This console war is a harsh one and with every bit of info, it’s clear that the consumer is the one taking all the collateral damage.
Since the dawn of time when Lara Croft was just a mere shape of well-placed polygons, there has always been a console war lingering in dusty cabinets. You were either the cool guy owning a PlayStation, a geek speedrunning Mario on your N64, or that dude who got scammed by Sega for buying a Dreamcast. Back in those days owning a certain console meant limiting your choice of game titles. It was all about those first-party games and development was a difficult enough job on one console. Multiplatform was rare since graphics and hardware were so different you just couldn’t do it.
With the arrival of the PS2 came a newcomer… “A Pandora’s Box” that gave birth to the console war we know. Microsoft developed their own gaming platform to fill the void left by Sega and to bridge PC and home console gaming. Something they still hold dear today. With the rise of online forums and Youtube comment sections, the “Console War” started growing online. Owning both consoles was only for rich kids and giving in to one or the other was considered blasphemy! The pinnacle was achieved with PS3 and Xbox 360. You didn’t want to miss out on Soul Calibur exclusive characters… Either Spawn on Xbox or Heihachi on Playstation. And what about all those exclusive first-party titles! Halo’s multiplayer or Uncharted’s never before seen graphics. Game architecture was more homogenous so multiplatform from 3rd party devs became a good thing. But still, you had to choose your friends right because you couldn’t play multiplatform games like Call of Duty with the kid owning a different console… Crossplay was a Utopia that would never have seemed possible at that time.
Sony and Microsoft began a war that was never intended but nevertheless it raged on all the way to this point. With E3 as a battlefield. Timed exclusive here, partnership there, backward compatibility for one but not for the other. But Sony gives you free games with PS Plus… Xbox has GamePass, featuring new games on release for a fixed subscription fee… It’s a lot to think about as a consumer entering this secret war that’s been raging long before 9/11. It’s a war the government doesn’t care about but it’s starting to hurt consumers more and more.
Sure this rivalry is great so both companies do their utmost best to come with new and innovative features in hardware and software fields. But it’s not only about innovation any longer, it’s about keeping consumers stuck to a brand and tearing others apart. It’s no coincidence that both companies published multiple online showcases for their upcoming consoles. Sure you can call it “spreading the hype” over a longer period… But we are less than 2 months away from the PS5’s release and we only just heard about the price. Sony waited a very long time until Xbox had to spill the price tag so they could make sure they did not go above it. Will they sell the PS5 with a loss on each console? Maybe… we don’t know that yet.
What is certain is that the new consoles will be scarce. Preorder is the word here and Playstation 5 stock is already depleted in every country… That’s what you get for being a faithful fanboy for a certain brand. You’re not even sure to get the new one on release. Even smaller gaming press won’t be able to get a console for sure so coverage will be scarce and only the established websites will surely be able to get their hands early on release. Maybe it’s all FAKE NEWS and Sony is just claiming a short supply to make sure they sell like candy on release. But even then it’s the consumer paying the price and living the fear of missing out.
Either way if you’re in Europe you’re certainly feeling the salty taste of defeat… Since you’ll have to wait an entire week for the EU release. But you can watch the lucky chosen Americans on Twitch and Youtube. It’ll be great to avoid spoilers from launch titles…
And now time to drop the N-word… Nintendo is the odd duckling not even willing to compete with the 2 Bugatti of birds; Sony and Xbox. Nintendo has always done things differently and its launch of the Switch has been a very successful one. Sure they like to put out some FOMO with Mario’s 35th Anniversary but they don’t do it on console level to leave consumers in the cold. I’m not here to say the Switch is competing with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S but Nintendo has an honest and consumer-friendly approach. I wish Sony and Microsoft would learn more from big N. It’s about surprising consumers and welcoming them, not making them feel like they won’t be part of a family at launch.
I’m going to be honest, I am a game reviewer and I’m not even sure I’ll have either new console at launch… Where does that leave me after years of reviewing and promoting content? This war will know a winner, either PS5 or Xbox. But the biggest loser here is the consumer. You know, that one who buys the games and who are willing to commit to a brand. Those who pay the salaries in the end…
Remember Remember, The 12th of November, The Preorder Treason and Plot…
I see no reason why we the gamers should ever be forgot…
Are you still looking for a first wave preorder or did you secure a piece of Eden? Or will you wait until you can buy them off the shelf somewhere in January? Let us know!
