Consoles/Accessories
Personally I hadn’t spent a whole lot of time with PS3 mainly due to the controller. However the PS4 controller is amazing. I honestly think it’s better than the 360 controller. However Xbox One also came out with a stellar controller as well. It is really tough for me to pick between the two on this one as I can easily swap between them with no issue at all, but if I had to pick one it would be the Xbox One controller simply because that’s more what I’m used to from last gen.
Additional accessories aren’t a selling point at all in my opinion. I don’t have a PlayStation Eye but I still am able to fully enjoy PS4 without it. I do however have a Kinect, but I have only used it for a brief time with Xbox Fitness. The only thing I actively use Kinect for is voice commands and I could easily live without those. The included headset on Xbox One however is miles beyond the PS4 headset. The PS4 headset is horrible to use and I actively avoid ever having to use it.
The Interface for Xbox One can be both amazing and terrible all at the same time. It looks very blocky and basic but it can be tricky to find your way around. Once you do though it’s simple enough to remember. Also everything is separated as an app which causes a lot of problems. Most notably, the party system. But we will get to that later. The PS4 layout is a lot easier to pick up from the start since it looks exactly the same as it did on PS3. Personally I like the layout on PlayStation better because it leaves a lot more room for personalization, on Xbox it’s hard to see anything past the tiles. Also PlayStation has certain applications built in the operating system like Party Chat and Twitch which makes it a lot more stable compared to the Xbox One
Omega: With so many articles about system specs on the web, I'm going to focus on my personal experience with both consoles during the hundreds of hours I've spent gaming on each instead.
When it comes to graphics, I think what looks better on what comes down to the games developer. I've played quite a few of the same games on both systems and the only differences I've noticed was how well a game ran on one compared to the other and even that difference was minimal, rare, and varied from game to game. When it comes to exclusives, I feel the best looking exclusives are on the PS4 but the best looking XB1 exclusives aren't far behind.
As for peripherals, I think the Xbox One controller is the best in the business, especially when it comes to shooters, with the PS4 controller being a close second. The Kinect has a much better camera than the Playstation Eye but when it comes to Twitch streaming, I prefer the Playstation Eye because it doesn't have to be up my nose to get a close up on my face. The auto zoom on the Kinect is horrendous when it comes to the Twitch app. The Xbox headset that comes in the box is much better than the one packed in with the PS4 but they have a tendency to break, often. I would recommend a third party headset for both consoles.
Installing games is a much faster process on the Playstation 4 in my experience. And by process, I mean from the time I put the disc in to the time I'm playing the game. In most cases, 99%, it has been less than 10 minutes on PS4 while it ranged anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes on the Xbox One depending on the size of the game. I'm not sure if it's because the PS4 background installs but I do know only one game had me wait for additional installation after starting it up,Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition. The XB1 does let you start up games before installation is complete but most times there's a feature you can't use until it's done.
As for the user interface, that all depends on the user. I've heard people say they prefer the Xbox UI and I've heard them some say they prefer the Playstation UI. I personally prefer the PS4 UI. The Xbox home page is too cluttered for my taste and the store is easier to navigate on the PS4. Each system does have a search bar though and the voice navigation using the Kinect does come in handy. Kinect is especially useful when redeeming a code that also has a QR code on the slip. PS4 has voice navigation using a headset but I don't find it very useful.
Games
Bond: The game’s at this point in time are fairly redundant. The best games (in my opinion) are available on both. But if we are talking ONLY exclusives then I would say Sony has the upper hand. Microsoft seems fairly content with only pumping out games for the same few series. If those series are your thing then Xbox would be the way to go but Sony has more variety and seems to be more interested in bringing new experiences to the table. Bloodborne and The Order for example were much better to me than another iteration of Gears of War or Halo. But like I said, I think the best games are on both. Metal Gear Solid for example was my favourite game last year and that was available on both. Project Cars blows Forza 5 and Gran Turismo 6 (although there hasn’t been a new gen GT yet) out the water. I really don’t think there is one game that is exclusive to either system to make someone swing one way or the other. But that’s just me. Don’t misunderstand me now, Uncharted 4 and Quantum Break look amazing but neither look like a reason to favour one system over the other.
