As the world continues to be hunkered down in global lockdowns, many have turned to the escapism of video games to keep sane and occupied during these troubling times. If you’re looking for a video game console to keep entertained during these winter lockdowns, Amazon.com is a perfect place to find your new gaming friend.
There are thousands of options available on Amazon, and it can be quite difficult to sift through the choices Jeff Bezos has granted us. That’s why we at TechEngage have compiled a list of the best video game consoles to buy right now on Amazon.
Best video game consoles on Amazon
Pros:
- Next-Gen Performance
- Lightning Fast SSD
- Ray-Tracing
- Revolutionary Controller
Cons:
- Very difficult to find in-stock
- Games are Expensive
Our first pick on this list is the coveted Sony PlayStation 5. Released late last year, Sony’s latest next-gen gaming console has become one of the most sought-after pieces of tech around. And for a good reason, the Sony PlayStation 5 is one of the most impressive pieces of gaming tech available right now.
Featuring a brand-new space-age design, the PS5 is a big, heavyweight console that packs a punch. Its black and white two-tone design is certainly polarising, and whilst I personally am waiting eagerly for an all matte-black version, the large and impeding monolith that is the PS5 certainly commands the attention is deserved beside your TV.
One of the main reasons for the sheer size of this console is the brand new cooling system. Owners of the PS4 and especially the PS4 Pro will note how during play, the fans in the last-gen console revs up to sound like a jet engine to tackle overheating. This issue seems to be fixed with the PS5, with reviewers commenting how cool and quiet the PS5 remains to be.
The PS5 features their new DualSense controller, offering immersive haptic feedback, dynamic adaptive triggers, and a built-in microphone. Feel physically responsive feedback to your in-game actions with dual actuators that replace traditional rumble motors. This haptic feedback lets you feel the textures of surfaces you walk on or grab onto, and the adaptive triggers let the controller adjust the levels of force required to actuate the triggers. All encased in a comfortable body that is a little larger than the DualShock 4, providing a comfortable and immersive gaming experience.
Launch titles include Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the Demon’s Souls remake, and Godfall. Most games available on the PS5 are also available on the PS4, but the next-gen 4K experience will be the best on the new PlayStation. Many of your old favorite PS4 games look better than ever on the PS5, with many developers rolling out PS5 enhancement patches with full-blown remakes like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in the pipeline.
Priced at a modest $499 for the disc version and a cool $399 for the all-digital version, the PS5 is a killer deal especially compared with comparable PCs. The issue is, as is fitting for 2020 hardware, it’s almost impossible to get your hands on the next-gen console. Keep those in-stock alerts dialed on if you want to get your hands on the Sony PlayStation 5.
The second pick on this list is Microsoft’s answer to the PS5: the XBOX Series X. Experience next-gen speed and performance with the Xbox velocity architecture; the 12 teraflops of processing power housed in the system on a chip (SOC) work with AMD’s Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures to result in worlds that demand a closer look. DirectX ray tracing delivers true-to-life lighting, shadows, and accurate reflections to create dynamic, living worlds.
3D Spatial Audio is the next evolution in audio technology, using advanced algorithms to create immersive, lifelike worlds that put you at the center of your experience.
Microsoft advertises the XBOX Series X as the 4K 120 fps powerhouse. With HDR 10 support, games will look vibrant and pop on your HDR 10 compatible display. With a blazing fast custom SSD and a powerful CPU, performance is king on the Series X. You can expect faster load times, more functional quick resume capabilities, and with proprietary Seagate expansion drives, performance is not compromised when you (eventually) run out of space on the 1TB internal SSD.
The downside to the storage medium picked by both Microsoft and Sony is that expansion memory is expensive. You can use a USB SSD or Hard Drive for last-gen games, but PS5 and Series X games won’t run on slower storage. Your choices here are:
- Manage your game library so that you’re offloading last-gen titles onto a hard drive, missing out on the speed enhancements, and keeping your next-gen titles on the internal drive.
- Shell out for the overpriced official expansion cards. Yikes.
The XBOX Series X backward compatibility is so much better than that of the PS5. Say hello to four generations of XBOX games, whilst the PS5 doesn’t even bother to run PS3 titles.
The crown jewel in XBOX’s line-up is the coveted Game Pass, bringing you a large selection of games to play at a small monthly cost. If you like the games that are on offer, including Gears 5, Battlefield V, The Outer Worlds, and more, then the Game Pass is a fantastic way to save a buck on your game costs.
