Many of these recommendations come from hundreds of hours of in-house use. The three main console makers, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, all offer wildly different game libraries focused on different kinds of gamers. Other than what’s available, consider what kinds of games you and other members of your household love to play. In particular, the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X remain the most challenging consoles to find at market price.

Because of sky-high demand and the ongoing global chip shortage, new gaming consoles are hard to come by.

When it comes to buying a new gaming console, the biggest hurdle is availability. Online shopping offers slightly better supply levels, but the newest consoles are still very hard to find for sale at their market value.ĭespite availability concerns, the latest generation of gaming consoles has a lot to offer new and veteran gamers alike. Going into your local electronics store, you’d be hard pressed to find any ninth-generation game consoles for sale. Or, that would be the case if not for a global chip shortage, the ongoing effects of COVID-19 on game development, and record-setting demand. With the 2020 release of the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X and S systems, gaming has taken bold steps into the future with improved graphics, performance, and online connectivity. As of 2021, we are currently in the ninth generation of home gaming consoles.

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