PS5 vs. Xbox Series X: the ultimate comparison
PS5 vs. Xbox Series X: the ultimate comparison
15:36

PS5 vs. Xbox Series X: the ultimate comparison

Gaming Hardware
Well, everyone we made it. Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 have arrived, they're on sale and if you're really, really lucky, you might have even been able to actually find one of these. But if you're still on the fence like a lot of the people I know, for you, I wanted to make one last video that will at the very least compare these two next gen consoles in a way that's going to lay it all out and most importantly, help you figure out just what you should do, or at the very least, give you a new perspective as we march forward into next gen. [MUSIC] Now that all the embargoes are lifted an there's nothing I can't discuss, let's put Xbox Series X and PS5 head to head one more time. [MUSIC] So, let's hit design first. I mean, could these things look anymore dissimilar? PS5's outer design has been, well, let's just call it divisive to say the least. Some people hate it, some people love it, it's still really hasn't grown on me. Standing vertically, it's super tall, almost inconveniently so and it's included stand is helpful, but on its side, it makes the whole thing feel a little precarious. Series X is a bulky brick, but it's much easier to manage. And then of course, there's the Series S, just freaking adorable. I mean, can we all just stop for a second and agree that that console is just cute as hell? Cuz it is. It basically fit anywhere you want it, so you never have to worry about the size of that thing. But ultimately, who cares, right? I mean, no one buying a console for its looks, and neither should you. Both the Series X and PS5 are borderline whisper quiet in their operation, and in that regard, these are both super impressive. Heat wise, there's really nothing I've seen that has me overly concerned, so don't worry about that. Around back, there's no real surprises here, the consoles are basically identical. They've each got two USB ports, an HDMI out, and an ethernet Jack. That's different. Here is the Xbox's expansion storage slot. This brings us to the controllers and look, there's not a lot to talk about with the new Xbox controller because it's the same controller for the most part, and that's good because the Xbox One controller is great, and adding that dedicated share button was a huge improvement. Beyond that, there's really nothing to complain about. The grips are more textured and the D Pad has gotten a refresh that makes it more clicky than you might be used to, but all in all, it's mostly a lateral move. Though, there still no built in rechargeable battery, which you may or may not like. I do think this one does fit slightly better in my hands, but the ergonomics of Xbox controllers has always been really solid for me. Now, the dual sense controller is brand new, and in addition to a complete design overall, it's gotten an improved battery, and most notably, the addition of precision haptic feedback, specifically locational vibration and adaptive triggers, which put together does change the overall experience, and in my opinion, for the better. It's gonna depend on developers here, but when implemented effectively, it's something I really started to enjoy. Coming to the point where I miss it when I'm playing a game that doesn't have it, you're just going to have to see it for yourself on this one. Do yourself a favor, check out the video I made a few weeks ago that explains how it all works. I also think the dual senses onboard mic is a big deal, maybe something we're not talking about enough. One, because typing with your controller is terrible, and voice to text solves that. And two, because it let's you chat in a pinch. Of course, it's not my go to way to communicate, but having that as an option is great. You can even hear your friends coming out of the little on board speaker as well. [MUSIC] Let's shift over to the UIs. This category is a bit of a mixed bag here because as much as I do not love the Xbox's interface, in my opinion, Sony really missed an opportunity to take its experience to the next level. The new PS5 UI is reenvisioned, it's sleek but functionality wise, there are some questionable placement decisions that made me start to miss some of the accessibility of the PS4s There's also a party and friends system that has been implemented that I just think needs bit of tweaking and I'm really hoping it get considered for that down the road. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the new activity cards that come up when you hit the dual sense's PlayStation button, while objective trackers and gameplayings are really interesting ideas, it's overcrowded and it just feels unorganized. I think it could really use some refinement. And even though the new Xbox's UI is essentially unchanged from last gen. Its presentation is familiar enough, and now lightning quick. I'll put it this way. Neither of these UI's hit it out of the park, and I'm really looking forward to their evolution, because they will change. Speaking of evolution, games are getting large, and I think you're gonna find that the included storage on both of these consoles doesn't quite cut it. Series X will afford you a bit more to work with out of the box, but I've already filled up my PS5 storage, and adding an internal NAND won't be a thing until Sony releases a list of approved drives. With Xbox, you have the option to purchase a $220 1 TB expansion card, but that's pricey, and odds are, you'll wanna replace that with a larger card one day as well. And just to be clear, any USB drive attached to these consoles can only play legacy games. They won't work with Series X optimized software, or PS5 games. That's just how it's gonna work with these high speed data transfer requirements. [MUSIC] Now, I know you've heard me say this before, but it's clear, now more than ever, that Sony and Microsoft had never been further apart when it comes to their business model ideologies for next gen consoles. Look at it like this. On one hand, you have the PS5, a traditional generational console, one that will have exclusive games made only for this platform moving forward. Now, that's the model right there. If you wanna play the next God of War, you gotta do it on PS5. Ratchet & clank. Whatever Naughty Dog does next, the future Spiderman games. The list goes on, and that's only gonna happen exclusively on PS5. On the other hand, there's Xbox Series X and S, and arguably more importantly, Game Pass. That's the platform subscription service that stretches across all Xbox hardware, and PC, with the top tier of the service, called Game Pass Ultimate. Game Pass gives you access to an impressive library of games, and also ensures day one Xbox Game Studios titles when they premier. It also just added EA service, called EA Play, and you're likely to see Bethesda Games join this list as well, because Microsoft bought that entire publisher. The exclusivity conversation is definitely starting to get much more competitive, even before that massive acquisition announcement. Microsoft has been buying up serious development talent for years now, and those investments are going to start to bear fruit very soon. And all of those exclusives are