Priced at $499 also, the XBOX Series X is a great value – if you can find it in stock. The Series X is plagued with the same availability issues as the PS5, so get your stock alerts on if you really want an XBOX Series X.
Pros:
- Cheap
- Great for 1440p/1080p
- Tiny
Cons:
- Less future proof than Series X
- Tiny
You may be wondering why, unlike the PS5 standard and the PS5 digital edition, I separated the two next-gen offerings from Microsoft into their own entries on this list. This is because the Series X, unlike the PS5 Digital Edition, which is virtually the same console gutting the 4K Blu-Ray drive, is a completely different console to the Series X: in looks, performance, and target audience.
This console bills itself as the 1080p 120 fps / 1440p 60 fps gaming console, and with a list price of $299, it’s certainly ticketed as a competitive option. Using the same lightning-fast SSD but with a slower but still good GPU using AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture, the Series S delivers 4 teraflops of raw computing performance compared to the Series X’s 12.15 or the PS5’s 10.28.
Right now, with the games Microsoft has released for the Series S, it runs absolutely fine at 1440p, but as the fidelity and hence graphical requirements of games increase, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Series S dropped to 1080p towards the end of its lifecycle.
If you’re not a hardcore gamer and you’re looking for a console to take, this is a brilliant offering – there’s enough space out of the box for handling a smaller selection of titles, and the lack of an optical drive isn’t really an issue.
It’s impossible to build an adequate gaming PC for $300, and the price of the Xbox Series S is amazing. So, if you’re looking to get into gaming, go for the Series S. But, if you can shell out the extra $200, we’d say it’d be worth it for future-proofing and performance gains.
4. XBOX One X and the PS4 Pro
Pros:
- Huge game library
- Improved performance over base models
- Better availability / used markets
Cons:
- End of lifecycle
- Newer games will stop supporting it soon
That brings us to the last-gen offerings from Microsoft and Sony. We don’t recommend the base models of these systems, they are too old and not worth it – as the botched PS4, and Xbox One launch of Cyberpunk 2077 has proved. If you’re looking to play the large selection of games available for these consoles, including Spider-Man PS4 and God of War for the PS4 Pro or Red Dead Redemption 2 or GTA V for both consoles, and you need a console now, these last-gen offerings may be a good choice for you.
Both these consoles are realistically 1440p machines, dropping to 1080p for newer games like Cyberpunk 2077, and if you’re embarking on the quest of exploring the consoles’ back catalogs, you can expect to see much better performance, more in line with what gamers expect today rather than what we settled within 2013.
Whilst the debate on which console is better raged on for the entire 7 years of these machines’ lifecycle, it really boils down to personal preference. I personally think the exclusives are better on the PS4 with the likes of The Last of Us 2, Spider-Man, God of War, etc., but if you’re a PC gamer, you can share your game pass subscription across PC and Console if you’re looking for a couch gaming box in addition to your PC.
Don’t expect to play new releases on these past 2021. They will either run terribly, like Cyberpunk, or will drop support altogether, which I expect we’ll start to see early to mid-2022.
Buy PS4 Pro on Amazon | Buy Xbox One on Amazon
Pros:
- Handheld
- Light
- Nintendo Games
Cons:
- Underpowered
- Lack of AAA Games
- Even if there are AAA games, they don’t run that well
Finally, if you’re looking to delve into the Nintendo Switch library, the Switch Lite is a perfect handheld console to do it on. If you’re excited to play Pokemon Sword and Shield, if Animal Crossing: New Horizons takes your fancy, or if you’re just looking for a quality console to take on the go with you, it is really hard to beat the Switch Lite.
The Nintendo Switch Lite is a small and light Nintendo Switch system at a great value. With a built-in +Control Pad, and a sleek, unibody design, Nintendo Switch Lite is great for on-the-go gaming. If you’re looking for a gaming system all your own, Nintendo Switch Lite is ready to hit the road whenever you are.
As a dedicated handheld gaming device, Nintendo Switch Lite does not support output to a TV. It’s more of a spiritual successor to the 3DS than it is an alternative to the full-fledged Switch. And that’s where its appeal comes in. Priced at $250, this little handheld monster is great for kids, both little and big (and decidedly adult if you’re a kid inside), and I mean come on: on what other hardware can you play The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on the train! Madness.
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