How will you choose between MS & Sony's new consoles?

gizmo

ShadowHearth wrote: »

It is still fuzzy and nothing is cleared out at all. Same company telling different things. though if it works as they discribed in that screenshot, then lets have a look from different point of view.
They just said word "region". It is not cleared out as it is some sort of region of countries or region as a country. They are going very specific with countries the xbox will launch. So I presume they are talking about region as a country. MS are pretty much saying to stay with your Xbox in same region where you bought it. Wount that mean, that if I buy XBOX ONE in Ireland, it will mean I can only play and activate Irish region games? I wount be able to buy games from german or UK amazon? What sort of Xboxes will people get, which preordered it on UK amazon?

The problem is, as we've said, they've not actually confirmed any of this so all we're left with is supposition, not a particularly good idea when what you're doing is both untested and widely unpopular.

Anyway, my take on the above is that there is some confusion with what they/people mean by region. I imagine that the console being "region locked" refers to traditional region locking, for instance, US games will only work on US consoles. This is different from someone with an Irish Gamertag moving to a country which isn't on the current list of supported countries. In this case I'd imagine they'll be able to play the games they've already activated but won't be activate any more because they'll be deemed "out of region". The only way around this would be to either a) activate the game back in Ireland or b) wait until the region you're in is officially supported. However, I can't see any restrictions being put in place to stop you buying games from different countries which are in the same region as you.

The last issue is when someone with an Irish account moves to the US. In this case they should be able to use the existing account migration functionality to make their Irish account into a US one which will then allow the activation of US-region locked games on their account. The question is, will you now lose access to the games which aren't available in your region? On the 360, you lost access to the "content" which wasn't available in your region but I've never heard of any repercussions involving the games side of things.

Again, there's a bunch of questions there that need answering and positions clarified.

ShadowHearth

gizmo wrote: »

The problem is, as we've said, they've not actually confirmed any of this so all we're left with is supposition, not a particularly good idea when what you're doing is both untested and widely unpopular.

Anyway, my take on the above is that there is some confusion with what they/people mean by region. I imagine that the console being "region locked" refers to traditional region locking, for instance, US games will only work on US consoles. This is different from someone with an Irish Gamertag moving to a country which isn't on the current list of supported countries. In this case I'd imagine they'll be able to play the games they've already activated but won't be activate any more because they'll be deemed "out of region". The only way around this would be to either a) activate the game back in Ireland or b) wait until the region you're in is officially supported. However, I can't see any restrictions being put in place to stop you buying games from different countries which are in the same region as you.

The last issue is when someone with an Irish account moves to the US. In this case they should be able to use the existing account migration functionality to make their Irish account into a US one which will then allow the activation of US-region locked games on their account. The question is, will you now lose access to the games which aren't available in your region? On the 360, you lost access to the "content" which wasn't available in your region but I've never heard of any repercussions involving the games side of things.

Again, there's a bunch of questions there that need answering and positions clarified.

MS is not doing itself a favour by letting this whole rumour mill going out of control. Or the truth is really fecked up as rumours suggest, so MS keeping it under wraps, or MS really just still cocky enough and fell untouchable.

CatInABox

I'll be getting an XBox One, primarily because the games that are coming out for it are more along the lines of what I like than what I've seen of the PS4. In saying that, going from an Xbox 360 to an Xbox One means that I'm gutted to be missing out on the Naughty Dog games again, they've always looked like great fun.

The main points that people are raising against the Xbox One are all valid, but for me they are not great issues, to be honest. I don't deal with used games, I rarely lend games to my friends, so those restrictions have very little bearing on my decision.

As a huge user of Steam, I can see where Microsoft are going with they're cloud licence method, and the utility of being able to log in to any Xbox One and start playing your game where I left off sounds great to me.

I'm also a huge proponent of an always connected lifestyle, between my PC and my mobile, technically speaking, I'm never not connected to the internet, so again, the 24 hour check in isn't an issue for me.

The Kinect privacy issue is something that I'm a little confused about, I don't see why people have an issue with it but will happily email and network with Google, facebook, twitter and others. I know that what's in my emails will be infinitely more revealing than anything I do on my couch.

