Ps5 vs. Series X/S: Which next gen system are you leaning more towards?

[Iceman]

he followed up retracting that

Good. It would be bad enough to get something like this stolen, but even more so during a preorder phase with insufficient supply to meet demand with no way to get a replacement for ages. Plus having gone through the horrific preorder process to still get nothing at the end.

 

[Iceman]

Got me the cheaper Series S. Love the speed and that smooth 120fps on games like tetris and ori

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Nice. I’d like to hear more about this as there’s little chance I’ll get one of these at any point.

 

[Limonade]

Nice. I’d like to hear more about this as there’s little chance I’ll get one of these at any point.

Honestly, I've been happy with the Series S. It's been keeping up with both the PS5 and Series X, imo. Especially with Xbox One catalog of games. The improvements are stark.

The quick resume is awesome in that it allows for multiple games to be running. And the speed of which makes it almost possible for me to wait for my friends to party up on one game while playing another game.

And there's no change to the UI in Series S. It's just snappier and more responsive than before. And I like that. I can just get going with the console without reading too much into it or doing too much unnecessary tinkering.

Obviously I expect, rather quickly, the drawbacks between the X and the S to show up. But my monitor that I use for my Series S tops out at 1080p at 144hz. So I have no need for 4k. And that's where this little machine really draws it's power for 120hz. And that's all I really need at the moment until 4k 120hz gaming monitors drop in price in the next couple of years.

 

[Lily Adler]

I honestly think this will be a repeat of last generation minus Nintendo severely flopping. PS5 will dominate with hardcore crowd, Series X will be in this limbo in-between as it will get great third party games, but no exclusives, and Switch/Pro will exist for a mix of casuals/hardcore/Nintendo fans who like the portability.

 

[X Knight]

I honestly think this will be a repeat of last generation minus Nintendo severely flopping. PS5 will dominate with hardcore crowd, Series X will be in this limbo in-between as it will get great third party games, but no exclusives, and Switch/Pro will exist for a mix of casuals/hardcore/Nintendo fans who like the portability.

Xbox is in a much better position this gen for exclusives, now that they own/bought all those studios. However, all that effort won't really bear fruit until a few years into this gen. So 2022 and beyond.

As such, I agree that PS5 will continue to dominate. Not only because of the PS4 performance and momentum last gen, but because the PS5 will likely dominate the mindshare of the early part of this gen due to Xbox still lacking the exclusive content until 2022 or beyond.

 

[Lily Adler]

Xbox is in a much better position this gen for exclusives, now that they own/bought all those studios. However, all that effort won't really bear fruit until a few years into this gen. So 2022 and beyond.

As such, I agree that PS5 will continue to dominate. Not only because of the PS4 performance and momentum last gen, but because the PS5 will likely dominate the mindshare of the early part of this gen due to Xbox still lacking the exclusive content until 2022 or beyond.

You'd think MS would have learned since 360 had similar success bar the Red Ring of death being released early.

 

[X Knight]

You'd think MS would have learned since 360 had similar success bar the Red Ring of death being released early.

You'd think. But based on their disastrous early decisions with the Xbox One, MS basically gave up an entire generation of gaming. Phil Spencer had to dig Xbox out of the grave and turn the ship around. And he certainly has done an admirable job.

However, that still doesn't mean that the last 3 or 4 years haven't been a frustrating, disappointing experience for some Xbox owners, like myself. We know about all the studio acquisitions over the past few years. But none of that has really produced any tangible exclusives to show for.

Every year, we've been told to Wait till next year. Wait till next E3. Wait till the next showcase. Wait. Wait. Wait.

Even this year, during the critical launch period of a new console for a new generation, Xbox had only one egg in the basket (Halo) and they totally dropped that! So now, we're told to Wait till next year for Halo. Wait till next year's Holiday 2021 lineup.

Again. Wait. Wait. Wait. And realistically, we'll be waiting until 2022 or beyond for stuff like Avowed, Fable, Everwild, Elder Scrolls VI, etc. So, more waiting.

In fact, I managed to order a Series X. But ultimately decided to cancel it because there simply isn't anything new and exclusive (that interests me) to play on the new Series X. And there likely won't be until those games I mentioned above start coming out.

