Silly console wars and delivery fiascos – It’s new console launch week folks. This week I had hoped to bring you some reactions to the new Xbox Series X console. I got my console delivered on release day. Unfortunately, my friends were not all as lucky with the release day delivery. I’m also seeing I think too many biased reviews of the the PS5 compared to the Xbox Series X. Frankly I don’t think these reviews are in any way fair. So I’m going to address that here as well. Buckle up for a crazy ride into release days for Xbox and PS5, and the silly console wars that will never go away. Where to begin?
Release Day Fiasco
We know there was limited stock of both Xbox Series X and the Series S, as well as the PS5 which released today. However, for some reason many online retailers seems to have completely messed up something that should be pretty straightforward. If there is 2500 consoles available, to let’s say Retailer Number 1, then the fist 2500 people to get on and order should get them. Afterwards you should get a message saying there is no more stock left. You get bummed about that, and you move on. However, what did happen for both Xbox and PlayStation was that retailers confirmed pre-orders for a lot more consoles than they had. That’s why the dreaded E mail this week was one from your retailer telling you , ‘sorry, you’re out of luck, you might get one by New Year’s Eve.’
That sucks, but things get worse, depending on where you live? In the U.K. Amazon has had a nightmare. As one Amazon insider I spoke to commented.
“I was disappointed to see the amount of disorganization and chaos, given the amount of time and planning we had to prepare for such a huge release. Operations clearly underestimated the amount of work that needed to go into meeting customer demand here and ultimately, it is our customers who have paid the price for all of this poor planning. I hope they have learned a lesson here and are better prepared for the upcoming PS5 release.”
This was in regards to Tuesday Xbox Series X release, they may have improved things by today for the PS5 launch, I’m not sure? However, Tuesday for Amazon in the U.K. was a nightmare.
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My own console didn’t dispatch till 11am, then I had a estimated delivery date come up for Thursday before 10pm. My friends all got similar issues and a quick check online told me the whole of the U.K. was in the same mess. Resigned to getting no Xbox I was surprised when mine appeared at the door around 1730 with almost no warning. I have nothing to complain about personally, however some friends did. Most of them had gotten their Xbox’s by Thursday, however one friend had a very nasty surprise when their Xbox Series X finally arrived two days late. Here is what he saw when he opened the box.
Imagine opening up your brand new console and finding that instead? And what did Amazon say to this? They didn’t have a clue, it’s pretty clear to me that someone has switched this at some point in the process and got themselves a free Xbox. Amazon cannot giver the customer a replacement because they simply don’t have any stock they say? So right now he has been offered a full refund, but seen as he cannot buy one anywhere else, it’s not really much help is it?
Perhaps the worst story I heard online was a driver who marked a box as delivered and then tried to drive away. The customer chased after them and questioned them. After claiming there was no delivery, the customer see’s the Xbox Series X sitting on the passenger seat with his name on it. Pretty obvious what was going on there, wouldn’t you say?
Frankly, it was a shambles all over the world, however Amazon U.K. managed to compound the issues even further. I hope Sony purchasers have better luck today.
Silly Console Wars
I have seen 2 console comparisons for two of shall we say our rivals outlets? I won’t give their details here, but both were some of the most biased one-sided reviews I have ever heard. One of them I thought was satire at first as they claimed cons for the Xbox were as follows.
Grips on controllers have been added to stop those fat Xbox fans sweaty hands from slipping off the controller. It’s just the same as an Xbox One, there is no difference. It takes batteries for the controllers, what is this the 90’s? There are no games for it, none.
Shocking journalism, shocking, and it was not satire. But here was another outlet’s reasons why PS5 has already won this console generation.
PS5 is secretly more powerful, and faster. Sony has Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Xbox has no games (again). Sony’s PlayStation Now is just as good as Xbox’s Game Pass. Oh and finally the PlayStation 5 is just more futuristic looking, it looks next gen while the Xbox Series X does not.
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What utter twaddle. I’m not here to go the other way, I think if you went Sony last gen you are probably best to go Sony this gen. I just don’t like the unfair Sony fanboy BS that is spreading around in these silly console wars. It’s like, if I picked Sony, I must do my best to convince the entire world my choice was correct and almost anyone else chose poorly. Rubbish. Let’s explode some of these myths.
Currently when it comes to exclusive Next Gen games Sony has half a game more than Xbox. Spider-Man: Mile Morales is an expansion, not a full game. Everything else is third party and available on both machines. The fact Xbox uses batteries for their controllers is seen as a big plus point by most gamers, including PS5 users. The reason is that if your battery dies on an Xbox controller, you can replace it. On Sony machines, you have to buy a new controller that will cost you a pretty penny.
The grips on the Xbox Series X controller feel great and are less slippery. PlayStation Now is nowhere near what Game Pass is, that’s just a fact. PlayStation Now has less games, you don’t get immediate access to Sony Exclusives either. Online comparisons prove that the PS5 isn’t really any faster at loading than the Xbox Series X, which really does have more power under the hood. And when it comes to looks, well, I don’t really care, but if you do that’s a valid point perhaps?
The Final Word
Again, I bought an Xbox Series X and you might think I’m being biased towards that, I’m not. I don’t feel the need to somehow validate my choice by proving to others they made the wrong one. If I had enough cash I would buy both consoles, because last Gen I genuinely think the Ps4 was the superior machine, with the better exclusives. I am envious of Spider-Man and the Miles Morales expansion. I would love those games to be on Xbox. All I’m saying here is that if you are going to compare both consoles, do it honestly. Not this absolute nonsense that I have been reading online. No more silly console wars.
Did any of you readers get a release day Xbox Series x, or PS5? Leave your success, or horror stories below.
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