Comparative Essay

Samantha Holloway

6-11-16

SPC. 102/103

                                                   Extra Credit Speech

     Playstation or XBOX which would you rather own? If you’ve ever walked into a gaming store and took a look around you probably have had this question several times. So I am going to give you my thought on this topic, hopefully after my comparison it may help you to make the best decision for yourself.

     Right now you may be thinking what’s the big deal they are both great gaming consoles, so why not just pick one and be done with it, although this is true you might want to do a little research before you make such a rash decision. You could be left with the overwhelming question of what if?

     At first glance it’s easy to mistake an Xbox for a Playstation, and vice versa. But after close inspection you can see a clear difference, like the playstation being slimmer than the xbox, and the xbox console being wider. Xbox uses a green letter X while playstation has its own unique symbol. Aside from those small details each console design is a black box, with little to no creative difference. However each system does have the option of enhancing their looks by adding a custom skin to the body of the console, with images from different games that are exclusive to each system. Xbox has a custom halo design, playstation has a custom metal gear solid skin that could bring some contrast in appearances.

     The design on each system do not stop at the console, we can’t forget about the controllers which not only serve as a visual part of each system, but also has a big role, if not the most important in overall gameplay. Again each consoles use similar setups, color schemes, and button layouts however there are some slight differences you have to look forward to. Both xbox and playstation controllers have a four directional “D” pad, two 360 degree rotating analog sticks, four action buttons marked with either shapes or letters, and four trigger like buttons located at the top of the controller. Playstation takes more of a symmetrical approach in an attempt to make things equal for both the left and right hands, while xbox takes a staggard approach by mixing things up and making a clear difference in looks, and in the way your hands have to work.

     Both playstation and xbox share a large number of video games, but they do have some titles that are exclusive to their own systems. One of xbox’s exclusive games is Halo which is a wildly popular first person shooting game. It features aliens, explosions, and high tech equipment. Playstations exclusive game is Metal gear solid, a strategic 3rd person game, also with explosions, and high tech equipment.

     These systems also feature a wide variety of online media to stream from your console to the television such as, Internet explorer, Hulu, Netflix, Facebook, and Youtube. They both allow you to play games online with friends, and strangers. Xbox charges a fee of about 45 dollars to be able to play on their online service, called Xbox Live. It is a month to month subscription.