Which Do You Prefer? Play What You Want, Where You Want or "True Next-Gen"

These two options seem to encompassing the two marketing concepts that are driving Microsoft and Sony's approach to the coming next generation of consoles so I wanted to break them down a bit starting with Microsoft.

This has been signaled for a long time coming that Xbox will be turning into a platform of sorts for people to jump on from a growing list of hardware and with the recent Xbox showcase, the heart of this platform will be Xbox Game Pass. From my understanding of the information they've put out so far, the Series X is less about the launch of a brand new console and more about Microsoft's all-in push to make Xbox Game Pass and the broader Xbox brand platform, a one stop destination whether you choose to reach it with the current Xbox One that you have, a PC of varying degrees of strength, a wider range of devices that can use xCloud's streaming capabilities, or the best console form factor they will have to offer in the Series X. Let's also not forget the backwards compatibility arm of their strategy to bring players' large library of games along for the ride.

There have been some misfires in the marketing from them in regards to how far Xbox One owners will be able to join in on future game releases but if the Lockhart (Series S) console does exist then they will have a "future proof" lower barrier-to-entry option to go alongside the Series X other than the outright budget option that the base Xbox One console will become.

But what about Sony's take on all this? They seem to be going on all-in on the traditional approach of next-gen by advocating some sort of break with the PS5 and its all new controller, unlike Xbox using the same controller, that will herald a new age of different, more innovative games. Although both boxes from MS and Sony will largely be the same, Sony is implying that they won't be gun shy about restricting a game's development and scope for the sake of multi-generational accommodation.

Their messaging on backwards-compatibility has been mixed for the most part outside of saying that a wide range of PS4 titles will run on the new machine which reinforces the traditional stance of Playstation generations ditching the past behind, although they may use the half measure of PS Now to fill in the gaps by streaming old games to you vs running them locally on a PS5.

So which marketing approach is appealing more to you? On a personal level, Sony has sold me on the potential of next-gen so far. To be fair, the new Ratchet and Clank game is probably the only candidate they have that best showcased what SSD tech will be able to provide to developers and that game won't be out for a while, but it does act as a differentiator vs everything that has come out from the Xbox camp, not that this means Xbox won't be capable of doing similar feats of technical prowess.

I guess as of right now I know that I want to get a PS5 because I want to see how Sony will use the hardware for their new first-party titles, but at the same time it's only because of Microsoft's "we welcome all gamers from anywhere" approach that I can shrug at a Series X because my high-end PC will play their games just fine while also using their very compelling Game Pass on PC service.

Truth be told, I think Sony is more “play where you want” than they let on. For one, if it’s anything like the last generation transition, most third party and indie games will come to both the PS4 and PS5. For another, if you have half decent internet, the few PS5 exclusives will eventually be playable through PSNow. So really you don’t necessarily need to upgrade for at least the first year whether you decide to go with PS5 or Series X. It’s just Sony’s marketing trying to sell you a new box.

And that’s not to say there isn’t value in going next gen now, just that it’s not a must upgrade situation that it’s being made out to be.

I'm a weirdo that still has a PS2 hooked up, so the "play it wherever" things doesn't appeal to me personally. I just play the games I own on their native devices. So I guess if I'm choosing, I go with the "no comprises" side of things, but I don't necessarily care if a game is squeezing every bit of power out of it's console either. They are a ton of great games out there that aren't designed that way.

I think this depends entirely on implementation for both. I think it's really hard to look at marketing buzz and determine which I "prefer" because both have their pluses and minuses but we have no idea how well implemented either will be or what they will really mean. Does XCloud and cloud saving mean I can stream games to my phone while on the bus? That would be amazing for certain types of games and for certain things (like doing daily quests or some level grinding in a turn-based RPG.) What are Sony's games actually going to look/play like? Does it just mean better graphics or will the PS5's faster memory etc... lead to better AI and gameplay?

