November is almost upon us and the next generation of consoles is coming soon. This is an exciting time for gamers, but a combination of more console options than ever before and an unprecedented pandemic can make it difficult to decide which one to buy. If you’re still undecided, here’s some information that might help.   

So, what are your options? Nintendo has yet to announce a next-generation gaming console, so that leaves Sony and Microsoft. Both companies are releasing two consoles, a flagship, and a budget model. Respectively, these are the PS5 and PS5 Digital; and the XBOX Series X and XBOX Series S. Confused as to what makes them different? That’s ok, because there’s a good option for most people.   

So why get a new game console in the first place? Isn’t the one you already have good enough?  I’m glad you asked.  There will still be some new games coming to them for a couple of years. The next generation of gaming consoles is significantly more powerful than the current generation and offers an array of quality-of-life improvements. Both support resolutions and framerates up to 4x the current generation, making for sharper images and smoother, more responsive gameplay. They also feature dramatically faster load-times, run quieter and cooler, and support new features such as Ray-Tracing, which improves image quality by realistically simulating the path of rays of light. This generation offers some of the biggest improvements ever, so if you can afford it, it’s well worth the asking price.   

Many of you are probably wondering which console is the best. The answer is, it depends. Which console you get will depend on your personal preference and budget. Both flagship consoles are priced at $500. These are the consoles most gamers will buy. While they do contain minor differences in specs, both are running on the same core technology, just put together in different ways. While there are not system benchmarks available yet to decide which if any is more powerful, you can expect similar if not identical performance from both. So before making a purchase, you’ll have to decide if you prefer XBOX exclusive games or Playstation exclusive games. This is the biggest difference between the two. I should also note that if you already own a mid-range or better gaming PC, all future XBOX titles will be available on there as well.   

What if $500 is too much for you right now? Luckily, both consoles have a budget option. The PS5 digital is completely identical to the standard PS5 with the exception it has no UHD Blu-Ray Drive. This means you’ll have to buy all games and movies digitally. It is priced at $100 less than the flagship model, at $400. As for XBOX, you have the Series S. Priced at an even cheaper point of $300, things are a bit different. Like the PS5 digital, it has no UHD Blu-Ray Drive. Additionally, it has weaker hardware than the Series X, and can only play games up to a resolution of 1440p, instead of 4K. It still supports new features like Ray-Tracing and faster load times, though. The biggest disadvantage of the budget consoles is you cannot purchase used games and you can’t sell yours once you’re done. In this category, we see a clear winner. The XBOX Series S is a full $200 cheaper than its flagship sibling, and XBOX’s Game Pass Service gives you unlimited access to a large selection of titles for a nominal fee. Unlike PS5, it can also be financed for $25 a month from some retailers.   

Hopefully, by now you have a better idea of what the next generation of gaming consoles has to offer. If you want to go all out and get one of the flagship models, either the PS5 or XBOX Series X will offer a quality experience. As for the budget options, it’s difficult to recommend the PS5 Digital, but the XBOX Series S offers big savings alongside improvements over the current generation of gaming. And of course, if you’re not quite ready to part ways with your current console, new titles will still be coming to them for at least another year or two. 

Written by: Parker Chojonowski | Instagram

Art by: Yanni Spanolios | Instagram