PS4 or Xbox One

[Gabriel]

I went with the Playstation 4 because I prefer the exclusives. I like Halo, but there's no need to go Xbone when Destiny releases for Sony too. Sunset Overdrive looks like fun, but I'd rather have a baseball game to play, and The Show is far and away the best there's ever been on the market, and a Sony exclusive. Dead Rising 3 was the one that upset me to miss out on, but I'm hearing that it's coming to PS4 anyways.

When they announced the systems, I also preferred Sony's stance that it's a gaming machine that happens to do other things. I was intrigued by what Microsoft was planning, and though it made me lean more towards PS4 out of the gate, it also had me thinking that an Xbone would be a good purchase later on. Now, with the changes Microsoft has made, their machine isn't all that different from what I'm getting out of my PS4, and it's going to take a really good exclusive title, or a really good price, for me to grab an Xbone.

[apsham]

I went with the Playstation 4 because I prefer the exclusives. I like Halo, but there's no need to go Xbone when Destiny releases for Sony too. Sunset Overdrive looks like fun, but I'd rather have a baseball game to play, and The Show is far and away the best there's ever been on the market, and a Sony exclusive. Dead Rising 3 was the one that upset me to miss out on, but I'm hearing that it's coming to PS4 anyways.

When they announced the systems, I also preferred Sony's stance that it's a gaming machine that happens to do other things. I was intrigued by what Microsoft was planning, and though it made me lean more towards PS4 out of the gate, it also had me thinking that an Xbone would be a good purchase later on. Now, with the changes Microsoft has made, their machine isn't all that different from what I'm getting out of my PS4, and it's going to take a really good exclusive title, or a really good price, for me to grab an Xbone.

Dead Rising 3 will never land on PS4, it's published by Microsoft. It's coming to PC in September.

[Dan]

Dead Rising 3 was the one that upset me to miss out on, but I'm hearing that it's coming to PS4 anyways.

Not sure where you got that from. It's coming to PC but not PS4.

I'd advise you to try both Ollie and see what you like better. It's a lot of money to spend on something with no idea what you want and almost every post here is "I GOT THIS, GET THIS" aside from Apsham who actually has both.

One thing I will add. Microsoft is providing fantastic support for the Xbox One. They're doing monthly updates to the console with loads of new features every month. This is a list of all the stuff they've done since launch (spoiler tagged because it's a wall of text):

December 2013

Improvements to SmartGlass connected standby feature

Improvements for users rejoining games

Improvements to notifications

Improvements to dashboard stability

Improvements to console's update services

Improvements to wireless networking drivers

February 2014

Improved My Game & Apps menu; users can now use sort options for games, apps and queued install menus

Added ability to delete content save data

Improvements to management of content installations

Added battery power indicator for connected controllers

Improvements to interfaces for accessing friends, achievements and messaging/chat features

Added Game DVR app to Xbox OneGuide as a channel

Improved progress indicators for system updates

Improvements to update/content installation process

Added separate lists for games, applications and queued installs

Added support for USB keyboards

Improvements to overall performance/stability, NAT detection, Network troubleshooting and Blu-ray player

March 2014

Party members can chat with each other even if in different games

Chat is turned on by default

Improved processes for inviting players to join parties and for players joining parties

Added ability to see current party members' current activities

General improvements to functionality and speed

Added list of players recently met in multiplayer games

Added indicators for when friends are broadcasting content; added content thumbnails to activity feed

Added "type-ahead" function to locate profiles faster

Added context-sensitive menu options

Added more options during profile views, such as sending invitations and joining parties

Added 54 new gamerpics

Added ability to broadcast gameplay through Twitch.TV

Added support for voice-overs to open and close broadcasts

Added list of friends currently online and broadcasting content

Changes to notification center, including ability to silence the feature

Game clips can be snapped

Added password protection to console settings

Mapping sites (Google Maps, Bing Maps) can be controlled using Kinect gestures or controller input