The price is a consideration, and I must admit, getting that level of technology into a consumer box at that price is a huge success for Sony, however, the fact is that for a device I am going to have for 7+ years, the price isn't something that I'd blanch at.

The treatment of Indie developers is a cause for concern, however, in most cases I buy my Indie games on steam and through the humble bundles. I think Microsoft will probably(hopefully) provide an easier way to self publish in the future.

I also think that over the lifetime of the Xbox One, the whole set up of it will provide more potential for innovation and improvement than the PS4, but this is just my opinion, not something I'm basing on fact.

So they're my points on why I'll be getting an Xbox One, and in saying all of that, one of the most amazing things I've seen over the last few weeks is how poorly Microsoft has communicated.
Certainly the price and DRM issue gave Sony a clear PR victory, but the amount of gaffes and misinformation that have come out of Microsoft mouths is incredible! How they didn't have all of this locked down a month before the announcement shows how unprepared they were, and if they had an honest conversation with people at the time of the original announcement, I think a fair bit of the ill will that they're currently receiving could have been negated.

Grayditch

Probably the most fair and reasonable answer you'll see. We should get one from a PS4 stance, pin both as a sticky and end the war.

Until PC ruin it :pac:

C14N

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Those are official corporation accounts with payed workers to handle that job.

Is it? I've seen a few now but the username is "XboxSupport1" and usually the official one won't have a "1" on the end, they get the original version and then copycats stick the number on. Is this definitely the real Microsoft account?

ShadowHearth

C14N wrote: »

Is it? I've seen a few now but the username is "XboxSupport1" and usually the official one won't have a "1" on the end, they get the original version and then copycats stick the number on. Is this definitely the real Microsoft account?

There are official ones and there will be always assholes who troll other people. I am pretty sure there are 1000 variations on LADYGAGA out there too.
I am talking in general, that companies use accounts on these social networks to do business. They should take responsibility for posted information.

C14N

ShadowHearth wrote: »

There are official ones and there will be always assholes who troll other people. I am pretty sure there are 1000 variations on LADYGAGA out there too.
I am talking in general, that companies use accounts on these social networks to do business. They should take responsibility for posted information.

Oh I agree, I'm just asking in this case are we sure that this is a real account and not a troll? Anytime I've seen it, it seems to be giving misinformation that makes MS look even worse and if it is just a fake account then it isn't Microsoft's fault or responsibility.

ShadowHearth

C14N wrote: »

Oh I agree, I'm just asking in this case are we sure that this is a real account and not a troll? Anytime I've seen it, it seems to be giving misinformation that makes MS look even worse and if it is just a fake account then it isn't Microsoft's fault or responsibility.

Aye, if look back at my comment, I even mention, that it could be just a troll account/screenshot just to troll already pissed off gamers, which is most likely. Even if not, it is very slim on information and what meaning they put on words like regions etc. Its just another half arsed, very shady piece of information.

CatInABox

Grayditch wrote: »

Probably the most fair and reasonable answer you'll see. We should get one from a PS4 stance, pin both as a sticky and end the war.

Until PC ruin it :pac:

Indeed, one of the most exasperating things about this industry/hobby is the fact that there really is a console war, with a small minority people totally unable to see anything good about a competing console.

I really don't understand this mentality at all. From my point of view, we've all just gone through a console generation the likes of which none of us has ever seen before, what I feel is a true golden age of gaming. One of the things that made this generation so good is the fact that we had two consoles in direct competition with each other of the entire life cycle, and I can't understand why anyone would want that to change.

Richard Dower

How will i decide?......this:



:cool:

Richard Dower

CatInABox wrote: »

Indeed, one of the most exasperating things about this industry/hobby is the fact that there really is a console war, with a small minority people totally unable to see anything good about a competing console.

I really don't understand this mentality at all. From my point of view, we've all just gone through a console generation the likes of which none of us has ever seen before, what I feel is a true golden age of gaming. One of the things that made this generation so good is the fact that we had two consoles in direct competition with each other of the entire life cycle, and I can't understand why anyone would want that to change.

