Here we go – Microsoft and Sony have decided to take the leap into Ultra HD with their home consoles.
Let’s go over the facts and see what looks good, what doesn’t and should you buy.
Let’s start off with the ever popular Xbox One S.
The Good
- Ultra HD playback, Blu-ray and streaming – this is amazing news! Now you can stream Ultra HD directly to your TV over your Xbox One.
- HDR or High Dynamic Range is also a huge plus here, as this now allows deeper and richer colors to come alive from your TV and into your living room.
- HDMI 2.0a port – this is what makes all of this Ultra HD goodness flow out of your Xbox One S!
- Performance increase over the original Xbox One. Don’t confuse this with a new generation of consoles, this is just a slight bump in speed for Xbox One which will help with frame rates.
The bad
- Ultra HD games are not supported, but upscaling is. Wow, I think this kinda ruins it as a whole. Isn’t that what the Xbox One is primarily for? Gaming? So why not allow Ultra HD games? I feel like Microsoft is using this a money-maker until the next gen consoles arrive or until they release a true Ultra HD console.
- But I already own an Xbox One! Well, now you get to buy another one!
Final thoughts – Don’t buy just yet, unless you just want an Ultra HD streaming device.
Now onto the Playstation 4 NEO
The Good
- Ultra HD support, however it has not been confirmed exactly what this means. I assume Ultra HD upscaling for games, Ultra HD streaming and Ultra HD playback – just like the Xbox One.
- Performance boost! This sounds like an awesome thing! The only thing that is confirmed is faster clock speed than the original PS4 (2.1 GHz vs 1.6 Ghz), as well as an improved GPU and now 8GB of GDDR5 memory. Get ready for some speed!
- Ultra HD upscaling for all games! This is something to be excited about, but don’t forget that means upscaling, not native. So they will look better, but they are not true Ultra HD.
- VR support – it will be cool to see how it plays out, because Sony didn’t really nail the last gimmick they tried with the PlayStation Move Flop. However I have high hopes for it!
The Bad
- Higher Price – not confirmed yet, but it may be steep.
- But I already own a PS4! Well, now you get to buy another one!
- HDR support? This is unknown at the moment.
Final thoughts – Might be a good buy, but wait for price to come down.
Indiana LangIndiana Lang is 26 years old and lives in Apopka, Florida with his wife Miranda. He is currently the owner of Emptor Audio, based out of Orlando. Originally from Wausau, Wisconsin he moved to Orlando at the age of 10 and started working in the AV industry at the age of 17, while still in high school. Within a few short years he quickly gained experience in the industry doing inside sales, pre-wires and custom installation working for some of the largest AV companies in Orlando. Indiana currently holds over 20 industry relevant certifications with major companies like Crestron, Lutron, Savant, Control4, CEDIA, Atlona, QSC and URC; as well as being a member of industry specific groups such as CEDIA, Infocomm and Azione.
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I use my XB1S mostly for playing 4K UHD Blu-rays and streaming 4K Amazon Prime movies. It is a more robust disc spinner than the Sammy or Philips. Project Scorpio is still a year off.
Ironically, the Sony can not play 4K discs, even though Sony studios is putting out 4K UHD Blu-ray movies. Why, Sony? Why?
HD upscaled to 4K/UHD will not look better just because there are more pixels. In fact, HD upscaled to 4K/UHD will look substantially softer than the original HD content, when viewed on an HD screen.