comes out, I won’t really have much use for anything… except Mario 3D World.
If only Sony & Microsoft had decent mascots, it’d be a lot easier to decide.
Gone are the good ‘ol days of a console war fought to the death between Sonic & Mario.
You know that there are PS3 controllers with the Xbox layout, don’t you?
Personally, I’ve always preferred the Dualshock controller. The Xbox controller just looks weird to me, and I just prefer having the two sticks down the bottom of my controller. Seems like I’m the only one who thinks that, but ah well.
This is exactly what I don’t get
You can literally buy Xbox360 controllers for sony but hardly anyone uses them.
Cant wait for PS4 controller though 🙂
Well I am admittedly a Sony fan boy. But capable of rational thought. I am able to look at both consoles side by side and see the pros and cons of both. My honest opinion is that the PS4 is better. That is based on the current situation, technical specs and pre release performance. I argue with xbox fanboys all the time because they are totally irrational.
After all, stupid can’t be left uncorrected.
It’s like they forgot about the whole drm thing
I was all aboard the PS4 train until I found out it couldn’t stream movies/music from my NAS. DLNA isn’t supported despite being founded by Sony. What’s up with that?
‘…after a while the world will eventually crown an overall winner…’
What’s the precedent for this? I mean, I know from a sales perspective the wii won last gen, and the ps2 before that, but that hardly allows us to crown a winner, does it? From here it looks like the true winner last gen was the guy who owned all the consoles – they were all excellent with individual strengths
Please guys, there is more to the console race than graphics. Lets not all be worried about how many P one console has over the other.
Now go read our next article… http://www.kotaku.com.au/2013/11/heres-call-of-duty-ghosts-compared-on-ps3-360-ps4/
My line of thinking was, I’m not much of a streamer with movies to the lounge, I do that in my room, So half of Xbox One’s purpose is not useless, but definitely not going to be taken fully advantaged of, and Sony built their console with the developers in mind, and honestly, if I end up buying a next generation console, it’s going to be for games I can’t play on pc, or would rather have a controller with. So uncharted, some racing games, a few other third person shooters, and maybe even indie games.
I never buy indie games on steam. if I play a game on pc it’s for 40 minutes at least, not 12.
Are people really getting fanboyish this time around? I haven’t really seen a lot of it. I’m under the impression that a lot of people are underwhelmed this time around, but that just might be me.
Honestly about underwhelmed by the next gen. I really like how Sony is handling the PS4, but is it really worth hours and hours of typing pointless stats? We’re all gamers, why not show some bloody maturity for once.