5 Best Video Game Consoles
Updated Dec 2024
Video gaming is all about stunning 3D graphics, lightning-fast action and multiplayer combinations. AskMjareb gamers and techies tested out the best game consoles that deliver the most powerful gaming bang for your buck. Here are our Top 5!
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Best of the Best
SUMMARY
PROS
CONS
The Nintendo Switch continues its tradition of iconic design innovation with seamless adaptability, combining a console and handheld hybrid for an amazing, fully-portable multiplayer experience. Nintendo’s unique delivery includes two self-contained controllers with top motion-sensing capabilities. Gamers, you can believe the Nintendo Switch news you’ve been hearing! This game console is a winner on every level!
Gaming hybrid for traditional Nintendo console TV play plus a play-on-the-go handheld device that is super robust and powerful. The existing and upcoming Nintendo Switch games portfolio includes a strong lineup of exclusive games.
Definitely could deliver on a longer battery life and 32GB of built in storage is disappointing.
Best Value
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This ‘standar’ Xbox One multitasks offering not only an excellent gaming console, but also accessibility to watch cable TV, browse your photos, download movies, and stream your music plus more. It is the ultimate one-stop-shop in cross play, but you will need the Microsoft ecosystem and its in-house streaming service – Mixer.
The Xbox One delivers impressive graphics and a wide ranging library. Great multiplayer. Use your Xbox One with the new wireless Xbox controller for custom mapping and improved wireless range.
Missing the Kinect motion tracking camera (that isn’t necessarily a negative).
SUMMARY
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CONS
The upgraded and sleeker Sony Playstation 4 Slim is an excellent gaming console offering a vast library of Playstation 4 games and superb 3D graphical abilities. This model also can be found for the best PS4 prices in the market while delivering excellent Blu-ray services.
Playstation games run on this system are striking and graphically powerful. The sense of virtual reality delivered by the PS4 Slim is really superior. It offers tremendous versatility and plenty of indie games.
This Sony PS4 Slim doesn’t have the 4K capabilities of the Sony PS4 Pro – but you may not even notice. Also storage is limited on this Play Station 4 modle for digital downloads of Playstation games from the PS4 store. Also, there is no backwards compatibility – meaning you cannot play games made for the PS3 console or the PS2.
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Not only are there 200 Microsoft Xbox One exclusive games such as Halo 5: Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Forza Motorsport 6, but this gaming system is also backwards compatible with over 400 titles designed for previous consoles such as the Xbox 360. This top ranking Microsoft Xbox One X delivers game play in native 4K resolution, often at an unbelievable 60 frames per second together with Dolby vision streaming and HDR game playback.
Built-in 4K UHD Blu-ray player plus state of the art Dolby Atmos audio. Sharper than sharp graphics for premium visually stunning Xbox video gaming plus multiple ports & jacks. Also has excellent live-streaming via Mixer, and enjoys best-in-breed multiplayer through Xbox Live.
Although the Xbox X has a 1TB hard drive it is a bit slow and heavy.
SUMMARY
PROS
CONS
This device is a powerful Nvidia Shield TV-streaming machine that can also stream the latest games. The Nvidia Shield also boasts a long list of additional smart control features. The 3-in-one capabilities make the Nvidia game console an interesting device that contains high-end design functionality with superb home integration.
You’ll get 4K HDR streaming games and Shield TV plus a multitasking system that will complement your audio visual collection with diversity and full Google home & assistant support.
The controller is flawed needs design tweaks to match the rest of the system – so look out for upcoming Nvidia news on this front.
How We Decided
We purchase every product we review with our own funds — we never accept anything from product manufacturers.
Game Consoles – Our Expert Advice
- It isn’t easy to find a single play console to suit all your needs, so when looking to make a smart purchase prioritize what is really important to you. Here are a few guiding recommendations to help you sort through your gaming consoles list.
- If you want to play all the Xbox games in the video game store,
- have access to a decent online service, and stream all these Xbox games in 4K HDR, the Microsoft Xbox One X is your choice. It is the Microsoft flagship game console that delivers compact design with superior technical features and backwards compatibility with earlier games such as Microsoft Xbox 360 games. Xbox One games enjoy connectivity with Xbox Live, THE best online Multiplayer platform in our opinion – at a price.
- The smart buy if you want top portability and hybrid functionality
- is the Nintendo Switch 32GB. Nintendo Switch game play can start off with the video game console connected to your television through a special dock, and when you want to leave you just pull the play console out and walk away. You don’t even need to pause the Nintendo game system. The Nintendo Switch console just immediately moves the display from the TV to the Switch with very little loss in visual quality. The Nintendo Switch price is also quite fair considering it’s hybrid capabilities.
- If you are looking for a budget-friendly video game system
- that plays every game with ease without too many sacrifices on features then the sleek Sony Playstation 4 Slim should be at the top of your gaming consoles list. It does lack 4K output but that is only noticeable if you own a 4K TV. It also supports 5GHz Wifi and Bluetooth 4.0. Frankly it has all you need and for less outlay.
Game Console Features
- What do you want to do? If you love playing racing games, sports or action games then one of the very best video game consoles with HD graphics is the PlayStation 4. If you prefer a play console that offers both home and portable playing possibilities then the Nintendo Switch game system is your best buy for flexibility.
- Which game console do your friends have? If you plan on playing online games, get the game console that your friends have so that you can be sure of getting support from your game system for cross-platform multiplayer games.
- What is the library range on offer? Ensure that you know which video games are available for each type of game console, so that you won’t miss out on your favorite. For example, most of the blockbuster games can be used on multiple game systems but each console has their own exclusive titles such as Mario for Nintendo, Titanfall for the Xbox and certainly the fantastic options from PS4 such as Horizon Zero Dawn. One of the greatest reasons to get the Microsoft Xbox One X is its compatibility with over 1300 game titles including 200 designed just for Xbox One, and 400 for prior Microsoft gaming consoles such as the Xbox 360. By contrast, the Sony Playstation 4 does not support backwards compatibility with Playstation 3, Playstation 2 or Sony Playstation 1 games on disk, but does offer these titles through connectivity with Playstation Now – the online Playstation network that most closely resembles Microsoft Xbox Live.
- 4K or not 4K? If you have a 4K TV and want to make the most of it the Xbox One X is a winner. 4K is great to have but not a deal breaker.
- Storage. Just like a computer, the video game console needs to hold data. Game console storage holds the data and saved information of the video games and various other apps on the video game console. Some can be taken out and replaced with bigger hard drives for more storage. Inbuilt storage generally ranges from between 500 GBs through to 1T or 2T. Ensure that your game console of choice supports an external storage device to allow for more space for your games and films.
