Last year at the Video Game Awards, Microsoft dropped a megaton on viewers mid-show and revealed their newest entry into the console market: The Xbox Series X. Since then, head of Xbox Division, Phil Spencer, Marketing Manager Aaron Greenberg, and the entire Xbox team have been dolling out chunks of information not only about the new hardware, but about their vision for Xbox Game Studios, the robust services the platform offers, new games, studio acquisitions, and how it all ties together in the Xbox Ecosystem. Where does that leave Sony and the Playstation 5, though?
It was known that Sony has been aiming for a 2020 release of the PS5 as early as 2018. Between then and now we have some hard numbers for the system’s hardware (which were only recently been released during Mark Cerny’s presentation back in March), we’ve seen the new controller, intriguingly named the Dual Sense, and we were treated to a new…logo, which the Sony faithful praised on social media as much as a highly anticipated game release. Speaking of Cerny’s Deep Dive presentation, it was there that we finally got some sense of what the PS5’s hardware might be capable of. Interestingly, the focal point of the presentation stuck to the use of SSD and their new Kraken Decompression technology. In fact, even now it looks like Sony wants the narrative to focus primarily on the use of SSDs and I/O throughput until they hopefully reveal some interesting new IPs that might be in the works.
Last month, Microsoft held their Inside Xbox presentation which highlighted 3rd party games and the studios developing them for the Series X. Their was plenty of footage on display and a big stress on the confidence that studios have in developing for the Xbox. However, the message was lost in translation as the term ‘gameplay’ was misconstrued by consumers with fingers being pointed and folks feeling lead on and misinformed. One could say that the agreeably disappointing ‘gameplay’ footage of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla was truly to blame for the uproar. People expected an extensive look at raw footage but instead were treated to another brief sizzle reel. The backlash was understandable.
Despite some divisive reactions, each month the Xbox team has been delivering nuggets of information to piggyback off of what 3rd developers are saying about the Series X. The Medium developer, Bloober Team has been very vocal about what the new hardware brings to the table. Most notably they’ve stated that the kind of gameplay they’re presenting in their game simply cannot be done on current hardware, and that the Series X allows them to leverage the raw power and efficiency they need to bring their vision, unrestrained, to life.
Save for their in house studios like Santa Monica Studios and Naughty Dog giving expectedly positive impressions about the PS5, information on Sony’s front has been quite bare bones. One would think this to be detrimental to their marketing and overall Mindshare, but the opposite holds true. This where people need to realize and understand just why both companies have a wholly different approach with their messaging and delivery. It’s because the Playstation brand has absorbed so much mindshare thanks to the 2013 Xbox debacle that they can use their silence as a weapon. The die hard Playstation fanbase has been absolutely starved for any substantial information for so long that the mere mention of anything PS5 related from Sony can set their Twitter account ablaze with commotion.
There are many saying that this has a set the tone for the industry and spells impending doom for Microsoft and their Series X; That Sony is way too far ahead in raw sales and popularity for the Xbox brand to even fathom competing with again, which from a basic business perspective has some truth, but that’s not the whole narrative and those people aren’t paying attention. Phil Spencer knew from the very beginning that the Xbox Division needed to move in a different direction and that it would take time to regain trust not only in its consumers, but from within the company itself. It’s because of this leadership shift that Xbox is now bolder, more confident, more aggressive, more active in securing new IPs, and making sure that they can launch globally despite the current pandemic. This HAD to be done. There is no way the Xbox brand would be able to even maintain a foothold in the industry if these big changes were not made.
This is all to say that there is a reason we see a stark contrast in the approaches both companies are taking in the lead up to the Next Generation. In one corner, we have Sony and their Playstation brand which has put a stranglehold on the interest of the average consumer via aggressive marketing and mudslinging techniques versus its competitors to coincide with infrequent, but wholly successful 1st party IPs. Having garnered immense success it honestly feels like they are keen to resting on their laurels, letting their hubris shine through, and pulling the right strings when they need to. It’s brazen, and it’s been working. The Playstation brand is letting its legacy of 1st party IPs do most of the heavy lifting to divert attention away from any other meaningful information regarding services and hardware. It has worked for multiple generations, so I can’t fault them for doubling down on the strategy now.
Meanwhile, the Xbox division have had to dig their way out of a self-created hole and not only earn back the good faith of their consumers, but of the industry itself. The fact that nearly every studio in the industry is eager to be working with the Series X is telling of their efforts. Microsoft have also made huge strides with pro consumer moves ranging from their robust and excellent Backwards Compatible suite that spans all generations of Xbox, the All Access program that lets gamers take home the console of their choosing via affordable monthly payments, adaptive accessories for disabled and/or challenged individuals, the upcoming Smart Delivery system that upgrades games previously bought on older Xbox hardware for the Series X at no charge, and of course; the titular GamePass service which has already garnered over 10 million active subscribers and counting.
If you’re still with me and haven’t written this article off as some sort of Xbox shilling soap box, then I applaud you, because this is not just a brief introspective into these two titans of the gaming industry, but it’s also a talking point about how important it is for fans to research and learn about the media they claim to love. I have so many personal memories that stem from games on Playstation hardware, going as far back as the sheer wonder and excitement I felt booting up the Vol. 1 Jampack demo disc and gorging myself on demos, but I maintain no form of blind loyalty to the brand. I understand why many love the 1st party games that come from Sony’s studios, but also understand that there is a disproportionate amount of ‘gamers’ that only do so because they’ve been groomed to.
The Next Generation is going to come with some big surprises, from both sides. In fact, June 4th Sony is finally going to show their hand by holding a virtual event, wherein they will show off a host of 3rd party games and supposedly a few 1st party surprises. Following this, Microsoft is holding their own virtual event around June 9th-10th that will focus on hardware, services, marketing, etc. It is here that they will be telling consumers why they should be interested in the Series X. Then, in July they will be presenting us with their Digital E3 event. This is where Microsoft has the chance to win over their lost audience by showing off in-depth looks at their 1st party titles such as Halo Infinite, Hellblade II, Everwild, Fable 4 (tentative title), Forza, and potentially wowing us with unexpected announcements.
I’m very interested to see what Sony has been holding onto and hope to be impressed come June 4th, so that we can finally have something worthwhile to talk about besides a controller and a logo.