Let’s dive in-depth and help you decide which works best for you! Disclaimer: The prices for the consoles may vary from the base price due to availability issues. You’re more likely to find the consoles at higher prices (in some cases, bundled with accessories).
1. Microsoft Xbox Series X: Best for Windows users
CPU: Custom 8-core AMD Zen 2 @ 3.8Ghz GPU: Custom AMD RDNA 2 GPU 52 CUs @ 1.825Ghz Storage: 1 TB SSD RAM: 16GB GDDR6 Optical drive: 4K UHD Blu-Ray
Microsoft and Sony have been at war over the title of “Best Gaming Console” for a fair amount of time now. More often than not, Sony has been edging out Microsoft through its PlayStation deliverables. Moreover, Sony’s partnership with numerous brands and companies gives it an upper hand for game exclusivity. With the new generation of gaming consoles, Microsoft plans to change the narrative. Microsoft catching up to Sony? In the previous generation of consoles, Microsoft tried its best to make a dent in PlayStation’s supremacy. They offered a towering Xbox One to compete against the PlayStation 4. However, Microsoft suffered in sales and popularity due to its limited game library and overall experience against PlayStation 4. The Xbox Series X is Microsoft’s entry for the best gaming console in the market today. It’s the beefier sibling of the more affordable Xbox Series S and comes with a range of enhancements. While most consoles released from the same parent company tend to have minor differences in specs and prices, the differences between the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are significant. They offer a substantial change in both specifications and prices. Specifications With this console, Microsoft aims to bring 60FPS gaming at 4K resolutions. Considering this, they’ve set up a beefy rig in the Xbox Series X. Microsoft partnered with AMD to include an 8-core processor that has a maximum clock speed of 3.8GHz, and it’s paired with 16GB of RAM. There’s expandable storage of up to 1TB and an output of HDMI 2.1 If you like buying physical copies of games, you’re in luck. The console has a 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray drive for the latest games. It also supports Dolby Atmos. Moreover, if you like to turn on the latest bells and whistles for graphical games, you’ll find absolutely no issues with the ray-tracing support. Now, what if you want to play older Xbox games on new hardware? Well, Microsoft stated that the Xbox Series X is backward compatible with a huge number of older games for the Xbox One. Since the new console uses a solid-state drive instead of the usual HDD, you can load these games a lot faster. This helps you switch between games quickly, too – a feature that Microsoft calls the Quick Resume. Now, the difference between the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X lies in the graphical department. Microsoft has managed to beat Sony in this department. The Xbox Series X claims a whopping 12.15 teraflops, while the Sony PlayStation 5 can manage 10.28 teraflops. While this isn’t a complete comparison, in theory, the Microsoft Xbox Series X should be able to push the graphical boundaries slightly farther than its competitor. Xbox launch titles In the games available on the consoles, you will get the major AAA games released through the next few years. However, you will have to miss out on the PlayStation 5 exclusive titles. This is an issue that Microsoft will have to address in the future. Verdict All in all, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X is a good video game console if you don’t care much about Sony’s exclusive games. Moreover, the lack of PlayStation 5 availability today might increase the sales of Xbox Series X priced at $499. It is a worthy upgrade if you want to enter the ecosystem. If you have an Xbox One X, though, I’d recommend you to hold off until the next Xbox generation (or version), as the expenditure for upgrading to Xbox Series X won’t be justified. Pros
Powerful CPU Backward compatibility for older Xbox games Impressive 1TB storage
Cons
Bland design Launch titles aren’t as good as PS5 Pricing could be more competitive
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2. Microsoft Xbox Series S: Most affordable option
CPU: Custom AMD Zen 2 CPU @ 3.6Ghz GPU: Custom AMD RDNA 2 GPU 20 CUs @ 1.565Ghz Storage: 512GB SSD RAM: 10GB GDDR6 Optical drive: None (Digital download only)
