Digital Culture
An Emerging Battle of Consoles: PS5 vs. Xbox Series X
Like phone users have always debated Android vs. iOS, gamers will always compare Sony’s PlayStation with Microsoft’s Xbox. No matter how much Microsoft and Sony downplay the competition between these two consoles, the truth is that they’re competing for the same audience. Now that both companies have released their next-generation consoles (the PS5 and Xbox Series X), the debate of which one is better has been the talk on social media and different other platforms for the past few weeks.
Today, we will compare these two consoles to determine which one beats the other in the different aspects that most gamers care about. We shall also look at how and where you can get these consoles today since the stock of both is currently limited due to the overwhelming demand in the first few days after they were released. Let’s dive in.
PS5 vs. Xbox Series X – specs, price, and exclusive games
| Features | PS5 | Xbox Series X |
| Price | $500 | $500 |
| CPU | 3.5GHz AMD Zen 2 with 8 cores | 3.8GHZ AMD Zen with 8 cores |
| RAM | 16GB DDR6 | 16GB DDR6 |
| GPU | 10.3 teraflop AMD RDNA2 | 12.0 teraflop AMD RDNA2 |
| Storage | 825GB custom SSD | 1TB custom NVMe SSD |
| Resolution | Supports up to 8K | Supports up to 8K |
| Frame rate | Up to 120 frames per second | Up to 120 frames per second |
| Optical disk drive | 4K ultra blu-ray | 4K ultra blu-ray |
| Exclusive games | Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon II: Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7 | Halo Infinite, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Forza Motorsport 8, State of Decay 3 |
From the technical point of view, it is evident that both consoles have high-end features, but the Xbox Series X has a slight edge, especially when it comes to the storage (size and speed), CPU, and GPU. However, the specs don’t always tell the whole story.
The differentiating factors will always be on how well the game developers will optimize their games to take advantage of these consoles’ hardware. But, based on the previous generations, PlayStation games have always been more optimized than those on the Xbox. The PS5 also came with a much more superior controller with next-gen haptic feedback that makes gaming much more real. The Xbox controller is also great, but PS5’s is better in almost all aspects.
When it comes to price, both the Xbox Series X and the standard PS5 cost $500. However, their lower-end versions, the Xbox Series X and the PS5 digital-only cost $300 and $400 respectively. So, if you don’t have a big budget, you may consider any of the two budget models.
Both consoles went on sale in November this year (2020), and within a couple of days, they were already out of stock due to the overwhelming demand beyond the supply. The PS5 will be available again on Amazon from the 14th of Dec, so make sure you keep checking if you don’t want to miss out. The Xbox Series X and S are in stock again on Amazon, and you can get yourself one at the moment.
The PS5 and the Xbox Series X both are consoles that will last a couple of years before their hardware gets outdated. Your choice between the two should entirely depend on which one you are more comfortable with in terms of their operating systems, exclusive games, controller design, features, and maybe the consoles themselves’ exterior design.