Topic: PlayStation 5 vs Xbox Series X vs Gaming PC

[DowntheLine1981]

Need some advice from the RAWK massive.

I'm looking into investing in either a Playstation 5, a Series X or a Gaming PC (for around £800).  Being rather old school I was all set to buy a Ryzen 5 3600 based Gaming PC.  I figured that although my wife and I have got a perfectly useable desktop and laptop, getting a new desktop would allow us to play more modern games and have that upgradability which could save us in the long run.  We've been longtime Playstation users and already have a PS4.  However, we're both gamers, and both want to play more modern games, particularly over the winter.

Now...

I called a friend of mine for advice and he - a long time PC advocate - told me to sack off the gaming PC and get the latest Xbox Series X, as for £499, you're getting about £1500 worth of comparable hardware that you would find in a PC, and that it would blow a Ryzen 5 3600 PC out of the water.  There's also the small matter of Microsoft recently buying Bethesda (Elder Scrolls) and bringing out a new Fable game - both games that my wife and I were obsessed with.  Its cheaper too, and has backward compatibility with Xbox X and 360 games - which would open up a whole world of retro/cheaper gaming for us.

Thing is, as a longstanding PS* user, I'm not sure if I'll be making the right decision.  So, I thought I'd appeal to the greater knowledge of RAWK.  Any help on this would be appreciated.


* I thought I'd throw in the Playstation as an option in case someone knows something I don't. 

[PhilV]

Need some advice from the RAWK massive.

I'm looking into investing in either a Playstation 5, a Series X or a Gaming PC (for around £800).  Being rather old school I was all set to buy a Ryzen 5 3600 based Gaming PC.  I figured that although my wife and I have got a perfectly useable desktop and laptop, getting a new desktop would allow us to play more modern games and have that upgradability which could save us in the long run.  We've been longtime Playstation users and already have a PS4.  However, we're both gamers, and both want to play more modern games, particularly over the winter.

Now...

I called a friend of mine for advice and he - a long time PC advocate - told me to sack off the gaming PC and get the latest Xbox Series X, as for £499, you're getting about £1500 worth of comparable hardware that you would find in a PC, and that it would blow a Ryzen 5 3600 PC out of the water.  There's also the small matter of Microsoft recently buying Bethesda (Elder Scrolls) and bringing out a new Fable game - both games that my wife and I were obsessed with.  Its cheaper too, and has backward compatibility with Xbox X and 360 games - which would open up a whole world of retro/cheaper gaming for us.

Thing is, as a longstanding PS* user, I'm not sure if I'll be making the right decision.  So, I thought I'd appeal to the greater knowledge of RAWK.  Any help on this would be appreciated.


* I thought I'd throw in the Playstation as an option in case someone knows something I don't.

I play PS and so will be getting the 5.

Having said that console wars/fanbois are fucking sad - get the platform which has the games you want too play lad, if you especially love Fable then the only option really for you is XBOX as that is the platform it will release in.

These days it's more down to the exclusives, the consoles performance isn't super different to the common gamer, the XBOX is more powerful but whos to say how that H/W will be pushed, some of the games on the PS4 looked insane like TLOU2, Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted 4 etc etc but yeah, exclusives now dictate really what console you should get and for you with wanting Fable then XBOX sounds like the one to get.

Enjoy

[naYoRHa2b]

Going into every new generation I find myself in similar situations but ultimately I just end up getting the platform which historically has given me the most enjoyment which is playstation and then maybe invest in another platform later down the line. But the similarities in terms of architecture and development mean the differences aren't really in the hardware but the first party studios. Everyone is familiar with the controller's, albeit PS5 has some new things this time round, they'll be no major revamp with system UI, fundamentally everything will operate in the same way.

I don't know if you could get comparative performance to a series X or ps5 with £800 (I'm sure the BOM was 500ish for both) but with PC you get access to Gamepass PC and all the other platforms which i'm sure you know anyway so the library is far bigger than what's just available on Xbox.

I don't think I could tell you which one to get, the one that excites you, that you have confidence in to deliver the best experience for you I guess. That's why I personally chose Playstation because they've given me those experiences.

