Xbox One X, PS4 Pro or Nintendo Switch – which games console should you buy?

Whether games, graphics or good value is your priority, here are our picks
Player ready: should you buy an Xbox One, a PlayStation 4, or a Nintendo Switch?
Microsoft
Ben Travis2 November 2018

Get your game face on – the UK is increasingly a nation of gamers, whether we're playing apps on our commutes or exploring virtual worlds in our spare time.

In an incredible year for game releases, there’s never been a better time to invest in a games console – and there’s tons of choice.

Whether you’re looking for the best graphics, the most exciting exclusives, or an option that won’t dent your wallet, here’s our guide to the best consoles out there.

Best for 4K graphics: Xbox One X

'The best bar none': the Xbox One X is 'the world's most powerful console'
Microsoft

Microsoft’s upgraded Xbox One just launched with the aim of bringing true 4K and HDR graphics to gamers’ living rooms. It has an impressive tagline, ‘The World’s Most Powerful Console’, and the stats to back that up – it’s 40% more powerful than any other console on the market, and somehow slightly smaller than the slimmed-down Xbox One S.

If power and performance is the most important thing to you, the Xbox One X so far seems to fulfil its promise of making Xbox One games run faster, smoother, and with patches offering graphical upgrades. The likes of Halo 5, Gears of War 4, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War and Assassin’s Creed Origins are the most impressive examples of the visuals that extra horsepower can provide.

Of course, it remains to be seen how much work developers put into One X patches in the future – some may offer detailed textures, 4K graphics, and higher framerates, but not all patches will offer the same level of upgrade.

It’s most worth it if you have a 4K TV, or are strongly considering investing in one soon – the Xbox One X plays all the same games as the original Xbox One and the Xbox One S, so the main advantage here really is that it makes them look that extra bit better, and runs faster and smoother. The Xbox One X also comes with a 4K UHD Blu-Ray player, which can cost a lot on their own, so that’s worth keeping in mind for fans of hi-res physical media.

The high performance comes at a cost – the Xbox One X nears the £500 mark, so this is aimed at more dedicated gamers. It’s still cheaper than a gaming PC though, and doesn’t require knowledge of how to upgrade all the individual components.

£449, game.co.uk

Best for exclusives: PlayStation 4 and PS4 Pro

PlayStation 4 slim
Sony

On pure hardware terms, the Xbox One X wins out – but gamers won’t deny that Sony has so far bagged the best exclusives in the current console generation.

All the major franchises – Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, Grand Theft Auto etc – release games on both Xbox and PlayStation, but the PS4 has a few extra killer games that you can’t get on any other console.

For action-adventure fans, Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted 4, The Last of Us and The Last Guardian are all must-play titles, and they’re all exclusive to the PS4.

Sony has its own upgraded version of the PS4 too – the PlayStation 4 Pro, which is cheaper than the Xbox One X. It’s not quite as powerful as the Xbox One X, achieving 4K graphics through upscaling, but it’s cheaper and still looks mightily impressive – especially on already-stunning games like Horizon Zero Dawn.

PlayStation 4 Slim: £259.99, johnlewis.com

PlayStation 4 Pro: £339.99, johnlewis.com

Keep in mind: Xbox One vs PlayStation 4

If you’ve still not made your mind up between the Xbox One or PlayStation 4, there’s one key thing to keep in mind: what are your fellow gamer friends playing?

If you plan on playing online with mates, remember that there’s no cross-platform play between the two consoles online. Each console has its advantages and disadvantages, but you’re best off picking whichever console your friends mostly play if you want to get involved in online multiplayer with them.

Best for everyone: Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch
KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty

While the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One duke it out, Nintendo is off doing its own thing – and it’s doing it astonishingly well.

The Nintendo Switch is an incredible piece of hardware, with software to match. The console has been out for less than a year, and already boasts a brilliant game library, including two instant all-time classics in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.

Nintendo has always held a sway over gamers, with exclusive properties – Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Pokémon – that other consoles don’t have, but the Switch has more in its favour than just the usual Nintendo favourites.

The central concept of the Switch is that it’s a two-in-one – a home console that connects to your TV, but with a tablet screen and slide-on controllers that let you take it on the move too. It works brilliantly in both forms, and gives gamers more ways to play than ever before. Certain games only need one half-controller each too, meaning you have instant multiplayer on the likes of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Overcooked.

Nintendo has always had a great family console reputation, and the Switch continues that legacy – Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart, Splatoon 2, ARMS and more can be enjoyed by kids and big kids alike. But older gamers will get a kick out of the depth and wonder of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and third-party titles like Doom and LA Noire show it can almost compete with the Xbox One and PS4.

It’s a console of pure joy, for all ages.

£269.99, amazon.co.uk

Best value: Nintendo 2DS XL / Xbox One S

Nintendo 2DS XL
Nintendo

If the Switch is still a little pricey, Nintendo’s other handheld range, the 3DS, has a fantastic budget option.

This year saw the release of the 2DS XL – it runs all 3DS and original DS games on two large screens, just without the inbuilt 3D (which, to be honest, not many people use on the original 3DS console). That’s a huge library of incredible games – three Zeldas, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, three Pokemon RPGs, Monster Hunter, Kirby – on a console that costs less than £150.

£129.99, argos.co.uk

Xbox One S
Microsoft

There’s another console out there offering great value – the Xbox One S. It’s a slimmed-down and smartened-up Xbox One, that has the same Ultra HD Blu-Ray player as the Xbox One X. Some Xbox One S bundles pack in extra games for around £200 – not bad at all, when most UHD Blu-Ray players cost around that on their own.

£229 with Assassin's Creed Origins, tesco.com/direct

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