XBox vs PS

[WilcoWorld]

Can THIS one stay apolitical?

I played Guitar Hero with my son at a local arcade (I LOVE that we have a local arcade) and decided that I must have one for the house. I don't really do much gaming, basically going to buy a system to play Guitar Hero. So, I ask the gamers on here:

Should I buy an XBox or PlayStation, and why?

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[BoardingDoc]

Can THIS one stay apolitical?

I played Guitar Hero with my son at a local arcade (I LOVE that we have a local arcade) and decided that I must have one for the house. I don't really do much gaming, basically going to buy a system to play Guitar Hero. So, I ask the gamers on here:

Should I buy an XBox or PlayStation, and why?

Platform exclusive options tend to push people one way or the other in some cases.

Want to play halo / forza? You're getting an xbox.
Want to play last of us / god of war / uncharted / horizon? You're getting a PS.

Both consoles have options for subscription based gaming if you're into that thing. Xbox has far more current titles that you can play on subscription than PS does. Xbox also allows for some cool stuff like remote streaming your console to your computer or phone so you can play remotely at work (not all games work great like this, but most do rather well).

In the end, both are solid choices. I personally have an xbox, though that decision was made largely so I could play games with my friends about a year ago and there were no PS5s available anywhere unless you wanted to pay a scalper 1k. If I had the option, I would have bought a PS5. That said, I didn't find myself unhappy in any way with my purchase.

Personally, I find the playstation specific titles like GoW, Horizon, Uncharted, Last of us to be absolutely fantastic and worth the price of admission. Hell, my wife bought me my PS4 years ago specifically so I could play Last of Us.

TL;DR:
Xbox has Halo, a better subscription service and the ability to remote play
PS5 has a list of games which are not only exclusive to the PlayStation, but they are also some of the best games made in recent history.

 

[WilcoWorld]

Sounds like I should go with PS, because I don't see myself doing remote gaming, but would like to get rad games if I start enjoying gaming.

I just wanna shred with my kids!

 

[Groove]

If you want to play Guitar Hero, that IP is owned by Activision now and Activision is currently awaiting approval to be purchased by Microsoft. It's still early in the game to see if the deal will go through but if MS does purchase them, Guitar Hero will only ever show up on the XB. Phil Spencer has said that he actually hopes to have a future release on XB if the deal goes through.

I've got both, so I don't have a dog in this fight but I greatly prefer XSX. Smart resume is a game changer and it's incredibly nice to be able to instantly resume multiple games even after device reboot. I don't know how they do that. PS5 is a fresh reload every time you want to play the game. Also, the smart install features or whatever it's called is super nice in that I don't have to worry about if I'm purchasing/download the PS4 vs PS5 versions of a game. The whole Sony store can be incredibly confusing sometimes. ATM, there is nothing even remotely close to Gamepass on Sony's store. I mean NOT EVEN REMOTELY close. I can't stress the gigantic jackpot a Gamepass subscription will bring and how many hundreds of quality and AAA titles you can download and play on a monthly basis. That's by far the cheapest option if you've got a family who all like to try out and play different games. You can also buy XSX for yourself and a couple of cheaper XSS for the kids.

Sure, Sony has some great franchises. I loved Last of Us and Uncharted holds a dear place in my heart. But let's be honest....MS has exponentially the amount of cash on hand compared to Sony. Their strategy has been clear in their purchase of tons of quality developers lately. That much was obvious with the whole Zenimax/Bethesda purchase. Enjoy TES games and want to play TES 6? It's going to be a XB exclusive. Same for Starfield. With all the new developer purchases, ultimately MS will catch up with leading exclusives. There's also a huge push in the XB back catalog for FPS boost and upgrading games that were released for XB1. They have features specific and algorithmic approaches to enhancing existing games which will improve 30 to 60fps and increase resolution to 4K.

All that being said, both are solid purchases. It just depends on your preference in ecosystem as well as if you have any pre-existing franchise preferences.

Phil Spencer Is Eager to Revisit Abandoned Activision Franchises - IGN

Xbox boss Phil Spencer says it will explore Activision Blizzard's vault of franchises for possible revivals and future games.

www.ign.com

 

[BoardingDoc]

If you want to play Guitar Hero, that IP is owned by Activision now and Activision is currently awaiting approval to be purchased by Microsoft. It's still early in the game to see if the deal will go through but if MS does purchase them, Guitar Hero will only ever show up on the XB. Phil Spencer has said that he actually hopes to have a future release on XB if the deal goes through.

