Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5? It's a question that many are going to have to ask themselves in the coming months. Not because they want to choose a side in a completely pointless debate, but because some of us only have so much money for a new next-gen console... meaning hard questions are going to have be asked about which one to go for.
Valve's Gabe Newell is a man who, I assume, could afford to buy both a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. He's currently residing in New Zealand, where I also wouldn't be surprised if he had the funds to buy everyone in the country their own next-gen consoles twice over.
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Newell made it clear recently that Valve doesn't really care which of the two consoles come out "on top" in the next-gen battle, but that hasn't stopped him from weighing in on the debate. The developer recently appeared on an episode of current affairs show The Project (thanks, PC Gamer), where he was inevitably asked whether his allegiance lies with PlayStation or Xbox.
"Xbox Series X," he said without even thinking. He then added that Microsoft's upcoming console is simply better "because it is". It's worth noting that Newell is ostensibly a PC man, and Xbox Series X definitely looks like it'll be doing more to break down the barrier between console and PC. All major Xbox Series X titles, including Halo Infinite and Fable, will be available to play on PC as well as console.
PlayStation, as far as we're aware, will not be doing anything quite like this - although a number of PS4 exclusives like Horizon Zero Dawn and Death Stranding have slowly been making their way to PC.
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Then again, maybe that's not the reason. Maybe Newell just really digs Fable? I don't pretend to know what goes on in his head. He did reiterate that he really doesn't put any stock into the whole "console war" thing, however.
"I don't have a stake in that race," he continued. "Obviously we do most of our development on personal computers, but of the two I would definitely go with an Xbox."
When you see the console specs side by side, the Xbox Series X does look to be the more powerful machine. However, a lot has been made of the PlayStation 5's incredibly fast SSD and what that will do for development. My opinion, which you didn't ask for but will be getting anyway, is that the most important thing is the games. So let's just see where we are when both consoles launch, yeah? Yeah.
Featured Image Credit: Microsoft/XboxTopics: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Valve