What I hate about the PS5 and Xbox Series X

As a proud owner of both consoles, I'd like to discuss what I dislike most about each of them.

PS5: No themes. Seriously, WTF happened to the themes? I've always loved buying a new game and getting a new theme thrown in for free by the developer. Admiring the artwork for games like Sekiro, Horizon or God of War would get me motivated to play those games. Also, I'd prefer not to have a generic looking XMB.

Xbox Series X: I was reading on Kotaku how apparently MS has a deal with Duracell to have their controllers loaded with the brand's batteries. As for me, I kicked those AA cells to the curve and ponied up 25 dollars for a rechargeable battery pack. As far as I'm concerned, both consoles are not equally priced. The PS5 is cheaper, cause I had to pay $25 extra for an Xbox controller battery pack.

I'm sure there are other perhaps more serious issues people could bring up but these are my console pet peeves.

Pretty sure the PS4 didn't launch with themes, so I'm sure they will get there.

I hate that its still nearly impossible to get one of either.

The rumor about those Duracell batteries has been debunked.

Personally I still prefer using rechargeable AA batteries instead of having a non-replaceable battery in a controller. It's quick to change the batteries for fresh ones on the Xbox controller and when those batteries eventually go bad I can buy new ones for 10 euros. Compare that to my PS3 and PS4 controllers which wound up only holding charge for a few hours and having to pretty much keep them plugged in constantly or buying new controllers for 30-60 euros.

I don't own a PS5 yet, but my biggest gripe with the Series X has probably been the bugs relating to wireless controllers and headphones. It's now in a good place, but I had major disconnection problems during the first month. Also I can hear the Blu-Ray drive spin when watching movies which is a little annoying compared to how completely silent the console is when playing games.

I'm not far enough from my console for batteries to matter. I can wire up a Dual Shock / Dual Sense or whatever.

Since its hard for most people to get one, I'm not going to complain too much because overall, I'm liking my PS5 a lot and I don't want to rub that in, at least until both consoles finally become mainstream hopefully by mid this year.

With that said, I do have a couple of pet peeves. One, you cant go on the web browser even though the programming is there like you could on the PS4. The only way you see it, is if you look up information that a game you're playing posted, like patch update information. And using Spotify on the PS5 is not as smooth as on the PS4. One, the new UI makes you do extra steps just to bring up the player controls. And two, on the PS4 you can choose to play your personal playlist in the UI player. On the PS5, you have to open the Spotify app and choose your playlist first before the UI player notices it, and you have to do this every time you start your PS5 as it doesn't save. Saved albums and official playlist are on the UI player, however. These are easy fixes they can do with updates. I believe in time they will.

My Xbox Series X has two major issues. The first is that the power stuff isn't working properly. It can only turn itself all the way off (no sleep mode) and it can't be turned on with a controller, only manually. It also can't go into "dim" mode, it just turns off.

The second is an audio bug that causes the audio to break up and stutter and then go completely silent before coming back a minute later, fine. The whole process takes like 5 minutes. This happens randomly every few hours of use or so and is extremely annoying.

I was hoping that these issues (which others have also had) could be fixed with a software patch but it's been a couple months so if it isn't fixed soon I will send it in for warranty repair. Of course these aren't universal issues, but they have definitely been my biggest problems with the console.

In terms of more universal issues...I think that the low storage is pretty annoying. I also think that having the Xbox Series X user interface just be the Xbox One user interface was a mistake. It definitely makes the machine feel not next gen, especially since the vast majority of games to play on it are just Xbox One games.

I personally like having removable batteries and don't really understand people who dislike them. It's 2021. Rechargeable AAs are cheap, easy to get, and good. Meanwhile if you have a non-rechargeable battery not only do you have to plug in during gameplay but once it eventually goes out the controller can't be used wirelessly. With Xbox you just swap in a new pair and it's good as new.

An Enerloop charger with 4 batteries is $18 right now. Once you have the charger, additional batteries are even cheaper. So you're talking under $10 per controller in added cost for a lot of added functionality (instant recharge with a fresh pair of batteries and unlimited battery life because they're replaceable.)

I haven't used a Dualsense yet but it seems objectively better than the Xbox controller. Removeable batteries are like the one major advantage Xbox has in the controller.

