Let's get this out of the way. Sony has pretty much won the next console war already. The announcement of no used game restrictions was Sony stabbing Microsoft. The no DRM announcement was Sony twisting the knife. When the price was announced Sony finished Microsoft, cutting their throat.

Or so it would seem.

People are sometimes smarter than we give them credit for, but they are also sometimes dumber. That isn't to say all future Xbox One consumers are dumb. However, a good chunk of those consumers could be.

The Price

$499 vs. $399 seems like a no brainer, right? But what about the people who want to have the top tier machine? Microsoft's machine is more expensive, therefore it's better or more powerful. The Xbox One is the weaker machine, even if it's not by much, but the price seems to suggest it's the stronger one, and more ignorant consumers might make that leap, thinking they might as well invest in that extra $100.

Codbox

A lot of people still associate Call of Duty with Xbox. It was better on Xbox 360, so it'll be better on Xbox One too, right? Microsoft still has the timed exclusive map packs and has even elevated Battlefield map packs to that status. The only place to get Titanfall on console is Xbox. Halo is still a big deal. The Xbox One is still looking like the Multiplayer First Person Shooter machine. Sony could do even more damage to Microsoft by really marketing the PS4 versions of Call of Duty and Battlefield. Killzone looks solid, and Destiny is a good pickup to help negate some of Microsoft's advantages here, but Microsoft is still way ahead.

Fanboyism

We all know there are the diehards for every system. They will continue to exist even if their numbers dwindle. Some people have only had Xboxes, and won't feel comfortable jumping to Playstation. It's as simple as that. We live in a world where people buy every iteration of the iPhone every year, because, because. Given all these points, the Xbox One might not be dead on arrival after all.

The Future

The Xbox One is very much a console caught between two worlds. The Playstation 4 is great right now, but as gamers move towards the digital future in the coming years will Sony's console keep up? No doubt Sony will have the games going forward. They have the household names like Naughty Dog holding down the fort. Microsoft on the other hand finally seems to be making strides to win back gamers with exclusives beyond Halo and Gears of War. Will it last? Who knows? Because Xbox One ships with a Kinect, developers will be able to better capitalize on its capabilities. Somehow, some way tens of millions of people have purchased Kinects. That could be important as the we get deeper into the next generation. The Xbox One will have a wider feature set as an entertainment system than PS4 no matter how you look at it. Twitch support is beyond huge. I don't know about you, but all I see on my Xbox friends list is people using Netflix and other apps. The possibilities have only grown with the Kinect for what can be done with those apps. There is a wealth of potential for Xbox One and if apps remain as important as they are now, and even becoming more important, Microsoft could gain a huge advantage. What Microsoft's doing with the internet could payoff in the long run too if Sony doesn't end up offering similarly robust cloud features. And as intimidating as no used games and DRM sounds. Steam does all of that, yet it is the premier service on which to play games on PC. Microsoft could follow Valve's example and offer huge sales, and cheaper games to make up for the less appealing policies they are looking to have in place.

Kicked in the Ass

Microsoft needed what they got. Microsoft got penisy, and it looks like they're going to be paying for it. Sony's press conference could be just what Microsoft needed to treat its consumers like people over profit. People aren't buying what Microsoft has to say about anything if the looking around on the internets is anything go by. The venom towards Microsoft existed before any of this was known, and Microsoft probably couldn't have won even if from the start, they said there will be no DRM, no used game restrictions, no always online, you don't need to hook in your Kinect. People would still be trashing Microsoft, and Microsoft has only justified that venom. All of the policies we hate that Microsoft is doing can be undone. Will they undo them? Probably not, but through firmware or just a revamp of how the system works online or offline could change a lot about how we perceive the Xbox One and is still in the realm of possibility. Microsoft will be forced to keep up the first party support and get the exclusives to get gamers to see why they have to buy a Xbox One. They're going to have to win back indie developers. They're going to have to re-earn the faith and trust of the consumer, because as it stands right now the Xbox One looks pretty shitty when you look at it next to a PS4, but that could be just the thing for Microsoft to turn things around. Will they work with ISPs and offer subsidized consoles? Will they offer free games similar to Playstation Plus? Will they offer free Gold subscriptions? Microsoft still has options and Sony has all but forced them to make use of them.

Games

There isn't really a clear advantage for either console going either way. The exclusive lineups for both seem pretty weak and expected at the moment, so it's really anyone's game at this point. Indie games aren't as big of an advantage, you'll probably be able to get every console indie game on PC at some point down the road. In the Sony conference they threw around the term "console debut" and showed off a bunch of games that are already available on PC. Microsoft has also proved that they allow developers to release their games on PC too, with such games like Mark of the Ninja. While the indie front is important to some extent, PC dominates it. What's really important is the games that will only be on their respective consoles, the games we literally won't be able to get anywhere else.

Right now, PS4 seems like the only way to go for consoles. I'm with you, but there is still something to the Xbox One, even if its future looks bleak right now.