Consumer Reports Pits the Xbox One Against the PlayStation 4

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Wondering about which system to buy this holiday season? Up in arms about deciding between the graphical prowess of the PlayStation 4 and the futuristic media box capabilities of the Xbox One? Fear not, fellow gamers and savvy shoppers. Consumer Reports has posted a first look comparison video of the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 on their YouTube channel.

This comparison should help your decision to purchase the console that belongs in your media center, depending of course, on what functions, features, and capabilities attract your discriminating tastes. Are you looking for a graphical powerhouse that’ll make your PC hang its head in shame? Or are you searching for the mythical all-in-one Media Minotaur that’ll sweep you off your feet? Whatever your fancy, check out the highlights of the comparison below (and watch the full video further down) to help guide you on which console will overwhelm your senses, and make your wallet audibly weep.

Both Consoles:

  • Both have better graphics than their predecessors
  • Applications for the console (such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, Skype)
  • Screenshot or video clip capability while in-game
  • Paid service to play online with friends

Xbox One:

  • Comes with the Kinect 2.0 included in the $500 price
  • Kinect switches user profiles when a different person stands in front of the Kinect, and logs them into their profile (for those rascals who always forget to log themselves out!)
  • Recognizes voice for voice control capabilities
  • Vibration feedback on certain areas (grip and triggers)
  • Has the “Snap” feature which allows to two applications to be opened at the same time (including games)
  • Can connect your TV cable box/receiver to your Xbox and use voice commands to operate TV/cable box/receiver
  • Xbox Live Gold Membership – $60 a year
  • $500 to buy


PlayStation 4:

  • Livestream a game
  • Has a share button on controller
  • Controller has a touchpad that can be used for swiping on the menus, and also has a speaker
  • LED Bar can be used as a health bar in game e.g. Killzone Shadow Fall
  • LED bar is also used as a motion tracker with the PlayStation camera
  • To use the aforementioned LED Bar as a motion tracker, you will need the $60 camera peripheral
  • Remote play using PlayStation Vita (which is around $200 msrp)
  • PlayStation Plus – $60 a year
  • $400 to buy