Playstation 5 v. Xbox Series X: Which Should You Buy?
As we usher in the next era of the age old battle between Sony’s Playstation and Microsofts’ Xbox, it is important to keep in mind what makes these next generation consoles unique from each other when deciding which to purchase.
Both consoles, as they have in every generation prior, share a handful of traits. According to Tom’s Guide, Both are expected to be able to reach the same resolution and frame rate (8K and 120 fps respectively). Both feature backwards compatibility. Both feature the same CPU and GPU, with the Series X having slightly more gigahertz and teraflops. They both feature 16 gigs of RAM and are priced at $500.
If you did not understand any of those characteristics save the price, we will now discuss the reason you are most likely interested in purchasing one of these consoles: the exclusive games. The Series X’s most notable exclusive title is Halo: Infinite. Although, due to an obvious lack of graphical fidelity in a recent gameplay reveal, the game’s release has been postponed to 2021. The Series X still has some other exclusive titles such as Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Fable 4, Forza Motorsport 8, and State of Decay 3,but without Halo: Infinite leading the charge, the launch library has become significantly weaker.
Playstation 5, on the other hand, has announced numerous additions to popular franchises that will release at launch and in the coming year. Exclusive launch titles include the Demons’ Soulsremake,Spider-Man: Miles MoralesandSackboy: A Big Adventure.Exclusive games releasing later down the line include the next installment of God of War, Horizon: Forbidden Westand Gran Turismo 7.Not only that, but with backwards compatibility, those who never owned a Playstation 4 would be able to enjoy stellar games like Bloodborne, Spider-Man,the Unchartedand The Last of Usseries, and God of War, to name a few.
When push comes to shove, if the majority of your friends are going to buy one of these consoles, you will also purchase that console in order to play games with them. But, if that’s not a primary decision maker for you, consider these things: The Xbox Series X, while having slightly better hardware, does not compete with the Playstation 5’s extremely promising lineup of titles you would not be able to play anywhere else. The Xbox Series X’s “exclusives” are not truly exclusives, as all of them can be played on PC as well. Thus, investing your money into a quality gaming PC would be the better option as it would run those games better.
I cannot answer the question of “which console should you buy?” because, really, it depends on individual circumstances and preferences. Hopefully though, after reading this article, you have a better idea of which console you might be leaning towards purchasing this holiday season or beyond.