That was actually one of my criticisms of the PS4/Xbox One generation, where games were getting bigger, more cinematic, and more detailed, but they weren’t really that different from what we had before. Obviously, the tech is better than the last generation, but we still aren’t getting any fundamentally different experiences. Sam: I think we’re getting to the point of diminishing returns with each new generation of consoles. Overall, I’ve been impressed by this generation so far, and some of the launch window titles for both consoles have been surprisingly good.

So even if we’ve had to wait a while to play true next-gen fare like Horizon Forbidden West or Halo Infinite, I’ve been able to play Assassin’s Creed Origins at 60 frames per second, and that helps bridge the gap. But the game-changer for this generation (and what makes it novel) is that a lot of the old games now carry over with better graphics and performance boosts. Granted, a lot of the games I’ve been playing on PS5 and Xbox aren’t launch titles or exclusives they’re cross-gen titles.

So from that perspective, I’ve been pleasantly surprised! Sam: So how would you grade year one for the new consoles overall, and what grade would you give to each one specifically?ĭavid: If you take it in aggregate-and consider there were COVID and supply chain issues-in terms of development and software it’s been on par with past next-gen launches. Sam: So you have all of the experiences, all the everything. Sam: I have an Xbox Series X, but you have both a PlayStation 5 and Series X, correct?

Grading the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2020 & 2021

Welcome back to Punished Chat! In this edition, I spoke with David Silbert to discuss the first year of the newest generation of consoles, our favorite games so far, and what we expect for the future of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Ratchet and clank xbox one