With the release of the Xbox One Friday, the console wars have begun.

Throughout the year, Microsoft and Sony have been in an epic battle to decide which console will come out on top. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have been on the minds of gamers for months now.

Countless peeks behind the curtain only built up the anticipation. With PlayStation 4’s release Nov. 15 and Xbox One’s Friday, gamers can finally decide the greater console.

When it comes down to console exclusives, both systems fall short of what I hoped for. In terms of solid games, the consoles had dull releases.

PlayStation 4 came out with games like “Knack” and “Killzone: Shadow Fall,” which have weak gameplay.

Even though it has been praised for its next-gen graphics, PS4 games still brought little hype to the system.

Xbox One is at least a little more exciting when it comes to exclusive titles. The remake of classic arcade fighting game “Killer Instinct” has some solid gameplay.

Both games are coming from franchises I have enjoyed, but Xbox One takes a lead in terms of gaming exclusives.

These systems are also being released with games that are already available on other systems. More exciting games, like “Assassin’s Creed 4” and “Call of Duty: Ghosts,” are available on PC, PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 and bring little pull in the war.

Coming down to multimedia functions, both systems come with near countless features. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video and more.

What Xbox One brings that PlayStation 4 doesn’t is its TV integration voice and motion control. Using Microsoft’s new console, gamers can control their television through voice control, changing the volume or channels. That’s one more point for the Xbox One.

In the long run I see the PlayStation 4 appealing to more hardcore gamers. With that said, both systems have numerous software bugs that will take time to be worked out.

Buying a console on release isn’t always the best decision, as there are features and games unfinished. In the short run, the new Xbox One seems to have taken an early lead in the war.