The Xbox Series X must be a PC because Gabe Newell says it’s better than the PlayStation 5

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

We now know the main specs of the PlayStation 5 and the exclusives coming to the platform, but that doesn’t appear to impress Gabe Newell, CEO of Valve Software. Yes, that Valve Software, of Half-Life and Steam fame, otherwise known as Gaben.

See, the executive responsible for most of your favorite games (and the delivery platform that holds the rest) was asked which of the two upcoming consoles he thought was better, and without skipping a beat, he answered “The Xbox.”

The Xbox. Just two little words, spoken by the Godfather of modern computer gaming, and that’s it, folks. The console race is over. Stay home Sony; you’ve already lost in Gaben’s mind.

Maybe it’s because the Xbox Series X runs on a modified Windows 10 kernel, just like the Xbox One does. Perhaps it’s because, with Microsoft’s Play Anywhere initiative, most of the games that were previously Xbox-exclusive will also be coming to PC. Heck, it could be all of these, or the hardware, or none of these as Gaben only elaborated with a simple, “because it is.”

Gabe Newell: Xbox Series X is better than Playstation 5 pic.twitter.com/4BVuSnKuVN

— Xbox News (@_XboxNews) July 28, 2020

Sounds pretty prophetic to me, from the driving force in PC gaming. He also mentions that he doesn’t have a stake in the race, with Valve doing most of its development on personal computers, but he’d still go with an Xbox if he wanted a console. Maybe he has some insider knowledge, or just his encyclopedic knowledge of gaming and hardware makes him uniquely qualified to know which of the two unreleased consoles will be the best.

Whatever Gaben’s reasoning, the next generation of consoles is going to be great. Custom, powerful technology from AMD powers both, new solid-state drives bring new features and speed to the consoles, and there is a packed release schedule of new games to play on them.

What’s your take on this? Are you team Xbox or Playstation? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Here’s where you’ll be able to preorder an Xbox Series X when it releases later this year
• Microsoft quietly removed 12-month subscription option for Xbox Live Gold from Microsoft Store
• Here’s where you’ll be able to preorder a PlayStation 5 when it releases later this year
• Here’s everything we know about the PlayStation 5

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.