Let’s face it, this year hasn’t exactly been the best. 2020 has proved to be a serious contender for one of the worst years in recent memory, with a global pandemic and serious societal and cultural upheavals leading in the news for the past 6 months. This year hasn’t been easy for anyone, but there is one silver lining to get excited about. This year marks the beginning of a brand new video game console generation, as Sony prepares to release the Playstation 5, and Microsoft plans to release the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S this November. Gamers across the globe have been eagerly awaiting for these systems for what has seemed like forever, as both companies have been slow to announce any pricing or release details on the systems. This is uncharacteristic of Sony and Microsoft, especially compared to the launch of the current generation of consoles. But now, mere months away from the holiday season, the wait is finally over for the details on the new generation of consoles.
Starting with the new Xbox systems, Microsoft was the first to announce the finer details of their next-gen consoles. Just before this announcement, Microsoft had a surprise for gamers that few anticipated. They revealed (shortly after it was leaked online) that they would be providing a cheaper, digital-only alternative to the Xbox Series X called the Xbox Series S. This smaller, cheaper Xbox was a pleasant surprise for many people, as Microsoft had not explicitly stated that there would be a new digital-only system ready for this holiday. Less than a day after the Xbox Series S was announced, Microsoft finally gave everyone what they’ve been waiting for and simultaneously dreading: the prices for these new systems. The Xbox Series X will be launching with a price tag of $499, and the Xbox Series S will be the less pricey alternative at $299. The $499 price tag for the Series X was one that had a lot of rumors behind it, as the video game industry as a whole has been leaning towards an increase in hardware and software prices. What came as a pleasant surprise however was the price of the Series S. Now, $299 isn’t something to shake a controller at, but compared to the Series X it would appear that Microsoft intends on marketing the Series S as the much more economical version of the latest Xbox. With this stark price difference comes a couple of drawbacks, however. The Series S will not have nearly as enhanced internals as the Series X, thus making it less powerful, and the storage space is going to be half as much as the Series X, sitting at about 500GB as opposed to 1TB. Although these differences may turn off more dedicated gamers that are looking for the most premier disk-free console experience, there is something to be said about how the Xbox Series S will serve to draw in a more casual crowd. With its $299 price tag, the Xbox Series S is going to be comparable to the current generation of consoles in price, so for families looking to get their home the newest video game console, the Series S is going to a very enticing option for those not looking to break the bank. The option of being totally digital might also be an attractive choice for families with younger children that want to avoid expensive game disks being used as frisbees, or chocolate chip cookies being put into the disk drive. Overall, it would appear that Microsoft is looking to establish themselves as having more flexible console options this generation. For those looking for the most powerful Xbox on the market that’s sure to provide a truly next-gen experience, the Series X is sure to impress those looking to move on from the Xbox One. On the other hand, the Series S is shaping up to be the optimal choice for people that are perhaps trying to get into gaming for the first time, or simply want an upgrade without completely draining their bank account. Both systems will be released on November 10th, and they are available for pre-order right now.
Following the announcement of the new Xbox systems, all eyes were on Sony for their long-awaited announcement of the prices and release date for the Playstation 5. This announcement came a week after the announcement of the Xbox, which may have been an intentional move on the part of Sony. With the Xbox announcement out of the way, Sony could really do no wrong when it came to their announcement of the PS5. Microsoft set the standard, and all Sony had to do was either meet that standard or exceed it, and at this point it’s fair to say that Sony did a pretty stellar job. Following a showcase of some of the newest games coming to the PS5, including gameplay for Spider Man: Miles Morales and the remake of Demon Souls, Sony finally divulged the details on their newest consoles. The standard Playstation 5 is going to retail at $499 when it releases, the same price as the Xbox Series X, and the exciting digital-only version of the PS5 is going to have a $399 price tag. Much like the new Xbox systems, the prices for the PS5 were rumored to fall around these price points for a very long time. As far as technical internal components are concerned, the PS5 and the Xbox Series X are fairly similar, with each system having slight enhancements over the other. This makes the standard PS5’s price tag pretty logical; Sony wouldn’t want to make their new console too expensive or else people would be turned off by the astronomical price, and they wouldn’t want to make it too cheap or else consumers would think that it’s inferior when compared to the Series X. The digital-only version of the PS5 is where things get more interesting. This is Sony’s first venture into the digital-only console market, as Microsoft already dipped their toes into those metaphorical waters with the digital-only Xbox One S, so this version of the PS5 is a bit of a risk for them. Releasing at $399, some people might look at the price of the digital PS5 and think, “Well, if it’s a hundred dollars more than the Xbox Series S, why wouldn’t I just buy the Xbox and save myself some money?” And as good of a question as that may be, there is one simple answer that may sway some people to the PS5: performance. As it was stated earlier, the Xbox Series S is not simply going to be the Xbox Series X without a disk drive. The Series S is going to have a somewhat weaker processor, and the storage capacity of the system is going to be half of that of the Series X. The digital PS5 on the other hand is going to be practically identical to the standard PS5 as far as specs are concerned. You’re not going to get a slower processor, and the internal storage capacity is going to be exactly the same for both consoles, so for those looking for the premier disk-free console experience, the digital-only PS5 might prove to be the better option. Both versions of the Playstation 5, as well as the new Dualsense controllers and wireless headsets, are going to be available November 12th, and pre-orders (if you can still find them) are available now.
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