Does it have to be always online?
Xbox one
The Xbox One does not require a consent connection but it does require the user to sign in every 24 hours with the Microsoft servers. If the user does not check in after 24 hours the games will be unplayable until you establish connection with Xbox Live again. This means that this is not a system for you if you live in a rural area that may not have great internet or are stationed in the military. Before you think that single player games are exempt from this policy you would be wrong as they require you to check in as well.
PS4
The PS4 can be played completely offline and does not require any kind of connection at all. You are not even required to make a PSN account if you don’t desire to. Just think as the PS4 as being the same as the PS3 for DRM.
Game Sharing/Used Games:
Xbox One
This is where the Xbox One DRM polices really affect the customer in regards to both game sharing and used games. First and foremost, every Xbox One game requires you to install the game on the hard drive. This is used to monitor the game's licenses. Microsoft will allow you to use your purchased games on a friends console but only if you are signed into the account that owns the game’s license. If you decide to leave a game at a friend’s house they won’t be able to play the game without purchasing the right to play it though Xbox Live. Granted, the license can be transferred to another gamertag however there are some restrictions. The recipient must be on your friends list for at least 30 days and the license can only be transferred once. This means that once you give you license to a friend you will not be able to recover it on your console. If you would like to share you games with family Microsoft is allowing up to 10 family accounts to be added to the primary gamertag which will allow access to all the games associated with said gamertag. Xbox One’s used game policy is still a bit hazy Microsoft has said that users will be able to trade in games at participating retailers, but have not specified how exactly this would work. If the games can only be transferred once does that mean used games cannot be resold once purchased? Microsoft has also said that it would be up to third party publishers if they allow their games to be traded. Likewise all first party games will be able to be traded.
PS4
At E3, Sony confirmed that the PS4 will allow game sharing all around. Users can simply leave a game at a friend’s house and they will be able to play it without issue. The PS4 will also allow the use of used games and will not impose any kind of restrictions like the Xbox One.
Pricing:
Xbox One
The Xbox one will retail at $499.99 and will release in November at an unspecified date. Currently it is listed as being packaged with the Xbox One Console, one controller, and a Kinect 2 unit.
PS4
The PS4 will retail at $399.99 and Sony has not announced a release window as of yet but has announced that it will ship this year. Currently it is listed as being packaged with the PlayStation 4 Console and one controller but there are bundles that include specific Launch titles for an extra $50.
