PS4's PlayStation Vue Vs. Xbox One's Sling TV

This week we've seen PlayStation and Microsoft go head to head, not in trying to control video games, but in trying to conquer the rest of your living room experience. It's not the first time both companies have tried entering the premium television content game. Sony has been trying out its own original programming in Powers recently, and Microsoft shut down an experimental Xbox One entertainment division last year.

But the current services the two companies offer are very different, both from one another and from their past attempts. Sling TV, which is now available nationwide on Xbox One, is a known quantity that straddles the line between on-demand programming options and live TV. PlayStation Vue, on the other hand, is essentially a replacement for cable and your DVR, but with the price to match.

It's hard to draw a hard comparison, since the channels that are important to you might be very different from someone else. Neither service has HBO access, mostly because they seem to be doing their own thing with Apple. Sling TV can't doesn't allow access to the major networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and PBS. [Full disclosure: GameSpot is owned by CBS Interactive.] PlayStation Vue, meanwhile doesn't have anything from Disney, including ABC or ESPN.

From GameSpot sister site CNET, here's a quick run-down comparing the core features and pricing for the two services.

And to go in more depth, here's a list of all the channels available on each tier of service for Vue and Sling TV.

PlayStation Vue $50 Option (Access)

• 50 channels total

• Broadcast: CBS, CBS Plus, Cozi TV, Exitos, FOX, MyNetwork, NBC, Telemundo

• Network: Animal Planet, BET, Bravo, Cartoon/Adult Swim, CBS, CMT, CNBC, CNN, Comedy Central, Destination America, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, DIY, E!, Esquire, Food Network, Fox Business, Fox News Networks, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, FX, FXX, HGTV, HLN, Investigation Discovery, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, Nat Geo, NBC Sports Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, OWN, Oxygen, Science, Spike, Syfy, TBS, TLC, TNT, TruTV, Travel Channel, TV Land, USA Network, VH1.

• AMC networks will be available in April (including AMC, IFC, Sundance, and WE tv)

PlayStation Vue $60 Option (Core)

• All of the $50 channels plus:

• Network: BTN, Golf Channel, TCM

• New York Only: YES Network

• Philadelphia Only: Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia

• Chicago Only: Comcast SportsNet Chicago

PlayStation Vue $70 Option (Elite)

• All of the above channels plus:

• Network: American Heroes, BET Gospel, Boomerang, Centric, Chiller, Cloo, CMT Pure Country, CNBC World, Cooking Channel, Discovery Fit & Health, FOX College Sports Atlantic, FOX College Sports Central, FOX College Sports Pacific, FXM, LOGO, MTV Hits, MTV Jams, mtvU, Nat Geo Wild, PALLADIA, Sprout, TeenNick, Universal, Velocity, VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul.

Sling TV options on Xbox One are a little more a la carte:

If that content feels a little light compared to what you might find on cable, it is. From CNET, here's a list of what you can't find on the services:

*Regional sports network (RSN) available in New York, Philadelphia, or Chicago.

*Regional sports networks in New York

For gamers, the TV options are possibly a nice side offering for your console of choice, but neither one has a laid out solution that's perfect for everyone. Not yet, anyway. For even more in-depth and comparisons of the services, be on the lookout for upcoming reviews on CNET. In the meantime, here's everything you need to know about Sling TV.

But what do you think? Vue, Sling, neither, both? Let us know what you think about the services in the comments below!

Which TV service are you most looking forward to trying out on your console? Click here to vote!

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