What the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U Mean for Your Home TheaterS


If this post looks familiar, it's because we originally tackled this topic months ago, after the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 were announced. Now that they're both here, we decided to take another look at both consoles, what they can do for you, and how the announcements differ from the reality.

The Xbox One: A Lot in One, but Not Quite "All"


When Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One back in May, most of the announcement event was spent discussing the console's entertainment features, much to the chagrin of gamers who wanted to hear more about launch titles and other features. Now that it's here, Microsoft has shifted position a few times, addressed public concerns, and painted a much clearer picture of what you'll get when you unbox an Xbox One, whether you're eager to play video games, stream movies, watch TV, or all of the above:

  • The Xbox One is designed to be a media center, not just a game console. There’s no question about this, and this hasn't changed at all between announcement and launch. Before you go much further, head over to this very complere review of the Xbox One by our friends at Kotaku. It's clear that while the Xbox One is very much a game console, Microsoft really does want it to be at the center of your home entertainment system—but it's not perfect, nor does it have to be. Fast Company called it Microsoft's "glitchy vision of the future," and that's pretty accurate. Some things work better than others, and if you're the type who really likes control over your home theater—or has multiple devices in it already you want to connect the Xbox One to, you'll find limited use in many of its more advanced features.
  • It's region-free...for games, not movies. While the console was originally going to be region-locked for games and movies, Microsoft's about-face on the Xbox One's DRM removed its region-restrictions for games. However, it will still obey region locking for DVDs and Blu-ray movies, although it'll play region-free discs and discs encoded in all regions. Reader Josh pinged Larry Hryb—aka Major Nelson—back when we first approached this topic, and he confirmed that the Xbox One would play region-free media. This isn't Microsoft's fault—region locking on movies is up to content publishers.
  • The new Kinect brings voice and gesture control to your home theater. Whether you actually want this is up to you. Waving your hands to switch channels or telling your Xbox to increase the volume can come off cool and futuristic, or it could be a colossal waste of time. AllThingsD points to Samsung's Smart TV line as an example of a great device with poor voice and gesture controls, but it's clear the new Xbox One dashboard is made to be navigated by voice. So far the reviews seem to say that gesture control via the Kinect is a pain, but voice control is actually quite useful. Use their Xbox One Kinect dictionary to learn the commands, and you'll get along with it just fine.
  • It features HDMI pass-through for a seamless TV-watching experience. This is a promise we heard during the announcements that's definitely panned out at release. You can very definitely connect your cable or satellite signal to your Xbox One, connect your Xbox One to your TV, and watch TV happily. Surround sound is a bit of a quirk, but at least there's a way to get it. The OneGuide works well with most (and largely only US) cable and satellite providers, and can be customized with favorite pinned shows, custom channel guides, channels, and more. Still, it doesn't replace your cable box, since you'll probably connect your cable receiver to the Xbox One, but it does work well. If you have a receiver in the mix or another device to switch inputs though, things get tricky.
