Gadgetory

it's been eight years since the dawn of the last console generation and since then the world has changed what we expect from gaming and home entertainment has evolved in this series we'll be taking on the new generation of gaming with an in-depth comparison of the ps4 and Xbox one once again you can expect an in-depth analysis of every aspect of the devices hardware software entertainment and online features third-party games and exclusive games it's all going to be covered in depth so get ready for 12 rounds of heavyweight game console action this is the console games Oh hey there it's LP from TechnoBuffalo and it's good to be back some of you may remember me from the first season of the console wars which started back in 2009 since then we've had over 30 million views for the series and I have you guys to thank for that so thanks for tuning in but let's cut the chitchat and get started for the past 30 years it's been proven time and time again that the best Mel between mind and machine has been thanks to a pretty simple piece of hardware the game control sure there's been attempts at quote more realistic types of control but we always seem to return back to the good old game controllers I think it's mostly because we don't want realism we actually want something that is more you want to be faster stronger and more precise than in reality and the game controller simply enables our instincts and thoughts to be better translated onto the screen let's start off with a successor to hands-down the best controller of last generation when it comes to looks the Xbox controller is the prettier of the two it's a snazzy looking device that is in line with the design of the hardware itself the Dual Shock 4 isn't as pretty but it looks the part it looks like a very functional piece of hardware it's nice to see that both parties have now designed a device sized for adults when it comes economics both controllers excel the Xbox one controller feels definitely similar to its predecessor having grown in size just a tad I had very little complaints about the 360 controller other than the minor complaint about the ridge under the triggers which left my middle finger a bit numb at times but thankfully this has been improved with Xbox one controller as there's not too much pressure exerted on my middle finger anymore the Dual Shock 4 has grown much longer and rounded at the ends and that now rests comfortably in adult-sized hands your fingers are spread out evenly across the surface and there's no hiding it the DualShock 4 simply sits in your palms allowing all your fingers to relax comfortably the controller is certainly built out of plastic the feels of high quality no squeaking whatsoever even when a lot of force is put into it and luckily the same can be said about the Xbox one controller both devices feel extremely well built and it's clear that game controllers can no longer be considered as toys the exception makes the rule the Xbox one controller has a nice matte texture to it not taking into account the d-pad buttons bumpers and triggers which have that same glossy feel similar to predeceasing models I'm still not too big of a fan of this design choice as the glossy buttons can get a bit sticky when greased up the Dual Shock 4 has a completely new and distinct crisscross texture in the back not only does it provide a nice grip but it also seems to offer some minor heat dissipation resulting in less clamminess it's a welcomed new feature for those who suffer from sweaty palms centrum a common disorder among us gamers the standard directional pads are somewhat of a relic from the olden days the deep pads on the DualShock controllers have always been decent and the d-pad in the new controller is no exception to this rule it has an extremely tactile feel which results in fast and precise movements the lousy d-pad was my biggest complaint about the original Xbox 360 controller but I'm happy to say that it's no longer an issue whatsoever the Xbox one's newly designed d-pad is almost flawless although I could still do without the glossy texture despite the improvements typing and navigating with Xbox d-pad doesn't feel as fast as the ps4 counterpart the DualShock 4's d-pad just feels a bit more responsive when for example typing text with a few exceptions button layout has essentially remained the same on both controllers the a B X&Y buttons feel pretty much the same as on 360 controller but the x-squared triangle and circle buttons have been tweaked a little for the ps4 range of motion is now shorter this actually enables you to mash buttons a bit faster and the buttons require much less to press down and the buttons now actually feel quite similar to the Xbox one controller the edges of the new thumb sticks on the Xbox one controller have a nice and gritty texture to them they may feel a bit rough on the thumbs at first but end up being absolutely great for intricate precision movements as you only need the tip of your thumb for a nice grip for the Xbox one controller Microsoft had decided to increase the range of motion for the thumbsticks and simultaneously decrease the resistance in all honesty I think this is a misstep I actually prefer the Xbox 360 thumb sticks which felt great for fast-paced shooters and for example driving games and quite ironically the DualShock 4 has incorporated basically the Xbox 360s successful thumb stick design instead of rounded somewhat mushroom looking thumb sticks the top is now concave with a texture on the edge much like on Xbox one controller yet it's a little softer on the touch the range of motion and resistance is a definite improvement from the DualShock 3 and like I mentioned the thumb sticks feel very similar to that of what I consider to be the best controller of the past generation the DualShock 4 offers delicate precision in games like the excellent resogun in which less than perfect control may get you very far and this is the reason why touchscreen gaming won't be replacing analog sticks any time soon but what about them triggers you asked the DualShock 3 somewhat mediocre convex trigger design has been abandoned completely or an entirely new design that actually feel like triggers they curved out nicely at the ends which puts a stop to your finger slipping off in a heated battle the triggers have a moderate resistance that feels just about right they are a massive improvement over its predecessor in every conceivable way but how do they fare against the competition among the largest innovations of the Xbox one controller are the new impulse triggers which means that there are small rumble units built into the triggers themselves it adds a nice subtle effect when for example shooting a gun the recoil is transferred directly to your fingertips so that is kind of cool actually but a small concession has had to be made to accommodate this new feature namely the triggers are quite a lot larger