PlayStation 5 VS Xbox Series X

The year 2020 isn’t likely to rank highly among many people’s all-time favourites but, for gamers in particular, the end of this strangest of years can’t come quickly enough.

With both Sony and Microsoft due to release their powerful next-generation consoles onto the market, Christmas 2020 should see the much-hyped console wars reach new heights.

Even for the non-gamer, the Sony PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X promise to be exciting multi-media machines, boasting blazing-fast performance, stunning 8K visuals and a slew of must-have launch titles. So which console will be the best option for you?

It’s a tough one, but the good news is that there’s plenty of time to make up your mind. We already know plenty of details about how the PS5 and the Xbox Series X both shape up, including how they look, what’s under the hood, how the controllers will change and which games you’ll want to get your hands on first.

We also know that both Sony and Microsoft plan to offer cut-price, all-digital (disc-less) consoles to tempt gamers on a tighter budget. So, to help you choose, we’ve put the PS5 and the Xbox Series X head-to-head in a battle of the rival machines…

Release date

The big question is which console will launch first? Microsoft announced the Xbox Series X would launch ‘Holiday 2020’ before some Xbox product pages in a handful of regions suggested the official launch would be ‘Thanksgiving 2020’ (26th November), just in time for Black Friday. Microsoft has since reverted back to its original stance of ‘Holiday 2020’.

Sony claims that the coronavirus pandemic has not affected the expected late 2020 PS5 release date – but the outbreak may cause problems for game production. In June, the release date of the PS5 may have leaked online. According to Twitter user “IronManPS5”, Japan will see the PS5 on 14th November, while north America and Europe will have to wait until 20th November.

“Both Sony and Microsoft consoles promise fast performance, stunning 8K visuals and a slew of must-have game titles”

We finally got to see the PS5 console in the flesh at a recent PlayStation live stream event, where not one but two new versions were unveiled, including a