Are you tempted by PlayStation 5's exclusive games?
It's OK if your answer is yes - we won't kick you out of the PC gaming club, promise
So, big news - the PlayStation 5 came out today. Well, it did for folks in the US, in the UK we'll be waiting until November 19th to get our hands on one (booooo). In my mind, the PS5 is the next-gen (or current-gen now, I suppose) console that pairs quite nicely for PC users. It lets you get away from your desk and sit back with a controller, and, importantly, lets you play games that you otherwise wouldn't be able to play on PC.
But what do you reckon, reader? Which new-gen console is the one for you? (If any!)
The Xbox Series X and S came out earlier this week, and while I reckon they're the better consoles (mostly for Game Pass and the pricing), for PC users they seem a bit useless right now. Almost every game that comes out for Microsoft's consoles is available on PC, so it just makes no sense to have both. Having said that, it's worth mentioning the Xbox Series X's performance is pretty dang good. Katharine says it's the best way of "bringing that PC experience to another part of your house". Two PCs certainly doesn't sound like a bad thing.
It's nice to get away from your main PC from time to time. Particularly during a year like this, when working from home has me almost permanently fixed to my desk. It's important to have a chill space to separate it all, just to veg out on the sofa with a controller for a bit. Otherwise I log off from the RPS Treehouse's remote servers and log straight into Overwatch without flinching.
I think it's a PS5 for me, though. There's no denying I'm a big fan of a lot of Sony's exclusives, and if I want to play any of those I'll need to fork out for one. Which is a kinda sucky way of looking at it, I know. When I eventually get one, it will likely just be my £500 Ratchet & Clank machine anyway. Come to think of it, I don't know that there are many schloosies at the moment I'm that fussed with. The Demon's Souls remaster looks cool, and if we could hold Sony to the "no takebacksies" rule it would be confirmed for PC. It's not though. Which is daft.
At the end of it all, the Nintendo Switch is the clear winner of "best console to have alongside a PC". You can hold in your hands or plug it into the tele, chill out on the couch with it or take it with you places. It's brilliant for gaming locally with pals, and also has a bunch of games like those Marios and Zeldas that you can't get on PC. Admittedly, I actually leave my Switch on my desk so I can play it while my PC games are loading (which kinda defeats the object of not sitting at my desk permanently, but oh well!)
Unfortunately, the Switch is not technically next-gen/new-gen so I shouldn't let you pick that as your answer (but go on, you can if you want - Switches are brill).
So what will it be, folks? Will you be buying a new console to have alongside your PC?