We've seen the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 side-by-side long enough to conclude that the Xbox One is the larger of the two. However, since both consoles are similar in specifications and architectural design, why is the Xbox One larger, especially since Microsoft chose not to incorporate the power brick inside the console? We may just have an idea of why this is, thanks to iFixit's teardown of the Xbox One.
The first thing you'll notice is how the inside of the Xbox One looks very similar to a PC. There's a massive motherboard, a 2.5-inch hard drive along with a Blu-Ray drive housed inside a gray metal box. Open your PC, and it is likely you'll see a similar design.
The next thing you should definitely notice is the fan. It is HUGE and seems to take up much of the space inside the Xbox One. The fan is without a doubt the largest component inside the system, and it is understandable why Microsoft chose to go this route instead of wowing gamers with a sleek console design.
In the early days of the Xbox 360, the console experienced heating problems (aka red ring of death) that caused the console to fail. We're guessing Microsoft does not want to this problem to repeat itself with the Xbox One, which could be the reason behind the massive fan, which also caused for a large device. To put in perspective, PlayStation 4 has a custom-designed centrifugal fan, which is 85mm in diameter, while the fan of Xbox One is a whopping 112mm in daimeter.
In comparison to the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One is a monster. We have to give top ratings to Sony for fitting everything along with the power brick in such a small frame. It makes for a more sleek and desirable box. However, it is not certain at this time if Sony made the right decision by placing the power brick inside the console.
Furthermore, the Blu-Ray drive inside the PlayStation 4 is thin and stripped down. As we mentioned above, the Xbox One's Blu-Ray drive is encased in a metal box, which also helps to make for a bigger system.
