What console is best in 2025?

Before I start, I can save you a bit of time. I've set up a table below if you only want to read that. This my vary from person to person, but it's definetly an important question for any person getting into or currently gaming. There are many choices to pick from, but I'll start broad for those who have short attention span. For those who do wish to read fully, I'll give my suggestions.

Console Argument

Consoles such as Microsoft's Xbox or Sony's Playstation all have one thing in common. They are named Consoles. The idea is that out of the box, you can plug it in, install/buy any game and play it, no need to optimize, they already did! Consoles all have their exclusives and their subscriptions, but that's their diffrence other than contorllers. Now you're thinking, why get a PC if all I want is to game? If it's all set up for me and all I have to do is purchase, why think about a computer?

PC Argument

So what is so special about the computer?? The operating system that has the most compatibility is Windows. You can use Linux, but it's much less optimized. Windows is made by Microsoft, so Xbox's Game Pass, the Netflix of gaming, is already avalible on PC, plus all of it's exclusives, such as Halo and Gears of War. This also includes EA play with select EA games, such as Dead Space. This may include some of your Xbox game saves if you switch. If not, all progress is saved to it's cloud. Steam is the primary PC store which includes all exclusives from either console and only a few weeks to a month after they come out of their orignal console. With that, you also get the benifit of a computer, such as some Apple compatibility, drive formatting, file management, movie streaming, game modding and game installations from the web!

The Downsides of a Console

Though plug and play, no matter the console, it's components are a restriction. For instance, the Xbox One had games such as Just Cause 3 optimized for it, but when the Xbox Series consoles released, the game still ran at 30 frames per second and had last generation graphics. Xbox countered thid with features such as FPS boost or HDR integration, but only for select games. This is definetly useful, but doesn't fix the issue. With that said, sometimes they'll have to downgrade graphics to get a framrate of 60.

The Downsides of a PC

With all the customazation and compatibility of a PC, you must also account for installations getting corrupted, viruses and driver updates. Consoles lumber this in with their software updates. With a PC, you must update and manage it yourself. Though you get all of it's upsides!

The Pros and Cons (In a neat table)

Image	Name	Pros	Cons
	Xbox	User friendly Comfortable Controller Game Pass Disk drive Backwards compatable Supports HDD drives	Only Xbox store Only Xbox devices Older games give unnecessary perfomance issues Needs memory card for SSD type extra storage Requires Game Pass subscription to play online
	Playstation 5	User friendly Playstation Plus Fantastic exclusives Disk Drive Supports HDD drives Incredible controller Haptics Microphone in controller	Some dont like stick placement Requires Playstation Plus for online play
	Nintendo Switch	Portability Exclusives ony on switch! Can be used on a TV Has many game ports Great controller colors	Requires proprietary tech to be displyed on a screen or played comfortably Has poor game ports due to poor componenets exclusives aren't popular due to single platform Largely forgotten Killed by Steam Deck Poor contorller layout
	PC/Computer	Completely customizable parts Changable OS Storage And controller, keyboard or mouse Cusomizable style Almost every exclusive(except Nintendo) plus more Game modding Steam Deck compatibility	Confusing when first buying parts Driver installs Price tag Keyboard may fell uncomfortable Xbox app is clunky and confusing Windows comes with bloatware Complex to install certain drivers