I've got both, so I don't have a dog in this fight but I greatly prefer XSX. Smart resume is a game changer and it's incredibly nice to be able to instantly resume multiple games even after device reboot. I don't know how they do that. PS5 is a fresh reload every time you want to play the game. Also, the smart install features or whatever it's called is super nice in that I don't have to worry about if I'm purchasing/download the PS4 vs PS5 versions of a game. The whole Sony store can be incredibly confusing sometimes. ATM, there is nothing even remotely close to Gamepass on Sony's store. I mean NOT EVEN REMOTELY close. I can't stress the gigantic jackpot a Gamepass subscription will bring and how many hundreds of quality and AAA titles you can download and play on a monthly basis. That's by far the cheapest option if you've got a family who all like to try out and play different games. You can also buy XSX for yourself and a couple of cheaper XSS for the kids.

Sure, Sony has some great franchises. I loved Last of Us and Uncharted holds a dear place in my heart. But let's be honest....MS has exponentially the amount of cash on hand compared to Sony. Their strategy has been clear in their purchase of tons of quality developers lately. That much was obvious with the whole Zenimax/Bethesda purchase. Enjoy TES games and want to play TES 6? It's going to be a XB exclusive. Same for Starfield. With all the new developer purchases, ultimately MS will catch up with leading exclusives. There's also a huge push in the XB back catalog for FPS boost and upgrading games that were released for XB1. They have features specific and algorithmic approaches to enhancing existing games which will improve 30 to 60fps and increase resolution to 4K.

All that being said, both are solid purchases. It just depends on your preference in ecosystem as well as if you have any pre-existing franchise preferences.

Phil Spencer Is Eager to Revisit Abandoned Activision Franchises - IGN

Xbox boss Phil Spencer says it will explore Activision Blizzard's vault of franchises for possible revivals and future games.

www.ign.com

Agree with most of what you wrote. I want to clarify something for wilco though. Even if MS acquires the guitar hero IP, that does not remove every iteration of guitar hero from existence. Every copy of that game which is currently available on PS will remain available on PS per whatever licensing deal they have. It isn't like guitar hero 2 for PS will suddenly stop working if this IP buy happens.
New versions of the game however, may be Xbox only (again assuming it's bought by MS AND made a XBox exclusive)

 

[Groove]

Agree with most of what you wrote. I want to clarify something for wilco though. Even if MS acquires the guitar hero IP, that does not remove every iteration of guitar hero from existence. Every copy of that game which is currently available on PS will remain available on PS per whatever licensing deal they have. It isn't like guitar hero 2 for PS will suddenly stop working if this IP buy happens.
New versions of the game however, may be Xbox only (again assuming it's bought by MS AND made a XBox exclusive)

Correct. Though I'm not quite sure what all the current support is regarding the franchise for latest gen consoles. Didn't they shut down the Guitar Hero Live servers or something? I think the PS4/XB1 versions work with the USB controllers though. If MS acquires the Guitar Hero IP, pretty much any viable previous gen title would be default available for free on Gamepass so that's worth considering. Honestly, as much as I have nostalgic memories for GH, I thought Rock Band on the Sony side was pretty damn good also (though I guess that's cross platform). I think there will be plenty of rhythm/music games on both consoles going forward but I definitely would much enjoy someone reviving the GH franchise with a high quality peripheral guitar. I loved those games. I'm surprised we haven't had something similar released on the new consoles yet.

 

[wendalltwolf]

Trust the People’s Champion

 

[Birdstrike]

I'm not a huge gamer but my kids and I did go through a phase where we played guitar hero a bunch, and it was on playstation. I can't tell you which is better, though. Both are fun.

 

[xaelia]

Switch.

<chaos>

 

[AlmostAnMD]

I'm so happy with my PS5

Got it same day pre-orders opened. Got lucky and somehow bypassed the scalpers.

 

[Pudortu]

God of War Ragnarok comes out in like 2 weeks. Enough said

 

[cyanide12345678]

Have you tried a VR head set? Try beat saber on oculus and you might want an oculus instead.

 

[AlmostAnMD]

Have you tried a VR head set? Try beat saber on oculus and you might want an oculus instead.

Waiting on the ps5 vr headset

Seems like legit vr, the kind I fantasized about as a kid.

