Why I bought an Xbox Series S as a PS5 owner – Reader’s Feature

Xbox Series S – a second console and more (pic: Microsoft)

A reader explains why, despite owning a PS5, he also decided to buy an Xbox Series S, and why he’s very glad he did.

In March I was fortunate enough to buy a PlayStation 5. My excitement was off the charts. I anticipated its arrival immensely. When it arrived and I cleared away my PlayStation 4 to make room under the telly, I couldn’t wait to unbox it all and get set up.

I’m on the side of thinking it’s a very aesthetically appealing console and the controller really gave me that next gen vibe. After all was ready to go, I gleefully booted up Astro’s Playroom and Spider-Man: Miles Morales. I was very impressed and very pleased with my purchase, also counting myself very lucky to have this privilege.

As time went on, however, apart from playing through some of my PlayStation 4 backlog, the only really new games I played on the PlayStation 5 was Resident Evil Village and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Again, fantastic experiences for me. The likes of Demon’s Souls and Returnal don’t really interest me. So back to playing PlayStation 4 games it was, though I do understand more and more PlayStation 5 games will be released in the months ahead. A purchase for the future is what I told myself.

So E3 comes around and I watched Microsoft’s presentation with little real interest, more just a ‘see what they’re up to’ thing. And… I was quite impressed. It put me in mind of an Xbox Series S, as what I thought would be a great little second console and where I could play the usual Halos, Forzas, and Gears offerings and probably dabble in Game Pass. A bit.

Well, after picking one up last week, for a very reasonable price off a well-known auction site, I have to say this little console has blown me away. Not initially though, the controller at first seemed quite plain and cheap feeling compared to my DualSense controllers, the dashboard was the exact same as Xbox One, and it all kind of felt a bit meh, but once I got up and running and downloading some games from Game Pass, I fell in love.

I have been playing Forza Horizon 4 and loving the now faster loading times compared to last gen. I’ve been playing games I wouldn’t have given a chance before. The very silent sound of the console running is refreshing. I’ve lost countless hours browsing the store and Game Pass selections. Yes, the memory space is small but for me I don’t find it an issue as I’m a working dad, so I don’t have time to have multiple, huge titles on the go at once. Although I understand this is off putting for others.

I’m excited for the future Xbox releases, day one on Game Pass, and if I don’t enjoy them then no harm done. If there was a similar feature to this on PlayStation, I’d 100% try Demon’s Souls, etc. and not feel bad if I’ve spent £60+ for the privilege.

All in all, I can’t recommend an Xbox Series S enough, particularly as a second console or primary if, like me, you are a busy parent with much more limited game time. Roll on the next wave of next gen games. Gaming is great.

By reader acantley1985 (gamertag/PSN ID)

PS: I do still love my PlayStation 5 just the same. I’m not restricting myself by fanboy tendencies. But each to their own. Thanks for reading.

The reader’s feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. As always, email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk and follow us on Twitter.

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