under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella, and they will hit Game Pass on day one. It's a compelling value proposition without a doubt, and when you pair that with something like a super affordable Xbox Series S, the deal is even sweeter. And while we're on the subject, the start of this new console generation might be the first where one company doesn't necessarily care if you buy their hardware. Because, sure, they're selling consoles, but Game Pass is their real product. So, even if you have a solid gaming PC, and that's primarily how you play, it probably makes sense to get a Game Pass Ultimate subscription if you're interested in playing these Microsoft published games right away. It shouldn't go without mentioning, that Sony's addition of its PlayStation Plus Collection is a direct response to the success Microsoft has found with Game Pass. It's included with the cost of a PlayStation Plus subscription, and offers PS5 owners around 20 classic PS4 games to download and play right away. Now, as solid as this lineup is, it definitely falls short of the sheer amount of content that Game Pass offers. But it does give us some insight into the company's thinking, or at least the acknowledgement that gaming as a service could be a viable endeavour. Don't forget also, that Sony has said some console exclusives will eventually make their way to PC, most notably to have done so already is Horizon Zero Dawn, which is something no one ever thought would happen. Just another detail to keep in mind. There's also some bonus stuff that's worth mentioning too. A Game Pass Ultimate subscription gets you Xbox Cloud Gaming for a handful of titles, which will let you play games on an Android tablet or phone. Sony's PS Now, which offers the same kind of game streaming, though with older legacy titles, never really found momentum. It's still available on PS5, but it also costs $10 a month. So, is that what this all comes down to? Is it just, PS5's ecosystem, its exclusives versus Xbox's Game Pass? I mean, in a way, yes, it is that. Of course, third party games are still a thing, for now. And, we're still going to have to wait and see how well these consoles perform with games Games that are optimised for next gen. Right, now the only game I've that's optimised for both platforms is Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition both consoles have no issues running the game and they can both be played in 120 Hz mode. Side by side it's tough to see a substantial difference in their visuals. If there's going to be one multiplatform game that shows One console strength over the other. DMC five is not gonna be it. But unfortunately it's all I really have to compare right now. It's also gonna be a while before we start to see exclusives look their absolute best as well. We don't even have that available to us right now on series x. And the list of ps4 exclusives is short for my ps4 review last week, I only really had Miles Morales to look at. But sackboy a big adventure and the Demon Souls remake will also be available in launch. It turns out backwards compatible games are going to make up the bulk of your library out of the gate and both platforms do a really good job at preserving last gen titles. Just the way you remember them, if not making them perform even better, sometimes impressively. So Microsoft has turned curated backwards compatibility into a feature bullet point, known as smart delivery, which promises to serve you the best possible version of a game, regardless of where you play it. A handful of Xbox games have also been optimized for series x and s take years five for example, the game looks and runs really well after its latest patch. Some legacy Xbox games will also benefit from the addition of HDR. And support for higher frame rates, including Ori and the will of the wisps, that now has a mode that runs in 4k 120 and 6k 60. Surprisingly enough PS5's backwards compatibility, which Sony had not spent nearly the time Microsoft did pitching it does net substantial gains in fidelity and performance as well. When this sort of gain boost kicks in. You're likely to see higher frame rates. Though it's not guaranteed to impact every game. Some legacy PS4 games will see patches released for their playing on PS5. Like for instance, ghosts of Tsushima, which the games developers have said will improve load times as well as frame rates. What I'm seeing though across both consoles is that Sony and Microsoft absolutely prioritized backwards compatibility, and it seems like no matter which console you play, older games on your going to be well served, and I guess that's what leads us into what makes these consoles feel. Next gen and I scoff at that label just like you probably do, because it's so overplayed, but it's totally reasonable to want these new game machines to feel new. And yes, each console does have support for 4k at 120 Hertz and even eight K output one day. Keeping in mind, you're going to need a display that can handle these modes. I've been using an LG cx for my testing with both new consoles and Nvidia's new GPU. Xbox series x boasts quick resume, which will let you suspend around four to six games at a time and swap back and forth between them in a matter of seconds. You know, it's interesting because I was really impressed with this tech when I first started using an Xbox series x. But then I loaded up Spider Man Miles Morales in a matter of seconds as well on a PS five. And yes quick resume still feels impressive because of the multiple games being juggled and But if games are going to load as fast as Miles Morales, what's the point? I refuse to let you go. Before mentioning the PC side of things here with a decent PC plus game pass ultimate. You've essentially made your own Xbox. That can play all the day one Xbox Game Studios titles, you'd be able to on a console. There's some incongruencies with the other games included in the subscription, but for the most part, they're on par and with the new impressive and affordable GPUs from AMD and Nvidia The appeal of paring a PC with a PS 5 should not be overlooked. Yes it is significantly more money as in the initial investment here, but with something like an RT X 3070 of 3080 you are already well ahead of what these councils can handle. That's the more expensive side of the coin though. On the other hand, And you can't go wrong with the absolutely incredible value that Xbox Series S offers. While it can output 4k at just $300 you do get your foot in the door for game pass and a lot of the features next-gen Xbox's have to offer. Okay, look I'll be honest, is this the final say in Xbox versus PlayStation? Of course not. How could it be? these consoles are going to change as we. Get way deeper into their life cycles and that's a guarantee. And with that evolution, there might come better reasons to own one over the other an look you're not going to want to hear this, but at this point I'm still not even sure either of these new consoles is a day one purchase for me. Even with the reviews in an these machines out in the wild, there's still a lot we have to learn. So if you're able to stay patient, there's no harm in waiting. Don't forget 99% of the major games left to play in 2020. Will be playable on a PS4 or Xbox One.

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