With the next generation of consoles, Microsoft aimed in a different direction than previous consoles. Their goal was to make the new Xbox an all in one entertainment system. With that idea in mind, the console had to be more than just gaming.
So instead of just playing games and watching Netflix, the Xbox One had to be able to run Windows 8, applications, stream live video from a cable box, and incorporate the Kinect system in a wider variety of uses.
And they did just that.
Microsoft decided to make the Kinect included with the system when purchasing it, despite facing criticism that including Kinect would raise the price to $500.
With that decision, Microsoft decided to incorporate the Kinect system with everything that the system does.
Voice commands are used via Kinect to control the Xbox. The camera on the system is now 1080p, allowing for a better quality picture to be seen on new apps like Skype.
In many ways, the newly designed console is like a PC in your living room.
It allows the user to snap between apps like Skype and Internet Explorer seamlessly. Some apps can even run at a partial size while playing a game or watching television.
Xbox One allows you to hook up the system to a cable box, giving it a direct feed to shows and movies that you would be able to watch on TV.
Like its counterpart, Xbox One comes with a newly designed controller. Though it looks similar to the ones used in the past, it has some major differences that make it better than the last one.
The D-pad is newly designed, allowing for responses from sweeping and directional movements.
A newly designed rumble motor allows for every movement or shot to be felt in a way that has never been before.
Xbox One launched with games like Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, and Assassins Creed: Black Flag.
The new system had some big name exclusives like Forza Motorsport 5, Deadrising 3, and Ryse: Son of Rome that launched with the console.
500GB of internal storage is standard, a significant improvement in memory space over the previous generation of consoles.
Xbox Live remains largely unchanged, allowing profiles from the Xbox 360 to be used with Xbox One.
The console launched on Nov. 22nd with a large amount of buzz. Over two million units worldwide were sold in the first 18 days, putting its total sales slightly behind the Playstation 4.
As a overall system, the Xbox One is a better value. It’s a multipurpose device that allows for apps and streaming video, which makes it a better all around console than its competitor.

Sony took a different approach than Microsoft when making its new console: Focus on the gamer.
The Playstation 4 focuses almost exclusively on gamers, making it appealing to some, and not so much for others.
Playstation 4 is also the cheaper option of the two, costing $400 without a camera similar to Xbox’s Kinect.
The PS4 has a slightly faster operating system than the Xbox. While both have 8GB of RAM, the PS4 uses all of that for gaming, while Xbox uses 3GB for apps running in the background.
The operation system is on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to the Xbox. The console does not run the amount of apps that the Xbox can.
Unlike the Xbox, the camera does not come standard. It costs an additional $60, and has limited uses.
PS4 has something to offer when it comes to cross-platform play.
Playstation sells the Vita, a small handheld console. The Vita allows users to play the PS4 via remote play.
Remote play allows the Vita to become a controller for the PS4, with the Vita becoming a second screen.
Like the PS3, it’s not backwards compatible with discs from early generation consoles, meaning it can only play games designed for the PS4.
Unlike its competitor, the system was designed with backwards compatibility via the cloud.
The cloud for playing games is similar to the cloud for anything else. The game is saved in an online server, and can be played without a disc.
One of the most noticeable differences between the systems are the controllers.
The controller for the new Playsation, the Dualshock 4, is designed with a touchpad in the center of it.
The touchpad can be used for several different things, depending on the game.
Also new to the controller is a share button.
Once the button is hit, the last 15 minutes of gameplay is saved. You can choose to upload the footage to Facebook, Ustream, and Twitch.
The Playstation has the big name games like Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, and Assassins Creed: Black Flag.
One of the current weaknesses of the system is its lack of exclusive games. Killzone: Shadowfall and Knack are some of the limited exclusives currently on sale for the system.
The system was also released in several countries worldwide that the Xbox was not, helping to boost its early sales. Over 2.1 million were sold over the first few weeks.
As the cheaper system, the Playstation 4 has its advantages. Once some of the exclusives are released, the Playstation will be a formidable competitor for the Xbox One, despite its lack of features in comparison.