Don't understand the logic that the ps5 is cheaper due to having to buy a $25 battery pack when the controller comes with AAs in the box, so no battery pack is needed to be bought lol. The battery pack is just an extra accessory that is purchasable if desired.

I don't really like the price of devices , haha)

I've generally been having a good time with the Series X, particularly going back to some things I missed via Game Pass, but there are some minor annoyances.

• I really dislike that they still insist on using replaceable batteries rather than a rechargeable pack. I hear all these people saying "but the charge doesn't last long enough" to which my response is always "how the hell long are you playing?!" In 7+ years of using the PS4 I never had a batter run down on me while I was playing unless I had failed to charge the controller the night before. You'd literally have to play for like 8 hours straight before that happened.
• The UI is a total clusterfuck. It's been almost two months and I still can't really figure out how to use it. Nothing stays where you put it. Sure you can add things to groups, but then the groups themselves seem to move around randomly. Tiled interfaces needed to go away like 5 years ago.
• I don't like how they phrase a lot of stuff. The "turn console off" option is actually sleep mode, and the button to turn things off off is buried in a random menu. Why not just have both in the same menu so you can choose? And why have sleep mode at all now for that matter? The thing boots up so fast, even from a cold start, that I don't really feel like it's a meaningful difference anymore.

@rawrz:

Some people just need something to complain about.

@therealturk: I tend to own all the consoles, so I’ve experienced both sides of the controller debate. Ultimately, I prefer the Microsoft method as it ends up being more economical and environmentally friendly to me in the long run. I still have Xbox 360 and Wii controllers that I can use thanks to my set of rechargeable Amazon basics batteries. My PS3 controllers can really only be used wired at this point, and it’s only a matter of time before their batteries leak and completely destroy their functionality. Now, that may not be the biggest deal for controllers two gens old (although they remain viable PC controllers), but I have a perfectly good Xbox Elite 1 Controller that I’ve been using as my primary for years, even now that I have a Series X. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about a dying battery there, whereas my PS4 controllers continue to degrade.

It’s honestly not the hill I’m going to die on, and this recent debate just feels like console fanboys complaining for the sake of it, but hey, I guess I have a preference as well.

That Kotaku article was obvious nonsense just from the original interview they were over-interpreting. Is pretty easy to understand that the Duracell deal is that when MS sell tech with AA batteries they use Duracells, not some insane requirement for them to support AA batteries.

People forget the massive number of keyboards and mice that MS also manufacture that take AA or AAA batteries.

Frankly shameful that Kotaku haven't withdrawn the article but I guess they argue that "apparently" is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

Fun fact: You can use the battery pack for Xbox One controllers in Xbox Series X|S Controllers. I thought I was going to have to buy a new one and the old one just works.

@navster15: I have some relatives that owned both and have the exact opposite experience as casual players. Let's say the battery has run and most people I know don't use batteries for anything so it is not uncommon to not have any reserves. I don't have a single device running on batteries except remote controllers which you only have the change every few years.

If you want to play and notice the batteries are out, what is easiest? Going down to a shop to buy new ones or plugging a cable in? If you have rechargeable ones you cant use them while you play but you can play with the controller plugged in.

@bleichman: You can plug in Xbox controllers and play it wired though, so it’s not like that’s not an option.

Maybe I’m an old man but I use rechargeables for a lot of things. Emergency flashlights, hands free trash cans, TV remotes, game controllers, wireless mice and keyboards, smoke alarms, clocks, etcetera. It’s nice having a set that’s good for everything.

@berfunkle: Champagne problems

@navster15: True, that's a good point, agree with that.

I just always get frustrated when I have to go buy new ones when stuff like TV remote runs out, and then you start switching batteries and you don't know what is charged. Maybe I'm just a mess :)

But the system doesn't actually come packed with that wire, nor is it packed in when you buy additional controllers. Not the hugest deal and in still loving my X, but its a failure of the system for sure

@rawrz: It comes with two AA batteries in the box. Do you intend to only use your $500 device (or at least your $60 controller) for the length that 2 AA batteries lasts?

