On the hunt for the best gaming consoles? Then you’ve landed in the right place. The 2020 gaming landscape is a completely different place since the early days when there were only one or two consoles to choose from. Back then, it was also much easier to pick the right console for you. Mario fans had to opt for Nintendo and Sonic fans had to pick Sega – easy.
But these days picking the right console for you that’ll suit your gaming taste and your budget, is much harder. Yes, there are still plenty of exclusives that could seal the deal for you and save you some time deciding, but most of the new games available these days are multi-platform.
What’s more, you need to consider that there are mid-gen upgrades and technological advancements to bring 4K HDR to (some but not all of) your gaming as well. These factors can make it tricky to figure out which console you should buy.
We're here to help you make your decision a little easier. We don't play favorites and we don't have a preference for one company over another. We're just here to play by the numbers and give you all of the things you need to know on the best and brightest new hardware so you can make the best-informed decision for yourself.
However, there are a few things you may want to take into consideration before choosing your next console. For example, gamers who want to play with the latest 4K tech (and have the TV to make the most of it) should consider the Xbox One X, PS4 Pro and Xbox One S, while HD gamers can stick to the PS4 Slim and Nintendo Switch.
If you're a fan of racing or shooting games, Xbox has a lot of first-party titles that cater to those genres while Sony has a whole load of great action-adventure and RPG titles. Nintendo has a mix of everything, but you should absolutely go for Nintendo if you can't live without an annual Pokémon and Mario title in your life.
However, it is worth considering that the PS5 and Xbox Series X are due to release in November, and you may want to opt to pick up one of these next-gen consoles instead.
To help make things a little easier, we've compiled this guide to the best gaming consoles on the market and weighed up their most notable pros and cons – with links to other dedicated pages and reviews if you want to dive even deeper.
- PS5 vs Xbox Series X: which console should you pick?
- PS5 vs PS4 Pro: should you upgrade?
- Xbox Series X vs Xbox Series S: which Xbox will be right for you?
Best games consoles on Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday
Amazon Prime Day 2020 deals are set to begin in October, and Black Friday will follow shortly after at the end of November, meaning we're likely to see some fantastic deals on the best games consoles.
With the PS5 and Xbox Series X due to release in November, we're expecting to see big discounts on the Xbox One X, Xbox One S, PS4 and PS4 Pro, as retailers will be looking to shift their older stock. And, with the Xbox One X now discontinued, we're expecting those prices to be slashed even further.
While stock of the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite has been somewhat scarce over the past few months, we're expecting some great Switch deals during both Prime Day and Black Friday. And rumors of a new and enhanced Nintendo Switch 2 console coming in 2021 means we may see bigger discounts than in previous years.
While the standalone consoles will be discounted, it's the gaming console bundles that will be the best value for money. We're expecting to see fantastic PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch bundles that will pack in a couple of games to get you started.
So, if you're looking for a current-gen gaming console, then Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday are likely going to be the best time of the year to pick one up.
We’ll be showcasing the best games console Amazon Prime Day deals and Black Friday deals on TechRadar. But be sure to check back here too where our price finding system will bring you the best prices on all the products we’ve selected below.
Sony PlayStation
PlayStation 4
The affordable all-rounder
Dimensions: 11 x 10 x 1.5 inch(W x L x H) | GPU: 1.84 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon™ based graphics engine | RAM: 8 GB of GDDR5 | Max Resolution: 1080p | Optical Drive: DVD/Blu-ray | Storage: 500GB or 1TB (expandable)
Available in standard or slim versions, the PS4 is the baseline console offering from Sony.
Since it launched seven years ago, the PlayStation 4 has been a firm fan favorite, even cementing its place second bestselling home console of all time.
The console's single biggest strength is its exclusive games - in world of increasingly service-based online titles, PlayStation continues to push narrative-driven single-player titles such as Uncharted, Spider-Man, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Last of Us.
It’s also the only console at the moment that offers access to virtual reality experiences (though you will have to purchase the PlayStation VR headset separately if you want to take advantage of this capability).
If you're interested in the new 4K resolution everyone's talking about, you won't find that here. While even the budget Xbox One S offers 4K upscaling, the base PS4 is resolutely 1080p. PlayStation also isn't great when it comes to backwards compatibility so if you're hoping you'll be able to play your old PlayStation 3 library with ease, you won't.
If you’re looking to enter the current console generation in the most affordable way possible and, you like what games PlayStation has to offer, then this is the console to go for. However, it's worth noting a new generation of PlayStation is just around the corner.
Buy this if you want: the latest generation games but don’t need 4K, you want PlayStation exclusive games, console VR, and a console for under £250/$250.
