Which Console Should You Buy This Christmas?
As we head into the holiday season, there’s a good chance you’ll be looking to pick up a brand-new games console, either for yourself or someone else.
But which one to buy?
Maybe you’re buying it for your kids who don’t already have a preference for where they play. Or maybe you’re just jumping into games and don’t know where to start. Well, it doesn’t matter why you’re struggling to decide, Mazuma are here to help.
In this blog, we’re going to break down which consoles you should consider – weighing up the pros and cons of them all! We’ll be using a handy tier list to visualize our rankings, so let’s get started.
The All-rounder: PlayStation 5
All the best games – all the power you need, and likely to be getting a price cut over the Christmas season.
This has definitely been the popular choice this generation – accruing almost 62 million units sold – slightly outpacing sales of Sony’s previous console. And this is for good reason.
The PlayStation 5 arrived in 2020, and in the 4 years since has seen a slew of incredible games come to the system. Games like Astro Bot, Horizon, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, and Spider-Man have defined this console generation – and they’re all available to play through this console.
Starting at just over £300 (if you’re buying the digital edition), you can’t really go wrong here.
We’re placing it in the S tier…but will it be our highest ranked console?
Too rich for our blood: PlayStation 5 Pro
The shiny new console this Christmas season is Sony’s PlayStation 5 Pro. Coming in at a whopping £700, it’s definitely the most expensive console on our list. But that’s just one reason why we’ve placed it in the C tier.
Although you’ll be able to play all the great PlayStation 5 games mentioned above, with many coming with special updates to make them look and run even better, we’re not wholly convinced it’s worth the extra money over the base model just yet.
Why? Well, if you’re not sure which console to buy, chances are you aren’t too fussy about things like framerate, resolution or ray tracing. Whilst the enhancements to these features make the Pro worthwhile for the enthusiast – first time buyers or younger gamers should be fine without all these bells and whistles.
If those bonus features have peaked your interest – make sure to read our blogs explaining them in more detail, as well as our blog where we cover which games will receive the biggest upgrades.
If we were buying a console right now, we’d choose the standard PS5 over the Pro, but the choice is yours.
C tier!
The world’s second most powerful console: XBOX Series X
Since the release of the PS5 Pro, the Xbox Series X no longer gets to claim it’s “The world’s most powerful console”. But it shouldn’t feel ashamed – it still packs quite the punch.
Releasing alongside its competitor, the PS5, the Series X quickly set itself apart in terms of raw power.
Capable of playing most third-party games that are available on the PS5, the Series X will be a great purchase for anyone looking to get a new console this Christmas.
But the real selling point of this device is Xbox Game Pass. For a monthly subscription fee ranging from £6.99 to £14.99 – you can access literally HUNDREDS of games. At the higher tiers, this includes day one releases of ALL the big Xbox owned games, such as Call of Duty and upcoming titles like Indiana Jones and Avowed!
If you’re buying for someone just getting into gaming or someone who hasn’t played in a while, you won’t find a better deal than this.
If there’s one thing holding the Series X back, it’s just the quality of exclusive games available. There are, of course, some great titles available. Games like Hi-Fi Rush, Halo: Infinite, and Starfield are all available through Game Pass – but none quite reach the heights of some of the great games that are only available on PlayStation, at least in our opinion.
You won’t find a better deal than this.. well, maybe just one.
Xbox Series X… A Tier
Small, but mighty: Xbox Series S
Imagine all the perks of the Xbox Series X, but at half the cost. Sounds appealing, right? Introducing the Xbox Series S.
For under £200, you can pick up this next-gen console and get access to all the same games as its more powerful companion, the Series X.
You won’t be getting the best version of most games here. Framerates are often capped at 30, and resolution rarely gets above 1080p on performance modes, but that’s the tradeoff for only paying half as much for your console.
If framerate and resolution aren’t a factor for you – this is a must buy – especially if you can grab it on sale or if you sell your old console first.
Despite Xbox’s promise of feature parity between its Series consoles, it’s not impossible that Xbox walks.
Last year, Baldur’s gate 3 skipped its planned Xbox release due to being unable to optimise for the Series S within the predicted time frame. This has since been amended, and the game is now playable on both Xbox consoles, but Xbox won’t want any repeats of this.
