Consoles and video games

Posted: October 31, 2018

Which video game console is right for you? The PS4 (PlayStation 4), Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch are currently the three hottest video game consoles on the market. Each console brings a different key element to the table and it’s important to know what all three consoles specialize in  before choosing which one you want to purchase.

Prices:

PS4: New PS4 1TB Console (standard) $299.99. New PS4 Pro 1TB Console $399.99.

Xbox One: New Xbox One S 1TB (standard) $299.99. New Xbox One X 1TB $499.99.

Nintendo Switch: New Nintendo Switch console with Joy-Con $299.99.

Overview:

The PlayStation 4 is currently the highest sold console out of the three. A study by VGCharts.com in August reports that 82.3 million PlayStation 4 consoles have been sold nationwide since the the product first released in November of 2013.

The PS4 has outsold the Xbox One console by more than 43 million units and the Nintendo switch by more than 62 million units. The PS4 and Xbox One both released in November of 2013 and the Nintendo Switch released in March of 2017.

Analysis:

All three consoles are very good in my opinion and you can’t really go wrong with any of them. The PS4 and Xbox One are stationary consoles. They must be plugged in and connected to a TV or monitor. The Nintendo Switch is a mobile console the can be taken on the go or plugged into a TV at home.

The PS4 and Xbox One typically come with 1TB of storage and the Nintendo Switch comes with only 32 GB of storage. Less storage is a big con for the Switch because it will limit your game selection.

The cost to play online multi-player games for Xbox and PlayStation cost 60$ a year and is a must have if you want to get the best out of the consoles. It costs just 20$ a year to play online servers for the Nintendo Switch.

The game selection for the Nintendo Switch is quite a bit different than the PS4 and Xbox One.

The Switch offers exclusive games to Nintendo like Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, Zelda, etc. Xbox One and PS4 offer a wider variety of games and provide all of the basic games that you’ve probably heard of or played yourself. Both of them offer exclusive games too. PS4 offers games such as, Uncharted, MLB The Show, God of War, etc. Xbox One offers games such as, Gears of War, Forza, Halo, etc.

The last thing to compare is the controllers. The PS4 provides a lighter and wider controller than the Xbox One. If you have bigger hands or longer thumbs the PS4 controller may be a better fit for you.  The Switch controller consists of two Joy-Cons that connect to the outside of the console and make the console portable and easy to play on the go.

Recommendation:

The PS4 and Xbox One is very similar in my opinion and I truly think that you can’t go wrong with either one. But, I give the slight edge to PS4 because of the controller and the fact that there are more people on the online servers than Xbox. For me, the the wider controller of the PS4 is more comfortable in my hands and gives me a slight advantage. The best feature of the Switch is that it’s not required to be hooked up to a TV and I would recommend the Switch for anybody that wants to play video games outside of the house. The Switch isn’t something I would get as my main system but it is definitely a console that is worth getting if you are away from home a lot.

Out of 10:

PS4: 9.2

Xbox One: 8.8

Nintendo Switch: 6.8

Other gamers share

their opinions

Jayven Williamson on the Nintendo Switch:

The Nintendo Switch is a great console because it’s portable and easy to play on the go, it’s easy to store away, and it has tons of classic games that everyone loves.

The only reason it’s not a 10 out of 10 is because of the limited game selection and the storage is not very good. It earns its 8.5 out of 10 because you can take it anywhere and the battery life is phenomenal.

Griffin Leiner’s new video games to review:

NBA 2k19

Retail price: $59.99

NBA 2k19 recently released in September and is available for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. It seems like 2k actually took a step up to make this video game more improved from years past. 2k has had a history of releasing pretty much the same game with a couple of minor tweaks year after year because there isn’t much competition from EA Sports in the NBA line of sports games. 2k has taken a lot of heat from fans and this year they have delivered a higher quality video game. Upgrades in traditional game modes such as MyTeam, MyPark, and MyGM/MyLeague have improved the game significantly since 2k18. After a horrific 2k18 game the developers at 2k have made major improvements and have delivered a stellar game for the sports gaming community.

Rating: 8.6 out of 10

Call of Duty Black Ops 4

Retail Price: $59.99

Call of Duty Black Ops 4 recently released in October and is available for PS4 and Xbox One. Black Ops 4 needed to be a hit for the Call of Duty game series because the developers haven’t released a great game in my opinion since November 2015 when Black Ops 3 came out. After playing Black Ops 4 for a few hours I noticed that the movements and gameplay is smooth and easy to get the hang of, graphics are great, maps are above average, and everything flows together nicely.

The multi-player content is always the strongest aspect of Call of Duty games and that stays the same in Black Ops 4 despite the addition of the Blackout (battle royale) which is sort of like games such as H1Z1 or Fortnite. Blackout is a great addition. If you get bored of online multi-player matches you can switch to the Blackout mode and it’s like playing a whole different game. In conclusion, this game is definitely worth buying if you like the Call of Duty franchise.

Rating: 9.3 out of 10

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