Meanwhile, I am content with my new PS5. Sony has shown their hand with a ton of 1st and 3rd party exclusives coming to PS5 over the course of the 1st year. I have a reasonable expectation of what I'll be able to play on my new PS5 in the early years. Which means I will continue to stay loyal to Playstation and Xbox lost my mindshare (and my order).

 

[Lily Adler]

You'd think. But based on their disastrous early decisions with the Xbox One, MS basically gave up an entire generation of gaming. Phil Spencer had to dig Xbox out of the grave and turn the ship around. And he certainly has done an admirable job.

However, that still doesn't mean that the last 3 or 4 years haven't been a frustrating, disappointing experience for some Xbox owners, like myself. We know about all the studio acquisitions over the past few years. But none of that has really produced any tangible exclusives to show for.

Every year, we've been told to Wait till next year. Wait till next E3. Wait till the next showcase. Wait. Wait. Wait.

Even this year, during the critical launch period of a new console for a new generation, Xbox had only one egg in the basket (Halo) and they totally dropped that! So now, we're told to Wait till next year for Halo. Wait till next year's Holiday 2021 lineup.

Again. Wait. Wait. Wait. And realistically, we'll be waiting until 2022 or beyond for stuff like Avowed, Fable, Everwild, Elder Scrolls VI, etc. So, more waiting.

In fact, I managed to order a Series X. But ultimately decided to cancel it because there simply isn't anything new and exclusive (that interests me) to play on the new Series X. And there likely won't be until those games I mentioned above start coming out.

Meanwhile, I am content with my new PS5. Sony has shown their hand with a ton of 1st and 3rd party exclusives coming to PS5 over the course of the 1st year. I have a reasonable expectation of what I'll be able to play on my new PS5 in the early years. Which means I will continue to stay loyal to Playstation and Xbox lost my mindshare (and my order).

I honestly think we'll be back with Sony and Nintendo pretty soon since the rumors that MS will be doing a Stadia service too

 

[X Knight]

I honestly think we'll be back with Sony and Nintendo pretty soon since the rumors that MS will be doing a Stadia service too

oh? I haven't heard that rumor.

MS already has Gamepass and XCloud, so they are already in position to compete in the cloud-streaming space.

I hope MS doesn't exit the console space. And I don't think it will happen at least for this gen. However, I wouldn't be surprised if it does end up happening. All of the recent moves that MS/Xbox has been making (studio acquisitions, focusing on Gamepass and XCloud, partnering with Gamestop, etc.) put MS in a position to easily pivot to more of a "back-end" publisher role should they ever decide to abandon Xbox as a dedicated piece of console hardware.

 

[Sithborg]

I suspect it is less of full on Stadia, but more like what Nintendo is doing, in allowing game streaming on their platform. It is a natural extension of Gamepass, really. They are going to inch their way to it, rather than go full bore, betting everything on it.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

 

[X Knight]

I did see a lot of PS5 tv ads.

 

[psylockolussus]

Same here. They keep advertising something that cannot be easily picked up in the mall.

 

[psylockolussus]

oh? I haven't heard that rumor.

MS already has Gamepass and XCloud, so they are already in position to compete in the cloud-streaming space.

I hope MS doesn't exit the console space. And I don't think it will happen at least for this gen. However, I wouldn't be surprised if it does end up happening. All of the recent moves that MS/Xbox has been making (studio acquisitions, focusing on Gamepass and XCloud, partnering with Gamestop, etc.) put MS in a position to easily pivot to more of a "back-end" publisher role should they ever decide to abandon Xbox as a dedicated piece of console hardware.

I was thinking they were heading that direction (Xbox being primarily a subscription service) after Xbox One sold noticablly less than both Switch and Ps4. The early buzz for Series X wasn't that great either compare to Ps5. Remember those live streams?

But Series S and the recent Bethesda merger made me think, oh maybe Series X won't be their final console. However..... its weird, with all of these new games that came out this month, none of it iirc are console eXclusive to Series X. And it seems once again based from the onlinebuzz/reports, more people are picking up Sony's console than Microsoft's. I think they could keep the console alive for this generation. But Sony imo would still have higher demand/interest.

 

[X Knight]

I was thinking they were heading that direction (Xbox being primarily a subscription service) after Xbox One sold noticablly less than both Switch and Ps4. The early buzz for Series X wasn't that great either compare to Ps5. Remember those live streams?