[LOKKO]

both the Xbox series x and ps5 will be boss I'd say get the one most of your mates have/are getting 

[Skeeve]

I play PS and so will be getting the 5.

Having said that console wars/fanbois are fucking sad - get the platform which has the games you want too play lad, if you especially love Fable then the only option really for you is XBOX as that is the platform it will release in.

Going where the games you want are is definitely the best advice and one that gets overlooked far too much, as some seem to have it ingrained in them that they are a particular platform gamer rather than just a gamer.

As far as Fable, it is worth noting that it will also be a PC game too, as will be the case with all MS stuff, so even then you are not locked into anything.

One thing to bear in mind with the pc since £800 won't get you to the level of the new consoles is that you can always go for a sensible and upgradeable build, getting something that will play stuff nicely enough now, but then be able to leapfrog the consoles with a new gfx card in a few years.

[J-Mc-]

Go for the PS5 first, then get the Xbox in a year or two once Fable releases.

Elder Scrolls is a long way off yet.

[kloppagetime]

Money is tight so I might just get the Xbox with game pass think I will be playing that more, PS5 will defo be the console for exclusives but at £50-60 it's better just to get that a few years down the line.

[Statto Red]

I never buy a new console at launch & at launch prices, always wait for a couple of years for it to come down in price, also better storage, t got the PS4 1TBgb console with FIFA 18 for around £300 a couple of years ago, i'd buy a gaming PC desktop instead, if i had the money.

[SamAteTheRedAcid]

Neither.

Launch prices are steep IMO.

Still got loads of PS4 games to get through, as to be honest I prefer playing on the Switch at the moment.

Maybe in 2022 or thereabouts.

[MBL?]

As you seem to be choosing between the Xbox sx and pc. I would say your friend is right. Currently building a pc with better specs will be a fair bit more than double the price so Xbox all the way.

Personally I’ll be going ps5. I haven’t played a good few of the games that are coming with it on the new ps plus and their upcoming exclusives interest me more. I’m also interested to see what the dual sense is like and how it’s utilised, reckon it could be great in most types of games.

[Scottymuser]

As you seem to be choosing between the Xbox sx and pc. I would say your friend is right. Currently building a pc with better specs will be a fair bit more than double the price so Xbox all the way.

Personally I’ll be going ps5. I haven’t played a good few of the games that are coming with it on the new ps plus and their upcoming exclusives interest me more. I’m also interested to see what the dual sense is like and how it’s utilised, reckon it could be great in most types of games.

It won't be much more than double - but games are cheaper on the PC and in 4 years time the Xbox will look slow to what the PC would be if you spent, say, £800 now and £300 to upgrade the GPU in 3/4 years time.  Also there will be more games on PC - there will not be a single game on Xbox but not on PC, whereas there will be loads either only on PS5, or on both PS5 and PC

Also, as Fable is a game he mentioned originally liking - it's worth noting that it will be on the PC, and is not being made by the same people that made the first games, so no guarantee that it will have what you liked about it.  It's being made by the company that makes Forza Horizon (*and nothing else*) so they don't have any experience with RPGs at all.  And whilst it is merely a rumour, there is a rumour going around from someone who "predicted" the last Xbox event that is might be an MMO rather than a purely Single Player focussed RPG

[Zlen]

First and most important question is - do you want to play games sitting at a desk or lounging on a couch?

If you’re ok with sitting at a desk - get a PC you weirdo. If not, get whichever console has the exclusives you like.

[stoa]

At the end of the day, the decision will always come down to personal preference. I used to be a PC gamer from when I was younger until a couple of years ago. I never owned a console (except for a Sega Megadrive when i was a kid). Got a 360 when I didn't have enough money to keep upgrading my PC. Went back to the PC then when I could afford it again. Then I got myself an XBox One and later a PS4 Pro. Now, I'm back to PC gaming on my TV in the living room.

For me the first question is, how much money you want to spend. If it's not an issue, I'd go with a PC every day of the week. It's just more flexible as you can upgrade whenever you want. At the same time, there are loads of great services around like Xbox Game Pass, EA Play or whetever that's called, the Ubisoft thingy. You also get cheap games on Steam in frequent sales. Then you have Epic Games where you get at least one free game every week and also some other stuff like coupons and sales. There's similar stuff on consoles, but you don't have the same variety and games seem to be more expensive in general (unless you go for used games). It will also depend on how the new consoles perform, because I always had the feeling that loading times on XBox One and PS4 were so much longer than on PC.

