# Comparing PS4 and Xbox One Launch Lineups



## Nerds_feather (Nov 13, 2013)

Pretty interesting comparison from Game Informer. Their take: it depends on what kind of games you are primarily interested in. Even then, the margins of difference are, for the most part, razor thin.


----------



## thaddeus6th (Nov 13, 2013)

Not too surprising. Exclusives don't seem as common as they used to be. I remember the Nintendo and Sega console wars, with a massive black line between the two, Mario on one side and Sonic on the other.

I suspect Xbox's DRM/online check idiocy and ensuing PR failures will cost them sales, and that otherwise people will just stick with the company they bought from last time.


----------



## Nerds_feather (Nov 13, 2013)

thaddeus6th said:


> Not too surprising. Exclusives don't seem as common as they used to be. I remember the Nintendo and Sega console wars, with a massive black line between the two, Mario on one side and Sonic on the other.
> 
> I suspect Xbox's DRM/online check idiocy and ensuing PR failures will cost them sales, and that otherwise people will just stick with the company they bought from last time.



You're right--most people are just going to stick with what they are comfortable with and what their social networks use. But I also think that, in the US at least, Microsoft has squandered an in-built advantage that it had going into this round (Sony has a similar advantage in Europe and Asia, but has not squandered it). A certain percentage of people will buy the PS4 because of its lower price tag, and another certain percentage will buy it because of all the PR failures. These will also handicap efforts to close the gap with Sony in Europe and Asia. 

Personally, I go back-and-forth. I like the Xbox One's advantages in media and online services, but prefer the PS4's price point and moderate graphical advantages. I like that Microsoft has adapted to  public opinion on some of its unpopular features, but worry that they might get more stupid ideas later on down the line.


----------



## Darkchild130 (Nov 14, 2013)

Ill just buy both and laugh at all the kids arguing over which is better.


----------



## biodroid (Nov 14, 2013)

I think I will hang in for a few months and see when patches come out. Hopefully the Xbox won't scratch disks and eventually fry itself. I also read that the PS4 is actually unbalanced and wobbles on flat surfaces. Not good news at all.


----------



## thaddeus6th (Nov 14, 2013)

If the PS4 wobbles on flat surface that'll be significantly unimpressive. I'd be surprised if that's the case, but one advantage of not buying straight away is that when I do get a new console I know about that and RROD type issues.


----------



## Brian G Turner (Nov 14, 2013)

I'll wait to see what everything looks like next year - price drops, bug fixes, more games, make for a better experience for us. 

Will probably be looking at the PS4. May wait longer. We're still getting a lot of play out of the PS3, Santa is bringing the kids more games, so without backwards compatibility there's no reason for us to rush into the PS4 at all.


----------



## Winters_Sorrow (Nov 14, 2013)

thaddeus6th said:


> Not too surprising. Exclusives don't seem as  common as they used to be. I remember the Nintendo and Sega console  wars, with a massive black line between the two, Mario on one side and  Sonic on the other.
> 
> I suspect Xbox's DRM/online check idiocy and ensuing PR failures will  cost them sales, and that otherwise people will just stick with the  company they bought from last time.



I think the lack of exclusives is a shift of power away from the console manufacturers towards the publishers. Which seems odd considering that Microsoft went through a period of buying up successful studios (Bungie and so forth) and still have a large game-making portfolio.

Obviously exclusives cut into the profit margins of those games publishers and companies so it's now down to timed exclusives or multi-platform releases. Where they could make a fast buck is via their online stores especially if, like Apple, they take a slice from every sale so we'll see how that develops in this new generation of consoles.



I said:


> I'll wait to see what everything looks like next year - price drops, bug fixes, more games, make for a better experience for us.
> 
> Will probably be looking at the PS4. May wait longer. We're still getting a lot of play out of the PS3, Santa is bringing the kids more games, so without backwards compatibility there's no reason for us to rush into the PS4 at all.



I'm not an early adopter so I'll probably stick with current gen for quite a while (especially as a lot of the launch games are coming out on current gen too!). It's always misleading - but it always happens - to declare a winner in the first flurry of sales in the initial months but I would make a gentleman's wager that Sony will win the first round as they seem to have the higest preorders and lack the huge PR gaffes that Microsoft did. 

