Playstation, Xbox or Nintendo Switch? The market for game consoles is diverse, including in features and games. If you want to buy a console, you have to pay attention to many details.
Controller in hand, up on the sofa and gamble in front of the large TV in the living room. Game consoles convince especially in terms of convenience. But which model is best for the TV board?
The good news: There was never a better time to buy a console: The models on the market are mature, the prices for entry-level models relatively low, the games offer large. This pleases players and the industry alike. According to information from the industry association game, sales of games hardware grew by more than a quarter in 2017. “The support of virtual reality, motion control and 4K and HDR technologies also shows the great innovation of the current generation of game consoles,” says CEO Felix Falk.
An advantage of consoles compared to gaming PCs: In many cases it is enough to connect the console and then the gambling starts. But as simple as that sounds, with the choice of a console one chooses a whole world full of games and additional services. An overview:
Nintendo Switch: the smart family console
Nintendo’s console launched in 2017 breaks with many traditions. For families especially the non-violent games are interesting. And those who travel a lot are happy about the hybrid hardware concept: the Switch can be used on the go as a handheld console and at home on the TV. The switch is particularly versatile thanks to the Joy-Con-Controller. They consist of several elements which one can combine depending on the game genre.
As games there are Nintendo evergreens such as “Mario”, “Zelda”, “Donkey Kong” and the likes. In particular, “Super Mario Odyssey” sets new standards and is, according to critics portal Metacritic with 97 out of 100 points in the Hall of Famer of the games.
As a whole package, the switch does not impress with the fastest hardware, highest resolution or a built-in Blu-ray player. There is a coherent overall concept for the living room and on the way. The switch is available with different features between 280 and 400 euros. The online service was previously free, but will be charged according to Nintendo in September.
For casual players: the small consoles
If you only want to play from time to time and do not want to dig too deep, you might find the Playstation 4 Slim or the Xbox One S interesting. The Playstation 4 Slim – a miniaturized and modernized edition of the original Playstation 4 – is available from as little as 260 euros with a storage volume of 500 gigabytes (GB). The Xbox One S with 500 GB is already available for about 200 euros.
The Xbox One S scores in comparison to the Sony player through an ultra-HD Blu-Ray drive and is thus, according to Microsoft also for the home theater with UHD films in 2840 to 2160 pixels. The Playstation 4 Slim delivers Full HD (1920 to 1080 pixels). For the Playstation can score with virtual reality (VR). If you like, you can connect the VR glasses Playstation VR for about 300 Euro.
Which one to choose depends on game preferences. Basically, Sony has more titles on offer, many of them exclusive – such as “God of War”, “Detroit: Become Human” or the “Uncharted” series. The Xbox One S, however, has some aces up its sleeves with Quantum Break, Forza Horizon or the Halo series. Both consoles are connected to paid online services with multiplayer modes, game collections and titles from older consoles.
The big consoles: for the highest demands
Most performance and accessories are available on the top models Xbox One X (from around 440 euros) and Playstation 4 Pro (from around 370 euros). They have more powerful hardware than the little siblings, which is shown in more beautiful graphics and smoother game.
The two major consoles also offer online services at a cost of around € 60 per year with Playstation Network and Xbox Live. The Playstation 4 Pro also allows Playstation VR. Microsoft has according to own data currently no concrete VR plans for the Xbox.
Important : If you think about buying these models, you should also have a powerful TV with UHD resolution. If the TV is too slow or just a Full HD device, the consoles can not play their potential.