For the longest time, the esports landscape has been dominated by the PC. It’s been the platform of choice since esports’ inception in the 1990s (while it has its roots in the 1970s, esports truly took off in the 90s). There’s a good reason for that; PCs generally had a wider lineup than their console counterparts, and their increased number of ports meant that gamers could play with one another over LAN connections, facilitating speedier games with less lag.
Now, however, the gaming landscape has changed significantly. No longer are consoles considered inferior to PCs; in many cases, consoles can do everything PCs can. The PS5, in particular, is being eyed up by many organisations as the console of choice when it comes to esports. Is this because of the hardware, the software, or a mixture of both? We’re about to break it down for you. Here’s why the PS5 is the console of choice for esports going forward.
Sony has patented a PS5 esports betting platform
While it hasn’t been implemented into the PS5’s user interface yet, Sony has patented a system whereby players can bet on esports events from within their console. This is ample proof that Sony cares about esports on PS5 in and of itself. You could bet on which player will be defeated first in a multiplayer game, for example, or bet on the total number of points scored by teams across a competition. The permutations for bets are endless, so here’s hoping that for the sake of those who love to bet on esports, Sony does eventually incorporate this system into the PS5’s UI!
The PS5 has the best controller, hands down
Esports players often rely on feedback, both visual and kinetic, to determine what’s happening in any given game. The PS5 is doubtless the best platform to provide this kind of feedback. Thanks to the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive trigger features, esports players can get instant feedback regarding what they’re doing and what decisions they should be making in game. This is to say nothing of the Pulse 3D headset, which is a true revolution in terms of the way audio is processed and ultimately experienced by the player. While Xbox controllers may have slightly lower latency, this isn’t likely to matter in real time for most esports players, and the extra features offered by PS5 hardware should tip the balance.
Major tournaments are already backing the PS5
Despite Activision snubbing the PS5 for its Call of Duty tournament series, there are several other major esports events that have already backed Sony’s console. In April of 2021, the NBA 2K League named the PS5 its official console, meaning that League teams will compete entirely on Sony’s hardware. Similarly, all FIFA esports tournaments and events will be played on PS5 hardware, meaning that you won’t see FIFA professionals playing games on Xbox consoles or on PC. This show of faith from major esports tournament publishers demonstrates that the PS5 really is the best console for esports. We’re sure that in future, even more esports tournament organisers will come forth and declare the PS5 to be their official console, so watch this space for more announcements of this nature.
There are lots of great esports controllers for PS5
The PS5 has a solid range of esports-ready controllers available for it. There are offerings from Defy Gaming, HexGaming, and Razer, among others. Each of them has custom-built hardware which enhances the play experience; you’ll find clickier and more responsive buttons, as well as a more ergonomic form factor to facilitate better and easier play. In many cases, you’ll also find that PS5 esports-ready controllers come complete with remappable buttons, so if you don’t like a button configuration, you don’t need to rely on changing controls within the game itself in order to set things up to your liking. You can also often customise control sticks and other buttons, so if you’re not a fan of the way buttons feel, there are usually options. In short, the PS5 has an excellent range of esports hardware available.
The PS5 is by far the best-selling next-gen console
Comparing sales numbers between the PS5 and the Xbox Series X|S isn’t even close. Current data suggests that the PS5 is selling somewhere in the region of twice as well as the Xbox consoles are. Given that Microsoft isn’t necessarily targeting huge console sales, this won’t come as a blow to the US console giant, but it does indicate that more console gamers are adopting the PS5 rather than Microsoft’s alternatives. It makes sense; generally speaking, it’s easy to get ahold of an Xbox Series S (although the Series X remains in short supply), while the PS5 is much, much harder to locate. As such, if esports game makers want to put their games on consoles, they’ll simply reach many more players if they focus on PS5 over Xbox. In addition, both PS5 models have the same specs, so developers don’t need to worry about whether a game will work well on both models.
These are just some of the reasons we think the PS5 is the console of choice when it comes to esports. There are likely to be many, many more developments in the esports world over the next few years representing the PS5’s life cycle, and we’re excited to see where Sony and the esports world will go next!