That said, if you just want to game a bit and not spend a lot of money, a console makes much more sense and then it's down to what exclusives you want.

[Something Worse]

Aside from all of this you can just illegally download a bunch of games on PC too.

[Redcap]

I've thought about this question a lot, and I think the right answer is either gaming PC or PS5, depending on your budget.

Price: Consoles obviously far cheaper than getting a whole new PC. I don't think the difference between PS5 and Xbox X is so great that it makes a difference. Games are a lot cheaper on PC though, so depending on how much you intend on spending on games over the years, this may even out.

Performance: Depends on the PC, but if you want top of the line, PC specs are far ahead. PS5 is the least of the options, based on specs alone. On the other hand, games are generally optimised for consoles, so maybe the difference wouldn't be that great regardless? There's some interesting discussions around this in the PS5 and PC threads.

Game range: IMO this is where the real question is. There are very few Xbox X exclusives, so it's a lot less appealing for me. If I'm not mistaken there are very few Xbox games that you won't be able to play on PC. I haven't got a PS4, so there are games that I've wanted to play for a long time that I'll be able to play on PS5, like Ghost of Tsushima, Last of Us 2, Final Fantasy 7, Spider-Man etc. However, I have a decent PC already and can probably play the games I want at a push for a few years.

Living situation: I personally prefer to be able to play games in my living room, plugged into my nice TV/soundbar, hanging out with the wife, rather than in a corner on my own. That means a console is generally better. A tower sitting next to the TV is not going to impress the wife, while you'd have to pay through the nose for a laptop that's actually capable of playing games at 4K.  On the other hand, if you plan on playing games in your man cave, a PC is maybe more feasible.

Controller vs keyboard/mouse: Do you prefer to play games with a controller or a keyboard? You can do both with a PC for most newer games, but it's more limited the other way around. I personally find shooters to be extremely frustrating to play with a controller most of the time (there are exceptions). It's not that I'm any good but on a controller I'm even worse. Of course, if you prefer a controller anyway, it doesn't really matter.

VR This is speculative, and relates to the hardware power question. I'm very happy to be corrected, but my sense is that latest tech might get you a bit further on a more powerful machine for VR for PC. Depending on the progress of game development over the next few years for VR, and whether VR gaming means anything to you, it may be worth getting a good PC for this alone?

Upgradeability It's a lot easier to upgrade a PC than to upgrade a console. With that said, if you're planning on paying top of the line for new GPU, it's probably not cheaper to upgrade. I've never quite understood the logic around this, unless you're making very incremental upgrades to your machine.

[has gone odd]

Versatility for me. Am very lucky to have a PS4 and reasonable PC rig so can get the best of both worlds.

Xbox will steal some of the show, if only for the amazingly good valued game pass, which incidentally is available on PC to, I don't have an xbox at all and get tonnes of use out of it. I detest the fact the folder it installs games to is locked out however.

Games are much cheaper on PC, most of the time, you will have access to humble bundles for example which tend to get you a bunch of games for peanuts, if you are looking to build up a library of software quickly.

Sony exclusives are always a rare treat when they arrive, though I have a feeling exclusivity will be time based from here on in, for most of the AAA titles anyways. Can see many more being ported to PC, maybe even xbox.

Obviously consoles are geared towards games and entertainment, if you have any other side interests, say music production, graphic design or even retro gaming then id definitely advise PC all the way. If not you look for the exclusives you prefer. Both new generations offer good hardware, though games at the moment are not making me salivate as previous gens did.

[Drinks Sangria]

I play PS and so will be getting the 5.

Having said that console wars/fanbois are fucking sad - get the platform which has the games you want too play lad, if you especially love Fable then the only option really for you is XBOX as that is the platform it will release in.

This is all that matters and should be heeded.

Me for example, I've had multiple consoles from Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sega down the years. My personal preference now is Xbox not because I think it's better than the Sony equivalent (or a gaming PC), but that for me, it offers good bang for your buck, I'm not technically minded enough or have the time to set up my own gaming PC and it can run all of our media and streaming subscriptions through the TV. On top of this, Gears of War and Fable are two of my all time favourite franchises, so I'm kind of stuck with Microsoft should I ever want to play these.