But Series S and the recent Bethesda merger made me think, oh maybe Series X won't be their final console. However..... its weird, with all of these new games that came out this month, none of it iirc are console eXclusive to Series X. And it seems once again based from the onlinebuzz/reports, more people are picking up Sony's console than Microsoft's. I think they could keep the console alive for this generation. But Sony imo would still have higher demand/interest.

and then you hear/read about Spencer (I think) saying they are exploring putting an Xbox app on smart tvs. Or at least not ruling that out.

To me, that is yet another sign of the ultimate direction (I feel) MS wants to take Xbox in. As I said in the Xbox thread, given all the signs and recent moves, I would NOT be surprised if the Series X/S is the last traditional Xbox console, especially if Xbox console sales continue to underperform PS5 sales like they did last year.

4 or 5 years from now, I could very well see MS exiting the traditional console space to focus on being a game publisher with all of their newly acquired studios that produces games for their Xbox app on smart tvs/devices, a streaming Roku/Fire like stick, and on other platforms like the PS5.

I'm not saying for sure that will happen, but if it does, it would not surprise me.

And having that feeling in the back of my head (which I have had for the past several years) is one main reason why I am hesitant to buy the Series X and invest more money into new Xbox hardware. That coupled with the (still) barren Xbox exclusives lineup for the near future is what made me ultimately decide to cancel my Series X order (despite my luck in securing an order from the MS store).

With a PS5 that I'm enjoying with exclusive games like Demon's Souls, there simply is no practical reason for me to also spend $500+ to own a Series X right now. In a few years time, the big Xbox exclusives might start enticing me more. But by then, who knows what the future of Xbox as a console will be.

So, I don't have interest now or confidence in the future of Xbox. Which, imo, is the worst situation (for Xbox) to be in, brand-wise.

 

[Gothamsknight]

The last xbox console I had was the 360, and that ws the only generation I did not have a playstation console. all my life, I had the PS1, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, and then when it came to the 360, it was the only console I owned that generation. Come the generation after that, I decided to ditch xbox and go for a PS4, and now I own a PS5. Personally, I feel more comfortable with Playstation as a gaming console. Xbox certainly has their great stuff, like Game Pass, but overall I don't see myself ever getting an Xbox again, especially when I have a PC that can do anything an Xbox does. This is not me trashing Xbox either, just stating my reasoning.

I will say though, when Microsoft announce their Bethesda purchase, I did freeze for a moment because Bethesda has been probably the most impactful developer on my gaming life. The Elder Scrolls series is my favorite gaming franchise of all time, so my initial thought was "how will I play these if they're exclusive?", but then I remembered I have a gaming PC. I think XBox works best for people who either dislike PC gaming, or would like a slightly cheaper entry into that type of market. For me though, I feel like my time with Xbox will still continue to remain in the past.

 

[X Knight]

The last xbox console I had was the 360, and that ws the only generation I did not have a playstation console. all my life, I had the PS1, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, and then when it came to the 360, it was the only console I owned that generation. Come the generation after that, I decided to ditch xbox and go for a PS4, and now I own a PS5. Personally, I feel more comfortable with Playstation as a gaming console. Xbox certainly has their great stuff, like Game Pass, but overall I don't see myself ever getting an Xbox again, especially when I have a PC that can do anything an Xbox does. This is not me trashing Xbox either, just stating my reasoning.

I will say though, when Microsoft announce their Bethesda purchase, I did freeze for a moment because Bethesda has been probably the most impactful developer on my gaming life. The Elder Scrolls series is my favorite gaming franchise of all time, so my initial thought was "how will I play thee if they're exclusive?", but then I remembered I have a gaming PC. I think XBox works best for people who either dislike PC gaming, or would like a slightly cheaper entry into that type of market. For me though, I feel like my time with Xbox will still continue to remain in the past.

The 360 was my first Xbox console. And, it was my first "hd" console when I made the switch to an HDtv. And I got the 360 a year earlier than the PS3 because at that time, the 360 was cheaper and it had exclusive games (at the time) like Ninja Gaiden 2 that interested me.

So that explains where my affinity for Xbox comes from. That plus I use Windows laptops (though I'd like to make the switch to Apple) so I'm in the MS ecosystem in that sense.

However, having skipped the first Xbox and having no real history or affinity for core Xbox franchises like Halo and Gears, I just don't have the same history with Xbox as I do with Playstation or Playstation-centric gaming series like Final Fantasy (starting with VII).

