Welcome to the wonderful world of video games! From family-friendly titles, to story-heavy role-playing games, to shooters, to sports games, to simulators and more, there’s a game out there for everyone.
But which console you buy for the new gamer in your life – whether that’s yourself or a loved one – is a big decision! What you choose decides a lot of stuff about the future of your gaming, with some offering portability, others boasting better graphics, and more still serving as the only home to some of gaming’s most iconic franchises.
Nintendo Switch OLED
The console with the most wholesome content.
The newest iteration of the Nintendo Switch, the OLED Model offers the best technical specs of all the Nintendo Switch consoles on the market. Detachable controllers mean you can play in either handheld mode or by docking it to a television for home play.
If you’re looking forfamily-friendly gameplay, there’s no console quite like theNintendo Switch. Bringing crisper resolution with the OLED Model in 2021, you won’t find too many graphically-intense games here, but the Switch is great for gamers thatdon’t need the high-end techoffered from other consoles on this list.
This Switch can be playedboth handheld and docked to a televisionlike any other home console, offering versatility and portability to those seeking to strike a balance betweengaming at homeandon the go.Featuring games from all-time classic game franchises like Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, and more, titles on the Switch tend to bemore lightheartedwhen compared to those of other consoles.
Nintendo Switch Lite
Don’t plan to dock the Switch? Don’t spend the extra cash!
With a bigger focus on portability than the regular Switch model, the Nintendo Switch Lite can only be played handheld. This makes it a good choice for gamers on the go who are looking for a way to bring their love of gaming with them.
If you like the sound of the Nintendo Switch above but don’t have a need to dock the console, the Switch Lite is for you. Unlike the standard Switch, theJoyCon don’t detach, meaning you’ll play this console exclusively in handheld mode. The Switch Lite hasexactly the same library of Switch games, with a bigger emphasis on portable gaming.
Xbox Series S
There’s a reason Xbox fans love their console so much.
The Xbox Series S is the most recent console in the Xbox line from Microsoft, offering access to plenty of games both online with friends and in single-player modes. This model is digital-only.
If you’renew to the world of home console gaming, the Xbox Series S is one of your best bets. Since the Xbox Series Sdoesn’t have a disc tray, this means you’ll need toplay digital releases, but never fear, since your Game Pass subscription comes witha vast library of games.
With Game Pass, bothnew and classic games are added all the time. Because of this, you’ll be able to play new games on launch day, as well as dive deep into a catalog of great games both past and present.
For those who love the sound of the Xbox Series S but value beingable to play physical media, the Xbox Series X is a much better choice. It’s also got the same access to Game Pass as the Series S, but it also offers the ability tobuy physical gamesas well, resting assured that they can still be played on your Xbox Series X.
PS5
PlayStation has the other current-gen consoles beat when it comes to its game library.
Sucessor to the best-selling console of all time, the PlayStation 5 is Sony’s current-gen console. It offers an array of games for both single and multiplayer fun, a good amount of storage, and some of the most iconic game franchises.
The other titan console in this generation’s home gaming market, the PS5 is the most recent successor of the best-selling game console of all time, the PlayStation 2. With auser-friendly interfacemaking navigation a breeze andhaptic feedbackin the controllers bringing more depth to your games, you can’t go wrong with a PlayStation 5.
In comparison to its counterparts, the PlayStation 5 has themost console-exclusive titlesof this generation, including The Last of Us, God of War, Horizon, and more. If you’re looking for some of thebiggest storiesin games, this is the console for you.
Steam Deck
The Steam store is filled with some of the most intriguing indies on the market today.
Where once PC gaming was limited to, well, PCs, Valve’s Steam Deck brings the experience of PC gaming on the go.
Are you more of acomputer gameaficionado than you are the new, flashy console exclusives? Are you looking for awider variety of indie gamesthan triple-A titles, often offering interesting narratives and stunning creativity? The Steam Deck delivers, with an emphasis onplaying Steam games for PC on the go.
Running on Linux, the Steam Deck offers plenty of versatility and use outside of gaming as well.
FAQ
Can You Play Games From One Console On Another Console?
No. While there are plenty of exciting games to play no matter which console you end up choosing, you cannot play one console’s games on another console unless the game is specifically for multiple consoles. For example, if a game’s case says it’s for PlayStation 5, you can’t insert the game disc into an Xbox Series X and have it play.
In that sense, you’ll need tomake sure you’re buying the game for the right consoleif you’re buying it in-store. With the digital-only versions, this isn’t so much a concern, as you’ll have your game library right at your fingertips.
If You Get One Console, Can You Play With Someone On Another Console?
The answer to this questiondepends on which console the other person has. If you both have the same kind of console (for example, you’ve both chosen the PlayStation 5), you’ll be able to play multiplayer games together without issues.
If you have different systems, though,not all games offer cross-compatibility, the feature that lets you play games with someone on a different kind of console. For example, you choose the PlayStation 5, but if a specific person you want to play with has one of the Xbox Series X/S models, you may not always be able to play every game together.
In that regard, you’ll need tocheck the game you’d like to play with someoneto see if it offers the cross-compatibility feature. If it does, then any console that has the game can play together. If not, you’ll only be able to play with others on the same kind of console.
Regardless, each console offersplenty of games available to play onlinewith matchmaking in real-time, if you’re looking to play online with other people. You may even make some new friends throughout the rounds of games you’ll play!
If you’re choosing your beginner game console search for a child, you may want to check which games have the ability to chat with strangers - not everyone you meet online is friendly.
Which Games Should You Start With?
There are far too many excellent games for every console on our list to even start naming here! Everyone will have a different answer for you depending on what they play, so the choice really is yours. Every console has a wide variety of games, and you’ll never be bored!
Depending on which console you decide to go with in the end, check out some of our other lists for more info on the best games for the consoles above.
Regardless of which you pick, there’s no wrong way to play. Have fun gaming!
