The Xbox One and PS4 next-gen consoles are here. And we've now got our full Xbox One review up online if you want all the nitty-gritty on that device.
Most next-gen UK stock has already been sold, so we know that a lot of gamers have already made their decision in time for Christmas, but both companies have said that there will definitely be consoles in shops for those eager to queue for them.
If standing in the cold doesn't appeal, putting in a pre-order now could still get you a console in time for Christmas. There looks to be availability of the Xbox One, still with FIFA 14 for free, from www.amazon.co.uk for delivery pre-xmas. The PS4 is harder to come by, with Amazon out of stock pre-xmas, the only deals we can still find are those including large bundles of games, at equally large prices, such as this £605 deal from GAME.
Whichever and whenever you plan to buy, we want to make sure you make the right choice based on all the information currently available. It can be a lot to take in if you're fresh to the "which is best" debate, so we've split the decision into several main categories - or just skip to the end for a summary.
A new console is at least a five year investment, so picking one on price alone today isn't a great idea. With both consoles going for the all-black look, with differing glossy and matt bits, it would be pretty arbitrary to decide on looks as well - if we really had to pick a winner we would opt for the 'edgier' looking PS4 with its raked angles.
However, the Xbox One's larger, boxier shape looks to be better designed for cooling those internal components. Inside, a single large fan sits above the core chipset and blows air through a vent directly above it. We can't think of a more simple or straightforward way to get rid of heat and do it quietly.
This video from Wired finally shows us inside the PS4
Based on Wired's PS4 teardown video, above, it uses a smaller 85mm centrifugal fan pushing air outwards around the edges rather than straight up. We aren't engineers, but we've built and cooled a lot of PCs in our time, and complexity is rarely a good thing when it comes to cooling.
Thanks to Eurogamer, we now have power usage and decibel figures for both consoles. The Xbox One is reported to have peaked at a power usage of 125W, significantly below the 140W of the PS4. This was also reflected in noise levels, with the PS4 proving to be noticeably louder, both close up and at a distance, plus it pushes out hotter air than the Xbox One. The PS4's cooling system looks to be doing a good job then, but the more powerful hardware, drawing more wattage and so creating more heat, looks to make it the louder console - though not by much.
Until we see a detailed Xbox One teardown it's impossible to know how easy it will be to repair or upgrade, but according to iFixit the PS4 will let users upgrade their hard disk for a larger capacity disk, or faster SSD, simply by removing a few screws. These are regular screws too, so you won't need specialist Torx equipment to get inside the console. Hopefully Microsoft will follow suit, but we won't know until closer to launch.
It's a draw for now, until we get both consoles side-by-side for heat and noise tests, but if you absolutely must have a console on day one, rather than wait for the reviews to come in, and noise is a big deal to you then our money is still on the Xbox One.
BEST FOR YOU? - The PS4 looks cooler and has no power brick, but the Xbox One is likely to run quieter. Take your pick
One of the most surprising things about the next-gen battle is how much we knew, and how long ago we knew it. The earliest sketchy leaks of the specifications of both machines were largely accurate, and has now been proved by revelations from developers working on both platforms.
What we know now, as we did some time ago, is that the PS4 has a significant horsepower advantage over the Xbox One. It has 50% more GPU compute units, allowing for greater parallel processing power which can either be used for onscreen fidelity, or for in-game effects like real-time physics. It also has a simpler memory system with a single lump of 8GB of fast GDDR5 memory, compared to Xbox One's DDR3 memory and 32MB high-speed cache. Simple is always good when it comes to console architectures, with some developers already criticising Microsoft's design and some multi-platform games being forced to run at a lower internal resolution than on Sony's hardware.
This video shows the kind of next-gen eye-candy that's available from the PS4 at launch
Microsoft has tried to catch up by bumping the CPU and GPU speeds by small amounts. However, according to developers it has dedicated a small but significant amount of resources to its quick-switching between apps and Kinect device - resources that are much needed.
Both the big shooters to be launched this Christmas, Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4, have suffered as a result. Both games run at 1,280x720 (720p) on the Xbox One, but at 1,920x1,080 (Full HD) and 1,600x900 respectively on the PS4. This makes the PS4 version noticeably crisper and sharper. Such a disparity in graphics at launch is a surprise and gives the PS4 a big jump on its rival.
BEST FOR YOU? - A clear cut advantage here for the PS4, only the most ardent TV viewers should give up the extra horsepower for the TV capabilities of the Xbox One
Both new consoles use Blu-ray drives, so playing the latest movie releases shouldn't a problem - once you've downloaded and installed a day one update (neither will play Blu-rays without an update). Neither Microsoft or Sony thought to add 3D Blu-ray playback, either. Both are more than capable of playing cinema-quality 4K (or UltraHD) movie files too, when those become more widely available.
