Can you believe the Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 came out three years ago? We're solidly in the middle of this console generation, and it's seeing some shifts with iterative upgrades like the Xbox One S and the PS4 Pro. We pit all four systems against each other in a variety of categories to determine which comes out on top.
Before we get to it, just a note that the Nintendo Wii U is slowly fading and will be replaced by the ambitious Switch next year, but it still has a compelling library and is worth your attention if any of its games appeal to you.
Price
The PS4 was the frontrunner in this category at launch, but things have changed quite a bit over the years. Basically, the price starts at $300 for either system. The new Xbox One S is available in a smaller package and with Ultra HD Blu-ray playback for just $300, and if you want to splurge on Sony the more powerful PS4 Pro is a pricier $400.
Both Microsoft and Sony offer premium subscriptions to their online services. Xbox users can get Xbox Live Gold, and PlayStation users can get PS Plus. PS Plus used to be slightly less expensive, but now both services are available for $60 a year. For both systems, this premium service is required to play multiplayer games online, and now neither system requires the extra subscription to watch media services.
Winner: Tie
Hardware
Arguing about technical specifications seems moot. On paper, the PlayStation 4 has a slight edge thanks to using GDDR5 RAM instead of the DDR3 RAM used in the Xbox One, but besides that, the hardware is strikingly similar. Both have 8-core AMD CPUs, 8GB of memory, 500GB internal hard drives, and Blu-ray optical drives. The systems now have versions with 1TB drives as options, and the Xbox One's 1TB version uses a hybrid drive with solid state storage in addition to a hard disk to improve performance. However, in our tests, the Xbox One's hybrid drive wasn't noticeably faster than the 500GB drive.
It's become even more confusing in the latest update, with the PS4 Pro boasting a faster CPU and a GPU that can process over twice as many TFLOPS. It can markedly improve games that have been optimized or launch with support for the extra power, adding new effects, higher resolution (up to 4K), and smoother frame rates (up to 60fps, which makes Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration look amazing). The number of games that take advantage of that power is limited, though it will likely grow.
The Xbox One S doesn't claim any significant graphical upgrades for its games, so Sony comes out ahead for users willing to pay the extra $100 and who play compatible games. That could change next year, when Microsoft will reveal exactly what its Scorpio project is, and just how much more powerful it is than the Xbox One. And don't forget, the Xbox One S gets you support for Ultra HD Blu-ray, while the PS4 Pro does not.
Winner: PlayStation 4 Pro
Controls
You need a good gamepad to play games, and both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have them. The Xbox One gamepad is a slightly updated version of the Xbox 360 controller, with a more rounded feel and trigger buttons that offer individual force feedback. The DualShock 4, the PS4's gamepad, is a completely overhauled controller that keeps the best parts of the DualShock 3 and fixes the worst. The analog sticks feel better, the triggers are more responsive, and the controller just feels nicer in the hand. It even features a built-in speaker and a potentially useful but so far underutilized touchpad in the middle. The only problem with the DualShock 4 is the light bar that marks which controllers are on and assigned to which players. Fortunately, Sony has since updated the PS4 to let you dim the light bar significantly, which cuts down on glare.
The Xbox One gamepad is great, but the new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller beats even the DualShock 4 with bulletproof build quality and extensive customization options. Of course, that gamepad is a $150 optional accessory (or $100 if you buy it as part of the Xbox One Elite bundle).
Neither pack-in controller should be considered a deal breaker because they both play very well, but the DualShock 4 is simply the most comfortable default gamepad we've tested yet.
Winner: PlayStation 4
Games
The biggest games from third-party publishers like EA and Activision are almost all cross-platform, so it comes down to which exclusives appeal to you more. Games made by Sony will probably only come out on the PS4. Games made by Microsoft will probably only come out on the Xbox One. Of course, Windows 10 availability for nearly all of Microsoft's major releases means that you can play most of the big Xbox One exclusives on your PC if you want, while PS4 exclusives remain solidly PS4-only. It gives Sony an edge, but it doesn't represent an advantage for consumers; exclusivity only limits, and doesn't improve the experience for anyone besides the publisher and manufacturer.
For more, see the Best Xbox One Games and the Best PlayStation 4 Games.
