Over the last few weeks, a lot has been made about the graphical disparity between multiplatform games running on both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. In the middle of the dispute sits, of course, Call of Duty: Ghosts.
After rumors swirled for a few days, Infinity Ward’s Mark Rubin went on the record and said that Ghosts will run natively at 1080p on the PlayStation 4, while the Xbox One version natively runs at 720p with an up-scaled 1080p resolution.
Our own Jonathan Leack covered that story when it broke. He said something in his article that captured the issue at hand completely.
The killer point is that the Xbox One is $100 more than the PS4 thanks to the mandatory inclusion of a Kinect camera. For gamers looking to get the most bang for the buck it’s difficult to recommend an Xbox One when they get less power for more money.
Bingo.
The Power Disparity Between These Two Consoles Is A Problem
Microsoft had more than half a generation to convince gamers that their software truly was “Better with Kinect.” By and large, they failed. That tagline has become little more than a passing joke and box art bullet point for the maker of Halo.
Aside from dancing games, almost nothing is better with Kinect. Most gamers would rather ditch the hardware accessory entirely than see it forced on them at every turn. This is where the power disparity comes into play for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Microsoft is charging $100 more for their console. At $499, the Xbox One is the most expensive core gaming option on the market this holiday. The Wii U sits idly at $299, and the heavily hyped PS4 checks in at $399. The reason for the extra expense in the Xbox One?
It isn’t horsepower, folks. It’s the Kinect.
So What, More Pixels!?
I’ve personally preached that graphics aren’t everything. I want great gameplay, solid characters and awesome stories in my games way before I want raw and realistic graphics.
When the specs were made known for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, hardware nuts instantly saw that there was a large gap in power between the two machines. Then Sony announced the $100 difference between the two consoles at E3. This Call of Duty story? All it did was give clear and concise evidence to the power gap.
Microsoft, in my mind, has yet to demonstrate a viable reason for the $100 price difference. Their console isn’t as beefy, they’re insisting on a Kinect focused lifestyle and they’re touting TV watching as a major feature. For a lot of gamers, myself included, that isn’t enough.
Sure, the exclusive content will help. The Xbox One won’t tank, I don’t see that happening. Halo will always make the console relevant.
But that disparity in price and power. That’s a problem. And I see it being a talking point for consumers this month when both consoles drop.