Right now it's just marketing buzz and it's pretty meaningless.

I'm all in on proper next-gen games, whenever they get here. 3rd parties are obviously gonna want to sell their games on all platforms for a while but I'm gonna need a PS5 to play the likes of the next God of War or full Spider-man sequel, games that are designed purely for the new hardware are what really interest me in the end.

I can already play current gen stuff with the kit I have and whilst I can appreciate that Game Pass is good value on paper it really doesn't appeal to me. I'm pretty sure all the non PS exclusives I'll buy year on year won't come to the cost of a year of game-pass and I'll theoretically be able to play them forever at no extra cost if I just buy what I'm interested in outright. For similar reasons I also have zero interest in PSNow/Stadia/XCloud etc. personally.

EDIT: I'll also add, in fairness, that had I bought into Xbox One last gen and built up a game collection there, it would certainly steer me towards getting a Series X so I could get the upgrades and phase out some kit. As it stands though most all my games are on PS4/PC/Switch so that value just isn't there for me.

A part of me suspects that Sony still has something up their sleeve. They resigned the controller, the box, and I have to imagine that wouldn't stop at the OS. Sony tends to update slowly but with major jumps forwards whereas Xbox typically does small adjustments here and there.

And that's what feels different about these two consoles now. Xbox pushing services is just another small step on a path they started along years ago. Meanwhile, Sony is leaping forward into what's eels like the usual future of consoles, a bigger beefier machine.

This past gen I was all in on both but now I'm firmly in a holding pattern. The slow trickle of info hasn't excited me much so unless something big is announced by either it'll be wait and see for me.

Neither company has shown me anything "next gen" in terms of graphical fidelity. At least I know I am getting remasters of "gears 5" , "forza horizon 4" for free with xbox so that's nice.

The only reason I'm on a console in the first place is that I'm guaranteed to get an optimized version of the game. Microsoft is going in the direction that Xbox is a pre-made PC where you get a gaming experience depending on your budget, and if I wanted that, I'd just buy a PC. I know Microsoft is in it to sell GamePass, but to me they are doing everything they can to convince me that I shouldn't buy a Series X.

@someoneproud: my apologies, yeah just free upgrades to games I already have.

Like Bakalar said, it feels like PS5 vs. Game Pass right now. I'm ready for a true next-gen break, which we'll have soon enough. But since MS recently bought all those studios it might be a couple years til we see what comes of it.

In all honesty, it seems like Xbox won't start its "next-gen" plan til next year, and they would benefit more from delaying these consoles til their new first parties really start churning out games. Feels like they're only releasing this year to keep Sony from getting ahead.

But ah well, both companies are doing their own thing so there's real differentiation between all 3 console makers. Which is kind of exciting.

@tp0p: Really no need duder, you were right and I misunderstood/misread. You said remasters and if they are improved over the originals in meaningful ways there is certainly value there that you are getting for essentially no extra cost. I deleted my comment because of this but I was a little slow it seems.

@navster15:That's a big assumption on expecting Sony to offer PS5 games for streaming. I'm expecting more that PS1-4 will be up for streaming so they have some kind of comparison to Xbox in terms of back-compat. I guess if they do well enough with that service they will eventually get to PS5 games but the kind of hardware that's being packed into these boxes sounds like an enormous undertaking that only someone with deep pockets like MS could do with their Azure division, which they have said that they plan to retrofit xCloud with Series X's.

Also to be clear to everyone, me talking about these marketing stances is more about the philosophy that MS and Sony seem to be having with their platforms for the coming generation, not so much the launch period of these boxes. The stuff that's taking advantage of the advanced tech like Ratchet & Clank won't be out for a good while.

@bigsocrates: Of course the execution will be what matters for both camps, it always is. I have a little faith in MS on the streaming side of things because of their massive Azure division that the main big hurdles for its prevalence will be broadband availability in the home, as well as data caps, and 5G to cover the mobile aspect of accessing the service.

