One thing I am often asked about is what console should someone buy? Whether it’s for someone who wants to get back into gaming, bored of what they have or completely starting from scratch with no idea how to start. Prior to all of the big winter releases right now is a bit of a lull, particularly with brand new consoles on the horizon from Sony and Microsoft. Neither will be out until next year and very little is known about them apart from them being much more powerful than what we have now.
So why pay a few hundred pounds for something that will be obsolete so soon? If you are really not in a rush then maybe hold off if you want the latest tech. Next gen will cost £300+ (Most likely around £400) so you can save for it. I wouldnt expect to see the new Playstation before May 2020 with the next Xbox around September 2020 which is fucking ages away.
With a huge catalogue of games and a lot are super cheap at the moment, now is the right moment to jump in. I'm mainly going to look at usability, price and the games they offer, treating all as mainly gaming devices though I will touch upon any cool extras. There will be something for every budget, I own pretty much all the devices spoken about below which have been accrued over several years.
There a few extra bits you should know, upgrade to a 4K TV, if possible, to get the most out of the current consoles and that you can get external hard drives to give your consoles more space for games and saves. Most consoles you buy will not have any games so either look out for a good bundle or just pick up a couple online. Most older games are sub £20 on the big two consoles so very easy to pick up some of the best titles from this generation.
Anyway let’s begin...
Microsoft - Xbox One / S / X - 500GB / 1TB
To being with the Xbox One was not exactly flygin off the shelves and, if the details are correct, it was getting outsold 2:1 by the PS4. Not ideal but there's more to this than just sales. Starting with an absolute shocker of an 2013 E3 presentation show which revealed an ‘always on’ device and all consoles packaged with Kinect made this massively unpopular from the start and caused Microsoft to be on the back foot.
Sales were sluggish and have only just begun to make up the ground and goodwill of players in the last 18 months. They have since turned this around with the release of the S and X alongside the newly upgraded Game Pass Ultimate. For the two new consoles it's really recommended that you have a 4K/HDR TV to really get the maximum out of them as most older TVs will not be able to show the top graphics these offer.
The X is currently the most powerful console you can buy but is steep, with prices currently around £350 which in fairness has come down a lot. Although the S is less powerful it is only around £200 which is a great price for what you are getting as both play exactly the same games. Be careful though, there is a diskless version of the S. While a bit cheaper at about £180 it does not let you play any physical disks, its a digital only console. You can actually buy a lot of second hand physical games very cheap so it’s better off to go for the standard S.
The consoles do the usual iPlayer/Netflix/YouTube streaming apps but the two big selling points are the backwards compatibility and the Game Pass. Microsoft keep adding old games to the roster from the Xbox and 360 eras, these can be either purchased, downloaded digitally or even by putting your old disk in!
The Game Pass Ultimate is a Netflix style subscription that has recently gone through some changes. The price has gone up a bit but now includes Gold Pass (which lets you play online and gives you a couple of free games a month to keep) plus a whole roster of games to play on PC. It’s £14 a month and gives you access to almost 200 games to download and play.
The best part though is that every single first party that will get release in the future (Halo Infinite, Gears of War 5) will be added to the pass on day one so you don't need to go and buy them. At £168 a year it sounds a lot but you will be paying that for four big first party games anyway at £40 each. Online play requires a Gold Pass which can be bought separately at about £40 a year but you might as well sign up to the ultimate bundle.
Microsoft are keen for you to play anywhere with anyone so are really pushing the ability to play these games on PC and do cross play with other non Microsoft devices which will really grow over the next year. Granted there have not been enough exclusive games to the console but they are working on that. Hopefully 2019 will bring a glut of exclusive games. This is my main home console and I must say I am a huge fan of the Game Pass which line up changes regularly. Buying an Xbox One S and signing up to that makes a whole lot of sense.
Sony - PS4 / Slim / Pro - 500GB / 1TB
Sony has done really well out of this generation, 90 million consoles sold with some massive games like the Last of Us and Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted 4 and God of War putting them at the forefront of gaming. Like Microsoft they have released two mid cycle consoles in the Slim and Pro, only the Pro supports 4k and is similar to the X with a price of around £350 (though a lot come bundled with a game like Red Dead Redemption 2).
I wouldn't bother with the original unless you find a bargain, pick one of the latter two. Things to note is that there is no backwards compatibility, no Netflix style service but they are just beginning to allow cross play with other consoles which is nice. Online is again £40 and comes with monthly free games but you can’t keep them once your subscription expires which is pretty annoying.
The three biggest selling points of a PS4 is that most of your friends will have one so you can actually play with them on things and the fact that it has some of the best recent exclusives. If you buy nothing else get The Last of Us, God of War and even Spiderman which had rave reviews. You cannot play these anywhere else and they cleared up on the awards. My only real complain about the console is that the fan can be pretty noisy though it’s not the end of the world.
