Or: A hardware journey through the pandemic with a father of four and gamer by passion

Article: Christian Klass

 

I’m a gamer, tech journalist, founder, multiple career changer, and recently joined the wonderful team at Ranieri Agency. I am lucky to have four children at home. And they, in turn, are lucky enough to have two gamer parents who own a PlayStation 4 Pro and three Nintendo Switches at once. A few older systems are stowed away in the storage room. I’ve always liked being an early adopter when it comes to console hardware. Yet I see myself primarily as a PC gamer, albeit without the admittedly sometimes funny PC Master Race nonsense.

 

 

The new console generation, like all generations before it, did not pass us by without leaving a trace. While it hadn’t made it home yet, I’ve actually wanted a PlayStation 5 for a long time. Urgently wanted even. A bit out of fascination for new technology, a bit out of curiosity about upcoming (for the time being) exclusive titles, which I often find a bit better with Sony than with the traditional Microsoft Xbox franchises. But mainly driven by the hype, which you sometimes indulge in anyway, fully aware of the marketing-driven flood of content. I don’t really need it, of course, the new Sony gaming behemoth, which is also surrounded by secrecy due to its scarcity. Which, mind you, also applies to many other gadgets that I have acquired over the years. Come to think of it, this is true for most of them. At the same time, I find it very commendable and exemplary how Sony continues to support the PS4 (Pro) even after the PS5 launch. But it’s not about reason here, it’s about the “I want to have” factor. And that is simply huge with the PS5.

And now, BAM!, there’s suddenly an Xbox Series X in our living room.

Mainly because I couldn’t get a PlayStation 5, yet. Despite diligently checking specialised websites with their own sections on the subject (hello gameswirtschaft.de :-)) and scanning the offers at the usual suspects and even off-the-beaten-track sources on Ebay & Co… Sometimes it seems as if more PlayStations of the latest generation have been produced for raffles and marketing campaigns of big internet or mobile phone service providers than for consumers. A frustrating journey that also takes you through the land of fantasy prices. The up to four-digit sums being demanded (and achieved) for the PlayStation 5 and its bundles show once again the effectiveness of well-crafted campaigns and the sexiness that well-crafted technology can exude on its target groups. Mind you, the Xbox Series X has also made itself scarce since its release on 10th of November 2020.

And then just like that: Xbox Series X at MSRP at MediaMarkt and Saturn, available over several days. Without queuing and without waiting for the launch of a console drop that will sell out in a few seconds anyway. My esteemed former Computec colleague Petra Fröhlich summarised the procurement problems quite well in her GamesWirtschaft column under the title PlayStation 5 insanity: At the expense of customers (Fröhlich on Friday). I don’t blame Sony for the shortages, there is high demand, there are scalpers, there are supply issues and so on.

 

 

Back to the Xbox Series X. Similar but also quite different to the PS5. Directly confronted with it I like the design and it runs really fast and wonderfully quiet. One of my children said, ‘The Xbox is kind of weird, the UI isn’t pretty, but the controller feels good in the hand’. At least that’s a good basis. Especially since the interface can be adapted to one’s own wishes. I’m still lacking games, I’ve only played Fortnite and the great-looking next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077, and some older titles from my Xbox 360 days. That’s about how long it’s been since I had an Xbox at home. A lot has happened at Microsoft since then.

My Pile of Opportunities is gigantic, on the PC, but also on the PlayStation 4 Pro. GOG, Steam, Epic Games, all wonderful providers for PC games. PlayStation Plus has also given me enough choice. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do anything for me on the Xbox. My friends and acquaintances from publishers and the games industry STRONGLY recommend the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Another subscription, alongside PlayStation Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple One, etc.

Hey guys, we have four children, the money available is finite! On the other hand, I also get a choice. But is that enough for me? Aren’t those games just a copy of what I already have for the PC?

OK, Game Pass, let’s see. What I like to play most are role-playing games, action-adventures and – if there is a good single-player campaign – shooters. Halo hasn’t been my thing so far, I’ll check out Halo Infinite and any Halo remakes. I’m a big fan of Bethesda Softworks’ games, I’ve invested as much time in Skyrim, Fallout 3 and New Vegas as some others have in World of Warcraft. Accordingly, I was amazed when Microsoft bought Bethsoft. Their next big thing is Starfield, role-playing AND science fiction. Two of my favorite themes combined. And hopefully what I actually expected from Mass Effect 3. Starfield was ultimately the deciding factor for me to buy the Xbox Series X. It worked, Microsoft… Now I’m looking forward to seeing what else the Xbox will be able to deliver to my family and me.

 

 

Just a few months ago I said to myself, I’d rather get the PS5, I really like the Sony franchises. From Sackboy to Allie to Kratos and Eloy. An Xbox? I don’t need it, I was sure of it. I’m a PC gamer anyway and most Xbox games are available for both platforms. But the pandemic and the resulting supply problems, along with the excessive rise in graphics card prices, have also made it difficult to put together a decent gaming PC.

My MSI gaming notebook does quite well in HD resolutions with its mobile GeForce GTX 1070, but that’s about it. Starfield will also be available for the PC, but to experience it in 4K resolution and perhaps even with ray tracing, I would have to invest a lot of time and money in a new PC or gaming notebook. The Xbox Series X is clearly the better investment at the moment. I’m now really looking forward to everything I’ll play and experience on it. Even though the journey to this point hasn’t been quite the straight and purposeful one. But, hey, the best things in life are usually found by chance along the way during the journey and not so much at the destination you once set out for. If you reach it at all. Or if you even want to reach it after a few twists and turns and stopovers.

As for the PlayStation 5: Definitely yes, I still want it.

 

Christian Klass
Head of Tech Consulting & Development at Ranieri Agency.
He once co-founded Golem.de.
LinkedIn

 

 

Foto: Kerde Severin
Foto: FreePik