Hey, hey guys, hey, look, it says [b]opinion[/b] in the title. Hey, hey guys, guess what? That means it's, like, my opinion. How I feel about the consoles. With that in mind... So, today is PS4 launch day in Europe, and I've now got my hands on both an Xbox One and a PS4, and at least one game for each of them (sadly PSN is down, or was down, when I tried to sign into my account and get the F2P games, but that's not the point). Don't believe me? Well that's your loss and frankly I don't care (or there's a picture embedded above just for you). So, let's begin. [u]CONTROLLER:[/u] I knew, going into the purchases, that the Xbox One controller would be better than the Xbox 360 controller (having used it prior to launch), and that the DualShock 4 controller would be better than the DualShock 3. While the Xbox One controller is certainly an improvement on the 360 controller, it's still not "perfect", with triggers I personally find a little too sensitive on Forza 5. The impulse triggers are really nice though. As far as I could tell, the battery life was good as well. I used the AAs from the box and am now on a play and charge kit. The DS4 is, however, easily the biggest improvement on its predecessor. The DS3 was a [i]horrible[/i] controller. I hated it and everything it stood for. Bastard thing. But the new DS4 is incredibly good compared to its older brother. Nicer triggers (or should I say, actual triggers), comfortable sticks, and an all-round great feel. Very impressed, Sony. But is it better than the One controller? In my opinion (remember that part, yo), no. The Xbox One controller wins. But damn the DS4 is good. [u]Noise:[/u] What? Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome these consoles are. Wait, maybe that's actually the PS4's cooling fans I can hear... Yep. Sadly, the PS4 makes a lot more noise than the Xbox One when in use, especially when running Killzone Shadowfall. Even now, it's paused in-game and making a hell of a lot of noise. I can hear it over the Xbox One, which is running Forza 5, also paused in-game. In contrast, the Xbox One runs nearly silent, no matter what you're asking it to do. I'd even say the power brick makes more noise under my desk than the console itself, but with the acoustics caused by the wooden floor and several wooden "walls" around it, that could be exaggerated beyond its actual sound level. Still, good mark for the Xbox there. [u]Graphics:[/u] Well, they're still not PCs. I should know; my rig laughs at the 1080p output of these consoles. Scoffing as it smothers itself with baby oil and bathes in the tears of console peasants. Wait, sorry, got a bit off topic there. The Xbox One and PS4 both display games beautifully, with each console's first-party exclusives looking mighty fine indeed. And that says a lot, considering we're at the very beginning of the life span of these consoles. Hell, look at a launch title for the PS3 and Xbox 360, compared to say, Halo 4 (shut up it's gorgeous and you have no idea what you're talking about) or GTA V. With those differences, I'm super stoked to see what's to come in the next few years. Running their own exclusives on a 1440p monitor, the games across both consoles look great. It's a less-than-ideal test, because the monitor resolution is greater than the consoles output while gaming, but I make do. Both look great. No real winner here. Too early to tell. [u]UI and navigation:[/u] Well, this is an easy one. The PS4's home screen is much improved over the PS3, and I really like how simple it is to get where you want to go. There are still issues, don't get me wrong. Sub menu after sub menu gets a bit tedious and confusing as you dive deeper, but it's still better than the PS3. Not to mention that you can switch to a movement-based typing control when you're entering text. Pointing the controller (without the camera, by the way) allows you to pick letters to type with effortlessly, with precision. Much faster than using the sticks to select letters, but still not keyboard fast. The Xbox One, on the other hand? Well, the Xbox On command doesn't always work. Mark down against the Xbox there. The dashboard/home is great, although very similar to Windows 8. Which I'm not a fan of (sure is opinions in here). But what wins it all for me is the Kinect integration. Xbox, go to Forza Motorsport 5. BAM, I'm loading Forza. Xbox, snap Skype. BAM! Skype is opened beside Forza. "Switch", I say, as the Xbox is still listening to my commands. I'm back in control of Forza while Skype loads next to it. It finishes loading and I get a call. Xbox, answer that. Done. Damn, I forgot he's on FIFA 14 (this only works if you have the digital copy of games). Xbox, go to FIFA 14. Almost instantly, I'm no longer on Forza, and I'm loading up FIFA 14. Faster than the Xbox 360 can eject a disc. Faster than I can get to the games on my Steam library. Serious win for the Xbox in this section. What's next? Hmm, well, this is only really a first impression. I've had the Xbox One since launch, and today is just my first day with the PS4. I'm sure I'll find more things I like and dislike as time goes on, but for now, here's the verdict: I prefer the Xbox One. WOAH SHIT, easy there tiger, remember - this is my opinion. So, anyone else got either or both consoles? What do you think about them? Let's hear it. [quote]Update for anyone interested: I've been using the PS4 for the last few hours and I really, I mean REALLY, like the controller. Starting to warm to it rather heavily. Location of the options and share buttons are annoying though; I keep going to press them and end up clicking the touch pad. Something I'll get used to eventually I guess.[/quote]