 

[BoardingDoc]

Have you tried a VR head set? Try beat saber on oculus and you might want an oculus instead.

Can't do that with your kids, which seems to be the primary goal. That said, I agree that VR can be solid. I have a valve index. HL Alyx was freaking amazing.

 

[Groove]

The upcoming VR2 is the only reason I have a PS5. As crazy as it sounds, I bought both XSX and PS5 at launch. Ended up selling my PS5 to a nurse who was trying to find one for his nephew as a gift at the height of the scalp frenzy. Then I started reading all about the PSVR2 features and bought a PS5 again when stock was available so I'd have it when the new VR was released. I enjoyed the first iteration but had a lot of motion sickness in certain games and didn't care for the low visual fidelity. I hope the 2nd iteration is more fun. As excited as I am for future VR tech, I'm still not convinced that it will be the natural evolution of gaming. I still prefer to sit down in my lazy boy in front of my 77" 4K tv compared to wearing VR goggles. I'd personally rather game in 8K or something vs VR but that's me.

 

[BoardingDoc]

The upcoming VR2 is the only reason I have a PS5. As crazy as it sounds, I bought both XSX and PS5 at launch. Ended up selling my PS5 to a nurse who was trying to find one for his nephew as a gift at the height of the scalp frenzy. Then I started reading all about the PSVR2 features and bought a PS5 again when stock was available so I'd have it when the new VR was released. I enjoyed the first iteration but had a lot of motion sickness in certain games and didn't care for the low visual fidelity. I hope the 2nd iteration is more fun. As excited as I am for future VR tech, I'm still not convinced that it will be the natural evolution of gaming. I still prefer to sit down in my lazy boy in front of my 77" 4K tv compared to wearing VR goggles. I'd personally rather game in 8K or something vs VR but that's me.

Agree. People who have their "VR legs" seem to really like VR. Any game that has thumbstick controlled locomotion though just makes me want to vomit after 15 min of playtime. HL: Alyx was amazing for me because it did room tracking and teleport motion, and I had a large open area I could set the game up in. That let me use the teleport mechanic to get myself into the general area I wanted to be and then just physically walk around the environment. Super immersive that way plus no motion sickness.

 

[cyanide12345678]

Can't do that with your kids, which seems to be the primary goal. That said, I agree that VR can be solid. I have a valve index. HL Alyx was freaking amazing.

You just need 2 head sets but things like beat saber have multiplayer. Just need to same headsets. A lot more active, gets you off the couch, really gets blood pumping, and conceptually the same as guitar hero.

 

[DeadCactus]

X-box and the Game Pass is the route I went. I have no complaints but I play casually and have no attention span for games anymore.

 

[DrDrummer]

I think Sony has better exclusive titles on the PS5, and the new graphics/haptics/etc. are pretty nice in addition to backwards compatibility. The Last of Us (1 and 2) is a great game. I'm having fun with Stray right now. I prefer the controller to the x-box one.

Anyone interested in VR is better off on a PC setup, if you're willing to do the work. Some of the games are pretty awesome but I think we're still 5-10 years out from really immersive and fun VR games outside niche concepts that are designed around the platform or at baseline are good for staying still while the world moves around you (e.g. flight simulation).

I will say I don't have much attention span for games anymore. Which is good I think. Probably better to be outside and moving my body than inside getting RSI trying to grind out a K ratio against amphetamine-enhanced zoomers in multiplayer. But there is a sort of perpetual child inside me that will probably keep buying the systems and playing until one day when I'm in the retirement village with mee maw and can just jack right into the metaverse, which will be sweet.

 

[Jabbed]

With all the XBox and PS exclusives coming to PC (finally) and the advent of VR, the clear winner is PC… provided that you’re willing to pay x3-4 the entry fee.

 

[HemeOncHopeful19]

With all the XBox and PS exclusives coming to PC (finally) and the advent of VR, the clear winner is PC… provided that you’re willing to pay x3-4 the entry fee.

Agreed, raise your children right and let them be PC gamers.

 

[gamerEMdoc]

Xbox, PS5, PC, and Steamdeck. Play Xbox when a game is on gamepass, PS5 if I'm buying an exclusive or want to play a game on my TV; PC for games that are PC only or I want to control with KBM (like a cRPG), and Steamdeck for any game in my PC library I want to play on handheld.

 

[Arcan57]

Xbox is a dumber PC, PS5 has better exclusives in the genres I play.