Back in 2016, both Microsoft and Sony revealed massively upgraded versions of their flagship consoles—the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro. While there’s no denying that the Xbox One X and the PS4 Pro are both powerful consoles that provide a leap in technical performance, gamers often wonder which is superior.
Since Microsoft and Sony are rivals, there’s an ongoing debate as to whether the Xbox One or the PlayStation 4 is the best console on the market. And although both machines support existing Xbox One and PS4 titles, a bunch of new features and hardware has been included to boost performance and resolution.
If you don’t know which one to spend your money on or you’re simply curious as to which is best, here’s an Xbox One X vs PlayStation 4 Pro guide.
Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro Specs
The main selling point of the Xbox One X and the PlayStation 4 Pro is that they are both capable of outputting native 4K content. Considering the Xbox One X has a more powerful GPU, it’s slightly faster than the PlayStation 4 Pro. Owing to its impressive specs, it’s a console capable of outputting native 4K content at a smooth 60 FPS.
While the library of 4K games is still fairly small, both the Xbox One X and the PS4 Pro are still capable of playing games in native 4K. To compare the specifications of the two consoles, we have created the table below.
| Xbox One X | PS4 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | 6.0 TFLOP AMD Radeon (40CU, 1.172GHz) | 4.2 TFLOP AMD Radeon (36CU, 911MHz) |
| CPU | 2.3GHz x86 AMD Jaguar eight-core (custom) | 2.1GHz x86 AMD Jaguar eight-core |
| Storage | 1TB (2.5-inch) | 1TB (2.5-inch) |
| Memory | 12GB GDDR5 RAM | 8GB GDDR5 RAM |
| Memory Bandwidth | 326GB/s | 218GB/s |
| Optical Drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray | Blu-ray |
| 4K | Yes | Yes |
| HDR | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 8.4 pounds | 7.2 pounds |
| Dimensions | 11.8 x 9.4 x 2.4 inches | 12.8 x 11.6 x 2.1 inches |
| Color(s) | Black, White | Black, White |
Winner: Xbox One X 🏆
If you want to increase your PS4 storage spaces, we recommend looking at some of the best PS4 SSDs.
Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro Connectivity
| Xbox One X | PS4 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| HDMI | ✓ | ✓ |
| USB 3.0 | ✓ | x |
| USB 3.1 | x | ✓ |
| IR Out | ✓ | x |
| S/PDIF | ✓ | x |
| Ethernet Port | ✓ | ✓ |
Winner: Tie 🏳️
Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro Games
Whilst many gamers despise the fact that platform exclusivity exists, console exclusives provide massive benefits to console manufacturers. The main benefit is that platform-exclusive titles differentiate consoles, in this case, the Xbox One X from the PlayStation 4 Pro.
For instance, what’s the first exclusive that comes to mind when you think of the Xbox? Chances are, you think of Halo—a game you certainly won’t see on the PlayStation 4. Even the thought of Halo on PS4 sounds strange. Which leads to the question: out of Microsoft and Sony, who has the best exclusives? Or, more specifically, which console has the best games?
Out of the two, Sony has the most successful exclusive titles, including Horizon: Zero Dawn, The Last of Us, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and Until Dawn. Not to mention Death Stranding—a highly anticipated PS4 exclusive set to release in November. Microsoft certainly has its own successful in-house titles, such as Halo 5: Guardians, Gears of War 4 and Quantum Break, but the list isn’t as diverse as Sony’s.
Naturally, both the Xbox One X and the PlayStation 4 Pro have third-party titles from Ubisoft and Electronic Arts. But at the end of the day, it’s those console-exclusive titles that make these systems special—and out of the two, Sony provides the best PlayStation 4 exclusives.
Winner: PlayStation 4 Pro 🏆
Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro Backward Compatibility
One of the main advantages of the Xbox One X is that it’s fully backward compatible with previous-generation Xbox Games. Now, this doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to play every single Xbox 360 game ever made. Albeit, the list of Xbox 360 and Original Xbox classics is certainly growing. There are currently over 600 games for you to enjoy at no additional cost, from the classic Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell to Unreal Tournament 3.
On the contrary, Sony only supports backward compatibility via their subscription-based gaming service, PlayStation Now, which costs $19.99. Rental prices used range from around $1.99 to $29.99 depending on the game you chose and how long you wanted to rent it for.
If you are going for a full “PS-experience” when playing PS4 on your laptop, you should take a look at how to connect your PS4 controller to a PC. This way, you’ll be able to enjoy the best PS Now games just as you would on the actual console.
However, you’ll be happy to know that the rental scheme was abolished back in 2016. One thing you can do via PS Now is play PlayStation 2 games on a PlayStation 4 Pro, though there’s only a limited number of them. Since you have to pay to play older generation games on the PlayStation 4 Pro, the Xbox One X wins this round fair and square.
Winner: Xbox One X 🏆
Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro Entertainment
There’s no denying that the Xbox One X is a perfect entertainment system suitable for watching movies on. Why you may wonder? The console boasts a 4K UHD Blu-ray optical drive, which in turn, provides a superior home cinema experience.
