Casey Shull | May 18, 2021

Which Next-Gen Gaming Console is America’s Favorite? Here are the Ones Americans Searched Most

Last Updated on May 18, 2021 by Zoi Walker

The next generation of the PlayStation and Xbox are flying off shelves, and rumor has it the new and improved Nintendo Switch will release soon. For serious and casual gamers alike, this adds to the ever-evolving debate: which gaming console is the best on the market?

Nintendo lovers will tell you Nintendo Switch’s upsides (flexible controller and ultra-fast loading capabilities) outweigh its downsides (crummy battery life and occasional lag on the Joy-Cons). PlayStation 5 (PS5) devotees will rave about the console’s stunning visuals and system specs. Of course, Xbox fans will throw money towards the Series X and Series S, thanks to Microsoft’s signature affordable yet attractive models. 

At Centurylinkquote.com, we know which gaming consoles are our favorites (we are, after all, gaming lovers ourselves). But in the spirit of the season of reflection, we wanted to see which gaming console is everyone else’s favorite. To find out, we surveyed nearly 3,000 gamers and identified the most-searched gaming consoles to see which ones Americans plan on splurging on the most.

As it turns out, only 16.2% of the gamers we surveyed plan to buy a new gaming console this year‚ but of those in the market, the overwhelming majority plan to drop cash on the PlayStation 5.

Why the Results Played Out the Way they Did

• If you’re wondering what’s so special about the PS5, don’t worry: we have answers. The PS5 is faster and more powerful than previous PS console models, and it queues up games in the blink of an eye. Its real moneymaker, though, is its DualSense controller: adaptive triggers and haptic feedback take gamers out of the basement or bedroom and immerse them in the game.
• Compared to the PS5, the PS5 Digital Edition has a few key differences from the former. For starters, it doesn’t come equipped with a disc drive, meaning it isn’t compatible with games on discs. If you already have a substantial collection of disc games, you should stick to the original PS5. If you plan on going entirely digital, the PS5 Digital Edition is for you. 
• The Xbox Series X is considerably more popular than the Xbox Series S—and there’s a reason why. The Series S doesn’t include an optical drive, which means, like the PS5 Digital Edition, you can say sayonara to your favorite disc-version games. The Series S is the watered-down version of the Series X, and while the Series S is far cheaper, it doesn’t have nearly as much GPU (graphics processing unit) power, and doesn’t stream in 4K. 
• The Nintendo Switch, although widely popular, tends to have as many cons as pros. We like that the console can go from a standard console to a portable console in an instant, but we don’t like how screwy the controllers are. The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is a solution, but that’ll run you an extra $70–$80. 

Methodology

The team at Centurylinkquote.com surveyed 2,848 people on Mouseflow to find out how many people plan on buying a new console and which console they plan to buy.

We also looked at SemRush keyword volume to see which gaming consoles had the most search volume in Amazon. Then we analyzed Google Trend data from 11/11/2020 to 11/12/2020 to determine which gaming console Americans google the most.

About CenturyLinkQuote

CenturyLinkQuote is an authorized sales agent of CenturyLink.

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