Key reads: Make sure you check out our full PlayStation 4 review and our picks of the best PS4 games. Think it's the console for you? These are the best PS4 deals you can get right now.
PlayStation 4 Pro
The cheapest way to native 4K
Dimensions: 12.8 x 11.6 x 2.1 inch (W x L x H) | GPU: 4.20 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon™ based graphics engine | RAM: 8 GB of GDDR5, 1 GB DDR3 | Max Resolution: 2160p | Optical Drive: DVD/Blu-ray | Storage: 1TB (expandable)
Anything the PlayStation 4 can do, the PlayStation 4 Pro can do slightly better. If you’re invested in the 4K resolution revolution and HDR makes you hot under the collar, this is the Sony console for you.
The PlayStation 4 Pro plays all the same games as the standard PlayStation 4, so if you're upgrading you won't have to start your library afresh and you won't need to pay any more for new 4K games either. You may, however, see an improvement in how they look and perform compared to the standard PS4.
The PlayStation 4 Pro is the most powerful console in the PlayStation lineup at the moment, capable of outputting native and upscaled 4K in games that have been patched to make that possible. Even games that haven’t been specifically patched can make something of this console’s greater power – you’ll find images look a little sharper and games will overall run more smoothly thanks to the PS4 Pro’s Boost Mode.
Like the standard PS4, this console has an excellent library of games and some fantastic exclusives as well as Playstation VR support.
Though it's capable, it's not every game that will output native 4K on the PS4 Pro – many of them will be upscaled as the console just doesn't have quite the degree of power required to maintain native 4K resolution and run a large game with consistent frame rates.
The PS4 Pro also has the same problem as the PS4 in that there isn't good backwards compatibility for previous console generations. There's also no built-in Ultra HD Blu-ray player so if you're looking for a console that will play your physical 4K media, this isn't the one. It will, however, still play standard Blu-rays and DVDs, and can stream in 4K from compatible services.
If you don’t have a 4K HDR TV and super sharp visuals aren’t something that will drastically improve your enjoyment of a game then this console might not actually be worth the extra cash you’ll splash on it, particularly if you already own a standard PS4 console.
If you are coming into the current console generation for the first time and a 4K HDR TV is something you’re seriously considering purchasing, then the Pro will at the very least future-proof you.
Buy this if you want: Native 4K and HDR gaming, PlayStation exclusives, VR gaming, native 4K for under £350/$400.
Key reads: Check out our full PS4 Pro review as well as our list of the best PS4 Pro games. Think you might make the jump to 4K? These are the best PS4 Pro deals at the moment.
PlayStation 5 and PS5 Digital Edition
As they aren't releasing under November 12, we can't officially recommend the PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition yet. But it is worth considering these next-gen options when looking for a new games console.
On paper, both the PS5 and its digital alternative boast an AMD Zen 2-based CPU with 8 cores at 3.5GHz, 16GB of GDDR6 memory, and a custom RDNA 2 AMD GPU that puts out 10.28 TFLOPs of processing power. In addition, the consoles have a super-fast SSD for fast loading, ray-tracing, and are backwards compatible with thousands of titles in the PS4's game library. The standard console also has a built-in 4K Blu-ray player, but this isn't available with the PS5 Digital Edition - which lacks a disc tray.
The PS5 costs $499.99 / £449.99 / AU$749.95, while the PS5 Digital Edition comes in $100 cheaper than the standard PS5 at $399.99 / £359.99 / AU$599.95. Both consoles will be available from November 12, 2020 (in select markets).
If you're not particularly fussed about not having access to PS5 exclusive titles, or the super-powerful specs that the console boasts, then you may be better consider some of the other recommendations on this list. However, if you are looking for the newest (and most powerful) console then you should consider a PS5 or Xbox Series X.
Microsoft Xbox
Xbox One S
The affordable media center
Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.9 x 2.5 inch (W x L x H) | GPU: 917 MHz, AMD Radeon™ based graphics engine | RAM: 8 GB of GDDR3 | Max Resolution: 1080p (max 2160p for video) | Optical Drive: 4K/HDR Blu-ray | Storage: 500GB, 1TB or 2TB
Looking for an entry level console but not interested in what PlayStation has to offer (or in next-gen)? Why not look at Microsoft’s Xbox One S. This console has superseded the original Xbox One for many reasons – it has a much smaller and sleeker design, and it's just that little bit more powerful.