Added search function to highlighted text

Added Internet Explorer link to show additional results when using console's Bing search function

New Xbox One controller firmware adding support for Xbox One Stereo Headset adapter

Improved support for both Microsoft and third-party headsets

Updated drivers for Xbox One Media Remote

Added notifications for Xbox Live messages

Added ability to observe current activity of friends

Improved access to game clips and game progress

Snapped apps can be closed through SmartGlass

Added improved settings for users to display live TV content at 50 Hz

Added option to change increments in volume changes using Kinect voice commands

Added IR blasting for power on/off & volume to all regions

Improved options for AVR setup

Added support for 5.1 Dolby Digital when using SPDIF (optical out)

Added support for stereo uncompressed, 5.1 uncompressed, 7.1 uncompressed or 5.1 Dolby Digital live or 5.1 DTS through HDMI

April 2014

Added ability for console to complete system updates, including needed reboots, while in "instant-on" mode.

Added indicators to show what games/apps have recently received updates.

Added ability for users to get updates themselves instead of waiting for them to be pushed to the console.

Added game-save progress bar.

Added notifications for when users on friends list sign onto Xbox Live.

Added notification on friends list for when users are in multiplayer games.

Resolved problem with users in Europe who were experiencing problems with video playback.

Continued improvements to voice and gesture recognition.

Improvements to video compression routines.

Improvements to control of outside devices thanks to user feedback.

May 2014

Sound Mixer controls volume of apps when the Snap feature is in use, allowing users to choose which audio feed gets priority.

Chat Mixer controls volume during Kinect Chat usage.

Users may opt-in to allow Microsoft to collect voice data to improve Kinect's speech recognition abilities.

Users have the option to apply system updates as soon as they become available.

June 2014

External hard drives now supported. Up to two drives can be connected at one time. Drives must be USB 3.0-compatible or better and 256GB or larger in size.

Games, apps and other content can be installed to external drives and can be moved between consoles.

Storage locations can be managed through console interface.

Users can make their real name known to other users, enabling others to locate them faster. Users control what other users can see their real names; users can maintain their anonymity or names can be visible to all users on the friends list, the friends of those users on the friends list, or to selected friends.

A new area accessible only to Xbox Live Gold members provides information on various Gold-level features, such as Games with Gold (games offered free of charge) and Deals with Gold (special pricing on content), as well as members-only announcements.

Users can identify a single account that will automatically log-on at system start-up.

New search features to enable faster searching for content.

Expanded command & control database, permitting access to more devices to be controlled by the console.

Improved power management settings.

Premium TV options added for:

Canada

United Kingdom

France

Germany

Spain

Italy

July 2014

Achievements app can be snapped into a game, showing all available achievements and progress towards completion.

Help option launches Bing search of online tips for completing achivements.

Pressing controller's Xbox button twice rapidly opens Snap Center, allowing access to any Snap-enabled application while in another app.

When an app is currently snapped, pressing Xbox button twice rapidly switches between primary and snapped apps.

Spoken language chosen for Kinect voice control now independent of region selection for console.

Publishers can create content bundles and compilations for sale in Xbox Store.

Using SmartGlass, activity feed items and game clips can be "liked".

The disc drive can now read user-recordable BD-R/BD-RE discs

August 2014

Support for playback of Blu-ray 3D discs

Improvements to the Social area ("Like" or share a game clip, post a status update, etc.)

Notifications for when users were last online and last activity

Notifications to alert user of low battery and need to replace batteries in controllers

Ability to disable notifications when watching video content

Ability to purchase content via Xbox.com website and the Xbox One SmartGlass app, then have it downloaded to the console (provided it is in "instant-on" state and automatic downloads are enabled)

[Maxx]

They both play video games, they do it well, you really can't go wrong, and thus it does come down to what games you want to play and who you want to play with.

[Dan]

They both play video games, they do it well, you really can't go wrong, and thus it does come down to what games you want to play and who you want to play with.

