Xbox One

So Microsoft has finally decided to launch the much anticipated Xbox One right after a week of Sony PlayStation 4's launch. The console got an incredible start and Microsoft stated that the new Xbox One sales hit the 1 million mark in the first 24 hours like the PlayStation 4. So the war has already begun between the two new gaming consoles.

Inside Box and New Features

Xbox One's box has a one chat headset, HDMI cable, Kinect Sensor, one controller and the console itself along with the powering brick. This new Xbox is now more entertaining than ever, it allows you to Skype with you friends, it has live TV integration and online video streaming. Although the live TV integration is quite frustrating but it’s always a cool feature to have. Xbox One can also control your satellite cable box which is quite interesting. 

You will notice that the graphics of the games are better on the Xbox One. Unfortunately you have will have to pay $60 per year for the Xbox Live Gold account which allows you to do more things than just single player gaming. The people who already have a Gold account don't have to pay anything extra while PS4 offers a full month of free PlayStation Plus service. 

Hardware and Specs 

Xbox One is sleeker than the PlayStation 4 but it comes with an external power brick which is not cool at all as the PS4 has the power supply tucked inside. Xbox One has a built-in Wi-fi but it lacks Bluetooth. There is only one version of the new console with storage of 500GB and the disk is non-removable. Other than the storage there is a beefy 8-core AMD CPU, 853 MHz GPU and a staggering 8GB DDR3 RAM. So the specifications are slightly better than the PS4 but you will hardly notice any performance difference. The PS4 is equally impressive. 

The gameplay is significantly improved from the Xbox 360 and the games look great on the Xbox One. Most of the games available in the market are compatible with the Xbox One and surprisingly it can also run PS4 games. The console has a very complex dashboard but the new controller is quite comfortable and allows you to play from more angles. 

Verdict 

Although the Xbox One had a great start but there are some things which are bothering me like the Kinect sensor should be optional as we have to pay $100 more than the PS4 only for the Kinect Sensor. The base price for the Xbox is $599 while the PS4 costs only $499. The Xbox One is impressive for most of the part but the price tag can be a deal breaker. People who can't pay $100 more should go for the PS4 without a second thought. This war has started to heat up but things are looking bright for Microsoft.