The Witcher 3: Battle of Preference
Oh Boy! Here we go, a comparison piece! Surely you could have 
gone to any number of sites to see how a gaggle of supercomputers pulled apart this game to show the differences from the PS4 version and the Xbox One version right? What’s the difference with this article?
I’m going to take into account ALL the differences and not just the one’s that get the hits. Here. We. Go!
Resolution: Having played both versions of The Witcher 3 for enough time I can honestly say that yes, the 1080P set up on the PS4 makes for a much cleaner and sharper image; especially when looking off into the distance of this huge open world. The Xbox One version in turn at 900P is no slouch in the visuals department but, there is a distinct lack of detail while looking off into the distance, especially the trees which all seem to blur a bit the further out you look.
Now having played the Xbox One version first, without seeing the PS4 set up, I can honestly tell you that I was massively impressed with the level of detail and scope of this game. Does this difference dictate where you should play the game? NO. Why you ask? Let’s dig a bit deeper shall we!
Framerate: Doesn’t get much coverage, no way the same as resolution, but if resolution is important than so to must be framerate and its this difference that skews a bit in favor of the Xbox One (a patch has been released that locks it to 30, same as PS4) Before the patch that locks the framerate there was a few frames difference in favor of the Xbox One unlocked framerate. Difference? YES. Just like the difference in resolution. Does the difference dictate where you should play the game? NO. At this point you may be asking yourself what’s left to compare? Surely these two things are the end all be all of gaming! Here’s where it gets interesting.
Playing both version for any amount of time it becomes clear that there are certain “intangible” differences that come into play. Playing The Witcher 3 with the PS4 controller for someone who is use to the Xbox One controller was just awkward; as I’m sure it would be for the person used to the PS4 controller playing on the Xbox One.
How about the way the OS and Apps integrate with games while your playing them on the Xbox One and the PS4? Do you love snapping apps or walkthroughs while playing games on the Xbox One? Do you enjoy some of the features of Share Play on the PS4? Starting to see the bigger picture? In the end, resolution and framerate are at their core features and are just as important and impactful as all the others that I spoke of. Would it be great to have that cake and eat it to? YES, but in the end there are numerous factors that determine where we play and why and technical issues are but just a few.
GAME ON!
