What are the main specs of the Xbox One & PS4 that differ the systems?

[Britanica]

I have yet to get an upgrade but I was curious what the main selling point differences were. I have been leaning toward the One since I heard of the release of both new systems but I am still on the fence. What are the selling points of both systems that differ from each system?

[twiztor]

both systems are nigh-identical as far as specs go. their setups and menus are quite different. the two things that should be your deciding factors are:

1. what system do my friends have and play on so we can play together?

2. what system-exclusive titles am i most interested in playing?

[Zarxrax]

Also, I think you should strongly consider sony's playstation plus service in your decision, as its an awesome value. For $50 a year, you get a ton of free games, some of them triple-A titles.

That alone made owning a Vita worth it for me (only sony system I've ever bought)

[Areala]

Comparing system specs between consoles manufactured by different companies isn't very helpful for deciding which console you want to buy. Even simple things like processor speed and the amount of RAM in a system can mean two completely different things. Classic example: the Sega Genesis/MegaDrive contains a processor running at 7.6 megahertz, while the Super Nintendo's processor runs at 3.58 megahertz. At first glance, this makes Sega's machine seem unbeatable, because its processor is pretty much twice as fast as Nintendo's.

In reality, try getting Chrono Trigger, StarFox, or F-Zero to run on a Genesis and watch it choke on its own vomit trying to handle the Mode 7 rotation, transparency effects, higher-quality sound output, and the simultaneous display of up to 256 colours (pulled from a palette of 32,768) for which it was not designed. It goes the other way too, as games like Virtua Racing and Vectorman on the Genesis would have been impossible to duplicate using the SNES's hardware.

Specs on consoles are meaningless; what matters is what the machine is designed to do, and how well the software developers code it to work on those systems. After that, it all comes down to personal choice: which one can you get online with easiest? Which one did your buddy buy? Which one fits within your budget? Which one has the first-party exclusives you'd prefer to play? Base your choice on the answer to those questions and you'll make sure you've got the right system for you.

*huggles*
Areala

[RetroDefense]

Agreed, Areala!

When I was younger, it was all about bits and chip speeds. Today, it's about the highest frame rates and resolutions. But specs ultimately mean nothing if the system offers the games you want to play.

[TySpicy]

I've read that the PS4 system uses a better type of ram and has resulted in games generally looking and running better than on Xbox One. Like Areala said earlier though the developers have a lot to do with how well a game runs.

Something else I recall reading about recently is that Xbox will run Windows 10 code and introduce DX12 support which may provide a software coding advantage for developers when making games on PC/Xbox.

Personally, I would like to have all systems but my favorite next gen system is the Wii U. My son has an Xbox One and seems to really enjoy it (and he also likes to poke fun at me for still playing "Mario" games).