Both consoles also support most of the usual media streaming services, such as Netflix and LoveFilm. However, the Xbox One hasn't launched with BBC iPlayer, which is disappointing seeing as it's available on the Xbox 360. Until the BBC and Microsoft agree to provide all Xbox One owners with access, and not just those paying for Xbox Live Gold, customers will have to keep their old console plugged in if they want to catch up on missed TV shows. Other UK catch-up TV services are also thin on the ground, with Sky's comprehensive Sky Go and On-demand services absent from the launch line-up.
Sony has also taken the unusual decision not to support CD or MP3 playback out of the box, or let the PS4 act as a DLNA media receiver to play video and audio files streamed from other devices on your network. These omissions look to be cynical attempts to drive you into the open arms of Sony's own music and movie offerings, and although Sony has promised to explore the possibility of adding these features in a future update, there's no confirmed timescale as to when they might appear. However, it has been confirmed to launch with iPlayer, a big plus for UK buyers.
The Xbox One has no such restrictions. As a home entertainment hub it's a pretty incredible piece of kit, with Microsoft putting resources into multi-tasking so you can switch from a game, to a Skype call, to Netflix and then to the main menu almost as quickly as you read this sentence. It also has a HDMI input so you can feed TV from a set-top box, allowing you to switch quickly between live TV and any other function in an instant.
Since its launch in the UK, we've noticed that TV fed through the Xbox One suffers from a juddering effect. This is due to UK TV running at 50Hz, while the Xbox One runs at 60Hz (the same as US TV). The disparity means the Xbox One has to show every fifth frame twice, which creates a visible judder in smooth panning shots and makes football coverage in particular hard to watch.
Microsoft is also promising that you'll be able to control your set-top box from the Xbox One and have an integrated electronic programme guide, to which you can add shows from catch-up services and even YouTube channels and curated entries from sports leagues. However, we won't benefit from this until sometime in 2014 when Microsoft gets round to sorting out support for the tangled mess of UK television providers.
BEST FOR YOU? - If you're looking for a multimedia hub then Xbox One is clearly in the lead, though the lack of the unified guide at launch and the TV judder issue take the sheen of its crown
Most next-gen UK stock has already been sold, so we know that a lot of gamers have already made their decision in time for Christmas, but both companies have said that there will definitely be consoles in shops for those eager to queue for them.
If standing in the cold doesn't appeal, putting in a pre-order now could still get you a console in time for Christmas. There looks to be availability of the Xbox One, still with FIFA 14 for free, from www.amazon.co.uk for delivery pre-xmas. The PS4 is harder to come by, with Amazon out of stock pre-xmas, the only deals we can still find are those including large bundles of games, at equally large prices, such as this £605 deal from GAME.
Whichever and whenever you plan to buy, we want to make sure you make the right choice based on all the information currently available. It can be a lot to take in if you're fresh to the "which is best" debate, so we've split the decision into several main categories - or just skip to the end for a summary.
DESIGN
A new console is at least a five year investment, so picking one on price alone today isn't a great idea. With both consoles going for the all-black look, with differing glossy and matt bits, it would be pretty arbitrary to decide on looks as well - if we really had to pick a winner we would opt for the 'edgier' looking PS4 with its raked angles.
However, the Xbox One's larger, boxier shape looks to be better designed for cooling those internal components. Inside, a single large fan sits above the core chipset and blows air through a vent directly above it. We can't think of a more simple or straightforward way to get rid of heat and do it quietly.
This video from Wired finally shows us inside the PS4
Based on Wired's PS4 teardown video, above, it uses a smaller 85mm centrifugal fan pushing air outwards around the edges rather than straight up. We aren't engineers, but we've built and cooled a lot of PCs in our time, and complexity is rarely a good thing when it comes to cooling.
Thanks to Eurogamer, we now have power usage and decibel figures for both consoles. The Xbox One is reported to have peaked at a power usage of 125W, significantly below the 140W of the PS4. This was also reflected in noise levels, with the PS4 proving to be noticeably louder, both close up and at a distance, plus it pushes out hotter air than the Xbox One. The PS4's cooling system looks to be doing a good job then, but the more powerful hardware, drawing more wattage and so creating more heat, looks to make it the louder console - though not by much.
