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Xbox vs PlayStation: Which One Is Best?

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Xbox vs PlayStation: Which One Is Best?

It is a known fact that PlayStation is older than Xbox. Since its inception in 1994, Sony PlayStation has gained immense success over the past two decades. The latter was established by Microsoft in 2000 and has steadily lured a large population of new users over the years. Hundreds of millions of units have been sold worldwide during this long period. However, some opinions claim that Xbox just made history with the release of the Xbox 360. For the longest time, the rivalry between these two companies has been fierce. While both have held an equal share in the gaming market, there’s no denying that one reigns supreme over the other.

sports games
A sports game is one that attempts to mimic the experience of playing a real-life sport. This one is played on a PlayStation.

Who doesn’t love a good fight? Especially one that has been going on for so long. The console wars have taken the gaming industry by storm, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. If you’re looking to get started in the world of console gaming, then you might be wondering whether you should pick the Xbox or PlayStation. Both are great machines, and both have plenty of games that you can enjoy. So, what’s the deal? Which one should you pick? Let us break it down for you – here is an outline of everything you need to know about the PlayStation vs Xbox debate.

Xbox vs PlayStation: Side-by-Side Comparison

XboxPlayStation
What it is:A video game console created and owned by MicrosoftA video game console created and owned by Sony
Owner:Microsoft CorporationSony Computer Entertainment             
Initial Release:20011994
Developers:MicrosoftSony
Reliability:It has lesser lags making it more stable and reliableNot as reliable as Xbox
Speed:Works faster, making it convenient to useNot as fast as Xbox
Price:CheaperCostly
Overall Quality:The overall quality is better than PlayStationGood quality but not as good as Xbox

Xbox vs PlayStation: Five Must Know Facts

  • Xbox and PlayStation are two of the most popular consoles on the market. They were created by two different companies, Sony and Microsoft. The first PlayStation came out in 1994. PlayStation has sold over 102 million units worldwide since its creation! This is a little bit more than the Xbox, which has sold about 84 million units worldwide since 2001.
  • The PlayStation has outsold every other console in history, so you could say that it is also considered one of the best gaming consoles. However, Microsoft’s Xbox was able to slow down PlayStation sales during its early years. Between 2000 and 2004, Sony sold more than 100 million PlayStations worldwide. The GameCube from Nintendo followed shortly after in 2001, with 21 million consoles sold worldwide between 2002 and 2006.
  • The Xbox 360 was one of the first gaming consoles to allow users to stream their gameplay online via services like Twitch and Ustream. On June 9, 2007, Microsoft released the Xbox 360 as a successor to its original Xbox console, competing with Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii.
  • PlayStation’s best feature is its DualShock controller, which has analog sticks and vibration feedback. PlayStation also has a large library of games that can be played online via the PlayStation Network (PSN). Xbox’s best feature is its Kinect camera/controller combo, which allows users to control games by moving around or speaking commands.
  • Xbox doesn’t have a handheld console, but Microsoft does produce Windows 10 devices. These are all touchscreen tablets that run on both an Intel processor and an ARM-based processor to provide a smooth gaming experience.

Xbox: The Complete History

Xbox is a brand of home and handheld video game consoles and other entertainment devices designed and marketed by Microsoft. As of January 2014, 84 million Xbox consoles have been sold worldwide since they were first launched in November 2001. The original Xbox was released on November 15, 2001, in North America, February 22, 2002, in Japan, and March 14, 2002, in Europe & Australia. Microsoft did not offer another console until 2005’s Xbox 360.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
Xbox was initially called DirectX Box.

Xbox was originally announced as DirectX Box on May 12, 2000. The original idea behind Microsoft’s next-generation video game console was to provide more advanced graphics and audio than any other video game system available. Before long, Microsoft had a prototype ready to show at E3 in Los Angeles that year. But it wasn’t until 2002 that Microsoft released its first gaming console—the Xbox.

The Xbox debuted in North America on November 15, 2001, with an MSRP of $300 (that price later dropped to $200). Initial sales were slow, but they picked up steam quickly thanks to Halo: Combat Evolved, which launched alongside the console. The 128-bit sixth-generation console was the first to include a built-in hard disk drive. It was powered by an Intel Pentium III 733 MHz CPU and featured 64 MB of RAM, an 8 GB hard drive, and four controller ports.  

