Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X

i see the option for $600 as a lease with two years of play. but no one has it!

disc-free is a trap anyway

if anyone is getting gamepass for the first time it's worth looking into the $1 deal which is still working, you can get up to 3 years of Ulimate for relatively cheap that way
https://nerdburglars.net/hardwareguides/how-to-convert-xbox-live-gold-to-gamepass-ultimate/

Well apparently I scored one of these (PS5). I had just narrowly failed to get one via Best Buy thanks to one of those twitter accounts (got all the way to the final confirmation button click and it conked out), but a friend of a friend got through and apparently bought one just on general principle. Maybe he would have scalped it if none of his friends wanted it, but he sold it to me at cost.

Is there any good reason to want a ps5 over an xbox x? I mean other than for the exclusives. I've never had any iteration of the xbox but it seems to be way easier to find than the ps5 and I am thinking that the effort in tracking down a ps5 is probably not worth it over an xbox but maybe I'm missing something.

sounds like you want someone to tell you that the PS5 isn't worth it. well...
the xbox x has several things going for it, but if you're already in the Sony ecosystem..

- Xbox doesn't have Persona
- Xbox is an Xbox

They both are great. You can't really lose.

Putting aside availability, IMO the advantages of PS5:

• AAA first-party, single-player exclusives (as you say)
• Backwards compatibility with PS4
• Fancypants haptic feedback
• Less likely to buy the wrong version of the console

• Game pass
• Probably future-proofed against Activision/Blizzard content/exclusivity
• Has its own exclusives (Gears, Halo, Hellblade sequel, Forza)

lol whoops, forgot about MS owning Bethesda now.

Advantages of PS5:
-what if From Software releases another PS-exclusive in the future?

That's really all I can think of.

I guess another thing in favor of XB:

MS has way more money than Sony, so might continue to buy more and bigger developers.

They both are great. You can't really lose.

This is mostly what I am hoping for.

Thanks for the answers everybody. The last time I did some serious gaming was with a PS3. This new console is going to be mostly for my son anyway, though I do hope to be able to play a bit every once in a while.

I went for PS5 because I skipped the entire PS4 generation and want to upgrade to 4k for movies (of course, that means getting an HDR-compatible TV first). Multiplatform titles seem to be pretty much at parity most of the time now, not like the cursed PS3 years, and my PC is just old enough and just expensive/difficult enough to upgrade that I'm buying titles that would've been PC for me in the past without question (like Deathloop) on console instead, though of course this is the last Arkane title I'll be able to do this with since we don't really do antitrust enforcement in this country anymore :/

both consoles are practically the same hardware (excepting the cheapo S version of the xbox), so it only really matters if you care about any specific exclusive games on one side or the other

i posted this in the ps5 thread:

this is the ps5 thread and for people with a 4 the advantages of owning the 5 and getting substantial improvements on games they already own is undeniable but other than that it's hard to recommend it instead of the xbox series x: same price, better hardware, compatible with many games from og xbox and 360 (often with improvements), better pad and gamepass ultimate if you like subscription services

ultimately there's always the wildcard of niche japanese stuff and (with the exception of the 360) xbox consoles always do terribly there but more and more it seems that everything is multiplatform and if anything, the switch is the one to get for that given it's the dominant console in the region

are you sure it's the series x that you can find easily and not last gen's xbox one x? because if you're not invested in either platform xbox seems the best option this gen

it's definitely the x series x (such a dumb name), which as far as I can tell is available right now on amazon.ca (at retail price) and was available on bestbuy.ca last week, though sold out now.

Consider the Series S, btw. It cuts some corners on graphics but otherwise it performs quite well. If you aren't a graphics nerd you may not notice the difference.

still feel like no disc drive is a mistake

but otherwise yes, mostly agreed - xbox series x is a fine machine

elden ring on the series s runs perfectly and looks amazing on a big ass tv, no regrets abt not getting the x

If your son plays Fortnite, it's free on the PS but needs an online subscription on Xbox

forgot Sony carved out an exception for them

Is the one without the disc drive supposed to be any quieter? Because if so then that.

I have a series S and a PS5 and the Series S is definitely quieter. That’s not to say the PS5 is loud though.

All the noise that comes from my PS% is the disc drive, but it’s really not that loud.

https://www.polygon.com/23060294/xbox-streaming-device-samsung-tv-app

PS5s in stock and not immediately selling out in UK, what is this madness

had to settle down eventually. in time for new improved PS Plus too

Now about four hours and 14GB into a 114GB Halo Collection Xfinity download for Xbox One, "if you have a strong internet connection, you can stream your Xbox experience" is not thrilling me.

I decided to go with the Steam Deck as my next system. I love the Switch and I have a ton of steam games my 9 year old PC can't handle.

Well, despite my seriously considering getting an XBox upthread, my son decided he preferred a ps5 even if it means waiting a bit. To mild disbelief I somehow actually managed to purchase a ps5 earlier this week and it should arrive at my house today. I guess now I have to get some games.

I got a Sony email inviting me to a buying queue but the PS5 fever has passed and I ended up forgetting about it.

they're gonna need an exclusive jrpg to get me. seems unlikely given they keep laying off all their japan-side developers

I've gotten the email from Sony two or three times now, but only waited (and wasted my time) in line twice, pointlessly. The next time I got one I just said screw that, I'm not waiting in line for a remote *chance* to buy shit. Amazon, however, finally tweaked their system to thwart bots and resellers. Now if you want to buy a PS5, you have to click that you're interested and, once vetted, may one day get an invite to purchase that's good for a couple of days.

