Two of the three major players in the videogame console industry will soon be taking it head-to-head. We’re referencing to Sony and Microsoft here. The two iron giants both revealed plans late last year to release their new console platforms in the fall of 2020. Nintendo, on the other hand, has been doing its own thing for the last few years (and rather successfully). The Japan-based company does not aspire to take part in the ‘arms race’. Their objective is not to provide the most graphical and immersive blockbuster videogames, but accessible experiences that revolve around their franchises and appeal to a large audience.
Sony and Microsoft are careful in their communication. Both companies have known success but also major struggles to connect with their audiences. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was a hugely successful platform, but the Xbox One’s messaging and restrictive (or too innovative?) features at launch gave it a rocky start. Sony, on the other hand, experienced the same thing transferring from PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3. The third iteration of Sony’s videogame console was ahead of its time and developers experienced huge challenges to develop for the platform. Both companies more or less recovered from that with rebranding their platforms. Today, we’re at ground zero. The foundations have been laid out for the ‘war’ to start anew.
If we’re to believe the recent leaks and speculation, technically the new platforms will be on par with each other. Speculation there is a lot of. It’s part of the journey towards launch and has been like, forever. The anticipation towards the release, fanaticism towards a platform and personal wishes and preferences make gamers speak their minds. Hell, even this article is contributing to that in some way. But damned if I do, it’s exciting. It’s exciting to see where our beloved franchises will head to next, what new experiences will be treated with. How gaming, in general, will be elevated to a whole new level. I mean, with game-streaming services improving by the day what importance do specs have?
We’re not here to defend either platform, but it’s interesting to see Microsoft is more open about their next generation of console(s?) than Sony. Recently, the internet went bonkers after Sony announced the PS5’s logo. On the other side, Microsoft revealed the design and name for their new console weeks ago. Just mere days ago, they even acknowledged their upcoming games will be playable across all of their Xbox devices. Why not incentivize their new console? Their vision, and Sony’s, remains to be seen. Let’s not forget the confusion and chatter might all be part of cunningly crafted marketing plans leading up to release. Technology can be copied, but your emotional connection to either of these brands can’t. We believe this generation, more than any other, will be defined by brand values and to what extent the iron giants truly have listened to their customers and managed to tail the experiences to their wishes.