Which console is the better fit for you?
Before I actually start comparing and contrasting these two, I think it is worth it to preface this article by saying that both consoles are absolutely amazing pieces of technology, and you’ll be quite happy with either one. They are both extremely powerful, state-of-the-art machines that are well-worth the purchase price and will pay for themselves with the entertainment you’ll receive. Near-equivalent in power, the only real difference are the available games. As such, your taste in games will absolutely decide which one of these consoles you’ll get.
I know these consoles have been on the market for quite a while now, but many people have not been able to get one yet and may still be on the fence about which one to purchase. Hopefully this article will help you with that decision! So, without further ado, let’s talk consoles!
Pricing and Technical Specs
| PS5 | Xbox Series X | |
| Price | $399 (Digital), $499 (Disc) | $499 (Series X) |
| CPU | 8-core, 3.5 GHz AMD Zen 2 | 8-core, 3.8 GHz AMD Zen 2 |
| GPU | 10.3 teraflop AMD RDNA 2 | 12.0 teraflop AMD RDNA 2 |
| RAM | 16 GB GDDR6 | 16 GB GDDR6 |
| Resolution | 8K Maximum | 8K Maximum |
| Storage | 825 GB Custom Sony SSD | 1 TB Custom NVMe SSD |
| Frame Rate | 120 FPS Maximum | 120 FPS Maximum |
Spec-wise, both consoles are pretty much the same, with only a few slight differences that are for the most part unnoticeable in practice. The Xbox Series X has a slight edge in power over the PS5 with a slightly better CPU and almost 2 teraflops more graphical processing capability (fancy words for “a bit more powerful”). The Series X also has a bigger SSD for games storage, which, while it seems small on paper, is probably the biggest technical difference and the only one you’ll notice, as that extra 175 GB of space means several more games on your console. Other than these differences that lean towards the Series X’s favor, the two consoles are essentially equal.
Regardless, if power and performance are your thing and you won’t be able to live without having the “fastest console,” get a Series X. While I think the majority of people aren’t like that and won’t care about losing a little bit of power, the Series X is a great choice of console anyway and will serve its intended purpose.
Image credit: Microsoft
However, a console’s power is not really the true test of its greatness. Last generation, the most powerful console was the Xbox One X, but the Xbox platform still lacked in exclusive titles and games in general, making it a questionable console purchase at best. Regardless, the next generation of consoles are quite similar. Except for their controllers; those are really different.
The Controllers
While on previous consoles the controller seemed irrelevant as a criteria for the purchase of the console, such is not so this time around, with one of the console’s selling points being its revolutionary controller. Which one? The PS5.
The PS5’s controller, dubbed the “DualSense” by Sony, has changed the game by revolutionizing what controllers can do with its new haptic feedback system. The vibrations and sensations the controller produce are now far more detailed and feel far more immersive during gameplay. Also new is is the force feedback of the triggers, which will resist against pressure depending on in-game situations. For instance, when firing a gun in a game like Call of Duty, the player will feel resistance when shooting, making for an unforgettable experience. The only downside of the trigger feedback is that it is spring-loaded and has a tendency to be quite loud. Luckily, the feature can be turned off if you’re playing at night and don’t want to be annoying.
The Xbox controller is not-so-revolutionary, adopting a mantra of “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” A few quality of life changes were made, however, with the d-pad now having 8 directions and triggers and bumpers now being textured. A share button, much like the PS4 controller’s share button, has been added for easily taking quick screenshots and game clips. Other than this, nothing is different, and there are certainly no groundbreaking updates like haptic feedback and adaptive trigger resistance.
Games – Where the Battle is Truly Waged
Image credit: PlayStation
If you’re a PlayStation fan already, you know where this is going. The PlayStation platform has always been best known for one thing: having amazing exclusive games that you simply can’t play anywhere else. It’s how PlayStation manages to consistently be the best-selling console brand, regardless of generation. In fact, every single PlayStation released so far except the PS3 has exceeded 100 million units in sales, with the PS3 still winning its respective generation with over 87 million consoles sold and featuring groundbreaking exclusive games that helped it achieve those sales.
The PS5 looks to be no exception, already cementing its status as the home of many exclusive titles, including Demon’s Souls, Spider Man: Miles Morales, Returnal, Ratchet and Clank: A Rift Apart, and more, with even more games confirmed for release soon, such as Abandoned and Final Fantasy XVI.
Image credit: Bethesda
However, the Xbox Series X is certainly not lacking in the games department, as can be seen from this year’s Xbox/Bethesda E3 showcase. In fact, it can be argued that this is the biggest year for Xbox when it comes to exclusives ever, with there barely being any time to breathe in between exclusive announcements during that show. Some notable announcements from that show include Halo Infinite, Starfield, Forza Horizon 5, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and Psychonauts 2. Trailers for all of these titles can be viewed by following each of their links.
Also, one simply can’t not talk about Xbox and not mention Xbox Game Pass, which is by far the greatest subscription service in all of gaming at the moment. All Xbox Game Studios titles will launch on both Xbox and PC on Game Pass, which is quite a value considering you it only costs $14.99 a month, only a dollar more than the most popular Netfilx plan. Game Pass’s value simply cannot be denied, with over 100 Xbox games already on the service and even more to be added every month and whenever a new Xbox exclusive releases.
Final Verdict
While the power of the Series X and the value of the Game Pass service cannot be denied, the PS5 still wins this fight, albeit by a slim margin. The main reasons for this verdict are the PS5’s absolutely amazing controller and the exclusive games you can only play on the PS platform. While the choice is really all yours and the Series X is an amazing choice if its games appeal to you, as a gamer and a fan of the groundbreaking experiences that the PS5 has the potential to offer, I have to formally recommend the PlayStation 5.
So, which console do you like more, and are you going to purchase one? Leave a like below if you enjoyed the article and check soon for another article from Genesis Gaming!
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