Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series Preview: Price and Availability in Singapore Announced!

The next-generation console war is heating up.

Just today (17 September 2020), Sony released pricing details about the next-generation PlayStation 5 consoles, days after Microsoft announced the prices for the Xbox Series X and Series S.

And boy are we excited.

If you read our game console price comparison, you would know that Sony is currently ahead, as the Sony PlayStation 4 console is the fourth best selling console of all time with an estimated 108.9 million units sold.

While the Microsoft Xbox One way behind at a distant 15th place with only an estimated 46.9 million units sold.

The onus is on Microsoft to take the game to Sony, but which console will be better for you?

Here is all we know so far.

Tl;DR: Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series X and S Preview and Comparison

We will be comparing these aspects of both consoles to get a better idea of how they stack up:

• Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series X and Series X
• Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series X and Series X Price and Launch Dates
• Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series Design and Hardware
• Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series Platform Launch and Exclusive Games
• Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series Backwards Compatibility
• Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series Subscription Services
• Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series Virtual Reality

Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series 

Sony will be launch two versions of their PS5: A Standard Edition with a 4K Ultra HD Bluray disk drive and a Digital Edition without the disc drive. Thus, the only key difference between the two consoles is the lack of the disc drive in the Digital Edition

As for Microsoft, they will be launching the Xbox Series X and Series S.

When it comes down to the specifications, a comparison will be too premature as the consoles are not even out yet. However, on paper, these consoles are very similar, with the Xbox Series X edging the PS5 with its more powerful GPU.

The PS5 is rated at 10.28 teraflops (TFLOPS) (unit used to measure graphics processing power) and while the Xbox One X is rated at 12.18 TFLOPS.

However, the consoles share more similarities then differences as both use custom processors built by AMD and are capable of ray tracing (a lighting technique and technology that adds more realism to games) and playing games at 4K/120 frames per second (FPS).

I would think that this difference in specifications is more academic as the real-life performance and experience would be rather similar between both consoles.

But one thing is for sure, these consoles are much more powerful than the previous generation consoles.

Xbox Series X vs Series S

For the Xbox Series X and Series S, the changes are more pronounced.

Design

In terms of design, the consoles couldn’t look more different.

The Series X is a large box that is designed to stand vertically with a grille on top. In contrast, the Series S shares a similar design to the older Xbox One S. There is also an additional grille at the front which makes it look a bit like a speaker when standing vertically.

CPU

In terms of specifications, the Series S is a scaled-down version of the Xbox Series S designed for 1440p gaming while the Xbox Series X is designed for 4K gaming.

The Series X and Series S share the same central processing unit (CPU), but the Xbox Series S runs at a lower clockspeed or 3.8GHz per core vs 3.6GHz per core respectively.

GPU

Wheres for the graphics processing unit (GPU) the differences are bigger as the Series X has a 12 teraflops GPU compared to the 4 teraflops GPU on the Series S.

Storage

In terms of storage, the Series X has a 1TB PCie Gen 4 NVME SSD compared to the 512GB PCie Gen 4 NVME SSD on the Series S.

If you would like to expand the console’s storage, both the Series X and S support the 1TB expansion card and external USB 3.0 drives.

Controller

Both controllers share the same controller.

Disk Drive

The Series X has a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray drive that supports game discs and blu-ray movies.

However, there will be no physical disk drive for the Series S.

This is a drawback as you cannot buy used games for the Series S.

Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series X and Series S Price and Launch Date

Now for pricing.

Sony PS5 Standard Edition Price Singapore

PlayStation Asia has confirmed that the PS5 has a Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $729 in Singapore.

Edit: A member of the SeedlyCommunity also bought his set from the Sony Store, Bugis for $729 on 18 September 2020.

Sony PS5 Digital Edition Price Singapore

The Digital Edition that comes without a 4K UHD Blu-ray disc drive will retail for a more affordable $599.

Sony PS5 Launch Date Singapore

Officially, the PS5 will launch on 19 Nov 2020 in Singapore.

Sony has stated that you can pre-order the PS5 at ‘select retailers.’ But, it did not reveal which ones.

A quick search found that you can pre-order the console online from 18 September 2020 from retailers like:

• Sony Singapore
• Best Denki
• Challenger
• Courts
• Gain City
• Harvey Norman
• PlayE
• Qishan
• Toy or Game.
• Xbox Series X Price Singapore

For the Microsoft camp, the Xbox Series X has an MSRP of S$699.99.

Xbox Series S Price Singapore

The Xbox Series S will be more affordable, with an MSRP of S$459.

Xbox Series X and Series S Launch Date Singapore

Both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will both launch on 10 November 2020.

You can pre-order both consoles from 22 September 2020.

Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series X and Series S Design and Hardware

Let’s talk about the design and hardware for a second.

Xbox Series X Design

From what I’ve seen of the press release photos and hands-on of Xbox Series X, the design is largely a monolithic rectangular block.

The Series X is designed to be placed vertically and horizontally and features a minimalist design, clean look and smooth matte finish. 

The grille at the top for the vents is a nice touch and fits in well with the overall design.

The design is quite functional as you can easily fit the small console which measures 30.1cm tall and 15.1cm deep and wide into most TV consoles. 

However, I find that the design is a bit boring.

Xbox Series X and Series S Controller Design

In terms of the controller, Microsoft has not changed the tried and tested design much.

There is only a slight improvement to the controller’s ergonomics as well as a new share button in the centre. They have also changed the d-pad to an 8-way design and a USB-C connection.

