The war between the XBOX One and PlayStation 4 is well underway as we start this new year, and one of the ways that both Microsoft and Sony tried to make their consoles better is with companion applications. The apps run on a smartphone or tablet and allow users to take control of the system that's plugged into their TV.
These apps may seem cool when you look at them at the app store, but do they actually deliver? SmartGlass and the PlayStation App use similar methods to interact with their respective consoles, connecting over WiFi and then transforming the device that it's running on into a remote. Users can search through content that's pinned on the consoles, browse applications and even use it as a trackpad for browsing the web!
Unfortunately, the apps are quite limited outside of their remote funtionality. I would love to have access to an app store on the device that tells the console to download something, but all that you can do is view screenshots, details and maybe a video or two. The PlayStation App does have an extra trick with its "Second Screen" feature, but it only works for a couple of applications.
The only useful feature that these apps offer is their keyboards. As a result, they seem like second thoughts to their respective consoles.
Let us know what you think about these apps below and what features you'd like to see them gain in the future!