The PlayStation 5 was released in November 2020, and Sony sold out all the consoles within a few days. Due to its popularity, scalpers were selling PlayStation 5 consoles for double the price, and most people were paying exorbitant prices to own a PS5. This usually does not happen to Xbox consoles, and you might wonder why PlayStation consoles are more popular than Xbox consoles.
So, why is PlayStation more popular than Xbox? Several reasons make PlayStation more popular than Xbox including:
- The PlayStation having great quality with high reliability.
- Sony marketing its PlayStation consoles very well, ensuring most gamers in the world know about their product.
- The PlayStation having excellent first-party games.
- Being a matter of personal preference for video game controls, as most gamers believe PlayStation has simple and easy-to-use controllers.
Many companies are making video game consoles, and they keep upgrading and adding more features to attract gamers. PlayStation and Xbox are among the leading consoles in the video game industry, but PlayStation seems to have the edge over Xbox.
PS4 and Xbox one gaming consoles were released in November 2013, and PS4 took an early lead in sales. These gaming consoles have the same role, but there are reasons why many gamers prefer to buy and use PS4 rather than Xbox One.
PS4 is more popular than Xbox one because of its price; the Xbox one debuted with a higher price a week after PS4 was released. In addition, the PS4 offered a better performance compared to Xbox One.
Sony included the PlayStation Vue service into the PS4 console, while Xbox One did not introduce any new service. PS4 consoles have a much simpler user interface compared to Xbox One. PS4 also offered more storage options compared to Xbox One. Other things that make PS4 more popular than Xbox one include better controls, better first-hand games, great third-party game deals, and the use of a VR set.
On 13th November 2013, Sony released PS4 with a price of 400 US dollars, and a week later, Microsoft released Xbox one at gamers had to pay 500 US dollars. Most gamers did not see why they should pay one hundred US dollars extra for Kinect 2, an updated version of Kinect, the first-generational peripheral for Xbox 360. People wanted to use their gaming consoles to play games, which Sony delivered with the PS4. Microsoft tried to justify the high price with extra features that most gamers did not care for.
Gaming performance on the PS4 console is very high compared to Xbox One. This is because gamers prefer consoles with higher resolutions, and PS4 has higher resolutions than Xbox one. So, for example, when playing Metal Gear Solid 5, there is more clarity to the PS4 version. In addition, PS4 is better in the graphics department because the console could output a 1080p resolution at 30 or 60 frames per second while Xbox one could achieve 720p or 900p at 30 to 60 frames per seconds.
Microsoft focused on extra features presenting the console as an all-in-one media device during the Xbox One launch. Some of the extra features on the Xbox one console include live stream television and various applications such as Skype and Netflix. In addition, Xbox One has many apps compared to PS4, which includes the PlayStation Vue subscription service for those who want to live stream television shows, movies, or sports.
PS4 has a simple user face, and Sony has kept it the same since its launch but with a few minor upgrades. Microsoft, on the other hand, has changed the Xbox one user interface multiple times. The Xbox one user interface has too many clicks, and it takes you longer to reach your video games library and other features. PS4’s simple user interface has everything in the open in big square tiles on the main menu. You do not have to navigate through many folders to access your games.
PS4 has a larger install base compared to Xbox one, especially in multiplayer games. When you play online games on PS4, you do not have to wait long to get matched with other players. Many video game developers will release their games on the most popular consoles in the market. The developers want to sell their games to many players, making more video games for Sony consoles.
Storage is very important for every gamer, and Xbox one had an advantage over PS4 when it came to storage solutions. Xbox One supports external hard drives, meaning you can play games stored in other hard drives. PS4 did not support external hard drives, but it offers the best option of swapping the internal drive.
If you want to increase storage, you can buy another internal drive with more space and swipe it. Unfortunately, it is difficult to do it with an Xbox one, and if you open up your Xbox one to swap its internal drive, you will void your warranty.
When launching their video game consoles, Sony always focuses on gaming, and they have numerous first-hand games that always attract many gamers. Some of the first-hand games include Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Horizon Zero Dawn, Persona 5, and The Last of Us. Xbox also has good first-hand games such as Halo Wars 2, but others are not quite popular in the world. Therefore, gamers wait for new console releases from Sony because they know they will get great first-hand games.
Sony also has better third-party deals compared to Microsoft. Sony has secured some of the best deals from popular video game publishers such as The Rise of the Tomb Raider. Other popular third-party games among PS4 users include Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Star Wars Battlefront. So, if you own a PS4 console, you are at least guaranteed to get some of the best versions of third-party games. Microsoft seems to be too slow when it comes to negotiating deals with other video game publishers.
Most gamers believe that PS4 has better controls than Xbox one because Sony improved on its predecessor used with PS3. The PS3 controller suffers from terrible trigger finger buttons and sticky thumbsticks. The PS4 controller is now better because it does not have the defaults prominent with its predecessor. On the other hand, the Xbox one controller becomes uncomfortable after long gaming sessions, and it has very loud buttons.