I don't doubt that but features are pretty important too. I love the look of that thing on PS4 where you can get a friend to help you get past a bit of the game and that's something that made me want to get a PS4 when I saw it.

Edited July 20, 2014 by Dan

[The Lusophone]

I went into my local game all set to get the PS4. Always been a Sony fan, had PS1, PS2, PSP, PS3, seriously debated getting a vita.

Then I looked at the exclusives for the One and the PS4, and there was just more that appealed to me. Added interest further with the Halo MC Pack coming out in November and I can play the whole series, Reach aside.

[Gabriel]

I went with the Playstation 4 because I prefer the exclusives. I like Halo, but there's no need to go Xbone when Destiny releases for Sony too. Sunset Overdrive looks like fun, but I'd rather have a baseball game to play, and The Show is far and away the best there's ever been on the market, and a Sony exclusive. Dead Rising 3 was the one that upset me to miss out on, but I'm hearing that it's coming to PS4 anyways.

When they announced the systems, I also preferred Sony's stance that it's a gaming machine that happens to do other things. I was intrigued by what Microsoft was planning, and though it made me lean more towards PS4 out of the gate, it also had me thinking that an Xbone would be a good purchase later on. Now, with the changes Microsoft has made, their machine isn't all that different from what I'm getting out of my PS4, and it's going to take a really good exclusive title, or a really good price, for me to grab an Xbone.

Dead Rising 3 will never land on PS4, it's published by Microsoft. It's coming to PC in September.

I didn't realize Microsoft published it. The Sony rep that works our area told me that Dead Rising would be on PS4 at some point. Though, they aren't the most reliable source of information, as it seems the only prerequisite to getting that job is having a vehicle and being willing to travel.

In regards to the debate... if you can get a chance to play on both machines for an hour or so, that's probably the best way to decide. If there aren't any exclusives that are drawing you in, it will just come down to which one feels better for you. If you really can't decide, my tipping point is always the price on something. I'll always go for whatever is cheaper if I can't make a decision.

[Liam]

Seriously? I went through Hell with mine and still couldn't get it to work.

DWFG

Excuse me?

Doesn't work for gays, I guess.

[EWB's Best Poster.]

Myself, I find most Microsoft games are PC too. Not as much for Sony.

I'd suggest trying out the controller, and if it feels right jump to the ps4.

[Cactus Drags]

I went XB1 for the controller, the exclusives, the UI and the fat that Microsoft actually seem to give a shit about their machine.

Padwise, I hate the bumpers on PS4, the coating on the analogue sticks have a tendency to wear off if you look at them too hard (had so, so many returns in our shop alone) and the trackpad seems to just be a gimmick, although I do like it for text entry (something MS really needs to work on tbf). I love the haptic feedback in the XB1 pad's triggers, it's comfortable and familiar. Can't fault it.

Hated the XMB and the PS4 set-up looks just as terrible so far. Big fan of navigating the menus by voice on XB1, although I understand a fair few people have had trouble with it. I never have.

Admittedly I was swayed a bit by MS working for Game, I was invited to a 3 hour presentation a month or so before launch where we got to ask an MS staffer basically anything we liked and got very honest answers (for example, acknowledging that you could use the gold umbrella to pay for fewer XBL subscriptions within a household) and of course got to play a bunch of games early. Sony weren't going to do anything like that until they got wind of what MS had done, and hastily arranged a product tour about two weeks prior. But they wouldn't/couldn't answer any of our questions, basically spent 2 hours just telling us how they were better than MS but without offering reasons why and we only got to play Knack and Octodad (hilarious, but really poor choice for showing off the controls and power of the machine).

Admittedly, this is more of a work thing for me, but I think those attitudes have been shown in how the consoles have been handled since. MS has responded to feedback and are openly and visibly updating their machine every month. Sony....not so much.

I am a little bit upset that I can't really participate in online leagues or anything with you guys anymore since everyone seems to have gone PS4, but I'm otherwise happy with my decision.