Overview of Playstation and Xbox game consoles, similarities and differences

There is no person who would not hear about the popular game consoles Sony Playstation or Xbox, the mass release of which fell at the end of 2013. During this time, they remained consoles, but became much more functional. Their power is enough to comfortably play modern games, sit on social networks, watch movies and much more. In addition, they are now available to most users. We'll figure out how the consoles differ.

Playstation and Xbox

Appearance

It can be seen that the Xbox design was developed according to a simple scheme: the console looks like a heavy rectangular box with an input for Blu-ray discs and a power button.

On the back are:

• 2 HDMI ports
• S / P-DIF;
• Ethernet
• port for Kinect 2.0;
• 3 USB 3.0 ports.

Despite the usual design, the Xbox carefully thought out the design of the duct. Let the prefix turn out to be noisier compared to the PS, but it will not warm up, no matter how much it is turned on.

PS4, on the contrary, attracts with its design. The prefix of compact dimensions is light in weight and is made in the form of a parallelepiped. There is a hole in the back for air out. Users note that with high loads in some games, the console is significantly heated.

In addition to the input for Blu-ray discs there are:

• 3 USB ports 3.0 (the joystick is charged through them);
• Ethernet
• Aux.

The prefix is ​​capable of standing in any positions, the main thing is that the duct does not overlap. It is recommended to purchase a special console stand.

Comparison of consoles

Memory

One of the important parameters, since the first update is already 20 GB, add to this the total weight of the games - more than 50 GB and it will become clear that there is little memory. Both consoles have this parameter now - 1 Tb = 1000 GB.

In this regard, the console from Sony advantage: the hard drive is easy to replace with a newer and more perfect. The procedure itself does not void the warranty on the console, and on the Internet there are detailed instructions on how to do this without much effort. Unlike PS, the Xbox One has a warranty after these manipulations, and the complexity of the work is high.

Attention! Xbox One supports external drives with the appropriate technical specifications, namely - support for USB 3.0 and a memory capacity of more than 256 GB.

What kind of consoles with memory are doing better, with Playstation or Xbox? Users prefer the second option, since it is much easier to connect a portable hard drive than to disassemble the console in order to replace it.

Gamepad

Earlier, Microsoft said that during the development of the joystick for the Xbox One, 40 innovations were made to it. In reality, the new controller looks like an older brother from the Xbox 360. Of the differences: the appearance of the cross was changed, and small vibromotors were installed under the triggers. For the player, this is a minor innovation. The joystick of the American set-top box runs on batteries, and new batteries have to be bought separately, which boldly falls into the category of minuses.

Unlike Xbox, Playstation showed excellent innovations: a large touch panel appeared, additionally working as a button, speaker and color display. The latter is compared with the Playstation Move function and now it is actively being introduced into new games, for example, in Killzone: Shadow Fall. A specific indicator displays the hero’s health level. In the PS gamepad, the battery is built into the joystick.

If you compare the Sony Playstation or the Xbox, the first place goes to the PS, whose DUALSHOCK 4 showed really innovative and popular technologies.

Joysticks

Power

According to the specifications, the consoles are identical, except that games on the Xbox go mainly in a resolution of 900 rubles. Of course, there are exceptions, such as Destiny or Diablo 3, working in Full HD.During the interview, the head of the Xbox division, Phil Spencer, expressed that the company’s priority was not numbers, but how the idea itself looked. For Russian players, this news was not the most joyful, because among them the majority are former or current PC fans.

On the Playstation, it’s problematic to find a game that has a resolution lower than Full HD. However, the new Assassin’s Creed: Unity, on both consoles, will support a maximum of 900r, due to the complex shadow system and the huge number of NPCs.

In this round of the Playstation vs the new Xbox, the winner is the console from Sony, whose technical characteristics allow to produce a high-quality picture, which, however, is not so noticeable to the average gamer.

Image resolution

Multimedia features

Previously, PS had support only for disks. Now an update has been released that allows consoles to play content from flash drives. You can now also listen to MP3 and AAC music. The only thing you can not copy them from USB to disk.

In the first versions, the multimedia capabilities of the Xbox One were similar to the Playstation. Now there is a Media Player application on the console, which “eats” not only music, but also video, which allows users to watch movies directly from a flash drive.

