(Photo courtesy of: IGN) “Student have strong feelings about what game console they prefer.”

Nate Coady
Connector Editor

Over the course of many years, video games have grown to have their own identities. Game franchises have expanded, consoles have become more efficient, and players have become more devoted to their favorites. With that devotion came a loyalty to certain aspects of the gaming enterprise. The new generation of consoles had people making a tough decision: Sony’s PlayStation or Microsoft’s Xbox? Which one is better? The heated question, while not often debated anymore, still holds up today. What features and exclusive games come with each console can make or break its success in today’s gaming industry.

Two students weighed their opinions on the timeless question and came to a doubtless conclusion. Dacari Edwards says, “I would prefer Xbox because the performance is a little better, but, PlayStation has a lot to access like Marvel’s Spiderman 2, Uncharted, and bow and arrow game…” He stops to remember the title of the game, to which Andrew Lortie says, “Horizon.” Edwards continues, “Horizon, there you go. I haven’t played it yet, but I heard it’s good.”

At first, Edwards seemed to prefer Xbox because of the games exclusive to it. Each console has its respective games that are only available in their stores, which is an important element in deciphering the winner. “I will say, Sunset Overdrive was my favorite on Xbox… but PlayStation has a good amount of games that bring you into the world… there’s Final Fantasy, God of War. Those are some of the OGs… it’s mostly about the game quality.” He says. “What about you Andrew?”

“Well, I’m a PC fan,” Says Lortie. “But I grew up with Xbox and Nintendo.” Lortie compared the two console’s exclusives, talking about one of Microsoft’s newest exclusives, Starfield, a game by the beloved company Bethesda. “I was excited,” he says, “but it’s essentially like a No Man’s Sky but in a Bethesda universe.” Both games are about traversing space, however, No Man’s Sky has been out for a long time now and Xbox was riding on the success of Starfield to keep its head above the water in the console race.

“No Man’s Sky went from garbage to what I’d consider one of my favorite games. Starfield is like a loading simulator. Like every five seconds is a loading screen.” Lortie’s claims reflect the view that Microsoft just hasn’t been able to keep its promises with the quality of its exclusive games.

Lortie also brought up another important factor. He says, “PlayStation has the superior controller… the rumble, the triggers, the buzz, the actual feeling of it in the hand is so much better.” The newer PlayStation 5 has a controller that is much more immersive than Xbox’s. Lortie is referring to the feature on PlayStation’s controller called haptic feedback. The triggers simulate resistance to mimic what is being done in the game. “I knew he was going to say that,” says Edwards. After all, the two agreed that PlayStation is the better console currently. There was a time when both consoles went head to head, but the exclusive games available to Sony’s subscribers, as well as the superior controller put it ahead in the matchup today.