A reader compares the reveal events for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and finds that they were both surprisingly similar…
So both companies have now had their games events, so how did they compare? Was one better than the other?
Overall, I found them very similar. Although these are called a show or event both actually just consist of back-to-back trailers separated by some people saying how excited they are. Both shows were about an hour long, they both showed us around an equal level of good games, both showed some beautiful games that we have no idea what you do in them, and both showed us slow motion shots of car doors opening in a racing game.
There were some differences though. Microsoft, as the underdog, took the opportunity to repeatedly tell us that every game would be on Game Pass and announced when a game was a world premiere or exclusive in some way. Sony on the other hand decided if you don’t say, then people can assume everything is a PlayStation 5 exclusive.
In the lead up to the events Sony told us that PlayStation 5 would have true exclusives while Microsoft said they would still release games on Xbox One. This led many to question if games would really make use of Xbox Series X’s power. So it was surprising when Sony then showed games also coming to PlayStation 4 and PC [that was only true for a few of the third party titles – GC] and Microsoft showed us title cards for games not mentioning Xbox One. So in short, both are doing the same thing here too.
With both shows people were also left unsure why they needed the new hardware. Halo Infinite didn’t wow gamers with new graphics and the most excitement from Sony was for a Spider-Man update [it’s a spin-off, the remaster is only a rumour – GC], a game that’s actually on current generation, leaving a lot of us to question if we really do need a new console to run these games? Nobody had a standout game that would make anyone switch, but other than Zelda: Breath Of The Wild when was the last time that ever happened?
Both companies did do far better than the other in some areas though.
For anyone with young kids Sony did a lot better. In the first half Sony had me convinced this was a console for a younger audience with games like Ratchet & Clank, Sackboy and Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Microsoft’s only real family friendly offering was Grounded.
On Microsoft’s side they somehow managed to turn public opinion without anyone realising. A month ago there was a general thought that Xbox had no games. Now after an hour of being repeatedly told every game shown is on Game Pass there’s a belief Game Pass is good value. Think about that for a second, a game subscription service to a company who been criticised for not having enough games being thought of as good value. That’s a big turn around!
So where does this leave us heading into the end of the year? Personally, I think if you’re a PlayStation fan then there’s no reason to switch, equally is you’re an Xbox fan you’re probably going to stay with Xbox. For that large group in the middle though things are much more interesting and we don’t even have prices yet.
Will people stick with PlayStation or will the subscription model for Xbox win people over? Don’t forget some of those subscription plans also include the console itself, which will be a big selling point next to a £450 console with £70 games!
By reader Tim
The reader’s feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
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