Do these guys use flowery language, sure, but meaningless is a bit harsh. In regards to Sony, they were the only ones to show what an SSD means for games through that Ratchet & Clank demo that seamlessly had Ratchet jumping through multiple incredibly detailed environments. Xbox demonstrated the SSD tech more on the OS side of things than games by showing the multiple game suspension that you can pop in and out on the fly.

People are really underestimating what the new hardware will enable in terms of large seamless environments and advanced Ai logic for NPCs/enemies and I think Sony gave a first taste of that potential albeit this will all be a few years off.

@someoneproud: The value proposition will be different for everyone I just feel like Game Pass has a large chance of reaching a broad audience well past the already decent 10mill subs they have. You're looking at getting yearly access to a large swath of games for the price of 2-3 full priced games. That's an incredible deal for a lot of people and in my my case I'm paying $5 a month for the PC side of Game Pass, which I'm sure will go to 10 eventually but it's still a great deal to be able to access something like this without having to leave the comfort of my PC.

@finaldasa: Wait and see is the best approach for the coming launch of these machines. As I mentioned earlier, I'm more of looking at the thinking behind the two camps in regards to their machines/services, not so much which marketing strategy will sell you on buying one of these things at launch. GB crew on The Hotspot got into this whole thing in detail and made a great point in that even Sony is straddling the generations here for launch day by having their tentpole launch title leaning almost completely on the assets of a PS4 game with this new Spiderman game.

@apewins: There are still real differences in regards to managing a PC OS than just gaming vs. a built for your TV experience that consoles provide. Also to be fair both Sony and MS have reduced the technical knowledge gap that separated PC's and consoles over the past few years such as day 1 patches, constant large updates to games, and thanks to these mid cycle upgrade boxes that introduced performance/quality toggles for people to choose. Still easier than PC's but definitely not as simple as the 360/PS3 days or older. I think MS is just offering more places for people to jump in whether it be certain price points or desire to have the best tech in a small, TV friendly, form factor.

I think that after watching Microsoft's show, I'm more in the "true next gen" camp. The idea of "play anywhere" just isn't that appealing to someone like me. I mostly play solo, and prefer to do so from the comfort of my own couch - I can't imagine playing games on something like a phone or tablet. I also don't like tinkering, so I'm not inclined to go out and buy/build the $5000 uber "True Gamerz" PC.

I invest in a console once every 5-8 years or so and when I do I want a big leap, not just in terms of graphical quality or pure power, but in what those things allow developers to do with game design. That's what excited me about that Rachet & Clank gameplay. That's a type of mechanic that would literally not work on the current gen, so it's obvious the devs designed that game to take advantage of the tech in the PS5.

And that's sort of what worries me about the Microsoft camp. The Series X might very well end up being more powerful than the PS5, but as long as they have a bunch of older less powerful consoles floating around as part of this single Game Pass driven ecosystem, then that's what devs are going to design for. I just get the feeling that as long as devs need to worry about providing a commensurate gameplay experience between different console versions, then all that extra power is just going to go into nicer graphics, rather than the underlying mechanical design.

It's basically the Halo: Infinite thing - I was watching the Digital Foundry breakdown of that footage and the ultimate point they made was that the reason it looked so disappointing was because it was using a lot of current gen techniques for the lighting and such. And while they said it would probably be easy enough for a more powerful box to add in a lot of graphical bells and whistles, that would be work done after the fact, as opposed to designing the game from the ground up to take advantage of next-gen stuff.

@colourful_hippie: I suppose it’s an assumption, but I think it’s a safe bet. PS4 games are up for streaming currently, including newish 1st party Sony games. It’s probably not going to be day and date, but I fully expect Spider-Man Miles Morales on PSNow streaming by the spring or summer.

@colourful_hippie: Oh yeah definitely. It's not a whole lot of use to me but I don't doubt that mine's something of an edge case these days and I expect Game Pass will do very well in a broader sense, especially in the US.