While I started out as a Nintendo kid with the NES/SNES, once PS1 came onto the scene, for every generation since, the Playstation console has been my primary console of choice. And when I have owned multiple consoles, they inevitably went unused as I primarily gamed on my Playstation console.

So, for me, it makes sense to continue to stick with Playstation. My trust and confidence in the Playstation brand goes back all the way to the PS1. Whereas my trust and confidence in Xbox took a severe hit last gen with my bad experience(s) with the Xbox One (both with multiple faulty hardware and the disappointing exclusives output).

I would never rule out getting the Series X in the future. And I actually bought a used X1S recently (though that was not totally by choice). But, as it stands now, there isn't much for me to get excited or interested in Xbox. Whereas I have lots to look forward to with PS5.

 

[Gothamsknight]

The 360 was my first Xbox console. And, it was my first "hd" console when I made the switch to an HDtv. And I got the 360 a year earlier than the PS3 because at that time, the 360 was cheaper and it had exclusive games (at the time) like Ninja Gaiden 2 that interested me.

So that explains where my affinity for Xbox comes from. That plus I use Windows laptops (though I'd like to make the switch to Apple) so I'm in the MS ecosystem in that sense.

However, having skipped the first Xbox and having no real history or affinity for core Xbox franchises like Halo and Gears, I just don't have the same history with Xbox as I do with Playstation or Playstation-centric gaming series like Final Fantasy (starting with VII).

While I started out as a Nintendo kid with the NES/SNES, once PS1 came onto the scene, for every generation since, the Playstation console has been my primary console of choice. And when I have owned multiple consoles, they inevitably went unused as I primarily gamed on my Playstation console.

So, for me, it makes sense to continue to stick with Playstation. My trust and confidence in the Playstation brand goes back all the way to the PS1. Whereas my trust and confidence in Xbox took a severe hit last gen with my bad experience(s) with the Xbox One (both with multiple faulty hardware and the disappointing exclusives output).

I would never rule out getting the Series X in the future. And I actually bought a used X1S recently (though that was not totally by choice). But, as it stands now, there isn't much for me to get excited or interested in Xbox. Whereas I have lots to look forward to with PS5.

Well said. I feel like Xbox had a decent lineup with the original Xbox and 360, but they always, for some reason, just couldn't eclipse Playstation, even with the PS3s problems. PS2 is still considered the greatest gaming console ever made, and I have to agree. Playstation, for me, is THE ultimate gaming console if you're going to own a console. even the most avid PC users, like my brother who just a bought a 3080 (and gave me his $1200 2080ti), say that Playstation is the way to go if you're gonna have a console along with a PC.

The moment I truly left Xbox behind was their approach to the last gen before the console came out. Sure they took that stuff away, but the damage was done. Phil Spencer is definitely great for Xbox now, but even still, they're approaching it as more of an ecosystem (phone, xcloud, PC, Xbox) rather than one console, which brings me to the same question i had before, which is why get an Xbox if you have a decent PC?

 

[Mandon Knight]

In time, I'll buy a PS5, I've always been PS over X-Box, can't get my head round a X-box controller at all, never been able to use them, plus PS have better games selections, in my humble view.

 

[psylockolussus]

and then you hear/read about Spencer (I think) saying they are exploring putting an Xbox app on smart tvs. Or at least not ruling that out.

To me, that is yet another sign of the ultimate direction (I feel) MS wants to take Xbox in. As I said in the Xbox thread, given all the signs and recent moves, I would NOT be surprised if the Series X/S is the last traditional Xbox console, especially if Xbox console sales continue to underperform PS5 sales like they did last year.

4 or 5 years from now, I could very well see MS exiting the traditional console space to focus on being a game publisher with all of their newly acquired studios that produces games for their Xbox app on smart tvs/devices, a streaming Roku/Fire like stick, and on other platforms like the PS5.

I'm not saying for sure that will happen, but if it does, it would not surprise me.

And having that feeling in the back of my head (which I have had for the past several years) is one main reason why I am hesitant to buy the Series X and invest more money into new Xbox hardware. That coupled with the (still) barren Xbox exclusives lineup for the near future is what made me ultimately decide to cancel my Series X order (despite my luck in securing an order from the MS store).

