Microsoft - Xbox Series X 1TB Console - Black

When someone says "gaming console" there's a good chance only two names come to mind: Xbox and PlayStation. Sure, Nintendos are consoles, but Microsoft and Sony's offerings are where the action is at, when it comes to playing the biggest games and most popular titles you need to choose sides (or get both). The Xbox Series X ($499.99)is the top of the ladder in the Xbox hierarchy and it is a slick, powerful machine that has an easy to navigate interface and, some say, it offers the best deal in all the world of gaming, thanks to the value offered by the Game Pass subscription (pay one monthly price, play any of over 100 different games).

The Xbox Series X has ever so slightly better specifications than the PlayStation 5 ($499.99) for example, they both rely upon an eight-core AMD Zen 2 CPU, but the Xbox runs at 3.8 GHz, while the PlayStation runs at 3.5 GHz. And while both consoles have AMD RDNA 2 graphics with 16 GB of GDDR6 RAM, there is a speed difference with the Xbox delivering 12 teraflops and the PlayStation topping out at 10.3 teraflops. So on paper, Xbox has the edge when it comes to raw computing power. And it packs all this into a (comparatively) compact tower that can also rest on its side.

Microsoft built a beastly console, but diverges from Sony's path by embracing a greater degree of backward compatibility. In a nutshell, Xbox has its "Optimized for Xbox Seris X/S" titles and Sony has its platform exclusives. All this is the subject of much online drama that I'll stay away from. Of course there will be new and exclusive titles for Xbox Series X (and Series S, the less powerful, less expensive next-gen Xbox).

Complete Control

Xbox also took a divergent path from PlayStation when it comes to the latest Xbox controller. It is a refinement of a proven design. You don't get the dynamic resistance triggers of the PS5 DualSense. But you do get broad backward compatibility, not to mention PC compatibility, and replaceable batteries (c'mon Sony, it's so simple). And you can use the luxurious Xbox Elite Series 2 wireless controller ($149.99) with this console.