Something this console can do that the standard PS4 console can’t is upscaled 4K. The Xbox One S’s 4K capabilities aren’t at the same level as the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X as the 1080p images are largely just stretched to fit a 4K screen without any clever checkerboarding but this rudimentary upscaling is reasonably impressive in a console with price starting from only £170/$190.
To make up for a lack of good exclusives, Xbox consoles do have much better backwards compatibility capabilities than PlayStation consoles. On Xbox One S you’ll be able to purchase and play original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles, many of which have become key classics.
If you ever owned an older Xbox console and you still have the games from that, or you really want to catch up on a bunch of excellent titles you missed out on then the Xbox One S is a great way to do this.
An area where Xbox completely outstrips PlayStation is overall home entertainment – while both consoles are able to stream from a variety of entertainment apps like Netflix and Amazon, the Xbox also has a 4K Blu-ray player built in.
This is a feature Sony was criticized for not having in the PlayStation 4 Pro, so if you have a large physical Ultra HD Blu-ray collection and it’s important to you that you’re able to play it then the Xbox One S will definitely win your favor here. If you’ve been thinking about picking up an Ultra HD Blu-ray player anyway, then this console is one of the cheapest ways to do so.
One issue Xbox has compared to PlayStation is exclusive games. Where PlayStation has quite a robust collection of exclusives, Xbox is somewhat lacking. Franchises such as Halo, Gears of War and Forza might call this platform home, but their critical reception hasn't quite hit the heights of Horizon Zero Dawn and Uncharted.
Though it does offer upscaled 4K, the Xbox One S's upscaling method is far less intelligent than the checkerboard method used by the PlayStation 4 Pro so if you're looking for a truly polished 4K experience, it's best to splash the extra cash on the PlayStation 4 Pro, an Xbox Series X or a PS5.
Prefer to go disc-less? Then maybe the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition is a better option - if you can get hold of one. The digital console boasts roughly the same specs as the Xbox One S but without a disc-drive - making for a lighter, more convenient console. However, the All-Digital has now been discontinued so isn't an ideal choice.
Buy this if you want: Affordable but upscaled 4K, an Ultra HD Blu-ray player, excellent backwards compatibility, a console for under £250/$250.
Key reads: Make sure you read our full Xbox One S review as well as our picks of the best Xbox One games to see what you could be playing. Think this is the console for you? These are the best Xbox One S deals right now.
Xbox One X
The future-proofed power box
Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.5 x 2.4 inch(W x L x H) | GPU: 6 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon™ based graphics engine | RAM: 12 GB of GDDR5 | Max Resolution: 2160p | Optical Drive: 4K/HDR Blu-ray | Storage: 1TB
The Xbox One X is now discontinued but, if you can get your hands on one, it's the most powerful console of the current generation. Do bear in mind, though, that you can pick up an even more powerful Xbox Series X (releasing November 10) for not much more.
The Xbox One X is Microsoft’s answer to Sony’s PS4 Pro and it’s safe to say it’s a pretty good one. Just like the PS4 Pro this console outputs native and upscaled 4K as well as HDR on games that have been patched to support these features. But because of its much better specs the Xbox One X offers native 4K on many more games than the PS4 Pro. And it's often more consistent in maintaining a 4K output. If you’re looking for the best 4K gaming experience possible on a console (until the release of the next-gen consoles), the Xbox One X should be your choice.
Like the Xbox One S, this console has excellent backwards compatibility support as well as a built-in Ultra HD Blu-ray player for your physical media collection.
However, also like the Xbox One S, it suffers from a lack of console exclusives that really show what it can do.
It's also the most expensive console on the market by a large amount. As a result, if you don't have the AV set up to do it justice it's hard to justify paying quite so much, particularly as the library of exclusive games is rather thin at the moment.
Something also worth noting is that you may find you have to purchase a sold-separately external hard drive for this console. While its 1TB of built-in storage seems like a lot, 4K game files are large and it'll quickly fill up.
Buy this if you want: Native 4K and HDR support, Ultra HD Blu-ray player, future-proofed gaming, the highest specs around.
Key reads: Read our full Xbox One X review to dig into the details and peruse our list of games that take advantage of the console's power. Think the king of consoles is the one for you? These are the best Xbox One X deals right now.
As they aren't releasing under November 10, we can't officially recommend the Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S yet. But it is worth considering these next-gen options when looking for a new games console.
On paper, the Xbox Series X looks like it will be the powerful console on the market, rocking an eight-core AMD Zen 2 processor running at 3.8GHz and a custom RDNA 2 AMD GPU that puts out 12 TFLOPs of processing power, as well as 16GB of GDDR6 memory.
