PS5 vs Xbox, which console should you get?
Another generation is here and another PS5 vs Xbox console war has been brewing, once again putting thin pockets to the difficult decisions to pick their most suitable hardware. If you're still unsure which system is right for you, let's get into the differences to help you decide which is best.
The prices
Both the Xbox and the PlayStation 5 are rolling out in two different versions which change the price points considerably.
For the PlayStation 5, a normal and a Digital Edition are available. The Digital Edition will cost £359.99 ($399.99 / €399.99) while the normal version sits at £449.99 ($499.99 / €499.99).
Click to enlargeThe main things to consider between these two versions are the 4K Blu-Ray player and the ability to use physical games, allowing you to play used games which might save you money in the long run.
For the Xbox, there are two rather different versions called the Series X and the Series S. We will get into their differences in specs later. The Series S will cost £249 ($299 / €299) while the Series X will run you £449 ($499 / €499). Microsoft has also announced a potentially interesting payment plan starting at £20.99 a month and no upfront cost for a duration of 24 months.
The size of each console
For the PlayStation 5, the two versions only differ in the aforementioned disc slot which determines the shape of it to a degree; both versions are chunky and are among the biggest consoles ever at approximately 260mm (10.24 inches) deep, 390mm (15.4 inches) tall, and 104mm (4.09 inches) wide. The length of this beast wouldn’t fit in the average shoebox.
Click to enlargeThe Xbox Series S measures 275mm (10.8 inches) height, 151mm (5.9 inches) depth, and 63.5mm (2.5 inches) width, making it the smallest of the new console generation. The Xbox Series X is considerably thicker, measuring at 301mm (11.85 inches) and 151mm (5.9 inches) for both depth and width and thus is over twice the volume of the Series S.
The specs of both consoles
Both new generation consoles are packing a punch and remain relatively close, though the Xbox Series S at its price point had to significantly cut back on the hardware used.
PlayStation 5 (also Digital Edition)
- CPU: 8-core 3.5 GHz AMD Zen 2
- GPU: 10.3 teraflop AMD RDNA 2
- RAM: 16 GB GDDR6
- Storage: 825 GB custom SSD
- Resolution: Runs up to 8K
- Frame Rate: Runs up to 120 FPS
Xbox Series X
- CPU: 8-core, 3.8 GHz AMD Zen 2
- GPU: 12.0 teraflop AMD RDNA 2
- RAM: 16 GB GDDR6
- Storage: 1 TB custom NVMe SSD
- Resolution: Runs up to 8K
- Frame Rate: Runs up to 120 FPS
Xbox Series S
- CPU: 8-core, 3.6 GHz AMD Zen 2
- GPU: 4.0 teraflop AMD RDNA 2
- RAM: 10 GB GDDR6
- Storage: 512 GB custom NVMe SSD
- Resolution: Target 1440p
- Frame Rate: Runs up to 120 FPS, 60 FPS at 1440p
The Xbox Series X comes in as the slight hardware winner, though it remains to be seen how this will translate to actual in-game performance. The Series S is a considerable downgrade from the other two but might just be enough for your needs.
The games
Let’s be honest, the exclusives and overall available games matter a lot. The first good news is that both consoles promise backwards compatibility at least to their former generation, though Xbox with their All Access pass reaches even further back.
There are a lot of great titles on the horizon, some of them shared some of their console exclusives. For a full list of all announced Xbox games, check here. For the PlayStation 5 list, click here. You may notice that the PlayStation list is quite a bit longer with more critically acclaimed titles compared to Xbox's
Which console should you get?
The console war wages on with the internet leaning towards Sony's PS5 being the winner as the console you should probably get. PlayStation might convince you with its wider range of high-quality games and a performant console, but Microsoft pulled a genius move with its Xbox All Access pass, allowing fans to start gaming on a new generation console with no up-front cost and no annual percentage rate. This is ideal for gamers who aren’t willing or able to shell out for a next-gen console to start gaming from day one.
So, if you want a more affordable console via Microsoft's payment plans and Game Pass subscriptions, the Xbox Series X|S will be the one for you. However, keep in mind you might be missing out on some of the most critically acclaimed games of the generation that are exclusive to PlayStation.
That's everything you need to know about which console to get best between the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
If you're looking to complete your set-up, also check out the best wireless gaming headsets or the best reclining gaming chairs. Alternatively, check out our hardware guides homepage for even more essentials right here at GGRecon