Furthermore, players can route their cable or satellite set-top box through the Xbox One X via the HDMI-in ports—this way, you’ll never miss a big game. If you prefer to jump right into your favorite TV series, the Xbox One X also has a bunch of entertainment apps, including a range of individual TV channels, such as AMC and CBS.
On the other hand, even though the PlayStation 4 Pro is built to support 4K gaming, it only features a standard Blu-ray player, one that is unable to play UHD Blu-ray discs. The console can, however, stream 4K video through entertainment apps such as Hulu and Netflix. There aren’t as many video apps on the PS4 Pro as on the Xbox One X, though the popular ones are still available.
Winner: Xbox One X 🏆
Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro Design
The Xbox One X and the PlayStation 4 Pro are both undeniably sleek looking consoles. But which console wins on appearance and overall design? Although the Xbox One X isn’t very different from the Xbox One S when it comes to aesthetics, the console clearly packs a lot of power into a compact rectangular box design.
What’s more, at 11.8 x 9.4 x 2.3 inches, it’s slightly smaller than any other Xbox on the market—though only by a few millimeters. When you look at the Xbox One X, you’ll notice that rather than channeling heat out of the top and sides, heat is conveniently pushed out of the back.
The PlayStation 4 Pro is slightly larger than the Xbox One X at around 12.8 x 11.6 x 2.1 inches, though it’s surprisingly lighter at 7.2 pounds. When it comes to aesthetics, it’s very similar to the PlayStation 4 and therefore Sony hasn’t exactly changed the overall physical design.
Albeit, rather than having two pieces of plastic stacked up on top of each other, it has three pieces of black plastic—very fascinating. The lines on the PS4 Pro aren’t as clean as the Xbox One X, but since the design fairly subjective, it totally depends on who you are. Since both consoles look sleek, we say it’s a tie.
Winner: Tie 🏳️
Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro Virtual Reality
If you’re a fan of the PlayStation 4, chances are you’ve heard of the dedicated virtual reality platform, PlayStation VR. The PlayStation 4 Pro can utilize the PS VR headset in order to allow gamers to experience virtual reality. Even though the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Slim support PS VR, the PS4 Pro is capable of sharp and very detailed rending.
Despite the fact that Microsoft has developed AR (augmented reality) technology over the years, the Xbox has never seen VR and therefore the Xbox One X lacks such technology. The next-gen Xbox Project Scarlett has no VR in sight, either. But who knows, VR is still fairly new, so Microsoft may surprise us with next years Project Scarlett.
If you seriously want to experience virtual reality, we highly recommend using the best VR headset with a gaming PC.
Winner: PS4 Pro 🏆
Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro Price
When the Xbox One X first came out in November 2017, it was on the market for around $499.99. Today, you can often find the Xbox One X on the Microsoft store at a discounted price. The 2016 PlayStation 4 Pro, on the other hand, retailed for $399—around $100 less than the Xbox One X. While we understand why the Xbox One X is $100 more than the PS4 Pro, the leap from the $300 price tag on the Xbox One S may be too much for some gamers.
Having said that, you can currently purchase a 1TB Xbox One X on Amazon for $377.69. Or if you prefer Sony, there is a 1TB PlayStation 4 Pro listed on sale with a $367.88 price tag.
Winner: PS4 Pro (Based on RRP) 🏆
Xbox One X vs PS4 Online Subscription
In order to play certain games online, you will require an Xbox Live or PS Plus subscription depending on which console you own. Both subscriptions cost around $60 per year, but they both offer users different things. Xbox Live Gold not only enables multiplayer gaming, but it also offers up to six Xbox 360 and Xbox One games per month.
Some of these games change on a monthly basis, which we talk about in-depth in our best games on Xbox game pass article.
What’s more, you will get further discounts on the Microsoft Store—how cool is that? The PS+ subscription is very similar in that it entails several free games per month. Gamers can then keep all of the games they get through PS+ and can play them until the subscription is deactivated. Of course, PlayStation+ subscribers will also be able to enjoy discounts on the PS Store.
Winner: Tie 🏳️
Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro Sales
We can probably all agree that both the Xbox One X and the PlayStation 4 Pro sold extremely well, but out of Microsoft and Sony, who is dominating the current generation? According to Sony’s internal estimates, as of 2018, it sold around 100 million PlayStation 4 consoles worldwide.
Considering the Xbox One X is one of the most recent consoles to launch, sales grew just as fast as the PlayStation 4 Pro. In 2018, researchers and analysts estimated that around 41 million units were sold throughout the year. While these figures don’t tell us exactly how many Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro consoles were sold, it’s clear that Sony is taking the lead.
Winner: PlayStation 4 Pro 🏆
Final Verdict
So, out of Microsoft’s 4K entertainment system and Sony’s gaming-focused beast, which is the best? While the Xbox One X boasts 4K and HDR for superior gaming and video streaming, there’s no denying that the PlayStation 4 Pro is a fantastic console.
In addition, PlayStation allows gamers to jump into a virtual world outside of their four walls and enjoy awesome PSVR titles—something you can’t do with any Xbox Console. If you don’t fancy VR gaming and you want a powerful console with hardware advantages, the Xbox One X is the way to go, so find out what are some of the best upcoming Xbox games.