  • ...But it's only seamless if you have cable or satellite, don't need a DVR, or don't need on-demand programs. Cable cutters, DVR owners, and more advanced TV watchers should take note that the Xbox One's TV features only come to life if you're paying for cable or satellite. The OneGuide is great from a browsing and viewing perspective, but if you want to watch On Demand programming, you don't get to say "Xbox, Watch On Demand." Instead, you'll have to have to reach for your remote. Want to watch something on your DVR? You'll have to reach for your remote. The Xbox One naturally has no way of knowing what's on your DVR already, or to schedule recordings on your DVR. If you have a separate DVR like a TiVo and a cable box, you may want to just keep away from your Xbox One entirely, unless you're willing to do some interesting daisy-chaining of HDMI inputs. Switching menus and choosing options on-screen in DVDs and Blu-rays will also require a remote. However, the Kinect is an IR blaster that plays nice with universal remotes like the Harmony, so even if you have to keep other remotes handy, at least it'll all work. All things said though, like we said before, the Xbox One is not a cable cutter's device.
  • If you do have cable, you can leverage some great apps and other features. NFL on the Xbox, ESPN, HBO Go, and other premium apps are a huge benefit if you are looking for some on-demand programming. Of course, access to all of those services requires that you prove that you're currently a paying subscriber with a package that already includes those channels, but if you are, you'll be able to enjoy them anytime.
  • Even if you don't have cable, you can still enjoy plenty of streaming video and music. Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, VUDU, Pandora, Xbox Music—there are apps for all of them available already for the Xbox, and there's no reason to think they won't be available for the Xbox One. You'll need accounts for those services, of course, but they're there for you to use, and if you already use an Xbox 360 as part of your home theater, you'll be able to continue with the Xbox One as if nothing happened. As long as you have Xbox Live Gold, which we'll get to in a moment.
  • You’ll Need Xbox Live Gold for All Streaming Features. There's still the nitpick that in order to use any streaming service, you'll need an Xbox Gold subscription, and that's a bitter pill to swallow if all you're looking for is streaming media and home theater capabilities. Granted, Microsoft has updated the program to include some free games, but from a home theater angle, it's not a big help. To make the most of everything, you'll wind up paying a monthly cable bill and a annual Gold subscription to get all of these great features—and that's by design. The Xbox One is designed to either replace your Xbox 360 (although if you have a big Xbox 360 library, it won't even do that) or fit snugly into your home theater—despite its promises of being "all in one," it's not really going to replace anything you already own, except perhaps your DVD and/or Blu-ray player.
  • The Xbox One does support (limited) DLNA streaming via Microsoft's "Play To." Much like AirPlay, Microsoft didn't just give the Xbox One DLNA support, it rolled its own custom wrapped called Play To, which supports some features of DLNA and not others. If you have Windows machines in your home, Windows Phones, or other Microsoft-powered devices, Play To will work well. Anything else and it's catch-as-catch-can; or rather, good luck. We wouldn't be surprised if some DLNA apps worked with the Xbox One in some regard, but quirks are very likely. However, if you're looking to the Xbox One to be a Windows Media Center extender the way the Xbox 360 was, you'll be disappointed. It's not supported, although you can hack it together if you want.
  • The Xbox One plays up SmartGlass (and second screening) in a big way. If you don't already use your phone when you watch TV as a second screen, Microsoft is hoping you will with the Xbox One. They're pushing Xbox SmartGlass with the new console, which lets you use your phone or tablet as a remote, looks up maps and character bios for the show you're watching, and connects you with other fans.
  • The XBox One supports 4K video output. There's a lot of back and forth about the Xbox One's 4K support on the web, but it has been confirmed that the console supports 4K output. Microsoft is also considering adding support for 3D Blu-ray video playback.

