The Best Console for Streaming Video

We name the top dog in every major category. 
With services like PlayStation Vue and the Xbox One's Sling offering streamed cable channels with DVR-like capabilities, today's consoles are better equipped than ever to deliver video with the same level of depth and breadth as they do for gaming experiences. Not every system is created equal, however. Between the user interface (UI), hardware, and exclusive apps, it may be tough to determine which is best for your streaming needs.
To that end, we've compared and contrasted the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 (due to the relative lack of apps and DVD compatibility, the Wii U was not considered), noting which is best in eight vital categories. And of course, we named an overall winner, too—a proper showdown wouldn't be complete without one.

User Interface

When it comes to making your console feel natural as a video-viewing device, the Xbox One is the runaway champion. Though slightly more prone to crashing than the PS4, it has a few neat bells and whistles that the rest of its competitors lack. You can pin apps or even individual programs to your main menu, and if you have Kinect, you can call up a specific app or stop and start your viewing with a simple voice command. The biggest advantage, though, is the ability to snap video, so if you want to watch a football game or catch up on a show while also playing Batman: Arkham Knight, you can do that. The PlayStation 4 and PS3 both get points for their stability, while the Xbox 360 is sluggish and sometimes lags behind the rest in terms of intuitiveness.
WINNER: Xbox One

The Big Three (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon)

At this point, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon have become so ubiquitous that we take them for granted—and since they’re available on most Internet-connected devices, the experience has largely been streamlined and kept similar across platforms. That said, if you had to choose one modern console as the best, the PlayStation 4 takes the top position, since it's the only console where customers can rent movies from within Amazon's app. (Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PS3 owners must initiate a rental through another device before redeeming on their console.) Also worth noting is that the Xbox 360’s older hardware feels the most sluggish when using all three apps, particularly the slow-loading Hulu.
WINNER: PlayStation 4

Sports Streaming

All the consoles we looked at offer apps for football, baseball, basketball, and hockey that feature live viewing for out-of-market games and archives for the current season—so the winner in this category nabs the top spot partially because of how it handles content for the biggest sports league in America: the NFL. The NFL on Xbox One app adds fantasy options on top of comprehensive Sunday Ticket viewing capabilities. (Sunday Ticket on the PlayStation 3 and PS4 are both still worthwhile, though.)
Another feather in the Xbox One's cap is that it's the only console with UFC TV, the monthly streaming service that offers exclusive events and hundreds of hours of past content for the MMA giant. On the opposite end of the scale, the Xbox 360's old UI once again puts it at the bottom of the barrel, as its version of WWE Network is the only one to lack chapter skips that let you jump from match to match.
WINNER: Xbox One

Free Content

It is possible to get your video fix without a single subscription (besides the one to your Internet service provider, that is): be it movies and TV on Crackle, original content on YouTube, or seconds-long clips on Vine, there's plenty of free (and usually ad-supported) entertainment available on consoles. In terms of variety, the Xbox One's amazingly deep well of video apps clinches this category, with TED’s archive of inspirational speeches, short-form video content on Break, and Vine's micro-movies. Plus, the Xbox One can support viewing free over-the-air TV channels, if you’re willing to buy its TV tuner accessory and are living in an area that can pick up a signal.
The Xbox 360 has many of the Xbox One's most popular free video apps (particularly YouTube competitors like Vimeo and Dailymotion) and one major service no other console has—Yahoo Screen. If you're looking to stream the most recent season of the critically acclaimed comedy series Community, Microsoft's previous-generation console is the only console to watch it on. The PlayStation 4 has a decent suite of free video apps including Crackle, YouTube, and IGN, while the PS3's pickings are paltriest of all.
WINNER: Xbox One

Cable Enhancers

If you already have a cable TV subscription, there are a host of apps that give access to single stations so you can either catch up on a show that’s no longer on the schedule or avoid switching to your cable box. The Xbox One wins on this front, as it has apps for a wide variety of networks that includes Showtime, Bravo, VH1, Comedy Central, USA, and Syfy. The Xbox One also lets you route your HDMI-enabled cable box into the console and watch live TV directly through the system for anything that lacks a dedicated app. The Xbox 360 doesn't have nearly that level of breadth, but it does also have the FX Now app (featuring every Simpsons episode ever) and HBO Go, while being the only console home to Xfinity cable programming. The PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, however, are sadly lacking in this category—and their HBO Go apps are unfortunately inaccessible to Xfinity subscribers.
WINNER: Xbox One

Cable Substitutes

A couple of new apps have recently hit the market to ease the transition for cable cutters who still miss certain networks. PlayStation Vue, available on PlayStation 4 and PS3 in a few select markets, delivers a considerable amount of entertainment with 50 networks for $50 per month; the basic tier includes top networks like USA, AMC, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, IFC, and TBS, while higher-priced plans pack in more channels (including Fox’s sports offerings). The Xbox One-exclusive Sling TV can be accessed by more folks and has many of cable's heavy hitters like ESPN, Disney, TNT, and IFC for a much more reasonable $20 per month, but there's only 16 networks to choose from at the lowest tier. You can add to add themed bundles of channels for $5/mo (per bundle) to that lineup, though. The Xbox 360 is the big loser here, as there's really nothing like Vue or Sling TV that offers an all-in-one cable-cutting alternative.
WINNER: PlayStation 4

Media Player

All of Sony and Microsoft's current consoles can now stream video files from your PC to your console. The Xbox One has support for just about every file format you can think of, while the PlayStation 4 (which just added a media player during E3 2015) lags slightly behind due to overlooking the Windows Media Video format. It may not be the most popular, but it's still widely used enough to count as a big gap in the PS4's suite of compatible formats. Meanwhile, the Xbox 360 and PS3 are missing support for MKV, which is a pity—the format continues to grow in popularity, but support for it likely won't get added now that both consoles are in their twilight.
WINNER: Xbox One

Official Media Remote

The one thing that's still key to the media viewing experience on televisions is the usefulness of official remotes, particularly when using a game controller to watch video remains as flummoxing as it was on the PlayStation 2. The Xbox 360's official media remotes may never win any beauty contests, but they've always been great examples of function over form. Even if you've never held the 360's remotes before, you'll quickly know where to find everything you need—and it won't cost you that much to get that functionality, either.
The Xbox One has the best controller for watching video, thanks to the menu and options buttons offer quick access to many facets of your video app, while its official remote is stylish and (mostly) functional, though slightly stripped down due to far less real estate. The unintuitive and clunky PS3 Blu-ray Remote is barely better than the PS4's complete lack of official first-party remotes.
(Update 7/21/15: This category was originally conceived with first-party accessories in mind, as third-party remotes are currently an uneven field. You can buy a Logitech Harmony universal remote to use with a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, but it's much more expensive and currently Sony doesn't allow non-Sony remotes to turn on a PS4. You can also opt to use PS4's HDMI-CEC functionality with some TVs, but the experience varies. We've clarified our language to reflect our category criteria.)
WINNER: Xbox 360

Overall

The winner of this category isn’t a surprise—the Xbox One was designed to be the best video-viewing device on the planet. Even though Microsoft’s executives are now focusing on games nowadays, the console has remained the best for video consumption, whether you’re looking to keep up with your favorite team, catch up on your favorite show, or just watch funny internet videos. PlayStation Vue could balance out the scales more in the PS4’s favor if the service becomes more widely available and lowers its prices, but for now there's “One” console that stands head and shoulders above the rest.
WINNER: Xbox One