I am a little disappointed with Sony's decision to switch to a paid 'Gold' membership like Xbox for their online offerings (and to also apply this retrospectively to PS3!). Their free online multiplayer was a good selling point for me. I would be ok with paying the content provider directly (e.g. Battlefield 4 publisher) as they should be the ones running the servers and patching etc, but I still scratch my head as to why I should pay the device owners (Sony/Microsoft) as they're only my gateway to the content provider. You don't pay Steam to use multiplayer functions on the games on their database so I just don't get it.

Speaking of which, there's obviously the Steambox, Wii U and other devices out there. It'll be interesting to see what effect smartphones, iPads and other devices has on the traditional console market.

Oh, and I get NF's point about the Xbox One having a better media offering than the PS4 but that's only true in the US as they haven't signed or designed their content deals outside of the US. A bit similar to my gripes about Sony's japanese publishers taking forever (if at all) to port games to the EU. That's one thing I hope dies in the new console generation - region exclusivity. I understand that translation costs money, but not that much and it's annoying when I have to see whether or not I can import a game from a different region and cross my fingers to see if it'll work on my PAL configured machine.


----------



## thaddeus6th (Nov 14, 2013)

Sorrow, region exclusivity does seem a bit bizarre nowadays. I also feel sympathy for the Aussies, who have to pay a fortune for their games (I've read it's cheaper to actually import a game from the US than it is to just buy one in a shop in Australia).


----------



## Nerds_feather (Nov 14, 2013)

@Winters_Sorrow: Found a list of Xbox One media offerings in the UK:

* UK *


4oD
Amazon\LOVEFiLM
blinkbox
Crackle
Demand 5
Eurosport
Machinima
MUZU TV
Netflix
NOW TV
TED
Twitch
Wuaki.tv
 I don't know what most of these are, so I can't say how good this slate is.


----------



## Dozmonic (Nov 14, 2013)

The PS4 does seem to be really limiting using it as a media platform. Unless these things are changed, I see no reason to stop using the PS3 :-(

*Can I watch DVD movies using the PS4 system?*
Yes, the PS4 system supports DVD movie playback; you will need to  download and install the PS4 system’s day-one system software update  1.50, and then activate your Blu-ray Disc video capability with a  one-time activation through the internet in order to play Blu-ray Disc  films and DVD video content.

*Can I listen to audio CDs using the PS4 system?*
No, the PS4 system does not support audio CDs.

*Will users be able to connect an external hard drive to expand storage on the PS4 system?*
No, this feature is not supported on PS4.

*Will PS4 support media servers or DLNA support in order to stream videos or movies from a home PC?*
The PS4 system does not support client functionality for media servers. 			 		

Taken from: PlayStation 4: The ultimate FAQ – Europe – PlayStation.Blog.Europe
And: PS4: The Ultimate FAQ – North America – PlayStation.Blog


----------



## biodroid (Nov 15, 2013)

Dozmonic - Your last 3 points actually put me off buying the PS4. The PS3 does all those things and more. I just can't fathom how Sony would charge an exorbitant price and not have these features. Maybe the console would cost a lot more with these features. 

I also heard that PSN will now including a subscription fee when you get the PS4.


----------



## thaddeus6th (Nov 15, 2013)

The audio CD issue seems weird to me. It's not something that bothers me personally, but it seems so easy and basic that it's odd not to have it.


----------



## Dozmonic (Nov 15, 2013)

It's primarily an attempt to force users to use the play station media streaming services. The thing is, Sony don't seem to realise that humans don't like to have choice taken away from them and will find a way around it. They're doing themselves no favours with those kind of decisions because usually their hardware is better and more reliable than microsoft's


----------



## thaddeus6th (Nov 15, 2013)

Ah. That makes sense. It's obnoxious, annoying and counter-productive, but it does make sense.


----------



## Lenny (Nov 15, 2013)

Whatever Sony's intentions were, the fan response has made them change their mind, and they're looking at putting them back in:

Sony looking at DLNA and MP3 support for PS4 after 'passionate' response | Polygon

Can't see it being that difficult - after all, DLNA streaming was added to the PS3 with a firmware update some time after launch.


----------



## Nerds_feather (Nov 15, 2013)

I can't help but think Sony and Microsoft are testing to see what manufacturer-friendly changes fans will stomach. But it is nice that they listen to negative feedback...


