So now that the consoles have been out in the wild and I have had a few weeks using both, it is time to put them head to head and unleash the verdict; should you pre-order an Xbox Series X or a PS5?
The look
This turned out to be an easy battle. I was hoping the PS5 would grow on me, but whether sideways or upright, it is an ugly beast. The black plastic is that annoying shiny stuff that dust and hairs stick to, the fins look daft as hell, and the shape means you can’t put anything, like your PSVR box on top of it.
It’s ugly and impractical.
The Xbox Series X on the other hand is a big rectangle. It’s plain and boring, the opposite problem to the PS5. Given the two options, I will take the plain and boring any day as it works for any style you have going on.
Winner: The PS4. Seriously it was simple but had some style. This gen is a step backwards.
The UI
I absolutely hated the Xbox One’s interface. The PS4 on the other hand was a simple UI that anyone could navigate around with ease from the first time you tried it. So Simple that my three year old bought Ratchet & Clank one day with no issues.
That was the day I learned how to lock down purchases, and started playing Ratchet & Clank. At least he picked a good game.
Xbox has made some minor tweaks to make this UI slightly better. The problem is it is only slightly better. The PS4 has taken their simple and clean UI and cluttered it, making it a little more difficult to find things like trophies. The simple hold the PS button on the controller to bring up power options has disappeared too, but fortunately Xbox kept theirs.
Winner: The PS4. Again. The PS5 is better between these two because it hasn’t gone as bad as the Xbox…yet.
Game Switching
When I started using the Xbox Series X I was immediately blown away by Quick Resume. You can be playing a game, suspend it and play another game, and return to the first game with no game time lost in seconds.
It’s a seriously cool feature because I can be playing Assassin’s Creed late at night and turn my Xbox off, my son can come home from school and play Minecraft, and when he goes to bed I can keep playing Asscree from where I left off.
This is an outstanding feature.
I got excited with my PS5 when it had a switch feature showing your last few games to quickly start. Excitedly I tried switching from SpiderMan: Miles Morales to Astros Playroom, to find I lost my Spidey progress.
Winner: Xbox Series X
The controller
As with the UI, Xbox has gone with what they had, and tweaked it to make it better. The controller is slightly smaller and has a better finish to the plastic. It feels good and is an improvement for sure.
It comes with removable batteries instead of being built with a rechargable one which is an annoying choice.
The DualSense on the other hand is an outstanding piece of technology. The controller alone is a reason to upgrade to next gen. The adaptive triggers and the vibrations sensitivity as well as placement around the controller is absolutely outstanding.
Winner: The DualSense. It’s pure joy in controller form.
Value for Money
Both consoles offer backwards compatibility which is cool as you basically have a back catalogue from day one. The PS5 has come with the PS+ collection which has a handful of games including some of their excellent exclusives.
The Xbox Series X has Game Pass which is outstanding value. The monthly fee covers a massive selection of games from a wide spread of publishers. I would struggle to not find a bunch of good games to play every month, and a lot of great games I only tried because it was there so why not.
Winner: Game Pass Ultimate. The value in this service is undeniable and it is a great way for people to try a diverse set of games no matter their budget.
What I want to see from both consoles.
I want Xbox to steal the tech in the DualSense, and I want PlayStation to steal the Quick Resume feature.
It is that simple, both consoles will be much better. I’d also like it if they didn’t look brutalistic or avant garde and just did something console shaped, but maybe I expect too much.
Xbox Pros and Cons
Pros
The Series X and Series S give different prices for different budgets
Quick Resume
The Spark deal lets you pay it off over time
The controller is slightly better than XB1
Game Pass Ultimate rules
Hasn’t crashed…yet
Cons
Loots like a fridge
The controller needs batteries or a battery charge kit
The controller isn’t a Dual Sense
PS5 Pros and Cons
Pros
SpiderMan Miles Morales
The DualSense is revolutionary
PlayStation+ Collection is great for new players
UI is better than Xbox, but worse than PS4
Cons
More expensive
Most games I have played have crashed at least once
Ugly as sin
Had a lot more games crash on PS5 than Xbox Series X
What should you buy?
Budget Conscious
If you are a cash strapped gamer who wants to play a wide variety of games, then a Xbox Series S with Game Pass is hard to look past. A much lower price, a lot of power, and a wide selection of games with additions every month is hard to look past.
Not Budget Conscious but Budget Aware
The Xbox Series X with Game Pass is outstanding value. A beefy system with a diverse selection of games on Game Pass is hard to look past. It’s a consistently great console that has good shelf appeal. That service pays off the cost of the unit in no time, and that back catalogue of Xbox exclusives is amazing value.
“What’s a Budget?”
The PS5 might look like a normal console exploded and warped in the sun, but boy that DualSense is fantastic. You’re paying a few bucks more, and the PlayStation+ Collection offers the most value to newbies in the ecosystem, but that controller is absolutely outstanding.
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