Now that I’ve had some quality time with Xbox Series X and PS5, I can tell you about the little things that both excite and bug the hell out of me.

By some outrageous miracle, I managed to secure both new consoles on launch day. My original plan was to go for PS5 (my friends were all heading there so, you know, social is everything – especially in COVID isolated 2020) but I changed my mind when I heard about Xbox All Access (a monthly sub that gets you game pass and a new console with nothing upfront) and thought, why the fuck not? I can swing £28 a month for 100 free games and a new system.

As we all know, cometh the pre-orders, cometh the chaos. In both instances, I happened to look online at what must have been the perfect moment, as within minutes of my order confirmations coming through many of my friends were tearing their proverbial hair out as they stared at ‘Currently Unavailable’ text adorning greyed out boxes everywhere they could think to look. All I can say is, scalpers, be damned to hell for all eternity…

So, assuming you haven’t yet found the console needle in the store haystack, I’m here to tell you all about my experience living with the objects that you’re doubtless desperately craving. The little things that major reviews never mention but are nonetheless, important to that everyday relationship you’ll have with your shiny new tech-toy. Think of this as a public service, something I’m giving back as thanks for my dumb-luck in getting my hands on both machines as soon as was legally possible.

Let’s start with the Xbox Series X, as it was the first to arrive on December 10th:

1) The new controller has abrasive grips and I don’t like that

The first thing you do (OK, not strictly the first thing, as you will of course gently caress the plastic casing of your console as you plug it in) is hold your new controller – the all-important interface to your new and shinier gaming world. Hardly anything has changed from the Xbox One version, it’s a bit more responsive and has a better D-Pad, so far so good then, but man the textured plastic grips they’ve added around the back and on the triggers are just too damn abrasive.

Maybe I have sensitive hands (I’m an artist, you know) and I get they wanted to combat the inevitable sweaty-grip-syndrome that always emerges in a serious session, but it’s just distracting, and not in a good way.

2) Silence is golden

You hear that? No? Exactly…

One of the most impressive things about these magic boxes is how quiet they are – well not quite with my PS5 (more on that later) but having had a PS4 Pro that sounded like a screaming robot every time a cutscene came up in God of War, it’s a very welcome improvement to see (or rather, hear, or not, whatever).

3) Quick Resume is great (when it works)

Both systems start-up games crazy fast (in case you’re wondering, in my experience, it’s a bit faster on PS5) but one cool extra bit of tech exclusive to Xbox is Quick Resume. Basically, it tries to save your exact place in multiple games at once, so you can quickly switch between them on the fly and pick up exactly where you left off. No going back to the title screen required.

I say tries, as a lot of the time it just doesn’t work at all. It also doesn’t tell you which games you have open are using the feature and which aren’t, so it’s just pot luck as it whether you get it or not. No big deal, but when it’s so inconsistent you can’t let yourself rely on it.

4) Auto HDR is amazing but I’ll rarely see it

Anyone who knows their shit knows that HDR is a much bigger deal than 4K. The far greater contrast, detail, and sheer brightness it brings greatly enhances the atmosphere and visual quality of any game. This is why Auto HDR for (most) older Xbox games that never supported it is such a cool feature for the Series X|S systems.

The thing is though, I’m really fickle when it comes to new tech, and I only want to play things that have been optimised for it. Once I see the greater fidelity and/or higher framerates on offer, I just can’t go back to anything that doesn’t live up to that level. So yeah, it’s a great feature and it works surprisingly well, but I’ll rarely get to experience it as I don’t want to play previous-gen Xbox games as well, they look like garbage to my eyes now. Shame.

5) A sleek and modern plastic finish, but it marks so fucking easily

Much has been said of the weird design of the PS5 (I’m still not used to it) but the Xbox Series X is by most accounts, an elegant little beast.

