Almost 9 years ago, the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 were released. They revolutionized the gaming scene, bringing graphics that no one had ever seen before on a console, as well as bringing communication through multiplayer gameplay to another level. On November 15th and November 22nd, the Playstation 4 and Xbox One were released, respectively. These both brought about a new era of console gaming, but what exactly did they change? That’s what I’m here for. Most people just spend the $400-$500 on a new console expecting better graphics and smoother gameplay without knowing anything past that. Most actually just buy the console that they have been playing on for “X” amount of years. A lot of them don’t give the other brand a chance, and they are really missing out. Then again, a lot of people don’t care about the minute differences in hardware between the consoles and are perfectly fine with having 720p instead of 1080p on a game.
In terms of raw hardware, both the Xbox One and PS4 are fairly identical.
PS4 Specs:
- Blu Ray Drive
- 8 GB of GDDR5 RAM
- Single – Chip x86 AMD “Jaguar” 8 core processor
- AMD Radeon Graphics Core Next engine w/ 1152 shaders
- 500 GB 5400 RPM hard drive
Xbox One Specs:
- Blu Ray Drive
- 8 GB of DDR3 RAM
- 8 Core Microsoft custom CPU
- 853 MHz AMD Radeon GPU w/ 768 shaders
- 500 GB Hard Drive
Now, what does all this mean? The GDDR5 RAM, which is in the PS4, is optimized for a higher bandwidth. This makes it better for graphical calculations, but is drawn back from by having a higher latency then DDR3. Since Sony places the GPU and CPU on a single die, they minimize the latency of the RAM. Meanwhile, Xbox is using a very basic system with regular RAMs you find in most computers.
Both CPUs are essentially the same thing. Both are 8 cores and have AMD’s new graphics core next architecture. The only real difference is the shaders each processor has. Shaders are graphical effects like lighting. From looking at the numbers, PS4 has almost 50% more shaders than the Xbox One. While most people think that the PS4 has better graphical performance, it’s not as simple as that. Based on how the system uses everything, the actual graphical output can be different.
Both the PS4 and Xbox One are also sporting brand new controllers. The DualShock 4 and the new Xbox One controller are both said to have new altercations to the controller that makes it superior to the successor. The Xbox One controller is essentially the same thing, but feels a bit wider and thinner in the hand, while overall still a good controller. The DualShock 4 completely revamped itself, making it angular and adding a light bar and a touch pad at the top for more of an interactive feel in your game. Overall, controllers are all preference, but both are outstanding controllers. I will point out, however, that it seems the DualShock4 controller ha a durability problem. I have gone through three of these controllers already. Two had the thumb sticks break, so my character would walk on their own. Another controller had the touch pad break. Hopefully Sony fixes these durability problems.
The main difference between the two consoles is the motion sensor cameras. They are really only different in accessibility. The Xbox One forces you to buy a Kinect with the system, raising the price of the system to $500 dollars, while Sony offers the Playstation Eye separately for $60 dollars. Motion gaming really hasn’t seen any advancements, and I don’t see either being very useful in the near future, so you can disregard these at most times.
Overall, both are great consoles. Since Xbox has released a $400 dollar Xbox One without the Kinect, both consoles are even more equal. I own both consoles. I can say that the PS4 has the superior graphics, but I prefer the Xbox One controller and layout of the system home page. There are numerous hardware feature on the OS of each system which I will cover in the next article, but the Xbox One just has a lot more. I like the PS4’s sleek design, though. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. They are both great consoles and both deserve a spot in every house.
Until next time Uzers – Mike
Thanks for reading! If you don’t have either console already, you can buy the Xbox One without Kinect here and a PS4 here.
Featured image courtesy of pc-tablet.com.