It might be time to clear some space in the living room, as new videogame consoles arrive from Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp. for the first time in seven years.
Well, sort of.
While the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X and S are considered the first new generation in all that time, both their makers have put out upgraded versions of the previous systems as recently as 2017. Given these boxes sell for a few hundred dollars a pop, it’s important to understand why the latest machines are a full step up from their predecessors, as well as what sets them apart from each other.
Unlike with past releases, Sony and Microsoft aren’t offering just one new console apiece. They both have two versions going on sale this month. All four are superior to even their most powerful ancestors in terms of graphical fidelity and speed, with beefier controllers, too. In our tests, games looked better and—perhaps more important—could be downloaded and fired up much faster. Long waits for new scenes to load? Not anymore.