That is of course if you NEVER touch it. Seriously, it’s such a dumb fingerprint magnet you’d think it was some weird feature. But it’s not just the smudges that stick to it like buggery, but the faintest taps or brushes with your nails will leave permanent scratches, glinting in the light as you turn your head, mocking you. Even the controller marks up, although not quite as obviously.

Pro tip: wear golves, or do as I did and resign yourself to a blotchy fate.

OK let’s move onto the PlayStation 5, which arrived on UK launch day, November 19th:

1) Sony now has the best controller

Yes, you read that right. The Dual Sense controller is frickin’ awesome.

I honestly didn’t expect to like it this much, but I do. My number 1 recommendation to anyone getting a PS5 is to fire up Astro’s Playroom (a free game, btw) which is designed to show off the features of the pad and man, does it show this thing in a good light. Adaptive triggers with dynamic tension and haptic feedback that lets you feel the contours of your environment are the big new features, but the little things like the improved shape, in-built mic, and yes, GENTLY textured grip make it a real pleasure to use.

You simply stop noticing it, and that is by far the best thing of all.

2) Yes, I too have an annoying coil whine

Both systems may be, at least on paper, silent as the grave but in my case (and in many others, sadly) my PS5 doesn’t quite live up to the bill.

There’s no fan noise to speak of err, so to speak, but there is a dull whining coming from something deep within its bulging innards. I wouldn’t say it’s a big problem as honestly I rarely notice it. Like when you put a quiet fan on in the corner of a room, you’re brain will soon tune it out.

But it is there, and on those occasions I do hear it, I get a little sad inside. Especially as my mates who got PS5s at launch don’t have any whines on their units at all. Bastards.

3) The UI is beautfiul, but super confusing

Unlike the Xbox Series X which has the exact same UI design as the Xbox One (fancy wavy lines in the background aside), the PS5 does the right thing and gives us a whole new and absolutely gorgeous interface.

Rendered in 4K and HDR it has some great visual flourishes, with even the PS Store now seamlessly integrated into your horizontal navigation. Unfortunately, that beauty is only skin deep, as actually working out where anything is can be a bloody nightmare. We’re not talking about the big stuff – games screens, store, settings, library – that’s all easy to find. It’s things like party chat, trophy lists, online friends, all the things that were super quick and easy to interact with on PS4 are now hideously confusing to fathom in this brave new PS5 era.

Get on those firmware updates Sony, teacher grades it ‘needs improvement’.

4) Downloads from PSN are surprisingly fast

The worst thing about Xbox launch day for me was how long it took to actually get playing any games, as I had to download everything (I had already sold my One X so couldn’t take advantage of the console transfer feature) and my god did it take hours upon hours to get just a couple of games ready to play.

When the PS5 turned up I was expecting a similar fate, but to my surprise, all of my game downloads, patches and add-ons (at least so far) have completed remarkably quickly – especially in comparison to my old PS4 Pro and the aforementioned Slow-box.

Perhaps it was just mad traffic on November 10th that slowed down my Microsoft machine, but whatever the case, PSN definitely seems super quick and slick on PS5. Highly useful for swapping out game installs in that limited 667GB SSD space then!

5) PIP is my favourite next-gen feature

I don’t know about you, but I like playing a lot of single-player games. I also like chatting with my mates for hours on a headset while I play. We’re usually looking for something to play together of course, as it’s just a bit awkward chatting while playing separate games, as you have no clue what the other is doing.

Thanks to the PS5s Picture-In-Picture feature though, we need never feel awkward again. Excelsior!

For you see, when in voice chat you can elect to share your game screen with the party (or vice-versa), which you can then position either side-by-side with your own game, or as a small(ish) box in any corner of your viewing area.

It works surprisingly well and is so fucking cool as it lets us interact on a whole new level while we chat. And as you can imagine, it’s been a life-saver in the bat-shit-hard-but-awesome Demon’s Souls. Seriously, it’s absolutely my favourite little thing about either new console. You have to try it.

Did you get either system yet? What are your favourite or most hated little things about them? Hit up those comments.