Is It Worth the Wait to Buy the Latest Xbox One and PlayStation 4 4K Consoles?
In the near future, Xbox One and PS4 will receive amazing updates that bring support for 4K gaming, VR and more. Microsoft’s 4K-enabled Xbox One S even has an August release date . If you’ve been watching the news or expecting an update, here’s what you need to know.
This week at E3 Microsoft announced two new consoles: Xbox One the S , a thin version of Xbox One with support for 4K, which will be released in August this year, and Xbox-enabled virtual reality , codenamed by Scorpio by Project , which will be released not earlier. 2017. Meanwhile, Sony has not officially unveiled any new devices, but has confirmed that in the near future it will create a new, more powerful PlayStation capable of playing games at 4K resolution. But don’t worry. You don’t have to ditch your old Xbox One or PS4 just yet. However, if you’ve been waiting for an update from the last generation, you might want to wait for these bad guys.
First, let’s talk about 4K
The biggest change in all of the new consoles announced today is 4K. The new Xbox Project Scorpio and the mysterious Sony console will be fully 4K capable. The current PlayStation 4 can play your own 4K videos and photos , but cannot play 4K games, stream 4K videos from Netflix, or play 4K Blu-ray. Xbox One doesn’t have 4K support at all. All of this will change with future console updates.
4K content is gaining traction, but it has drawbacks. Netflix can’t stream 4K content in its fullest quality (plus it burns through data limits if you have them), and Blu-ray players and 4K movies are still quite expensive . On the other hand, the new 4K console can deliver high-quality 4K content for your shiny new TV without getting bogged down by network restrictions. In other words, if you have a 4K TV, these new consoles are likely to be of great interest to you.
It also means that if you’re looking for a new TV, it’s time to start thinking about 4K. The last time we tested 4K in 2014, we said that you probably shouldn’t buy a 4K display just yet . Since then, prices have come down – the best choice for 4K TVs, Wirecutter, for example, only costs $ 1,400 – and we’re seeing more and more 4K movies and discs available to the common people. If you’d like to see 4K media on your TV, you can stream it over Netflix, buy it on Blu-Ray and, starting in August, play it on your Xbox. The Xbox One S won’t support 4K gaming just yet (like Sony’s current PS4), but it will be one of the cheapest 4K Blu-ray players around.
Xbox One S is just a smaller Xbox One with 4K video support
Apart from the new 4K support we already mentioned, the Xbox One S is thinner than the current Xbox One and a few ports have been relocated, but other than that, this is essentially the same model you can buy today. It still comes with the same game rendering hardware (which means it can’t play 4K games) and supports all the same games. There will also be a limited edition 2TB Xbox One S for $ 399, which is pretty good considering the current 1TB Xbox One kitscost over $ 300 .
However, the new Xbox One S has some nice features. The built-in infrared port allows the One S to turn on other devices such as a TV. Currently, Xbox One can only turn on your TV if it supports HDMI-CEC. It also allows the One S to control other devices such as an A / V receiver or cable box. The new Xbox also has a built-in power supply. Finally, the new Xbox controller will come with Bluetooth, so you can connect it both to your console or directly to your Windows 10 PC.
These minor changes are unlikely to convince current owners to upgrade their consoles. The One S will still play all your old Xbox One games, and new games will still work on both consoles, so there’s no real reason to upgrade if you don’t want to get involved in this sweet 4K action.
New customers can be a completely different story. The new Xbox One S consoles will retail for $ 299 for the 500GB model or $ 349 for the 1TB model. This is the same price as comparable existing Xbox One with one key difference: kits. Right now, most Xbox One consoles come with bundled games. For example, in a set of ” name your game” for $ 299 for $ 279 includes a console to 500 GB, as well as games that you can choose from. Pre-ordering the One S for the same price is $ 20 more, but doesn’t come with anything. If you don’t care about 4K video and don’t mind a larger body, then you’d better get your favorite game on an older console.
Update: Right off the bat, some of the existing Xbox One packages dropped $ 20, bringing the base price for the console to $ 279, up from $ 300 for the One S. If you don’t care about 4K videos, it just made the existing Xbox One even more attractive.
Sony’s 4K PlayStation Coming Soon, But VR Gaming Is A Big Sticking Point
Kotaku first announced that an updated PlayStation 4 , codenamed Neo, will arrive later this year with more powerful hardware and support for 4K gaming. Sony then confirmed the existence of the 4K Neo and that it will be more expensive than the current PS4, but that’s all we have right now. We do not know when it will be released or how much it will cost.
However, Sony has revealed its VR gaming plans that may influence your decision to wait. At E3, we learned that the PlayStation VR headset will go on sale October 13 for $ 399, but you don’t need the new PS4 Neo to use it. We all assumed that since the existing PS4 cannot play 4K video games, it also lacks the power needed to play VR games as their processing requirements are very similar. Apparently this is not the case. Unlike most VR headsets that rely on 4K-like graphics quality, PlayStation VR will use a 1080p display. This means that an existing PS4 can run it normally.
The downside is a little uncertainty. We know the new PS4 Neo will be better and will support 4K gaming, but when it comes to VR, it’s less certain. Will the Neo come with a better VR headset? Or will it only benefit 4K TV users? Until we find out more, you probably shouldn’t buy a PS4 anytime soon if you’re interested in both 4K gaming and VR gaming. It won’t be easy knowing that the full 50 games are coming to PlayStation VR in just a few months, with awesome titleslike Resident Evil 7 orBatman: Arkham VR planned for release. However, until we know more about what the PS4 Neo has to offer and how it enhances the existing PS4, it’s wiser to wait if these things are important to you.
Xbox Project Scorpio will offer updated graphics and VR support
Unlike the One S, Microsoft’s other new console announced today – codenamed Project Scorpio – is very different from the existing Xbox One. Unlike current Xbox One models, it will be able to run games in 4K resolution as well as charge VR headsets.
In addition, Microsoft plans to use all of this new power to its advantage. On the current Xbox One, games are often capped at 30fps in order to maintain a consistent frame rate . With Project Scorpio, this cap is unnecessary. Games will be able to run at 60 frames per second. If you were unhappy with the performance of the original Xbox One, Microsoft wants you back. (Though you should always accept such lofty promises more than a year after graduation with a grain of salt.)
Most importantly, Microsoft says Project Scorpio won’t break with the current generation. All old controllers, accessories, and games will still work with Project Scorpio. Presumably, any VR-enabled games will require new hardware to work (unlike the Sony PlayStation VR which will work on current consoles), but everything else will still be compatible with the old hardware.
If you are interested in VR gaming or want the highest quality video on your consoles, Project Scorpio should interest you and you should probably wait. While we don’t yet know the price of Project Scorpio (or even what its final name will be, or even which games will be VR compatible with it), it might be worth waiting a year before you get your new Xbox if you haven’t switched to this generation and you can’t wait to plunge into virtual reality.
The bottom line is, if you don’t care about 4K or VR gaming, you can safely buy your current Xbox One and PlayStation 4 right now. If you like 4K video but aren’t interested in 4K or VR gaming, the Xbox One S might be for you. We may see some price cuts this holiday season as new consoles crowd out old ones, but thankfully you won’t have to ditch all your old games and accessories when the future of 4K and VR arrives.