PS5 vs Xbox Series: which should you buy?

PS5 vs Xbox Series. Choosing a new console is not too easy, but it will be your friend in the next 6-7 years. Although some have no dilemmas in choosing a new console, some most still have not decided what to choose.

Hardware PS5 and Xbox Series

The battle of the next-gen console (PS5 vs Xbox Series) is not that simple, instead of two, there are four consoles in circulation. The PS5 has two almost identical versions. The only difference is the presence (or absence) of a Blu-Ray disc reader. Anyone who has already chosen the Playstation brand only has to decide whether to buy games in the form of discs or to perform this process online. Depending on that, the price varies by $ 100.

In the other corner, the Xbox Series X has a partner that can jump in if the $ 500 price is too high for 4K60FPS, which this version offers as standard. It’s the Xbox Series S, the cheapest for this generation. Priced at $ 300, it is an option for soon to enter the next-gen water, but the level of detail is sacrificed with lower resolution - 1080 and 1440p - and there is no disk reader.

PS5 vs Xbox Series Hardware

The PS5 brings an AMD Zen 2 processor with 8 cores at 3.5GHz frequency, AMD RDNA 2 graphics with 10.2 TFLOPs performance, and 16GB of GDDR6 RAM. 

The Xbox Series X also features an AMD octa-core Zen 2 processor clocked at 3.8GHz, 16GB of RAM, and RDNA 2 graphics with 12TFLOPs.

The Xbox Series S as a weaker one offers a 3.6GHz processor, 10GB of RAM, and 4 TFLOPs of graphics power, even three times less than the Xbox Series X.

As you can see, both sides have opted for AMD as a proven partner, so both the processor and graphics are from this manufacturer, but with some differences. In terms of pure graphics performance, the Xbox Series X is about 2 TFLOPs stronger than the PS5, and they have the same price. 

Storage PS5 vs Xbox Series

Unless someone is overwhelmed with numbers, this doesn’t mean too much, as every developer, whether he’s worked on first-party games or not, participates indirect game optimization for each console, thus preserving quality and delivering maximum performance. The only difference may be that a stronger console will provide a higher frame rate than the 60, which should be guaranteed.

Where the numbers can be very important is the SSD, and all of these consoles have that kind of storage space. The SSD provides a loading speed of just a few seconds in games, which Sony persistently promotes, and the Xbox does not lack speed either.

Xbox Series consoles offer the Quick Resume option as an advantage over the PS5, thanks to which it can run 5-6 games in the background without affecting performance. So the player can jump from one to the other in just a few seconds of waiting and continue where he left off. This is especially important for the type of players who rarely have the opportunity to sit down and play something, and when they find the time they want to experience as many different things as possible. An important thing to consider if you are limited in time.

In terms of capacity itself, the Xbox Series X has a 1TB SSD, of which 800GB will be available to gamers to host games, while the PS5 offers a special SSD with 825GB of space, which in reality will be just 600GB for gaming. The Xbox Series S has the least free space, only 512GB, but it is encouraging that games on this weaker console will take up about 30% less space than the X edition version, as 4K textures are not included.

In general, this is small because more and more games take up over 100GB of space, but that's why additional slots have been designed to expand the space, with all the SSDs for purchase, which is not cheap.

Cooling PS5 and Xbox Series

Cooling consoles are also important, many have praised the PS5 for its excellent cooling and quietness, yet that is the reason for the giant proportions of the consoles. The Xbox Series X was rumored to be quite hot, but in the test, it turned out that the console is cooler than the PS4 Pro and Xbox One, by 10 degrees or more Celsius.

Design

Playstation 5 is the largest not only in this generation but also from the consoles in the previous ones. Followed by the Series X, and the Series S is small and will easily fit anywhere. You probably know yourself the place on the shelf is important for the consoles. So feel free to measure whether the one you want will fit where you imagined all the consoles stand upright and flat.

PS5 dimensions (Height x Width x Length) - 390x260x104mm
Xbox Series X dimensions - 301x151x151mm
Xbox Series S dimensions - 275 × 63.5x151mm

* dimensions are for the vertical position of consoles

The futuristic design of the PS5 can be appealing to fans who love that kind of accessory, and Sony is certainly alluding to the future. The Xbox, on the other hand, has a minimalist design on both consoles, with smooth and sharp edges.

Games

The games are probably the main turning point for most people, and the ultimate goals of the two rival companies are very different here. Sony maintains its long-standing exclusive policy, which was already shown at events a few months ago. Over the last 3 years, Microsoft has gathered a large number of first-class developers within the Xbox Game Studios group, but it does not deal with exclusives but aims to offer games on multiple platforms after Xbox priority is PC. That policy is present now and will be valid in the future.

