2020 has the stage set for PS5 and Xbox Series X to battle it out. Microsoft and Sony have taken different approaches toward their announcements of the consoles. Microsoft has certainly taken over the narrative by showing a trailer and the console at the 2019 Game Awards. Plus, they have demonstrated tech demos and revealed detailed specifications.
On the other hand, Sony has been slower with their details. They revealed the PS5 logo, which became one of the most liked video game content on Instagram. More recently, Mark Cerny, Lead System Architect of the PlayStation consoles, gave a presentation over the PS5 specs and other features of the console. Here is what the PS5 has over the Xbox Series X and vice versa.
10 PS5: 3D Audio
During Mark Cerny's talk about the PS5, he went into great detail about 3D audio. This is a feature Microsoft has not touched on and many questions if they even will. It is rare for audio to get a spotlight because so many consumers want faster load times and better graphics.
Nevertheless, Sony is focusing on this feature that will allow players to be even more immersed in their games. There is little information on how this technology will be implemented into standard television speakers, but it is very nice to see Sony looking at different aspects of games.
9 Xbox: Cloud Gaming
Microsoft has been clear about where they want you to play their games. Simply put, they do not care where as long as you are playing their games. One place players will have a chance to game is on their phones. In the last few months, Xbox has opened up tests for its cloud gaming service, Project xCloud.
Players are able to play more than 50 titles of Xbox games on their mobile devices. Reception from the service has seemed very positive. Now, this may not seem like a direct tie-in with Xbox Series X, but it will undoubtedly have a significant impact. Players can start playing Gears 5 on the Xbox Series X and then jump over onto their phone during their commute.
8 PS5: A Faster SSD
Solid-state drives or SSDs are significantly faster than hard drives because they store using flash memory. The Xbox Series X and PS5 will feature SSDs, which is a contribution to faster games. With that said, we have details about both consoles' SSDs.
The PS5's SSD is significantly faster than the Xbox counterpart. The SSD in the PS5 will have a speed of 5.5 GB per second. That is a significant amount of data in just a few seconds. It also leaves Xbox Series X in the dust with a 2.5 GBs.
7 Xbox: A Larger SSD
As games become larger and more ambitious, so do their file sizes. Going forward, consoles are expected to be at least one terabyte of storage. Xbox Series X has certainly hit that expectation with their 1 TB SSD. It may run slower than the PS5, but it can certainly store more.
Oddly, the PS5's SSD has a capacity of 825 GB. That is not including the operating system files, so it will be smaller than that. This is an odd number for a storage unit, but the speeds will certainly make up for it. Xbox Series X players will also have the option for expandable 1 TB storage slots that resemble memory cards.
6 PS5: A Better Name
Sony has branded the PlayStation platform well. They have stuck with the name and increasing numbers since day one. The name is easy for anyone to remember or grasp. On the other hand, Microsoft has branded their consoles much differently.
The Xbox Series X is not a great name as it resembles the name Xbox One X. Now, they have cleared one thing up about the future of consoles being named simply, Xbox. Unfortunately, normal consumers will have a difficult time finding which console their child wants when they all are named so differently.
5 Xbox: A Design
When the Xbox Series X was announced at the Game Awards, they revealed the look and the name of the console. Regardless of whether you like the design of the console or not, it generated a lot of excitement for the next console. As of right now, we know nothing about the look of the PS5.
There were some pictures taken of rumored PS5 developer kits, but it has never been confirmed. The Xbox Series X's design has taken a giant step toward modern PCs. Eventually, game consoles will start to bridge this gap in the future, but Microsoft has done a lot of that work with the design of this console.
4 PS5: A Larger Player Base
The Xbox One stumbled out of the gate in 2013. The higher price tag, the less powerful model, and Microsoft's ambitions to have it connected to the internet all the time made it a less desirable console. Gamers jumped to the PS4 platform, and many have stayed there.
So, Sony has a much larger player bast than what Microsoft has. It is also important to note that the PlayStation is sold in more countries than the Xbox, so it certainly has a larger population to gauge. This player base will certainly help Sony's transition into the next generation.
3 Xbox: Backward Compatibility
Apart from faster load times and better graphics, backward compatibility is another highly desired feature on the next generation of consoles. Microsoft has paved the way toward backward compatibility in the last several years. Their program has added a slew of Xbox 360 and original Xbox games.
The Xbox Series X will support all past Xbox games, which makes the library for the new console massive. The peripherals, such as controllers and external hard drives, will also work on the new console. This is a huge feature that beats PS5's "almost all" 100 top played PS4 games will be available to play at launch.
2 PS5: Last Generation Exclusives
The PS4 had some of the best games of the generation: God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, The Last of Us Remastered. As 2020 continues, the console will still have a few exclusive titles such as The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima. Many of the aforementioned games are set up for sequels, which bodes well for the PS5.
The biggest criticism of the Xbox platform is the lack of exclusive titles. Crackdown 3 and Gears 5 were the only exclusive games the Xbox platform received. However, Microsoft has purchased several studios to develop first-party titles. So, it will be difficult for Xbox to pry PS5 players from their exclusive sequel titles.
1 Xbox: Game Pass
Xbox game pass is one of the best gaming deals ever. For ten dollars a month, players can have access to more than 100 games. Game pass is a revolutionary program and gives Microsoft an advantage over Sony. Sony's PlayStation Now is similar but does not come near what game pass is.
Xbox game pass features great games like Grand Theft Auto V, the entire Gears of War franchise, Halo: Master Chief Collection, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Doom. Game pass is even better on Xbox Series X because Microsoft announced that all of their first-party titles would be available the day they launch on game pass.
