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Post-E3 2014 scorecard: Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4

With E3 in the rearview mirror, which console makes the most compelling case?

Jeff Bakalar Editor at Large
Jeff is CNET Editor at Large and a host for CNET video. He's regularly featured on CBS and CBSN. He founded the site's longest-running podcast, The 404 Show, which ran for 10 years. He's currently featured on Giant Bomb's Giant Beastcast podcast and has an unhealthy obsession with ice hockey and pinball.
Jeff Bakalar
2 min read

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LOS ANGELES -- With the dust all but settled, E3 2014 has given both Microsoft and Sony a chance to outline their respective plans for the next 12 months and beyond.

As a consumer, there's a much better sense of what's to come, perhaps making the decision of which next-generation console to go with that much easier.

Here's a quick rundown of the highlights from each camp:

Microsoft

  • Xbox One is now priced the same as PlayStation 4, though at $400 it ships without Kinect.
  • There is no more "Gold tax," meaning Xbox Live Gold is no longer required for media-streaming or other apps.
  • Notable 2014 exclusive releases: Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon 2, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Killer Instinct: Season 2 and Ori and the Blind Forest.
  • Notable 2015 and beyond releases: Halo 5: Guardians, Scalebound, Phantom Dust, Quantum Break and Crackdown.
  • Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare players will get DLC first on Xbox One. Evolve, Dragon Age: Inquisition and The Division will also get content first on Xbox One.
  • Microsoft's independent gaming offerings are beginning to beef up with the ID@Xbox program.

Sony

  • PlayStation Now , Sony's game streaming service that will start with 100 PS3 games, will enter a beta July 31 and go live later this year. No pricing has been announced for that yet.
  • Notable 2014 exclusive releases: The Last of Us Remastered, Entwined, Driveclub, and LittleBigPlanet 3.
  • Notable 2015 and beyond releases: The Order: 1886, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Bloodborne, Grim Fandango (remake), Let it Die, and No Man's Sky.
  • Notable independent titles are hitting in 2014, including: Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, Broforce, Titan Souls, Not a Hero, and The Talos Principle
  • Sony has secured early access betas and/or content for games like Battlefield Hardline, Destiny, Far Cry 4, Dead Island 2, and Batman: Arkham Knight.
  • PlayStation TV will hit later this year for $99 and let PS4 owners stream gameplay to any TV within their home network, and play Vita card games and PlayStation Now titles with a DualShock 3.

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Sarah Tew/CNET

If games are your number one deciding factor, it's tough to argue with the advantage Sony has -- not just with the edge in exclusives down the road, but the amount of early beta access and unique "only on PS4" content deals they were able to secure with a smattering of multi-platform games.

Sony's messaging this year was that games play better on PS4. And while that first might hit you as marketing spin, I can't say much that would refute that claim judging from the amount of multi-platform game comparisons I've done with Xbox One and PS4. I'll be updating the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 reviews in the coming weeks to better reflect this post-E3 2014 landscape.