Why you should buy an Xbox One S over an Apple TV 4K

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Yesterday, Apple revealed the Apple TV 4K. The device is packed with great components which are used to play videos at 4K. That’s really it. While the Apple TV 4K will have games, they won’t be rendered at native 4K due how demanding they are. It’s just meant to stream 4K videos on your new 4K television. Well, there’s been a device that does that at roughly the same price and has more storage—the Xbox One S. The Xbox One S is not only $200 through frequent promotions, but it also contains a 500 GB hard drive, a 4K Blu-ray player, and has an amazing selection of games. Instead of picking up an Apple TV 4K with contains a maximum of 64 GB for $200, consumers should look at the Xbox One S.

The most important addition in the Xbox One S has to be its 4K Blu-ray player. Everyone knows that the physical format is vastly superior to 4K streaming because it offers a clearer picture with much less compression. We’ve seen countless examples of this on various websites. The Xbox One S is a capable 4K Blu-ray player at the fraction of a cost of what competitors like Samsung or Sony offer. Not only does it already support 4K content for services like Amazon, Hulu and Netflix, but it also allows you to watch your favorite movies or shows in the quality they were intended if you choose to purchase a disc. If you want 4K content, then you should demand the best quality too as Apple stated in their presentation yesterday. The Xbox One S is the only device that allows you to do that at roughly the same price.

Apple boasted about the Apple TV 4K’s gaming prowess but let’s face it, it’s still an Apple TV. If you want the best games with the best controller—and all of the glorious 4K content including Blu-ray discs—then the Xbox One S is for you. Not only does the console have exclusive blockbusters like Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Halo 5: Guardians, Sunset Overdrive and much more, but it also offers a level of visual fidelity that’s not possible on the Apple TV 4K. Apple 4K TV could never run Sunset Overdrive, or a game like Halo 5: Guardians at 1080p 60 FPS. The social game called Sky looked amazing but it’s still a small independent title exclusive to Apple’s platforms for now. There are countless experiences like that on the Xbox One S. Each week a handful or really great titles launch on the system, in some weeks even a dozen. The Apple TV remote is not an adequate replacement for a controller. Plus, let’s say you consider investing in an Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. There’s just no going back after that.

Now, let’s say you’re considering an Xbox One S over the Apple TV 4K but don’t want to use the controller to select channels and go through menus. Let’s face it, it’s rather cumbersome to use especially for those individuals not familiar with controllers. Well, Microsoft sells a separate Xbox One Media Remote which will make your life much easier. It usually costs around $15 on Amazon and if you’re really serious about only using the console as a media center, then sell the Xbox One controller which comes with it and buy this. You can also configure the Xbox One interface to only show main video services like Hulu and Netflix. Apart from that, you can stick all of your favorite media center programs to the Pins bar and access them quickly at any time. The complaint that the Xbox One S has a game-first interface that can’t appeal to others is completely false because you can customize it however you want.

Overall, it seems that the Apple TV 4K is playing catchup to existing devices on the market. Even the iPhone X seemed like it was a step behind the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. If you’re serious about 4K content and gaming—the reason why Apple TV exists—then you should seriously consider an Xbox One S. Aside from the interface, the Xbox One S has a clear advantage over Apple’s latest product.

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More about the topics: 4K Blu-ray Player, Amazon Video, Apple TV 4K, hulu, netflix, Xbox One S

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