Xbox Series X vs. PlayStation 5: Which has the Better Design?
Microsoft and Sony have both announced their consoles for the next generation of gaming. While both consoles have their differences in terms of specs, exclusives and features, in this article I will be discussing how they differ in design and what it implies for each company’s approach.
Console Focused or Experience Focused?
Microsoft and Sony are coming into the next generation from significantly different perspectives. Sony undoubtedly dominated the last generation in terms of sales. Microsoft was in second place for the first few years until Nintendo released the Switch which outsold the Xbox.
Sony is entering this next generation at a comfortable position knowing that most people who own the PS4 will buy the PS5 as their next console. Microsoft on the other hand don’t really have the luxury of a larger fan base and know they need to do more than just release a competitive console. Their vision for Xbox also appears to differ from Sony’s for PlayStation. This is why we’re seeing the likes of Xbox Game Pass, XCloud and generally less competitive moves from Microsoft. And though the PS4 sold more than the Xbox One, Microsoft is still a trillion-dollar company that has the expenditure to experiment more and allow for risks.
For Microsoft, the physical console itself isn’t that important. It’s just a medium for the experience. It has to work in a way that it goes mostly unnoticed and designed in a way that is unobtrusive. Xbox is slowly moving away from the traditional gaming experience to gaming anywhere on any device. So, Microsoft has prioritised engineering the internals so it’s as quiet as possible, while still being the most powerful console, and designing the console so it’s very minimal, neutral and restrained.
These fundamentals and goals reflect what Microsoft is doing outside of Xbox. With their Surface devices, it’s all about the hardware disappearing into the background and complimenting the software, Windows. And Microsoft’s applications and services are now found on all popular operating systems with almost identical experiences.
Sony, on the other hand, are still very hardware centric. With their position in the market, they were ready to make a statement: “This is a gaming console” or rather “This is the gaming console”. Sony are focused on strengthening their eco-system and keeping their users boxed in, which makes sense with their position. This reflects the design of the PS5. It’s a statement that says “I am a gaming console… I am a Sony gaming console…and don’t forget!”. The organic curves and futuristic design really make for a loud, ostentatious PS5 while the straight edges and minimal design of the Xbox Series X is muted and subtle.
Too Loud? Too Minimal?
Both console designs are subjective. Some might like the simple design of the Series X while others will prefer the decorated design of the PS5. Neither achieves a balance between aesthetic and subtlety. The Xbox Series X is so minimal that it lacks the excitement of a new console. Although the green painted vents on top of the console are a nice touch and future special editions of the console might add some needed pizazz. While the PS5 is so extravagant and large it’s hard to take your eyes off it. It almost feels like the PS5 was designed in a way just so Sony can release a slimmer, smaller version, as usual, in the future. They’ll market it as the “smallest PlayStation ever!” or something along those lines. Whereas I’m not sure Microsoft could make the Xbox Series X significantly smaller.
The Xbox Series X design also indicates who Microsoft is targeting with the console: just about everyone. It’s design is so expressionless that it will fit into anyone’s environment. Interior designers probably prefer the Xbox’s design over the PS5 as it just fades into the background with a small footprint. It doesn’t scream “gaming machine” like the PS5 and gaming laptops do. In fact, if you were to remove the Xbox logo, you could mistake it for a large speaker.
The PlayStation 5’s design is definitely more gamer centric which really aligns with the brand in general. PlayStation generally offers more and higher quality exclusive games and as their slogan says, “For the Players”. Not for anyone to just jump in but specifically “the players”. It’s a design that you would have to love to display next to your TV and one that changes its surroundings rather than blending into them. And speaking of gaming laptops, even those appear to be moving to more minimal designs in recent years, so it’s odd that Sony has gone in the opposite direction.
I think the comparisons that were made when both consoles were announced are also a telling sign of intention. The Xbox was immediately compared to a fridge, something that blends into the kitchen environment, unless you have mid-20th century fridge. While people said the PS5 resembled a Wi-Fi router, something that’s often over-designed given its simple purpose.
Both consoles look rather odd on its side. The Xbox on its side looks disproportionate, like someone took the One X and stretched it up in Photoshop.
While the PS5 on its side looks like an afterthought or just something that isn’t supposed to happen. It’s interesting how both companies prioritised a vertical design, most definitely for cooling purposes.
An issue I have with the PS5, is how its design fits into Sony’s portfolio. The fact is it doesn’t really fit in at all. Sony has a recognisable design language across its cameras, phones, headphones and audio equipment that just isn’t found on the PS5. They took a completely different approach with the console, separating its design from existing Sony products. Perhaps the PS5 is the start of a new design language at Sony or maybe it’s just its own thing.
Putting aesthetics aside, since design isn’t all about how things look, which console is more innovative in its form and function? I don’t think there’s much of an argument here. We’re used to technology getting smaller or having the same footprint while still being more useful. Faster and more powerful, quieter but sleeker. It’s hard to compare the Xbox Series X’s new form factor to it’s predecessors but they’ve definitely managed to fit a whole lot of power in a small and intelligently ventilated box. And comparing it to the original VCR Xbox One, it’s a huge improvement.
However, Sony went for an unconventional development. More powerful but bigger… in every dimension. It’s size immediately ages the console for me. Personally, I think the PS4’s design was almost perfection (I found the indented CD slot a bit annoying). It had a perfect balance between minimalism and aesthetic with it’s sloped sides and stacked form. The PS4 Slim wasn’t as nice but a step in the right direction. The PS4 Pro was two steps backwards (maybe this is when the questionable design practices started at Sony). The PS5 really looks like a PS3.5, something that should have been released a decade ago or just posted on the internet as a concept design.
In terms of design longevity, I think the Xbox takes another win. It’s not something that was designed to be looked at or interacted with on a regular basis. It practically checks all the 10 principles of good design by Dieter Rams and, in my opinion, has a design that will last most of if not the entire of this gaming generation.
The PS5, as I mentioned, already looks aged due to its size and I think its futuristic design isn’t so future-friendly. I do hope the PS5 slim is a significant improvement over the existing design.
However, all that being said, in reality, the majority of people will not be purchasing either console based on its design. It really comes down to the games you play, the console your friends play on and the price. But if for whatever reason, design is important to you, I think Microsoft did a better job this time around.
