I’ve owned every Apple TV since the first Apple TV came out. I loved my Apple TVs, they have been my go to streaming device for some time now and I was very tempted to buy the new 2015 Apple TV 64GB. I have never hesitated to buy an Apple TV because they’ve been reliable and the content I wanted was always available. For the first time since the first Apple TV, I had to question if it was really worth it. Clocking in at $199 for the 64GB, the price of my favorite streaming device went up a substantial amount and I wondered if the increased cost brought with it more value. I decided it didn’t and would skip the 2015 Apple TV in favor of an Xbox One and here’s why.
Streaming Content
I stream content from three primary sources and I currently use two devices to do that with, my 3rd Gen Apple TV and my Amazon Fire Stick. The three sources I stream content from are, Netflix, Amazon Prime and Plex… only one of which is available on Apple TV. The Apple TV is used for Netflix and the Fire Stick for Prime and Plex. Yes there are ways to get Plex over on the Apple TV but those workarounds were generally a pain in the butt, and Airplaying the Plex app to Apple TV is laggy at best. The new Apple TV is also lacking Plex and Prime and with it’s higher price point, well, it’s basically a $200 Netflix streamer.
Now we look at the Xbox One and we see that not only is Netflix available to stream but Amazon Prime Video is also available to stream, two out of three already. Dig even deeper and you find that Plex is also working on bringing streaming to the Xbox One. Three out of three streaming sources covered in one device, I’d say that’s a good reason to consider the Xbox One over the Apple TV. At least for me it was. Not to mention you can connect your NAS and stream your movie collection from that source as well.
[graphiq id=”g2BXMCYHDi5″ title=”Microsoft Xbox One” width=”600″ height=”550″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/g2BXMCYHDi5″ link=”http://game-consoles.specout.com/l/81/Microsoft-Xbox-One” link_text=”Microsoft Xbox One | SpecOut”]Gaming and Storage Capacity
Priced in at $199 for 64GB of storage, app based games and a small touch control remote for a gameplay controller I found the gaming aspect of the Apple TV less than appealing. On the other hand you can get a 500GB Xbox One with a full gaming experience and full on game controller anywhere from $349-$499 depending on the bundle. This was a no-brainer for me, 64GB of storage with app based games front and center is laughable. I picked up the 1TB Forza 6 limited edition Xbox One for $399 which is going to provide me with a much more immersive gaming experience than the Apple TV could ever hope to deliver.
Xbox One Is The Stronger Device
Yes, you are going to pay $150 and up more for the Xbox One, but considering the price of the Apple TV and what it doesn’t offer, the Xbox One’s higher price has more value. The Apple TV may have been a buy had it stayed at $99, but doubling the price and offering nothing other than Siri and app based gaming wasn’t enough to bring me back to the platform. Now of course there are those who live in the Apple ecosystem and have their media libraries in iTunes and use a variety of other Apple services and the Apple TV may make sense for them. But if you have very little ties to the Apple ecosystem and are looking for a streaming device that supports multiple streaming providers and gives you a full console gaming experience… the Xbox One is the way to go. It will replace both my 3rd Generation Apple TV and Amazon Fire Stick.
What do you think of the Apple TV? Is it worth it to you to buy one, or do you also think the Xbox One has greater overall value? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.
Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
Comments are closed.