The final big reason for this console is the PSVR which is a good piece of kit for the price of £220 which is considerably cheaper than the VR options on PC. Make sure you pick up the version that contains the PS camera as this is required for it to work.There are now quite a few games to play so if you want to try out Virtual Reality gaming, this is the way to go. Super Hot and Skyrim are meant to be great! Personally I am still not fully sold on VR gaming, I think a lot of work still needs to be done on the game design front but it may well get there. Let’s see!
As for handheld there is a portable PS Vita which although production has pretty much stopped on the games it has an extensive collection to delve into. Particularly if you like JRPGs. I did have a lot of love for this device back in the day, it’s a very solid handheld which is great for on the go and can be picked up for a mere £80 and physical games around £15.
In all honesty this was my main console for much of this generation but I have now swapped back over to the Xbox. Don’t get me wrong, it is a great console with some brilliant games but personally Microsoft are offering a lot more things that I want. Though it does mean I miss out playing online with a lot of friends which if nothing else is a great reason to pick up a PS4.
Nintendo - Switch / Switch Lite - 32gb
With the release of the Wii way back in 2006 Nintendo, made a conscious decision in the home console market by stepping back from raw power and offering a different experience for families. It totally paid off for the Wii but they fucked up on the Wii U and meant they had their work cut out. Sure it had some great games but a console with a huge touch screen controller with limited battery was never going to work.
Thankfully they have nailed it with the Nintendo Switch, which, any of my friends can attest, I sing the praises of all the fucking time (their words). It is a handheld touch screen console that has two controllers that disconnect so you can play two player and has a dock that you can plug in to play on the TV. It works brilliantly, can be placed in the dock and be on the TV screen in seconds.
This genius move allows people to play however they want meaning it has in theory has potentially much larger audience. Being handheld means it’s not as powerful as the competition but they can’t be played on the train to work (which gives me an extra 10 hours worth of gaming a week!).
I still get a huge kick of being able to play on the go and is the first thing I pack for a holiday. Since I got it, I have almost played it every single day which is a lot in the last two and a half years!.
It’s a nice bit of kit with detachable controllers (Joy Cons) allowing two people to play anytime, anywhere. The touch screen works well but is not that often used in games. Battery wise it will only last about 3 hours in handheld mode while playing Zelda but it is pretty easy to pick up a power bank or just have a spare USB-3C cable to charge. Less intensive games will last a lot longer. This isn't even a problem if you are playing docked.
Memory is not an issue to begin with as Nintendo keeps their game files pretty small considering some of the scales these games cover. Though after a while you will need to increase this, thankfully you can just pick up a micro SD card with the 128GB going for about £16 which is pretty cheap and more than enough space for most people. Obviously this is the only device you don't require a TV for but its looks great on the big screen. Note that it doesn't support 4K/HDR.
The console is still priced around £280 with most first party games like Mario priced at £50 and unlikely to drop much in the near future which is quite high but its a Nintendo product so that is expected. You can find some decent bundle games and with it being still early since release its going to be around for a fair few more years yet.
Nintendo have done well to get some huge games out so far, with Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey becoming two of the best games of all time. A lot of titles from the Wii U have been ported over which were missed by most people like Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze which is a tough but excellent platformer. More games are coming, in particular Pokemon Sword & Shield and Luigi’s Mansion 3 both due at the end of the year.
Now that its been out a while there are a lot of games on offer, particularly indie games available on the digital eshop. It’s pretty much become the home of indie games for casual gamers. Most big games come to the console but obviously not all as they are just too big. One weird niche I didn't know needed filling was rereleases of games from the past 10 years that have not graced a Nintendo console before. The Sniper elite series, Red Faction, Saints Row the Third are all titles that have recently come out to great acclaim. Being able to play these anywhere is a great boon and they generally run very well. (The Witcher 3 and Alien Isolation are coming soon and I cannot fucking wait for both).
There are some flaws, the Joy Cons have some minor issues and are a little flimsy but Nintendo's support and repair has been excellent for me. I didn't have any issues until about a year of use (I am a very heavy user so that’s not too bad). The Online Switch service is cheap, £18 for a single person or £32 to have up to 8 people on there but doesn't offer a whole lot beyond online play and some free NES games to play. Game support is getting there but there can be months without a major release which is frustrating.
Don't get me wrong, it's probably my favourite ever console and it really is worth the money if you are a big gamer. No one else really does games like Nintendo.
As mentioned in the header a brand new console has been announced, the Switch Lite due out on September 20th. This will be priced around £200 (though hopefully drops a bit from there) and presents a handheld only Switch device. It plays almost all of the same games but cannot connect to the TV hence the cheaper price. I same almost as some like 1-2 Switch will require Joy-Cons as the game is base around motion controls. I think this console will be the big seller this Christmas, a great entry one for families wanting to jump in for their kids. Or those who want to carry something smaller on their commute!
If you are looking for an even cheaper option it’s worth checking out the 3DS console line, it has been around for years and has a huge library (including a lot of Pokemon games!). It’s much cheaper at around £120 for the latest confusing titled 2DS XL consoles. Much lighter, cheaper though without the 3D gimmick (don’t worry, it’s really not needed for most games) it’s a brilliant little handheld with games priced around £14 and is probably a better option for younger kids or those on a budget.
