The new next-gen consoles are almost here - Xbox One and PS4. Most stock is already sold on pre-order, so we know a lot of people have already picked their console for Christmas; but both companies have stated that some devices will be available for those happy to queue and so you can still buy either this year if you're really keen.
If standing in the cold doesn't appeal then putting in a pre-order now is no bad idea, as at least you should be among the first to receive one in the second, or third, wave of devices to hit our shores.
Whenever you plan to buy, here we'll make sure you've made the correct choice based on all the information available. It's quite a lot to take in if you're fresh to the whole debate, so just read the parts that concern you most, or skip to the end for a summary.
Super-keen to get your hands on a next-gen console? Well there's no much in it when it comes to timing. The Xbox One lands in the UK on Friday the 22nd of November and the PS4 comes a week later on the 29th. You'd have to be mad to choose one over the other based on that disparity.
That said, if you've got no pre-order and are determined to buy or the other before Christmas then it might be prudent to head out and see if you can pick up an Xbox One. There's unlikely to be any hanging about a week later if a PS4 fails to materialise for you.
BEST FOR YOU? - After seven years, you can wait an extra week, so there's no great choice here
As we'll see later the two consoles are rather similar in many ways. One big difference is that Microsoft has bundled its motion-capturing Kinect controller with every Xbox One console (see accessories, below), which largely accounts for the £80 difference - £349 for PS4 vs £429 for Xbox One.
With FIFA 14 and Kinect bundled the price difference is partly down to personal taste
However, Microsoft must have felt a little uncomfortable with that difference, so it has now also bundled a digital copy of FIFA 14 with every Xbox One (while stocks last, but that will include all the consoles this year at least). Now, if you want Kinect and FIFA 14 that's a pretty impressive pair of sweeteners, if not then the PS4 remains significantly cheaper.
BEST FOR YOU? - If you like football and motion controlled games then Xbox One is good value, for everyone else the PS4 is a better buy
A console is a five year investment, at least, so picking one on price today isn't the best idea, but if you're choosing a console based on how it looks on the outside then there's little hope for you. Furthermore with both consoles going for the all-black look with differing glossy and matt bits, it would be a pretty arbitrary decision anyhow. If we really had to pick a winner on looks alone then we're edging towards the 'edgier' looking PS4 with its raked angles.
However, there's more to the outer-styling of a new console than simple appearance. The Xbox One's larger, boxier shape looks to be better designed for cooling those internal components, inside is a single large fan that 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 show us inside the PS4
After a very long wait, we've finally seen inside of the PS4, courtesy of a video from Wired (above). We're still concerned that the design doesn't look as airflow-friendly, with a smaller 85mm centrifugal fan pushing air outwards around the edges (rather than straight up). Now, we're not engineers, but we've built and cooled a lot of PCs in our time, and complexity is rarely a good thing in our experience.
One plus is that the power supply is built into the device, so no annoying power brick dangling out the back, though that will add to the heat inside the device. In addition the PS4 has more GPU compute units to cool (see specifications) - so we'd be very surprised if it ends up being the quieter of the two - though you can hardly complain if the extra noise is due to extra horsepower.
Due to a lack of hard information it's a draw for now, 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
If standing in the cold doesn't appeal then putting in a pre-order now is no bad idea, as at least you should be among the first to receive one in the second, or third, wave of devices to hit our shores.
Whenever you plan to buy, here we'll make sure you've made the correct choice based on all the information available. It's quite a lot to take in if you're fresh to the whole debate, so just read the parts that concern you most, or skip to the end for a summary.
RELEASE DATE
Super-keen to get your hands on a next-gen console? Well there's no much in it when it comes to timing. The Xbox One lands in the UK on Friday the 22nd of November and the PS4 comes a week later on the 29th. You'd have to be mad to choose one over the other based on that disparity.
That said, if you've got no pre-order and are determined to buy or the other before Christmas then it might be prudent to head out and see if you can pick up an Xbox One. There's unlikely to be any hanging about a week later if a PS4 fails to materialise for you.
BEST FOR YOU? - After seven years, you can wait an extra week, so there's no great choice here
PRICE
As we'll see later the two consoles are rather similar in many ways. One big difference is that Microsoft has bundled its motion-capturing Kinect controller with every Xbox One console (see accessories, below), which largely accounts for the £80 difference - £349 for PS4 vs £429 for Xbox One.
With FIFA 14 and Kinect bundled the price difference is partly down to personal taste
However, Microsoft must have felt a little uncomfortable with that difference, so it has now also bundled a digital copy of FIFA 14 with every Xbox One (while stocks last, but that will include all the consoles this year at least). Now, if you want Kinect and FIFA 14 that's a pretty impressive pair of sweeteners, if not then the PS4 remains significantly cheaper.
BEST FOR YOU? - If you like football and motion controlled games then Xbox One is good value, for everyone else the PS4 is a better buy
DESIGN
A console is a five year investment, at least, so picking one on price today isn't the best idea, but if you're choosing a console based on how it looks on the outside then there's little hope for you. Furthermore with both consoles going for the all-black look with differing glossy and matt bits, it would be a pretty arbitrary decision anyhow. If we really had to pick a winner on looks alone then we're edging towards the 'edgier' looking PS4 with its raked angles.
However, there's more to the outer-styling of a new console than simple appearance. The Xbox One's larger, boxier shape looks to be better designed for cooling those internal components, inside is a single large fan that 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 show us inside the PS4
After a very long wait, we've finally seen inside of the PS4, courtesy of a video from Wired (above). We're still concerned that the design doesn't look as airflow-friendly, with a smaller 85mm centrifugal fan pushing air outwards around the edges (rather than straight up). Now, we're not engineers, but we've built and cooled a lot of PCs in our time, and complexity is rarely a good thing in our experience.
One plus is that the power supply is built into the device, so no annoying power brick dangling out the back, though that will add to the heat inside the device. In addition the PS4 has more GPU compute units to cool (see specifications) - so we'd be very surprised if it ends up being the quieter of the two - though you can hardly complain if the extra noise is due to extra horsepower.
Due to a lack of hard information it's a draw for now, 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
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