The next generation of consoles is finally here. The Playstation 4 and Xbox One are being replaced by the new generation PlayStation 5[3] and Xbox Series X. These consoles are mostly incremental upgrades but they pack a hell of a punch underneath the hood. They pack a new design, better hardware for new games [1], and completely new features [2].
Brief Overview
- Release Dates
Microsoft and Sony decided to start delivering their next-gen consoles on the holidays. The first to release was Microsoft. They launched The series X and lower-powered Series S on the 10th of November. Playstation 5 and its two variants launched on November 12th. - Games On release
No many first-party titles have been slated for release on console launch. Most titles are cross-gen compatible. One of the only games that are next-gen exclusive is the Dark Souls remake for PS5. A popular title that arrived to the consoles soon after launch is Cyberpunk 2077 [4]. - Which Console is More Powerful?
The new hardware makes them both a lot faster than their predecessors. A direct comparison shows that the Xbox Series X should outperform the PS5 by a small margin. - Prices of the PS5 and Xbox Series X?
Playstation 5 goes for $499 and the digital edition goes for $399
Xbox Series X goes for $499 and Xbox Series S goes for $299
The Specs
Both the Xbox and PlayStation have AMD hardware built-in. The CPU on both are based on the Ryzen architecture and GPU on the Navi [5] 2 architecture. This means that these consoles will be able to match high-end gaming PC at launch and support new features like RayTracing, 8K resolution, HDR, 120Hz refresh rate, and much more.
Both of these consoles offer a super-fast SSD, something consoles have never shipped with. These Solid State Drives will increase the loading speed of games and make it almost instantaneous.
A new feature added to the Playstation is its new Dual Sense controllers that are promising to change the game completely [6]. Haptic feedback will replace the old rumble features, and completely new adaptive triggers are installed into the controller.
A thing that sets Xbox apart is the Quick Resume feature, where you can jump into your games in a matter of seconds. Switch from one game to the next with almost no loading times. Also, they offer Smart Delivery. Games that support this get the next-gen
Another interesting feature from Microsoft is Smart Delivery which means you’ll be able to play the best version of a game such as Cyberpunk 2077, even if you initially buy it for the Xbox One before purchasing the Series X. Aside from that, there’s the ‘Quick Resume’ feature that will make it easy to instantly go to where you last left off in multiple games.
Games
Xbox won’t feature any new and exclusive games on the Xbox Series X and S for a set period of time after launch. Multiplatform games will run fine on the new consoles and they even have backward compatibility for all previous Xbox consoles. So no matter what Xbox games you want to play, the series consoles got you covered.
PlayStation 5 also doesn’t feature many exclusive games. The only ones that come to mind are Astro’s Playroom and the Dark Souls Remake. The Ps5 is also backward compatible with most Ps4 and some Ps3 games.
The list of exclusive games for each console will increase in the coming months and years.
Prices
Pricing was a big surprise for both consoles. The Xbox will launch in two versions. The Series X and Series S. The X is high powered and the actual next-gen experience. The series X costs $499. The series S is massively gimped compared to its big brother. It is meant for 1080 and 1440p gaming with worse graphics. But the price makes up for it. At only $299, the Series S is the most affordable way to get into next-gen gaming.
The Playstation 5 also comes in two versions. Both of them are the same spec wise and the only thing that is different is having a blue ray drive. If you are used to buying physical copies you will have to get the blue-ray version which costs a bit more. The standard version is $499 and the diskless “Digital edition” is a whole $100 off!
Conclusion
The PS5 and Xbox Series X are neck and neck with what we know so far, despite there being a lot more to find out in the coming months. The prospect of synergy between the two competitors through the exchange of web streaming technology is what is most thrilling. For those customers who prefer to only play games, this represents a step in the right direction, instead of trying to listen to business politics.
[1] https://www.techradar.com/news/xbox-project-scarlett-games-all-the-games-confirmed-and-expected-on-the-next-xbox
[2] https://www.xbox.com/en-US/consoles/xbox-series-x
[3] https://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/ps5/
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk_2077
[5] https://www.pcmag.com/news/amd-navi-gpus-everything-we-know-so-far
[6] https://blog.us.playstation.com/2019/10/08/an-update-on-next-gen-playstation-5-launches-holiday-2020/
