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The verdict
At the beginning of the year, I would have not recommended the Xbox One to anyone besides the most devoted platform loyalist. But in the past 10 months, Microsoft has addressed most of the complaints gamers had about the system and turned it into a real contender. Its constant software updates are a major selling point, considering how slowly Sony is evolving its system.
The performance gap is going to be in the PS4’s favour for most of the console generation, but it isn’t so large that the specs should be the main reason for choosing one of the new generation consoles over the other. Anyone who cares primarily about frame rates and native resolutions can build or buy a PC that outperforms either of the consoles for just a couple of thousand rand more.
Better reasons to choose the PS4 over the Xbox One and vice versa are how appealing you find their catalogues of exclusive games software, where your gaming friends are playing online, and what media functionality and apps you want from a new console.
How invested you already are in the Sony or Microsoft ecosystem also bears some consideration. For example, you can use your PlayStation Vita to remote play PS4 games across your network if someone else is using the TV. There are many games that support cross-platform purchases and saves on the Vita and PS4. There’s something cool about being to buy something like Rogue Legacy once and play it at home or on the run.
The momentum is on the PS4’s side, and Microsoft’s strategy at the moment seems to be to copy what Sony is doing. As a result, the two products are not as distinct as the PS4 and Xbox 360 were. But you can’t go too far wrong with either choice — they’re both great machines with lots of good games on the way. — © 2014 NewsCentral Media
