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Interface and user experience
The interface and user experience of the PS3 and the Xbox 360 were starting to feel archaic in a world where we’ve become used to the simplicity and responsiveness of tablets and smartphones. The Xbox One and PS4 both offer snappier response and better multitasking than their predecessors, dragging consoles into the modern age.
Yet, compared to the seamless and integrated environment the Xbox 360 offered, the Xbox One initially felt like a step backwards in some regards. Whereas the 360 treats functions like your friends list, achievements, parties and music player as part of its core system, Microsoft has turned them into “snappable” apps on the Xbox One.
The reason for this that the One effectively runs three operating systems. “Apps” run on a separate partition to games, while the third OS handles security and tells the other two what to do. It’s a forward-thinking architecture that theoretically guarantees systems resources for gaming, while providing a great deal of flexibility for future updates.
This approach underpins the snap feature, which allows you open two open up to other apps in windows to the side of the screen while you play a game. You can, for example, watch a video, browse your friends list, or make a quick Skype call, without exiting your game.
Yet there are some irritating quirks – like the fact that you can’t play music in the background without “snapping” the media player and giving up some screen real estate. And without Kinect, navigating the interface with a controller can be a slow trudge. That said, the October update promises to streamline it somewhat.
I prefer the PS4’s minimalist interface to the Metro busywork of the One because it’s designed to make it quick and easy to get to gaming content and features. The PS4 apps feel a little more responsive, too. While the PS4 interface is not pretty or customisable, it is functional. With firmware 2.0, Sony reportedly plans to offer custom themes and other much-needed tweaks to the interface.
Watch video: Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture for the PS4
One missing feature in the PS4 is the ability to suspend a game and resume it straight from hibernation. This feature is available in the Xbox One and Sony did promise it when it first announced the PS4, so perhaps the company will sneak it into the eagerly awaited updated firmware.
Sony and Microsoft could do a great deal to improve their interfaces. They should both be making better content discovery on their digital stores a priority, as well as making it easier to organise content on your home screen.
Winner: PS4
Next page: Control devices
