In pursuit of graphically impressive and elevated gaming experience, Microsoft and Sony have positioned the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 as next-gen gaming consoles. The release date of these next-gen consoles is imminent with Xbox Series X releasing on 10th November 2020 and PlayStation 5 releasing on 12th November 2020. However, before we get into the comparison of the Next-Gen consoles, let’s look at the very colorful history of Xbox and PlayStation.
History of Xbox vs PlayStation
Historically, the rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation has been as hotly contested as PC vs Mac. Ever since Microsoft decided to throw it’s hat into the video game console ring with the Xbox back in 2001, the two tech giants have been in odds with one another for nearly two decades. Sony has held a long standing seat on the throne as the number one game console company. The Microsoft Xbox has always been the underdog, trying to compete in the shadow and global popularity of the Sony PlayStation that started back into the late 1980s. Sony had enjoyed a competition free market after it launched the original PlayStation back in 1994 and it capitalized on the market with the most popular PlayStation 2 in 2000. While the Xbox did well in America due to brand power of Microsoft and smash hits like Halo, it did very poorly in the international market dominated by Nintendo and Sony. The PlayStation 2 outsold the Xbox 5 to 1 thanks to the brand popularity of Sony.
In order to complete directly with Sony in the international market, Microsoft came out with Xbox 360 back in 2005, which was a redesigned console with appealing design, more power and HD graphics. The popularity of Xbox 360 played a key role in setting up the battlefield for the war to come between Sony and Microsoft. The PlayStation 3 was released one year later in 2007, which played to Microsoft’s advantage as the Xbox 360 had first mover advantage. The advantage of Xbox 360 also became a disadvantage as earlier release date meant that quality control took the back seat. The Xbox 360 console experienced overheating problems leading to a system failure commonly known as “red ring of death”. On the other hand, Sony experienced a different problem that was related to the price and announcement of the PlayStation 3. Given the success of PlayStation 2, Sony was over confident and set the price almost 100% higher at $500-$600 for the PlayStation 3 due to the built-in Blue-Ray player. Many Sony fans ended up sticking with the PlayStation 2 or decided to buy the Xbox 360, which was also preferred by the developers as the PlayStation 3 used a cell microprocessor.
During the late 2000s, both companies were busy trying to one-up each other and the rivalry grew even stronger before the reveal of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Similar to Sony with PlayStation 3, Microsoft was now under fire after the announcement of Xbox One, as the console was required to be online 24/7 and backwards compatibility was going to be a thing of the past. The inability to share physical games or buy used games for Xbox One was not well received by fans. Both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One debuted in 2014 but PlayStation was once again the favorite due to the cheaper price and user friendly features. The gaming consoles were updated (Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro) half-way through the life cycle by both companies to add 4K HDR capability. For a comparison of gaming console popularity, check out the Xbox One vs PS4 vs Switch: Console and Game Sales Numbers.
7 Reasons why Xbox Series X is better
The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 seems to be very similar on paper but there are some differences that set the two consoles apart. If you have been leaning towards the PlayStation 5 as your next gaming console, we wanted to share a few reasons why you should consider the Xbox Series X.
1. Powerful
The Xbox Series X and PS5 feature AMD’s Zen 2 8-core processor but Xbox has higher clock speed of 3.8 GHz compared to 3.5 GHz on PlayStation 5. When it comes to graphic performance, a teraflop refers to how many operations per second a piece of hardware can handle. Xbox Series X GPU boasts 12 teraflops of compute performance compared to 10.3 teraflops of PlayStation 5. The Xbox Series X will run at a locked 1,825 MHz, and unlike the PS5 GPU, and won’t fluctuate between speeds. Instead, the Xbox Series X will deliver the same clock speed regardless of the temperature of the unit or the game you’re playing. Since a single teraflop can account for 1012 operations per second, a difference of 1.7 could represent a significant difference in graphics, especially when it comes to future-proofing as games take advantage of the console’s full capabilities. An internal NVMe SSD (solid-state drive) in both devices results in significantly reduced load times, which is the single most improtant feature of these next-gen consoles. Based on the early testing performed by gamespot, the Xbox Series X was found to have consistently faster load times compared to PS5 for Batman: Arkham Knight, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XV, Monster Hunter World, and Red Dead Redemption 2. It is important to note that testing was performed using non-enhanced patches of these games but Xbox was able to have faster load times even when games were not optimized.
