By Joe Martorano
Sony debuted its first gaming console, the Playstation One, in 1994. It is widely considered to be the father of all playing consoles, and my own father bought one after its release.
It appeared that Sony was going to dominate the gaming console market until Microsoft released the Xbox in 2001, which ignited the competition between the two companies. More than 10 years later, Sony released the Playstation Four (PS4) and Microsoft has released the Xbox One, which raises the important question –– which one is better?
The PS4 is superior to the Xbox One in several ways. The PS4 offers virtual reality, or the use of technology to create a simulated environment.
This kind of technology is rapidly taking over the gaming community. The user wears a headset that displays an environment in front of his or her eyes. He or she also may hold two wireless controllers that act as hands within the game. The user then attaches a camera, which tracks head and hand movements, to the top of the television screen. When the user looks to the right or left in real life, the screen that is in the headset mimics their movements, allowing the player to feel like they are actually in the game.
This new technology brings games to life and gives developers more chances to implement new ideas. For example, horror games, such as “Resident Evil” can have more jump scares and appear to be more frightening than they actually are. Players are more engaged when they experience the same emotions as the main character in the game.
The PS4 has tons of console exclusive games that are better than Xbox’s exclusive games.
To be fair, Xbox has games like “Halo” and “Gears of War,” which are fun to play but are starting to lose popularity as new titles are released. Some of the popular Playstation exclusives are “God of War,” “Uncharted 4” and the recently released “Spider Man.”
Playstation has a variety of enthralling games that continue to bring in new players every day. Some of my friends who own Xboxes are jealous that I have the opportunity to play “Spiderman” on my console while they can only watch it on YouTube.
I have friends who claim that the Xbox One controller is more comfortable than the Playstation controller, but that does not make it superior. The PS4 controller is smaller than the Xbox One’s controller and has a touchpad that is similar to one you would find on a laptop. Developers continuously invent new ways to utilize this touchpad in their games such as swiping on it to select different items or swiping up to drop items on the ground. New tactics like these engage gamers and make those games more enjoyable to play.
The new innovative technology that the PS4 console itself and the controller offer is changing how games are developed and played, thus creating a better playing experience. Also, the PS4 offers multiple exclusive games that Xbox users cannot play. These games seem to be more of a hit with today’s gaming community, which helps the Playstation community grow.
As new technology advances and Xbox makes upgrades, then maybe it will become the better console. Until then, PS4 will continue to reign as the best console of our generation.
Students share opinions around campus
"Do you prefer the Xbox One or the PS4?"
"The Xbox One, because all of my friends have it and I like the controller better."
"The Xbox One has much better apps and I can play 'Halo' on it."