We’re hoping developers continue to support and optimize for the Series S, but as games get more advanced, we can see a future where big games start to miss the Series S in order to secure a release on the Series X.
The Series S is a great deal – but it’s not necessarily one for the future…B tier.
The old one: Nintendo Switch
Listen, the Nintendo Switch is an incredible console. It’s great for kids, it’s great for adults, it has great games, and it’s an incredible family console. However, it’s time we took old yeller out back, and said goodbye to the Switch.
The Switch is nearly 8 years old, and it was fairly compromised in terms of power when it was released back in 2017.
Whilst exclusive games play well for the most part, it’s the third-party titles where you’ll really see a hit. Games run horribly, so if you have the option to play a game on the Switch vs another platform, chances are you’re playing it elsewhere.
But this isn’t the main reason we’d recommend not picking up the Switch right now. It’s looking increasingly more likely that its successor, the Switch 2 or Super Switch, will be announced by April next year.
This might seem a while away, but we’d strongly suggest holding off until then. With rumours suggesting the console will just be a power enhancement rather than a radical redesign, and with Nintendo confirming backwards compatibility, the next console will be a must buy when it releases. It’s also unlikely to set you back much more than the value of the current Switch, so hold off for the next few months.
The Switch is a great machine, but it’s time we said goodbye – D tier.
The smaller one: Nintendo Switch Lite
Before buying a Switch Lite, make sure to consider all the drawbacks we mentioned with the Base Switch.
However, there’s one demographic for whom a Switch Lite might be a great option for – very young children.
This cheap, handheld-only version of the Switch makes for an appealing offering to small children, who won’t be fussed about performance and just want to be distracted by some fun games.
With Mario Kart, Animal Crossing and plenty of other exciting experiences available, your child won’t get bored.
The Lite also has a more kid-friendly build, with fewer removable parts due to its handheld-only nature. It takes us back to the DS and GameBoy days and should entertain a little one for more than a few hours.
And if it is a little one you’re buying it for, they won’t mind too much when the new one is released in a few months.
C Tier
The Slightly better looking old one: Nintendo Switch OLED
Yet again, we’d strongly suggest holding off until the next Switch’s announcement. But if you’re absolutely hell-bent to buy a Switch and you want to be able to play on the TV – this is the one you should go for.
It’s no more powerful than the base Switch – so everything runs exactly the same. However, the OLED screen is a really nice addition that helps everything on the display pop.
Nintendo has been getting by on strong art direction over performance for a while now, and the OLED screen just serves to enhance this experience.
It won’t do any more than the regular Switch, and it is slightly more expensive – but its still an incredible console if you want to play Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom over Christmas or are trying out the new Dragon Quest 3 remake!
C Tier
The steam powered one: Steam Deck
Last, but certainly not least, is Valve’s Steam Deck. Just to simplify things – we’re condensing all versions into one entry – but just know there are a few types of Steam Deck with varying levels of battery, storage, and displays.
We recommend the 512GB OLED Steam Deck, which has an RRP of £479.00 – but all of them are great!
Imagine every benefit of the Switch, except it runs the latest PC games, with higher levels of performance, and will be good to go for at least the next 3-4 years.
You’re also getting access to Steam’s library of games, which goes back much further than any of the current consoles, meaning you’ll be able to pick up hundreds of older titles for cheap and have them on the go.
It’s certainly pricier than a Switch, and you don’t have the option to play on a TV unless you buy a separate dock – but that’s not why you buy a Steam Deck.
With both Xbox and PlayStation putting their exclusive games onto steam, this means you’ll also be able to play the widest range of games – even if it means waiting a few months after their initial console releases.
S Tier.
And that’s it, our comprehensive breakdown of every major console on the market. As you can see, there are plenty of great options out there, and you can’t necessarily go wrong with any of them. But if you’re still feeling hesitant to spend several hundreds of pounds on one of these devices, why not sell some old tech and make the purchase a little cheaper.
We’ll give you cash for old consoles, phones, tablets, watches and more – so have a look around your house and see if you’ve got anything worth trading in!