The Microsoft Xbox Series S doesn’t have a PlayStation 5 equivalent, and this is its biggest advantage. In comparison to the Xbox Series X, there’s a lot left to be desired. Nonetheless, you can’t expect too much from a console that costs almost $200 less, right? This console is affordable, portable, and won’t cost you an arm or leg. Technicalities While Microsoft cut corners with the specs considering its budget, the Xbox Series S has a reasonably powerful spec sheet. If ray-traced games at 1080p and 1440p are good enough for you, the Xbox Series S can be your choice of console. Compared to its sibling, the Xbox Series S isn’t too far behind. It won’t provide you with the Blu-Ray drive, but you can download digital-only games from the Microsoft Store. There’s a 512GB internal HDD available too. While it may not be much, it can store a few of the AAA games together. Microsoft has decreased the RAM inside the console, with a 10GB memory instead of the 16GB available in Series X. Despite the minimal size, the console does well in cooling. There isn’t too much issue with the console getting too loud after being used for a substantial period. You will miss the extra graphical power that Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 provide, though, as the Xbox Series S can only muster 4 teraflops of graphical power. It is still enough for the latest games to run at a crisp 1080p or 1440p resolution. However, you may face issues if you try to upscale the 1440p to a 4K resolution. The rest of the features, such as Quick Resume and backward compatibility, are still available on the Xbox Series S, but you will have to make a compromise in performance. Xbox Series S over PlayStation 5? While the Xbox Series S dominates in the price range (due to a lack of competition), it’s still bogged down by the lack of a huge number of exclusive AAA games. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a budget gaming console, this is a great choice. While it comes down to preference and budget, Xbox owners will find solace in the fact that Microsoft has announced its Project xCloud for entry into the cloud gaming ecosystem. Compared to PlayStation Now (which allows only older PlayStation games to be streamed and played), Project xCloud is slated to bring the latest games to its streaming service. A silver lining! Verdict I would definitely put this as one of the best gaming consoles for beginners, especially if you don’t have the budget to buy the flagship consoles of today’s generation. Disclaimer: The product is out of stock Pros
Competitive pricing Game Passes makes it economical Good performance even without 4K
Cons
Low storage Most games are at 1080p No exciting launch titles
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3. Nintendo Switch: Portability master
CPU: ARM 4 Cortex-A57 @ 1.02Ghz GPU: 256 Maxwell-based CUDA cores @ 307.2 – 768Mhz Storage: 64GB RAM: 4GB LPDDR4 Optical drive: None
Nintendo Switch was Nintendo’s reply to the world after the lukewarm reception of its previous console. The move worked, as the Nintendo Switch became Nintendo’s second-highest selling console. There are multiple reasons as to why the Switch has worked so well for Nintendo. Nintendo vs. the world When the Nintendo Switch was released, the newer generation consoles (including the similarly priced Xbox Series S) weren’t released. Its main competition remained with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The price of the Nintendo Switch was comfortably far off from the flagship consoles, thereby creating its very own segment in video game consoles. Apart from the price, the other major advantage of the Nintendo Switch is its hybrid nature. While you can connect the Switch to the TV and use it as you would a regular console. Besides, you can also use it as a handheld console. This dramatically increases the portability factor. While you can’t get all major AAA games on the Switch (due to the lack of processing power), there are many Switch-specific games released by Nintendo that are worth the buy. “Switch”ing gears? The lack of processing power comes from its hybrid design, and while you can enjoy the benefit of taking a good console around the world, you will be limited by the gaming library. This also means that while many games are trying to push the boundaries of graphical fidelity and realism, the Switch will miss out on some of these as the years go by. In specs, there’s no comparison to the newer consoles. Nintendo Switch is limited in internals due to its design and philosophy of functionality. In fact, stating the specs compared to the newer consoles feels like I’m putting out the specs for a recently released smartphone. However, attaching it to a TV will give you a better feel for the console. Just don’t expect AAA games to run flawlessly on this console if they are available or work on the Switch at all. Verdict Nintendo has its very own niche in gaming. It’s given us some of the best game franchises (such as Legend of Zelda and Mario), and the gaming consoles provided by Nintendo are optimized for their games. If you’re a Nintendo fan, you have to buy the Switch. As a casual gamer, you can look at the Nintendo Switch for some great games exclusive to the console. If you’re a hardcore gamer, I wouldn’t recommend it. You’d be sorely disappointed due to the lack of AAA games, and if portability isn’t what you’re after, the money spent on this console would be a complete waste. Pros
Hybrid design provides many options Ergonomic for a handheld console Games load in a jiffy
Cons
Display has an issue with glare Disappointing battery life Joy-Con lags sometimes
That’s it! This wraps up my list of the best gaming consoles! As you can see, I have covered consoles from almost every price range to fit different budgets and preferences. Which one are you planning to buy? Share in the comments below! Read more:
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