On top of this, whilst the purchase of Bethesda (who make another two of my all time favourite franchises and own another great IP) may not lead to Xbox exclusivity, it does potentially mean there will be clear perks and upsides to the xbox if this is what you're in to. For someone like me, who buys maybe two games a year and dips in and out of game pass (because I don't have as much time to play games as I'd like), the new Xbox represents the best value for what I want it for. But like Phil said, drown out the pathetic fanboying and get the one that has the exclusives you want, or the performance you desire.

[DowntheLine1981]

Guys, thanks for all the feedback and advice.  I'm probably going to opt for the Xbox although I suspect the real reason I'm hesitatnt about it is that I still get PTSD like flashbacks to that bright September morning years ago when I was playing on my 360 and it caught the Red Ring of Death and bricked -  followed by two days of frantically wraping the thing in a towel only to eventually give up the ghost and bury it in my neighbours wheelie bin.

[AndyMuller]

I'm not sure what console to go with myself this time around. I've got a PS4 and Switch at the moment but I think Xbox have made some big moves to catch up again. Plus the Series X does look like it will be a beast of a machine. Hmmm decisions, decisions.

[Devon Red]

I've been researching this exact question all weekend and I'm still not totally clear, but getting closer.

First option was to upgrade my PC. New GPU I thought, no worries. Not so simple, my CPU is 5 years old and only 4 cores so would hamstring a new GPU. So I now need new mobo, new CPU, new GPU, new RAM, a new SSD (currently maxed out) and a new monitor (currently only have 1080p 60hz). Add this all together and I'm looking at £1k at least, and that's to 'upgrade'!

Compared to this a new console looks a great deal, but uh-oh my TV is 6 years old so I need to upgrade that as well. Lets say £600 for a TV. At least that's a cost I can justify as a present for the whole family. But then add the price of a console on top and I'm back to over £1k, and no games to play it on as my gaming library is on PC!

I think, maybe, I might have the solution. XBox All Access gives me the new Series X plus Game Pass for 24 monthly payments of £29. So that sorts the console and the games library, while actually saving a little money and giving me 0% APR on the new console. So far this plus the new TV looks like the winner in value and utility. Am I missing anything?

[Skeeve]

Unless there are ps5-specific games or you aren't tied to a particular group of friends who are going ps5 then that does seem like the sensible budget option, although you mention the tv would basically be a present to all, would that excessively limit your gaming time?

[Devon Red]

Unless there are ps5-specific games or you aren't tied to a particular group of friends who are going ps5 then that does seem like the sensible budget option, although you mention the tv would basically be a present to all, would that excessively limit your gaming time?

Good point! That would be an issue.

Maybe I'll just go for a gradual PC rebuild. GPU and SSD now, get the other bits next year when the next gen of processors have been out for a while.

[has gone odd]

You are right in that a 5 year old CPU would hamstring your GPU, though in practical use it is not by much. I still use a 6 year old I7 (4 series) with a 1070ti, also still using DDR3! I can achieve everything I need to, in 2k resolutions. In fact your display should be near top priority as this is what you are looking at all the time, it can make a hell of difference. A leap from 1080p to higher is real nice.

That said, as a fully paid up member of Sony's fanboy club, I am a bit underwhelmed by the new console and will be holding off getting one for a while. The xbox is looking to be a good bet for someone wanting to enter the next gen at a reasonable cost, its monthly service is miles ahead of Sony, miles. Its also about to add EA play as well. If you have a modest PC and an xbox you get double value.

[Devon Red]

You are right in that a 5 year old CPU would hamstring your GPU, though in practical use it is not by much. I still use a 6 year old I7 (4 series) with a 1070ti, also still using DDR3! I can achieve everything I need to, in 2k resolutions. In fact your display should be near top priority as this is what you are looking at all the time, it can make a hell of difference. A leap from 1080p to higher is real nice.

