Written by Zachary Jacquest, Staff Writer
As the holiday season approaches, people of all ages are rushing to get a new video game console, either for themselves or for a loved one. One of the biggest problems that always arises is which console should you actually get?
In the current generation of video game systems, there are three major players in the market: Sony’s Playstation 4 (Later replaced by the PS4 Slim), Microsoft’s Xbox One (Later replaced by the Xbox One S), and the Nintendo Switch. All three have tons of notable similarities and differences which always ends up confusing people on why they should get one over the other. So I’m here to really go in depth on the pros and cons of all three and how they compare to each other.
Price
Let’s begin with the outside features of the consoles, namely the price. As of this article being written, all three of the consoles in their base forms (PS4 Slim, Xbox One S, and Nintendo Switch) are about $300. This is not including any sort of limited edition versions or bundles.
The PS4 Slim and Xbox One S each have an upgraded version of the system, the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X respectively, that have upgraded visuals, performance, and features. The PS4 Pro goes from $350-$400, and the Xbox One X goes for around $500 making it the most expensive console of this generation.
Nintendo decided to go the opposite route, as they created a console that has less features than the base console, but it is also the cheapest option for a console in this generation. The Nintendo Switch Lite goes for around $200, but unlike the base Switch, the Lite cannot connect to a TV and thus is limited to handheld gaming.
Gaming content
Once you get past the price you’re spending for the console alone, you’ll come to the realization that you’ll have to spend $30-$60 more for every game you want for that system. The type of games you actually want to play will be a major factor in deciding which console you want. While there is a pretty big selection of games that span across all three consoles, there are a lot of games that are exclusive to either one or two of them.
Due to the PS4 and the Xbox One having similar specs and features, they share a lot more games than they do with the Switch. So in terms of games, deciding between the PS4 and the Xbox One comes down to which exclusive games you’re more interested in.
For the PS4, there are a ton of quality exclusive games. These include: God of War, Spider-Man, Persona 5, Bloodborne, and a ton of other amazing games.
For the Xbox One, there is: Halo Collection, Halo 5, Gears of War 4, Gears 5, Sea of Thieves, Rare Replay, and even more solid exclusives.
The Nintendo Switch’s library of games is mostly covered by first-party exclusives. Nintendo makes a lot of their own games and they are some of the most amazing games you can find. These include Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Maker 2, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Pokémon Sword & Shield.
The Switch does have a lot of third-party support, however, with fantastic titles such as: Cuphead, Dark Souls, Skyrim, Bayonetta 1& 2, and Persona 5 Scramble: The Phan- tom Strikers, which means that the mostly Sony-Exclusive Persona series will be coming to Nintendo again.
The Switch is also a great platform for Indie developer games, such as: Dead Cells, Hollow Knight, and the extremely popular Undertale.
Visual quality
Now for another major element to factor into your purchasing decisions: How do these games look and run while playing the games you just bought? All three have a baseline resolution and fps (frames per second) that can possibly change depending on the game but is still a good generalization of the console itself.
Starting with the Playstation 4 family, the PS4 Slim usually maintains a solid 1080p and typically runs at 60fps which is really good for a baseline console. Depending on how large the game is, however, some of the framerate may need to be sacrificed, possibly down to 30fps. The PS4 Pro is a lot stronger of a system. Not only is it able to run all PS4 games better than the Slim, it also has the capability of running games in 4K depending on if your TV can handle 4K graphics, and maintains 1080p if your TV cannot handle 4K. The Pro generally keeps the frame rate much more solid and dependable.
Moving on to the Xbox One systems, the Xbox One S, similar to the PS4 Slim, is able to run 1080p and 60fps. The S does have the capability for 4K video output on the TV, but cannot actually render 4K graphics within a game. The Xbox One X is actually a little bit stronger than the PS4 Pro, and is able to run 4K graphics and video output at a consistent 60fps.
Finally, the Nintendo Switch line is overall worse in terms of visuals, especially when comparing them using games that span all three systems. The Nintendo Switch in tablet mode, as well as the Nintendo Switch Lite in general, run at 720p and have a range of 30fps-60fps depending on the game. When connected to a TV, the Switch’s resolution bumps up to 1080p, but it still maintains that shaky frame rate range.
Additional capabilities
Now all of these systems can do more than just play video games, as they all have various media features. The PS4 and the Xbox One both have the ability to play Blu-ray movies and has access to Net ix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Youtube. The Switch has no disc support whatsoever and only has access to Hulu and Youtube.
The Xbox One can actually connect to cable or a satellite for Live TV options (though you need the Kinect or a third-party infrared blaster to control it) and has the ability to support Ultra HD Blu-ray discs for 4K HDR movies, two things that PS4 Slim and Pro cannot accomplish.
According to vgchartz.com, as of Sept. 1, 2019, the PS4 has sold 98.44 million units lifetime, the Xbox One has sold 42.99 million units lifetime, and the Nintendo Switch has sold 36.21 million units lifetime. Despite being in last for lifetime sales, the Nintendo Switch has been selling the best overall if you’re going by monthly sales, as it has been the best selling console for a good chunk of the year.
All of these consoles are a great choice. They all have amazing visuals and a great selection of games. The PS4 is easily the best “overall” option as it has amazing games, fantastic visuals, a good amount of media features, and is a good middle ground price. The Nintendo Switch, while not as powerful as the Xbox One or the PS4 and lacking in media features, has an outstanding selection of innovative and fun games, and is the cheapest option between the three. The Xbox One is as powerful, if not stronger, than the PS4, also has a great selection of games, and completely excels in terms of media features, but is also the most expensive option for this generation.
No matter which one you choose, it will easily be worth your time and money and will give you amazing experiences whether you’re playing alone or with others.