Xbox One vs PS4: Microsoft’s Japanese GM Weighs In

With the recent launch of the Xbox One in Japan, the local Xbox General Manager Takashi Sensui has voiced his opinion on the topic of the power difference between the Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 consoles in an interview with Japanese tech website AV Watch (via DualShockers).

Sensui began the interview by copping to the fact that titles released internationally (outside of Japan, that is to say) offered a difference in graphics with the PS4 version coming out on top. He stated that this this isn’t due to the performance limits on the Xbox One, and that it was due to judgment calls made by developers while creating their titles. He believes that for all future titles, it will be possible to offer visual parity with the Xbox One thanks to recent performance gains. He didn’t explicitly mention it, but he’s probably referring to the gains the Xbox One has gotten since freeing up the percentage of power normally taken up by the Kinect. 

Sensui also mentioned that the quality of graphics isn’t the be-all, end-all of things, admitting that while high quality graphics increased player immersion, it’s the features offered by the Xbox One and Xbox Live that are also important. He cited the Xbox One’s use of cloud functionality as an example of an advantage offered by the Xbox One. 

He added that other features, like the Xbox Live service’s online matchmaking, and a better dashboard, put the system on top.

He’s confident that the Xbox One controller is superior to the DualShock 4, which is a debatable point given that many players prefer the feel of the PS4 controller over the Xbox One. 

Sensui stressed the importance of exclusive titles on the Xbox One, which include titles like Sunset Overdrive, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Halo 5: Guardians. He admitted that however due to the resources needed to craft high quality AAA games, the shift to multiple platforms is inevitable as most developers strive to maximize their profits. Limiting games to single, exclusive platforms is simply untenable for most publishers due to the market situation.

He says that despite the shift to multiplatform, the Xbox One offers features like Kinect and Smartglass, and the quality of the Xbox Live platform, which put the system on top of the competition.

Many who read this may disagree with Sensui’s statements, but the hype for the Xbox One is understandable coming from Microsoft. 

For further debates over the superiority of either console, be sure to check out our previous feature on the subject.