It's a new year and if one of your resolutions is to improve your home entertainment system, you don't have to look far to get everything you want. In today's gaming industry, both Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4 continue to revolutionize the way people play video games, watch television, listen to music and even chat with friends and family. Basically, they're more than just gaming systems. So, if you can't decide on which system you might want to buy, here are some differences.
Game Library:
When it comes to both consoles, each system can have their own set of games you can play only exclusively on that console.
Though, let's first start off with the games that are available on both consoles. Both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One can play many popular, third-party games such as Fallout 4, Madden, Minecraft and the Call of Duty franchise. You can even play popular indie games such as Shovel Knight and Rocket League on both consoles as well.
Though, as far as games that are exclusive to a certain console, the PlayStation 4 beats the Xbox One by far. Between the big successes such as the Uncharted Series, God of War and the Last of Us, to several popular Japanese titles such as Persona 5, the PlayStation has continued to show its dominance when it comes to console exclusives. Plus, if you're a big fan of playing baseball video games, perhaps the most popular videogame baseball franchise, MLB: The Show, is only available on the PlayStation 4.
This isn't to say that Xbox doesn't have its own exclusives as well. Microsoft has stayed true to many of its exclusive franchises such as Halo, Gears of War and Forza. All of which have been popular selections on Microsoft consoles for years.
Xbox One is also the only console where you can play one of the most anticipated games of 2017-2018, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (unless you have a PC). Microsoft has also seen success with exclusive indie games such as Cuphead and Terraria that are both usually around $20.
Hardware:
Since both consoles released back in 2013, they each have gone through different, more sleeker designs. For the PlayStation 4, the PS4 Slim is a great option if you're looking for a console that can fit well under a television. Though many gamers criticize how the optical input was removed, which could be a problem if you play with a high-quality gaming headset. You can also opt in for the PlayStation 4 Pro, which is Sony's most powerful console to date. It can allow you to play several games in 4K resolution.
For Microsoft, the Xbox One S is a much smaller console compared to the original design, about 40% smaller. It also is much quieter than its predecessor. It can also support 4K resolution, but only if you have a television that supports 4K.
For Microsoft's newest design, the Xbox One X has many titles can be played in native 4K, and has the most powerful specs of any other console. The console is also even slimmer than the Xbox One S, which makes it more convenient if you want to travel with it.
In terms of controllers, the Xbox One hasn't really changed since the original Xbox came out back in 2001. You can also get in touch with your creative side through the Xbox Design Lab to create your own custom controller, but that's if you want to pay a little more.
For the PlayStation, the DualShock 4 controller has a touchpad right on the controller to help you navigate through menus and controls. It also has a reactive lightbar, but much like the Xbox, the PlayStation's controller hasn't change all the much either.
However, the PS4 controller is the only one that can charge right out of the box. For the Xbox, if you want to charge a controller, you will either need AA batteries or a charging kit.
Entertainment
As mentioned earlier, both consoles are capable of more than just video games, they can also become your all-in-one entertainment system.
Starting with the Xbox One, there is a plethora of options to choose from. For starters, the console can turn into a cable box. All you need to do is plug your cable box into the console, go through a few settings and that's it! You can quickly switch from your video games to live television. Another great option with the Xbox One consoles is that they are the only ones that have a built-in, 4K Blu-Ray player. Now both the Playstation 4 and Xbox One can play standard Blu Rays, only the Xbox One can play 4K Blu Ray. Other than that, both can play several streaming apps such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go and Twitch.
If you want to listen to all your music, both consoles also feature the Spotify application, which can let you play your music whenever you want. You can even listen to your music while playing video games! Though if you don't have a Spotify account, the Xbox One has a few other music streaming options such as Pandora and SoundClound.
Both consoles also make it easy for you to cut the cable chord. For PlayStation, Sony offers their own TV service called PlayStation Vue. Through their service, which starts at $40 a month, you can watch several of your favorite local channels such as CBS, NBC, FOX and ABC as well as ESPN, TBS and CNN. The service also comes with a DVR system so you can still record all your favorite live shows and events.
For Xbox, you can sign up for Sling TV, which is another online television service that offers several popular networks starting at $20 a month.
Value
Ultimately, the Xbox One is the cheaper option of the two systems. Right now on Amazon, you can buy the Xbox One S 500GB console for around $210. Please note that both systems do go on sale all the time, but when it isn't on sale, the Xbox One S usually starts at $279, depending on the storage size of the console.
If you want to get something that has a bigger range of games to play, the PlayStation 4 Slim usually starts at around $299. If you're looking to go a little bigger on the gaming in terms of resolution quality, The Xbox One X is priced at $499, while the PlayStation 4 Pro costs around $399.
These prices don't include both consoles' online experiences. Both Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold and Sony's PlayStation Plus cost $60 for a yearly subscription. They each offer gamers the experience to play games online with friends as well as receive free games.
Let's not forget Nintendo
If you're not interested in either the Xbox One or PlayStation 4, you can also look at the Nintendo Switch. Priced at $300, the Nintendo Switch can do something neither the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 can do, play on the go.
This console is like having a mobile and home console all in one. Users can plug it into a charging station, which also allows you to play the system on your television, or you can pop out the tablet-looking console to play it like a handheld.
This is also the console to consider if you're looking for more family-friendly games. The Switch includes popular Nintendo franchises such as The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario. Many of the Switch's best-sellers including Mario Kart 8, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2 and Arms are great choices for the whole family and can only be found on the system.
