Failure to Launch: What Happened to the PS4 and Xbox One?
Which game console do you prefer?
The Red Ring of Death Returns
No one seems safe from the Red Ring of Death this year. Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were rumored to have significant problems out of the box. These issues were only compounded by a joke infographic that compelled many individuals to brick their Xbox One while trying to play older games on it. Neither the PlayStation 4 nor the Xbox One seem to have won the stability battle this round, but many gamers are wondering exactly how bad the problem really is.
Who Won the Launch?
The war between Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 was a close one, but there were some clear winners in different arenas. Almost universally, the PlayStation 4 was found to be more powerful, with better graphics and a faster processing speed. This isn't surprising, as the basic components of the PS4 are superior. However, out of the box, the Xbox One has more games and its exclusives are more enjoyable. Interestingly, this more or less mirrors the launch of the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.
How Bad Is It, Really?
Not very. Actually, the problem is really the anticipation. There were so many people camping out, bartering for and outright stealing these game consoles that anything beyond pure perfection would have been disappointing. Gamers were so excited about a new video game console and a new game experience that, as a group, any flaws were met with panic and overreaction. In fact, there's nothing to suggest that PlayStation 4 consoles and Xbox One consoles are breaking any more often than other electronics tend to do during launch.
