The first main difference between the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 is the controller itself. The Xbox One controller’s joysticks and positioned differently than the PlayStation 4 controller’s. The Xbox One controller’s left joystick is placed higher up than the right one. In contrast, the PlayStation 4 controller joysticks are positioned right next to each other. Switching it up from one system to the other may require some adjusting in regards to familiarity with the controller layout. Some people have an easier time adjusting to the other console's controller than others. It is one of those things that you have to try it for yourself.

The second main difference to take into consideration when it comes to choosing one console or the other is the exclusive console games. Many video games are playable on both systems. However, there are a handful of games that are playable on one system or the other. If you play more console exclusive games than not, that may become a more significant deciding factor for you.

The third main difference is backward compatibility, the ability to play past generation games on the newer generation console. Xbox One offers backward compatibility with select Xbox 360 and now original Xbox games. The list of games is increasing all of the time. Unfortunately, PlayStation 4 does not have backward compatibility, however, there are some games that were released for the PlayStation 2 that are now available to download on your PlayStation 4. You will have to purchase it on your PlayStation 4 system even if you already own the physical version for PlayStation 2.

Some examples of PlayStation exclusive games are Ratchet and Clank, Final Fantasy, Bloodborne, and God of War. Some examples of Xbox exclusive games include Halo, State of Decay, Crackdown, and Sea of Thieves.

One other thing to take into consideration, especially if you play online multiplayer games, especially with friends, is to factor how many people you know who has which system that also plays online. If you don’t care about that so much, you may not need to take that into consideration.

They both have their respective online memberships that cost the same price. Their original system models consisted of 500 gigabytes of data, and their newer ones now consist of 1 terabyte (about 1,000 gigabytes) of data.

PlayStation and Xbox both offer gaming services that allow you to purchase an additional subscription to play from a library of games. PlayStation's PS Now is a cloud-based service, so a strong and secure internet connection is required to utilize it. In contrast, Xbox's Game Pass allows you to download the games to your system and play them as long as your subscription is current, or you purchase the game(s).