Unpopular opinion: X-box Series X > PS5

YellowJersey · December 7, 2020

See the bolded bits below for the summary.

Disclaimer: I'm not an avid console gamer... or PC gamer... or much of a gamer at all. I mostly play retro titles from when I was a kid and when the life force had not yet been sucked from my body leaving me a hollow shell of a man. So take my opinion for what it's worth (that is, not very much). Instead, maybe look at this for its anthropological value as an outsider gazing into a mysterious world through the glass bottom boat that is the internet lurker.

So, here's a contentious opinion... I think... I think the X-box Series X (or just "X-box" because Microsoft's naming department needs to have their heads slammed in a car door repeatedly) are better than the PS5. Graphically speaking, particularly with the X, I'd say graphical quality is more or less a wash; not enough difference to sway the decision one way or another based on hardware performance alone. I'm focusing more on the value for money and the pro/anti-consumer aspects of both consoles, and this is where I think this generation's X-box shines.

Microsoft took no small degree of shit with the X-box, all of it deserved, for its anti-consumer bullshit. Always on DRM, built-in kinnect that was "impossible" to not have included, locking discs to that one console, and so on (a lot of these were later rolled back). The PS4, by contrast, didn't pull any of that crap. They probably looked at the thrashing Microsoft was taking and decided to capitalise on the lack of anti-consumer bullshit to win people over, because "not being a shithead" is worthy of praise in this horrible nightmare existence we all share. That's why I think the PS4 was the better than the X-box One. (and I think the 360 was better than the PS3 for similar reasons, but the PS2 was better than the original X-box, and so on). I don't have any brand loyalties here.

But this time, it seems to be Sony's turn to pull the anti-consumer bullshit, though not nearly to the extent of the X-box One. I have to say, I really like Microsoft's approach with the "no exclusives" thing. Despite the mockery they've got, I'm all for it. Exclusives just force you to buy a console to play a game, and not everyone can afford all of the consoles. So if you can only afford one and there's an exclusive on the other platform you want to play, then you get to eat shit. So I'm largely against this whole "who has the better exclusives?" argument because I see exclusive titles as being inherently anti-consumer to begin with. I see it as a console maker holding a game hostage.

My point is, the only reason, in my eyes, to buy a PS5 is to play exclusive titles. I think Microsoft's "no exclusives" approach this time around shows that exclusives are just unnecessary anti-consumer tools that provide no benefit to the consumer. X-box also pulls ahead through the X-box Game Pass. Call me old fashioned, but I generally lament the death of ownership and the move towards streaming. However, the Game Pass does offer compelling value by allowing you to play current and old games and Sony doesn't (yet) have a competitive answer for that.

So, for Microsoft taking a more consumer-friendly approach, they get my nod of approval... this time.

You may now proceed to tell me that I'm wrong and stupid and that I smell, as is required under ancient internet law.