That said, as a fully paid up member of Sony's fanboy club, I am a bit underwhelmed by the new console and will be holding off getting one for a while. The xbox is looking to be a good bet for someone wanting to enter the next gen at a reasonable cost, its monthly service is miles ahead of Sony, miles. Its also about to add EA play as well. If you have a modest PC and an xbox you get double value.

That's good to know, thanks. You're right about the monitor, I cheaped out when I got it 5 years ago and always intended to replace it, so it probably is the most urgent. I guess I'll wait for those Black Friday deals to start coming in.

[Flaccido Dongingo]

That's good to know, thanks. You're right about the monitor, I cheaped out when I got it 5 years ago and always intended to replace it, so it probably is the most urgent. I guess I'll wait for those Black Friday deals to start coming in.

Amazon have started doing early Black Friday deals already mate, might be worth checking out

[Snail]

Got a PS4 and Switch currently, along with a myriad of old consoles. Used to be console all the way but the last 18 months or so I’ve really come round to the idea of PC, only problem is we don’t currently have room for that. Any room I would have is now taken up by my work PC and two monitors

So in the meantime I’ve ordered the PS5 and the Series S through All Access. The Series S isn’t the most powerful and I can’t see it being supported for the whole gen (I could be wrong) but it’s £20 per month which includes Game Pass Ultimate, and for me that’s pretty much a perfect setup until I can get a PC built and have room to enjoy it properly. I really like what Microsoft are doing with Game Pass, but I guess it makes me a hypocrite because I am generally a little uneasy with the move towards digital-only gaming.

There’s pros and cons to everything, mods are a big thing for me and something only PC can provide. I defo wouldn’t let Elder Scrolls come into my decision making if I were you, TES 6 is probably still years away at this point.

[OsirisMVZ]

I got a PC last month! Ryzen 5 3600, GTX 1660 Super, and then a QHD monitor this week taking me to 1440p. Having looked at 1080p for the last 15 years I noticed so much more detail within my games instantly at 1440. I will upgrade the graphics at some point next year to an RTX 3070.

I am a Playstation man but seeing the PS5 breakdown... as much as I really, really, really want one, the fact it is so fucking big (15.4 inches!) yet half of the insides are the cooling systems make me think there'll be a much more efficient second model 12-18 months down the line, which I will wait for. As it stands I've got the Xbox Game Pass and Steam sales to last me for a while longer.

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/10/watch_dogs_legion_runs_at_4k_30fps_with_raytracing_on_ps5

Also, reading this the other day horrified me. I'm better off playing multiplatform games at 1440p/60fps on my PC and leaving the exclusive spicy stuff for the PS5 whenever I pick it up.

[kloppagetime]

Both consoles have pros and cons. I feel like The Xbox will be used more right now on a daily basis because their will always be something to play on game pass whereas on PS5 the big selling point is the superior exclusives so maybe just buy that down the line when most the exclusives have come out.

[ScouserAtHeart]

Got a PS4 and Switch currently, along with a myriad of old consoles. Used to be console all the way but the last 18 months or so I’ve really come round to the idea of PC, only problem is we don’t currently have room for that. Any room I would have is now taken up by my work PC and two monitors

So in the meantime I’ve ordered the PS5 and the Series S through All Access. The Series S isn’t the most powerful and I can’t see it being supported for the whole gen (I could be wrong) but it’s £20 per month which includes Game Pass Ultimate, and for me that’s pretty much a perfect setup until I can get a PC built and have room to enjoy it properly. I really like what Microsoft are doing with Game Pass, but I guess it makes me a hypocrite because I am generally a little uneasy with the move towards digital-only gaming.

There’s pros and cons to everything, mods are a big thing for me and something only PC can provide. I defo wouldn’t let Elder Scrolls come into my decision making if I were you, TES 6 is probably still years away at this point.

Gamepass Ultimate aslo has EA Play starting next month. That's another...60 or so games added to the 100 you get with Gamepass.

[naYoRHa2b]

I've got PS5 pre-ordered (two actually) with Demon Souls and Miles Morales Ultimate edition. Plus the next gen upgrades of FIFA21 and Black Ops Cold War I should be good to go. Xbox Series X just isn't appealing to me and MS insistence to make everything cross generation is a complete buzzkill, I might as well keep my One X and renew GamePass for the odd month if anything worth playing hits the service.