PC - Various
So this is where things can get complicated. One of the best things about consoles is you put the game in and it works. For PC you need a good spec, especially for the latest games which can cause sluggishness and crashes if under powered. I would pick Windows over Mac or Linux as many more games are supported. You can build you own (which I have done) while fun it can be very expensive, you would expect to be paying at least £500 for a decent set up but to be honest it’s more like over a £1000 with good options. Don't let this stop you mind, it’s a brilliant learning experience and you could make an equivalent to the PS4 for about £300.
If that's not your bag then you can pick up a standard laptop of any of the big models for the same price and pretty much play most games. You won’t get the high end visuals which most PC gamers chase but you get all those games that will never come to console. Sunless Sea, StarCraft 2, Planet Coaster, Civilization VI, as well as most of the huge releases you see on console. These games don’t go anywhere and so can be played many years after release. A lot keep getting updated for years giving you a great excuse to return and play them
It’s why I still game on PC as there are so many other options. Games can be very cheap, especially in sales from Steam, GOG.com, Green Man Gaming, Humble Bundle so this is another selling point. The Humble Monthly Bundle has really swelled my Steam library, £10 a month and you get given 6 or so random games. There is always one or two top titles so it’s worth a punt. A lot of people play PC games when younger but then move away from it. I would have another look, especially if you have an old laptop kicking around. There are many unique gaming experiences to be had on here and it’s where indie games thrive before coming onto console so you can be ahead of the curve!
Mobile / Tablet / Retro
So if none of that grabs you I'm 99% sure you have a touch screen computer in your pocket. Whether its iPhone or Android there are loads of games to choose from. Most are very cheap, if not free with in game purchases. A lot can also be done on tablet as well which is handy. (Total War Rome anyone?!) Being that you already have the device that saves you lots of money, perfect for playing on the go or in those moments when you need time to kill.
I have to be honest and say mobile games really don't do it for me but I do dabble in Pokemon Go which is great with friends. They tend to lack the depth and story that I crave. Puzzle games like Monument Valley are as brilliant as they are beautiful, Plague Inc is all about killing the population of the world, there is the usual FIFA ports, hell even Fortnite is on mobile!
There are games to cater to everyone and you probably have a few already. Candy Crush being one of them. It’s worth checking the top sellers occasionally, something new and cool is always cropping up.
If that doesn't interest you lets go retro! You can easily pick a second hand old gen console for around £50 online with huge back catalogues. Whether is a PSone, GameCube or ZX Spectrum these are brilliant for nostalgia and classic games. Pretty much everyone I know had one of these as a kid and its brilliant to be go back to them as an adult. Not just for the yearning to relive your youth but to actually beat some of those fucking games. I talking to you Desert Strike!
The Games
So I must make an important point about buying games, whether physical or digital as, when it comes down to it, that's why we buy a console. Some will be digital only and never get a physical release. I prefer physical when I can as it’s nice to get your hands on, saves on memory space and you have a reminder on the shelf that you actually own the game!
Digital is a lot more convenient so you don't have to wait for a delivery. On release there is just about a parity between the two formats in price but the physical will come down in price a lot quicker on most PS4/Xbox One games. Lots of the games end up around the £15 mark so sometimes it’s worth waiting for a couple of months if you are in no rush.
Avoid digital to begin with as these start at around £55 and just wait for a sale as there will be large discount prices. Though digital on Xbox allows you to share games with your friends which is handy. For the Switch its different as physical games, especially first party, keep their value over time. Zelda: Breath of the Wild is still £50 online over two years after release so it’s probably just worth picking any of those games when you want them. Occasionally Nintendo have a digital sale on these big games and it will be for instance, £45 down from £60. Sales overall generally appear in Spring, Summer, Halloween and Christmas. Steam is particularly good with older games coming down to just a couple of pounds. Bargains can be found.
So my advice on what to pick. To be honest all of the above are good options, it depends on what you want and what your budget is. If you are wanting value for money home console gaming on a TV I would pick up an Xbox One S with a monthly Game Pass. Looking at about £208 outlay but with 100 games to get your started this is a great package and edges the PS4 for me. Most games are multi platform so you are only really losing out on a few console exclusives. Though as you can tell I am a huge Switch fan and would heartily recommend picking one up, particularly if you commute and can play on the go. It is a fantastic piece of kit and the ability to drop in and out of TV play is a revelation. Playing in bed on a Sunday morning is a joy. It's steep to start with, looking at £280 with a big first party game but this console has easily 4 or 5 years left so jumping on now is a worthwhile investment.
If you are really stumped have a look online or speak to friends. Alternatively drop me an email at jim.butterworth@hosp.london. Gaming is not cheap and you don’t want to pick up the wrong thing. Though if you get it right it’s one of the best things in the world.
Go get gaming!
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