The most popular games each year are not on Game Pass. I have a hard time believing any PS4 ower would give up their library of games and switch to Xbox, especially as early adopters tend to be the more dedicated crowd.

After seeing the recent MS showcase it seems more likely the Xbox cross-generation aproach is born out of necessity as Series X content 2-3 years away.

MS has always talked about xCloud as being a supplemental feature I don't see streaming broading their audience, it starts sounding like the 1% of China argument at that point.

I partially feel like they are a lot more similar than people seem to think, I feel like it's more a semantics view of their philosophies than differences in practice. That being said, based on the differences conceptually, I am in the "true next gen" camp. I don't need a cross over period of games, I prefer a clean break with "this is a new game designed for a new console" type of approach. That's what gets me excited about new conssoles. And as someone else said, I feel like Microsoft keeps giving argument against getting a Series X more than givin a strong argument for it.

@thepanzini: Sure, Call of Duty or Madden are not on Gamepass (although that could always change, stranger things have happened). But if you’re an every year 2K player or Assassin’s Creed fan, perhaps a $30/month Series X that includes Gamepass might be more tempting than a $400-600 PS5. You’re gonna have to pay for your favorite series either way, so maybe you take the option that’s less money upfront, and hey, maybe you check out some games on the service that you’re paying for either way.

Sure, you’re giving up Sony exclusives that way (although upthread I mention PSNow as a possible mitigating factor), but not everyone is into those games. I think there’s going to be a healthy market for both companies’ approaches, and this gen is going to be highly competitive which only benefits the customers.

I'm conflicted. PS5's clean break and exclusive first party games does mean that something like Ratchet can be built from the ground, based on the console's capabilities. As a result, we get that multiverse of environments that we've seen in their trailer. But at the same time, 95% of games will target a wider userbase than just the PS5, and therefore you'd end up with a lot of games that are not going to be as cutting-edge (technologically speaking) as the exclusives can be.

Will we see 3rd party game developers eliminate the need for elevators and pathways through mountains, when those games also need to function on Lockhearts? Probably not, so you end up with quite a small selection of games that actually can go all out, firing on all cylinders. The others have to make a more conservatively designed game that can be dressed up graphically the more power is available. In those cases, i expect the Xbox (or PC) to be generally the place to be for the best version of those third party games. But perhaps the gap is mostly negligible to the untrained eye.

Are those 10-15 exclusives that hopefully truly feel 'next-gen' more worthwhile than this service that is great value at the moment? I'm leaning towards 'yes' personally, as someone that generally dislikes subscriptions. But it's all up to the quality of those games naturally. Personally i also somewhat worry what happens to the gaming landscape in a world where people are tied to these subscriptions and are not really looking for actual games to buy. Will the indie scene be hollowed out when smalltime devs not part of the game passes have to sell their game to a even smaller audience that's actually looking to buy one-off games? And how do these debutantes get enough buzz to make it to the subscriptionbiz when everyone is more hyped about the next Devolver game and rather sees that being part of the service? Will it become a Spotify type of situation where you are dependant as an dev to be part of the service, eventhough it hardly pays anything? Right now the financials are in a good place i heard, but at some point being part of a gamepass is nearly mandatory i fear. But that's just me, let's get back on topic.

It could totally be that streaming assets in real time is a god send for developers and enables them to design worlds in completely new ways, but that the actual playing experience is not going to be impacted all that much. Ratchet's multiverse jump is a cool sight, but will those nifty tricks lose their luster once a few more games have done something similar? Does a narrow path through the mountains that lets the game ditch it's old assets and load in the new ones, impede our enjoyment enough that the exclusion of those moments makes the experience that much better? Will the common gamer be able to recognize the advantage of the PS5 when they stand in an open field surrounded by multiple detailed castles that they can zoom on in and see an entire population going around their day? Or are such technological feats not always apparent enough to provide a burst of enjoyment to the players? Will we see disparities between game sizes, when Sony's custom SSD infrastructure eliminates or reduces the need for data duplication, while other versions might not have the speed necessary to get away with this?