[Hedley Lamarr]

Both consoles have pros and cons. I feel like The Xbox will be used more right now on a daily basis because their will always be something to play on game pass whereas on PS5 the big selling point is the superior exclusives so maybe just buy that down the line when most the exclusives have come out.

Microsoft are making giants strides in closing that exclusives gap, the purchase of Zenimax is a game changer, although more in the long term rather than the short term. Potentially they could have exclusives such as future Doom, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Quake, Starfield games, if not exclusives they'll be day one on gamepass.  Like I said it's more a long term thing, but they're definitely being proactive.  Once gamepass became successful they went the developer route, they have over 20 studios onboard now and are incorporating EA Games into gamepass.

I'll get both and I prefer PlayStation, but if a Fallout or Elder Scroll game is exclusive to Xbox, the PS will gather dust.  Interesting to see what happens with Starfield.  It's been in a 'playable state' for a while, I think it predates the Zenimax deal so it's probably been developed for Xbox and PlayStation, it'll get more support on the former though.

These are problems for future gens, but it shows the direction Microsoft are going in.

[Kashinoda]

I mean both consoles use a lower clocked 3700X, they're not going to blow away a faster 3600.

It all depends on your GPU choice, you can get this as a base. Assuming you have a case.



Then maybe a 2070 Super for £300? GPUs are a bit funny at the moment, more cards are being unveiled by AMD tomorrow so hopefully supply normalises over the next month or so. 3070 should be retailing for £500 with 2080 Ti performance, a card that was £1500 a month ago

You'll get all the Microsoft stuff on PC too, plus the biggest back catalog over either console by some distance.

[Skeeve]

I'll get both and I prefer PlayStation, but if a Fallout or Elder Scroll game is exclusive to Xbox, the PS will gather dust.  Interesting to see what happens with Starfield.  It's been in a 'playable state' for a while, I think it predates the Zenimax deal so it's probably been developed for Xbox and PlayStation, it'll get more support on the former though.

I think it is very naive to think that MS won't happily dump any existing work on ps versions when it comes to stuff like Starfield, the last zenimax games on ps will almost certainly be those two where sony had already bought timed exclusivity on because the increase in sales won't offset the benefits to the overall xbox platform by having them as exclusives.

[Skeeve]

Some slightly iffy choices in that selection, if you are buying new stuff then no reason to not go for faster ram and a B550 motherboard.

[Kashinoda]

Some slightly iffy choices in that selection, if you are buying new stuff then no reason to not go for faster ram and a B550 motherboard.

Because the OP mentioned a budget, I'd actully revise the Tomahawk down to a Mortar Max if you dont need PCI-E slots.

The Crucial Ballistix kit is going to easily go past 3200mhz anyway, unlike something like the Corsair Vengeance 3200mhz kit which isn't really going to budge.

[GiorgosCarraGoonies]

Have my PS5 ordered.  Only ordered Valhalla so far but will get Miles Morales and maybe Demon's Souls too.  FIFA will upgrade.

I am awaiting my Sony X900H TV to be delivered tomorrow too so I'll probably buy COD so I can get my first taste of 120fps.  Dirt has it too but doesn't really appeal to me.

[AndyMuller]

I got a PC last month! Ryzen 5 3600, GTX 1660 Super, and then a QHD monitor this week taking me to 1440p. Having looked at 1080p for the last 15 years I noticed so much more detail within my games instantly at 1440. I will upgrade the graphics at some point next year to an RTX 3070.

I am a Playstation man but seeing the PS5 breakdown... as much as I really, really, really want one, the fact it is so fucking big (15.4 inches!) yet half of the insides are the cooling systems make me think there'll be a much more efficient second model 12-18 months down the line, which I will wait for. As it stands I've got the Xbox Game Pass and Steam sales to last me for a while longer.

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/10/watch_dogs_legion_runs_at_4k_30fps_with_raytracing_on_ps5

Also, reading this the other day horrified me. I'm better off playing multiplatform games at 1440p/60fps on my PC and leaving the exclusive spicy stuff for the PS5 whenever I pick it up.

Watch Dogs 3 was the decision maker?! Jesus.

[OsirisMVZ]

Yes, very specifically that game