Sony and Microsoft have updated their consoles during 2020, presenting the PlayStation 5 (for many now PS5) and the Xbox Series X to the general public, with the aim of bringing living room gamers into the new generation of screaming graphics and of extreme playability. Many players, especially the casual ones, are still making up their minds which console to buy for their living room, with many articles on the Internet that praise one product and denigrate the other (and vice versa).If we are looking for a truly comprehensive guide where compare the strengths and weaknesses of PS5 and Xbox Series X, you have come to the right guide: in the following chapters we will try to show you what are currently the characteristics of both consoles, so that you can choose the best one based on some parameters very much felt by gamers (whatever the level of experience with the consoles).PS5 or Xbox Series X: Which is the best console?
In the other guides on the net, you will often find difficult words or technical data sheets that are difficult for most ordinary people to understand. Since consoles must be simple first of all, we will try to make the comparison as easy as possible by examining some questions that many users ask themselves when buying a new console.
Who has the most games?
At the time of this writing games available for PS5 and Xbox Series X, there are very few, but that doesn’t mean we can’t play the new console right away! If we have never had consoles before or have skipped the previous generation of consoles you will be pleased to know that both support PS4 games and Xbox on games and, so you can immediately play the most famous titles or games that have made the history of video games in recent years.
Below we have collected all the search links for native games and backward compatibility games, so you can immediately choose what to play (pending the arrival of exclusive titles for the new consoles).
- Sony PlayStation 5 games
- Microsoft Xbox Series X games
- Sony PlayStation 4 games
- Xbox One games
Monitor all the links posted above and immediately choose which games to buy. If we want to play online or want to download the games given away every month by Sony and Microsoft, we will have to buy the pass for PlayStation Plus (12 months included) and the Xbox Game Pass (3 months included).
Which one looks best on TV?
Both consoles are capable of generating modern and ultra-detailed graphics, but to be able to enjoy it we must at least have at least one in the living room Smart TV with 4K UHD support, support to Technologies HDR 60Hz refresh rate.
If we do not have a TV with these characteristics, the consoles will still run and adapt to lower resolutions (1080p but also 720p) and without starting one of the technologies mentioned above. If we want to buy a new TV suitable for PS5 and Xbox Series X and not give up any visual detail of the new games, we recommend that you focus decisively on LG OLED TV AI ThinQ OLED65BX6LB, available on Amazon for less than 2000 €.
What is the fastest to launch games?
Both consoles have switched to the SSD technology as an internal storage unit: the games will then start very quickly and without too many loads (in fact they are reset in most cases).
Following the specifications communicated by both companies, PS5 should be faster in the uploads and installation of games, since it guarantees up to 5.5 GB / s of RAW data transfer speed (against the 4GB / s of Xbox Series X). Obviously, we are talking about differences not perceptible to the human eye, so we can safely say that both consoles are very fast to start games (for example Xbox Series X also has a special sleep mode that freezes the games and allows you to reopen them quickly without having to wait. new uploads).
Which is the quietest?
From this point of view, both consoles boast a silence higher than that of the previous generation consoles: on PS5 we are on average 35-40dB, while on Xbox Series X we are on average 35dB.
These values allow you to play quietly in the living room without experiencing any annoying sound or the noise of the fan that starts like a missile during the most intense gaming sessions! The only really loud part of the consoles is the optical player: when we install a game from the disc we will hear the player running at maximum, as well as when we insert it to start the game again (usually when starting the game after installation the hum of the player lasts a few minutes).
Who has the best controller?
From this point of view, all opinions are in agreement: all the newspapers have appreciated and continue to praise the new DualSense from Sony, designed specifically for PS5 (but also usable on PC).
Thanks to the adaptive triggers, the new generation vibration (which changes intensity and direction in real-time), the included speaker, and the microphone, the controller really brings a breath of fresh air to the gaming controller, making it also one of the longest-lived. in terms of autonomy (at least 8-9 hours of continuous play). The Xbox Series X controller is an evolution of the Xbox One controller, where it improves what needs to be improved without removing one of the biggest flaws: it runs on batteries (points of view, but the PS5 one has a built-in battery).
Conclusions
Summing up on both consoles we can say that the challenge ends in substantial balance: the characteristics we have analyzed lead both consoles to be practically on the same level, the only noteworthy differences are the noise values (where Xbox Series wins. X) and the new controllers (where PS5 wins for the innovations introduced). In the end, as always, games will make the difference: whoever boasts the most engaging games or the most sought-after games by users (casual, loyal, and pro) will really win the challenge.
If we want to buy the two consoles, we will hardly be able to rely on Amazon because, for months, both Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X seem unobtainable. You will probably have better luck in shopping malls and specialized online stores such as Mediaworld or Unieuro.
On Amazon, however, it can be found for sale Xbox Series S, cheaper than the Series X, albeit a little less powerful (less RAM and lower resolution). The X Series games are also compatible with the Xbox Series S, only the S Series is digital only, so the games can only be downloaded from the Microsoft store.
If you want to focus on gaming PCs, we recommend that you read our article Most Powerful PC Ever – Better Hardware Parts Today.