Two console giants, one goal: offer the best gaming experience
ust as there was a rivalry between Nintendo and SEGA in the 90s, nowadays some fans (still) argue about which console is better: Sony’s Playstation or Microsoft’s Xbox. Both consoles are real entertainment experts – with slightly different approaches, but the same goal.
First of all, the similarities: Both consoles offer great games, are super fast, especially in terms of loading times, offer enormous computing power for fantastic graphics performance, excellent online features and great controllers. Both current flagship consoles, the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, are currently very hard to get hold of in stores and both cost around 500 Euros. There are “slimmed down” versions of both consoles: the PS5 Digital Edition (without disc drive, costs around 400 Euros) and the Xbox Series S (less power, also without disc drive, costs around 300 Euros).
The differences are a bit more subtle: Sony relies on many of its own game franchises for the PlayStation brand and especially regularly promotes innovative game concepts that are (largely) exclusive to PlayStation consoles, including the older PS4. This offers fans a greater variety of games that are not available on the Xbox. Microsoft, on the other hand, takes a different approach: Its own franchises are rather limited, new games are promoted less, but its own games service Xbox Game Pass provides an enormous variety. The subscription service is similar to Netflix with monthly fixed costs and always offers over a hundred games, which are always partially exchanged. Microsoft’s own games appear on the Game Pass on the first day and are thus immediately available at no extra charge. Sony is also said to be working on a similar subscription model, which will probably be presented next year.
The conclusion: There is no better console, only different preferences. Those who prefer the many excellent and celebrated AAA and indie games from Sony are better served with the PlayStation. If you prefer a huge selection of games in general and don’t mind spending 10 to 15 Euros per month for Game Pass, Microsoft is the right choice. Fact is, both consoles offer huge game entertainment value. And don’t forget: Nintendo is also still in the game!