now essentially half of your index finger rests on the trigger it's comfortable enough as the triggers are shaped and angle to suit the new size but I have to say that I prefer the old Moore trigger esque feel which the DualShock 4 seems to have incorporated quite well I still very much enjoy the Xbox one triggers and the range of motion is actually a bit longer than on the DualShock for making the trigger is quite ideal for for example car acceleration and braking where you really need to regulate how much of the trigger you need to press the built-in Rumble works quite well to let you know when you are losing traction or braking to harm the effect is less noticeable in other game types but it's a subtle effect that I can appreciate while I kind of prefer the xpac triggers for driving games the DualShock 4's counterparts seem to offer a slightly better overall feel for everything else interestingly enough Microsoft is opted to go with some clicky switches for the bumpers while the DualShock force L ones and our ones have more of a subtle feel to them it's really a matter of preference for these but both seem to do their job quite well I personally prefer the non clicky variant one of the new gimmicks I mean features of the DualShock 4 is the LED light mainly used for motion tracking the LED has a couple of these and features including that it will change from green to yellow to red when your health deteriorates so if you notice your fingers going right like et pointing towards home it's probably time to duck and cover otherwise it's a bit of a nuisance as the glow can reflect off TV in front of you which can be a bit distracting at times the DualShock 4 also has a touchpad which adds some new functionality to the traditional button layout necessary functionality that is yet to be determined in killzone you can command the owl robot companion with horizontal and vertical swipes it works well enough there's actually a subtle dotted texture to the trackpad so you can essentially feel without looking as you are swiping either horizontally or vertically it's a subtle thing but it definitely feels natural my ultimate fear is the games will use the touchpad for quick temperaments this has its place on mobile platforms but if I'm going to be doing something like this to trigger a finishing move or animation in for example the next God of War or whatever I might as well do this time will tell as to what functionality the trackpad will actually offer but as it stands today it's much more of a novelty and adds very little extra value gone are the days of the traditional start buttons on the Xbox one the start and back buttons have been replaced by the menu and view buttons the functionality of these pretty much remains as start and select on the DualShock for the select and start buttons have been replaced with the share and options buttons the latter obviously brings up options no surprises there but the real innovation here is the share button with a single press of the share button you can start sharing your video game stream to anyone and everyone a dedicated button makes it just that much easier and definitely decreases the barrier of entry for anyone to just start streaming and sharing gaming videos on a whim as cool as the share button may be the placing of the buttons isn't perfect they're a bit too close to the trackpad and for some reason I keep searching for the buttons over here dagnabbit Sony has even decided to slap in the speaker which I kind of found amusing with a Nintendo Wii controller it's great for integrating ingame audio like audio logs and whizzing bullets and whatnot a much appreciated addition to the DualShock 4 it's something borrowed from the 360 controller namely the audio jack where you can plug in a mic equipped headset for hidden game chat you can also plug in any pair of headphones for ingame audio which is a unique feature for the DualShock for both the Xbox one and ps4 come equipped with a single ear microphone headset but I really can't recommend them if you have the choice to use something else I use a pair of astro a 50s but some for some reason Microsoft had decided to drop Dolby 5.1 support at least at launch meaning that a lot of wireless headsets including my a 50 s don't support multi-channel audio on the Xbox one thankfully the battery pack is now integrated into the Xbox one controller while it is a nice cosmetic improvement for a 500 bucks device I'd kind of like to see our charitable battery that's in on the other hand the double-a batteries maybe behind one of the aspects that is unquestionably superior to that at the dual shot form namely the battery life I clocked in a measly nine hours of play with the Dual Shock 4 and a whopping 35 hours with Xbox one controller so the Xbox one definitely has the upper hand in this regard but admittedly it's not too much of a hassle to plug in the Dual Shock 4 to be charged via USB every once in a while as the ps4 will output power via USB even while in standby mode I'm also a self-proclaimed PC gamer so PC support is what I really appreciate during last generation the Xbox one controller has no PC support at this time but Microsoft has hinted that support is coming at some point the DualShock 4 is recognized as a game controller by windows out of the box but the problem is that the selection of games that support it is extremely limited there is a workaround however the tricks your PC into thinking that it's a 360 controller it's a bit of a hassle to set up but with it the DualShock 4 has unofficial PC support and what about backwards compatibility well the Xbox one controller does not support the Xbox 360 Dual Shock 4 does support the ps3 for a limited selection of games to wrap things up when it comes to controllers the features and specs and all that extra nonsense is purely a secondary in the end the male between mind and machine is what matters how the controller feels and how it plays and how your instincts are transferred onto the screen overall Microsoft has been quite conservative with the refinements of the Xbox one controller it's essentially a subtle evolution from the debatably best controller of the last generation the Xbox one controller is a fine piece of hardware but I can't help but feel that it hasn't done a big enough job to push things forward on the other hand it seems that Sony has listened to every complaint about the DualShock 3 Jurgen omics are vastly improved and for the triggers and thumbsticks they're simply put outstanding for all these reasons combined and for the simple fact that the DualShock for Julie feels next-gen the PlayStation 4 takes a victory in the first round hardware design is up next and we're not just comparing the external features we're also going to be delving deeper under the covers hit me up on Twitter if you have any questions I'm happy to answer them and stay tuned for the next installment of the console wars