With the launch of Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox Series X and Sony's (NYSE: SNE) Playstation 5 just around the corner, we ask the age-old question once again; which console and company will come out on top? Hardware specs appear to be neck and neck, so it may end up coming down to how the companies approach marketing and which new features to capitalize on.
The console wars have waged for close to 20 years now, beginning in 2001 with the release of Microsoft's original Xbox, which came a year after Sony's Playstation 2. In the first years of the console wars, Microsoft and Sony sought to corner the market on graphics, performance, and online play. While little has changed in that regard, the war has grown more complex with the advent of digital distribution, cloud gaming, lifelike graphics, and increasingly more complicated (and storage space-intensive) games. Despite sharing similarities with the Xbox vs. Playstation 2 battle of the early 2000s, much has changed in the console wars. This leaves the obvious question; what do Microsoft and Sony have in their respective arsenals for the next round of the console wars?
Microsoft began the next stage of the war with a strong emphasis on digital distribution, cloud gaming, and backwards compatibility. Microsoft's offerings for the next generation are plentiful, including its expanded Xbox Game Pass service, which allows access to an extensive library of games for a monthly fee, and xCloud, a cloud gaming service that allows users to play any game through the cloud without having to download anything to their console. Microsoft went all-in on giving gamers access to their extensive library, bundling xCloud and Xbox Game Pass together back in July. Microsoft has also announced that most of its Xbox library, going as far back to the original console, will be backwards compatible with the new Xbox Series X, giving Xbox users a colossal library of games to play from day one. Series X, however, lacks any flagship titles at launch due to the delay of Halo Infinite.
In contrast, Sony's Playstation 5 will have several notable titles ready for play at launch, including Marvel's Spider Man: Miles Morales. Sony also has new releases planned after launch, such as the sequel to the smash hit Horizon: Zero Dawn, titled Horizon: Forbidden West, among others. Right off the bat, Sony's launch lineup appears far superior to Microsoft's, something that may draw in gamers looking for new games to play. In addition to its strong launch lineup, Sony is placing a great deal of focus on its new DualSense controllers, which provide far greater feedback and immersion than previous iterations. DualSense is a far cry from the first generation DualShock controllers, which boasted the ability to vibrate based on what occurred in the game, which was a significant innovation for the early 2000s. Sony has also placed a similar focus on subscription-based gaming services, with its Playstation Plus Collection being offered to compete with Xbox Games Pass. Playstation's subscription service is dwarfed by the offerings on hand in the Xbox Game Pass; additionally, the Playstation 5 will have less backwards compatible games on launch.
In terms of hardware upgrades, both companies are adamant that their console will be the strongest on the market. Sony's focus has largely been on making the Playstation 5 a massive leap forward from the Playstation 4, while Microsoft's has largely been to expand the accessibility, user friendliness, and reach of the Xbox family.