Xbox Series X Vs PlayStation 5: Who Will Win?

 

2020 marks the beginning of a new decade, and with it comes a new generation of gaming consoles. As has been the case for decades now, the two biggest competitors (aside from Nintendo) are Microsoft's Xbox and Sony’s Playstation, which will both be releasing new hardware by the end of the year. These new consoles, dubbed the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5, will be competing directly with each other for a place in households around the world. The question is, which one will prevail in the impending console war?

A bit of background might be required to better understand what is at stake. Gaming consoles have come a long way since their origins in the 80s, when Nintendo and Sega dominated the landscape. While Nintendo is still going strong today, they owe their continued success by investing more in experimental hardware and the strength of their exclusive properties. In contrast, the Xbox and PlayStation have focussed on delivering the most powerful and versatile home consoles, capable of displaying impressive graphics and multimedia capabilities.

As such, the marketing for both of these brands in the past has largely focussed on displaying large and graphically impressive games made by big developers like Rockstar and Ubisoft. But in terms of power, it seems like the gap in quality is becoming harder to discern. It is widely known that neither console will be able to compete with a high end gaming PC when it comes to power and performance, but even when compared to each other, there are few noticeable differences as of yet. While Xbox technically has a slight edge in hardware, few people claim that this will have a significant impact on what it will be capable of.

The issue of console exclusive games is a more complicated matter. While Sony almost certainly has a wider range of exclusive franchises under its belt, Microsoft has been making moves to close the gap. Most notably, it was recently announced that Microsoft has acquired Bethesda, developers of the extremely popular Fallout and Elder Scrolls games, among many others. This could be a huge shake up to the status quo depending on how exclusive future Bethesda titles will be. That said, Xbox has yet to announce any significant games that will be launching with the system, leaving many to doubt if there will be much reason to buy the Series X when it comes out. On the other hand, Sony has some big names like Spiderman and Demons Souls and Horizon Zero Dawn on the way, which for some is more than enough to ensure a purchase.

One final difference worth taking into account is the business model. Both consoles will be priced at $499 at launch, and both have stated their intention to raise the price of first-party games from $60 to $70. In that regard, the decision is basically a toss up, but there are other factors to take into account. Most pressing is the Xbox game pass, a subscription service that provides access to hundreds of games as well as game streaming functionality. While Sony has also experimented with this business model, Microsoft has invested more into this idea, with a more modern selection of games and more support for cloud gaming.

With all this in mind, who is most likely to succeed in the next generation of gaming? Obviously, it is too soon to tell at this point, but we can speculate. The Xbox One was decidedly less popular than the PS4, bogged down by restrictions on used games and a lackluster line of exclusives. That said, it seems that they have made an effort to shore up their weaknesses this time around, with their possession of Bethesda being a potentially huge asset. On the other hand, if history is anything to go by, Sony is in a good position to hold on to their place at the top. Their exclusive games have remained strong over the years, and that trend shows no signs of stopping. Combined with its competitive price point and hardware, it’s hard to imagine much reason for a PlayStation fan to switch sides at this point. Still, nothing is guaranteed in the gaming industry, and it's just as likely that some unpredictable factors will swing the advantage in one direction or another.