@onemanarmyy: my take is that the rachet stuff is a gimmick. If you actually watch the gameplay demo, it's just regular rachet and clank(just run around and shoot dudes). I dont see it being in other games. Sorry about being negative here. Just the use of the ssd was very gimmicky in that case.

On the other hand, I believe we are going to get those unreal 5 level of graphics on both consoles. It's just gonna take some time. Just look at the trailer for the new "forza motorsport". Its going to be very good looking.

Also very short load times for both consoles. I dont know if that's a huge deal.

@onemanarmyy: Lockhart should have same SSD and CPU as Series X the only difference will be resolution not design.

@navster15: That hypothetical scenario isn't happening anytime soon not in time to help Series X. And if Game Pass is following the Netlix model its probably reinvesting every penny it makes, COD sells 500m min during its first weekend you would need 5-10m new subs for each third party AAA title. Game Pass has 10m subs atm after three years.

Most people don't play a lot of games the attach rate for both is 10 games per console and thats after 7 years, Game Pass for most isn't value for money and certainly not at $30 a month.

@thepanzini: $30/month for a new console isn’t tempting to people? Even if they don’t use Gamepass, financing a console like that has to have appeal in the current economic climate. And let’s say you’re a hardcore Destiny player looking to upgrade. Beyond Light is free day and date on Gamepass, so why not go Xbox next gen and also have access to Halo and Sea of Thieves while you’re at it. It sure could be a tempting offer if the alternative is a $500 upfront spend. It may not be for everyone, and that’s fine! The PS5 is going to be a great console, so go with that if Xbox doesn’t appeal to you. But like, why is it so bad to have this cheaper upfront option?

@navster15: Financing is not the issue both boxes will sell out people won't need tempting, the economic climate is having the opposite effect Sony is reportedly boosting PS5 production source, software and hardware sales have been through the roof because everyone is stuck inside source.

The Xbox One despite the disaster reveal weaker box and higher price still sold out at launch, the Series X will fly off the shelves trying to make and ship enough will be the problem not selling. Holiday next year will be the true test for both which so far is Horizon 2, Demon Souls and Ratchet against Psychonauts 2?

@tp0p: The ratchet multiverse stuff is one way to quickly showcase a wide array of detailed environments being streamed in. Yes, that particular application is quite gimmicky, given that most games are not necessarily interested in transporting the player to entire new environments within a few seconds, but the custom SSD infrastructure that allows for that, does open up the way games can be designed and that's not gimmicky at all.

Assets can be loaded in and dumped as players move their viewport around, instead of entire area's having to be loaded in to memory in it's entirety. That does give devs the opportunity to pack in higher quality assets all over the place or open up the game worlds and get rid of the elevator rides and pesky mountains that obscure our vision of the world at large. (and therefore were very useful to dump the old data and load in the data for the new area.) Whether that ends up being meaningful and enjoyable to the player is yet to be seen, but i do think that there's a wider application than just seeing entire environments appear and dissapear on a whim.

Devs will have a way higher memory budget to fill up with assets and no longer have to design their games with the idea that the entire zone and everything that could potentially appear in sight of the player also has to be readily available to be put on screen at all times. Instead of entire rooms being loaded in, we only need to see what we're looking at. Image upload is busted sadly, so a link will have to do.

I will say that i'm not sure how much PS5's custom SSD-work is needed to do all this stuff and how much any other SSD solution could also pull this real-time streaming off & attain a similar degree of data de-duplication. That will be interesting to see, and that's why i worry about how much third parties can really upend their game design.