Comparing Xbox and Playstation, preference is given first, since the Media Player application is a godsend for those who like to play saved content from a USB flash drive.

Service

Now the console is no longer treated like a regular console through which games are launched on TV. Now this is a whole collection of various services and subscriptions, as well as social opportunities. Each console has a paid subscription, thanks to which you can hone your gaming skills online. In addition, once a month a set of games is issued for free. The cost of a monthly Playstation Now subscription is $ 20. The principle of operation of PS Plus and Xbox Gold is identical, and the games issued are quite good.

The advantage for the Xbox, namely, for the Xbox Game Pass service, is access to more than one hundred games, both new and old, for $ 10 per month. Thus, you do not have to spend money on buying a game disc. If you want to go exclusive, buy a Game Pass and go through it. This is a convenient service for those who have just recently become a user of the console, since you can quickly familiarize yourself with all the popular previously released games.

Comparison of consoles

Who has the best game

Both consoles offer a large game library. So, at PS 4 there are already more than 1200 games, among which 100 are exclusive. There are fewer games on the Xbox now - about 900, with regard to exclusives - no more than 30.

The most popular shooters for the Xbox are Halo and Gears of War. Shooting is one of the strengths of the American console, the second is racing. These are Forza Motorsport 6 and Forza Horizon 3 games. In addition, support for downloadable content is available for Xbox users in Call of Duty, but, as practice shows, not everyone needs it. To the category of the best games, boldly include Sea of ​​Thieves.

Better things with exclusives are at the Playstation, where their number is impressive. Recent hits include Uncharted 4 and the fascinating but wildly sophisticated Bloodborne and The Witness. This list includes remakes of The Last of Us and Ratchet Clank.

4K Games

Immediately make a reservation that 4K has not yet become the most popular format that has supplanted Full HD, because not everyone has TVs with its support. And projects under these characteristics have not been released so many.

On PS 4, a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels is achieved by scaling technology, which is called "chess" rendering. To make it clearer, the prefix in the new frame draws only half the pixels, and the remaining half is "taken" from the previous frame. As a result, the picture is assembled into one. Popular representatives of games supporting 4K / 30fps: Horizon Zero Down and Rise of the Tomb Raider.

It would seem that the technical characteristics of the console Xbox enough to play 4K games at 60fps without problems, but it doesn’t work here. Instead, the old games got the patch and began to look better. Other games have been assigned support for HDR (advanced color processing). Nevertheless, with full support for 4K there are also games, but working with 30fps.

Which is better: Xbox or PS? Despite similar pictures, the Xbox has a larger library of games that support 4K, which may become important for the buyer.

4k game

The virtual reality

Sony has a Playstation VR virtual reality helmet and is a great addition to the PS4 Pro. The accessory is used only in conjunction with the console, for which it was developed. The only drawback is that a helmet cannot play content with HDR. The advantage of these gadgets is the ability to control the console with the movements of the hands, head and body.

Xbox in this regard did not differ from PS, but here the helmet is called Oculus Rift. It is worth noting that Microsoft abandoned VR technology for the Xbox One X.

Cost

PS4 sales began in September 2016 at a starting price of $ 399.

In late fall 2017, Microsoft presented their Xbox One X console for $ 499.

The difference is significant. Those with a PS4 Pro say that if you don’t have a 4K TV, you won’t see the difference in games. In a word, to understand what the difference is, you need to be the owner of modern technologies, in particular, a new TV.

Summary

In summary, let's determine which is better, the Xbox or Sony console? During the comparison, it was clear that the consoles differed from one another, but in general their characteristics are similar. It is PS4 that revealed more positive qualities, and this model is a real leader. With one amendment - if the prefix is ​​bought purely for games. Initially, the console was positioned as a gaming console. Each service and function is sharpened for the player. This allows the player to fully immerse themselves in the virtual world, appreciating its beauty and deep world.

If you want to get a multimedia device that also shows itself perfectly as a game console - choose the Xbox. With this prefix, you can always stay in touch with friends, relax, watching movies or listening to music and much more. The brainchild of Microsoft is called a home entertainment center, and for good reason.