Twould be rather boring with fanboys trolling each other :P

Pushtrak

On the basis of probably the least important thing? Ok...

Richard Dower

I'm a spec-head, the tech specs of the PS4 won me over. When i saw the X1 reveal i was gobsmacked at its boxy VCR design. It seemed like some from 2005....i still cant fathom why they couldnt make it smaller?

I actually like the X1 operating system and design, i'm a fan of Windows 8 and it looks like a snazzy W8 device. I dont mind the Kinect in principle, i love the idea of voice command and hand gestures....alot of new smart tv's have the same feature.

But again it was down to weight and RAM useage, 3GB for the OS as opposed to 1GB for the PS4. The X1 OS is really *an* operating system for a PC, not a console OS....and if you look at the PS4 OS its leaner and more gamer/console-esque.

Price....100 quid, but yeah i'll end up paying that for the eye camera, but i have the option to buy the PS eye wheras the Kinect is being forced on me.

Games, they seem evenly matched. Thing is....i *might* switch to the X1 as we move closer, i want to see a hardware teardown, the OS compared side by side.

I'm paying off on the PS4 but i can always switch to the X1, used games are a big deal but as a MS employee rightly stated today, you get royally screwed by Gamestop on second hand games, getting 5 quid for AAA titles and them reselling for 35 quid......!!!!!

I prefer the PS4 controller design, i prefer the PS4 console design, its alot smaller, the X1 is just a big box.

I'll need to see more from both as we move forward but the PS4 is the clear winner.

Grayditch

The PS4 camera is 50 euro, so you'll still be up 50 if you get that.

Kirby

Richard Dower wrote: »

I'm a spec-head, the tech specs of the PS4 won me over. When i saw the X1 reveal i was gobsmacked at its boxy VCR design. It seemed like some from 2005....i still cant fathom why they couldnt make it smaller? I prefer the PS4 controller design, i prefer the PS4 console design, its alot smaller, the X1 is just a big box.

The design on the xboxone is pretty poor alright. It's so big because of the huge fan they are using. This means a lot of "dead space" in other parts of the box. It could have been much smaller with a bit of effort or forethought.

The tech in both boxes is virtually identical. The same cpu and same gpu. And yet the ps4 is half the size. Tells you everything you need to know. It makes it even sillier that the smaller ps4 will outperform the xbone because of a higher clocked gpu and GDDR5 in the ps4 instead of DDR3 and ESRAM in the xbone.

ahnowbrowncow

Kirby wrote: »

The design on the xboxone is pretty poor alright. It's so big because of the huge fan they are using. This means a lot of "dead space" in other parts of the box. It could have been much smaller with a bit of effort or forethought.

The tech in both boxes is virtually identical. The same cpu and same gpu. And yet the ps4 is half the size. Tells you everything you need to know. It makes it even sillier that the smaller ps4 will outperform the xbone because of a higher clocked gpu and GDDR5 in the ps4 instead of DDR3 and ESRAM in the xbone.

The ps4 gpu has 50% more shaders than the xboxone so the gpus are far from being the same.

Wetbench4

Kirby wrote: »

The design on the xboxone is pretty poor alright. It's so big because of the huge fan they are using. This means a lot of "dead space" in other parts of the box. It could have been much smaller with a bit of effort or forethought.

The tech in both boxes is virtually identical. The same cpu and same gpu. And yet the ps4 is half the size. Tells you everything you need to know. It makes it even sillier that the smaller ps4 will outperform the xbone because of a higher clocked gpu and GDDR5 in the ps4 instead of DDR3 and ESRAM in the xbone.

Isn't gddr5 about 50% faster than ddr3 aswell though, along with the more powerful gpu makes a pretty hefty difference in my opinion, for €100 quid less. How did ms fall so far off the mark this coming gen

Richard Dower

^imo i think the boxy/large desing of the X1 is down to a rushed design, its clear from everything i have read MS thre the console design in the last 12 months, Sony had being designing the PS4 for over two years.

