Can The Xbox Series X Win The Console War?
For two decades, Sony and Microsoft have gone head to head in the “console wars”, with both fighting to become the dominant brand. Although Sony has won every generation in terms of sales, Microsoft has put up a good fight with its Xbox brand. With the Xbox Series X being the most powerful console, can it bridge the gap and finally take the top spot this generation? Or has the loss in consumer confidence with the Xbox One ruined any chances Microsoft has to become the top gaming company in the world? Let’s take a look.
Xbox Series X Sales Compared To The PlayStation 5
When it came to the PS4 and Xbox One last generation there was one clear winner. Currently, the PS4 has sold over 117 million units and is on track to becoming one of the best-selling consoles of all time. The Xbox One however has only sold 51 million units. While this is still an impressive amount, this generation caused Microsoft to lose a lot of market share in the console market. Previously, the Xbox 360 and PS3 were only a few million units apart due to the high level of PS3 sales in Japan, but when looking at just western sales the Xbox 360 was the clear winner. This all means that going into this current generation, Sony has had a clear advantage as they have over 100 million users to try and convert to PS5 players, whereas Microsoft has a lot of ground to make up if they want to try and compete in sales. Microsoft has done well so far, with the PS5 selling approximately 18 million units and the Xbox Series X|S selling 13 million. Although Sony is still in the lead, the gap has certainly closed, although this could be down to a lack of PS5 stock worldwide and we will have to see how this figure changes over the coming months and years.
Who Has The Better Exclusives?
Exclusives are incredibly important when it comes to which console a gamer will buy. When it comes to which console has the better exclusives, it really is down to personal preference, but many gamers do claim that the PlayStation has the better lineup of games. The PlayStation has titles such as God of War, Death Stranding, Demon’s Souls, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, and Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West. While the Xbox has franchises including Halo, Forza, Gears of War, Ori, Psychonauts, and Sea of Thieves. One thing to note is that while both platforms are starting to bring their titles to PC, Microsoft is ahead of the curve and the majority of their games release on PC too, which does negate the need for an Xbox if you’re already a PC gamer. Whereas most PlayStation games are tied to the platform which encourages PC gamers to own one too.
Backward Compatibility Is A Hit With Gamers
Backward compatibility allows players to play games from previous generations and is often seen as a huge selling point for new platforms. Xbox has been on top of this for a long time, with the Xbox Series X|S also being capable of playing all Xbox One games, as well as a large selection of Xbox 360 and original Xbox games. Sony has been more reluctant to be backward compatible, with the PS4 not allowing games from previous generations to be played on it, and the PS5 just allowing PS4 games. PS2 and PS3 games can be streamed using the PS Now service, although it only allows a small amount. This is also being expanded when PS Now is merged with PS Plus and will add a small selection of PS1 and PSP games. But, when it comes to backward compatibility Xbox is the King.
Xbox Game Pass is the best value in gaming
When it comes to value for money, nothing comes close to Xbox Game Pass and it is a huge selling point when considering purchasing an Xbox. Xbox Game Pass features approximately 400 titles that can be downloaded for one monthly or yearly fee, with many being able to streamed via the Cloud Gaming even on mobile devices. All of Microsoft’s first and second-party games are on the platform, which means that all games developed by Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda, and Activision Blizzard are on the service, as well as most EA titles. The best aspect of Game Pass is that all of their games will be released on the service on day one, meaning that you never need to purchase a first or second-party Xbox game if you don’t want to as you can just use Game Pass. Sony is starting to catch up by adding hundreds of PS4 and PS5 games to PS Plus, but as of right now Game Pass is still the clear winner.
The Xbox is better than it’s ever been, but can it beat the PlayStation?
The Xbox Series X is the most powerful console on the market today, coupled with extensive backward compatibility and Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft has a lot going for it going into this generation. However, Sony has a long-standing relationship with gamers that have carried over across all generations. This will make it extremely difficult for Microsoft to beat Sony in terms of console sales, but it is likely that even if it “loses” the gap will be closed dramatically between the two consoles over the course of this generation.
