User Interface
The PS4’s interface is more visually appealing than the PS3’s XMB presentation. The home screen features five default tabs, including What's New, Internet Browser, The Playroom, Live From PlayStation and Downloads. New tabs are added as games and apps are installed. The tabs are arranged horizontally and are navigated from left to right. Icons on the homescreen are larger than last time around, displaying the app’s name with a brief description.
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Xbox One’s interface is a mashup of the tiles from Windows Phone and Windows 8 with the old 360 interface. The result is a presentation that is clean, colorful and intuitive. We were disappointed, however, to discover that the interface doesn’t feature any animated Live Tiles.
Our favorite part of the interface by far is the Snap feature, which allows users to open two apps simultaneously and view them side by side. A great use of this feature was playing “Dead Rising 3” alongside an Internet Explorer browser set to gamefaqs.com.
Winner: Xbox One
Overall, we like the revamped user interface on the PS4 with its bigger images and straightforward interface that’s easy to use and master. However, the Xbox One presents a cleaner and more visually engaging interface with nearly effortless multitasking.