Sony PS5 Design

Compared to the Series X, the design for the PS5 is night and day. The more reserved Xbox design in matte black is contrasted with the bold futuristic design of the PS5 in white and black.

Between the standard edition and the digital edition, you will notice that the digital edition is slimmer and much more symmetrical. 

Some commentators have noted that this looks a bit like the Xbox 360.

Personally, I prefer the PS5 design as it is more modern and sleek. What I like about the shape of the console is that it just flows naturally kind of like a tulip.

Sony definitely took more risks with this and I think it had paid off.

However, what I don’t like about the design is that the disk drive makes it look thick and unrefined. 

However, Sony has yet to release the dimensions of the PS5.

Sony PS5 DualSense Controller

The two-tone colour scheme extends to the PS5’s DualSense controller. Unlike Microsoft, Sony has come up with a fresh new design which is wildly different from the PS4 DualShock controller.

There is a built-microphone. 3.5mm jack and a USB-C connection for charging and the like.

As for buttons, thee share button was revamped to a create button as well as the addition of adaptive L2 and R2 triggers.

Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series X and Series S Launch and Platform Exclusive Games

Specifications are important and all but what might make or breaks a console for gamers is its platform-exclusive games.

Xbox Series X and Series S Launch Games

It is still early days but here are the confirmed Xbox series games that will be available at launch:

1. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
2. Destiny 2: Beyond Light.
3. Dirt 5.
4. Fortnite.
5. Gears Tactics.
6. Tetris Effect: Connected.
7. Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

Xbox Exclusive Games

In addition, Microsoft will also be releasing these games exclusively to the Xbox and PC:

1. Fable
2. Halo Infinite
3. Scorn
4. Stalker 2
5. The Medium

Sony PS5 Launch Games

It is still early days but here are the confirmed PS5 games that will be available at launch:

1. Astro’s Playroom – pre-installed on PS5
2. Demon’s Souls
3. Destruction All Stars
4. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5/PS4 exclusive)
5. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Mile Morales Ultimate Edition (PS5/PS4 exclusive)
6. Sackboy A Big Adventure

Sony PS5 Exclusive Games

In addition, Sony will also be releasing these games exclusively for the PS5:

1. Astro’s Playroom
2. Demon’s Souls
3. Destruction AllStars
4. Final Fantasy 16
5. Ghostwire Tokyo
6. God of War: Ragnarok
7. Gran Turismo 7
8. Horizon Forbidden West (PS5/PS4 exclusive)
9. Project Athia
10. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
11. Returnal
12. Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Sony PS5 vs Xbox Series X and Series S Backwards Compatibility

This is where Sony fall behind as the Xbox Series X has more backwards compatibility although you can still play many of the older Sony PlayStation games.

Xbox Series X and Series S Backwards Compatibility and Game Delivery

The Series X will be able to play all Xbox One Games and some Xbox 360 and the original Xbox games.

Do note that the original Xbox games and Xbox 360 games that can be played on the Xbox One can also be played on the Series X

What sets the series X apart further is the Game Delivery feature. If you currently have an Xbox One, you will be given the Xbox Series X version of your game when you upgrade.

Sony PS5 Backwards Compatibility

However, the PS5 will only be able to run PS4 games.

This includes the PS4 Pro titles that were optimised for that console. Currently, Sony “believes an overwhelming majority” of PS4 games can be played on the PS5 and should be available for the PS5 launch.

Playstations Subscription Service vs Xbox Subscription Services

Looking ahead, the future of gaming seems more and more wrapped up with subscription services.

The Xbox Game Pass has been pretty revolutionary. Dubbed the ‘Netflix of Gaming,’ a subscription to the Game Pass will allow you to play a 100 over quality Xbox games. This includes titles on launch day as well.

In contrast, PlayStation Now adopts a different approach as the service focuses on cloud-based game streaming. You can download some PS4 and PS2 games on PS while PS3 games can only be streamed.

PS5 vs Xbox Series X and Series S — Virtual Reality

This is the case of the have and the have nots.

The PS5 takes the lead in the area of virtual reality (VR) games as the console will support the PlayStation VR headset and hopefully its library of games. There might be even a new PSVR headset in the future!

In contrast, the Xbox series never had a VR headset and there has been no news about an Xbox Series X VR headset.

Playstation Subscription Services vs Xbox Subscription Services

Looking ahead, the future of gaming and online games seems more and more wrapped up with subscription services.

The Xbox Game Pass has been pretty revolutionary. Dubbed the ‘Netflix of Gaming,’ a subscription to the Game Pass will allow you to download and play over 100 Xbox and PC games.

In contrast, PlayStation Now adopts a different approach as the service focuses on cloud-based game streaming. You can download PS4 and PS2 games on PS Now while PS3 games can only be streamed.

From initial impressions, the Xbox Series X and PS5 seem to have many similarities, although there is still a lot we do not know about the consoles.

As the consoles become more similar hardware-wise, I would think that it becomes less of a differentiator.

Rather, it is stuff like access to streaming games, the platform-exclusive titles and the gaming eco-system that will make the difference.

Food For Thought

The consoles that will be released at the end of the year are not cheap, with the PS5 Standard Edition and Xbox Series X retailing for about $700.

Whereas the Sony PS5 Digital Edition will be more affordable, going for about US$399 (~S$545) while the Xbox Series S is even cheaper, with an MSRP of S$459.

Jump in the discussion and give your take about this issue with our friendly SeedlyCommunity!