Why You Should Stock Up On a PS5 This Holiday Season

The next generation of video gaming consoles is officially on the market. In other words, the war has begun, with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X going head-to-head in a bid for a space in your living room.

The two console franchises from Sony and Microsoft are going to be capable of 4K gaming and up to 120 frames per second with faster loading speeds. Both consoles are truly innovative, but if you take a closer look at the facts, you will likely lean towards the PS5.

While the topic has long been debated in close friend circles and may be viewed as a matter of preference by many, PlayStation has made the most significant advancements in recent years and there are numbers to back that up.

The first thing we can look at is popularity. Popularity in this day and age in gaming is one of the key factors in making a decision on what system to buy. By having high popularity, this means that games will be easier to play with friends as there would be no issues in joining each other's voice chat and game parties on the same console. While cross-play currently exists between the Xbox and PlayStation, it does not provide the most convenient user experience.

The cross-platform play describes the ability of players using different video game hardware the ability to play with each other simultaneously. In my personal experience with cross-play, issues, such as audio levels and gameplay hitches, are just some of the many reasons why people prefer to play with others on the same console.

Ahead of the release dual of Sony’s PS5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X in November, a British search agency Rise at Seven did a global analysis to discover which console brand was in the highest demand before their respective release dates. PlayStation blew the Xbox out of the park on this one.

The PlayStation 5 was named over the Xbox Series X as the most-wanted gaming console in 84% of the world’s gaming markets, winning 148 of the countries surveyed in a landslide.

When it comes to the United States, the ratio of projected PS5 to Xbox Series X users was 57% to 43%. This means that in one of the world's largest and most competitive markets the PS5 wins out.

Ampere Analysis games research director Piers Harding-Rolls predicts that Sony will outperform Microsoft with a whopping 67 million consoles by the end of 2024, compared to an estimated 44 million for the Series X. These estimates are based on previous sales data and the varying marketing strategies that are employed by the two video gaming giants.

This data bodes well for Playstation users, especially those in the US. Understandably, some people may not want to deal with the switchover of consoles, but this year the demand and excitement surrounding the next generation of Playstation consoles make it far more appealing.

Another very important factor in the decision-making process of gamers is content. Video game franchises like Super Mario and Pokemon on Nintendo have been two of the most exclusive games for a platform ever. This kind of exclusivity can similarly be seen for Playstation and Xbox respectively with the Playstation pumping out games more to the excitement of their users.

Sony gives their fans something to look forward to every generation with a new set of PlayStation exclusives. An example of a Sony exclusive released in preparation for the PS5 launch would be their title, “Spider-Man: Miles Morales”. Partnering with large franchises, like Marvel, is a positive move for the company as it puts more eyes on the console and gives users the incentive to chose the Playstation over Xbox systems due to game exclusivity.

One of the main reasons Playstation exclusives are superior to that of the Xbox is access. Many titles on Xbox are released simultaneously for Xbox and PlayStation, meaning fans of Sony would not have to move outside their preferred gaming system to play them. To top that off, Xbox exclusives have never ranked among the top ten best-selling games on their platform in lifetime sales, according to the NPD Group.

These numbers paint a picture of the dominance that the Playstation holds in this critical area as well. Better content means better games, which in turn delivers a better user experience.

The final factor that holds great importance in the decision-making process is the kind of controllers offered. In gaming, the input through which you control the pace and actions of the game is of the utmost importance. This is why it is critical that users chose a well-rounded controller device.

With the release of the two different consoles, Sony and Microsoft are also implementing changes to their respective controllers. Perhaps the most important one of these changes can be seen in the aiming triggers, with adaptive triggers being implemented for the PS5 and impulse triggers for the Xbox Series X.

Adaptive triggers that will be featured on the PS5 DualSense controller are said to be more advanced than the technology that Microsoft will use with its impulse triggers. Adaptive triggers will give players a higher tension control for in-game motions and will work in tandem with the new haptic feedback feature to create a gaming experience that was not previously imaginable.

On the other hand, Xbox's impulse triggers will feature rumble motors and send distinct vibrations giving players a sense of directionality through feedback. Both sets of controllers will work in different ways; however, the changes implemented by Sony will deliver a higher quality sense of touch, while that of the Xbox will focus on immersion for loyal gamers of the console.

After the subsequent analysis of the data, I can confidently confirm that the work that Sony has done makes the Playstation 5 the console to stock up on this Holiday season. Its high level of popularity, content exclusivity, and innovative controller capabilities elevates the system over its longtime rival Xbox and creates a higher level of excitement for users as the consoles become available.