Omega: I'm always asked which console has the better exclusives. With "better" being subjective, my answer is always well, what kind of games do you like? Personally, I like the exclusives on both consoles although neither system has had an "oh my god, I gotta play that" game yet. Those games will come though. When it comes to multi-platform games, I pick and choose which games to get on what console based on what I think are the strengths of each system.
Since the last generation of consoles, Xbox's strength has been multiplayer and co-op while Playstations has been single player in my opinion. To me, nothing backs that up better than the exclusives themselves, e.g. Halo, Gears of War, Uncharted, God of War, etc, but once again, this is all subjective. The few facts I can give you about the current gen is that the PlayStation 4 has more games in general at the time this article was written, and both systems have way more Indie games than retail. My suggestion would be to take a little time to do some research on available games and upcoming games before you make a decision.
Online Services
The party system on Xbox One is terrible most of the time. However Microsoft is constantly working on improving it. It crashes a lot of the time and is generally not very functional. I haven’t used the PS4 party system enough to form an educated opinion it it however I have never had problems with it the times I have used it.
Sharing on PS4 is also better. With a dedicated button on the controller for doing so you are only one click away from making a clip or broadcasting to the world. The few clips I have recorded on PlayStation have been up to 15 minutes long from the last 15 minutes of gameplay. However the same feature on Xbox One, which requires you to have the Game DVR snapped, only allows for the last 5 minutes. Broadcasting is also much better on PS4. PS4 allows you to stream party chat which makes streaming Co-op games a lot better. Also the app on Xbox will crash after around 5 hours every time you stream. The general stability is terrible on Xbox but this can easily change with updates.
Omega: The Xbox 360 is miles ahead of the PS3 when it comes to the social aspect of the two, but that isn't so for the current gen. The PS4 and Xbox One are even when it comes to social interaction. Both systems support cross-game and party chat. The only difference now would be where your friends list is. If a last gen friends list isn't a concern of yours, this shouldn't play a part in your decision. What might play a part is Xbox exclusives tend to incorporate cooperative or multiplayer aspects in their games more often the Playstation exclusives, which will most likely lead to more social interaction than playing a single player game on the Playstation.
Both services have free and paid subscriptions with the benefits for the paid being pretty much the same on both systems, e.g. online gaming, free games every month, party chat, etc. PSN costs $50/year and Xbox Live costs $60. Most of the time, you can find deals for both online.
Stability has been the biggest issue for me. I know PSN has gone down a few times but it seems like every other day there is a service alert on Xbox Live. Most of the time it's the friends list not working which affects your ability to party chat with your friends, which is something I do often. I've only experienced that with PSN the two times it went down for me. One of those times PSN and Xbox Live were offline. Other than that, when they work, they're pretty much the same and they're both great.
Achievements/Trophies
Bond: This really shouldn’t factor too much into your decision. But it’s understandable if you have a hefty gamerscore or a high level PSN account then you don’t want to throw that away. But nothing much has changed here since last gen and whichever you preferred then, you will prefer now. The only thing that would be worth noting is now Xbox has Indie games with achievements and everything has 1000 gamerscore which can offer you a huge amount of easy achievements if you are willing to spend the money. Trophies haven’t changed at all from what I can see. PSN games still don’t have Platinums consistently. Much like Xbox though there are a lot of Indie games on offer. They, however, also lack Platinum trophies.
Conclusion
Bond: If you have the money to do so get both. They both are very good systems and what’s wrong with being able to have more choices to choose from? However it is very understandable that you might only be able to get one. In this situation it would really depend on which you are invested in. If you have a lot of time invested into your achievements then get Xbox. If you have a lot of time invested in your in Trophies then get PS4. It really is a case of what you are already invested in. Where are you friends? Where is your account? If you are one of the few people who has nothing invested and no friends on either, then I would personally say go with PS4. Its a much more stable system and as it stands at the moment the exclusives seem to be offering more variety. But at the end of the day it really does come down to personal preference!
Omega: As Bond said, if you have the money to spend on both, do that. You get the best of both worlds owning both but if you have to choose one, go with whichever brand you have the most time invested in. If that's not part of your decision, look into available and upcoming games to help make your choice but if games aren't your reason for buying one, I can't help you.
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