For the past 20 years, Xbox and Playstation have competed against each other on who has the better gaming console. Fast forward to today, we are on the verge of receiving new, next generation consoles. The Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X have generated much hype, and it’s safe to say we’re all excited for what is in store for us. 

    The long awaited Playstation 5 will be released in the U.S on November 12th, according to a statement released by Sony. The price has been officially set at $499, which is 100 dollars more than the price of the Playstation 4 when it was first released. However, you can pre-order the Playstation 5 as soon as September 17th. 

   If that price is too high, there is a more affordable option for people who are interested in buying this console. The Playstation 5 Digital Edition’s price is $399, and while you don’t get the disc drive, this variant is still packed with the same power and performance as the main console. You will also be able to purchase a standard edition PS5 with 4K Blu-ray disc drive. Both bring USB-C charging ports for their controllers, alongside a new PS5 wireless headset, a dualsense wireless controller, and media remote. 

   The PS5 design is something we haven’t seen before. The curvy mixture of white and black plastic with blue lightning highlights brings a very futuristic look to the Playstation. It is a very different design than the traditional ‘black box’ design we have received in the past years. One freshman, Fiorella Kaiserman, shared her thoughts on the new design:“I’m leaning towards getting the PS5 because of its futuristic look.”

   Some facts that Sony has released is that the PS5 will have processing speeds that are extremely faster than those of the PS4. This means we will have a faster start up time for games than in the past. The PS5 will also have an internal storage of 825GB, which is an upgrade from the PS4 which only had 500GB. The PS5 will provide gamers with 120 frames per second and the ability to play any PS4 game. 

   On the other hand, the Xbox Series X will be released in the U.S on November 10th and will cost $499. You can pre-order this console as soon as September 22th. Just like Playstation, Xbox has created a cheaper alternative for the Xbox Series X. Xbox Series S costs only $299 but will be less powerful than the Xbox Series X. 

   The Xbox Series X will have true 4K gaming and allow people to play with 120 frames per second. According to Microsoft, it is 4 times more powerful than the last Xbox which is a major upgrade. The new Xbox will have 12 teraflops of processing power, and this will make loading times significantly lower for video games. 

   To add to that, it will have backwards compatibility which will allow all old games to run with the new Xbox. This new Xbox series will allow a 1TB storage expansion card, but it does not come with the console and must be purchased separately. 

   The Xbox Series X design is very different from their traditional design. Instead of their traditional box design, they went with a smaller and more compact figure. This design includes a cooling system that is made up of three air flow channels that will distribute the internal heat, keeping the console cool and quiet. The new Xbox Series X will have 16GB of memory, which is an upgrade from its older model, which only had 12GB of memory. 

   All in all, both of these gaming consoles are the future for the world of gaming and are both major upgrades from their predecessors. With the new advanced gameplay and gadgets both consoles bring, it will surely be the next big thing we see in the gaming community. Which console you should get is purely on preference as both consoles are strong in all categories. 

   One sophomore, Marko Jaric, shared his opinion on which console he’s leaning towards: “I’m really excited for the newer consoles to come out, even though I don’t think there will be much difference. I will be choosing PS5 because I believe it is the better console.” 

   Whether you choose the Xbox or Playstation,  these consoles give us something to look forward to this year and it will give us an escape from reality.