Playstation 5 vs Xbox Series X

Plus the non-disc versions

SONY PLAYSTATION 5

With a big, bonkers design and a new controller bursting with potentially gamechanging tech, the PS5 is not a modest upgrade. Whether you think it resembles a Wi-fi router or a ring-binder, the more time we spend with it, the more we admire it. The white sides are easy to remove, opening the door for future pimping and

SSD upgrades – and given the unusual 825GB capacity, it does fill up quickly.

The Dualsense pad is bulkier than a Dualshock but the sticks feel grippier – and if you’ve got a microscope handy, the rear texturing is made up of teeny square, triangle, circle and cross symbols. Very cool. It also adds a microphone, adaptive triggers and haptic feedback – and this latter could be significant. Dual actuators replace traditional rumble motors, allowing for a range of focused vibrations. The triggers, meanwhile, can now switch between varying levels of force and tension when pressed in-game, which opens up countless new gameplay options to developers.

All these new features are showcased brilliantly by Astro’s Playroom, pre-loaded onto every PS5. Future titles making use of the functionality could really ramp up the immersion.

TOP OF THE FLOPS?

Like the Xbox Series X over the page, the PS5 is essentially a high-spec gaming PC for the living room. Which is to say, stupendously powerful with greatly reduced loading times. Teraflop enthusiasts will have noted that Microsoft’s machine pips the PS5 here and has a slightly faster processor, but it’s too soon to say if this will make a real difference.

Sony’s sexy new UI is fast to navigate, and the whole thing renders in 4K HDR. Moving from the home screen to

backflipping Spider-man in 20 seconds feels great and, oh my, New York looks amazing – as does the incredible Demon’s Souls remake. The PS5 can’t match Microsoft’s nifty Quick Resume feature, which freezes multiple games in storage, but most last-gen titles will run fine, many with a boost. And the launch line-up is strong, while PS Plus members get access to 20 big PS4 games.

The PS5’S hulking design means it’ll make a bad first impression on some, but spend time playing it and it’ll soon win you over – and then some. We just hope developers make use of that fascinating controller.

Tech specs

CPU 8-core 3.5Ghz AMD Zen 2 GPU 2.23Ghz AMD RDNA 2, 10.3 teraflops Max resolution 4K @ up to 120fps RAM 16GB Memory bandwidth 448GB/S Storage 825GB Dimensions 390x260x104mm, 4.5kg

Smart Delivery automatically upgrades your old games to the best possible version for the hardware.