Console Comparison

When it comes to console gaming, consumers prefer a top of the line, inexpensive platform. So when Microsoft's X-Box and Sony's PlayStation clashed in the market, deciding which one to get was all the hype. Today, the two companies are still at it. Microsoft is introducing the X-Box One X with Sony's answer being the PS4 Pro. Both of these console feature high definition and resolution 4K gaming. Now before your brain self-destructs trying to decide which console to buy, I'm going to tell you right now and save you a trip to the hospital in case your brain really does self-destruct. We are going to compare three aspects that will likely be the deciding factor of which console you will buy: design, performance and pricing.

1. Design

One of the key aspects in deciding which console to buy is the design. Customers want an appealing design that stands out from other competitors.

The X-Box One X features a sleek minimalistic box like design (which is why they call it the X-Box) and a smooth texture on its surface. Default, the whole console is black though there are some more colorful variants. Its small size, 11.8 x 9.4 x 2.4 inches, allows for more places you can put it in your home. Some even call it the "smallest X-Box ever". Because of its small size, the X-Box One X is relatively light too weighing in at 8.4 pounds. Moving on to the controller, it handles well. The curvature of the controller is comfortable and light on your hands. The bright and colorful buttons create a wonderful contrast against the black controller and the positioning of the joysticks give your hands some freedom when you are holding it in your hands.

The PS4 Pro’s design is similar to the X-Box One X. It too sports a box like design however the console is layered into three panels and somewhat resembles a sandwich or a Big Mac from McDonalds. The console’s size 12.8 x 11.6 x 2.1 inches, is slightly larger than its competitor but makes up for it in its weight at 7.2 pounds; making it 1.2 pounds lighter than the X-Box One X. The PS4 Pro controller features a more restricted handholding position and a less colorful layout. Despite that, the controller has a built in speaker that can flash various colors and feedback form the game. For example, in” Battlefield” or “Call of Duty”, radio commands and calls are played via your controller speaker. However, new controller variants such as the PS4 "Revolution" are nearly identical to the X-Box One X controller and one can even argue that it is even better.


2. Performance

Performance wise, both consoles have 4K gaming and high speed, high resolution processors. Both consoles use unquestionably different styles of CPU cores. While the PS4 Pro uses a 2.1GHz 8-core AMD custom "Jaguar" CPU. The X-Box One X uses eight custom x86 cores clocked at 2.3GHz, a very fast processor indeed. The two consoles use an AMD Graphics Processing Unit or GPU. An Integrated AMD graphics card with 6 teraflops of performance and 12 GB of RAM in the X-Box One X easily pulls ahead of the PS4 Pro’s Integrated AMD Polaris graphics with 4.2 teraflops of performance and only 8GB of RAM. In this case, the X-Box One X is significantly better in performance with improved CPU, GPU and amount of RAM.

3. Pricing

Now, we come to the last slightly depressing stage of this console comparison: the price tag. The better something is, the more it costs. That’s exactly the case between the X-Box One X and the PS4 Pro. The consoles have a $100 difference in price; the X-Box One X rests at $499 along with the PS4 Pro at $399. Indeed the X-Box is superior in performance but at a cost of $100 more.

 Here we are finally competing the console comparison. Remember, ultimately it will be YOUR choice to decide which console you will purchase. This is merely but a guide to lead your way through the path or balancing gaming and finance.