Unsure whether to pick an Xbox or a PlayStation? Sony and Microsoft have a big range of consoles to pick from. But today, we are going to compare something old and something new. And see how big the difference is, and which is better. The Xbox Series S or the PlayStation 4 Pro?
And if you are looking for one of these devices, then our range of consoles may be worth checking after this guide.
Size and Design
Straight into the comparison, there is one instant and tellable difference. That being the difference in size. The Xbox Series S is significantly smaller than the PS4 Pro, measuring at only 6.5cm x 15.1cm x 27.5cm compared to the PS4 Pro’s 5.5cm x 32.7cm x 29.5cm. Making the Xbox Series S nearly half the size of the PS4 Pro. So, if you are a little tight on space in your gaming setup, you won’t need to make much for the Xbox Series S.
Both consoles have plenty of ports for you to make the most of too. So, if you like using a wired controller, have an external hard drive you want to use or want to plug in another device. The potential is there on both devices. The Xbox Series S is made with three USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports and one HDMI 2.1 port. And the PS4 Pro is made with three USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports and one HDMI 2.0 port. So, when it comes to connectivity, we have some similar options on our hands.
The only notable difference here is the version of the HDMI port. The Xbox Series S features an HDMI 2.1 port and the PS4 Pro features an HDMI 2.0 port. The main difference between these two is that HDMI 2.1 can support up to 8K resolution, and HDMI 2.0 supports up to 4K. And though this may seem like a big deal, there are a few technical specifications with the consoles that make this difference barely noticeable. We will go deeper into this in the graphical comparison.
You may also note the lack of an optical disc drive on the Xbox Series S. This may be a good or bad thing depending on how you see it. On the good side, you don’t have to hassle over switching discs between each game. On the bad side, disc games tend to be cheaper compared to games you get through the Xbox Store. The PS4 Pro does have a disc drive, so you have the option of both physical and digital games.
Verdict: We are going to give this one to the Xbox Series S. Its more compact form and presence of an HDMI 2.1 port give it more of an edge compared to the PS4 Pro.
Storage
We all want as much storage as possible on our consoles. And for good reason, we all want plenty of room to install all our favourite games. And the PlayStation 4 Pro is the best option in the case of storage size. The PS4 Pro has a 1TB HDD, which is more than enough room to install your games without worrying too much about how much space you have left. The Xbox Series S, however, has a 512GB SSD. Which doesn’t grant as much freedom as the PS4 Pro has. You can also find 2TB versions of the PS4 Pro, but these are special editions and hard to come by.
Though the PS4 Pro has the advantage of larger storage size, the Xbox Series S has it in speed. As the Xbox Series S utilises an SSD, the boot-up time of the console, read/write speeds and game loading times are all faster than you would get with the HDD found in the PS4 Pro.
Both consoles also have the capability for their storage to be expanded. With the PS4 Pro, you can put any external hard drive to use. Allowing for easy expansion. The Xbox Series S is a bit different though. With the Series S, you will need a special Seagate Expansion Card. These can be 512GB, 1TB or 2TB and you simply pop it into the slot in the back of the console. These expansion cards can be a bit expensive though. Costs nearly £200 for 1TB.
Verdict: Storage-wise, the PS4 Pro is the stronger option. Though the Xbox Series S will be a bit faster when it comes to installations, the fact it has almost half the storage size of the PS4 Pro causes it to fall short.
Graphics
Both consoles have strong points when it comes to graphics, and you are sure to get a great graphical experience regardless. The Xbox Series S is made with 4 TFLOPS 20CUs @ 1.565GHz of Custom RDNA 2 graphics and the PS4 Pro features a 4.20 TFLOPS AMD Radeon GPU.
The big question that you may have is, can they run 4K? The Xbox Series S is capable of running upscaled 4K and has a max resolution of 1440p. However, the PS4 Pro does beat it in this field. The PS4 Pro is capable of reaching a max resolution of 2160p. Meaning it fully supports 4K.
Going back to the presence of HDMI 2.1 in the Xbox Series S too. Though HDMI 2.1 does allow support for high resolution and performance, the Xbox Series S doesn’t reach the high ends of video resolution.
Verdict: This one goes to the PS4 Pro. There’s no denying that full 4K support is a great addition.
Performance
When it comes to gameplay performance, you can certainly see that next-gen leaps ahead. Where the PS4 Pro surpasses in graphics, the Xbox Series S does in its gameplay. Thanks to its 10GB GDDR6 128-bit-wide bus and 8X Cores @ 3.6 GHz (3.4 GHz w/SMT) Custom Zen 2 CPU processor, the Xbox Series S is given a huge amount of performance power. Fully capable of up to 120fps. But most of the time you will be playing at a solid 60fps.
The PlayStation 4 Pro, though not as strong in performance, is not far behind. Featuring 8GB of GDDR5 RAM and an x86-64 AMD “Jaguar” 8-Core CPU, the PS4 Pro is capable of up to 60fps. But you will be playing most of your games at 30fps due to the lack of high frame rate support on most PS4 games.
Verdict: The Xbox Series S is the stronger performer here.
Price
Even though we are comparing a next-gen and current-gen console, the pricing is not too far apart between these two consoles. With the Xbox Series S at £250 RRP, and the PS4 Pro currently sitting at around £230. And both are well worth the price they are set at.
Verdict: We are going for a draw on this one, both have their upsides, and the price well represents both products fairly.
Conclusion
Overall, we are going to call this comparison a tie. Both consoles have different strengths in different areas, and the better console depends on what you are looking for. If you want a console with stronger graphical performance, then the PS4 Pro is the console you want to go with. If you want a console that has a higher frame rate, then you will want to consider the Xbox Series S.
1 comment
Greg
I’ve always been a Playstation guy and wanted a ps5 but we know how hard it was to get one the first couple years. When the Series S was on sale I said what the heck and gave it a shot. It’s been a great purchase. Yes, storage stinks and graphically it’s not much of a difference from the PS4 but gamepkay seems to be smoother. The loading times are much better on the S and the quick resume is a nice feature that even the PS5 doesn’t have. Get an external hard to transfer games if you want the storage for a good price. The expansion card works great and super easy to use, just plug it in. It is pricey though. I feel set for a few years with the S. I may look at the mid Gen xbox upgrade if it’s worth it.
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