PS5 offers exclusives like Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demons Souls Remake, Bugsnax, SackBoy: A Big Adventure, Astro Playroom (comes pre-installed with the device), and Godfall.

Of course, there are plenty of titles from other publishers, specially prepared for PS5 or Xbox Series consoles, and the exclusive offer on Sony's console would be stronger if the development of games was not hampered by the coronavirus. To compensate for the weaker offer of games, Sony for PS5 brings a special collection of 20 games, the best from the PS4 system, partly exclusive and partly third-party titles, refreshed for the new console.

Looking at the date later than November 12 and 2021, there is still reason to consider the PS5 console. Around the corner are the new God of War title, Horizon Forbidden West, Returnal, Final Fantasy 16, and others. Playstation games get a price increase with the arrival of the PS5. This applies to all AAA titles, while family and indie titles will be charged less, but that depends on the case.

A new Forza Motorsport has been announced for the future, State of Decay 3, STALKER 2 has been secured, the Fable franchise has been brought back to life, and Bethesda with its extremely rich titles is now part of Xbox Game Studios, so future Wolfenstein and Elder Scrolls titles can be expected as Xbox console exclusives.

Microsoft also owns sleeping franchises, primarily Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, and there are also Crimson Skies, Blinx, Phantom Crash, as some we would like to return, which would also contribute to the growth of the Redmond company reputation.

The trump card of the Xbox brand is the Xbox Game Pass service, available from day one via the Xbox Series X / S, with a price of only $ 10 per month, $ 15 for the Ultimate program. The service offers about 140 games, and it is a growing number of games, as the offer expands every week. Also, every Xbox game that appears is from the first day on the Xbox Game Pass service.

The Xbox Game Pass already has 15 million subscribers, which in itself speaks to the popularity of the service, and along with new consoles and upcoming games, it is a great choice for low investment in games. Of course, in the case of the Xbox Game Pass, you don’t own games either digitally. This subscription service is slowly gaining the implementation of cloud streaming, where the console hardware will not matter, which means that the cheaper Series S with a stable internet connection would be valid for 4K gaming.

Backward compatibility on PS5 and Xbox Series

Not to forget the backward compatibility feature that allows you to play older games on next-gen consoles. Microsoft is the strongest here, as it offers thousands of titles to play from day one that has come out during all previous Xbox generations, and some also come with graphics improvements thanks to new hardware. This is very important to compensate for the lack of stronger novelties. Sony is more modest with the PS5, since the mentioned function is valid only for games with PS4 consoles, more precisely 99% of games, which will be possible to play on the PS5 without any problems.

Microsoft and Sony have come out to meet an element called Smart Delivery on Xbox consoles. It essentially means that a game purchased on an outgoing generation console can be transferred to a new one for free, without the need to purchase a new version at full price. The free next-gen upgrade is a move that significantly meets the needs of consumers, especially for those who want to play on systems that are ready for retirement for some time to come. It should be noted that this depends on the developers themselves, so not every game will be subject to a free upgrade, so you should check the title before buying.

All previous Xbox controllers work seamlessly on Xbox Series consoles, but only a special DualSense controller can be used on the PS5. This is partly because DualSense brings adaptive keys with haptic support for maximum game immersion through the transmission of events in games via vibration.

Waiting can be a smart option. If you want to see how things go with the PS5 or Xbox Series consoles. In terms of hardware, nothing will change. Microsoft and Sony are packing a lot of games that have yet to get. If you are a Bethesda fan, then you should wait to see the quality of the newer games, as they will probably be Xbox exclusive.

On the other hand, because of the price, it may be realistic to leave the old partner on the shelf for a while longer. Give the PS4 a chance if you haven't taken it. The PS4 is still up to date no matter what you say. Most of the announced PS5 games will also be available for the PS4. So you won’t miss a thing, and you’ll also have a strong library of titles available. Sony itself stated that the PS4 will get games for another 3 years.

PS5 vs Xbox Series conclusion

We have reached the end of the PS5 vs Xbox Series console battle, What to take in the end? Do you try the Xbox console or go through the ancient samurai and take the PS5 console? It is best to choose what suits you best and give you the most for your money. If it’s power in a box then the Xbox Series X is the best console. If you want to have something to play and the price of those games is no problem. Take the PS5 without thinking, as Sony continues to tear up with exclusives and that’s a fact.

In our opinion, the Xbox Series S console is intended for users who still do not want to spend too much money and who are focused on maximum savings. The Xbox Series S combined with the Xbox Game Pass service for $ 10/15 a month is a great combination for those looking to get into next-gen water for little money.