When it comes to other Xbox Series X features, the next-gen console will have ray-tracing, a super-fast SSD, and potential 8K capabilities, while also being backwards compatible with four generations of Xbox games.
Meanwhile, the Xbox Series S is a more water-down version of the Series X, but still packs a lot of power for such a small box. The console will target a resolution of 1440p instead of native 4K, but it’s still capable of 120 fps gaming. It has an almost identical CPU to the Xbox Series X, but the GPU is considerably less powerful, and it comes with 10GB of GDDR6 RAM instead of 16GB.
The Xbox Series X costs $499 / £449 / AU$749, while the Xbox Series S is just $299.99 / £249.99 / AU$499 - making it cheaper than a Nintendo Switch. Both consoles are due to release on November 10.
If you're not particularly fussed about not having access to Xbox Series X exclusive titles, or the super-powerful specs that the console boasts, then you may be better consider some of the other recommendations on this list. However, if you are looking for the newest (and most powerful) console then you should consider a PS5 or Xbox Series X.
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch
The hybrid option
Dimensions: 4 x 9.5 x 5.4 inch(W x L x H) with Joy-Cons | GPU: 768MHz (docked)/307.2MHz (undocked) Nvidia custom Tegra SOC | RAM: 4 GB | Max Resolution: docked 720p, undocked 1080p | Optical Drive: None | Storage: 32GB (expandable) | Portable battery life: approx 3 - 7 hours
The Nintendo Switch is now three years old, and it's still proving to be very popular.
This is the most unique option on the market at the moment as you can use it both as a handheld and home TV console.
On Switch you'll find a quickly growing library of games that’s the most diverse offering from Nintendo in years. From thrilling exclusives like Super Mario Odyssey to essential indies like Stardew Valley, Nintendo's Switch offers all kinds of experiences.
It doesn’t have nearly the same power as the standard PlayStation 4 and Xbox consoles and it certainly won’t play games in 4K or support HDR (in fact its screen is a pretty low-res 720p) so if you’re looking for a console that will win the spec wars you won’t find it here.
You’re also less likely to find the latest and greatest third-party games on this console. While it now has titles such as Doom, Skyrim and LA Noire, many of these have been available on other platforms for months, if not years. We're slowly watching that change but the latest and greatest releases may still not make it here purely due to a lack of power.
Of course, where PlayStation offers VR, Nintendo has its very own something special in the form of Nintendo Labo. This cardboard peripheral is one of the most innovative things we've seen in years and it has the potential to be great.
It's also worth being aware that you're likely to need to purchase a separate microSD card for this console at some point as its internal memory is restrictive.
Buy this if you want: a console that can be played on your home TV and taken on the go, access to Nintendo exclusive games, and you don’t need the highest resolution and the most powerful specs.
Key reads: Looking to know more about the console? This is our full Nintendo Switch review. We also have a list of the best games the console has to offer. Think you're ready to Switch it up? These are the best Nintendo Switch deals at the moment.
Nintendo Switch Lite
A dedicated handheld
Dimensions: 3.6 x 8.2 x .55 inch | GPU: NVIDIA Custom Tegra processor | Screen: Capacitive touch screen / 5.5 inch LCD / 1280x720 resolution | Storage: 32GB (expandable) | Portable battery life: approx 3 - 7 hours
The most recent addition to the Nintendo family comes in the form of the Nintendo Switch Lite, a dedicated handheld alternative to the original Switch.
The Switch Lite boasts the same power as its the original, but comes in a smaller - and lighter - package.
It's also worth noting that the Lite is a solely handheld device and, while you can connect Joy-Cons to it, it's meant to be used by a single player. That means you can't dock it and it doesn't actually come with any Joy-Cons in the box. It also means that you are can't play all the games in the Switch library - mainly those that require docked mode or are party games. While Joy-Cons will attach, the screen is a bit too small to play properly.
The Switch Lite is for those who aren't particularly fussed by the Switch's docked mode and would rather take their games on the go. The smaller screen makes for more comfortable portable play.
Like the Nintendo Switch, you may need separate microSD card for this console at some point as its internal memory is restrictive.
Buy this if you want: A more portable, comfortable alternative to the Nintendo Switch.
Key reads: Looking to know more about the console? This is our full Nintendo Switch Lite review. We also have a list of the best Nintendo Switch games the console has to offer - though some may not be compatible with the Lite. Interested in the handheld? Check out the cheapest Nintendo Switch Lite prices and bundle deals.
Best games consoles at a glance
- PlayStation 4
- PS4 Pro
- Xbox One S
- Xbox One X
- Nintendo Switch
- Nintendo Switch Lite
from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/2mh2R9g
0 Comments