2. More Usable Storage Space
With 1TB of storage space, the Xbox Series X will have more hard drive space available. After the space taken up by the operating system, Xbox Series X will have 803 GB of usable storage space compared to only 664 GB on PlayStation 5. This is important difference as the Xbox will allow you to store at least 2 more games (~80 GB/game) compared to the PlayStation 5. It becomes an even bigger issue as the PS5 only allows PS4 games to be stored on an external hard drive or SSD and PS5 games have to be stored on internal/expanded storage. In addition to the larger storage space, Xbox Series X also allows you to store Xbox Series X games on an external storage device.
3. Quick Resume
Microsoft’s Xbox Series X features Quick Resume that allows you to play and pause up-to four games at once so that you can pick up where you left off. The quick resume feature allows games to be resumed from a suspended state almost instantly, without waiting through long loading screens. This feature is currently not available on the PS5 at launch so the edge definitely goes to the Xbox Series X.
4. Smaller Size
All of the power also comes in a smaller size of Xbox Series X compared to the massive size of the PlayStation 5. This might not be a big deal for some but it is important to consider if you have limited space for multimedia in your living room.
5. Low cost to own
With Xbox Series X, Microsoft also announced that fans will be able to purchase Xbox All Access finance option over a 2 year period. With Xbox All Access, you get an Xbox console and 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, with over 100 high-quality games and an EA Play membership. The best part of game pass is that you can play select next-gen games at no cost, so you can experience titles like Halo Infinite the day they release. If you buy the console outright and pay a separate monthly fee ($15) for Game Pass Ultimate, you will still end up saving $20 with Xbox All Access. A similar finance option is not available for PS5 as of now so the Xbox is definitely a better option as you don’t have to worry about upfront cost.
6. Robust Backwards Compatibility
Both the Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 will be backwards compatible with previously released game titles. On PlayStation 5, the backwards compatibility will be limited to PlayStation 4 titles. The Xbox Series X has more robust options as it will support hardware accessories including controllers, pads and headsets, so you won’t have to spend additional money on the console at launch. Microsoft has announced that Xbox Series X will be compatible with every Xbox One game (including all backward compatible games for Xbox one) and Smart Delivery system will ensure that games upgraded for Xbox Series X will be available to you even if you had originally purchased them for Xbox One. On the PS5, backwards compatiblity is limited to PS4 and not every title is guaranteed to work equally well as PS5 uses a universalized software to run PS4 games on the PS5.
7. Xbox Cloud Gaming
You can play Xbox games on your Android smartphone or tablet from the cloud via the Xbox Game Pass app. Xbox cloud gaming will allow you to remotely play through the Android Xbox app. On iOS devices, Microsoft is working on “direct browser-based solution” due to Apple’s policy preventing cloud gaming apps in the app store. Regardless, the services ecosystem from Xbox holds a promising future as it will become more important in the long run than the actual hardware box.
Xbox Series X vs PlayStation 5: Technical Specs
The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 feature fairly similar technical specs. Both devices have custom AMD internals using the same Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architecture. Both will be able to run content (if not games) at an 8K resolution, and it will also support 120Hz refresh rates at 4K. The devices feature DirectX ray-tracing capabilities with a super-fast internal NVMe SSD. Both will have standard GDDR6 RAM at 16GB capacity.
Both Sony and Microsoft have spent countless hours working on their Next-Gen gaming consoles to repeat the cycle once again in 2020. However, this time around, both companies have managed to announce their gaming consoles without any major blunders. Unlike the past, the response from the fans has also been very civil as they seem to appreciate both companies’ efforts to elevate the gaming experience.
Related: Xbox One vs PS4 vs Switch: Console and Game Sales Numbers – 2020
I am officially a tech addict and enjoy providing my views on matters related to this industry. I am always interested in trying out new tech gadgets and I have owned multiple smartphones including the legendary HTC One, SGS2, Nexus 4, iPhone 4, 5S, 6S, XR, Note 9. You can ask me any tech related questions in the comment section or on twitter @hookedNav