During the Xbox One release, Microsoft was still planning on developing its Virtual Reality headset. PlayStation 4 already has a virtual reality headset, and most gamers were buying VR headsets to play video games such as Batman: Arkham VR, Farpoint, and Resident Evil 7. However, for gamers using Xbox one, they had to wait for Microsoft to make its plans clear on developing their Virtual Reality headset.
How Did Xbox One Fail to Beat PS4
Sony had an awful time after they released the PS3, which was received poorly, and many gamers liked the Xbox 360 from Microsoft. However, when the generation for Xbox 360 was over, Microsoft released Xbox one, and it did not fare well against Sony’s PS4.
Several things made Xbox one fail to challenge PS4, and the first one is the comparison with other game consoles. Xbox one also did not have any exclusive video to accompany it during its release. In addition, Microsoft failed to properly communicate to buyers and convince them to buy Xbox one.
Microsoft’s option to use Kinect also negatively affected Xbox one’s performance. Microsoft also introduced its digital platform, which killed sharing and lending games on Xbox One. Finally, Microsoft also required users to have an internet connection to use their Xbox One consoles.
One of the disadvantages of making gaming consoles is that several other companies make consoles that perform the same function. When a gamer wants to buy a new console, they have to compare it with other consoles in the market. Manufacturers of video game consoles have to develop new features to keep current consumers interested and entice other people into buying their consoles. Microsoft’s Xbox one did suffer in comparison to PS4, which had been released one week earlier.
Many people did not like the price Microsoft was asking for and failed to explain why people should pay those high prices. Compared to PS4, Xbox one is inferior in several ways, such as poor graphics and poor controls. It is difficult to convince gamers to purchase an inferior video gaming console for more money while other companies have superior consoles for less money.
Some people are attributing the Xbox one’s failure to Microsoft’s poor communication. When Microsoft released the first Xbox One commercial, it was clear that the company did not bother to reach out to gamers, their main consumers. Instead, the commercial focused too much on showing live stream television, skype, and fantasy football for the National Football league. At no point in the commercial did Microsoft bother to show any games.
During the official launch, Microsoft continued with the same mistake, snubbing gamers. During the event, Microsoft spent a lot of time explaining how you could use your Xbox One to watch television shows, movies, and skype. All these features are found in computers; therefore, gamers did not need them. During the E3 conference, Microsoft could not repair the damage because they also spent more time talking about the Kinect sensor and streaming television shows.
Kinect was first introduced in November 2010 in Xbox 360, and Microsoft opted to use an updated version of Kinect on Xbox One. Kinect allows players to control their Xbox One consoles with their voice and hand gestures. Microsoft developed the Xbox One with a Kinect sensor, and there were plans for Kinect to have its microprocessor. However, Microsoft opted to remove the dedicated microprocessor and let Kinect use processing power from Xbox one.
The extra processing power required to run Kinect is the main reason why the performance of the Xbox one is very poor. The Kinect system requires close to 15% of Xbox one’s computing resources. If Microsoft had opted for a dedicated microprocessor for the Kinect system, Xbox One could have had a higher resolution of more than 720p. Meanwhile, PS4 has a resolution of 1080p, and it is difficult to pay high prices for a console that cannot exceed 720p even if it has new features such as voice command.
Also, as compared to PS4, Xbox one made it difficult to use and share pre-owned games. Microsoft introduced features where players would use their Xbox live accounts to buy games. If a game was in one Xbox live account, players could download it on multiple Xbox one consoles. Unfortunately, Microsoft failed to provide any replacement of games on discs. Therefore, you could not borrow games from a friend or buy pre-owned games.
Gamers could not explain why Microsoft was stopping the sharing of games; therefore, most people thought Microsoft was finding ways to channel more money in their bank accounts. Discs made it easy to share games with friends or sell pre-owned games when one was done using them.
During the E3 conference, Sony took advantage of this mistake and affirmed to its consumers that the PS4 is still committed to sharing, buying, and selling pre-owned games. Sony even went a step further, releasing a step-by-step video showing how you can share or lend games on PS4.
Microsoft announced that players would need a constant internet connection to use Xbox one, and many people found this decision inconsiderable. Some players do not live in areas with stable or reliable internet; hence, they could not play their games if they could not connect their Xbox one to the internet once every twenty-four hours.
Therefore, it did not matter how you would use your Xbox One, and you had to connect the console to the internet at least once, even if you are playing a single-player-only game. Sony capitalized on this mistake by announcing you do not need an internet connection to use PS4, and Xbox One had to play catch-up from them on.
Final Word
PS4 is miles ahead of Xbox One because Sony did everything right and learned from their mistakes when making PS3. Microsoft did make improvements to the Xbox one console by allowing gamers to use it without Kinect. Microsoft also announced the end restriction on sharing and selling pre-owned games to entice gamers to buy more consoles.
A lot has changed since the release of PS4 and Xbox One in 2013, and Microsoft seems to have learned from its mistakes after the release of Xbox Series X and Series S. Now gamers have to decide if they want to buy the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series X or Series S.
