PS5 or Xbox Series X – the Best Gaming Console?
It’s been more than a few years since the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X first hit store shelves. However, choosing between these two gaming consoles hasn’t gotten any easier. Both consoles offer a variety of games, and both offer impressive specs that will leave you spellbound with beautiful graphics. But is that really all there is to choosing a new gaming console? What about console exclusives? Is this even relevant anymore? \
Characteristics
As I noted above, both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are impressive consoles with solid specs. On paper, both consoles will look very similar.
PS5 Specifications:
-
Processor: 8-core AMD Zen 2 with a clock speed of 3.5 GHz.
-
GPU: 10.3 teraflops AMD RDNA 2
-
RAM: 16 GB GDDR6
-
Storage: 825GB dedicated SSD.
-
Resolution: up to 8K
-
Frame rate: up to 120fps
-
Optical drive: Blu-ray 4K UHD (standard PS5 only)
Xbox Series X Specifications:
-
Processor: 8 AMD Zen 2 cores @ 3.8 GHz.
-
GPU: AMD RDNA 2 with 12 teraflops performance.
-
RAM: 16 GB GDDR6
-
Storage: 1TB dedicated NVMe SSD.
-
Resolution: up to 8K
-
Frame rate: up to 120 fps
-
Optical drive: 4K UHD Blu-ray
As you can see, both are very similar, right down to using the same basic CPU and GPU architecture. Keep in mind, both companies (Sony and Microsoft) claim that these GPUs and CPUs have been tuned specifically for their consoles, although there’s no information on how much they’re tuned compared to AMD’s original architecture.
Both offer similar storage options, although Xbox offers easy-to-install SSD memory cards, which some may find easier to handle than upgrading the PS5’s internal SSD or adding an external SSD to your setup. Both offer the same maximum resolution and frame rates, as well as Blu-ray optical drives (if you’re comparing the Xbox Series X to the standard PS5 – the Digital PS5 doesn’t come with a disc drive).
Of course, specs aren’t everything, and we’ll look at performance in more detail a little later.
Price
Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X have seen a variety of deals and packages introduced since their initial release. However, at their most basic, the PS5 and Xbox Series X cost $499. You can get a Digital PS5 for just $399, and an Xbox Series S for just $299, so there are cheaper options. While the digital PS5 has the same hardware as the standard PS5, the Xbox Series S has completely different hardware than the Xbox Series X , so we won’t be including these two cheaper consoles in our main comparison.
However, as I noted above, the two consoles always have different deals, so sometimes you may find one cheaper than the other. You may also find that some bundles are a better value because they include games and other accessories, depending on the bundle.
Design and Controller
Design is one area where the PS5 and Xbox Series X are very different. The Xbox Series X is a much boxier looking device, with some saying it resembles a refrigerator. The PS5, on the other hand, has a spaceship-like appearance, which some may find attractive.
Overall, the boxy black design of the Xbox Series X blends in much more easily with your entertainment center, at least in my opinion. It looks chunky next to the TV, but its black color makes it easy to hide among other electronics in your entertainment center.
The PS5 stands out a lot more and even has a USB-C port, which might come in handy at some point. The Xbox lacks a USB-C port, but this is a minor design issue that can easily be fixed with a USB-A to USB-C adapter.
Ultimately, I’m a big fan of the Xbox Series X’s design, but neither console looks bad. If you want something more conservative, the Xbox Series X is the clear winner.
What about controllers? Both the Xbox Series X controller and the PS5 DualSense are solid controllers that build on what the companies have offered in the past. The Xbox controller feels as secure as Microsoft has since the Xbox 360, and it feels very good in the hand. It has the traditional Xbox button layout, an improved D-pad, and clicky triggers that are easy to operate. However, it still runs on regular AA batteries, which seems like an oversight considering PlayStation has included a rechargeable battery in its controllers for years.
The DualSense for PS5 is an easy-to-use controller, although it includes a few differences from the DualShock 4 introduced on PS4. It has a two-tone color scheme and includes large knobs on the bottom of the controller. The controller also has extremely sensitive haptics and has a built-in microphone. Haptic feedback is important to the PS5 controller, and it can even simulate the feeling of objects rolling around, creating a more immersive feeling. DualSense triggers have also received a major update, allowing them to provide realistic pressure resistance.
Ultimately, the Xbox Series X is a more conservative controller and is most similar to the one we’ve used to play games for years. However, if you’re looking for improved haptics and the ability to have more resistance to triggers, the DualSense with PS5 is a solid controller that you won’t be disappointed with.
Performance
Of course, one console performs better than another, right? Not really. If you were to pick up a completely random controller that wasn’t tied to either system and play games on both PS5 and Xbox Series X, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
This is because both consoles run at very similar specs, and while one may pull ahead in some areas (I definitely think the PS5 loads a little faster), the other console doesn’t lag enough for it to be noticeable.
Both also offer a quick summary for their titles, and the user interface they use is fast and easy to use. Assessing the individual performance of each game on each console is difficult because much of how a game performs also depends on the developers’ optimization of the game. However, you won’t be disappointed with the performance of any of these gaming consoles. Both are more than worthy of their salt.
Some things may look a little better on Xbox or PS5, but for most gamers it will never be noticeable enough.
Games
What about games? After all, that’s why we buy game consoles. Well, there are plenty of different games available on both Xbox and PlayStation 5, including some exclusive games from their own developers and third-party games available on other systems as well.
If you’re talking purely about first-party games, it’s extremely hard to miss the powerhouses that have arrived on PlayStation 5 over the past couple of years, including Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal, Gran Turismo 7, God of War: Ragnarok, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy 16 and Horizon Forbidden West . These are all phenomenal games that have helped significantly expand the PS5 fan base. While some of them are slowly becoming available on PC, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see them launch on Xbox.
On the other hand, the Xbox Series X has taken a more “semi-exclusive” approach to its gaming catalog, with the majority of games releasing simultaneously on PC. This includes hits like Forza Motorsport , Starfield , Microsoft Flight Simulator , Halo Infinite , and even some not-so-great games like Redfall . However, Microsoft has talked about bringing more of its “exclusives” to other consoles and even revealed that four of its exclusive games will be coming to PS5. Microsoft hasn’t revealed which games exactly, but there has been a lot of speculation since Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, broke the news .
Ultimately, both consoles have access to a ton of great games, including third-party titles. Ultimately, it will all depend on what types of games you are looking for. If you want a lot of great story exclusives, then the PS5 is a great choice. If you want something with a selection of widely available games, the Xbox Series X is a good choice. Ultimately, there is no wrong choice here.
Best console
As I’ve noted many times in this article, there really isn’t a clear winner. Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X offer a ton of great games, features, and performance for their price. Both are solid consoles that will keep you playing games for years to come, and even both have robust cloud gaming capabilities that allow you to play games remotely on portable devices, including your smartphone.
But how do you decide which console is best for you? The best thing to do is figure out what console your friends can play on, and then figure out what games you actually want to play on your console. If the games offered by the PS5 seem most appealing to you, pick up a PlayStation 5 and give it a try. If Xbox Series X games seem more appealing or you just want a console that integrates more easily with your PC, grab Microsoft’s latest console and see where it takes you.