Video game consoles are an essential part of any gamer’s life. From the moment you begin playing a video game to that final moment when the credits roll, the gameplay experience is unlike anything else in this world. This is why so many people invest their time and money into buying video game consoles and their games.
Anyone who has ever played a video game knows how special they are. There’s just something about staying immersed in another world while also having your own strengths and weaknesses tested to see if you can make it through to the end. It’s these experiences that make us grow as individuals, which is another reason why gamers love console games so much.
The following article will give you everything you need to know about the best game consoles on the market today, what each of them has to offer, and whether or not it’s worth investing in one for yourself.
Sony PlayStation 5
The Sony PlayStation 5 with pink sideplates.
Photo: Arthur Gies
The PlayStation 5 launched in November 2020, and most retailers have been consistently sold out of both the $500 PS5 and the $400 PS5 Digital Edition ever since. With the PlayStation and Xbox platforms offering similar graphics capabilities (at least on paper) at similar prices, the reasons to choose a PlayStation over an Xbox revolve mostly around which games you want to play and how you want to play them.
Microsoft Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S
A photo of the Halo 20th Anniversary Edition Xbox Series X, with a matching controller in front of it.
The Halo 20th Anniversary Edition Xbox Series X. Photo: Arthur Gies
Our pick
Microsoft Xbox Series X
The best Xbox
Get the Series X if you’ll use it with a 4K TV (now or eventually), want the absolute best in graphics like raytraced lighting effects, or if you want a disc drive for games and movies.
$500 from Best Buy
May be out of stock
$499 from Walmart
$499 from Amazon
Also great
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Microsoft Xbox Series S
Less for less
The Series S doesn’t take full advantage of TVs with 4K resolution, and it lacks a disc drive, which is a downside if you own a lot of physical games or movies or like to buy them used. But it still lets you play the new generation of games, and it’s a great value paired with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
$298* from Walmart
$298 from Amazon
$300 from Best Buy
*At the time of publishing, the price was $330.
The new Xbox launched in November 2020. Though it’s been difficult to find the $500 Xbox Series X, it’s been slightly easier to find the $300 Xbox Series S. With the Xbox and PlayStation platforms offering similar graphics capabilities (at least on paper) at similar prices, the reasons to get an Xbox instead of a PlayStation revolve mostly around which games you want to play and how—that, and Xbox Game Pass.
Last generation, the Xbox One didn’t have as many critically acclaimed exclusive games as the PS4 did, but it still had a solid library of titles you couldn’t get on PlayStation. The Series X and Series S will continue many of those franchises, including Halo and Gears of War, and—because Microsoft recently acquired ZeniMax Media—Doom, Wolfenstein, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and more. Microsoft has made it clear that new releases in these series will be exclusive to Xbox consoles and Windows PCs, and it has also announced that every Bethesda title will come to Game Pass by sometime in 2021—along with every subsequent game from those studios on day one. Microsoft is also in the process of acquiring Activision Blizzard, the company behind franchises like Diablo, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and Call of Duty, but upcoming games like Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 will launch on multiple platforms. Microsoft has also confirmed that future Call of Duty installments will not be exclusive to Xbox consoles.
Most flexible console: Nintendo Switch, Switch OLED Model, or Switch Lite
A standard Switch console behind a Switch OLED model.
Photo: Arthur Gies
Our pick
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Nintendo Switch
For people who like to play games everywhere
If you want a console that you can disconnect from the TV and take with you, or if you just prefer Nintendo’s games, the Switch is for you.
$344* from Walmart
$300 from Best Buy
$319 from Amazon
*At the time of publishing, the price was $350.
Also great
Nintendo Switch OLED Model
The most premium Switch experience
The Switch OLED Model has a beautiful screen and other improvements that make it worth the extra money, but it’s probably not the best option for younger kids.
$340* from Walmart
$350 from Amazon
$350 from Best Buy
May be out of stock
*At the time of publishing, the price was $350.
Unlike a PlayStation or an Xbox, the Nintendo Switch isn’t trying to be the center of your entire TV setup. It can’t do anything in 4K, and it doesn’t offer many streaming video apps. But it continues to do the thing that Nintendo consoles do best: play excellent, family-friendly, genre-defining Nintendo games from classic franchises like Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon. And although some Nintendo systems haven’t given players much to do in between Mario games, the Switch offers a huge library of engrossing indie games and quirky experiments like cardboard robots and fitness accessories.
The base-model Nintendo Switch (and the new OLED Model) can act both as a home console and as a portable device like Nintendo’s 3DS. It consists of a small tablet with controllers attached, and you can connect it to your TV with a dock or use it as a handheld—the games look and play the same either way. The Switch is not as powerful as the PS4 or Xbox One S—to say nothing of the new PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S consoles—and it offers graphics quality somewhere between that of a PS3 and a PS4. But Nintendo has discontinued the 3DS and 2DS, making the portability and selection of Nintendo-designed and developed games on the Switch unlike that of any other console you can buy today.
There are three versions of the Switch. The original base model has a 6.2-inch screen, detachable controllers, a kickstand that might let you prop it up on a table if you cross your fingers and wish really hard, and a dock that connects the Switch to your TV. The Switch OLED Model is similarly configured around a tablet with detachable controllers on the sides, but it features a 7-inch screen with a small bezel that makes its viewable screen appear even larger compared with that of the base model. The titular OLED technology behind that screen lends it “perfectly” dark blacks and vibrant colors, and the newest Switch also features improved speakers, more internal storage, and a built-in stand that’s actually useful. In contrast, the Switch Lite has a 5.5-inch screen, built-in non-detachable controls, no kickstand, and no TV output, but it sells for much less.
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