<p dir="ltr">Consoles reviews are stupid, at least in a traditional sense. The real reason so many publications trot them out is not actually to provide a well-rounded and informative take on a new piece of hardware, but rather to rack up views from people who want a number to quantify their excitement. Both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are works in progress, with a ton of room for improvement, but it is hard to put that into a few stars or a letter grade. Instead of trying to grade these new pieces of hardware through a checklist, I thought it would be easier to simply explain my experiences with both consoles a couple weeks after both launches. Have I investigated all the features, and maxed out their potential? Not by a long shot, I have simply played games, watched movies, and used them in my living room, like I imagine most people are going to do. So, how have they held up?</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Before explaining my experience with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, I think it’s important to explain the environment in which these machines have been used. Both consoles have been kept in the same living room of a three bedroom, second floor apartment. They have been used by myself and two roommates, one of which has their own profile on both machines, carrying over their profile from the consoles of previous generations, the other roommate is not all that into console gaming and rarely uses the machines. Each console is hooked up to their own TV, the Xbox One is hooked up to a 47” that is the center of our living room with a home theater system, the PlayStation 4 to a 32” TV kitty corner to the center of the living room, a more humble set up.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I received my PlayStation 4 via Amazon on launch day and set it up immediately in the evening. The system instantly required an update then, after going black for a half-minute, restarted. The thing that stood out to me about the PlayStation 4 instantly was how quickly everything downloaded. Both my Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have been the primary entertainment systems in our household, responsible for playing Netflix, Hulu, DVDs, and Blu-ray video, so setting up all of my previous applications was the first order of business. Downloading all of these applications was smooth and fast, it felt like my PlayStation had everything downloaded in hours, including digital copies of WarFrame, DC Universe Online, Assassin’s Creed IV, Resogun, and Contrast, in addition to all of my video apps. There was a bit of finagling with the download queue as some downloads would stop for unknown reasons, but after a quick restart, they would pick up right where they left off.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The notification system on the PlayStation 4 can be confusing. It is hard to tell if something has downloaded and is installing, or what status they are currently in. That being said, most games download so quickly, it does not feel like a major inconvenience. For larger titles, we’re talking a half-hour at most. That being said, getting these items to download is not as easy as originally advertised. I have tried purchasing items through the PlayStation iPhone app, but have been unable to access the PS Store thus far. When I purchased Flower on my laptop, my PlayStation did not start the download immediately, even though it was in a suspend mode. There might not be options I have set up correctly, but nothing has stood out to make me believe the set up is incorrect. Much like previous generations, games won’t download until you pull up your purchases and start the process.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">While the PlayStation 4 interface is smooth, it risks becoming quickly cluttered. Instead of the XMB the system now shows a long list of your most recently accessed applications, with special selections to show your video apps and game library. The way to make this work best is likely to always access your games and apps from these windows. But if you don’t, the list of applications seems to stretch out forever, so searching for old downloaded titles, could become cumbersome. It is also easier to access your Friends section in this interface, quickly pulling up your friend’s information, though it is cluttered and difficult to navigate.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The XMB was a clunky way to use the PlayStation 3, it lacked refinement and accessibility. Sony never updated that interface, making it as painful Day 1 as it is today. It will be interesting to see if any updates can be made to the PlayStation 4 interface. While it is a marked improvement, it still threatens to lack as much progress as one would hope.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Most games seemed to run smoothly on the PlayStation 4, booting up quickly and running without error. Battlefield 4 has crashed multiple times, and EA was quick to point the finger at Sony, but it seems there isn’t a console Battlefield 4 isn’t having trouble on at this time. The system also has better social integration, offering to link my PlayStation account to my facebook (which I declined). It also makes steaming to Twitch and saving your recorded gameplay incredibly easy. Within minutes I could create an account, start a stream, and find it online.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The PlayStation 4 feels sleeker, and more powerful than its predecessor, a natural progression in the generational leap, with downloads moving faster, games allowing you to jump back into the action quicker, and better social integration. While there is much to love about the PlayStation 4, it feels safe, exhibiting little risk in what it offers. The games are prettier, but when it comes to way the PlayStation 4 manages entertainment, it still feels like part of your experience.