[imagesource: Future]

With the PS5 and Xbox Series launching in November of 2020, they’ve both had over a year to mature and grow. As the most advanced home gaming consoles ever released, the hype for these systems was incredibly high, a sentiment that is still experienced to this day.

Lucky enough to be owners of these systems, we find ourselves asking the question of whether or not they’re yet worth the cost. Taking a look at their continued rarity and what they offer, we hope we can help answer that question for you.

The New Systems

In terms of power and performance, there isn’t much in the way of a difference between the Xbox Series X and the PS5, though the Series S does lag slightly. The flagship systems both target games with a performance of at least 60FPS at 1080p, which at least sets them a generational gap ahead of their predecessors. 

While the processors are a big part of this leap forward, big thanks also have to go towards the new solid-state storage drives. Formerly confined to mechanical drives with speeds of up to 140 MB/s as tested by Tech Radar, newer systems are much faster. According to PSU, the speeds of the new Xbox and PS5 drives come in at 2.4GB/s and 5.5GB/s respectively, a more than 40 times increase in the PlayStation’s case.

Before going any further, however, we need to mention the issue of availability. Because of a chip shortage and high demand, scalpers have been using bots to buy up limited supply much faster than most actual users can. While systems can be found for extortionate prices on the second-hand market, we’d recommend users who want to buy sign up to stock alerts on Twitter or Discord to find their purchase.

Join the Stock Checker Discord Server!

Benefits of joining:
– Faster stock notifications (alerts)
– Constant updates
– 24/7 live-chat

What we track:
– PlayStation 5
– Xbox Series X
– Nintendo Switch (OLED)
– NVIDIA RTX 30 Series
– AMD RX 6000 Series

> https://t.co/lW1blbCPj6 < pic.twitter.com/hxxxyyOmJx

— PS5 Stock UK (@PS5StockAlertUK) July 25, 2021

How do you Engage?

When looking at whether or not you should buy a new generation console, the best answers are found in examining how and what you like to play. These can vary wildly per individual and will make or break whether or not the upgrade is worth it.

For players after next-gen experiences, a simple look at the game libraries will reveal that, even after a year, there aren’t a lot of new system exclusives on offer. As noted at Den of Geek, there are only a few new titles like Returnal, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and the Demon Souls remake available for PS5. Though, as we gushed over the coming Horizon Forbidden West at 2oceansvibe, more great titles are coming soon.

For the Xbox Series, titles like Halo Infinite and The Ascent have proven popular hits but these titles are also available on PC, making them not true exclusives. On this front, unless one of these games is a system seller for you, the upgrade isn’t entirely worth it for most users.

The other big advantage of the new systems for console games comes from capabilities in backward compatibility, or the ability to play older games on the new system. Each of these hits like God of War, which we covered at 2oceansvibe, work perfectly well on the new systems. Some of them, like God of War and Ghost of Tsushima, even run better on the newer hardware.

Outside of playing video games, users could also consider how they engage with both passive and interactive entertainment. Take the casino online Betway titles as an example. These slots, table, and live games rely on HTML5, which means they work well with the Xbox Edge browser. The PS5 lacks a browser, so play isn’t possible on that front. For streaming services like Hulu, both systems can manage play as normal by following guides like this on Your Tech List. Of course, these work on older consoles and most smart TVs anyway, so an upgrade for these alone isn’t worth it.

Making Your Choice

Despite the major advertising efforts like the one we covered at 2oceansvibe in the London Underground, upgrading to the new systems isn’t a clear-cut choice. If you have disposable income, really want to play the exclusive titles, and can find a non-scalper system, then they could very much be worth the change. Those waiting for a price drop or ultimate game to play, however, might be better served holding off for now.