Now that the Xbox One is out and in people's homes, we're sure we'll see more interesting tweaks and hacks where people manage to get their current gear working with it. The story on the Xbox One hasn't changed too much since it was announced, but the details are much clearer: If you have cable or satellite and watch live TV, the OneGuide overlay, voice controls, live TV pausing, and pinning features are really awesome. If you do use On Demand or have a DVR, you'll still find yourself at worst switching inputs, and at best using a remote control over the Xbox One's new Kinect voice and gesture controls. If you're a cable cutter, there's not much here to cheer about—nothing you can't get in an Xbox 360, anyway. Still, points to Microsoft for doing something new, pulling it off, and making voice commands fun and functional in the living room.

The PlayStation 4: Gaming Focused, with Home Theater On the Way


Sony didn't put as much focus on television and movies when it unveiled the PlayStation 4. It's clear that Sony's focus is on video games and gaming. That's not necessarily a bad thing—if you're considering a PlayStation 4 as a set-top box, it has some big benefits, but Sony has also taken a few steps back with it compared to the PlayStation 3 that are worth making note of.

While there's something to be said for going out on a limb and trying something different, Sony's approach is to give you more powerful hardware that does more of what you know and love. Their focus is clearly on gaming, not necessarily on home theater or entertainment. Here's what you're looking at if you buy a PlayStation 4:

  • The PlayStation 4 is a game console, through and through. It's not trying to be something it's not. "Gamer focused," is the way Sony put it when they announced the PS4. While you shouldn't throw up your hands and assume it'll be useless as part of your home theater, be ready: this list is going to be much shorter than Microsoft's. Sony's focus is on getting great video games to you, and that interactive gaming experience is their first priority. However, they did dedicate a few moments to television and movies.
  • It's Blu-ray player will be region unlocked...for games, not movies. We had initially hoped that the PS4's Blu-ray player would be region-unlocked for games and Blu-ray movies, but Shuhei Yoshida, Sony President of Worldwide Studios, confirmed on Twitter ( later reported by PlayStation Gang) that the console would be region unlocked for games only—the PS4 will be region locked, and obey region encoding on Blu-Ray or DVD discs. To boot, DVD and Blu-ray playback are only enabled once you download the Day One 1.5 system software update. The PS4 does not support CD playback.
  • The PS4 features Sony's Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services built-in. This isn't much of a surprise, but Sony Music Unlimited a subscription music service with over 20 million songs and access via iOS, Android, web, PS3, and now the PS4, will be available to subscribers on day one. Sony's Video Unlimited will also launch with the PS4, offering over 150,000 Sony Entertainment TV shows and movies available to rent or purchase in SD or HD.
  • Sony's "programming plan" will bring Sony's library of music, movies, and TV shows to your PS4...catered to gamers. This includes movies like Gamer and Doom to the PS4 in the form of special programming packages. Yo dawg, I heard you're a gamer so I put games in your TV and movies so you can watch stuff about games on your gaming console while you're not gaming.
  • If you're used to streaming web video on the PS3, you'll be able to do everything you're used to on the PS4. Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand—all of the big names are available for the PlayStation 4 right now. Sony previously announced partnership with Verizon for Redbox Instant has also materialized, bringing subscribers access on the PS4, PS3, and PS Vita. However, even though Sony will now require PlayStation Plus for some online multiplayer games, you won't need to pay for PlayStation Plus to use services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon VOD the way you would have to pay for an Xbox Live Gold account. Essentially, no paying to use the services you already pay for.
  • The PS4 will support 4K video output. Sony's making a play for 4K television, the next super-resolution video format beyond 1080p. Sony already has 4K TV sets on the market, and sells 4K cameras to movie and TV producers, so it makes sense they'd put it in devices like the PlayStation 4. However, the PS4 doesn't support it currently, although Sony has said they're planning to patch in support for this and for 3D Blu-ray playback.

Most of that hasn't changed since Sony announced the console. However, back when the PS4 was announced, we made some assumptions that Sony would bring some of the same at-home media features to the PS4 that are available in the PS3—those assumptions didn't pan out at all. For example, the PS3 is a DLNA-compliant device, supports mp3 playback, and supports media streaming from other devices on the same network or USB-attached storage. The PS4 doesn't support external storage via USB, doesn't have an IR port (to be fair, the PS3 didn't either, but there were third-party IR dongles—which we expect to be available for the PS4 eventually too), doesn't support mp3 playback, and isn't a DLNA-compatible device. As it stands, it's just not as media-friendly as its predecessor.

For their part, Sony says they didn't think those were features people wanted. After a "passionate" response from fans and potential customers, they've said they'll add DLNA, mp3, and CD playback support to the PS4 as soon as they can. They can't add an IR port, but the PS4's built-in Bluetooth doesn't currently work with third party devices—that's something else Sony is working to open up. According to Yoshida, the plan was to introduce all of these features via software updates eventually, just not at launch. Now they're moving it all up in the timetable. That means that eventually you'll be able to stream from external sources (and with luck, the PS3 Media Server will be updated to support the PS4), control your PS4 with a phone or a Bluetooth headset, possibly connect a dongle to use it with your Harmony remote, and stream media via DLNA-compatible media servers. If you're looking at buying a PS4 to be the center of your home entertainment system and you enjoy pushing media from other devices to your TV, the PS4 may not hit all of those sweet spots just yet.

