Since release, the Xbox One has been trailing far behind the PS4, and only doing a fair amount better than the Wii U. With a reputation for being a cable box that also plays games compared to the PS4 being the “gamer’s console” it had a rough start. This was mostly due to a few poor decisions that got picked up by the media such as the Kinect being “unable” to be disconnected, or Microsoft’s overall focus to make the Xbox One to be the average Joe’s console that was more focused on what apps were on the device rather than what games were, but that has changed. The Xbox One had a year to dig itself a hole, then it had another year to try to get out of that hole, and now it’s time to catch up with its Sony counterpart. At least that’s what Microsoft made it seem like at E3 2015.
A Change of Face
The first year of the Xbox One’s life was a mix of errors and catching up. From the required internet connection to the forced Kinect support, many people were off put by the console. A console which featured so many new apps and aspects that it could have been a step up for consoles seemed to many like a step in the wrong direction. That has changed lately, the console still struggles but people are beginning to forget the mistakes in marketing it originally had. With the introduction of the impressive hololens, backwards compatibility, and a “pro” controller, Xbox seems to be redeeming itself as a “gamer’s console”.
Exclusivity
At the moment the Xbox One has more exclusives than the PS4 and still has managed to sell less than half the consoles as the PS4, so perhaps the importance of having exclusives isn’t as crucial as many would believe. That being said this Fall may be different. This Fall could either make or break the Xbox One and it’s for one simple reason. The PS4 has very few titles coming out until 2016 leaving the Xbox One complete dominance over the Holiday Season. Though Sony has the vastly popular Uncharted series releasing their swan song, Uncharted 4; Xbox One is releasing the next title in their infamous series, Halo 5: Guardians. Throw on top of that HD collections and a incoming library of hundreds of Xbox 360 titles, the Xbox One is pushing for bulk. What that means in regards to quality is yet to be determined though it does mean there’s plenty of games for people to talk about and publicity nearly always converts into sales.
Time to Expand
When it comes to gamers we have our preferred consoles but when it comes down to it whichever console has the games we want to play is the one we’re going to get. For a long time the PS4 seemed like the better buy but now that enough time has gone by, the number of exclusives is growing, and the price of the Xbox is dropping many PS4 owners may also become Xbox One owners if they haven’t already. As the PS4 hits low points with games releasing people will move over to the Xbox One, even if it is just partially as a secondary console. That will help Microsoft catch up to Sony a little and if they can just manage to grab the attention of the parents and grandparents buying consoles for their kids, then they’ll stand a chance of catching up even more.
Overall the consoles are pretty close to the same as far as hardware goes it’s just a matter of how the owners, Microsoft and Sony, handle their delivery. What exclusive games or deals do they land, what is their image to the general public, and how accessible the consoles are will overall decide how the consoles do. What Nintendo tries to pull off next is a wildcard to everyone but as far as Microsoft and Sony are concerned we may just end up seeing what happened with the previous generation. One console will have a lead over the other for a long time but then after a few years the other catches up.
Conclusion
What do you think of the console race? Is there a “superior” console? What is the future of these consoles over the next few years? Let us know in the comments below and stick with GamerBolt for all your gaming news, reviews, and more.
