Next-gen consoles play with social sharing

With the holidays quickly approaching like an uncontrollable snowball barreling down a hill, two of the biggest tech toys that many gamers will want to get their mits on are Sony’s Playstation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One. Both come with many new features and enhancements including better graphics, increased hardware power and exciting new games. However this new generation of gaming hardware has something different in its arsenal than previous generations. Now that social media has become so intertwined into our everyday lives, from where we get our news to how we talk with friends, it’s no surprise that the gaming world has now logged on and is ready to play. Having said that, even though these next-gen consoles share this new functionality, they both handle it in different ways. If you’re into sharing screenshots, gameplay videos, or broadcasting your gameplay live, listen up!

PlayStation 4 “Share” Button

Just like the system, the Dualshock 4 controller has a few upgrades itself including a new touch pad, improved ergonomics, a built-in speaker and enhanced vibration. Amongst all these features is a new “Share” button that is designed to allow players to share triumphs and accomplishments of their gameplay. It does this by streaming live gameplay to Ustream or Twitch (popular video-streaming websites), sharing videos on Facebook, or screenshots on Twitter. Unfortunately YouTube is currently not an option, which I find a bit odd considering it’s the largest site for uploading video content. However Sony has said that they’ll eventually have YouTube support for the PS4.

While playing, the PS4 stores up to 15 minutes of continuous footage prior to pressing the “Share” button. Once pressed, a small editing feature allows users to trim their videos in order to capture that perfect moment of epic gameplay. If the user has a Playstation camera, he or she can opt to have a picture-in-picture of themselves alongside their gameplay feed. The service will also allow you to easily share and view videos between your Playstation friends.

Here is a video to learn more about how the “share” button works and how to capture and upload videos.

Xbox One Voice Commands

Instead of using a “share” button next to the D-pad like the PS4, Microsoft’s Xbox One allows players to record and capture content by using simple voice commands. The Xbox One is always recording the most recent five minutes of gameplay prior to your command. Simply say “Xbox, record that,” and you can capture the last five minutes of gameplay or quickly capture the last 30 seconds. The Xbox One has a professional editing tool built in called Upload Studio where you can create personalized footage, edit multiple clips together, trim clips, add picture-in-picture video, voice over commentary or choose a skin for your videos.

Microsoft’s console doesn’t directly upload videos to Facebook or YouTube, however your videos are stored on your SkyDrive (Microsoft’s cloud storage platform). From there you can download your videos to your computer and upload them practically any where you want making your sharing capabilities very flexible, unlike the PS4.

Here is a sample of how easy it is to record, edit, and upload your videos.

The Verdict

Although these next-gen consoles allow you to share your gameplay content, there are clear advantages and disadvantages to each console. While the Xbox One allows you to use a professional editor to be creative with your videos and more importantly share your content on practically any social media platform, the PS4 records three times as much footage at once which can be a significant advantage for some users. As expected with new consoles, there are definitely some growing pains, especially when entering into a new territory. I wouldn’t say one console triumphs over the other, but personally I would rather just push a button and navigate using the oldschool D-pad, then struggle with voice commands and interrupt my gameplay.

Who do you think will rise as champion in this new social sharing feature? And more importantly, which one do you plan to pick up this holiday?