The console wars have a new lease on life this holiday season with the release of Microsoft's Xbox One X.
Microsoft is calling the new video game system "the most powerful console ever made" and they're not wrong.
In fact, the new Xbox is even more powerful than Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro, finally turning the tables in what's been a Sony-dominated gaming generation, at least in terms of raw power. Ever since the vanilla Xbox One launched, it's fallen behind its competitor, both in sales and in performance. Now Microsoft has at least one edge on the competition.
Still, there's plenty of reasons to stick with Sony and the PS4 Pro despite the new console on the block. Let's go over seven of these.
1. The price-tag.
Perhaps the most compelling reasons of all boils down to simple economics. The price gap between Sony and Microsoft's consoles is not insignificant.
When the vanilla Xbox One launched in 2013 (yes it's been that long) it cost $499 compared to the vanilla PS4's $399 price-tag. This is the exact same price the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro cost today, though you can probably find a deal on the Pro this holiday season. It was selling for $349 on Black Friday and will likely see similar sales in the lead-up to Christmas.
Sure, the Xbox One X is newer and more powerful, but you'll pay for that power. $100 (or $150) is nothing to sniff at. You could easily spend the money on a couple of extra games or a game and a second gamepad, or put it toward a new 4K HDR TV.
2. You can't really tell the difference.
I have both systems and I've also looked at plenty of comparison shots and video and while the Xbox One X definitely has a graphical edge, it's still not a very noticeable one. The screen you choose will have a bigger impact on how your video games look. It's possible that we'll see the performance gap widen, but at the moment it's just not that big of a deal.
This is especially true when you're in the middle of a game, shooting at enemies or trying to stay alive rather than pouring over a screenshot comparison. That's the funny thing about video games---gameplay still matters more than graphics and always will.
At this point, while the Xbox One X is indeed the most powerful console, its graphical edge may not be as noticeable as that extra Benjamin missing from your bank account.
3. Virtual Reality.
If you want to get into VR on consoles, right now your only choice is Sony. The PlayStation VR headset has no Xbox alternative (though there are PC and mobile VR options.) PSVR already has quite a few games in its catalog, with more coming out all the time. It also makes use of the Move controllers and the really cool PSVR Aim controller (which looks like a gun.)
4. The games.
Speaking of games, the number one selling point for the PlayStation 4 Pro is its incredibly strong exclusive line-up. Indeed, if I had to pick just one item from this list this would be it, and I think you could make a compelling argument that this one reason alone is enough to justify the PS4 Pro over the Xbox One X (though obviously taste in games is incredibly subjective.)
The PS4 Pro just has so many great games that you can't play on an Xbox One X: Uncharted 4, Uncharted The Lost Legacy, Bloodborne, Horizon Zero Dawn, and many others have already been released. Upcoming exclusives include The Last Of Us 2, the new God of War, and the mysterious Hideo Kojima title Death Stranding.
5. Even cross-platform games have a bonus.
Many cross-platform games will look a little better on the Xbox One X, but that doesn't change the fact that Sony has a number of timed exclusive deals with major game publishers. There's exclusive content for PlayStation gamers in Destiny 2, and Call of Duty fans gain access to map packs earlier on PS4 than on PC or Xbox One.
Given that Sony has a larger install base at the moment, I don't see these deals changing any time soon. And even though I dislike these kinds of deals and think they cause more harm than good to gaming communities, it's still a factor you have to consider when choosing a console.
6. You can play most Xbox exclusives on a PC.
I really like that Microsoft has started releasing its Xbox exclusives on PC at the same time, and letting you buy once and play on either/or. It's fantastic that I can buy the new Gears of War game and then play it on my PC or my Xbox One X. On the other hand, this may be another reason to buy a PS4 Pro instead of an Xbox One X. After all, if you have a PC already you can pretty much play any (or at least most) Xbox One games on your PC instead. That makes the PS4 exclusives even more compelling.
7. PlayStation Plus.
Xbox Live probably has a better history of security and performance than PlayStation Network, but PlayStation Plus has a longer and better history of handing out free games to subscribers. Yes, Microsoft now also offers free monthly games (which is great) and it's also true that recent months haven't been the most rewarding for PS+ subscribers in terms of free game selection. Still, I'd say overall the free game value is higher and more consistent for PlayStation Plus and you'll almost certainly get your money's worth in free titles by the end of the year and then some. The value only increases if you have a PSVR since Sony occasionally releases free VR titles as well (and will likely continue to do so to support the platform.)
Verdict
I've written another list with all the reasons to buy an Xbox One X instead of a PS4 Pro which you can read here. Ultimately, both these systems are excellent, though neither is worth upgrading to unless you have a 4K TV, preferably with HDR.
There are a couple other important factors to consider when you're purchasing a new console.
First, which platform most of your friends play on. If you buy a PS4 Pro but all your friends are playing Call of Duty: World War II on Xbox One, you're going to regret it. Cross-platform multiplayer is still a distant dream at this point.
Second, you'll want to make sure the types of exclusives released on each platform are the games you like. I may say that the PS4 has better exclusives, because I love games like Uncharted and Bloodborne. But if you're more of a Halo type, then you need to factor that into your decision as well.
In the end, you can't really make a "wrong" choice. Both systems are excellent and have loads of excellent content. Same goes for the new Nintendo Switch (though there are many other considerations when it comes to that console.) Hopefully some of this helped if you're trying to decide, but rest easy: whichever system you end up with, you'll have a great machine and tons of fun.