Loading times will be reduced across the board, to where no next-gen player will feel like getting up and getting a drink. But i do imagine that the real-time viewport asset streaming stuff is the extra benefit of the custom work Sony did. I'd imagine it takes some time for other SSD's to get fast & affordable enough that they could outmuscle their way past Sony's SSD controller and offer similar kinds of benefits. I guess Mark Cerny already kinda hinted at that being possible when he said that the newer SSD's need a bit extra headroom compared to the official SSD to be compatible with their SSD-solution. SSD controllers will improve over time, speeds get faster and eventually real-time asset streaming in players FOV will be widely prevalent. But i imagine that the custom work they put into that aspect, does give them a tangible benefit in the console space during the primary base-model years of the console cycle.

Game development is very iterative process Ratchet scene switch may seem like a gimmick but you never know where it'll lead and you have to start somewhere.

Sony have a head start working on next gen both in game design and software tools, MS is taking a calculated risk with cross-gen.

@thepanzini: That’s a strange interpretation of what I’m saying, and an odd moving of the goalposts. We were discussing whether people interested in annualized multiplatform games could find appeal in Microsoft’s approach. What does exclusives have to do with it?

And let’s be honest, no one knows what the release calendar will be in 2021. Games get delayed and both companies are not exactly being upfront about the progress of these games. And of course taste varies from person to person. It really has no practical bearing on the discussion at hand given what we currently know.

@navster15: It might be good value depending on your circumstances/play tendencies but no Game Pass game is "free". Beyond Light could cost as little as a 1 month sub if you only play it for a month but the sky's the limit if you want to continue playing it after that.

@navster15: No one is going to leave their Destiny character and network of friends for the sake of a $40 expansion.

As I've answered before your unlikely to see annualized multiplatform because it doesn't make financial sense, MS might as well knock $100 of the price of the box it would be money better spent.

Weather or not your prefer MS or Sony's approach it always come down to the games not the delivery method exclusives matter more, look at MCC & Sea of Theives both have been topping the Steam charts despite if being available for peanuts through Game Pass PC.

@thepanzini: Cross-progression has been in Destiny 2 for years, and cross-play is in Bungie's 2021 roadmap. So no, you won't be abandoning your character or abandoning your friends. Try again.

I'm not sure how your argument about Microsoft games selling well on Steam is a knock against them? Like, they have 10 million people with Gamepass subs and then millions more paying full price for their games. How is that not a healthy and profitable business that also gives customers choices? Why are you advocating against this?

@navster15: Ok I didn't know cross progressing was in Destiny but matchmaking and DLC you would still need you friend to come over? A Google search says May this year, years?

I'm not advocating against Game Pass and its not a knock against them, it just doesn't sell the Series X.

Like Aaron Burr, I’m still “waiting to see where the wind blows.”

At the moment, the PS5 is more appealing to me, but we’ve barely seen anything of that either. Ratchet was the only true “next generation” game, and it has no given release date. The Xbox Series X had no “next generation” games, but looking back at previous launches I see no reason not to believe that those types of experiences will make their way to the platform. After all, Smart Delivery isn’t a guarantee for more than a year or two, and the first year or two of a new console typically aren’t much of a showcase for new hardware (at least it wasn’t for the PS4 or 360).

All that to say, again, I don’t know which method I prefer because it’s far too early and we barely know anything. If Xbox starts to see more significant games in 2 years, then their platform is far more appealing to me. If not, then the services and customer facing maneuvers they’ve made won’t be able to stand up to Sony’s presumptive offerings.

@thepanzini said:

Ok, so what? If the Series X doesn't work for you don't get it. Why is this particular point a cause for concern? Microsoft is literally giving you more choices to play their games. Why do people feel disappointed that they aren't making you purchase a new box to play their games?

For me, the Series X works. I like Microsoft first party games (Forza Horizon being my favorite series this gen) and I much prefer to play on my couch. And no, a PC hooked up to my TV is just not the same. Sleep mode on Windows 10 almost always requires you to restart your game, and I've never found a good way to navigate the Windows desktop with just a controller. The last thing I want to do is clutter my living room with a mouse and keyboard, so I can just get the Series X and Gamepass and I'm all set. If that's not the same for everyone else, cool. I'll be happy to cross play with folks on PC, PS5, or Switch.

