9 Controversies Surrounding the PS4 and Xbox One

While the arrival of next-generation consoles is nearly over, we look back at the tumultuos road the PS4 and the Xbox One faced from their respective announcements up to the release day. In all honesty, the Xbox One has had more issues than the PS4 because of their initial guidelines. However, the PS4 also faced some problems during their launch.

Let's take a look at the controversies and issues that mired the road and arrival of next-gen...

9.) No used games

Once upon a time, Microsoft made it difficult for players to play and sell used games. How did people react? Well, not too pleasant especially since not everyone can afford to drop $60 on any game they want. Thankfully, the company responded to all the negative feedback and decided to stick with what consumers were familiar with regarding used games.

It was also earlier reported that Sony has patented a ban for used-games, but nothing has resulted from it as of the moment.

8.) Always online

When Microsoft revealed the "always online" functionality to consumers, all hell broke loose since not everyone has a stable Internet connection. Even if you do, not everyone's speed is fast enough for the Xbox One to perform at its best. This also ties in with the no used games restriction since this was how they would authenticate the games.

Adam Orth, an ex-executive from Microsoft, resigned from the company after he tweeted out his controversial opinion for the rest of the world to see.

You'll be happy to know that the company has since revoked this functionality, but the bitterness will always be there for some players. 

7.) Blue light of death

While the PS3 and the Xbox 360 had the Yellow Light of Death and Red Ring of Death respective fatal defects, the PS4 unfortunately has the Blue Light of Death for this generation. Sony has said that that only less than 1% of PS4s shipped have been affected. It's an expected number but that's still 10,000 unplayable consoles. Fret not because the company announced that they are committed to replacing these defective devices.

6.)Kinect always watching

 

 

A lot of gamers were sort of miffed when they found out that they had no choice in opting out of purchasing a Kinect if they bought an Xbox One. On top of that, people were mad that the Kinect was always on as it listens and tracks everything you do. Reports also surfaced the the company could be giving information to the NSA. 

While the Xbox One can now work without the Kinect, you still have to purchase it when you buy the console.

5.) PS4 Review Controversy

In the days leading up to the consoles' release, several journalists have expressed their disappointment with how their access to the PlayStation 4 for review. Adam Sessler, Arthur Gies, and Marcus Beer have tweeted out their cryptic frustrations until Beer confirmed that it was because they only had two days to review the system before it ships.

However, I'd like to point out that Ben Kuchera from Penny Arcade pointed out that the review event of the PS4 gave reviewers freedom to play with the system and games on their own time in the privacy of their own rooms at the Standard Hotel.

4.) Xbox One Disc Drives

While the Xbox One hasn't had a light of death defect yet, users have ran into a minor problem regarding the disc drives. Some have reported a grinding noise while playing and others can't even insert their discs. Microsoft has since said that they are committed to helping their customers out with these issues so I hope this get resolves soon.

3.) KSI Controversy

YouTube gaming personality KSI was a part of Xbox One's launch event in London and people were voicing their disapproval on social media. Why are people upset? Well, it's because he was notorious for his misogynistic behavior toward women during last year's Eurogamer Expo. He has also been widely criticized for "rape face" videos. 

Microsoft has since announced that they will no longer be working with KSI in the future.

2.) Xbox One Channel Using Watch Dogs Footage for PS4

Another issue arose when people discovered that a months old video of Watch Dogs on the Xbox One YouTube channel were actually from the PlayStation 4. Detractors were quick to say that it was Microsoft acknowledging their competitors superiority, but Major Nelson was quick to say that it was all mix-up from Ubisoft.

1.) Resolutiongate

If I'm not mistaken, the whole issue with resolutions on next-gen consoles ignited when it was revealed that Call of Duty: Ghosts would be 1080p upscaled from 720p on the Xbox One. Conversely, the game would run on native 1080p on the PS4. Later on, gamers started to compare the resolution difference between other games on both platforms. 

Some are understably disappointed since they expect next-gen games to be more powerful than its predecessor to justify spending so much dough. However, others do not notice the difference and find it subtle. I am personally not upset since this is just the transitionary phase and I'm not expecting to kick off until after two years or so.