The Wii U: Streaming HD At Last, But Not Much Else


The Wii U has been out since the holidays last year, but it still counts as a "next gen console" for the purposes of our roundup. The Wii U is very definitely a gaming device. It—like the Wii before it—isn't really a home theater system, and Nintendo never angled it as a replacement for or a compliment for a cable subscription or set-top box. The Wii U packs full 1080p HD video, which is great, and you can stream Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video on Demand (as long as you have accounts with those services) for no extra cost. However, the Wii U can't play DVDs, it can't play Blu-Ray discs, and it can't play audio CDs. There is the Nintendo TVii "app," but it's little more than a gateway to the streaming services we've already mentioned, and it has some channel changing/programming features if your provider is supported. Nintendo doesn't really offer streaming video content of its own, or any streaming video channels or services that roll into the Wii U aside from the external ones that we've mentioned, either.

That's the bottom line: If you get your streaming content from Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon, you'll be able to enjoy it on the Wii U, but don't expect to replace your DVD or Blu-ray player with it by any means. The Wii U is a game console, and doesn't even try to be a multimedia device.

Will One of These Consoles Replace Your HTPC or Set-Top Box? Probably Not


At the end of the day, if you're the type who already has an HTPC that you love, will any of the next generation of consoles replace it? Probably not. The Xbox One is the only console of the three that takes a stab at trying to edge in on the media center space, but it does it in such a half-in/half-out manner that it's only going to be really useful to a specific group of people. The PS4 will bring some streaming content that, if you're interested, may make for an additional service to sign up for. The Wii U really doesn't even count here. None of those things are bad—it just means that even as game consoles are adding features that make them more like media centers, it's definitely not their focus yet.

There's still a wide open place in your home theater setup for a small PC running XBMC, Plex, Windows Media Center, or whatever front-end you choose, mostly because you can tweak and customize it, and pack in as many features as you want. Want to record live TV as it airs? Install a TV tuner card and a nice big hard drive, and you're good to go. Want to stream your media to your phone, or to another room, or even to an Xbox (or maybe an Xbox One) or PS3 (and eventually a PS4) or an AppleTV? Sure, there are ways to do that. Thinking about plugging in an external hard drive full of movies to watch? Neither the Xbox One or the PS4 support media on external storage (yet). Want to play DVDs, Blu-rays, Hulu, Netflix, and other streaming services while you download TV shows to watch later? An HTPC is your best option, and none of this bright new generation of consoles—ones that will be with us for the better part of the decade to come—will change that.

If you're using a set-top box as your media center, there's more to consider. While the Xbox One and the PS4 both support streaming popular services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon VOD, set-top boxes are generally much more affordable than consoles. If you're looking at a PS4 versus a Roku and know all you want the device for is Netflix, it's a no-brainer. While consoles are focused on gaming, set-top boxes are firmly focused on delivering TV shows, movies, and music to your home theater in the easiest possible way. Simple remotes, super-fast search, streaming HD, support for networked devices, and tons of channels and video options are par for the course. Don't toss out your Roku or WD TV because the Xbox One looks good to you—they're completely different beasts, and will more likely live side-by-side in harmony.

However, there's something to be said for the services these consoles do provide. I cut the cable a long time ago, and my TV viewing is almost entirely Netflix and Hulu, with some over-the-air HDTV thrown in for good measure. In my case, I don't need the horsepower and features that an HTPC offers, and any of these consoles will suit my needs perfectly (although I still prefer an HTPC, personally)—if you're like me, you may not need to incur the cost (and the spike in your electric bill) that an HTPC represents. Examine your needs, and buy your next console accordingly.

Photos by Nebulous81 and Simon Wüllhorst.