Gaming console has next-level awesomeness these days. Not all consoles and gamers are similar, however, and it’s essential to select the right one for your requirements and tastes.
Playstation
Of all the options, the PlayStation 4 Pro is our top pick for most gamers. A vast game library, compatibility with popular streaming services, 4K Ultra HD output, VR capability, and an excellent gamepad make the console the best plug-and-play system out there.
Video games were decades ago popularized in public arcades, where kids and adults spent hours and quarters playing titles like “Contra,” “Donkey Kong,” “Galaga” and “Pac-Man” on bulky standing machines with built-in joysticks and flickering CRT monitors.
Consoles have become a necessity of consumer technology since Atari 2600, and the Nintendo Entertainment System blazed a trail in the ’70s and early ’80s. Today gaming boasts of a mind-boggling array of advanced features and hardware to create highly detailed and virtual worlds with cinematic experiences, with the latest models allow the use of a VR headset for unparalleled usage.
For families, kids, and more casual players, on the other hand, a more straightforward console that offers a more user-friendly and social gaming experience might be more suitable. Portability is one more consideration, especially for people or children who are on the move a lot and require to take games on the go. In case, handheld systems like the Nintendo 3DS XL or even hybrid machines like the Switch are a reliable option. The best gaming console overall, The PlayStation 4 Pro boasts best hardware with a fantastic game library to match, and its re-designed DualShock 4 controller is a required upgrade over previous versions.
Sony is one of the best names in consoles since since 1994, and its latest offering does not disappoint. The PlayStation 4 Pro is the newest revision of the original 2013 PS4. It boasts an upgraded GPU that gives this gaming machine 4K capability and improved performance with PlayStation VR, Sony’s virtual reality headset. The PS4 also shipped with a re-designed DualShock controller, and the newer DualShock 4 is among the best gamepads ever designed. It does double-duty as a fantastic PC controller, too, according to Wirecutter.
4K play is now available on a select number of titles, and you can only take full advantage of feature if you own a 4K Ultra HD TV. The improved processing power of Pro delivers better performance still with fewer frame-rate drops and smoother gameplay, not even while playing 4K games on a compatible television and future-proof. If you decided to upgrade to an Ultra HD TV later, and you won’t need to buy a new console to enjoy it fully.
With boosted hardware and 4K HDR capabilities, where the PS4 Pro shines is game library. The PS4 has possibly the best of indie, triple-A, and import games, including other consoles like the Xbox One do not receive like “The Last Guardian,” “The Last of Us,” “Bloodborne,” and the upcoming “Shadow of the Colossus Remastered.” The biggest drawback of PlayStation 4 Pro is its curious lack of a 4K Blu-Ray player. This presumably was done to cut costs on what is admittedly a reasonably expensive console but the console can stream 4K HDR video and play standard Blu-Ray discs.
One more drawback where Sony lags behind Microsoft is with backward compatibility. The PlayStation 4 Pro will not play PS3 game discs. To enjoy legacy media is by Sony’s PS Now streaming service, which offers paid game rentals or a monthly subscription plan. At the same time, Sony has expanded a list of available games because the console’s release, the service has not been received well by gamers who do not want to purchase titles or to play older ones that they already own.
Pros: Great hardware specs, a substantial library of games, “boost mode” enhances older games, 4K Ultra HD capability with high dynamic range (HDR), and it supports VR headset PlayStation.
Cons: It’s much more expensive than the Xbox One S, offers limited support for legacy games, and cannot play 4K Blu-Rays.
Xbox One S
The Xbox One S offers excellent capabilities from running the latest triple-A games to playing Blu-Rays 4K Ultra HD — and accomplishes it at a price that should make console makers blush. The console also offers an authentic 4K HDR experience TVs, with ability to play 4K Blu-Rays, and at half the price of the newer X.
The Xbox One S is the second revised model of Microsoft’s eighth-generation console. It is a smaller update to the original system, slimmer, with improved hardware and the ability to stream 4K video and play Blu-Rays Ultra HD. Even the controller was upgraded to new Bluetooth connectivity that lets use it with Windows 10 without the requirement for a wireless adapter for PC gamers.
Another significant point for the Xbox One S is low cost to the X and the PS4 Pro available at different price points, including many individual edition consoles. Considering hardware and multimedia capabilities, the S is the best value in a home gaming console now. Xbox One S streams in 4K and has an Blu-ray Ultra HD player, be aware that it cannot render games in 4K. In order to do that, you require a system designed for it like the One X or PS4 Pro.
