Xbox One or PS4?

I would like to apologize in advance, as I'm sure this topic has been discussed at great length. But I'd like to have my own discussion on which console to buy, because I still can't make up my mind.

Let me start by giving you all a quick look into my gaming tendencies. I used to be a PS fanboy. I had the PS1 and the PS2. My PS2 died on me, and during a sudden moment of spontaneity, I decided to get an Xbox instead of replacing the PS2. I feel in love with the Xbox, and got the 360 without thinking twice about a PS3. I play a wide range of games, everything from various forms of shooters, to adventure games, to RPGs. I'm a big Halo guy, and I mention that only because that's obviously an Xbox exclusive.

Now here is where my dilemma is. From reading the above paragraph, you'd probably think that the easy choice for me is to get the XB1. However, most of the people I am friends with and work with at this stage of my life seem to be PS guys. So of course they all want me to jump ship. My brother (also an Xbox guy currently) is also thinking about switching to the PS4, and we save far too much money sharing games to not get the same console. After reading several reviews of XB1 and PS4, it seems to be that the PS4 is the more powerful gaming console, and on principle, I feel like I'd have a hard time knowingly leaving that power on the table just because I want to play the next Halo game. The non-gaming XB1 features seem cool, but I view them as more "icing on the cake" than a legitimate reason for me to buy it. And then of course, there's the $100 difference, which is not insignificant when you're in your mid-20's and you have student loans you're still paying off.

So I have a few questions for those of you that are more informed than I. The biggest one is this: Will I be able to play PS3 games at any point in time on the PS4? I understand that neither system is backwards compatible, but a friend of mine insists that they will eventually add a digital library for you to download PS3 games onto the PS4. Is that true? I like stories in video games, and I feel like I'd have a hard time jumping into the Killzone, Unchartered, etc. universes without playing any of the prior games in the series. Also, I heard The Last Of Us was really awesome.

Also important, what are you guys hearing in terms of exclusives going forward? I mentioned two for PS4 above, but are there others that I don't know about that would be worth switching to PS? XB1 obviously has Halo, and Titanfall looks pretty sick. Any others that should convince me to stay?

I guess I'm basically just looking for a few people to convince me one way or the other. I apologize for the length of this post, and I apologize if you all are sick of having this discussion. But my game plan is to get a console around Christmas, since I'll have about a week off work to enjoy it and have some cash influx from the relatives, meaning that I don't have a whole lot of time to make a decision.

Anyway, thank you for those that read through all of this, and I'd greatly appreciate any input.

PS4, cheaper, more powerful, better exclusives

I don't know why Xboners keep thinking Halo 5 is gonna be anything better than a AA game on metacritic.

Look, if Microsoft had some killer 1st party studio like Naughty Dog, then I'd be hesitant to jump ship as well. The way I see things right now, Microsoft has no good 1st party studio. It made jumping from the 360 to the PS4 a lot easier for me

@-Damien-: Can you be more specific regarding the exclusives?

X1 has the better games for the first year or so but PS4 seems to have the most potential in a few years.

Wait until both have established libraries, and have received price cuts before deciding which one to go with.

Xbox One first

PS4 next

Wii U never

@Stevo_the_gamer: What do you think the time frame on that would be? I'm kinda running out of games to play on the last gen, mostly because I thought It made more sense to wait to buy games like AC4 and Battlefield 4 on the next gen.

Well, if you looked at the previous gen, Microsoft buys up 3rd party exclusives to sucker people in for the first 2-3 years. Then it's back to the 1 exclusive/year strategy.

Don't expect Xbone to continue to get new exclusives after year 2. It's not how Microsoft rolls. Microsoft is looking for quick profit. Microsoft did get steamrolled though. Their original strategy was to buy up several 3rd party exclusives for the first 2 years and hope that they had more sales than the PS4. Now, it looks like PS4 will severely outsell the Xbone. Honestly, I think Microsoft is just going to can the Xbone within 3 years and release the Xbox TWO. Microsoft isn't the type to support products that aren't successful immediately.

You know how piss-poor PS3 sales were in the beginning of last gen? SONY worked hard to get sales moving again to get even with 360 sales. You and I both know that if it were microsoft who made the PS3, they would have stopped sales after the first year and release the PS4. As a consumer, I like SONY's style more.

Well I currently have both consoles... If you're looking to save some money but still get multiplat games and are interested in the PS4 exclusives.. Go that route.. So far I've played my X1 ALOT more. The exclusives to date are just so much better and once you learn how to use the kinect and voice commands it's pretty awesome. I can be playing FIFA up until the moment the hockey game I want to watch starts and switch to it in seconds. Then during commercial breaks I switch back to FIFA for a few mins and keep the TV snapped until the game is back on.

I am absolutely loving the X1, the PS4 is awesome, its cheaper.. But for me, right now the X1 brings more to the table. That could change though..

Either way you're safe no matter which one you decide on.

@BattlefieldFan1: Fair enough, valid points.