That big X1 fan is or looks 120mm....you can bet it is cooling the DDR3 RAM also, as its probably arranged around the APU.......

But the PS4 seems to be using heatsinks and heatpipes to dissipate the heat, though we havent seen the PS4 mothervoard layout yet.

From what i gather in GPU performance the PS4 is 40% faster....ergo for the future, 2-3 years time this will be *very* important.

The PS4 APU is a custon design, the X1 APU is off the shelf. So i'm thinking about future proofing here......

Richard Dower

Wetbench4 wrote: »

Isn't gddr5 about 50% faster than ddr3 aswell though, along with the more powerful gpu makes a pretty hefty difference in my opinion, for €100 quid less. How did ms fall so far off the mark this coming gen

True, but MS do have that on-die 32MB of esRAM....that juicies up things alot. Memory bandwidth the PS4 appears to have a small advantage but not huge.

Its the compute units, 12 CU vs. 18 CU that nails the X1 vs. PS4.

Dyr

Richard Dower wrote: »

From what i gather in GPU performance the PS4 is 40% faster....ergo for the future, 2-3 years time this will be *very* important.

But Microsoft will be utilising the full potential of the CLOUD by then


:pac:

2Mad2BeMad

once both consoles are great
everyone has an opinion
but why are some of boardsies going out of their way to be out and out fanboys :L we get it you like the ps4, you "think" in your opinion its the better choice
but its like religion
no matter how much you say xbone is crap
no matter how much "proof" you can show, it aint going to change some peoples opinions

cant we all just get along :L and look forward to the releases of next gen consoles

Wetbench4

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

once both consoles are great
everyone has an opinion
but why are some of boardsies going out of their way to be out and out fanboys :L we get it you like the ps4, you "think" in your opinion its the better choice
but its like religion
no matter how much you say xbone is crap
no matter how much "proof" you can show, it aint going to change some peoples opinions

cant we all just get along :L and look forward to the releases of next gen consoles

Ya I agree, but isn't this the point of thread? To discuss the differences, strengths and weaknesses.

2Mad2BeMad

Wetbench4 wrote: »

Ya I agree, but isn't this the point of thread? To discuss the differences, strengths and weaknesses.

yes but theirs alot of posts which are just out and out fanboyism from both sides :L which spoils the discussion

Mikeyt086

Richard Dower wrote: »

I'm a spec-head, the tech specs of the PS4 won me over. When i saw the X1 reveal i was gobsmacked at its boxy VCR design. It seemed like some from 2005.... i still cant fathom why they couldnt make it smaller?

I actually like the X1 operating system and design, i'm a fan of Windows 8 and it looks like a snazzy W8 device. I dont mind the Kinect in principle, i love the idea of voice command and hand gestures....alot of new smart tv's have the same feature.

Games, they seem evenly matched. Thing is....i *might* switch to the X1 as we move closer, i want to see a hardware teardown, the OS compared side by side.

I'm paying off on the PS4 but i can always switch to the X1, used games are a big deal but as a MS employee rightly stated today, you get royally screwed by Gamestop on second hand games, getting 5 quid for AAA titles and them reselling for 35 quid......!!!!!

I prefer the PS4 controller design, i prefer the PS4 console design, its alot smaller, the X1 is just a big box.

I'll need to see more from both as we move forward but the PS4 is the clear winner.

C14N

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

once both consoles are great everyone has an opinion but why are some of boardsies going out of their way to be out and out fanboys :L we get it you like the ps4, you "think" in your opinion its the better choice but its like religion no matter how much you say xbone is crap no matter how much "proof" you can show, it aint going to change some peoples opinions

cant we all just get along :L and look forward to the releases of next gen consoles

It does seem like a lot of the anti-XBO posts are coming from people who played 360 rather than Playstation fanboys. Of course you'll never change some people's minds but that doesn't mean you can't criticise it. It doesn't mean people have to be angry at each other for their choices but I don't think there's been much of that. There has been a lot of XBO bashing but honestly that's hard to avoid on the internet right now.