Microsoft said that future games developed for the X’s beefier hardware will still be playable on the S (although at lower settings), this leaves questions as to how well the older system will handle newer titles & how long Microsoft intends to support it. It is unlikely that Microsoft will drop support for the Xbox One S any time soon, so this should not be a significant concern for the foreseeable future.
Pros: A 4K HDR Blu-Ray player, with improved specifications above the original Xbox One, affordable than other consoles, numerous bundle options available, backward compatibility with many Xbox 360 titles, and excellent streaming support
Cons: Cannot render games in 4K, and it is not clear how well the console will be able to handle future upgrades developed for the Xbox One X.
Nintendo
The Nintendo Switch is an excellent console for people who love multiplayer titles, families, and casual gamers, and unique design play at home on a TV or on the go. Nintendo is the brand that needs no introduction. This Japanese company made gaming consoles mainstream since 1983 with the release of the Famicom, later released in the West as a legendary Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo has continued to redefine and innovate the home gaming market with unique products like the motion-controlled Wii. Still, the new Nintendo Switch may be the most ambitious console design yet.
The developers at Nintendo like to re-invent the wheel, and the Switch does precisely that. Its 2-in-1 hybrid design gives you to use the Switch as a home gaming system with docking station plugged into the TV, or if the user wants to use it as a portable device, the tablet-like “body” of the system could slide out of its dock so the user can take your games on the go.
For users or players interested in online multiplayer gaming, Nintendo Switch Online is less than half the price of PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold for a 12-month subscription. The most significant question mark with the Nintendo Switch pops up in regards to what is arguably the essential part of choosing a console: the games. The Switch has a skimpy lineup of titles, and itis not clear how the system will handle older games. The hardware is weaker than that found in other consoles which something that has been common with Nintendo consoles since the GameCube which brings into question its future ability to handle modern triple-A games.
Pros: A unique form factor lets user Switch from console to portable mode, it’s great for at-home and online multiplayer gaming, and it’s the right choice for kids and families
Cons: A game library is somewhat lacking at the moment, weaker hardware compared to consoles, and it’s unclear how the system should handle legacy media.
New Nintendo 2DS XL
With an enormous library of first- and third-party titles, backward compatibility with the massive DS games catalog, and vibrant large dual display, New Nintendo 2DS XL is the best choice for gamers on the go. Nintendo is the king of handheld gaming because the classic GameBoy became a hit in 1989. There have been several competitors over the years, but none have come close to knocking Nintendo off. The New Nintendo 2DS is the latest of company foray into portable game systems. The hybrid design of Switch notwithstanding — and despite being out for several years now, it still enjoys massive popularity.
The 2DS carries on everything great about the DS: a fantastic library of first-party Nintendo titles like Pokemon, Zelda, Mario, and Fire Emblem, a long array of great third-party games, and responsive dual-display touchscreen and intuitive setup.
Like other Nintendo systems, the New 2DS XL offers backward compatibility with last-generation games, also. The GameBoy Advance and GBA SP can play original GameBoy games, and the DS Lite and Nintendo DS featured a slot for GBA cartridges. The 2DS with the latest revisions is fully compatible with the entire backlog of DS games. The DS had a vast and impressive library.
Pros: Great first and third party titles, lots of casual and kid-friendly games, and complete backward compatibility with the vast DS library.
Cons: It’s relatively big for a handheld system (and for little hands).
Xbox One X
Big gamers who don’t want to mess around with building a desktop PC would be hard-pressed to find a more robust. It is an efficient 4K-capable gaming machine than the Xbox One X.
Hardcore gaming enthusiasts is more demanding of hardware than most people. Many choose to build gaming PCs; while this is a great option. It is expensive, although cost-efficient, time-consuming, and can be a hassle for the uninitiated.
A robust system like the Xbox One X. It proves that gamers can enjoy the benefits of great hardware and plug-and-play convenience console.
Microsoft’s second revision is The Xbox One X. It features the most advanced hardware of any gaming console yet, with six teraflops of graphical processing power, which delivers 40 percent more electricity than another current system is capable of. It employs a boosted 12GB of RAM, 4GB more than the 8GB that has been standard on modern gaming console like PS4 and original Xbox One.
Pros: It is the most potent hardware available on a gaming console. It has backward compatibility with many Xbox 360 games and authentic 4K HDR capability with a 4K Blu-Ray player.
Cons: It is the most expensive console on the market and no VR capability as of yet.
