You need both the PS5 and Xbox Series X — here's why

Y'all need both the PS5 and Xbox Serial X — hither's why

(Epitome credit: Tom'south Guide)

Information technology'south been nearly v months since the PS5 and Xbox Serial X debuted and, inside mere moments, became extremely hard to buy. Just in spite of supply chain woes, arguments withal rage whether you should buy Sony or Microsoft's console.

My colleague Tom Prichard managed to snag an Xbox Series X, but has found he uses information technology only for watching 4K Blu-rays, given the lack of new exclusive games. On the other manus, gaming guru Marshall Honorof has noted that he tends to apply his Xbox Serial X more than his PS5. Well, I'thou here to say scrap the "versus" augment. Fifty-fifty though I've previously been a vocal proponent of waiting to buy a new games console, yous should get both, if yous tin.

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I'm in the disgustingly lucky position of having both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. (Don't worry. I paid the tech journalist equivalent of the Iron Price for them, by working myself into the ground to write masses of pre- and postal service-launch coverage.)

While I experience the console war narrative is rote and irrelevant, occasionally I've found myself wondering which system I'd grab if my flat apartment was on burn — afterward I got hold of my fantastic Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones, at to the lowest degree. The Xbox Series X is lighter, only the gargantuan PS5 would serve as a practiced makeshift shelter.

In truth, I tin can't really make a decision, as I utilise both consoles almost equally. For the outset time in about a generation-and-a-half, information technology's worth having both a Sony and a Microsoft panel.

Xbox Serial X marks the spot

Xbox Series X console — (Prototype credit: Phil Barker/Futurity Publishing via Getty Images)

It would be easy to dismiss the Xbox Series Ten every bit merely a graphical upgrade to the Xbox One, or more pertinently, the Xbox One 10. But it's a lot more than that.

Granted, the Xbox controller hasn't changed much, and a lot of games are still available on Xbox One consoles. But the Serial X is simply the best identify to play Xbox games from across the generations. Comprehensive backwards compatibility and Machine HDR give older games a fresh await, and help to polish out performance problems. Optimized Xbox One-era games are an utter joy to play at 4K resolution and 60 frames per 2d, or higher.

The Series X came into its own for me with Xbox Game Pass getting e'er more expansive, with the inclusion of more than EA games and Bethesda titles. I've found myself playing games I'd unremarkably dismiss. Game Pass and the speedy SSD of the Serial Ten get in like shooting fish in a barrel to bounce betwixt games on the wing. I can dip into Forza 4 Horizon for a bit of irresponsible driving around a condensed United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, then switch to the tight shooting galleries of Gears 5 or Halo: The Master Chief Collection in but a handful of seconds.

And when my boyfriend Xbox Series X owner Nathan Spendelow pops online, I can bounce from those games into some co-op multiplayer, and badger the life out of him by forging my ain path in Sniper Elite 4. Using Quick Resume for this, a function the PS5 simply doesn't have, is an utter joy, and is a quietly transformative gaming experience.

PS5: A new gaming experience

As for the PS5, that'due south my console for engaging games and first-party exclusives. While I'k not 100% convinced by the DualSense controller, the more I employ it, the more I similar it. And more than games are starting to tap into the controller'south advanced haptics, to the extent that it feels properly innovative to use, even if it'south a fiddling jarring at times.

The PS5's interface, while far from perfect, feels fresh in comparison to the Xbox Series 10's UI, which is just a small evolution over the Xbox Ane'south. Sony'southward console design may be divisive at best, just I like the way it lights up, and it's besides super quiet.

Mix all that with more compelling exclusive games similar the remastered Demon'due south Souls — a game I demand to prepare for with a strong drink at hand, and a can-do mental attitude — and the PS5 feels similar a special-occasion games console. Heck, fifty-fifty playing the PS4-era The Last of Us Remastered on the PS5 feels special, with lightning fast loading and the DualSense's built-in mic making a satisfying click every time I turn the Joel/Ellie's flashlight on or off. Oh, and the patched God Of War feels superb on the PS5.

In short, the PS5 and Xbox Serial X both offer different and equally compelling gaming experiences. With more than sectional games on the horizon for both consoles, such as Fable iv, Horizon Forbidden West and Deathloop, the systems tin can only become improve.

Obviously, the major hurdle is tracking downwards a PS5 restock or finding where to purchase the Xbox Serial 10. Just if you go lucky with one, don't dismiss the other.

More: PS5 vs. Xbox Series 10: How the consoles stack up

Roland Moore-Colyer is U.K. Editor at Tom'southward Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he'due south also got an involvement in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be constitute wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.