Microsoft finally revealed the new Xbox, and on the surface it looks to be on par with the PlayStation4. However, an in-depth look at key components shows the PS4 is ahead, and not just because of the presentation.
On Feb 20, Sony revealed the long awaited PlayStation4. With demos of games to come, the two hour long presentation was a sight to behold. By just teasing the games and features, but never showing the actual console, Sony has kept people interested in finding out what it looks like. On May 22, they revealed it in a commercial, but you didn’t see much of anything. Components we shown, but not enough was seen to show how it looks all put together. Their timing of this commercial couldn’t have been better, as Microsoft was set to unveil the new XBOX.
It was the big day for Microsoft on May 21, as they one upped Sony by actually showing the console up close and personal. After months of speculation on what the new system would be called Infinity or 720, the Xbox One appeared. Microsoft showed off the new Xbox hub, a combination of Microsoft 8 and Xbox home, and the features they created for this new console. The new Kinect voice-control allowing the switching of channels was actually pretty cool. With new technology allowing the Xbox to connect to cable, satellite and TiVo boxes, Kinect now allows you to change channels by voice command.
Now both Sony and Microsoft missed a selling point that encourages gamers to buy games. Neither system has backwards compatibility, meaning older games will not be able to run on the new systems.
The problems for the Xbox though start when you compare the specs with those of the PS4. PlayStationUniverse compiled the main stats for a side by side comparison:
|
PlayStation4 |
Xbox One |
| Blu-Ray Disk Drive | Blu-Ray Disk Drive |
| Cloud Storage Service | Cloud Storage Service |
| USB 3.0 | USB 3.0 |
| 8 core CPU | 8 core CPU |
| 8 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB DDR3 |
| 1.84 TFLOPS GPU | 1.2 TFLOPS GPU |
Through the first 4 main components, they are exactly the same. Wired reported that Microsoft developed their Blu-Ray system in-house. This finally put them on par with Sony, who had this feature on the PS3. Both devices use a cloud storage service. This should allow the owner to install games and have them stored on the hard drive, freeing up processing power and allowing the games to run smoother. That’s where the similarities end.
Sony pulled out all the stops and built their new console utilizing the best technology available. The real big difference between the two shows with the memory. These 8GB memory sets are a huge step up from the last generation of consoles, and put them close to today’s top of the line computers. DDR3 is cheaper by a significant amount than the GDDR5. However, GDDR5 can process at about double the speed of the DDR3, so Sony took a risk, and it should pay off.
The difference between the Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) is a matter of using different manufacturers. While it is not that significant, it will change the speed at which the processers run to be that much faster. Using these in the next generation of consoles brings up the graphics, and allows for a cleaner image.
With E3 coming up in a few weeks, hopefully we will be able to see these consoles in action.