So here we are coming up to 7 months after the launch of the next gen, (now current gen) consoles.
I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at my initial thoughts, expectations and see how they measure up to the reality of half a year in.
Not too much has changed from my initial expectations, although the way my time has been divided between the consoles I have found quite surprising.
The PS5 was my priority, simply as it looked like the console that would have the most next gen and exclusive content around the launch window. The Xbox series X was less of a weighted purchase.
The PS5 felt like a brand new console with its new user interface and accessibility features while the Xbox series X seemed more like an upgrade.
This was in part due to the fact that the Xbox user and community interface had continually evolved over the life cycle of the Xbox One.
The infrastructure and integration with things like their mobile apps was already in place for the launch of the series X. While this made for a perfectly smooth transition, there was no hard stop of the old and flourishing reveal of the new. This was in stark contrast to PlayStation whose mobile app, let's face it, had been awful for a long time. Their streaming to mobile device technology and app was surpassed (and still is) by third party apps. On the console itself the user interface, despite its custom wallpapers, was tired, old and had seen very little changes since the launch of the PS4. The launch of the PS5 heralded a new interface, a fresh beginning, a slicker more modern approach vastly more intuitive. My only complaint and disappointment was, that they had done away with the community features which I had genuinely enjoyed.
It does seem like PlayStation are focusing more on high quality, single player experiences with them shining the spotlight on things like their help card system. While conversely, Xbox seem to be prioritizing a "let's play together" approach both in their marketing and in the way they structure community centered content and access for each game.
As it Now stands, in my opinion, both systems are on pretty much level footing.
My usage comes down purely to game availability and choice of platform on which to play those games.
I find myself more and more using the Series X as my regular go-to console with the PS5 solely being used to play exclusives. I thoroughly enjoyed playing through Demon's Souls, Godfall and Spider-Man and I'm very much looking forward to Ratchet and Clank this very weekend. However I probably only switch on the PlayStation maybe once a week, all my core gaming is currently done on the Series X. I find the performance of its back catalog optimization, auto HDR and frame rate boost to be the best way to play. Likewise for games simultaneously released on both next gen consoles, performance on Xbox seems to just edge out the PS5. The only downside to the Xbox is it's complete lack of good exclusive content. I would say my current usage is approximately a 75/25 split in favor of the Xbox. Of course that changes whenever a PlayStation exclusive is launched, but for day-to-day use Xbox seems to have been a surprising winner for me over the last few months.
This editorial is entirely based on my personal experiences with the consoles and is in no way intended as weighing in on any redundant console war discussion.
I enjoy both consoles tremendously and have been extremely lucky to have the opportunity to choose between the two for my gaming. My main platform will undoubtedly continue to change with time and releases and who knows what the next 6 months will hold. But we can all be sure its going to be a fun journey.
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