With the announcement of Microsoft and Sony?s next gen consoles, gamers worldwide have swarmed the internet with lively debates; digging up the shallow grave of the Playstation vs Xbox dispute. I have always been a defender of the Playstation but never to the point of attacking Microsoft?s choices for their Xbox. Until now. I?m sure many Xbox gamers are now having their doubts about the Xbox One, and there are some pretty substantial reasons why you could simply get a PS4 instead:
1. Legacy & Attitude
Up until the announcement of the Xbox One this had been more of an argument about what Sony did right as opposed to what Microsoft did wrong. The Playstation legacy begins in 1994 with the first console blowing its competition (the N64 and Sega Saturn) out of the water. Whereas the Xbox franchise was born in 2001 and only around 24 million of the original consoles were sold, in comparison to the staggering 150 million the Playstation 2 sold. While this in no way means that the Xbox could never pull ahead of the Playstation in terms of popularity; it does suggest something about the attitude of the companies, especially with what we?re learning about the Xbox One. Microsoft?s main pride in the Xbox One comes from it being an ?all-in-one home entertainment system.? Users will be able to watch TV, listen to music, chat on Skype, run loads of different apps, surf the internet, check Facebook, watch films, measure their own heart rate and also play video games. I imagine. If the Xbox One is released and all these features are handled seamlessly I will be more than happy to concede that Microsoft have made a far more superior home entertainment system. Whether it is a superior games console is an entirely different matter. The focus of the Playstation has always been gaming and I have no doubt that this is the area Sony will continue to concentrate their energies.
2. Money
Let?s forget the upfront price of the consoles for the time being, as any discussions on this subject are merely rumours and speculation. Generally, Xbox consoles have cost more than the competing Playstation console but I?m in no position to tell you that that will continue with this generation. Even if the PS4 does have a higher price tag than the Xbox One, who will really be spending the most money? ?One of the biggest controversies that has emerged about the Xbox One is that you?ll have to pay a fee for playing a pre-owned game on your console. This is because Microsoft want discs of games to be linked with one person?s account so games are not excessively shared, possibly to make things more ?fair.? Or something. While this is a reason to be wary of the Xbox One it is not a reason to convert to the PS4 just yet, as Sony have not announced their stance on second-hand fees. While the price and additional fees are still only speculation, what we can be sure of is that Xbox One users will be paying for online play and PS4 users will not be. The latter will be able to choose a paid option for PS Plus (as they could on the PS3) to enhance the online gaming experience. The key word there being ?choose.? As a PS3 gamer the concept of paying for online multiplayer baffles me. I pay for things that cannot be (legally) acquired for free because there is no alternative. Things like food, electricity, music, concerts, etc. There is an alternative to Xbox Live that is completely free and it?s called the Playstation Network. If you think it?s unreasonable then come and enjoy the free multiplayer action on the PS4; don?t just grit your teeth and hand Microsoft your money.
3. Online Play
As soon as I suggest the PSN as an ?alternative? to Xbox Live the general reaction will be ?but Xbox Live is so much better.? This is down to personal preference in multiplayer gaming experiences, but in my very own humble opinion: it isn?t. Yes there are features that Xbox Live (Gold) users have access to that PSN users do not: Skype, Twitter, Facebook. But when it comes down to the fundamentals of online gaming there don?t appear to be that many differences. The interface for Xbox Live is definitely more in your face and there is more of a focus on ?social gaming.? When I debate with my friends over the PS3 and the 360, their argument will usually boil down to the fact that they knew more people who owned an Xbox and they want to play with their friends. While I accept this as an argument I don?t think it?s a good enough reason to buy an Xbox One instead of a PS4. Mainly because I don?t believe that online gaming is a social experience. I don?t know many people who would find themselves thinking ?I haven?t seen or spoken to John in a while? and then completing that thought with ?the best solution to this social predicament is to sit miles away from each other in our own houses, alone, staring at a screen.? Neither have I ever thought at the end of a busy working week that, when in need of some fun with my friends to unwind, I will turn on the Playstation. Video games should not be providing us with a means of escaping social interaction. In complete honesty, I don?t want to play online games with my friends. If I do want to use gaming as a social activity I happily rely on the classic split screen gaming experience and enjoy being in the physical presence of people I like. Sony have done this well and have focused their energies on providing us with immersive gaming and an online system that does what it needs to do; no more and no less.
4. Indie Developers
Another problem with the Xbox One that is emerging is Microsoft?s unwillingness to support independent game developers who want to self-publish their games on the Marketplace. It is not impossible for indie developers to publish their work but generally the company aren?t being as supportive as Sony. Xbox Live Arcade and Xbox Live Indie Games will be done away with on the upcoming console, and they will be combined to form one section of the Marketplace in which Phil Harrison says there will be no ?distinction between whether a game is a 50-hour RPG epic or whether it is a puzzle game or whether it is something that fits halfway between the two.? This is a fairly dangerous statement for the VP to make, as Microsoft make it clear that indie developers will have to make a deal either with a 3rd-party publisher or Microsoft Game Studios to get their creations up for download. In complete contrast, Sony have established a brand new section of the PSN Store for indie games, and Yoshida has announced that the PS4 is going to be hugely supportive of small developers. This should be a big enough reason to convince any budding developers out there to buy a PS4 instead of an Xbox One, but it should also be an incentive for the everyday gamer. The game industry is growing rapidly, and independent developers are becoming an integral part of it. Some people may dismiss this flaw in the Xbox One but to highlight just how much we could miss out on, here is a very brief list of independently developed games:
Ratchet and Clank (Insomniac Games)
Runescape (Jagex Game Studios)
Amnesia: The Dark Descent (Frictional Games)
Minecraft (Mojang)
Journey (thatgamecompany)
While these developers have already found incredible amounts of success from their years of hard work, how will you know if the next big thing is coming if Microsoft don?t allow them the platform they deserve?
5. Games
This seems like the best and most important point to leave this on. While we wait in anticipation for E3 2013 and the announcement of the upcoming games for this next generation of consoles, there are already two lists available that contain the exclusive releases for Xbox One and PS4. PS4 gamers will be able to enjoy:
?Knack? ? a new, intriguing platformer reminiscent of the PS1 days from the mind that brought you Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank.
?Infamous: Second Son? ? the follow-up to Sucker Punch?s action packed ?Infamous 2? that will feature even more open-world gameplay
?Killzone: Shadow Fall? ? the 6th instalment of Guerrilla?s FPS game series
So far, Xbox One gamers can look forward to:
Forza Motorsport 5: 5th installation in the Forza racing series
Ryse: a new 1st person hack-and-slash for the Kinect
Mirror?s Edge 2: sequel to the free-running game that was released in 2008
Recent announcements have shed light onto a $1 billion budget that Microsoft claims to be investing or already have invested in exclusive games for the console. But what can we expect? More Halo? Dance Central? Or perhaps a lot more investment into games for the Kinect.
Although my preference has been decided, there is a lot in store for next-gen gamers at E3 next week and whatever the outcome is; we?re going to be seeing an awful lot from both Sony and Microsoft. Maybe they can prove me wrong.
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Article from Gamersyndrome.com
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Source: http://gamersyndrome.com/2013/video-games/5-reasons-buy-ps4-over-xbox-one/
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