Winner: PlayStation 4
Online Services
Whether you want to play games online or watch Netflix, you need to connect your game system to the Internet. The Xbox One uses Xbox Live, and the PlayStation 4 uses the PlayStation Network to access online services. In both cases, you need to purchase the premium subscription plan (Xbox Live Gold for Xbox Live, PS Plus for PlayStation Network) to play games online. Xbox Live used to require an Xbox Live Gold subscription for media services, but Microsoft has since dropped that requirement and you can now watch Netflix and other streaming media apps without Gold, including television with OneGuide. You can also use any app on the PlayStation 4 without a PS Plus membership, and with the PS4 requiring a premium service for online multiplayer just like the Xbox One, this category comes out to a tie.
Winner: Tie
Media Features
Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 can play Blu-ray movies and access a variety of online services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. The Xbox One goes two extra steps with television integration and Ultra HD Blu-ray playback. An HDMI pass-through lets you run your cable or satellite box through the system, though without a Kinect you'll need a third-party infrared blaster to control it. This incorporates live television through your cable or satellite provider into the Xbox One's menu system. You can also add over-the-air television with a third-party USB tuner. The OneGuide program guide displays both live television and what content is available on services like Hulu Plus and Machinima, giving you total control over what you watch, and you can even enjoy a split screen view of what's on television while you play your favorite game or browse the Web, thanks to the Xbox One's Snap feature. If that isn't enough, the Xbox One S can play Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, which means you can watch 4K HDR movies on physical media. Bizarrely, Sony didn't add this feature to the PS4 Pro.
Winner: Xbox One S
Game Capture
The massive popularity of Let's Plays on YouTube and game streaming on Twitch has brought capturing game footage to the mainstream, so both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 feature built-in capture options. The Kinect let you record clips just by saying "Xbox, record that," and thanks to the latest update you can easily capture what you're playing just by double-tapping the Xbox button on your gamepad and pressing X or Y to save a screenshot or video clip. You can also snap the Game DVR app to the side of the screen to record up to five minutes of footage on demand.
The PlayStation 4 goes a step further, however, with a dedicated Share button right on the DualShock 4 controller. At any point you can tap it to save the last 15 minutes of gameplay, grab a screenshot of what you're playing, or start streaming live to PSN or Twitch. The longer capture length and more convenient setup makes the PS4 the better system for recording or streaming your games.
Winner: PlayStation 4
Virtual Reality
Hey, it's a new category! Sony recently launched the Playstation VR, a virtual reality headset designed for both the PlayStation 4 and PS4 Pro. We really like it, since it's the least expensive and most comfortable of the big-name tethered VR headsets. The selection of games is also pretty strong for new technology; Rez Infinite is a must-play, revelatory experience in VR (which is amazing when you consider it's an updated version of a 15-year-old game). Rigs: Mechanized Combat League and Battlezone are both very fun, fully developed VR titles where you control big mechanical weapons. And for a standalone expansion that heavily reuses assets, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a surprisingly fun and visually stunning horror rail shooter.
Microsoft has announced partnerships with several electronics manufacturers to make VR headsets for Windows 10, but it's been silent about VR on the Xbox One. That might change with Scorpio, but for now there are no VR options for the Xbox One.
Winner: PlayStation 4
Camera
When both consoles first launched, cameras were held up as a major feature, either as a required, included accessory (the Kinect with the Xbox One) or an option (the PlayStation Camera with the PlayStation 4). That didn't pan out, and both Microsoft and Sony have backed off from the idea of using a camera with their systems for gesture and voice control, and integration with certain games. Both the Kinect and PlayStation Camera are nearly forgotten, at least for their original purposes. The PlayStation Camera is necessary if you want to use PlayStation VR, but as a general camera accessory it's as useless as Kinect.
Category Retired
Totals
By the numbers, the Sony PlayStation 4 is our winner. It has a total advantage in virtual reality, and the PS4 Pro means it is a more powerful platform until Microsoft's Scorpio comes out. The Xbox One is still the better system for media features, however, especially with Ultra HD Blu-ray playback on the Xbox One S.
Ultimately, the deciding factors is games. No matter which system is technically the best, make sure it has games you want to play.