Sony and Microsoft have really become quite the competitors. While the Nintendo empire is always a threat (and always seemingly popular with a certain demographic), it is the animosity between the PlayStation and Xbox franchises which most seem to be more interested in. Naturally, it’s more or less an issue of which box has the most power and features (while remaining sturdy enough to handle the sort of routine abuse that consumers might throw at it).
However, the real question is “what about the software and games?” In short, the PS4 and the Xbox ONE are both soon going to be stocked with a ton of great games, but ultimately it will end up being a matter of taste as to which ultimately emerges as the superior candidate. In hindsight we’ll be able to compare sales statistics and other gathered data to figure out which games were the winners and losers, but in doing so we have to be careful not to undermine the efforts of the developers (all of which deserve a round of applause for creating the titles we know and love).
First off, let’s compare the two console’s offerings in terms of actual games which are already here or planned for immediate / subsequent release in 2014:
The PS4
-
Infamous: Second Son March 21, 2014
-
Minecraft March 2014
-
Call of Duty: Ghosts Extinction Q1 2014
-
Stealth Inc. Ultimate Edition March 2014
-
Strider February 19, 2014
-
Rayman Legends February 18, 2014
-
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – Freedom Cry February 18, 2014
-
Thief February 25, 2014
-
Secret Ponchos Q1 2014
-
Road Not Taken Q1 2014
-
Driveclub Q1 2014
-
Daylight Q1 2014
-
Mercenary Kings Q1 2014
-
Putty Squad (retail edition) March 11, 2014
-
Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes March 18, 2014
-
Basement Crawl Q1 2014
-
Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn April 14, 2014
-
The Witness TBA
-
Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty Q2 2014
-
The Golf Club Q2 2014
-
Carmageddon: Reincarnation Q1 2014
-
1001 Spikes Q1 2014
-
Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn (Collector’s Edition) April 14, 2014
-
Child of Light April 30, 2014
-
Watch Dogs Q2 2014
-
Transistor TBA
-
Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends – Complete Edition Q2 2014
-
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Q2 2014
-
PlanetSide 2 Q2 2014
-
Ready To Run Q2 2014
-
The Order: 1886 TBA
-
Hohokum TBA
-
Murdered: Soul Suspect June 2014
-
UFC 2014 TBA
-
The Elder Scrolls Online June 2014
-
Pavilion Q2 2014
-
MLB 14: The Show May 2014
-
The Evil Within August 26, 2014
-
LEGO: The Hobbit Q2 2014
-
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Q3 2014
-
Dragon Age: Inquisition Q3 2014
-
The Crew Q3 2014
-
Soul Saga: Episode I Q3 2014
-
FIFA 15 October 12, 2014
-
Alien: Isolation Q4 2014
-
RBI Baseball 14 Q2 2014
-
Destiny September 9 2014
-
MouseCraft Q3 2014
-
Galak-Z TBA
The Xbox ONE
-
Minecraft March 2014
-
D4 Q1 2014
-
Super TIME Force Q1 2014
-
Carmageddon: Reincarnation Q1 2014
-
Kinect Sports Rivals April 8, 2014
-
Child of Light April 30, 2014
-
Rayman Legends February 18, 2014
-
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare February 25, 2014
-
Thief February 25, 2014
-
Titanfall March 11, 2014
-
Titanfall (Collector’s Edition) March 11, 2014
-
Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes March 18, 2014
-
Mad Max TBA
-
Sunset Overdrive TBA
-
Halo TBA
-
Lords of the Fallen TBA
-
Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show TBA
-
Nutjitsu TBA
-
Final Fantasy XV TBA
-
Project Spark Q2 2014
-
The Elder Scrolls Online June 2014
-
The Evil Within August 26, 2014
-
Destiny September 9, 2014
-
Dragon Age: Inquisition Q3 2014
-
The Crew Q3 2014
-
LEGO: The Hobbit Q2 2014
-
James Pond: Codename Robocod HD TBA
-
Trials Fusion TBA
-
Energy Hook TBA
-
Valiant Hearts: The Great War TBA
-
Dying Light TBA
-
The Golf Club Q2 2014
-
UFC 2014 Spring 2014
-
Watch Dogs Q2 2014
-
RBI Baseball 14 Q2 2014
-
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Q2 2014
-
Alien: Isolation Q4 2014
-
Sniper Elite 3 TBA
- FIFA 15 October 12, 2014
-
Worms Battlegrounds TBA
-
Roundabout TBA
-
Shoot Many Robots TBA
-
Fantasia: Music Evolved TBA
For all intents and purposes, both consoles appear to be nearly evenly matched as far as 2014 game releases are concerned. Perhaps the PS4 slightly edges out the Xbox ONE however, if only in terms of offering just a few more titles as well as some truly intriguing offerings. Standout and exclusive examples might include Infamous: Second Son, Driveclub and many others, quite a few which are actually found on both consoles. Examples include, Watch Dogs, The Elder Scrolls Online, Destiny and several more choices.
Of course there are also many great Xbox ONE games on the way which should by no means be taken lightly. Titanfall, “Halo”, and others will help drive people over to Microsoft’s side (in addition to the previously mentioned shared titles which are multi-platform).
All in all, the PlayStation 4 is likely to end up offering gamers the superior value in terms of its 2014 game releases, so try to take that into consideration if you’re going to be making a new console purchase soon. Moreover, you have to factor in that Sony is really trying to open the door for independent developers, so you never know what sorts of indie games you can expect to see emerge on the PSN this year.
Here’s to another great year of gaming, regardless of which console you prefer!