On November 15, 2002, the Xbox Live service was unveiled as a multiplayer gaming service for the original Xbox console in select test markets across North America before rolling out worldwide in 2003. By early 2003, 1 million units had been sold worldwide. In 2004, Microsoft released two new versions of its console: The Xbox 360 Elite ($400) and Xbox 360 Pro ($300). By March 2005, 5 million units had been sold worldwide. The same year, the Xbox 360 was announced with new hardware features such as support for high-definition graphics and wireless controllers out of the box (an adapter would be required for first-generation consoles) along with numerous software innovations.

In 2012, Microsoft announced plans for another new version of its console called Xbox 720, which is rumored to be arriving sometime in 2013 or 2014. Today, there are over 70 million Xbox consoles in homes worldwide. There have also been several spinoff products, such as Kinect and Zune Marketplace Music Pass. And all those combined have earned Microsoft billions of dollars in revenue over the years.

The Rise of PlayStation

The first PlayStation — officially abbreviated PS, commonly known as the PS1 or PSX — is a game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released on December 3, 1994, in Japan, on September 9, 1995, in North America, on September 29, 1995, in Europe, and in Australia on November 15, 1995. It was the first of the PlayStation lineup of video game consoles. As a fifth-generation console, the PlayStation primarily competed with the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn.

 The original PlayStation console was fairly simple by today’s standards, but it was a major technological leap forward at the time. It offered 32 bits of graphics processing power compared to 16 bits on older Sega and Nintendo systems (hence “PlayStation”).

Sony’s PlayStation brand has won over gamers everywhere, and in so doing, it has helped Sony become one of the most powerful companies in tech. And while you might not know it, Microsoft started as a fledgling challenger to Sony’s gaming dominance—let’s look at how both brands rose to fame. The story begins with Nintendo, which was riding high off its NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) success when unveiled its follow-up console, SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System).

fps
First-person shooters (FPS) have been one of the biggest parts of the PlayStation console lineup (including the PS5).

As with NES before it, many third-party developers lined up to support SNES because they could release games on both systems. But Nintendo’s deal only applied to consoles that used cartridges; game publishers were left out in the cold when Sony announced its PlayStation system would use CDs instead. When PlayStation hit shelves in 1994, many thought Sega would emerge victorious after releasing Saturn two years earlier—but PlayStation had an ace up its sleeve: CDs let players install multiple games on their hard drives and swap them between machines. PlayStation dominated gaming for years, but not without fierce competition from Microsoft.

With Xbox in 2001, Microsoft tried to break into gaming by targeting hardcore gamers with better graphics and more sophisticated controls. For example, Sony launched DualShock controllers for PlayStation 4 that included features like dual rumble motors, a built-in speaker, and a touchpad. They also launched PlayStation VR—essentially virtual reality goggles for PS4 users who want to immerse themselves in 3D worlds.

The PlayStation offered consumers a 32-bit system with the ability to generate digital audio and display images in a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels — high-resolution graphics compared to other systems at the time. The device also used compact discs as its standard storage medium instead of cartridges or cassette tapes used by previous systems. These features made it possible for developers to create games with computer animation and full-motion video clips, which could not be duplicated on cartridge systems like Nintendo’s Super NES or Sega’s Genesis.

Xbox vs PlayStation: What are The Differences?

At their core, the Xbox and PlayStation are gaming consoles. They allow you to play video games on your TV. They connect to the internet and can stream video apps like Netflix and Hulu. They have media centers and controllers that have changed little over the years.

But the fact that they’re both video game consoles doesn’t mean they’re all that similar. From their initial debut, Xbox and PlayStation have been competing for your money with similar-but-different approaches to what a video game console should be.

Xbox and PlayStation are the two leading names in the world of gaming consoles. And while these consoles offer similar services, they do so in very different ways. The Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One video game consoles offer significant improvements over — and break compatibility with — the previous generation consoles in their respective families: Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

PlayStation 4 vs Xbox One: Design

Since its launch, the PS4 design has been refined, with the latest models looking slimmer and more modern. The console is sleek and minimalist, with sharp angles that make it look futuristic without being overbearing. The ‘standard’ PS4 still comes in black, but there are also white and gold versions of the console.

The Xbox One has been redesigned several times since launch, with both slimmer and more powerful versions of the console now available. The original model was bulky compared to its predecessor, but Microsoft overhauled its appearance with the Xbox One S. This offers a sleeker finish than the original model and comes in multiple colors, including white, black, and blue (some special editions even come in gold).