Gaikai launches on the PS4 next year for PS1/2/3 game streaming but the details are scarce. Chances are Sony will charge us to stream the games we already own.

Infamous: Second Son, Driveclub, The Order: 1886, Deep Down, Uncharted 4, Rime, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, Shadow of the Beast

Halo 5, Titanfall, Fable Legends, Sunset Overdrive, Quantum Break, D4, Black Tusk's game....Kinect Sports?

@Bishop1310: Thanks for the input. I was hoping someone with both consoles would chime in.

I realize that I'm probably over-thinking this, and will likely be plenty happy with whatever I choose. It's just kind of a big decision, locking myself into my gaming life for the next 5-10 years. I unfortunately can't afford to get both, not for the foreseeable future anyway.

Does anyone have any idea when digital libraries of last gen games will be added, if at all? The idea of PS4 loses a lot of luster for me if I can't go back and replay games like Killzone, Unchartered, The Last Of Us, etc.

ps4

The way I see it, the Xbone is just a PS3.5 or an Xbox 360.5.

The Xbone is still plagued with issues that last-gen consoles faced like slow download speeds, long ass install times (Even longer than the PS3), 720p res, barely better graphics than last-gen consoles. Linear games. Xbone is just more of the same.

PS4 is the only next-gen console that alleviated all the problems that last-gen consoles had. The interface is sleek and fast as hell. It has faster download speeds. It has extremely low install times. 1080p res. Games that are actually open while looking like a next-gen game (Look at the sacrifices Xbone needs to make in order to run even slightly open games).

@Floppy_Jim: Thanks for the info. I obviously wouldn't mind be charged, since I don't own any PS games to begin with. So that's supposed to launch sometime in 2014? Good to know.

Wait, the XB1 doesn't support 1080 resolution? That is a deal breaker if true. I didn't spend the extra cash on a 1080 LED TV to not have a console that can take advantage.

Sony's 1st party IP: God of War, Killzone, Uncharted, Infamous, Little Big Planet, Last of Us, Gran Turismo, The Last Guardian, The Order 1886, Demon's Souls

Other Playstation exclusives: Tales series, Yakuza series, Ratchet & Clank

Launches late 2014 for North America, sometime in 2015 for the rest of us. If BC is important to you go PS4 over X1.

Technically, the Xbone does support 1080p resolution. It's just that most games won't ever reach that number.

CoD: Ghosts is 720p on the Xbone while 1080p on the PS4.

BF4 is 720p on the Xbone while 900p on the PS4.

ACIV is 900p with framerate drops on the Xbone while 1080p and no dropped frames on the PS4.

Killer Instinct is 720p.

DR3 is 720p.

Ryse is 900p.

The only games that are 1080p on the Xbone are racing games and sports games. Even then, devs had to make plenty of sacrifices like tons of prebaked effects.

It's like last-gen. Both consoles supported 1080p native resolutions, but both were too weak to run games at that resolution without looking like dog shit.

One to two years would be my guess. Running out of games to play? I think it may be time to look for under-the-radar games. There's thousands of games out there for the 360 and PS3, not including online XBLA or PSN games.

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I really think I'm leaning PS4 now. I'll come back to this thread if I think of any other questions. Appreciate the help!

If you are a Halo fan, then get the Xbox One. Be warned though I would not expect Halo 5 to be anything more than what Halo 4 was which was a mediocre effort for the series. 343i just doesn't have the talent pool that Bungie did. In fact, Im going to go ahead and call it right now....Destiny will destroy Halo 5 in sales on the Xbox One and over all since it is multiplat!

Titan Fall is not a reason to get a Xbone as you can also play it on PC and 360! History has shown that Sony supports its console much longer into its life than MS does. Also, Sony has a far bigger stable of in house devs than MS does. Consider that the PS4 is less expnsive and the more powerful of the two which means that it will have a higher ceiling for developers to work with 4, 5 or 6 years down the road.

It all comes down to what kinds of games you want to play and what you want out of your gaming consoles! The PS4 is a juggernaught gaming console with multimedia capabilities as well. The Xbone is a multi-media machine that can play games. I personally see the Xbone as a "Jack of all trades, master of none"! Whereas the PS4 is simply a gaming beast!

PS4 + Wii U. **** Micro$oft.

X1

This. X1 right now, PS4 in a year or two.

Ignore this person, because I'm sure you don't want to wait 1.5-2 years for a price cut.

PS4 will pass X1 in good exclusive games the beginning of 2015 and be tied later on in 2013. Not a few years.

cool story bro

Honest opinion....If Halo and Titanfall are what you are most looking forward to, then get the XBOX One. You should always buy the systems that has the games YOU want to play most. I was a huge XBOX fan, but I don't care about Halo anymore, nor do I wish to play Forza or Fable. Once of the big reasons I went with the PS4 was because for me it offers a fresh start in gaming sort of as I am legitimately excited to play new IP's like Drive Club, The Order 1886, Deep Down and others. Plus I have totally enjoyed Killzone Shadowfall, Knack and Resogun. Also with future releases from the like of Naughty Dog(Uncharted series), Santa Monica(God of War series), Media Molecule(Little Big Planet, Tear Away) and Quantic Dreams( Heavy Rain), there is a lot to be excited about for the PS4. Adding in the fact that it has the highest ceiling of the two as far as how far devs can push it, the PS4 is going to be tough to beat over the life of both of these consoles!

