By Max Jay

This year is ushering in a new generation of home consoles with the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. After the better part of a decade with the PS3 and 360 we finally have new toys to play with – but many out there in consumer land may have some trouble deciding which new console to buy. So just for you, I’ve decided to break it down so you can easily decide which one is best for you.

XBOX ONE ($499): Microsoft walked away with the console gold medal last generation thanks to the resounding success of the Xbox 360. Walking into the new generation Microsoft had an air of ambition and smugness that translated into their announcement of the Xbox One and all of the following policy decisions. People in the know were kind of pissed off about it. The Xbox One was originally expected to block used games and require an online connection at all times. This is technology is inevitable, but consumers are not yet ready for it due to the inherent suspension of many things that make the gaming community so cohesive (i.e. sharing and trading games with friends). Fortunately Microsoft flip-flopped on most of their controversial policies making the system what it probably should have been from the beginning. The biggest draw of the Xbox One is actually not its gaming capacity. Yes, the console is a powerhouse on the level of many high end PC’s, but the real strength of the console lies within its ability to network all of your various television based services into a single box. The Xbox One has both input and output HDMI jacks, meaning you can plug in your cable box, DVR, sound system – pretty much anything you can thing of – and have it run to the TV. Big deal, right? You can just plug all of your crap into the TV without the Xbox One and be done with it. Sure, you may have 30 remotes and an octopus of wires under your TV, but it doesn’t cost $500. Fair point, consumer – but the Xbox One can seamlessly switch from component to component with a flip of the Xbox One controller or the paced in Kinect sensor. Now, the Kinect is one of the most impressive technologies to hit the mass market in a long, long time. The Kinect, in its simplest form, is a motion sensor. It track body movement and will detect dozens of voice commands such as “Xbox, on,” “Xbox, off,” “Xbox, start Netflix,” etc. The sensor throws out thousands of infrared beams to detect the user and mirror the actions with frightening precision. I, personally, think the Kinect is nearly useless in the gaming front, but the voice command and minor motion commands could be useful for navigation.

PLAYSTATION 4 ($399)

After the rough launch of the PlayStation 3, followed by the eventual mass hacking of the PlayStation Network (where thousands of credit card numbers were stolen) Sony ran into this generation with something to prove. And from the moment of the PlayStation 4 announcement – they had millions of gamers all over the world hooked.

Sony’s has flown a flag for the gamers from day one. Sony’s system is marginally more powerful and speedier than Microsoft’s and it shows up on the gaming end of the console’s capabilities. It outputs consistent 60 fps games in full 1080p without a hitch, giving it the smoothest and highest resolution of any console that has ever been on the market.

The PlayStation 4 has a lot of video capabilities too. You’ll have no problem setting up Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant and tons of other multimedia delivery options. Unlike the Xbox One though, the PS4 cannot network all of your devices and manage them. Sony has said they’re looking into partnerships with television companies so the console can play live TV – but there are no options for that at launch.

When it comes down to it the PlayStation 4 is a gaming console for gamers and developers. Sony worked with dozens of game developers while building the console to see what would make the PS4 the quintessential development tool, making the companies able to put out the best quality games in the shortest amount of time.

The PS4 also has a very useful second screen option in case the TV is in use by another member of the family. If you have Sony’s handheld system, the PlayStation Vita, you can switch the TV to another channel and beam your game onto your Vita. Yes, you can play the newest Assassin’s Creed or Call of Duty on your lap while your kids watch cartoons or your significant other watches something you have no interest in. The one caveat for this at the moment is the fact that both entities need to be connected to the same wireless network – meaning you can only do this at home for now. In the future this could obviously expand as wireless fidelity increases all over the world, but for now it’s still an amazing draw that works shockingly well.

As a lover of video games I the PlayStation 4 is my personal choice. Given that I have had some time to play around with it I can confidently say that it is a marvel of a console. It is fast, simple to use and the graphical fidelity at launch is staggering.

Final thoughts

The PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One are similar in many ways, but have very different goals. The Xbox One is looking to be the “everything box,” but in its venture it suffers marginally on the gaming side of the equation. The PlayStation 4 was designed with the aim of being the perfect home gaming machine – which is apparent in its ability to output a more consistent quality of games than the Xbox, but without the ability to network devices together.If you’re looking for the Porsche of gaming machines, the PlayStation 4 is for you. But if you’re looking for something that will play games in addition to making it more convenient to navigate all of your services the Xbox One would likely be your choice.