After seven years, it is time for the next generation of consoles! The gaming industry does not always sync up release dates, butSonyandMicrosoftcan’t seem to help using their rivalry to increase the hype. Not a bad strategy as most of the time this benefits both companies, despite this being the core of their ongoing console war.
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With these tech giants unleashing the most powerful new consoles to date, many are likely wondering how thePS5and theXbox Series Xcompare to one another and which will be worth buying. Streamers, YouTubers, and a few others may be able to afford both, but most gamers will likely only purchase one or the other, so taking stock of the specs, pros, and cons are vital.
10Naming Convention
Right away, the first thing gamers picked at were the names of the upcoming consoles.Sony, understandably, has decided to stick with their current pattern. This lets everyone know exactly what they are getting and allows people to mentally classify where thePS5belongs immediately. Similarly,Microsofthas continued their pattern of convoluted and awkward naming.The memes spawned from these occurancesare as numerous as they are hilarious.
9Overall Shape & Design
Sonyis taking the classic approach and has given their console a sleek body, but one that is reminiscent of previously existing consoles. On the complete opposite side of the spectrum of this notion,Microsofthas given the masses a veritable monolith. Aside from aesthetics, this will play a big role in how gamers set their consoles up at home. If space is limited, the sleekPS5will be preferable to the massive alien structure that is theXbox Series X. Also, it should be noted that thePS5can apparently lie on its side comfortably, while theXbox Series Xwill likely need to stay upright.
8Teraflops
“FLOPS” is an acronym for “floating point operations per second”. A floating point is essentially a decimal of a number; the kind used in a tremendous amount of calculations for many modern devices. “Tera” is a prefix for tech that refers to trillions of something. Combining these points, one will conclude that Teraflops pertain to how many trillions of decimal-related calculations are possible. A higher number does not always mean a better device, but it does mean a higher potential for greater processing speed, nicer graphics, and other boons. Currently, thePS5has apparently between 9 and 10 Teraflops of power, while theXbox Series Xhas closer to 12.
7Cooling
With great power comes great responsibility. Due to added processing strength, more intense requirements, and increased power consumption, a great deal more heat will be generated. Without the proper compensation for this, any device can overheat and become damaged, rendering all those lovely specs pointless. ThePS5will be sporting similar cooling systems to previousPlaystationconsoles, butMicrosoft’s mini-fridge of a unit is taking things to a new level.
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TheXbox Series Xhas air flowing in from the bottom, rising through all components, and out of the top vents. This, in combination with a specialized heat-sink, thin motherboards, vapor chambers, and a traditional fan make this console feel a bit like a racecar.
6Accessories
Both new generation consoles will be able to support wireless headsets, remotes, and similar, but each brings something a bit unique with their release. ThePS5has a novel charger that allows for two controllers to have their batteries filled simultaneously, making it easy to always have one ready to go. Though,a special accessoryisXbox’s adaptive controller, which makes it possible for a whole new group of people to enjoy gaming. Those who have trouble with regular controllers can use this awesome device to comfortably play games. Although it was made for previous consoles, it is compatible with theXbox Series X, to the joy of many.
5Variations
Both of the next-generationconsoleswill have variants. The newXboxwill have theSeries Xand theSeries S. Put simply, theSeries Sis a lower-end version that has significantly weaker specs than theSeries X. Many estimate that theSeries Swill be only slightly more powerful than theXbox One X, which is not much to brag about.Sonyhas taken a far smarter approach to this same concept and are releasing their two variants that are almost identical in terms of tech specifications. The only real difference between thePS5’s full console and the digital edition seems to be that the full version has a disc drive and the digital edition does not.
4Controllers
So far it looks likeSonyhas put more effort into creatinganother masterpiece of a controller whileMicrosoftsimply puts out more of the same. TheXbox Series Xcontroller continues to have unsymmetrical analog sticks, which has always been a questionable design choice.
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Besides, it does not bring anything new or exciting to the table, whereas thePS5’s controller improves on the magnificentPS4controller by adding increased sensitivity to the triggers and vibration function while again including audio in the form of a built-in speaker and microphone.
3Price
The variants of each system are priced differently, but the breakdown seems pretty logical so far. The two current variants of the newXboxvary greatly in price with the monolithicSeries Xbeing $499.00 and the significantly inferiorSeries Sis $299. The big price gap is likely due to the big performance gap. The full version of thePS5will run for $499.00and the digital edition will be $399.00; much closer in price and appropriately reflecting the difference between the two in that no disc drive can be considered a feature instead of the lack of one.
2Exclusive Games
This is arguably themost important factor for deciding between the next generation consolesand things seem very one-sided so far. New intellectual properties can be incredible, but it’s the long-lived franchises that tend to draw the most gamers. On theXboxside,Haloseems to be the biggest exclusive to mention, though a newFablegame has been announced to the excitement of fans. On thePS5side of things, there seems to be a landslide of incredible exclusives, including newFinal Fantasy,God of War,Horizon,Spider-Man, andGran Turismogames. The cherry on this cake is theDemon’s SoulsRemakethat has hardcore players drooling.
1Launch Titles
As one might expect by the vast difference in exclusive titles, thePS5boasts a much stronger launch line-up as well. TheXbox Series Xwill have close to 40 games on its launch, but almost all of them are games one can already play on previous consoles.Sony, on the other hand, is dishing out brand new games right from day one with the hypedGodfall, charismaticSpider-man, and the already legendaryDemon’s Souls Remakeallowing players to jump right into the next generation without needing to wait.
NEXT:10 Reasons The Demon’s Souls Remake Is A Must-Have PS5 Launch Title
