The last time a new PlayStation or Xbox hit the market , Facebook had fewer than 12 million users , a tablet was a pill and nobody outside of Apple had heard of a gadget called the iPhone . That was more than seven years ago . It 's a vastly different technology landscape that will greet Sony and Microsoft in the coming days when the two old rivals go head to head again with splashy new consoles . Sony 's PlayStation 4 hits stores on Friday , with Microsoft 's Xbox One coming a week later , on November 22 . Between them , they account for two of the gaming world 's Big Three ( Nintendo , which rolled out the Wii U last year , casts a wider net to draw children , families and more casual players ) . The venerable PlayStation and Xbox remain the fiercest rivals for the hearts and minds of so-called hardcore gamers -- the diehards who stand in line for intense , intricate titles like `` Call of Duty '' that pull in more cash than Hollywood blockbusters . But it was 2005 when the Xbox 360 hit the market , and a year later when the PlayStation 3 debuted . Now , the two platforms will be competing for holiday dollars in a world where anyone can boot up a video game instantly on a phone or tablet , and in which streaming and cloud technology mean most major video-game titles can be played as easily on souped-up PCs . Even the now-ubiquitous Facebook , which now has 1.1 billion users , plays a role . Tens of millions of people play games on the site daily ( athough few of the faithful who will line up for the new consoles may consider crushing candy or farming virtual cows `` real '' gaming ) . So which of the two rivals , if either , will cut through the clutter and prevail ? It remains to be seen , though the fight has already begun . Earlier this year , Microsoft reversed course on poorly received plans to require Xbox One users to be online while playing and to limit how much digital games could be shared or resold . But that was n't before Sony got in some shots of its own . Early reviews of the PS4 have been positive , with Time.com 's Matt Peckham praising it as `` everything Sony 's learned about platform design , honed and polished to something just shy of perfection . '' The Xbox One will get its chance to shine next week . And the debate over which platform is better will continue , long after the new consoles start landing in homes . Until then , here 's a `` tale of the tape '' look at some of the features of two devices . Launch date . PlayStation 4 : November 15 . Xbox One : November 22 . Price . PlayStation 4 : $ 399 . Xbox One : $ 499 . Titles at launch . PlayStation 4 : 16 . Xbox One : 23 . Exclusive titles . PlayStation 4 : Deep Down ; Driveclub ; InFamous : Second Son ; Killzone : Shadow Fall ; Knack ; Resogun ; Shadow of the Beast ; The Order : 1886 . Xbox One : Dead Rising 3 ; Forza Motorsport 5 ; Halo 5 ; Killer Instinct ; Project Spark ; Quantum Break ; Ryse : Son of Rome ; Sunset Overdrive ; Titanfall . Entertainment Apps . Both : Netflix , Amazon Instant , Vudu , Hulu Plus , Redbox Instant . PlayStation 4 : NBA Game Time , NHL Game Center Live , Sony Music Unlimited , Sony Video Unlimited . Xbox One : HBO Go , Watch ESPN , Fox Now , FX Now , TED , Univision Deportes , Xbox Music , Xbox Video . Processor . PlayStation 4 : 8-core x86-64 AMD `` Jaguar '' CPU . Xbox One : 8-Core AMD custom CPU . Memory . PlayStation 4 : 8 GB . Xbox One : 8 GB . Storage . PlayStation 4 : 500 GB . Xbox One : 500 GB . Camera . PlayStation 4 : None ( Available for $ 59 ) Xbox One : Kinect 2 . Which console do you prefer , and which features are most important to you ? Let us know in the comments .
PlayStation 4 goes on sale Friday ; two follows on November 22 . It 's been last year since PlayStation 4 and Microsoft had new consoles . The two will compete for the loyalty of `` core '' gamers . Rival Microsoft 's Sony was released last year .