@therealturk: You act like it would take some kind of act of god to forget to plug in the controller but it's super common in all kinds of scenarios. If I'm playing a game and then I get tired and decide to turn the system off and go to bed then sure, I'll almost always remember to plug it in. But many game sessions are interrupted by real life stuff. If you get a work phone call and need to jump on your computer, well, it's often just shut it down and go. Or if there's someone else in the house and they need you to help with something immediately, same thing. Life intrudes, and since PS4 controllers have more like 4-5 hours of battery life than 8, it's pretty easy to run them down.

@bleichman: They own the game systems but they don't bother to buy some rechargeable batteries or play and charge kits? That's just poor planning.

Also the Xbox Series X controller will 100% work plugged into the Series X with no batteries in it at all. So the argument that you can play with the PS5 controller plugged in while it charges but you can't play with the Series X controller if you're recharging the batteries makes no sense. Just plug the Series X controller in and keep playing!

@cornfed40: That’s fair, I’ve collected a ton of cables over the years but obviously not everyone does.

@navster15: Extra PS5 controllers don't come with a USB A to C cable either, though the system does.

I don't know anyone at this point who doesn't have a USB A to C cable (maybe not one they consider 'extra' but there are so many devices that use USB C that pretty much everyone has one) and they're incredibly cheap.

Also the USB cable that comes with the PS5 is 1.5 meters long so unless you sit pretty close to the TV you're going to need to buy a 2 or 3 meter cable anyway to comfortably play while charging.

That's what I was going to say!

I actully have a big beef with Sony's marketplace for themes. The official themes for games and most of the some of the indie comic book imagery is very good. Moreover, the CG illustrations by Ilya Kuvshinov are fantastic and worth every penny. However, 90% of the themes Sony offers to be purchased are very poorly executed from an artist standpoint. Sony sells far too much bad feature phone backgroudn art that might have passed muster in 1999, but is just embarrassing today.

I hope SOny allows for themes on PS5 eventually, but I hope them clean up the themes store by only allowing from teh publisher game themes, licensing sports teams logos/art, and very select CG art form well known illustrators. If that means we see 1/100 as much that's fine, but I want the garbage illustrators to not have any business outlet on PSN.

Can't think of anything I used less on PS4 than themes. Tried a few, either they had terrible contrast with icons and/or text, or they had like 3 of the icons themed with the rest being from the default theme. Always seemed more like a joke than anything.

If the PS5 doesn't have the ability to set a custom background, then that's unfortunate.

They'll bring themes back eventually. It's too low hanging of a fruit for pre-order bonuses not to have it eventually. It's just also not very highly ranked on a "this must be here for launch" list of product features that I'm sure they were scrambling through.

My big complaint about both next generation consoles is that the gaming industry has almost entirely dismissed 2D and side-scrolling as relevant game delivery. Of all the launch games they all could be 2D concepts that could be brilliant. Everybody is chasing this 3D worldscapes and they are all kind of same-y. 2021 for me means i'm exploring 2D games primarily and seeing all of the innovations i missed and racking my brain on what could come next. The industry is 100% skins in every facet of the word.

Also, I might be in the market for a PS4. Does anybody know any 2D exclusives other than Street Fighter 5 and Resogun? I guess Sackboy might count but I want pure 2D.

Neither console comes with an optical audio port, which renders my wireless headphones unusable with the new consoles. As for the Xbox Series S, I agree that the UI is not great, and I would have preferred a rechargeable battery on the controller. The D-pad on the controller is pretty bad compared to the PS4. Original Xbox games apparently never go on sale, $10 is a tough ask for a 20-year old game, and as for the other sales, it seems the the same games are on sale every week. Microsoft seems to be phasing out Xbox Gold which puts people like me who want to play online but don't want Game Pass in an awkward spot.

@senorsucks2suck: What?

Both systems have literally hundreds of 2D sidescrolling games available.

One of Microsoft's major first party games that's enhanced for X is Ori and the Will Of The Wisps.

Microsoft also funded Cuphead.

They've both dismissed 2d and side-scrolling?

I'm surprised to hear anyone advocate for and defend having AA batteries in a controller which feels like an impractical, inefficient and wasteful design.

My PS3 controller still worked last I booted it up for Dragon's Dogma.