Hardware

The Xbox One is powered by a custom eight-core AMD x86 CPU running at 1.75GHz (a “Jaguar”-derived core), coupled with 8GB of GDDR3 RAM clocked at 2133MHz, offering 68GB/s of bandwidth. A 500GB hard drive is included as a standard, but this can be upgraded by the user.

The PS4 uses a custom eight-core AMD x86 CPU running at 1.6GHz (another “Jaguar”-derived core), with 8GB of GDDR5 RAM clocked at 2.75GHz, offering 176GB/s of bandwidth. Like the Xbox One, it has a 500GB hard drive that the user can upgrade.

However, it should be noted that the PS4’s standard hard drive is a 5400RPM model — if you’re looking to upgrade it to an SSD or hybrid drive, you’ll need one that runs at the same speed or slower.

From a hardware standpoint, the PS4 Pro has an advantage over Xbox One X as it supports 4K natively and can stream 4K content on Netflix and YouTube, something Xbox One X does not support yet.

Teenagers playing video games controllers
When choosing a gaming system consider the type of games you enjoy the most.

Game Library

While both gaming systems have some of the most well-known game franchises of all time, including exclusive titles, ports, and independent games, the PS4 is likely to win the exclusives contest. The PlayStation 4 has some of the most popular and highest-rated AAA titles of the generation, such as God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, and others, while the Xbox One has some of the most popular first-party titles, such as Halo 5, Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, and others.

Price

Although the price largely depends on the model of the device, Xbox and Playstation are typically priced competitively with each other. For example, the Xbox Series X and standard Playstation 5 were both initially released with a price tag of $500. However, the Playstation 5 is also available in a digital edition with a lower cost of $400.

What’s Better? Playstation or Xbox? Which One Should You Use?

The eternal question: should you go with an Xbox or a PlayStation? There are many variations of these two consoles. The newest ones are the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5, which were released in November 2020. The most recent generations that came out before then are the Xbox One X and the PlayStation 4 Pro. Many different factors go into choosing a console, so it can be difficult to choose just one

The first thing to consider is price. The Xbox One retails at around $300, while the PlayStation 4 retails at around $400. If you’re on a budget, you might want to consider buying an Xbox One over a PlayStation 4. The next thing you want to consider is which games you’ll want to play. If you’re into more fast-paced, action-packed games, you’re probably going to want to go with the Xbox One. If you’re more into slower-paced games like adventure or puzzle games, then the PlayStation 4 might be for you.

Xbox vs PlayStation infographic

Up Next

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Xbox or PlayStation?

Like most consoles, both systems have their pros and cons. While both systems share many similarities, some subtle differences make each one better for different situations. PlayStation 5 is Sony’s newest gaming platform, and it has all sorts of cool features to offer. It can connect to your PlayStation Vita via remote play, so you can enjoy your PS5 games on your handheld device when you aren’t home. It also allows users to stream video from services like Netflix and Hulu Plus directly onto their TV screens without needing additional hardware or software. This is great if you want to watch something while playing games on your PS5! In this case, PS5 comes out as the better console.

Which is more popular, Xbox or PlayStation?

The PlayStation is currently Sony’s best-selling console since it was released in 1994. The PS2 was Sony’s best-selling console of all time, selling over 150 million units during its 10-year lifetime. An estimated 155 million PlayStation consoles have been sold worldwide since their launch in 1994. According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, worldwide sales of Xbox consoles are also up there with about 70 million units sold as of 2005.

Which has better games, Xbox or PlayStation?

Microsoft and Sony, both giants in the video game industry, are constantly competing. PlayStation offers more advanced features, but Microsoft’s console has better overall games.

Which was released first, Xbox or PlayStation?

The PlayStation came first. The original Xbox (Xbox Original) came out in 2001, and the PlayStation came out in 1994.

Who owns Xbox and PlayStation?

Microsoft Corporation owns Xbox, and Sony Interactive Entertainment owns PlayStation

What is the history of Xbox and PlayStation?

Video games have been around for decades, but it wasn’t until 1972, when Pong hit arcades, that gaming took off. There were also consoles in early gaming history, like Magnavox Odyssey and Fairchild Channel F. In 1994, Sony debuted its PlayStation console, which quickly became one of the best-selling consoles of all time. The PlayStation 2 was released in 2000, followed by PlayStation 3 (2006), PlayStation 4 (2013) and PlayStation 5 (2020). Microsoft entered into competition with Xbox in 2001. The original Xbox was replaced by Xbox 360 (2005), followed by Xbox One (2013) and Xbox series X and S (2019)

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