It’s that time of year again. The weather sucks, everyone is indoors and you have to buy a load of things for people other than yourself. Christmas, how we’ve missed you.
The video game market is a great place to turn when looking to get your children gifts for Christmas. But with 3 console ecosystems out there, which one do you choose? You go to the shops, overwhelmed by choice, and really have no idea what the difference is anyway.. Only to be recommended by Larry, the same system he has at home. Luckily for you, I have a foolproof guide to help anyone looking to decide which game console to pick up this Christmas.
The choices are: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5/PlayStation 5 digital, Xbox Series X/Xbox Series S. There are a few other game devices out there, but adoption rates and games are not yet high enough to warrant including.
‘Disclaimer’ – If they’ve subtly hinted at you for a specific console already, or said nothing because… Santa. Then I hereby relinquish myself from any blame for their disappointment, for alas I am not Santa.’ Ho, ho, ho.
Now rather than just making a list of pros and cons, I am going to ask you a series of questions, and hopefully the answers you give will help you discover which console is right for you. The questions are going to be ordered with the more heavily weighted answers first. Once you know what you are willing to pay, the most important question is ‘What do their friends play on?’ After this, it boils down to personal preference as they are all fantastic machines. For those who prefer the whole ‘pros and cons’ approach, scroll down.
I live in the UK and as a result will be going generally with (£)GBP as my main currency, but will put ($)USD value too. So without further ado, let’s get into it…
1. What is your budget?
£450($500)+ Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 and all other consoles in play too
£250($300)-£300($350) Xbox Series S or Nintendo Switch
£300($350)-£400($450) PlayStation 5 Digital, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch
*Some retailers offer Xbox Series consoles on a pay monthly plan known as Xbox All Access. If this interests you follow this link to find out more about Xbox All Access.*
2. What do their friends have/play on?
For this question Xbox and PlayStation variants will be grouped together because this is about being in the same “ecosystem”.
Xbox Series
PlayStation 5
Nintendo Switch
If price is not an issue for you. 9 times out of 10, it is best to get them the same thing as their friends, so they are guaranteed that they will be able to play together.
*Most big multiplatform games like Call of Duty and Minecraft will allow for cross play, but it’s always best to be on the same platform as friends.*
3. How old are they?
Less than 12
Teenager
Young Adult
If you answered “Teenager”, you may find that the Nintendo Switch does not have so many games to interest them, but it does depend on taste. More mature rated, narrative driven games tend to favour Xbox and PlayStation consoles, so it is probably safer to go with Xbox or PlayStation. While many adults enjoy gaming on a Switch, I think it is just part of being a teenager.
4. What sort of games do they enjoy playing most?
Shooters, Western RPGs
Action Adventure, Superhero(eg Spiderman)
JRPGs(Japanese role play games)
Platformers
If you answered Shooters or Western RPGs like Halo/Gears or The Elder Scrolls, Xbox might be the way to go. If you answered Action/Adventure or Superhero like Uncharted or Spiderman, then PlayStation 5 would be my recommendation. If you answered JRPGs or Platformers, then Nintendo Switch would probably be your best bet. Although PlayStation 5 does decent Japanese development support too.
5. Do they prefer to game with friends or independently? This could be with friends online as well as couch co-op.
Multiplayer
Independently
If you answered independently, I would say at the time of writing this article, PlayStation have more exclusive single player games. If you answered multiplayer, Xbox have more of their exclusives with multiplayer functionality eg coop campaigns. Switch has some fun couch co-op games and the controller can split to form a second controller. Super snazzy!
6. How many new games per year do they play?
If you don’t know this because they don’t have a console or game system yet fear not, I will explain below.
1 They only play Fifa/Madden, they just love football.
1 – 2 mostly just like playing with friends
3+ They are really into video games
If you answered 1 or 1 – 2, then you can sit back for this, it is one of a couple of questions meant to help tie-break. If they play 3 or more games a year and budget is a concern, it might be worth looking into Xbox. Xbox offers a service called Xbox Game Pass which for a monthly fee of a maximum of £15($15) depending on which tier you opt for. New Xbox first party games are released into the service day-and-date to stay.
7. Do they want access to VR gaming?
Yes
No
If the answer is yes, PlayStation is the only console to offer this at the time of writing.
8. What consoles have they previously owned?
Xbox
PlayStation
Nintendo
If the answer is Xbox, most Xbox games from past consoles are currently playable on the Xbox Series. Be aware that the Xbox Series S does not play physical game discs. PlayStation are working on increasing their backwards compatibility, if they have owned previous PlayStation hardware. Unfortunately, Nintendo Switch does not offer backwards compatibility. As in, it won’t let you play old games you own, but it will allow you to buy old games to play on Switch via their online store.
9. Red, Green or Blue?
Red – Nintendo
Green – Xbox
Blue – PlayStation
Sometimes, it is just about picking a brand that uses their favorite color.
Hopefully answering those questions has given you a good indication as to which games console would be most suitable for you to buy this Christmas. For all those that like a good old pros and cons list, I’ve got you covered too, the below is for you.
PlayStation 5
Pros – Good medium price range on the digital system. A back catalogue of critically acclaimed first party games. Good Japanese game development support. PlayStation 4 games playable on new systems. This is a WIP though. Set the bar for story driven action adventure games. The only console to support VR gaming.
Cons – Availability is poor. First party games are more expensive than competitors. Subscription service value offering is not as complete as Xbox’ with less games. Memory expansion requires you to take the console apart. YouTube how to’s can help.
Xbox Series S/X
Pros – Varied price entries. Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s Netflix-like monthly subscription service, is arguably the best value service in gaming at the time of writing. With all first party games and many others on launch day. The Adaptive Controller, designed to meet the needs of those with limited mobility. To find out more follow the link to The Xbox Adaptive Controller. Games from past 3 consoles playable on new systems. Have the best Western RPG developers in the industry.
Cons – Availability is poor. Japanese game development support is not as good as the other two at the time of writing. The cost of external SSD memory cards are expensive.
Nintendo Switch
Pros – Availability better than Xbox and PlayStation. Play games natively in hand-held mode a la Gameboy, or “docked” plugged into the TV. A host of family friendly nostalgia inducing video game IPs. Games that the whole family can play at Christmas. Fantastic indie and Japanese development support. Best platformers in the business.
Cons – Online services far behind competitors. Least AAA 3rd party support. Backwards compatibility is non-existent, meaning games from past Nintendo consoles are not playable on current hardware. That said, some can now be repurchased and played on the Switch via Nintendo’s online service.
One more helpful snippet. There is a big issue with availability of the new consoles at the moment, thanks to a global shortage of semiconductors. This means that getting hold of any could prove troublesome. If you play on Xbox, the new games can be played via Xbox Game Pass Cloud, using a web browser. For more information follow the link. Because of this, I would not consider paying a scalper a premium, just to get a console.
I hope you have found this all useful. One thing I realised is that breaking these things down for someone who is not a gamer is challenging and made me realise that there is room on the market for a video game “Jargon Buster”, which I will write and provide a link to as soon as it is done.
