Two of the biggest video game console companies are releasing their new systems late this year around the holidays, and it’s shaping up to be one of the greatest console wars we have ever seen.

 Sony’s PS5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X are hitting stores in late 2020 (there is no specific date yet) and like the previous consoles, the debate is resurfacing: Which one is better?

To answer this question, let’s look at both sides of the consoles’ price, controllers and games. 

Both consoles have made great strides since late 2013, but there are winners and losers in each category that makes one better than the other.

The new Xbox is very strong in the tech category and beats the PS5 in nearly every way. So that gives the Xbox an early edge, especially since both consoles are reportedly the same cost ($500), Most consumers will make their decisions on the games available, the specifications, and the controllers.

Both consoles have updated their controllers this time around, but the people at Sony have added an interesting feature this year. The new DualSense controller has multiple never-before-seen features inside it that Xbox cannot match. Other than its futuristic look, it has multiple new buttons, such as the new share button. It also has a brand new built in microphone that allows players to communicate to other players without the need of buying a new headset.

When it comes to the shape of the two consoles, the PS5 is going to stick to their signature shape, which seems to be a flattened rectangle as most consoles have been shaped in the last five to seven years. 

Microsoft is changing it up with the Series X. They have turned the console into a rectangle on its side. It is interesting and a little different, but both of the consoles are rumored to change up everything, and the way it looks is it may just happen. 

As far as what’s been confirmed, Xbox Series X will have games such as “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2”, the sequel to Ninja Theory’s acclaimed “Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice”. While the makers of Observer and Layers of Fear, Bloober Team, are not an XGS developer, it is bringing its new game, “The Medium”, exclusively to Xbox Series X and PC. 

And of course, the heaviest hitter of them all, “Halo Infinite”, is set to launch alongside Series X and with an Xbox One version, too.  These are much anticipated games and many loyal Xbox fans will choose the Series X based on more games released.

Sony hit strong with exclusives in the PS4 era (and still is with “The Last Of Us Part 2” and “Ghost Of Tsushima” on the way). Gamers expect as much going into the next generation, but right now there isn’t much to go on specifically for the PS5. At the Game Awards 2019, Gearbox revealed “Godfall”, which is a PS5 and PC game set to launch by the end of the year. Counterplay, the developers behind “Godfall”, describe it as a third-person fantasy looter-slasher.

As both consoles stack up with the specs, the Xbox is the clear winner over the PS5. Microsoft put out a very strong, well-designed console. Excluding the controller, they are just about even in every other category. Xbox has a few more current games but expect Sony to have more in store for that category.

As of now, the only way that the PS5 has the Xbox beat are the new advances made in the controller. But when it comes down to which one you should buy, it truly is up to personal preference.