My launch PS4 controller which has seen extensive use since... launch works like a dream. You plug it in when you're done gaming and the battery has one pip left and its ready to go by the time you're ready to play again. I figure I get atleast 5-8 hours per charge if not more as I only plug it in once or twice a week and I usually play for 1-3 hours in the evening when the family goes to bed. On the rare occasion I get the low battery warning from the device it still plays for another hour afterwards so its not like you are ever blind sided by the task of charging. The battery is constantly appearing on screen to inform you of its status whenever you access a peripheral or turn the device on and off.

Anecdotally two of my friends who picked it up at launch along side me are all still using theirs as well without issue.

I want my big titty Seenran Kagura themes too.

Nice, this is exactly the question I needed an answer for :)

All batteries die eventually. Some people care about keeping their hardware going past the lifespan of a console generation, and that's tough to do with proprietary batteries.

Rechargeable AAs exist. If you've got a bunch of stuff that uses them as I do, keeping several charged AAs around for various devices is just as efficient as having to keep multiple controllers charged.

And it's not like Microsoft isn't offering a solution for people who prefer an official rechargeable. Choice and flexibility are good things, right?

Not being able to use external storage for fear of bricking my PS5 is more of a concern, but I guess themes are important too.

And lo, the Prophet foretold: "In the final days of Ye Console Wars, the people shall run out of things to squabble about, save for an argument about batteries".

@dasakamov: As soon as Sony and MS both just decided to build small x86 PCs, the slow path to desperately nitpicky arguments was inevitable.

Lucky enough to land both myself (Bought Series X and got surprised with the PS5) - I have had the Series X since launch and the PS5 since the holidays.

My overall summary is that both systems fell great to play/etc - I personally enjoy the Series X a lot more at the moment because of Game Pass and some of the quality of life features. At this point, I expect to generally play anything that is on both platforms on the Xbox.

Xbox Series X

Games Played (probably more than this but this is what I can think of atm):

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Immortals: Fenyx Rising

Gears 5

Forza Horizon 4

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order

Dead by Daylight

Minecraft

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Doom Eternal

Rocket League

Destiny 2

Pros: Generally using it way more than the PS5, Game Pass is amazing and cross-generation games are super simple with no confusing nonsense related to different versions of games or having to move saves between generations - things just work. Smart Delivery sounded so silly leading up to launch but having played both it absolutely makes sense and is great. Streaming to a tablet works really well (saves the TV sometimes) and the console is whisper quiet, you can't even tell it is on aside from the light on the front so far.

Quick Resume is another feature that I thought sounded silly but absolutely love. My kids can play a game and do their own thing and I can still open up my profile and launch a game and I am exactly back where I started with no interruption.

The console itself is simple and easy to kind of forget about, it fits right next to my TV (slightly behind it) and you can barely tell it is there.

Cons:

Nothing amazing to show off the power of the console yet. Of the games that are marked as Series X/S optimzied, most still feel like "old" games though load times are fast and they run amazing.

Quick Resume has gotten into a funky state before and I've had to restart the console

Playstation 5

Games Played:

Spider-man Miles Morales

Astro Bot's Playroom

Final Fantasy VII: Remake

Pros:

Games look and run great, having had any issues aside from a few crashes in Spider-man.

The controller feels great, the trigger thing is really incredible in Astrobot's Playroom but I'm not sure I expect it to show up in any third party games really.

Spider-Man Miles Morale and Astro Bot's playroom are probably the most "next-gen" feeling games I have played because of how the fast loading works.

The console is super quiet - aside from lights you can't really tell it is on.

Cons:

Spider-man has completely frozen and crashed the system 3 times so far, having to go up and actually power it off to get things going again (with the whole database repair stuff).

Demon Soul's is $70 so I haven't picked it up yet.

Interface is odd, it's not impossible to find things but it just seems less intuitive than on PS4.

Games have multiple versions (PS4 or PS5) and it can be confusing - it is a little silly that they don't have a better system in place for making cross-generation ownership make more sense. Having to plug my PS4 back in to upload my Spider-man Miles Morales save from PS4 to PS5, which already existed in the cloud felt really dumb.

@mikewhy: I set my PS4 theme to the 20th Anniversary theme because it makes your PS4 make the PS1 start up sound when logging in aka one of the best start up console sounds ever.