I'll be getting both eventually, X1 first followed by PS4. I've been an owner of both consoles for the past three gens.
I want to voice my opinion on the X1, since there is so much vitriol thrown at it. First off, its concept suits me (23 years old, less time for games) quite well. I love the idea of an all-in-one media device. As much as I miss my games, I only spend about 30-60 mins every other day gaming. Here's my take on the popular criticism that's going around:
1) People are complaining about the Kinect always being on and becoming an invasion of privacy, especially as recent news of the NSA's monitoring has surfaced and blown up. This has no effect on me and I can't muster up a single fuck should it be used to monitor my gaming and television habits. And that's not even considering the fact that a cell phone is a far more versatile and invasive device.
2) There's a large deal of hate directed at the new DRM policy. As someone that has an Internet connection (like the majority of people living in a developed country, especially those that have the expendable income to buy a console and the games to go with it), has rarely bought used games, and hasn't shared a game since highschool, this has zero effect on me. This might affect the small minority of consumers that somehow have the ability to spend boo-koo bucks on a console but can't afford Internet access, and it might affect the other crowd of frugal (or low-income) gamers that can't afford new games by eliminating their ability to purchase used. Plus, we have no idea how their pricing structure will work as games begin to age. They might offer sales somewhat similar to the highly-praised (and yet, almost identical) Steam service.
What doesn't make much sense to me is the requirement to check-in (even if it's just once every 24 hours) to play single-player games. It's not a problem for me, but it's a bit strange.
It sounds like Microsoft is trying to help protect developers, which is a completely logical business decision IMO. It's absurdly difficult to survive as a game developer these days thanks to increased budget requirements, increased piracy, and diminished returns from used purchases. For game pirates and used game dependants, this is an issue. I think developers will flock to the X1 because of this.
*The difficulty of surviving as a game developer is also a huge reason why big companies churn out shit sequels year after year (like COD) as opposed to creating new IPs; if it sells, don't take a risk.
(Sony's PS4 doesn't mandate DRM, but it does leave the option available to the developer)
3) I need Forza.
And my girlfriend loves playing on the Kinect, so she gets something out of it as well.
I'm really tired of seeing the exaggerated hate against the X1. The PS4 is a fantastic machine as well. Different strokes for different folks, they're both great choices in the end.