I don't know if I'm even that enthused but I ordered a ps5 today

if hot post-covid summer falls through, I've got my plan

Well, assuming my order is not cancelled for some arcane reason, I managed to snag a PS5 at a Target a few miles away. Got the bundle with Horizon Zero West, figuring that was one I planned to play eventually anyway. Order now processing. Assuming all goes well, first up may be ... Last of Us 2? I suspect I've got to make sure I have the emotional stores for that one first.

Congrats!

This chip shortage is crazy.

I do think it's nuts that almost two years after launch the system is still hard to come by, or at least not easy to get at retail (side note: the Xbox Series X is not nearly as scarce). But the PS5 scarcity is definitely also being driven (or at least potentiated) by second-hand scalpers, from whom you can buy a PS5 right now ... for $200 over retail. I can't tell if the modest measures that some retailers are taking to throttle scalpers are exploitation themselves. Like I said, I got mine at Target, which was kind of good luck, kind of planning, since I knew a restock was happening and happened to be checking the site at the right time. (I still had to drive 45 minutes, but that's a Chicago-problem; 45 minutes is 7 miles). But Walmart requires you to join their Walmart+ plan to even get a chance to purchase a PS5. Iirc it can at least be cancelled, but the Best Buy program you need to join for a shot will only give you a partial refund, and at $200 on top of the cost of the console, that's as bad as the scalpers. Gamestop seems to get it in stock a bunch, but only as part of big house bundles that pump the price up considerably. Amazon has a new invitation system, but despite going live several weeks ago afaict no one has received an invite yet, so no one really knows how that system works. I feel bad for the grandparents and other olds that have to deal with this stuff come holiday season.

I haven't set up the machine yet, but I'm a little surprised how many PS4 games I own *don't* have free upgrades to PS4. Spider-man requires you to buy Miles Morales to get Spider-Man Remastered. Ghost of Tsushima costs $20 to upgrade, I think. Control requires the purchase of the Ultimate Edition. Some of these and many of the other games I have, however, either have free upgrades or, like Elden Ring, reportedly run better in PS4 mode on PS5 than they do natively on PS5. No idea why.

FYI if you already started Control the save file does NOT transfer from the PS4 to PS5 versions, learned that the hard way

The Elden Ring performance thing comes from certain PS5 graphic effects making the engine not run at a consistent 60fps, i heard - sounds like something easily patchable at some point

Haven't started Control yet, had always been waiting for PS5 (but not patient enough to hold off on buying it when it was on sale for PS4). I figure I'll just wait for the ultimate edition to go on sale again before the end of the year and snag it then.

Control: Ultimate Edition is in the middle "Extra" tier of PS Plus fwiw

It's definitely intriguing, but I only saw maybe three or so other games on there right now that I want to play but don't own: Demon's Souls, Miles Morales, and Returnal. Demon's Souls and Returnal (the ones I want to play the least) are PS5 only and given their price could justify $15 a month, but if I wanted to I bet I could eventually get Miles on PS4 (with a free upgrade to PS5) for about the cost of a month of Extra, and the same goes for Control Ultimate (I already own the base version for PS4) when it goes on sale again. Granted, Sony can just keep adding things to PS Plus, and they will, and I'm sure things will leave PS Plus, too, but I go through games so slowly I think it would end up like many of the other streaming services I have, paying a premium just to have a ton of options I don't really take advantage of.

Ask and you shall receive: Control Ultimate just went on sale for $15, so I bought it and installed the free PS5 upgrade. I also bought the triple pack of Metro games, because why not? $15 for three games, and the third game is upgraded for PS5. People seem to like them, as far as shooters go. People love the latest Ratchet & Clank, too, which is on sale for $40, but as much as I enjoyed the last one I also thought it was kind of dumb, so I think I'll wait until it sinks to the magic $25 mark. Same with Demon's Souls and Miles Morales. It'll force me to focus on my backlog.

Bought a Victrix controller on ebay because I'm finally sick of the PS5 controller. It was always too big and uncomfortable for me, and now that I'm dealing with some tendonitis and arm/hand issues from multiple sources, I just can't mess up my hands playing video games. This one is supposed to be a little smaller, and also has adjustable trigger sensitivity and configurability (moving the buttons around, buttons on the bottom that can be assigned to double other ones). Hope it works!

Heads up that Best Buy has some bonkers promotion right now, 10 Days of $10 Games or something like that. Each day I guess will be a PS/XBox/PC game on sale for $10, with free shipping (if you want), until they run out. I bought Sackboy for the PS5 today, because why not? They have not announced the future games yet:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/video-games/video-game-sale-events/pcmcat1649105798442.c

Gotham Knights for $10 was today, sadly went OOS really fast

Deal today is Far Cry 6, which seems less compelling (both as a game and as a discount).

So far so good with that controller btw, it's a little more balanced and comfortable for sure (I'm trying not to curl my pinky and index fingers around the grips these days, and to basically have all my fingers extended but still have the controller resting in my palms).

It tells you to download an app from the Microsoft store to update the controller firmware and calibrate it, but hilariously I don't have a computer that's up-to-date enough to download anything from the Microsoft store. Fortunately it seems to work just fine out of the box (wired & wireless).