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">This is exactly what I love about the Xbox One. Upon purchasing my Xbox One, I brought it home and put it at the core of my entertainment center. The Xbox One is a great idea, one that actually seems to anticipate problems you weren’t even aware you had. Running my TV, cable, apps, and games through one box makes it an incredibly easy experience. Ideally, the days of explaining to my non-game-playing roommate how to get to Netflix were over. She could simply sit down on the couch and say, “Xbox, go to Netflix”.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Unboxing the Xbox One can be an intimidating experience, especially if you have never set up Kinect before. There are a few calibration steps that need to be taken before you can start playing. For the most part, Kinect was fairly intuitive with these steps, it registered my face and logged me in quickly, and it was just as fast for my roommate. For two weeks now, the Xbox has been able to recognize us when we simply sit down to watch TV or each other play games.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It is important to point out early, that the home screen of the Xbox One is a nightmare. Sure, you can pin your favorite apps to a tab, but its hard to find all of your favorite apps to begin with as they are buried in menus. Trying to figure out all the Xbox One is capable of can be cumbersome, you might see some apps if they are pushed to the home screen, but searching for functionality can be far from easy. The reasons for the atrocious interface, is that Xbox One is not designed to be controlled with your hands, it is meant to be controlled with your voice.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The voice commands are a mixed bag with the Xbox One. The Xbox One behaves like a dog in training. When you’re alone it works perfectly, following your commands without issue. However, you start adding more people or more complex commands and it becomes over-stimulated. Sitting alone, marathoning a show from Netflix or playing the same game for a few hours, you might think the Kinect works wonders. While me and a friend watched TV, a phone call came in. Sitting across the room from where the remote was located, I was able to pause the TV with a simple voice command. When Kinect and Xbox One are at their best, your controller or remote is nowhere to be found, eliminating the juggling one has to do to control their entertainment experience.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">It is not until you add three friends talking about the football game you’re watching or someone talking about their bad day while you play NBA2k14, that you realize the commands are spotty. First, if voice recognition works for the Xbox One, it is hard to tell. Friends can walk into the room and mess up your game with commands, or the Kinect won’t even register a command if someone else is talking. Trying to flip between games on football Sunday? Good luck. Trying to pause a movie because two friends are arguing over the ending? Not gonna happen. When Kinect should be at its best, it is at its worst. Sitting in a room alone, I can keep track of controllers and remotes, I rarely have to pause the TV unexpectedly. It is amidst friends or family that using my voice to control the TV would be most valuable.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Kinect also struggles with commands that are seemingly simply. Trying to switch between shows can be a headache since you can not search a show in Netflix itself, you have to go to Bing. So if you are watching Family Guy and want to switch to 30 Rock, you have to go to Bing, then select 30 Rock. This seems simple enough, but when you get to 30 Rocks there are series of voice commands needed to get to your desired episode, which will not pick up where you left off on Netflix. Switching between episodes themselves can be difficult, the system does not seem to anticipate how to get to the next episode or autoplay. In the end, Kinect is a very interesting tool and shows potential, but you will still have to often admit defeat and use a controller. This can actually be more inconvenient as you will have to scramble to find a remote you have misplace while using voice commands. Sure, you can skip the voice commands altogether, but then why did you spend the extra $100 in the first place?</p>
<p dir="ltr">There are other issues with the Xbox One. Mostly the long loading and install times that are puzzling when compared with the PlayStation 4. I was playing in a matter of minutes after popping in the sizeable Killzone: Shadow Fall, whereas installing NBA2k14 took so long on the Xbox One, I wondered if something was wrong. This might be attributed to the fact the PlayStation 4 seems to be measuring how long till you can play the game and the Xbox One is measuring the entire download.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Hopefully, Sony and Microsoft are aware that the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are unfinished products with their share of flaws at launch. While the Xbox One seems to have more bugs, it is also a more ambitious system than the PlayStation 4, trying to anticipate consumer needs. That beings said, the PlayStation 4 is the more fluid and user-friendly service at this time. The console boasts faster downloads and an experience that does not have to adapt to wonky peripherals.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Promise comes with both of these systems, and while both launch lineups are far from must-plays, they have a nice group of titles at launch for you to sink your time into. The real promise is in what we have only seen thus far. Games like Titanfall, The Witcher 3, and Infamous: Second Son are where the real next-gen experiences lie. It is easy to spend time with games like Assassin’s Creed IV, Dead Rising 3, NBA2k14, and Need For Speed: Rivals, but it is exciting to know that the best is yet to come. Next-gen is here. How have your first few weeks with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 been?</p>

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