The Upcoming Generation Is Super Exciting Because All Competitors Will Be Successful

I think this upcoming generation is really exciting for a number of reason, but mostly because it feels like for the first time, all three competitors are in relatively good shape and creating exciting gaming experiences.

Nintendo’s been doing incredible well with the Nintendo Switch — they’ve made some of the best games in each of their respective franchises on the Switch. It’s really easy to recommend a ton of games on the Nintendo Switch because there’s just so many, and it’s awesome to be able to play them on your TV or in a portable mode. They’re also doing really unique things like Ring Fit Adventure and Mario Kart: Home Circuit. With the rumour of a 4K Nintendo Switch, if true, we’ll probably see some really nice looking games in the next 5 years for the platform.

Sony is continuing the momentum with the PS4 on the PS5 by continuing to push big blockbuster type games. The Demon’s Soul remaster looks absolutely insane, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon II: Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7, etc. There’s a lot to look forward to on the PS5 and I think the $399.99 Digital Edition price was a great win for consumers. PlayStation Plus Collection is also a great incentive for anyone picking up a PS5, to be able to play a bunch of fantastic PS4 games.

Microsoft’s made a total shift with where they were in 2013 to 2020. Xbox Game Pass is tremendous value for people, having their games release their the same day they’re out is fantastic. They’ve also acquired some great studios in Ninja Theory, Playground, Double Fine and of course, Bethesda. The Xbox Series S is at $299.99 was fantastic and it’s a great way to provide people an opportunity to get into next generation gaming at a lower price point, especially with an interest free Xbox All Access plan. I think their first party will continue to become better and grow with the acquisitions they’ve made. They’ve also made a ton of great moves in terms of backwards compatability, it’s really fantastic.

Overall I’m super excited to start the next generation of games because all three competitors are doing really great things! I’m starting off with a PS5 and I may eventually get the Xbox Series X when we start to see some more first party games coming out from Microsoft.

Does anyone else feel like this upcoming generation is the most exciting in terms of what could transpire between all three console makers?

Yeah, I've really enjoyed this gen but it could've been even better if MS was more competitive so def excited about that in the upcoming gen.

I just hope all these acquisitions don't result in people losing their jobs if they don't produce games that sell less than 3 million units.

Agreed. I'm curious if Stadia and Luna will eventually disrupt the 3 way race we've had for so long. But the next few years look really good for Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo as they all have something unique to offer.

I think it's hard to be successful for both MS and Sony at the same time. Both have objectives that include outsell the other, and clearly are heading to that with different strategies, being MS one more long-term. Let's see how it goes, today I can't find any option interesting besides Switch.

I'll get excited once I see games that look good and offer something new. I was already playing in 4K and quicker load times is nice but not a big deal. The lack of gameplay footage is odd, for launch games and 2021 games like Halo, Horizon, and God of War. The Unreal Engine demo has been the only thing impressive so far.

@aceskies: I think Sony will outsell Microsoft in terms of pure hardware, but Xbox Game Pass subscriptions will probably give Microsoft a big boost. Let’s see!

it's amazing to see these three big players all still in the hot roll

@haz: great points. Microsoft has sorta changed their definition of success with Game Pass. As they focus on creating a service, their goals are based on engagement.

"That is the health metric of any service that you want to talk about. What's your monthly active users in the space? It's not how many consoles I sell. If I sold a console two years ago and now it's in the closet collecting dust,"

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-02-29-microsoft-mau-is-the-health-metric-of-any-service

Everyone can succeed by focusing on different goals.

@muhero: This hadn't really occurred to me, but you're right! If you look from the '70s up through the PS2, companies were trying all sorts of weird crap (the 3DO, the CDi, the Jaguar, etc.) but for the last decade it's been pretty stable.

Crowdfunding aside, no one's really made a go at the wider console market.

Thinking about it that way, it's not a bad metric for health. I never bought an Xbox One, but I have a PS4 that literally collects dust because I mostly game on PC (which includes a subscription to Game Pass along with Steam, Epic, Origin, etc.).

Things settle into niches. Smartphone sand tablets didn't cannibalize the PC and console gaming markets as much as they just changed they to a more drip-feed revenue model...not a great addition...but they didn't kill game just made it bigger. A side area of gaming taht grew under flip-phones just got bigger, but didn't take any pie away from PC and consoles way.

I think streaming after a shake up might do that same. The market will grow, thing will shift and in the end there will still be PC, consoles, phones & tablets, with set top boxes/tvs stuck on the end growing.

Actully teh most interesting chnage, maybe a tiny silver lining in 2020, is that gaming blew up! People stuck at home during Covid-19 played more and seemingly that included more spending. The economy took a hit, but gaming spending and game playing went up! If i were a market researcher, I'd tuck that data-point that away, because gaming has shown some resilience that might not have seemed evident without Covid.