I’ve saved up $500 on both Xbox Series X and ps5, I’m good to go day one. I’ll be down for some Bugsnax and Halo.

I want a completely clean break but neither system appears to be really going for that. That said I don't really know which way I will go but as of now it seems you're not going to have any hits at launch for either console. but at least with Microsoft I can still play a lot of the newer games through Game Pass on my PC or even my XB1X without committing to their new box.

Also regarding the PS5 controller, it really isn't that much of a redesign. We will see if all this amazing rumble tech will make it past the early release window or go the fate of the PS4 touch pad. At least it's more of a jump than the Series X controller which was an absolute disappointment in how they added a share button and changed the ergonomics slightly. From that angle it does seem like Microsoft is still playing catchup going into the next generation instead of presenting future proof hardware.

Im more exited about the PS5 right now just because Sony can go all out on games and not have to be tied down with old hardware. Because the new SSD tech being in there, old console, or even a high end PC today with an SSD might not be able to keep up with a first party Sony game because the entire hardware stack is not designed for it yet. From a consumer perspective its nice that Microsoft are letting people play there new games on old consoles and PC's, but as a person who wants to see the latest in gaming MS have tied there shoelace's together for a year or so. And third party developers are in a similar boat im sure, so its probably only going to be mostly Sony for a bit designing there games around that tech.

Who really knows how it will really effect game design in the future, because most games are not going to jump from world to world like Ratchet and Clank. But with little to no load times you might be able to have some crazy ingame cut scene that otherwise would have to be a video because the cut from scene to scene would not be possible, a space game where you can land on a planet as fast as you want, not as fast as the assets can be loaded in. Or something like how GTAV told its story by jumping from character to character across a long distance could have been and instant jump rather then a loading screen flying in the sky, and i always assumed the speed of cars and planes in that game where probably held back just so they could stream the world in.

I've been fairly underwhelmed with the "next-gen" titles that have been shown so far from both houses. I want and expect more than a fresh coat of paint and faster load times to feel like the medium has moved forward, and I see no sign of that so far. I'll probably buy a PS5 just so I can stay on top of the Sony exclusives that I enjoy, but I'm not yet sure if I feel the need to preorder.... I might hold off for the time being.

The dream of purpose built next gen games sounds wonderful but in reality the vast majority of third party games already have to be designed around a range of specs for the PC so beyond the things like fast load times we aren't going to get a lot of games that can make design decisions based on guaranteed higher end tech. Sony's first party games are such high quality already so I am excited to see what they can produce.

I like that both companies are playing to their strengths but I worry that Sony doesn't have enough gas in the tank. Sony needs hit after hit, MS just needs to not fuck up licensing deals. Sony needs to find a way to compete with gamepass, MS has to be churning money on this as a loss leader, it's so good. I check in with psnow every so often and I'm not sure if they just do a bad job of surfacing titles or what, but they need to dramatically improve with PS5... something on the order of magnitude of most/all of the back catalog for PS1/2/3, or they are seriously in trouble.

That said, I'm thinking I'll get a PS5 for the exclusives and stick with my xbone x / pc otherwise.

Also, yeah gaming during a pandemic is a recipe for money for both companies, as others have said.

for as much as games themselves propel software forward- i feel like game consumers (as a monolithic entity) are pretty conservative when it comes to new business models. it was a different time, but look at how it went for microsoft last go around with a 'more-connected' xbox. for as much value as something like a gamepass represents- i'm just not sure joe-6-pack is ready for another subscription, or to pay for one for his kids. i might be wrong about that though.

for me- as i age the appeal of a 'netflix-but-for-games' diminishes. heck- i pay for netflix and hbo right now, and i'm constantly considering cancelling because i don't use either services enough to justify monthly payment. and i think the same would be true for games- i'm not consuming at a level that i require a 'all you can eat' solution- i'm ok with paying a little more if it's a la carte.

so from that perspective- i think the sony pitch of 'it's games like you're used to' is most compatible with my style. i also just prefer sony IP. but we'll see once the boxes are on shelves, i suppose.

