A reader argues that it’s fine to be a fanboy of Sony and the PS5 as long as it’s because you like their games and aren’t anti-Xbox.
There has been a lot of speculation recently, and really ever since the start of the generation, about whether Sony will create an equivalent to Game Pass. It does seem a great idea in theory: nobody likes paying £70 for a game and it would instantly neutralise the only thing Xbox Series X has going for it. But Game Pass, as many have pointed out, isn’t really a legitimate business option. It’s something only a company the size of Microsoft could do and anyone without similar cash reserves would quickly find themselves in trouble trying to copy it.
That in itself is taken by some to be proof of why Microsoft will eventually win the generation and come to dominate gaming itself – especially as it has a head start on streaming as well. This may well be true, I’m not dying that, but I feel it would be a shame. Not for fanboy reasons but because surely we all want the company with the best games to be rewarded? That is the whole point of being a gamer, isn’t it? The games.
Now, Microsoft may produce some high quality first party games of its own, but Forza Horizon has been their only sure bet for the whole of the Xbox One era and I’ve yet to be convinced that’s changed, not given that shocking first reveal of Halo Infinite.
On the other hand, Sony managed an excellent launch line-up in the middle of a pandemic and has been releasing high quality new games ever since. They may have hit a hiccup this Christmas, with the delay of God Of War and Horizon Forbidden West, but to be honest we don’t really know what their plans are for the end of the year yet.
Apart from Destruction AllStars, which wasn’t a full-price game, there hasn’t been a single dud in the PlayStation 5 line-up. From Astro’s Playroom and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, to Demon’s Souls, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Returnal Sony has produced some of the best games of the last six months even though the first year or two of a console’s life is usually filled with nothing but dross.
The worst thing about fanboyism is that it so often focuses on everything but the games. Who has the best marketing? Who is the cheapest? Who is the most powerful? Whose boss looks less like a sleazebag in a livestream? If you want to support a company because they consistently make games that you enjoy then I think that’s perfectly valid. Supporting them because you don’t want to question your purchasing decisions, or you just want to feel you’re on the winning team is not.
Look at Nintendo. They’re a pretty scummy company in terms of their customer service and their pricing, but who cares when they make great games? That’s exactly why they’ve lasted this long and now that Sony has a similar consistency they deserve a similar level of loyalty from their fans.
I’m not trying to be anti-Microsoft here, I’m just being pro-Sony. And for what I believe to be understandable reason. I like video games. Sony make video games I like. So I like Sony. It isn’t any more complicated than that.
But it’s impossible to feel that way about Microsoft at the moment. They’ve barely released any games in the last few years, or the last generation in general, so the only thing you can say about them is that you like their imperceptibly more powerful console and that they’re rich enough to support something like Game Pass. Are those reasons to be a fan of a console? Maybe, but it’s not enough for me.
By reader Baker
The reader’s feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. As always, email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk and follow us on Twitter.
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