Playstation Releases 1 TB PS4 To Compete With 1 TB Xbox One

Just before E3, Microsoft released a new version of the Xbox One with a 1 TB HDD to help the system gain an edge against Sony's Playstation 4. Now, Sony has taken this advantage away from the Xbox One by releasing a 1 TB model of the Playstation 4.

Every gamer knows that nowadays, video games take up a ton of space. Most AAA titles anymore would need four or more standard-sized DVDs just to hold the essentials, let alone any added DLC, so naturally the gaming industry has moved past DVDs as the primary medium for distributing video games.

Although Microsoft and Sony come with Blu-ray drives, and games are still sold in this fashion, a large number of gamers are now opting to just download games instead. With the adoption of these methods, the average size of a game has exploded and is virtually unlimited by storage size; that 500 GB HDD isn't going to hold out long before gamers max out its capacity.

If you are one to buy new games frequently and purchased one of these systems when they were new, it is very possible that you have already filled that HDD, then had to go through the hassle of deleting your older games to make space. Granted, it lets you install new games now, but then you have to wait for hours to re-download that game you deleted whenever you want to play it again.

In the end, although this might seem like just a marketing move to try to get more sales, it is actually a necessary move that Microsoft and Sony need to take. It may seem like a minor inconvenience, but when users have to mess around with their HDD to make space, it is bound to cost the companies sales.

Users won't want to deal with trying to decide what to delete, or might decide to do it later and simply forget. Again, I know these are small issues, but it doesn't take much to lose a sale, and by upgrading to 1 TB drives it ensures that users can go twice as long before the storage available becomes an issue, and for many, 1 TB will be all they ultimately need.

Unfortunately, for the time being the system is only available with the 1 TB HDD in Europe and certain PAL regions. However, a U.S. release is likely in the works, and a document by Sony has already been filed with the FCC for a 1 TB PS4. If you are looking forward to having a 1 TB PS4, then keep your eyes open because it shouldn't be long before you can get one.

Follow Michael Justin Allen Sexton @LordLao74. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

Michael Justin Allen Sexton is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers hardware component news, specializing in CPUs and motherboards.
  • gggplaya
    The advantage would be if it had a SSD for faster booting into maps. Who cares about a bigger optical hard drive.
    Reply
  • mattji104
    How about an upgrade from SATA II to SATA III instead lol
    Reply
  • ubercake
    The secret with the XB1 is just get an external USB 3.0 7200rpm drive. I picked up a 5TB for $120 and it runs at the same speed as the internal. I'm not talking theoretical speed, but actual performance. So if you're running out of room and you like your XB1, you don't need to buy the new one to get the storage.

    The one thing I have noticed is it takes a little longer for startup from a cold start. Other than that, performance is the same.

    Reply
  • alidan
    The advantage would be if it had a SSD for faster booting into maps. Who cares about a bigger optical hard drive.

    1tb is 44$ for me to buy, they obviously get them cheaper... but lets see what the biggest 44$ ssd is.

    60gb at best if you consider 44.99 still 44$ otherwise 16-32gb at best...

    1 game on a console takes up 50gb because they are on dl blurays and what are you going to do, compress audio on a 50gb disc so more processing power is used to run them, or say screw it, we have 25gb to burn on the second layer lets go uncompressed?

    a ssd would make things faster buy we have seen it time and time again where games wont let you load into a map when you can because you have to wait for the hdd people too.
    Reply
  • jaber2
    Isn't there a mod where you can replace the drive with what ever type or size?
    Reply
  • Jung
    As a PC gamer: LOL
    Reply
  • kawininjazx
    I put the seagate 1tb hybrid ssd in my ps4 right after I got it, just $70 at the time and it's way better than those cheapo hitachi hard drives.
    Reply
  • kawininjazx
    The advantage would be if it had a SSD for faster booting into maps. Who cares about a bigger optical hard drive.

    They have done lots of tests, the SSD doesn't give you that much better speeds than a hybrid HDD, it only helps with boot up, and with reset mode, those numbers don't really matter.
    Reply
  • alidan
    16101502 said:
    The advantage would be if it had a SSD for faster booting into maps. Who cares about a bigger optical hard drive.

    They have done lots of tests, the SSD doesn't give you that much better speeds than a hybrid HDD, it only helps with boot up, and with reset mode, those numbers don't really matter.

    on average they dont help much, but it also depends on the game... if i remember right battlefield games you load into the game significantly faster but they force a specific time to join the game due to some people being incredibly slow loaders.
    Reply
  • Shin-san
    Competition is beautiful

    How about an upgrade from SATA II to SATA III instead lol

    Might not help too much with magnetic drives. If they were using SSDs, the SATA III may make more of a difference
    Reply