Aside from the Series X vs PS5 talk, I just don’t play that many old games. If I miss a game by a year, I’ll go back to it. But if it’s 2 years old, I’m probably never going to make the effort or am no longer interested in it.

Especially when it comes to very old stuff, I don’t really care. Conceptually people should be able to play those games, but I’m not somebody who is going to get a Mister or dump my SNES games. It’s a mix between feeling like I already played X before, new games keep coming out, and games generally get better. There are standout games like Super Mario World, but on the other hand GoldenEye is a game that aged so poorly I’m fine never playing it again.

For whatever reason when a lot of backwards compatibility talk comes up, I think about Crimson Skies. Like, “What am I going to do, play Crimson Skies? A game I thought was alright back in 2003?” Nothing against the game, but if I ever play it again, it will probably be for 15 minutes until I’m good.

The games I do revisit every few years like SMW, the Persona series, and Resident Evil 4 are not that many and I still have means to play them. I can see myself years from now lamenting how I don’t have a way to play something nobody cares about, like Tales of Graces f, but I’m not sure if I’ll actually play that game again, even if I had the means to do so.

With the big jump in generations, I usually don’t go back. When I got a backwards compatible PS3, I went down a PS1 / PS2 rabbit hole, but that was because I didn’t own either of those systems. From SNES to N64, Xbox to Xbox 360, and PS3 to PS4, I rarely go back to those games.

It's weird, in some ways the start of next generation feels similar to this generation. It seemed to me that the PS4 was sold as the console where you play games, with the killing strokes being that it was more powerful and cheaper. The Xbox One initially was the all in one console where you play games plus use it as an entertainment hub.

Ultimately, it panned out that my PS4 became an entertainment hub, so I suppose the Microsoft strategy wasn't far off. But it wasn't the right messaging at the start of the generation. Now, it feels like Microsoft is going back to the 'all in one' strategy but in terms of services and how you play games. The 'all in one' feels like it takes the form of game pass rather than a singular console. Whereas Sony seems to be going back to business as usual, 'new console with a clear delineation between old versus new generations' akin to the 'business as usual' of the PS4 being the place where you play video games.

I'm curious how the messaging now will be received by the larger audience. I personally think that the simpler the message the better for the audience at large but ultimately it comes down to price and the games. It feels like Microsoft will have the advantage on price but Sony will have the advantage on games, especially with exclusives.

For me, because I was so invested in the PS4 and that it seems like the PS5 will eventually become fully backward compatible it seems like getting a PS5 makes more sense for me, unless the price difference is staggering (I'd be willing to pay $600). Because of game pass and that Microsoft is becoming so involved in the PC game market again it would seem to make more sense for me to invest in making a PC, which I've planned to do for the last several years so maybe I'll finally do it.

I'm excited about new consoles because they bring that new shit. Microsoft essentially goes the "not so fast! let's not leave the past behind!" route which makes a lot of sense from some perspectives, but not for me at all. Microsoft made this next gen competition a no brainer for me, and also made the whole thing a bit more boring than it used to be.. It's really easy to pick which console to buy, at least from my perspective. Not even counting the fact that MS doesn't do VR which is my main thing.

Hard to get me excited in the first place, and it's definitely not going to happen by holding back. I don't want to play anywhere, I want to play that new shit on the new device I just bought to play that new shit on. I see zero reasons to buy a XBSX at this point. Hope they have a lot more to show... If MS kinda just drops out and goes towards PC, that means Sony is alone in the powerful-console market... We don't want that.