There is one very good reason why the Playstation 4 really may win the console war but, before we explain why let's get the fanboy nonsense out of the way first.
Yes the ability to have you and seven of your mates playing together in your front room is better than having only you and three of them able to play, just as a two hundred mile an hour car is better than a fifty mile an hour one.
Of course the reality is that most gamers rarely use more than four controllers at the same time, and Sony aren't stupid, they know this and they are taking a big gamble.
Yes it's a step down from the PS3's ability to connect seven controllers at the same time, but there's a reason for the "downgrade"...and it's the gamble by Sony that may change your gaming world forever.
That gamble is the Playstation 4 controller.
The Xbox One controller is a slightly modified Xbox 360 controller, more ergonomic but pretty similar to the current gen model. Microsoft have chosen to play it safe and stick with what works.
Sony have gone the other way, their new controller is literally a revolution in gaming.
Each controller has precise movement tracking built in so that it can tell exactly how much you're moving it and in what direction, move technology built into it (a glowing bar of light that will work with the PS4 eye camera to track where you are relative to your tv and how you move).
Each controller has a touch sensitive track pad built in as well as a built in speaker and, of course, vibration (Xbox One controller also has vibration) and comes with a headset included.
Why is this a revolution? Let's break it down piece by piece to see why....
The PS4 immerses you in the game in a way no other console can.
The movement tracking can track how you move and change the game accordingly...if you're one of those players who instinctively flinches when shot at in a game or who leans in when taking a tight turn in Gran Turismo, well now when you do that your character could instinctively flinch or crouch to avoid the oncoming danger, your car could automatically pull a handbrake turn or drift you around that corner.
Swipe a finger across the track pad to activate weapons or power ups, or swipe up or down on one side of the pad to alternate through tools guns or equipment and swipe up or down on the other side to open up in game maps or instructions.
Use your fingers on the track pad to "pinch to zoom", to slice or chop things (or people, at least virtual people), use your fingers to steer missiles in your favourite fps or pick locks.
Playing a fighting game? Pull your controller up to protect your body from being hit, thrust it in front of you to hit an opponent and knock them out.
From scrolling through menus, weapons or stroking virtual pets to improving your in game performance by reacting to your instinctive movements the PS4 controller is a genuine revolution not just in every day gaming but in immersive gaming, getting you more involved in the game.
The speaker in each controller can feed different audio to each player, imagine the potential for horror games. You're in a dark room, you hear an eerie scream or noise....but your friend hears something completely different.
You could make one player jump but not the others, making horror gaming even more frightening, you could feed different players different information based on where they are in a game or what they have done.
The controllers light bar can give you subtle clues or warnings, flashing different colours depending on how much life a game character has or whether you're near an important object in the game, or if you have a message for example.
Imagine playing Call Of Duty, your controller starts flashing a gentle shade of red to warn you an enemy is somewhere in the vicinity. The closer you get the redder it becomes. You turn a corner, suddenly an enemy soldier fires at you.
You press to crouch down....but you're already crouching, the game saw you flinch or duck and reacted quicker than you could press a button. You've run out of bullets in your primary weapon, you touch the track pad and it fires your pistol. You trace your finger across the pad and the bullet follows your movements....letting you control the bullet as it flies!
Sony have really gone all out with the PS4 controller, they want to capture gamers attention and get them enjoying the gaming experience. Reviewers of both Xbox One and PS4 controllers agree that the PS4 controller is a little more accurate and responsive than its Microsoft rival, but then it should be given that the new controller has been overhauled to reduce its predecessors lag and improve the small dead zone found in the middle of the PS3 controller.
On the controller front Microsoft lose out, there is no question that Sony have produce a much more interesting and immersive controller that offers a much more involving way to play games particularly with the now precise motion tracking, its touch sensitive track pad and the aforementioned light bar.
Microsoft have focused heavily on the use of Kinect, bundling it with the new Xbox and while it has grabbed a lot of headlines it's worth noting that the PS4 eye camera is designed to compete with kinect and features twin cameras (for depth perception and 3D face mapping - yes that means you will be able to put your face, not just a flat image of it, into some PS4 games) and four microphones so that it can tell precisely where in a room a sound is coming from and react accordingly.
The Xbox one comes with Kinect and one controller included for £429. You will be able to buy the PS4 with or without the PS4 eye, if you want it included there will be a bundle that features two PS4 controllers, A PS4, the exclusive new Killzone game and the PS4 eye for £427 or you can buy the Console with one controller for £349.
Both systems have their advantages, for example the Xbox One has more inputs, but on the gaming front the PS4 certainly offers a unique experience while still competing with Microsofts Kinect for more causal gamers.
Both systems are evenly matched as far as specifications go, with Sony's console having the edge thanks to its faster memory and better gpu (graphics processing unit) although in every day use the situation is pretty much, as with their current gen offerings, that both consoles are as good as each other as regards to graphics and it all depends on which you prefer.
For innovative gaming, and for every day and hardcore gamers, Sony's PS4 offers more bang for your buck.
