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Welcome to the video games console wars

Are you searching for the best gaming consoles? Great! You’ve come to the right place. The 2020 / 2021 gaming arena 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.

These days picking the right console that suits your gaming taste and your budget could be a difficult task with the wide variety of consoles in the market! And even though there are plenty of exclusives that could seal the deal for you, most of the new games available these days are multi-platform. 

We wrote this review to help you make your decision a little easier. We do not play favorites and we do not have a preference for one console over another.

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There are a few things you may want to take into consideration before choosing your next console. For instance, if you want to play with the latest 4K tech (and have the TV to make the most of it) you 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 like racing or shooting games, Xbox has a lot of first-party titles that cater to those genres. On the other hand, Sony has a load of great action-adventure and RPG titles. Nintendo, though, has a mix of everything, but you should absolutely go for Nintendo if you’re a fan of annual Pokémon and Mario.

I guess we should let you know 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 generation consoles instead.

To help make things a little easier, we’ve reviewed the top gaming consoles in this guide and weighed up their most notable pros and cons. We’ve also included a price comparison that we hope can help you decide based on your budget!

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Best games consoles in the market

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Black Friday is coming at the end of November, followed by Cyber Monday, 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, expect 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. Also, 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 low over the past few months, we’re expecting some great Switch deals during both Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 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. Expect to see great deals for 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 generation gaming console, get ready to pick one up this Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

We’ll be showcasing the best games console Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals here. 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.

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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)

Pros:

Great exclusive games

VR support

Affordable

Cons

No 4K

Poor backwards compatibility

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Available in standard or slim versions, the PS4 is the baseline console offered by Sony. 

Since its launch years ago, the PlayStation 4 has been a firm fan favorite, maintaining its position as the 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. Also, no backwards compatibility here, so you won’t be able to play your old PlayStation 3 library with ease.

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: Fantastic exclusive games but don’t need 4K.

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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)

Pros

Everything good about the PlayStation 4

Native and upscaled 4K

A more affordable 4K option

Cons

No 4K Blu-ray support

Not the most powerful 4K console at the moment

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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 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. Those games may actually look and perform better with the PS4 Pro. 

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. It also offers the Playstation VR support. 

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 we recommend to go with the Pro.

Buy this if you want: Native 4K and HDR gaming, with PlayStation exclusives.

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PlayStation 5 and PS5 Digital Edition

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As they are not yet released, we couldn’t officially recommend the PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition yet. But it is worth considering these next generation 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.

Both consoles are expected to be available soon (in select markets), and are estimated to cost around $500.

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 should 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.

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Xbox One S

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

Pros

Very affordable console

4K Blu-ray player

Upscaled 4K gaming

Cons

Not many great first-party exclusives

Upscaling isn’t very refined

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Looking for an entry level console but not interested in what PlayStation has to offer (or in the next generation consoles)? Take a look at Microsoft’s Xbox One S. This console has superseded the original Xbox One for many reasons – it has a smaller and sleeker design, and is 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 checker boarding but this upscaling is reasonably impressive in a console with a very affordable price.

To make up for a lack of good exclusives, Xbox consoles do have 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 are 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 is the console for you. 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.

Buy this if you want: Affordable but upscaled 4K, an Ultra HD Blu-ray player, and excellent backwards compatibility.

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Xbox One X

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

Pros

Most powerful console on the market

Native and upscaled 4K

4K Blu-ray player

Cons

Most expensive console

Lack of exclusives

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The Xbox One X is now discontinued but, if you can get your hands on one (check the pricing link above for availability), 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 (expected to be released November 2020) for not much more.

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 generation 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. 

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.

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Nintendo Switch

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

Pros

Portable and home console

Great first-party exclusives

Cons

Not as powerful as other home consoles

Less extensive third-party game selection

Still no fully-fledged online service

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The Nintendo Switch has been around for a few years now, 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.

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Nintendo Switch Lite

Dimensions: 3.6 x 8.2 x .55 inch | GPU: NVIDIA Custom Tegra processor | Screen: Capacitive touch screen / 5.5 inch LCD / 1280×720 resolution | Storage: 32GB (expandable) | Portable battery life: approx 3 – 7 hours

Pros

More portable than Switch

Nice selection of colors

Comfortable design

Cons

Limited to handheld games

Still not as comfortable as 3DS

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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.

And here’s a list of the best gaming consoles to sum up:

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