This is Not a Flame War

[IronZOGZ]

Hello all -

I was trying to figure out where to ask this question of people who generally share a like mind with me - wargamers.

I'm trying to figure which direction to go next-gen: the Xbone or the PS4. I'm also not trying to start a war. My wife and I can only afford one of them, so both is dead.

We have an Xbox 360 currently that we use for Netflix and Disney Infinity (together) and I use for things like Halo and Dark Souls.

My only loyalty to Xbox is Halo and the money invested in the online service. The Achievements and profile stuff would be sad to lose - I think I have a pretty OK gamerscore at this point - but I'm not bound to them. And my 360 doesn't disappear if I put a PS4 next to it on the shelf.

The reason I'm having a hard time is it feels - to me, in my personal experience and reading - that Playstation is getting more and better exclusive content within their games than Xbox. Major players for me are:

1) Batman - getting a special set of levels and got my favorite armor in Origins, which I didn't play because I couldn't get the Knightfall on my 360 (petty, but so be it).
2) Mortal Kombat - got Kratos last edition and I expect more this time for X and the x360 version got nothing...
3) Bloodborne will be a PS4 exclusive and Dark Souls is my Game-Of-All-Time just edging out Ocarina of Time.
4) Disney Infinity - my wife loves it, and she isn't a gamer. They are getting the Hulk 30 or 60 days early (can't remember) in a Playstation-only special edition, so it's safe to assume there is a deal with Sony that might continue. It's also a way to get her to admit that plastic toys are cool.
5) Destiny - the early beta for Destiny on Playstation seems to be an indication that Playstation is playing better with others than Xbone.

Considerations:

1) Switching a Playstation would mean paying for two online services if I want to keep Xbox Live for games I already own and get PS Plus for things like Destiny going forward.
2) I would miss Halo, but I'm not sure I want that more than I want to keep playing Souls games - and Bloodborne is a Souls game.
3) The fact that Xbox is $100 more with Kinect and will probably deliberately not let me do things without it seems a bit of a drawback. I hate required peripherals.

I'm here because I want to know if I misssed things. Discuss with me - don't attack each other! I'm here to learn, not fight.

And don't say PC Master Race. I know PC is better/different, but I can't swing the upgrade cost for a PC (~$800 to bring my rig in line) that I will play by myself when my wife will actually sit and play the new Disney Infinity game with me if we have an Xbone/PS4.

[Dual_Face]

I'm personally going with the PS4 over the Xbox one, I'm in a similar boat with my 360 and my loyalty to Halo but I feel like I can't do the xbox one as much as I would like to. I remember Microsoft trying to implement a ton of ridiculous DRM features that a majority of gamers (myself included) were unhappy with.
Microsoft announced they'd take those features out but try and think of a better way to use them, that's pretty much my primary reason for switching over to the PS4.
The kinect is a huge turn off for me as well, I'll admit. It unnerves me

[Learn2Eel]

I own a PS4 and not an Xbox One, so before I get into personal opinion I'll state both some facts and a disclaimer that I'm not biased either way. I plan on buying a One early next year for Halo 5 and the Master Chief Collection.

First up, roughly 95% of multiplatform games released on both consoles so far favour the PS4, a reverse of last-gen. The PS4 has a clear hardware advantage over the One that isn't what I would call miniscule, but they are close enough that both have gorgeous exclusives. You won't be dissatisfied with visuals on the One but you will get the best visuals on the PS4. Whether the gap will widen or close is up for debate (I personally feel it will close), new DirectX and Kinectless One are good on that front but once Naughty Dog sets the standard other companies will be trying to lift to their level - just like last-gen. If visuals aren't a concern for you, this is a null point.

The controllers come down to preference, previously the 360 controller dominated the PS3 controller for general ergonomics but the PS4 and One controller are both brilliant. I can't definitively say either is better than the other and you'll find many gamers that own both systems would agree with that. As an aside, playing FPS' on the PS4 is *so* much better than it used to be on PS3.
The price of the One has dropped considerably even without the Kinect included, the PS4 has had a rough 3 million unit lead for several months now and the One has seen constant unofficial price drops in countries like the USA, Australia and the UK. You'll find getting a One with Kinect will start costing you about the same as a PS4 without the camera now.

