EntertainmentLifestyle
Playstation 4 vs Xbox one
Okay, as a parent you will be facing some difficult choices this Christmas. One of them is whether to buy the Xbox one or the Playstation 4. Both are so-called next-generation gaming consoles and trust us, your kids will want one! The Playstation 4 hit South African stores on December 13 and costs a whopping …
Okay, as a parent you will be facing some difficult choices this Christmas. One of them is whether to buy the Xbox one or the Playstation 4. Both are so-called next-generation gaming consoles and trust us, your kids will want one! The Playstation 4 hit South African stores on December 13 and costs a whopping R6300 plus-minus. The Xbox one will only be hitting South African retail shelves in early 2014. So does that make it imperative to purchase the PlayStation 4 now for your kids or should you hold on? Remember, this is a big one-time purchase and making the wrong choice could see you forking out more cash in March or April. Luckily, as both products are already released elsewhere in the world, we can give you a helping hand in making the big-money purchase rather simple.
The debate that endlessly rages around the minefield of the Xbox 1 versus PlayStation 4 kicks up a lot of dust, to put it mildly, and you as a parent could use a buying guide – Something to arm yourself against the nagging you undoubtedly will receive as Christmas looms closer.
Okay, let’s get an obvious question out of the way: “Do you really need to buy another console for the family?” This is a good question, as many people own perfectly good game consoles already and the idea of buying another one may seem like overkill. So consider this – both Microsoft and Sony have both committed to continue to produce hundreds of games for both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. With Xbox 360 consoles having a whopping 300 million users (yes, we said whopping again) and Playstation 3 an equal number, you can understand why no one is in a hurry to say goodbye to that revenue stream. Microsoft will continue to produce hundreds of titles for the Xbox 360 for years to come. Playstation will continue to produce new game titles for at least two more years. Game titles for both ‘older’ systems will continue to become more affordable. To counter this, game titles and peripherals on the new concoles will cost significantly more. So is it a must to buy the new consoles? The really easy answer is “No”.
But let’s look at what the new consoles do better than the older versions. Fistly, they are better at gaming, period. Have no doubt, they will make your children very happy. Full HD gaming like never before!
But they are much, much more than just gaming consoles – they have massive media capabilities. The Xbox one, for instance, lets a gamer plug any HDMI device directly into it, allowing it to integrate into any room’s media experience. Programme, catalogue and access cable channels? This means Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Video are there for you, ready to stream as long as you have an Internet connection. Xbox one’s Kinect sensor – it’s a camera, motion sensor and microphone that comes with the console. If it’s plugged in, it will always know if the gamers are in the room and its microphone is always listening. This allows for all sorts of very cool interactions and automatic functions that no previous console has ever been capable of.
The PlayStation 4 is also rich in non-gaming abilities as well. Aside from the video/TV integration expected from today’s consoles, Sony has upped the performance of the PS4 controller. Sony’s official PS4 site has this to say: “Engage in endless personal challenges with your community and share your epic triumphs with the press of a button. Simply hit the SHARE button on the controller, scan through the last few minutes of gameplay, tag it and return to the game — the video uploads as you play. The PS4™ system also enhances social spectating by enabling you to broadcast your gameplay in real-time.” All really cool stuff! But is it enough? Well, your wallet will be tested whatever you decide. It may just be worth hanging onto the old Ps3 and Xbox 360 for a little while yet. The kids may not be happy in the short term, but maybe when they see the limited games on offer, they will understand? Whatever you do, remember that Xbox 360 and Ps3 games will not be backwards compatible. So all that money spent on existing Ps3 and 360 games… We will leave you to figure it out. Hope this guide has been of some help.
The debate that endlessly rages around the minefield of the Xbox 1 versus PlayStation 4 kicks up a lot of dust, to put it mildly, and you as a parent could use a buying guide – Something to arm yourself against the nagging you undoubtedly will receive as Christmas looms closer.
Okay, let’s get an obvious question out of the way: “Do you really need to buy another console for the family?” This is a good question, as many people own perfectly good game consoles already and the idea of buying another one may seem like overkill. So consider this – both Microsoft and Sony have both committed to continue to produce hundreds of games for both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. With Xbox 360 consoles having a whopping 300 million users (yes, we said whopping again) and Playstation 3 an equal number, you can understand why no one is in a hurry to say goodbye to that revenue stream. Microsoft will continue to produce hundreds of titles for the Xbox 360 for years to come. Playstation will continue to produce new game titles for at least two more years. Game titles for both ‘older’ systems will continue to become more affordable. To counter this, game titles and peripherals on the new concoles will cost significantly more. So is it a must to buy the new consoles? The really easy answer is “No”.
But let’s look at what the new consoles do better than the older versions. Fistly, they are better at gaming, period. Have no doubt, they will make your children very happy. Full HD gaming like never before!
But they are much, much more than just gaming consoles – they have massive media capabilities. The Xbox one, for instance, lets a gamer plug any HDMI device directly into it, allowing it to integrate into any room’s media experience. Programme, catalogue and access cable channels? This means Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Video are there for you, ready to stream as long as you have an Internet connection. Xbox one’s Kinect sensor – it’s a camera, motion sensor and microphone that comes with the console. If it’s plugged in, it will always know if the gamers are in the room and its microphone is always listening. This allows for all sorts of very cool interactions and automatic functions that no previous console has ever been capable of.
The PlayStation 4 is also rich in non-gaming abilities as well. Aside from the video/TV integration expected from today’s consoles, Sony has upped the performance of the PS4 controller. Sony’s official PS4 site has this to say: “Engage in endless personal challenges with your community and share your epic triumphs with the press of a button. Simply hit the SHARE button on the controller, scan through the last few minutes of gameplay, tag it and return to the game — the video uploads as you play. The PS4™ system also enhances social spectating by enabling you to broadcast your gameplay in real-time.” All really cool stuff! But is it enough? Well, your wallet will be tested whatever you decide. It may just be worth hanging onto the old Ps3 and Xbox 360 for a little while yet. The kids may not be happy in the short term, but maybe when they see the limited games on offer, they will understand? Whatever you do, remember that Xbox 360 and Ps3 games will not be backwards compatible. So all that money spent on existing Ps3 and 360 games… We will leave you to figure it out. Hope this guide has been of some help.
