Which next gen console should I get?

The Game Room
1

All right, it’s new console time. Now, I haven’t pre-ordered anything so I have a loooong time to make a decision, but I thought I may as well get some input from you guys.

Some info about me. My first console was the original Xbox, then I got the Xbox 360. Once the PS4 and Xbone came along, I decided that Microsoft were heading in the wrong direction (console as a home entertainment device rather than purely gaming) and got a PS4.

I like FPS games but don’t always find them compelling enough to finish (I played Ghost Recon Wildlands to the end that wasn’t an end but didn’t continue playing afterwards). I finished most of the COD games, loved Halo 1, didn’t finish Halo 2 or 3 and haven’t played any Halos since. I like the Elder Scrolls games a lot. I’ve also recently enjoyed Red Dead Redemption 2 and am currently playing and enjoying Horizon Zero Dawn.

It is very rare that I will play a game more than once. I’m not sure I’ve ever done it with any game that isn’t a racing / sports game such as MotoGP or F1. Additionally, the only games in my library are PS4 games and I have played most of the ones that I want. Due to limited time, it takes me a while to finish games, so I may still be playing Horizon Zero Dawn when I get the new console, so backwards compatibility is a factor, but not a big one.

I am in New Zealand, the prices for the consoles in the poll are in New Zealand dollars and are just for comparison. I realise US prices will be cheaper, or at least the numbers will be smaller. I have budgeted for a PS5 with a disc drive, so price is not a problem per se.

I don’t have a 4K TV and have no intention to buy one. So resolution is not a factor at this stage. Frame rate would be more important.

Some factors that are affecting my decision currently:

PS5 with disc drive is ugly compared to the other PS5 and is the most expensive.
PS5 with no disc drive, is pretty but I do like to buy second hand games from a bricks and mortar store.
Xbox X is cheaper than the most expensive PS5 but uglier, IMO.
Xbox S is pretty, but suffers the same issue of not having a disc drive and its specs are lower (but does that matter if I’m not wanting 4K video?)
I like the idea of the Xbox game pass and would pay to have it if I got the Xbox.

Thoughts and comments welcome.

  • PS5 with disc drive - $819
  • PS5 with HD only - $649
  • Xbox Series X - $799
  • Xbox Series S - $549

0 voters

2

Wrong forum. Ask the mods to move this to The Game Room.

3

Could go either way I guess. It used to be that polls could only go in IMHO. That changed with the move to the new site.

4

Moved.

5

The new H:ZD, Forbidden West, is also coming out on the PS4, just FYI. I was definitely going to get the PS5 just for that one game (just like I got my PS4 basically just for H:ZD) but now, I think I will be holding out for a bit.

Unlike you, I mostly download games but I do use my PS4 as my primary disc player now, so I will be getting the PS5 with disc.

I don’t care about looks, I care about the games it plays and the PS5 is looking to have the better games right now.

6

I’m not too bothered by games at launch. Typically I don’t get a new console until a while after launch and more games have become available.

I’m probably torn between having access to Xbox game pass and being able to play the games I already have.

7

What are your picks from the PS5 games?

8

I don’t think any of the ones I’m most interested are PS5 exclusives, but they are PS-exclusive so I factor them in versus the X-Box.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales looks awesome, I’m keen on Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla as it looks to add some new gameplay, the aforementioned Horizon:Forbidden West, and I’m also down for new Ratchet&Clank and Sackboy(of Little Big Planet) titles.

There’s nothing X-Box-exclusive I’m interested in.

9

I bought a Sega Genesis Mini last year…

10

I am a PC gamer, and as such I voted PS5, not because I would buy one, but because anything I would play on an Xbox I can play on my PC. PS5 would get me access to the PS5 exclusives.

11

Just an FYI - that’s incorrect. There have been polls in Game Room and Cafe Society for years.

12

I’d go for PS5 because I think it has better exclusives. I also think it has a better lineup of single player games.

In the end though just look at the games available exclusively for one or the other and decide which lineup you like best. Both have some backwards compatibility which is huge so be sure to check that too.

When it comes to performance I think they are close enough to not really choose on that basis. Likewise the controllers are similar enough that I doubt it makes much difference (and you can usually get other controllers from third party manufacturers if you want).

Other stuff like can it play DVD movies may or may not matter at all to you. Something to figure in your list.

Also consider what your friends have and whether you want to play with them either online or bringing some games to their house. If all of your friends have XBox and you have PS5 you may feel left out. Or you may have them over a lot to play PS5 games. Can go either way.

There is no definitive right or wrong to this. Just what is best for you.

13

Sony recently said that the transition from the PS4 to the PS5 will take three years, so if you don’t care much about resolution then you might want to stick with your PS4 for a while.

Putting that aside, the Xbox is launching with zero exclusives. However, Microsoft just acquired ZeniMax, which includes Bethesda. They’re currently saying that Bethesda’s games will not be Xbox exclusives, but they are saying that they want the Xbox versions of those games to be the best versions of those games. They’ve also said that they can definitely turn a profit on their acquisition even if they don’t publish on the PS5.

Which is the main reason I’m happy to not give a bunch of money to Microsoft.

As for me, I’ll probably go with the all-digital model. I did a mental inventory of my optical drive use on the PS4 and it really doesn’t get much use.

14

Pfft, well that just shows how behind the times I am then ;).

15

The PS5’s SSD is supposed to slash load times. That alone is reason enough for me to upgrade. Fast-traveling in Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4 took literally 90 seconds. If the PS5 can cut that to 10 seconds, that is a completely different gameplay experience.

16

That’s a fair point.