With a PS5 that I'm enjoying with exclusive games like Demon's Souls, there simply is no practical reason for me to also spend $500+ to own a Series X right now. In a few years time, the big Xbox exclusives might start enticing me more. But by then, who knows what the future of Xbox as a console will be.

So, I don't have interest now or confidence in the future of Xbox. Which, imo, is the worst situation (for Xbox) to be in, brand-wise.

Even when games like the new Halo, Elder Scrolls or whatever console eXclusive they will have, those games are probably going to be accessible to the pc anyway.

As someone who already has a PlayStation and a PC,why would I invest in a console that has no eXclusives at all. Like I don't prefer to play in a laptop using a keyboard and mouse, but I can also just buy a Xbox controller and use it for the pc. So if there's a Xbox game I really want to play, I could just buy a 30 dollar Xbox controller, get their game pass for a month or two and play it on pc (plus use an hdmi connector to connect it to a tv screen) rather spending 500 dollars for a new console that I won't really touch because I already have a ps4/5 for third party games.

This is going to be the 2nd generation in a row that they don't have an actual eXclusive. Imagine if Nintendo and PlayStation did that and all of their games are accessible to a personal computer.

Also Phil Spencer's comment about Xbox's future feels foreshadowing to me. I feel like if one day, Xbox stops selling consoles, he'd be like "Streaming is the future anyway as we said before".

 

[X Knight]

I agree. If you have a decent, capable gaming PC, there literally is NO reason to buy an Xbox. Due to MS' "shared ecosystem" approach, every Xbox 1st party game also releases on PC day-and-date. Once they started doing that, there literally stopped being any true Xbox "console" exclusive games.

And, in fact, there are still PC exclusive games like Age of Empire or stuff like World of Warcraft or League of Legends that are NOT on the Xbox console. Or games like Gears Tactics and Flight Simulator that release first on PC then on Xbox console months later. So, technically, the PC gets more actual exclusives than Xbox!

And then there are those 3rd party games which release on multiple platforms, like PS, Switch, and PC/Steam, but NOT on Xbox. So, those games aren't exclusive to one platform, but they are literally EXCLUDING the Xbox platform. Yet, you can hook up your Xbox controller to the PC to play those games. But you just can't play them on your Xbox console.

That, to me, is even more frustrating and I can certainly understand when some Xbox console owners feel like they are being treated as second-class citizens.

And it's all stuff like this why I have been frustrated and disillusioned with Xbox over the past several years. Sometimes, I forget, let my guard down, and fall back into the trap of getting hyped/excited for Xbox (like ordering the Series X). But having discussions like this with you guys helps to remind me of why I've had my issues with Xbox in the first place. So you guys are keeping me on the right path....haha!

 

[psylockolussus]

Microsoft Acknowledges PS5 vs Xbox Series X Performance Difference

 

[Iceman]

I think this could be one of the best generations. Switch is 20 times better than wii U, XSX will likely be many times better than X1 (and finally has the full backing from above, including the CEO) and PS5 has a ton of momentum and many top exclusives in progress. Hopefully the tech in its controller also gets fully taken advantage of as the gen progresses.

 

[X Knight]

I think this could be one of the best generations. Switch is 20 times better than wii U, XSX will likely be many times better than X1 (and finally has the full backing from above, including the CEO) and PS5 has a ton of momentum and many top exclusives in progress. Hopefully the tech in its controller also gets fully taken advantage of as the gen progresses.

And not only that, the tv technology is improving. And there are also persistent rumors of a Switch Pro.

 

[X Knight]

Microsoft Acknowledges PS5 vs Xbox Series X Performance Difference

This is certainly not the narrative that Team Xbox wants to have at launch, especially given that the Power Advantage was supposed to be the main selling point with the lack of any major Xbox exclusives at launch.

I'm sure in time devs will be better able to take full advantage of the Series X hardware. But that's true of every console, including the PS5. It's not like Sony/PS5 is going to be sitting idly over the next few years while Series X "improves" and releases more exclusives.

And again, what is Team Xbox asking us to do? Yes, that's right. It's that magical Xbox word again. Wait!! Just.......WAIT!!!

Wait for next year. Wait for next E3. Wait for the exclusive games. And now wait for the "tools" and for the devs to better optimize their games on the Series X. Wait. Wait. Wait. And Wait some more.