Both Microsoft and Sony have failed to provide 4K or UHD resolution with their consoles, PS4 and Xbox One, respectively. However, the developers realized pretty fast the error there and released some updates that supported indeed 4K, namely the PS4 Pro and Xbox One S.
Video disc playback
Xbox One S has a significant advantage over Sony since it has an Ultra HD Bluray drive. At the same time, the console is one of the cheapest consoles to offer this feature on the market. Sony motivated their lack of the feature in the PS4 with the fact that they want to focus on gaming and video streaming, but many people are not buying this argument.
Streaming
Regarding 4K streaming, things are quite complicated. Xbox One S is currently compatible with Vudu, Hulu and Netflix. Microsoft declared that they should soon offer Amazon Video 4K, but we don’t have an exact date for this. PS4 also provides 4K streams on Netflix and Hulu, but it adds 4K for YouTube too. However, it brings merely HD quality for Vudu.
Games
The two consoles have quite different approaches when it comes to 4K games. Xbox One S has a smart move up their sleeve, since it uses the HD-only games available on Xbox One and upscales them to 4K if you have a 4K compatible TV. On the other hand, the PS4 Pro is more sophisticated, letting developers upgrade the game resolutions up to native 4K quality. If the upgraded version doesn’t reach full 4K, the game engine completes the missing pieces either through a regular upscaling circuit or through a “checkerboard” tactic.
All in all, both products are interesting consoles and they are definitely worth your money, but when it comes to true quality, it seems that the PS4 Pro is the true winner here!
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