Until we see a detailed Xbox One teardown it's impossible to know how easy it will be to repair or upgrade, but according to iFixit the PS4 will let users upgrade their hard disk for a larger capacity disk, or faster SSD, simply by removing a few screws. These are regular screws too, so you won't need specialist Torx equipment to get inside the console. Hopefully Microsoft will follow suit, but we won't know until closer to launch.
It's a draw for now, until we get both consoles side-by-side for heat and noise tests, but if you absolutely must have a console on day one, rather than wait for the reviews to come in, and noise is a big deal to you then our money is still on the Xbox One.
BEST FOR YOU? - The PS4 looks cooler and has no power brick, but the Xbox One is likely to run quieter. Take your pick
SPECS
One of the most surprising things about the next-gen battle is how much we knew, and how long ago we knew it. The earliest sketchy leaks of the specifications of both machines were largely accurate, and has now been proved by revelations from developers working on both platforms.
What we know now, as we did some time ago, is that the PS4 has a significant horsepower advantage over the Xbox One. It has 50% more GPU compute units, allowing for greater parallel processing power which can either be used for onscreen fidelity, or for in-game effects like real-time physics. It also has a simpler memory system with a single lump of 8GB of fast GDDR5 memory, compared to Xbox One's DDR3 memory and 32MB high-speed cache. Simple is always good when it comes to console architectures, with some developers already criticising Microsoft's design and some multi-platform games being forced to run at a lower internal resolution than on Sony's hardware.
This video shows the kind of next-gen eye-candy that's available from the PS4 at launch
Microsoft has tried to catch up by bumping the CPU and GPU speeds by small amounts. However, according to developers it has dedicated a small but significant amount of resources to its quick-switching between apps and Kinect device - resources that are much needed.
Both the big shooters to be launched this Christmas, Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4, have suffered as a result. Both games run at 1,280x720 (720p) on the Xbox One, but at 1,920x1,080 (Full HD) and 1,600x900 respectively on the PS4. This makes the PS4 version noticeably crisper and sharper. Such a disparity in graphics at launch is a surprise and gives the PS4 a big jump on its rival.
BEST FOR YOU? - A clear cut advantage here for the PS4, only the most ardent TV viewers should give up the extra horsepower for the TV capabilities of the Xbox One
MULTIMEDIA FEATURES
Both new consoles use Blu-ray drives, so playing the latest movie releases shouldn't a problem - once you've downloaded and installed a day one update (neither will play Blu-rays without an update). Neither Microsoft or Sony thought to add 3D Blu-ray playback, either. Both are more than capable of playing cinema-quality 4K (or UltraHD) movie files too, when those become more widely available.
Both consoles also support most of the usual media streaming services, such as Netflix and LoveFilm. However, the Xbox One hasn't launched with BBC iPlayer, which is disappointing seeing as it's available on the Xbox 360. Until the BBC and Microsoft agree to provide all Xbox One owners with access, and not just those paying for Xbox Live Gold, customers will have to keep their old console plugged in if they want to catch up on missed TV shows. Other UK catch-up TV services are also thin on the ground, with Sky's comprehensive Sky Go and On-demand services absent from the launch line-up.
Sony has also taken the unusual decision not to support CD or MP3 playback out of the box, or let the PS4 act as a DLNA media receiver to play video and audio files streamed from other devices on your network. These omissions look to be cynical attempts to drive you into the open arms of Sony's own music and movie offerings, and although Sony has promised to explore the possibility of adding these features in a future update, there's no confirmed timescale as to when they might appear. However, it has been confirmed to launch with iPlayer, a big plus for UK buyers.
The Xbox One has no such restrictions. As a home entertainment hub it's a pretty incredible piece of kit, with Microsoft putting resources into multi-tasking so you can switch from a game, to a Skype call, to Netflix and then to the main menu almost as quickly as you read this sentence. It also has a HDMI input so you can feed TV from a set-top box, allowing you to switch quickly between live TV and any other function in an instant.
Since its launch in the UK, we've noticed that TV fed through the Xbox One suffers from a juddering effect. This is due to UK TV running at 50Hz, while the Xbox One runs at 60Hz (the same as US TV). The disparity means the Xbox One has to show every fifth frame twice, which creates a visible judder in smooth panning shots and makes football coverage in particular hard to watch.
Microsoft is also promising that you'll be able to control your set-top box from the Xbox One and have an integrated electronic programme guide, to which you can add shows from catch-up services and even YouTube channels and curated entries from sports leagues. However, we won't benefit from this until sometime in 2014 when Microsoft gets round to sorting out support for the tangled mess of UK television providers.
BEST FOR YOU? - If you're looking for a multimedia hub then Xbox One is clearly in the lead, though the lack of the unified guide at launch and the TV judder issue take the sheen of its crown
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