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By Mike Epstein
Updated: Nov 20, 2020 7:06 pm
Posted: Nov 20, 2020 7:00 pm
The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are, obviously, game consoles: We buy them to play games. But a lot of us also use them for streaming Netflix, YouTube, Twitch, Spotify – whatever we want to watch or listen to. While it isn’t quite as important, it turns out that a console’s potential as a streaming video platform matters. While this is an area where you might expect the two platforms to be identical, it turns out that simply isn’t the case. At launch, one of the platforms offers much more streaming video content than the other. We’re going to go through the key differences between the platforms, including their streaming app lineups, differences in presentation, and even a few little differences within the apps themselves.
At launch, there are many more streaming apps available on the Xbox Series X and S than on the PlayStation 5. The PS5 has 20 video streaming apps, plus four VR apps. The Xbox Series X store has more than 40 notable apps, and far more if you include third-party YouTube players and specialty interest apps like, for example, the IGN channel. Other than the PlayStation Media Player app, which you use to play video content purchased on the PlayStation Store, every single entertainment app on the PS5 is also available on the Xbox store.
The following table has a smattering of the most recognizable video and music streaming apps on Xbox Series X and/or PS5. It is not comprehensive, but highlights some of the types of services where you’re most likely to notice the differences.
The difference in scope becomes more clear when you start looking beyond the core platforms. Thanks to the fact that it’s importing its app platform wholesale, the Xbox Series X and S have access to an app library that’s a full generation in the making. It has more niche services, like Shudder. It has cable alternatives like YouTube TV and Sling. For Football, the only major American sport currently in season, both services have ESPN and NFL Sunday Ticket, but Xbox also has NFL Network. Both services have Spotify, but Xbox also has Pandora, SoundCloud, and Amazon Music, to name a few.
As someone who has cable, some of the biggest losses on PS5 are channel-specific apps like Starz, Showtime, and FXNOW. Many of these apps allow you to purchase access like any other streaming service, but you can also access them if you already get the channel through your cable package for no additional charge.
While the PS5 has a smaller selection of streaming apps, the new media section of the PS5 UI offers a cleaner, more direct way to find streaming apps. In the top-left corner of the PS5 home screen, you can switch from the “games” menu to the “media” menu, which has a separate list of your recently opened streaming apps. It also features a section called “TV & Video,” which provides curated platform-specific and, occasionally, cross-platform recommendation lists.
For example: on PS5, the section currently has a curated list called “Game On!,” which lists off shows and movies based on games, or that inspired games. It had Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Avengers: Endgame, Assassin’s Creed, and The Witcher, among others. When you choose a movie or show, the listing features buttons so you can choose what platform you want to use to watch it. The buttons are very clear on the prices: Spider-Verse is available to buy or rent “from $2.99” on Prime Video and Vudu, and “free with subscription” on Netflix. It’s worth noting that these lists do not seem to be algorithmically generated, and you will see recommendations that include streaming services you don’t have downloaded.
As in the Xbox One, Microsoft rents and sells streaming movies and TV through the Xbox Store. The Xbox Store on the Series X is identical to the updated version pushed to the Xbox One last month. It features a fairly wide selection of new and old TV and movies to rent or buy. Some of which is available in 4K UHD.
At launch, the PlayStation 5 Store does not sell TV and video. The store only appears in the “Games” menu, and it only sells games. If you purchased video content on PS4, you can watch it on PS5 through the PlayStation “My Videos” app. The lack of an official PlayStation video store isn’t a huge loss from a content perspective though – you can buy and rent video through Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, and other apps. There are smaller, contextual advantages to having a PlayStation Video side of the PS5 store: On the Xbox store, Xbox Live Gold members occasionally receive discounts. On PS4, PS+ members could receive the same benefits, but obviously, that isn’t possible on PS5.
In general, the apps that appear on both platforms are virtually identical. Not only do they offer the same content, but feature the same UI and, when signed into the same account, offer the same recommendations. Any content that’s available to stream in 4K and/or HDR on these services is available in both places.
That said, there are a few small technical differences, which are worth taking into account. Many apps on the Xbox Series X, including Netflix and Disney+, allow you to sign in by syncing with the corresponding apps on your phone. The PlayStation 5 apps do not offer these quicker sign-in methods. You must type in your email and password using the digital keyboard. The PS5 version of YouTube offers quick access to voice search by holding L2, presumably because the DualSense microphone means it’s always an option. The Xbox app also has voice search, but it’s only accessible from the search menu.
Given the greater number of apps, the Xbox Series X offers the best access to streaming entertainment, including movies, TV, and music. If your next-gen console is going to be the center of your home streaming setup, it may be worth going through the services you subscribe to and use regularly to ensure that you’ll have access to everything on your new console. (Especially if you’re picking up a PS5).
Given that the Series X retained the entire app library from the Xbox One and the PS5 seems to be starting over with a new set of apps, I would expect the PS5’s streaming app lineup to expand over time. Does that mean it can achieve true, 1-to-1 parity? That’s just one more thing for us to watch.
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