It’s been two months since the PS5 and the Xbox Series X They were put up for sale and, after having analyzed them at their launch, it seems like a good moment to tell you about my experience with them so far. They are still sold out in stores and the new units are arriving in a staggered way, so this text can serve as a complement to the analyzes in case you are interested in getting any of them when possible.
It is evident, as we stated in both analyzes, that there are aspects of each of the machines that can only be valued after a while. To give an example: consoles are usually very quiet during their first days, but it is likely that, after a few months, the situation will be different.
In short, in this article you will find my experience with both consoles after two months of fairly intensive use.
Xbox Series X: experience after two months of use
The Xbox Series X has surprised me very pleasantly. During the first days with it, when Microsoft sent it to us before its launch so that we could carry out the analysis, it gave me very positive feelings. Its blazing speed when it comes to powering up and opening games, thanks to the use of the SSD along with the CPU and integrated software, amazed me. And it continues to amaze me.
It is a joy to turn off the console in the middle of a game and when you return later charge in a few seconds and everything continues where you left it. The experience can vary depending on the type of game and the game itself, of course, but generally speaking it is usually that comfortable.
On the other hand there is the issue of Quick Resume, the functionality that leaves games open in the background so that you can not only return to them quickly with the console off, but also jump from one game to another. It is still not present in the entire catalog, it is coming to more and more ga mes little by little, but in those titles where it is activated it shows. The passage from one to the other is almost instantaneous
There is one thing about Quick Resume that I miss: an option that allows me see what games are making use of it at one point. The system is designed so that the player does not have to worry about that, it is the console that is responsible for managing everything without generating headaches or forcing us to be aware of closing applications to free memory, but it would be nice to simply be able to take a glance.
Speed and convenience aside, what I’m liking the most about the Xbox Series X is that after two months it is still as silent as the first day. In fact, it is almost impossible to tell if it is on or not just from the sound. Great job from Microsoft here.
The same can be said of the heat it expels. I have been using it daily with all kinds of games, but the one that I have spent the most time on during these two months is the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, of which I have played for more than 40 hours, and being a demanding title I have not noticed that the console has heated up or it has blown more hot air than expected. Same with sound: the console is just as quiet whether I’m browsing its menus or looting a monastery with the Vikings from Valhalla.
After these first months with the console, Microsoft’s decision to maintain the same user interface that the Xbox One already had is much better understood. I still think that the console is new and that it transmits the same feeling as when changing it the components to a PC that was getting outdated, but it is undeniable that it has a clear value: Not only is it an easy-to-understand interface for new Xbox users, but from the first moment everything is where you expect if it comes from a previous generation Xbox. You do not have to learn anything new, you plug in the console and enjoy. It is the games and the greatest power both in terms of graphics and speed and comfort of use that end up giving the feeling of a generational leap.
In short, my general feelings with the Xbox Series X after two months of intensive use they are very positive. Its design, which I already liked before having it, has ended up proving to be a success when it comes to going almost unnoticed in the living room and its features make it a very comfortable, fast and silent machine. The lack of exclusive launch games is practically relegated to the background if you have a subscription to the wonderful Xbox Game Pass service, where there were already a lot of games before the launch of the console and which during these months has continued to grow with titles very interesting for all tastes.
PS5: experience after two months of use
With the PS5 I have also played a lot of time during these two months. In fact, it would be difficult for me to be absolutely sure with which of the two consoles have I spent more time playing, so we’ll leave it in a draw. In this case, my two main games have been Destiny 2 and Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War, in whose extreme multiplayer modes I have found a good excuse to spend a lot of hours leveling up.
Unlike what happens with the Xbox Series X, the PS5 has started to make some noise. I am not talking about a very obvious noise, it is not even annoying, but the fan is heard. My question now is if this is going to go to more in a short time or if at this point it will stay that way until more demanding games start to arrive that strain your guts. Again, we will have to wait a few months and see how it evolves, but I was surprised by how little it took to stop being completely silent.
At the level of use it is still comfortable and fast. In this sense, we have all come out winning with both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X thanks to the inclusion of SSD-type disks and systems prepared to get the most out of them. What I would like to point out is that, due to the smaller storage capacity of the PS5 with respect to the Xbox Series X (there is a difference of around 200 GB after discounting everything that the system remains) and the high weight of some games, within a few weeks of owning both consoles I had to start deleting games to free up space on the PS5.
At the design level, I admit that at first I liked it more than now. During the first days I was getting a taste for that alien aspect that the console has, but after these first two months of use, right now it seems a bit out of place. Obviously this will go to taste and each one will have it in their space where it can fit better or worse, but without moving it from the site it seemed cooler before than now. In part I would say it is because of the white casings …
Where it does continue to perform well, as with the Xbox Series X, is in relation to heat. The console does not heat up, not even after several hours in a row with some powerful game, and the fan continues to blow cold air through the grill. I have it in an upright position and it has not given me any problem in this regard.
Finally I would like to comment on my experience of use with the two main novelties that the PS5 includes with respect to the Xbox, which are its renewed interface and its new controller, the Dualsense
The vibration systems, and especially those adaptive triggers, are wonderful. He said, when I talked about it before analyzing the console, which was left to the developers to decide whether or not to invest time in including these functionalities in their games, which will have to be seen if they are used a lot, little or if they end up in oblivion, and that for driving titles or for shooters could be interesting because of the possibilities it offers. I still maintain it, but the reality in my day to day is that I ended up disabling the resistance on the triggers in certain games.
In a game like Astro’s Playroom It is essential to have everything activated, of course, it is about seeing what the controller is capable of and it is wonderful, but in a game like Call of Duty I have deactivated it because, especially in long sessions, the resistance of the triggers generated me a lot of tiredness in the hands. You can adjust the resistance level, yes, but in the end I just opted to turn it off completely and voila.
On the other hand, the control is comfortable, but it is the same as in the previous generation: Xbox controller is even better, I think that almost all of us will agree on this. It is lighter, basically because it does not include the extra components that the Dualsense does have to offer a more precise vibration and resistance in the triggers, and in general it is more comfortable.
As for the user interface, there is some friction during the first days with so much change compared to the PS4, but it is easy to adapt and does not present major problems. Access to everything is quick and thanks to the superimposed menus everything is within reach of a couple of presses and without losing sight of the game, but I have not made use of certain new features even once, such as those cards that allow you to see tips even on video to continue moving forward if we have been stuck at some point in a game.
As with the extra functionalities of the controller, I find that all these new options and interface ideas are very good but that they depend on the developers deciding to invest resources in them or not. Obviously this will vary with each person and how they use the games. Right now it remains to be seen if these options have come to stay or only a few games will use them in a very specific way. I in these two months I have not found the need to use them.
Conclusions
The truth is that I am delighted with both consoles. I think that with this atypical release, where few exclusives have also come out and the intergenerational has more weight than ever, it is still too early to know where the shots are going to go. Perhaps Microsoft will end up implementing some of the ideas that the Dualsense has put on the table in its command. Perhaps, on the other hand, Sony decides to do without the help cards included in its new interface. Maybe many things.
It will be interesting to see where each console is in a couple of years.
