THE FUTURE OF GAMING
Video game consoles have taken another leap forward, as the once dubbed “Next-Gen” consoles are now a reality.
Video game consoles have taken another leap forward, as the once dubbed “Next-Gen” consoles
are now a reality. Sony is back with the PlayStation 5, while Microsoft has returned with their Xbox Series X, respectively. The release of both consoles has thus reignited the console wars conversation again. On paper, you have two amazing consoles packing plenty of power to fire up some of the best games yet to ever grace a console. Whether you’re a PS5 fan, or an Xbox Series X fan, both consoles will deliver and bring excitement into the homes of gamers all over again.
Before we get to talking about these new consoles, lets dive back and see just how far these two rival gaming brands have come. No surprise here, Sony has been in the video game console industry way before Microsoft unveiled their first ever Xbox. Released in Japan in December 1994 and in North America in September 1995, the PlayStation, or PS1, entered the console battle against the likes of Nintendo and Sega. Contending against these two established console brands was no easy task, but the PS1 held its own and developed a strong fan base. PlayStation brought gaming to a whole new level and has been a classic ever since. Fast-forward to now, Sony is packing heat with their PS5. Continuously delivering new gaming innovations with every generation they’ve produced.
Microsoft released their first system, Xbox, in 2001. Going up against the heavily favored PS2, which was pretty much responsible for discontinuing the Sega Dreamcast, the team at Microsoft wanted to prove that their Xbox was no slouch. The console itself was huge, it was literally a box with an “X” on top of it. Go figure. Due to it being a Microsoft product, it was built as if it were a computer meant strictly for gaming only. In fact, it was the first video game console to feature a built-in hard disk drive used to store game saves. Straying away from the memory card concept that Sony PlayStation used for their first two consoles. The Xbox was widely successful and brought some of the most popular games today, like Halo.
Both companies have come a long way, and the question of whether video game consoles would be obsolete in the future remains only a speculation as Microsoft and Sony are showing they can still innovate. Even during the pandemic, the Xbox Series X and PS5 were still able to release and generate an enormous amount of hype with both consoles proving very difficult to pre-order and purchase on launch day.
Sony and Microsoft provide two different versions of their latest consoles: disc based, and digital. The digital versions are cheaper than disc based, as they do not have a disc drive. With that being said, all video games must be downloaded directly through their respective marketplaces. So, if you like the idea of storing your video games digitally, the digital consoles are for you.
Looking at the specs sheet, the Xbox Series X and PS5 are nearly identical. Both has a resolution of up to 8k and a frame rate up to 120fps. Ram is completely the same, with both packing 16 GB GDDR6. Their differences lie within the GPU and CPU, however not by much. The Xbox Series X GPU has 12.0 teraflop AMD RDNA 2, while the PS5 has the 10.3 version. As far as the CPU, the Microsoft product has an 8-core 3.8 GHz AMD Zen 2, and the PS5 is packed with an 8-core 3.5 GHz AMD Zen 2.
The Future of gaming is bright, and it looks to remain that way. With people still trying to get their hands on one of these consoles, it’s no question that Sony and Microsoft are here to stay. The demand for either machine is so high, that resellers are selling each console for just a little over $1,000. But take it from us: be patient and do not shell out that much money for a PS5 or Xbox Series X. These are not limited consoles and will be widely available after the holidays.
So, which console should you get? Well, you can’t go wrong with either one really. Both are exceptional machines and will deliver every time you power it up. It all comes down to your preference, or maybe the exclusive games each console will get. We love both personally, and it is hard for us to find a reason to like one more than the other. If you’re an avid gamer, or even just a casual, we feel you will be very satisfied with no matter which of the two consoles you pick.
