MICROSOFT XBOX SERIES X
Design
The Xbox Series X is a hulking block of gaming muscle. Microsoft abandoned the flatter footprint of past Xbox consoles, and instead gone for something that looks more like a minimal desktop machine. It’s pretty big too; 30cm tall and 15cm wide, and it weighs a whopping 4.5 kilograms.
Power
Microsoft has filled its Series X to the brim with top-notch gaming tech. It uses a custom 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU with 12 teraflops of raw graphics-processing power. In real words, that means that Microsoft’s next-gen console is blazingly fast, and has double the power of the previous generation. That translates to 4K gaming at 120 frames per second, and Microsoft says that 8K resolution gaming is also on the way. That should make for a much smoother gameplay experience.
Storage
There is a 1 terabyte hard drive here, which will be enough to keep a good few games on install at any one time. Microsoft has said that it benefits from what it calls ‘Xbox Velocity Architecture’ which should dramatically reduce loading times, delays and lower framerate problems. Quick resume is a big new feature that will let you swap between two active games in seconds (rather than quitting one and starting another).
Games
Exclusive launch titles for Microsoft’s next-generation console are a little sparse. While it will get all of the season’s biggest multi-platform games (them on the next page), Xbox has pushed back its main launch title – Halo Infinite – to next year. Fortunately, Xbox Games Pass will give you 100+ games at launch, including Microsoft’s own first-party exclusives (like Gears of War) and EA Play games (such as FIFA 21 and NBA 2K1).
Price and availability
The Xbox Series X is out now and costs Dhs2,100.
SONY PLAYSTATION 5
Design
The new PlayStation 5 sees the most radical change in design in the console’s history. It has a large outer plastic shell (that has been compared to Dubai’s Burj Al Arab) which stands almost 40cm tall and 26cm wide – so if you keep your console in a space under the television, you might want to pull out a tape measure first.
Power
The new PlayStation has similar specs to its rival, but doesn’t quite hit the same maximum output with 10.3 teraflops of processing power (15 per cent less than its rival). There should be little noticeable difference in early games, but over time that oomph will certainly add up. That grunt does work with PlayStation’s current virtual reality headset though, with more higher-end VR technology still to come.
Storage
Sony has an ace up its sleeve, with much faster hard drive speeds – double that of the Xbox. That will translate to far quicker loading times (if any at all) and much smoother in game experience. Unlike the Xbox, it also rocks a physical Blu-ray disk player which will be handy for people who prefer physical media to digital films.
Games
Sony’s gaming-only focus (over Microsoft’s attempts to make the Xbox a ‘home entertainment system’) paid off last time around, and it’s gunning for similar success with the PS5. It has a slew of exclusive launch tiles, such as Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Sackboy: A Big Adventure. It will also give gamers access to previous exclusives, such as The Last of Us series and Uncharted.
Price and availability
The Sony PlayStation 5 launched on November 19, costing Dhs2,100.
