Xbox 1 vs. PlayStation 4

A new generation of gaming

The seventh generation of gaming consoles is coming to an end. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 both had a good run. Pretty soon though the Xbox 1 and PlayStation 4 will be released ushering in the eighth generation of gaming. Today i will be comparing the two systems to the best of my abilities.

Computing Power

When buying a computer or what have you, one of the first things you need to consider are the system specs. Its not just computers that you need to consider about system specs. The Xbox 1 and the PlayStation 4 have very similar system specs. It looks like this time around the system specs wont be the main argument.

Cpu

The cpu is basically the brain of a computer. It is arguably one of the most important parts. The Xbox 1 will be loaded with an 8 core custom cpu built by Microsoft. The PlayStation 4 will be loaded with a x86 jaguar with 8 cores by amd. Its fairly equal even though Sony decided to buy a prebuilt cpu.

Ram

Ram is pretty much short term memory for a computer. As usual the more you have the more things you can handle. Both the PlayStation and Xbox have 8 gigabytes of ram. Equal right? Not exactly, the PlayStation has a faster version of ram. The PlayStation has DDR5 ram instead of DDR3 ram. DDR3 ram is what most computers use these days. To give you an accurate measurement about ram on a console. The Xbox 360 and Ps3 had less than a gigabyte and look what they can do. Either way 8 gigabytes sounds promising.

Hard Drive

The hard drive is basically the long term memory of a computer. The hard drive is where all of the data is stored. The Xbox 1 and the Ps4 come with 500 gigabytes of hard drive space. For a console 500 gigabytes is definitely a good start. I'm sure that there will be different models of each system in the future that have more hard drive space. If you normally download lots of games and downloadable content you may want to consider upgrading.

Games

For most people this is the deciding factor in choosing a system. If you are a halo fan then you will definitely want to get the Xbox 1. If you are a fan of Sony's Planetside series you may want to give the PlayStation a try. If you are looking forward to playing games that will be on both systems like Star Wars Battlefront 3 or Battlefield 4, then you may want to let other factors guide your actions. 

Controller 

A new system has to have a new controller right? Well...to a degree at least. I think the controllers look somewhat the same except maybe smaller. These days smaller is always better. On the Xbox controller the battery pack seems to be more compact. The buttons also seem to be more defined, more colorful.

The Ps4 controller looks pretty much the same except for a slight button layout change and the addition of a speaker on it. That should allow for some interesting abilities. The rest of the matter is personal preference. 

Price

If you still cant decide what you want the price tag could convince you. The Xbox 1 is priced at 500 dollars and the PlayStation 4 is priced at 400 dollars. With the Ps4 being 100 dollars cheaper than the Xbox it has a lot of people convinced. Right now the price is the main advantage Sony has over Microsoft. One thing to keep in mind here is that they are giving us the connect with the purchase instead of a separate purchase. If you think about it 500 dollars doesn't seem so bad.  

What if i don't want the new system?

It's not the end of the world if you can't afford the new system or simply don't want one. A lot of games will still be released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. For example Battlefield 4 and Destiny. As far as i know the PlayStation network and Xbox live will continue to be hosted, maybe with reduced support, but its better than nothing.