Less than half of Xbox Series X owners use it as their main console-GameCentral-Entertainment – Metro

The differences are real (pic: Metro.co.uk)

A new survey has revealed that while 71% of PS5 owners consider it their main console only 48% of Xbox Series X feel the same way.

In terms of hardware features the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are very similar machines – as is usually the case with PlayStation and Xbox consoles – but there are clear differences in how they’re used and the attitudes of their owners.

For example, digital downloads are much more popular on Xbox than PlayStation, perhaps hinting that Sony’s consoles are still the primary choice of more casual gamers, but a new report has also found another interesting difference.

Of all the current generation consoles the Xbox Series X is the least likely to be someone’s main console, with only 48% saying they used it the most. This is less than the Nintendo Switch, at 49%, and much less than the disc version of the PlayStation 5 at 71%.

The figure fell as low as 35% for the Xbox Series S, implying that many are using it as a cheap means to access Game Pass but do not consider it their primary format (although the survey was only concerned with consoles and does not seem to have asked about PCs).

Traditionally, Nintendo consoles, with their uneven release schedules, have been viewed as the most likely to be a secondary console, but in the last year Nintendo has put out more first party titles than either of its rivals, while indie games continue to be a key draw of the system.

The research from Ampere Analysis, which spoke to UK consumers aged 13 to 64, has data for all consoles and perhaps the most curious detail is how much less popular the Digital Edition of the PlayStation 5 is, with just 43% of owners saying they use it as their primary console.

This is likely because more invested gamers prefer the disc-based version, but the main takeaway from the report, according to Ampere Analysis itself, is that PlayStation 5 gamers are more likely to be single console owners, compared to Xbox Series users.

The implication there is that they’re being attracted by Sony’s raft of exclusive games and that while Game Pass does have strong appeal it’s not drawing people away from PlayStation in quite the way Microsoft would hope.

More people use it as a primary console than you’d think (pic: Nintendo)

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