ShadowHearth

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

once both consoles are great
everyone has an opinion
but why are some of boardsies going out of their way to be out and out fanboys :L we get it you like the ps4, you "think" in your opinion its the better choice
but its like religion
no matter how much you say xbone is crap
no matter how much "proof" you can show, it aint going to change some peoples opinions

cant we all just get along :L and look forward to the releases of next gen consoles

I am quite sick of people being named fanboys, just because they have opinion and choose the product themselves.
Back in ps3/360 Times there were very small difference between two platforms. Most of the time it only mattered which exclusive you prefer, but even then those consoles price became such affordable that most gamers had/have both.
This time around we have 2 consoles, which have similar games, but completely two different ways of dealing with their customers. To make it worst both consoles are quite expensive. You are looking at 600-700eu to pay in one go if you want console, 2 games and extra controller. So not many of us will be able to afford both and decision will have to made.
A lot of bordsies are very vocal this time around, because everyone looking for best over all deal. X box one is clearly worse all a round deal for many bordsies, but that does not make them fanboys.
Feck, if MS announces that Xbox one will launch for 299eu I will throw that bastard in beside the ps4 I am getting. And it's nothing to do with being ps4 fanboy. Just funds limited and I need ( I presume most here too) the overall deal.

danthefan

It's not just this place that's been vocal, the entire internet is basically up in arms against the new Xbox. I have yet to read a positive preview. Microsoft are committing gaffe after gaffe in the PR battle. The whole thing has gone about as badly as possible for them.

Penn

It's not a case that people think the Xbone is going to be a bad machine or anything, just that many of the policies which are being implemented for it are too restrictive.

Having to have an internet connection for a system check every 24 hours
Kinect must be plugged in even if you don't want to use it
Can't buy used games
The hassle of lending a game to a friend or bringing it to a friend's house

Criticism of these points doesn't equate to fanboyism. I have a 360 as well as a PS3 though I'll admit, I much prefer the PS3 and was almost certainly going to be getting a PS4 anyway. But I always figured I'd get the next Xbox maybe a year afterwards. Now, I really don't think I will.

And if the roles were reversed and Sony were implementing those features but Microsoft weren't, I'd be getting the Xbone on release and would have to consider whether or not to get the PS4 next year.

I don't necessarily think there's a wrong choice when it comes to deciding which to get, but for a lot of people the choice is unequally weighted towards the PS4 as a result of these horrible and restrictive measures for the Xbone, not the actual console itself. If the systems are so close in terms of power (which it seems they are), and if each console has great exclusives (which they do), then those restrictions become more prominent in deciding which system to buy.

Grumpypants

Penn wrote: »

It's not a case that people think the Xbone is going to be a bad machine or anything, just that many of the policies which are being implemented for it are too restrictive.

Having to have an internet connection for a system check every 24 hours
Kinect must be plugged in even if you don't want to use it
Can't buy used games
The hassle of lending a game to a friend or bringing it to a friend's house

.

This is a perfect example of what has gone wrong for Microsoft. The amount of information that is being picked up for incorrect forum posts is staggering.

Hassle of lending to your friends? You just hand them the game and it works for them. You don't even need to hand them a disk, if you own it in your collection and they are your friend on Xbox they can play it on their Xbox !!

Bringing your games to your friends house? This is even easier you can bring your full game collection to their house and you don't even need to carry a single disk with you!

Can't buy used games? Yes you can, you go into Gamestop and buy a used game go home put it in your Xbox and play it.

Kinect must be plugged in? Yes this is true the Xbox makes use of voice commands and gestures so it needs something to read those voice commands and gestures. You can turn it off but then your voice commands and gestures won't work.

Check in every 24hours? Yes this is true but you never need to worry about turning on your Xbox and having to wait for a patch or game update ever again, you never have to worry about changing disks or loosing disks ever again. You can jump from playing Halo 5 to BF4 by just telling the Xbox to change game. You no longer have to dashboard the console, get up go over to the console fumble around with disks, try to search through all your boxes because some idiot put your BF4 disk into the wrong case or worse the missus put it into a DVD box and put it back on the shelf.

mikom

Patch out for the X-box one already I hear.