Opinion from
Hadlee Simons
I’ve been an Xbox owner for a little over a decade, dating back to 2007 and buying an Xbox 360. Fast forward to 2014, I gave my year-end bonus for an Xbox One at Microsoft from a platform that initially feels like a safe choice for a 360 owner.
I’m more of a PC gamer these days, but the appeal of a shiny new console is always strong. As an Xbox owner and Game Pass subscriber, getting another Xbox should be a breeze, right? Not really.
Microsoft’s biggest stumbling block has always been the library of exclusive games. Sure, the Xbox line has had strong third-party support in general, but a console lives and dies from its exclusive products.
An edition of games
Between Ace Combat 6, Forza Motorsport 2, Project Gotham Racing 3, Gears of War, Halo titles, Viva Pinata and a strong portfolio of third-party providers, the Xbox 360 initially delivered the quality of play I wanted at a cheaper price than the PS3. In the middle of this generation, however, Sony has been at the forefront thanks to an increasingly impressive list of exclusive products and price cuts.
After its first two years on the market, the PS3 got going with a number of high quality titles. Owners could choose from great games like Infamous 1 and 2, Killzone 2 and 3, the LittleBigPlanet franchise, Metal Gear Solid 4: Weapons of the Patriots, Resistance 2 and 3, Uncharted 2 and 3, The Last of Us and Gran Turismo 5 and 6 and the yakuza games.
Meanwhile, Microsoft’s game dynamics stuttered mid-cycle with the Kinect, more Forza titles, Halo 4, and more Gears of War games. Well, those aren’t bad games, but most of those franchise bars, Gears of War, had appeared on the original Xbox. The Kinect was also a big hit, but it lacked a lot of killer apps. On the flip side, Sony offered many new and exciting AAA properties while delivering current updates to existing franchises.
Microsoft’s commitment to exclusive games tends to forego after a console has been launched for the first time.
Despite my concerns about Microsoft’s gaming strategy, I got the Xbox One in 2014. Because of the nostalgia of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, a uniquely vibrant experience in Sunset Overdrive and a familiar platform and online service.
Unfortunately, this could be the console I regret most. I definitely had a lot of fun, but it’s hard being an Xbox One owner when PS4 fans have titles like Bloodborne, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, Gran Turismo Sport, The Last Guardian, Ratchet and Clank, Spiderman, Uncharted 4 and had Until dawn.
It wasn’t all bad for Xbox One owners, however, as the company shocked gamers everywhere by offering backward compatibility with the Xbox 360 and the original Xbox. Additionally, we’ve seen lively titles like the Ori franchise, Sea of Thieves, and Cuphead. But again, Microsoft relied largely on established franchisees like Halo, Gears of War, and Forza for its AAA tariff, rather than mainly creating brand new blockbuster IPs.
With the Xbox One in particular, the company has also brought the vast majority of its exclusive games to the PC via Game Pass. So you don’t have to buy an Xbox One if you already have a reasonably decent PC. And after buying a solid gaming laptop in 2017, the Xbox One has rarely been used for much more than Xbox 360 gaming and video streaming.
This led me to the conclusion that if I ever got a new console it would have to be the PS5. In short, Sony has managed to have a great track record of delivering exclusive products. Additionally, after ignoring it, backward compatibility with the PS4 generation is greatly improved, so people like me can enjoy games that I missed the first time.
Could Microsoft change for the better?
Microsoft’s new generation consoles show promise. The company made a splash last week with its Xbox pricing, trading at $ 299 for the Xbox Series S and $ 499 for the Xbox Series X.
The two share identical Zen 2 CPUs, which creates the enormous performance gap in the graphics. The X Series is believed to be four times more powerful than the S Series in terms of GPU.
It’s unclear how the performance differences between the two will play out in actual games, but the S Series is clearly positioned as a Full HD or QHD machine. The Xbox Series X, on the other hand, is being marketed as an enthusiast console for correct 4K (and even 8K) resolution. However, those Zen 2 CPUs in both machines suggest that it will nonetheless address a current generation bottleneck that allows for more impressive AI, physics, and other CPU-heavy features than today’s consoles.
The PS5 now costs $ 399 for the digital model, while the top-end model with a CD drive costs $ 500. This means that if you go for the Microsoft console, you have a lower barrier to entry. This is also particularly relevant here in South Africa, where the base Xbox costs 7,000 rand (~ $ 429) while the digital PS5 costs 10,000 rand (~ 613 US dollars). In contrast to the Xbox Series S, the digital PS5 offers the same performance as the standard PS5.
Console prices are only one factor, however, as games and related services also make or damage a console. Fortunately, Microsoft has taken some encouraging steps over the past few years. The Game Pass subscription service, strong PC integration and backward compatibility with multiple generations of Xbox titles speak for the Redmond company. Microsoft also announced that EA Access will join the Game Pass, further strengthening the Game Pass offering. And for first-party games through Game Pass, where Sony is confirming prices of up to $ 70 on the first-party tier, that’s another point that budget-conscious consumers should consider.
The biggest step by Microsoft, however, has been the acquisition of new studios in recent years. These include Obsidian, Double Fine, Compulsion, Ninja Theory, and Playground Games. In theory, this should ensure that the company has a steady stream of exclusive titles. And between Avowed, Hellblade 2, Fable, Everwild and As Dusk Falls, it looks like the company has some interesting titles up its sleeve.
Games are a marathon, not a sprint, and Microsoft has yet to prove it is capable of reaching the finish line. We previously saw the Xbox 360 lose momentum, while the Xbox One also couldn’t move the needle compared to the PS4. It doesn’t help that a Microsoft executive recently claimed they didn’t rely on “massive exclusive titles to boost console adoption,” which also points users to previous generations of content.
While it’s encouraging that the company is trying to fix this with acquisitions and more in-house content, given Sony’s track record, the availability of Xbox titles on PC, and the aforementioned Microsoft comment, the PS5 seems safer right now. And if you’re in the same position as me, you also have a back catalog of PS4 games to catch up on.
Do you see an Xbox Series S / X or a PlayStation 5? Let us know by taking the survey near the top of the page!
Next: Everything you need to know about the PlayStation 5