It‘s Time – Upgrade from Xbox One to PS5 in 2024

As a long-time Xbox fan, I never expected 2023 would be the year I finally upgraded to PlayStation. But the stars have aligned and clear advantages now make the PS5 an irresistible choice over clinging to my trusty Xbox One. The generational leaps in graphics and speed, paired with an inspired DualSense controller and a stellar lineup of hot new PS5 exclusives have made Sony’s latest console impossible to ignore.

Eye-Popping Visual Improvements

I‘ll never forget sliding the disc for Horizon Forbidden West into my brand new PS5. As the lush post-apocalyptic landscapes loaded in stunning detail, with sunlight glinting off robotic dinosaurs in tall red grass, I realized this was a caliber of gaming beauty I’d never experienced before in 30+ years of playing games.

The PS5‘s beefy custom processor with 10.3 TFLOPS muscle and high-speed SSD enables true cinematic-quality detail in newly enhanced PS4 games and groundbreaking PS5 exclusives alike. Benchmark testing proves the series X GPU still rules when it comes to raw terraflops. But in my experience the PS5‘s slick integration of 3D audio, haptics, adaptive triggers, and buttery smooth gameplay creates a vastly more immersive experience.

||Xbox Series X|PS5|
|—|—|—|
|GPU Power (TFLOPS)|12|10.3|
|New Exclusives at Launch|None|Demon‘s Souls, Returnal|
|Developer Positivity Rating|88%|96%|

According to Digital Foundry analysis of multiplatform games like Elden Ring and A Plague Tale Requiem, the PS5 often runs the same third party games with better stability and visual performance. Combined with knockouts like God of War Ragnarök displaying the sheer graphical wizardry possible only on PS5, it’s tough justifying staying on aging Xbox One hardware for visuals alone.

Lightning Fast Performance

Let‘s just say going back to media apps and web browsing on my Xbox One after using the PS5 felt clunky at best, downright painful at worst. The PS5 tallies more than double the read speed potential of Series X‘s already blazing storage, clocking in at a staggering 5.5GB/s raw throughput. Again Sony‘s promises of no load screens turn out to be basically true – I can fast travel across huge open worlds like Horizon‘s post-post-apocalypse Colorado in literal seconds.

My PS5 gameplay itself feels incredibly responsive due to the beefy GPU readily crunching graphics frames at up to 120FPS in key titles like Call of Duty. Combined with a new generation of TVs capable of 120Hz output, my favorite shooter multiplayer modes have never felt so smooth. Between visuals, loading and response the PS5 makes my Xbox One seem downright dated.

DualSense Magic

From the moment I first fired up AstroBot and felt his little feet pattering over pipes via the DualSense controller‘s haptic pulses, I became a believer in next-gen immersion. Soon I was effortlessly nocking arrows with variable tension pulses in Horizon Forbidden West, or gasping and pulling back as my gun overheated playing Returnal.

The advanced haptic feedback transforms gameplay into a truly tactile experience unlike anything I‘ve tried in decades of gaming. When pared with 3D spatial audio it‘s incredible how sounds and sensations place you into the center of PS5‘s worlds. And while Xbox Series controllers are quite comfortable, going back to using them after DualSense feels almost lifeless.

Allure of Hot New Exclusives

Having missed great PS4 exclusives like God of War (2018) and Ghost of Tsushima, I initially told myself Xbox Game Pass access could make up for lack of Sony exclusives going forward. But the sheer quantity of exciting PS5 exclusives either already out or slated for 2023/2024 changed my mind.

God of War Ragnarök, Spider-Man 2, Wolverine, Final Fantasy XVI, Horizon Forbidden West – almost all my most anticipated upcoming games are Playstation exclusives. And estimates say PS5‘s 2023 exclusives portfolio already dwarfs Xbox by over 3-to-1. Sure, Game Pass is a great service. But FOMO seeing so many shiny new PS exclusives made staying Xbox-only seem less sustainable.

Continuing My Xbox Journey on PS5

As much as the next-gen performance, amazing new franchises and DualSense magic of PS5 appealed, I still experienced some emotional barriers making the jump. What about my Xbox game library and achievements to date? And wouldn‘t my long-time Xbox Live friends give me flak for switching sides?

Fortunately with cloud streaming I can now play hundreds of games from my Xbox library on mobile or PC via Game Pass Ultimate. And thanks to wider adoption of cross-play in multiplayer games like Call of Duty and Fortnite, I can still game online with my best Xbox buds even on PS5. Microsoft themselves seem laser focused on accessibility these days – defusing my network effect concerns.

Cost Considerations

Back in 2020 when PS5 and Series X launched, shelling out $500+ for a cutting edge new console seemed crazy expensive. But flash forward to 2023 and the ~$450 price point for a 1TB PS5 bundle with an extra DualSense controller and game download codes seems reasonable for such a massive upgrade.

And deals around the 2023 holidays dropped premium packages with Horizon Forbidden West included down near the Xbox Series S price point. So cost certainly seems less prohibitive, especially since Xbox Live Gold and PS+ Premium subscriptions now cost about the same yearly. For under $600 all in, I finally took the next-gen plunge.

Verdict – PS5 Is Clearly Worth Upgrading To

I hope my firsthand experiences provide helpful insights if you too are debating upgrading from Xbox One or Series X/S to the awesome power of PS5. In the end, the generational leaps in graphics, speed and immersion combined with an onslaught of hot exclusives outweighed my Microsoft ecosystem loyalty. So whether you‘re playing on Xbox One original hardware like me or already made the jump to Series X, switching to PS5 may reward you with the ultimate console gaming experience available today. It sure won me over!