Wii U

Both. Go big or go home.

I prefer the xbox one. It has a lot more bang for the buck.

PS4 will offer some backwards compatibility through its cloud streaming service next year. I also believe we'll continue to see HD remakes/definitive versions of previous gen games.

For me, the XBox One. The XBox One has the games I want, both exclusives and multi plats-- Ryse, Forza 5, Halo, Titanfall, Destiny, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, and Metal Gear.

Aside from multi plats (which I can get on the XBox One anyway), there's nothing on the PS4 that interests me.

What's wrong with being patient? Are you somehow going to "miss out" on those games being released or something? Oh wait, you won't, but you will get all the games you could of got at launch and the first year for 25-75% cheaper. So in the end, we frugal minded mates get the better deal. But a las, yes, enjoy playing the PS4 with multiplatform games and the Xbox One with it's small handful of exclusives with that exorbitant price.

Get both, I played ps3 360, wii, PC last gen. I am playing xbox one, ps4, wiiu, PC this gen? Why limit yourself?

For the love of God op... I encourage research and making an informed choice, but System Wars is not the place to gather good information. Its just not.

Money?

If you are buying now, there is really only one good choice between the two and that is the X1. In fact, arguably through 2014 the X1 is still the best choice. If you like the playstation exclusives and want to continue to play them in prettier graphics, get the ps4. If you want a new experience with your console get the x1.

The ps4 has two retail exclusives (KZ and Knack) out now and only a few of note through 2014. The x1 has DR3, Forza 5, Ryse, Killer Instinct, Xbox Fitness out already for your enjoyment with the likes of Spartan Assault, Kinect Sports Rivals, Titanfall, Quantum Break, Halo 5, Sunset Overdrive, Project Spark, D4, etc that won't be available on the ps4 coming out within the next year. You'll still get Destiny, Watchdogs, Witcher 3, the Division, Thief and so on as well.

The choice was easy for me but everyone is different. Infamous looks like it will be fun, we haven't seen much of anything on The Order, and I have Forza 5 and Need for Speed for my racing needs to not miss out on Driveclub.

Based on your preferences, you won't really go wrong. Just keep in mind that you will be biding your time with the ps4 on multiplats whereas i have yet to touch a multiplat on my X1 for what it's worth

Waiting 1.5-2 years sucks. Just to save some money isn't worth it.

Saving money "isn't worth it" -- that's just incredibly disheartening and not to mention shocking to hear. It's best to not be "consumer minded" and lean towards impulse-instant-gratification thought. We all fall off the wagon here and there and buy things that really interest us, but for huge purchases like a new console... it just reeks of unwise decision making in my eyes, especially when you look at the dismal lineup on the PS4, and the somewhat decent lineup on the XONE. But hey, if you buy into the mindset of "MUST OWN NEW THINGS!" then more power to you.

Yes, there's not many games at launch. In 2014 there will be many. It doesn't matter if you buy it at launch or in 2014 through the first half of 2015. It will still cost someone the same. At least by buying early someone can play the games as they release. If someone wants to wait then so be it, but it's really not that great to wait.

Xbox One. PS4 is just a gaming console...

Neither of them are MUST HAVES right now. I got the XB1 Day One Edition with an unrelated 150 off at the MS store, and the PS4 just today at Walmart at the base price. (Why? Because I know both are going to have long lives and I'd end up with em eventually, so I bought when the opportunity was there.) Both are cool. Both are not as good as the fanbois would have you believe. There just aren't that many games out yet. Interface-wise, PS4 is prettier, but rather cluttered. It definitely runs smoother. You can tell the XB1's software is neither polished or finished, but they seem to have the more ambitious plans. I'm sure there are bugs to be found in both. Patches will come... XB1 multitasking has much more potential than PS4 (having a game up and being able to snap video walkthroughs right next to it is pretty damned useful).

I can't compare the graphics one to one because I'm not buying the multi-plats on both. Forza and Killzone are both gorgeous, both 1080p and both STILL have aliasing to be found. They're smooth as butter. The whole 720 vs 1080 argument, to me, is BS. I have quite a few of the XB1 games, I keep seeing online comparisons of the two where the XB1 looks terrible, then I go and run the actual game and I can't for the life of me figure out how they managed to make it look that bad. I've seen exactly ONE comparison where it didn't look like someone was screwing with the image on the XB1 side (i.e. it looked like what I see when I play) where the PS4 looked better and the differences were so minor that, short of screen grabs, I doubt I'd ever notice the diff.