PS5 more next-gen than Xbox Series X? Yes, it is true and there is a valid reason
At the beginning of November we had told you in depth both of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, praising both platforms and describing strengths and weaknesses in detail, also spending a few more positive words for the Microsoft home console. Not for anything else, the American gaming machine has been praised all over the world, but its being so anchored to a unique ecosystem has made it less impactful and less surprising than the PS5.
This has led to the creation of this article, which serves as a backing to two other specials released a few months ago - and which we advise you to retrieve below - which anticipated the idea of two well-differentiated market strategies and with completely different objectives. Today we will try to explain why, indeed, the Sony console is really more next-gen than Series X.
The Xbox model is the true next-gen, we explain why PS5 and Xbox Series X | S, two market strategies compared
Giving players what they want
A speech that could be rather trivial, but it is always important to emphasize: PS5 must sell. In fact, Sony cannot afford not to place tens of millions of consoles in a short time, and for the Japanese company it basically means surviving thanks to the sector in which it is doing better.The console has a considerable cost, but the company has sought and will have to look for, even in the near future, features and ideas to convince people to buy PlayStation rather than any other machine, which can be a PC, Nintendo Switch or Xbox.
Sony not only wants you to buy the platform from you, but tries to persuade consumers to buy all the games on it, so as to improve revenues and investments over time.
PS5 is therefore a more next-gen console by necessity; it is essential to focus on innovation to make everything as exclusive as possible, where it is possible to play certain titles in specific ways only on that game console and no other.
A goal, this of the Japanese, vital if you want to continue on this path. DualSense, 3D audio, the new operating system, are all moves designed to give consumers something elitist, which they can only find by buying a PlayStation.
On the contrary, with Xbox we have an ecosystem that involves more devices and consequently must have a different development environment. It is therefore not essential to focus on innovation or particular ideas to be able to involve millions of users, because there is no need to sell 100 million consoles to stay economically afloat.
Microsoft has therefore opted for a powerful console, in the long run even more than the competition but which can not be seen, rightly, as a new generation console in all respects, since on balance we are facing a simple evolution of Xbox One. But this was only possible thanks to the economic strength of Redmond, which wisely had the idea of shifting attention from its console towards a broader model that embraces more groups of users.
From us you play in a special way
The DualSense is a potentially revolutionary controller, but one that testifies to how important it is to have something that others do not have. Being able to say to its users: “hey, we play with DualSense and its features! "Is a significant added value, especially if the software houses really begin to exploit it.Maybe PS5 risks losing a little bit in terms of performance in the future - we cannot know this - but it will certainly manage people's hearts by focusing on surprise on something capable of making people say “wow”. Perhaps it is precisely this amazement that cannot be found on the Xbox Series X and that does not enhance it as a true next-gen console.
In short, Sony has opted for a project that follows the classic lines of the past: it has focused on creating something different, more courageous and innovative, perhaps not by building a solid and technologically perfect machine, but undoubtedly the most curious and intriguing one. The reason behind this choice is simply due to trying in every way not to lose their players, their fan base and the importance of their brand, giving consumers "the novelty". It should also be remembered that the Japanese company has no economic sustainability to give life to a project similar to the GamePass, which is why it is forced to find as many solutions as possible to buy games for 80 euros on its console, a feat that can only be achieved thanks to exclusivity.
While this is important, it is not. Microsoft has already tried to innovate several times - always online and Kinect, to give two examples - without being able to really hit the hearts of gamers, which is why it has opted to give everyone the opportunity to play their titles on any machine and low costs thanks to the subscription.
Xbox Series X isn't a completely next-gen machine, it's true, but it probably doesn't want to be either. We are facing a great platform, powerful and solid, as well as only one of the various means to approach the Xbox world, and it is this ecosystem that offers us the possibility to choose, to be the true next-gen according to Microsoft.
My opinion
Wherever you decide to play, rest assured that you will have something new and unique in your hands that, in its own way, will impress you and make you feel at home. Do not cling to the opinions of critics as if they were absolute truth, because sometimes you just want to try to explain something without explaining it accurately and this is a clear reference to the GameIndustry article. A poorly informed or attentive person, perhaps stopping at the title of that same piece, could have guessed that one of the consoles was inferior to the other, when in reality it is not at all like that.I think the choices of the two companies have been consistent with their strategy, both offer advantages and disadvantages, giving players the opportunity to choose where and how to play. Very few times we have seen such complementary consoles and I think the real point is not understanding which of the two consoles is better or worse, but realizing which of the two - indeed, four if we also count Series S and Switch - corresponds to our needs from players and fans.
What do you think? Let me know in the space reserved for comments and let's talk about it more openly. I am curious to know your views on this.