----------



## devilsgrin (Nov 16, 2013)

thaddeus6th said:


> Sorrow, region exclusivity does seem a bit bizarre nowadays. I also feel sympathy for the Aussies, who have to pay a fortune for their games (I've read it's cheaper to actually import a game from the US than it is to just buy one in a shop in Australia).



it is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper to buy a game in the US and import it for Australians. And by significantly i mean up to and sometimes even more than 50 or 60% cheaper. Mortal Kombat (the new one with the x-ray moves) for example, when released was refused classification in Oz, so i had to buy it from the US... for USD$40. i paid AUD$37. Free postage. 
Had the game been released in Oz, i would have happily supported my local retailer and paid the VERY likely price of AUD$100 (or $10 more or less). Classification board in Australia lost retailers a huge chunk of money by not allowing the game to be sold. 
The stupid thing with the pricing issue is that most of the newer TVs and of course the consoles themselves can go back and forth between PAL and NTSC. Personally i've never had an issue with format incompatibility. So theres almost no reason that region exclusivity should continue to exist, nor for that matter regional pricing variations. i can understand the business reasons, but the practical realities of a global market make them all-but null and void.


----------



## thaddeus6th (Nov 16, 2013)

That's pretty disgusting, frankly. Presumably downloaded games cost just as much?

On the PS4: I'm hearing reports that when new buyers turn it on it, er, doesn't work. Even worse than the 'meant not to work' pre-bricked Xbox One, this is just a not-working mistake by the manufacturer. Not sure how commonplace the problem is.


----------



## Nerds_feather (Nov 16, 2013)

thaddeus6th said:


> On the PS4: I'm hearing reports that when new buyers turn it on it, er, doesn't work. Even worse than the 'meant not to work' pre-bricked Xbox One, this is just a not-working mistake by the manufacturer. Not sure how commonplace the problem is.



Not entirely surprising. Launching a console is a difficult thing to pull off.

But it also illustrates why I think being a fanboy is self-defeating--these companies don't really care about you, outside of your being a conduit for profit. I don't really find that problematic (it's how the world works, of course), but it also makes brand-loyalty a bit weird. There is no "good" one and there is no "evil" one--just more and less PR-savvy ones in specific situations.


----------



## thaddeus6th (Nov 16, 2013)

I suspect most people who buy a particular brand do so largely because of habit. I imagine I'd still be buying Segas if they hadn't dropped the ball so badly after the Mega Drive.


----------



## biodroid (Nov 17, 2013)

The funny thing is that the Xbox 360 was cheaper than the PS3 when it launched. Now the Xbox One which has less power and features than the PS4 is more expensive than the PS4 at launch. Thats sad. And it seems you have to buy Microsoft exclusive accessories where Sony doesnt bother with that.


----------



## DaCosta (Nov 22, 2013)

I'm in the 'wait and see' camp. I'm lucky enough to own a PS3 and Xbox 360 but am a Sony gal at heart. Xmas next year I may be looking to buy either of them, but to be honest, nothing at the moment makes me want to rush out and purchase either console.


----------



## Pwaa (Nov 22, 2013)

Got to admit that so far none of the games that have been released or are about to be released tickle my fancy in the slightest.  I think i'll be happy with my PC for now and might even upgrade the GPU with the money I've saved not buying either.  Or buy a Wii U *dramatic music*


----------



## DaCosta (Dec 23, 2013)

Tried to get a PS4 today and there aren't any - anywhere. But if you want an XBOX One they're virtually ramming them down your throat. Seems the public have voted with their money and bought the PS4 this Christmas.


----------



## Dr Zoidberg (Dec 23, 2013)

A bit late now, but keep an eye on Hot Uk Deals and Stock Informer. 
The PS4 sold out straight away but there have been very regular deliveries since then and it's been pretty easy to get them if you try.


----------



## Lenny (Dec 23, 2013)

I second Hot UK Deals - their Twitter account is what alerted my friend to the stock Zavvi had not long before launch: https://twitter.com/HotUKDeals


----------



## Nerds_feather (Dec 24, 2013)

They are both available now in the US. I ended up getting an Xbox One with CoD: Ghosts (moderately improved port of the 360/PS3 version) and Forza (amazing). I'm happy with it so far: interface is a big improvement, kinect works really well, graphics are a major upgrade, etc. Only real problem is the underwhelming launch lineup and slim pickings for the next few months on the release schedule (also an issue for the PS4).


----------

