-We're getting new next-gen consoles this week:
the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S,
as well as a PlayStation 5.
We've had a chance to play them for the last couple weeks.
I've been playing both Xboxes,
while Elise is ahead on the PlayStation 5.
So, Elise, what did you think of the PlayStation 5?
-It is a very powerful console, a big step up from the PS4.
And you can see that with graphical improvements,
with ray tracing.
Most noticeable in "Spider-Man: Miles Morales".
You see reflections in the snow, in the ice, in puddles.
-That's very, very expensive for even the most high-powered PCs
to be able to perform.
I think a lot of people didn't expect ray tracing to be
that prevalent this early in the generation,
but there it is with "Miles Morales,"
like full-blown.
-And, just in terms of the processing power as well,
we have lightning-fast loading.
-And the controller seems to be a huge hit with everybody.
-That is probably my favorite part of the PS5,
is the DualSense controller.
It's my new favorite controller, ever.
It fits comfortably in your hands.
There's a really good like hefty weight to it,
but it's not too much, either.
You've got the haptic feedback, of course,
which is much more sophisticated
than the rumbles of like the DualShock controllers.
If it's raining in your game,
you'll feel that like pitter-patter of raindrops
in the palms of your hands.
Sony put out this PULSE 3D wireless headset.
Basically, it works in tandem with the Tempest audio engine,
which is new in the PS5,
and that's all about sophisticated directional audio.
It feels like, not just an extension of the console,
but an extension of the game.
For example, in "Astros Playroom,"
you fall down a muddy slide and it actually feels like mud.
-It felt like liquid inside my controller.
-Right. -It felt really organic.
The PS5 is really going for like
this sensational feeling type of thing.
All your different senses are engaged.
On the other hand, the Xbox is an interesting thing
for me to review.
I compare their strategy to it's like upgrading an iPhone.
The games and all my apps are still there.
The user interface is exactly the same thing.
The controller is exactly the same thing,
but everything loads faster.
Everything is much snappier.
Everything runs a lot smoother.
If you're invested in the Xbox [indistinct],
as you might have been for the last few years,
than you should definitely upgrade.
You should definitely do it.
Microsoft is so much better,
in terms of backwards compatibility,
versus Sony and Nintendo.
With the new Xbox, you can revisit two
or three different past generations of Xbox games
and just play them on the newest Xbox
and have the best possible console experience you can get.
I have my old like 2007, 2008 save from "Fable"
I transferred into my Xbox Series X and I accessed it
and the game that I played 12 years ago is still there.
It's actually pretty incredible.
-I've seen some critics call it a more affordable PC.
How do you feel about that? -Yeah, pretty much.
For its price, it's very, very good.
The Xbox Series X, in particular, for only $500,
sounds like a lot,
but, in the grand scheme of PC gaming,
it's actually very, very cheap.
-Storage is an issue on PS5. I have seven games installed
and I was pretty much full up.
We don't know what the size is going to be for next-gen games.
I mean, we still don't have a complete picture on that, but.
-We don't have a lot of next-gen games.
-We don't have a lot of next-gen games, yet.
But filling up my PS5 with PS4 games,
like "The Last of Us Part II" and "Red Dead Redemption 2,"
they would fill up a lot of the space already.
You can't actually use external storage for PS5 games.
You can only use it for PS4 games.
-External storage is a must. I think,
for both PlayStation and the Xbox,
basically "Call of Duty: Warzone" and "Modern Warfare"
will take up a third or a half of the system.
-Yeah.
Stand by for [indistinct] weapon.
-There is backwards compatibility here,
but it's only for PS4 games.
There's only like 10 games that aren't.
In comparison to Microsoft,
their more robust approach to it, it doesn't compare.
-Microsoft did need a good launch title
and it couldn't deliver, unfortunately,
because of delay of "Halo Infinite"
and I really mostly only had "Assassin's Creed Valhalla"
and "Yakuza: Like a Dragon" to review.
Series S promises 1440p gameplay and it does,
it looks very sharp and it's good.
But "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" [indistinct]
second, which was disappointing to see.
It's hard not to feel like
I'm playing last-gen games on a new system.
-Come out! Honor calls.
-The biggest downside of the PS5 is just how big it is.
It is a titanic console and you're going to find
a lot of trouble finding room for it on your media cabinet.
We did, at Launcher.
We had to play a little bit of Tetris.
But you can place it horizontally.
You can place it vertically.
-It feels less sturdy than it should.
-I mean, especially those two flaps that come out,
like those two white flaps.
I keep looking at that and I'm like,
"If my console falls onto the ground,
I hope those don't just break right off".
-Yeah, exactly, like potato chips or something.
Those are like two Pringles, you know.
-Yeah.
-The Xbox Series X is a little big uglier.
It's just a big rectangle.
You can just really slide it anywhere.
The Series Ses would look great on a bookshelf.
-I think, once I got my PS5 and had it in my hands,
I was trying it out, I think it blew away my expectations.
I think I'm always a little bit cautious with how excited I want
to get when a new generation approaches.
It's like how big is the leap really going to be?
I think this one really does it.
Does it have some downsides?
Yeah, absolutely, but, the level of immersion that the 3D audio
and the DualSense controller create together is a big deal.
-Welcome to a new world of emotion.
-I do feel like that I find the PS5 more exciting, you know.
And rest in peace, my mentions.
we still need to see, really, for both consoles,
what's the best they can do,
but, right now, it does seem like the PS5, at the very least,
at the launch, comes out with a lot more excitement.
And I think that's really, really boosted by the fact
that "Spider-Man: Miles Morales"
and "Demon's Souls" are both coming out together.
Both exclusive titles.
You won't be able to get them on PC at all.
The PS5 is this premium, wonderful console
that gives you a one-of-a-kind experience,
whereas, the Xbox is like an iOS, basically.
You can just kind of take it anywhere.