PS4 Vs. Xbox One: Is The Xbox Live Gold Requirement For DVR Use A Fake Controversy? [PHOTOS]

It turns out that if you want to use the DVR feature on the Xbox One to record and share your gameplay, you'll have to be a subscriber to Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold service, which costs $59.99 per year.

Meanwhile, Sony does not require PS4 players to subscribe to their premium online service, PS Plus, in order to use the PS4's gameplay DVR. Not only that, but at $49.99 per year, it costs $10 less annually to be a member of PS Plus compared to Xbox Live Gold. So this means that once again, the PS4 has the Xbox One beaten, right? Wrong, and here's why.

A big stink has been made about how Microsoft, once again, "doesn't get it" and Sony has taken the correct, consumer-friendly approach with a feature that both the PS4 and Xbox One possess. However, what makes the Xbox Live Gold requirement for DVR usage a non-issue is the fact that both Microsoft and Sony require gamers to subscribe the premium online service in order to play multiplayer games to begin with. With that in mind, we're willing to bet that most of the gameplay footage that's shared, broadcasted and watched is multiplayer gaming footage. We have evidence to back this argument up too.

Let's take Twitch, for example, which is arguably the most popular gameplay streaming service in the world. If you go to the Twitch homepage and scroll down, you'll find a list of the top games that people are watching. Almost every game is multiplayer-centric as of this writing. Check out the photo below.

If you scroll down even further, you'll find a list of the Top Live Channels. The Top Live Channels list currently consists of streams from three games: "Starcraft 2," "League of Legends" and "Dota 2," each of which is a multiplayer-focused game. Check out the photo below.

We've got one more for you. If you scroll down past the list of the Top Live Channels on Twitch, you'll find a list of Top Highlights. Guess what? All of the most popular highlights are from multiplayer-focused games like "League of Legends," "Dota 2," "World of Warcraft" and "The Elder Scrolls Online." Check out the photo below.

Sure, it's unfortunate that you have to pay up for Xbox Live Gold if you want to share gameplay footage with your buddies, but we refuse to believe that gamers will pony up $500 for an Xbox One just to play single-player games; the same goes for PS4 owners. Does anyone really think that gamers are gonna put down thousands for a console, accessories and games over the course of the Xbox One's and PS4's lifespans but refuse to plunk down relatively measly fees of $50 and $60 a year to play with buddies and family? Nah, we didn't think so either.

Want proof? For the year, a one-year Xbox Live Gold membership card is the second best seller on Amazon so far this year, beating the PS4: Launch Edition and the Xbox One Day One Edition. Check out the photo below.

That's why that the Xbox Live Gold-only restriction for game DVR usage is a non-issue. Whether the annual fees for multiplayer gaming should exist to begin with is a different matter. The fact is, they're here to stay, so we might as well embrace reality.

Don't like it? Don't buy an Xbox One or a PS4. Buy a PC, find new hobbies. Make your voice heard by voting with your wallet. Otherwise, you're much like a sports fan who screams about high ticket prices, overpriced concessions and steroid use while still paying big bucks to attend games and consume grossly overpriced $10 beers and hotdogs.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.