The PS4 is a terrible multimedia machine, it can't even play MP3's! The One on the other hand is good as your "all-in-one" but you'll find a lot of people still going back to their PS3's as far as a good blu-ray player is concerned.
Microsoft are turning around their DRM crap and becoming far more user-friendly since the new boss took over, they have switched their image around completely.
On the exclusives front, Sony traditionally has a stronger line-up with both more quality and more quantity. That's their gimmick, Microsoft's was having a select few of the biggest/best exclusives (Halo, Gears of War, etc) and having exclusive third-party deals. For now this situation is a bit different, both are roughly even in exclusives and Sony is the one doing lots of "money-hatting" now. If Indies are up your alley then the PS4 is awesome, if not then you'll find a lot to like on either console regardless. Something to note is that until Driveclub comes out in October there is no exclusive AAA racer for the PS4 as yet.

Overall, both are looking like awesome purchases now if you don't mind waiting until the end of the year for a few more exclusives - there's a bit of a next-gen games drought until the last few months of the year anyway. From the points you raise I do think the PS4 is the right fit for you, but in saying that I think the One would be great too. As for Bloodborne, have you seen this early gameplay footage? :D


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTBFUnm1hYU

[Psychosplodge]

I know you dismissed a PC, but then your reasoning showed it was on false console propaganda, I'll leave this link (http://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/wiki/builds) here with a recommendation you read and reconsider, plus there's No Annual Online Fee

Basic mice keyboards and optical drives are so cheap these days they won't really effect the price.

[Kirsten]

I have a Wii U, PS3, PS4, and 360, and worked in Game for nearly a year, including for both next gen launches. The PS4 is a fantastic machine, as is the Xbox One. I will get an Xbox One at some point, maybe at the end of the year, but the reason I got the PS4 first was a) I prefer the PS4 launch/near launch exclusives, and b) the Xbox One does a lot of extra entertainment stuff, but none of it interests me, so not much point paying more for it. I don't want to watch tv and play games at the same time, not really sure why anyone would :p plus a lot of the TV content is tied to America and not available in Europe anyway. I am also a fan of indie/download games, and Sony just seem a bit more indie friendly to me than Microsoft.

Mainly I would say don't stress about it, they are both great and I really don't think you can make a bad decision. see what up coming exclusives interest you, if any, and see what your friends are getting, if any, and go with that.

[eldargal]

https://38.media.tumblr.com/beaf306aece52e28613d1d1bfcbd6fed/tumblr_n8f8wvPk371rr71rzo2_500.png
https://38.media.tumblr.com/2b99ebb0dfe547057e5cd11d75a591c4/tumblr_n8f8wvPk371rr71rzo3_500.png
https://38.media.tumblr.com/70530c94d409fb6b4ec0ebac39ca4fcf/tumblr_n8f8wvPk371rr71rzo4_500.png
https://38.media.tumblr.com/c9210cde8904d96a4a2d99e5f2424f93/tumblr_n8f8wvPk371rr71rzo1_500.png
Relevant.

[Wolfshade]

It is going to be one of these things like blu-ray vs. HD-DVD, (or VHS & Betamax)

While the XboxOne is the (marginally) better system, the PS4 will end up being more ubiquitous.

[IronZOGZ]

So the peripherals don't bug me - I have a monitor, mouse, keyboard, case, and power supply.

The heavy cost items for me are: video card, processor, motherboard, storage. I refer to this place: http://www.logicalincrements.com/

With cost as the major issue, the lack of local multiplayer is a close second. Anything I can do to get my wife to game with me is money well spent.

[Kirsten]

While the XboxOne is the (marginally) better system, the PS4 will end up being more ubiquitous.

debatable

[Mr Mystery]

PS4 for me. Not a fan of the X-Box at the best of times, and the weird 'sod the consumer' and now redacted antics from the X-Bones run up really put me (and a lot of other people) right off it.

Currently waiting until I get confirmation of a 3D patch for it (got 3D telly and a bunch of 3D Blurays as it is!)

[Psychosplodge]

So the peripherals don't bug me - I have a monitor, mouse, keyboard, case, and power supply.

The heavy cost items for me are: video card, processor, motherboard, storage. I refer to this place: http://www.logicalincrements.com/

With cost as the major issue, the lack of local multiplayer is a close second. Anything I can do to get my wife to game with me is money well spent.

Ignore that use the link I posted and the part picker on there that gets you the cheapest deal.
Most console games dont have local multiplayer anymore, and I'm sure its possible to play local multiplayer on PC, especially if you find a decent emulator and start on the retro back catalogue.
Also I think 360 pads are directly compatible with windows PCs, and with minor adaptors or software just about any pad is probably usable. I still use a snes pad.