I love my Xbox 360. It is my console of choice for this last generation. Now don’t get me wrong, I still play my PS3 religiously, but whenever a multi-console game has come out (which is 85% of releases) I instinctively get it for the 360. I am an admitted achievement whore and I prefer my online experiences over Xbox Live. So why am I ready to purchase a PS4 on day one and feel I can wait a few months on my Xbox One purchase?
Simple answer: the games.
Now don’t get on a high horse and say that I am jumping on a new bandwagon or anything asinine like that. There is still a long way to go before deciding what next-gen console will occupy the majority of my time. E3 is in a few weeks where both Microsoft and Sony will bring out the really big guns with game demos (hopefully) and price points. This early, early, very early impression is based solely on the two press conferences I have watched. Opinions have the wonderful ability to change.
The Xbox One is a beautiful looking machine. It is simplistic, square and black. Something that agrees with my OCD for my entertainment center. Like the PS4, it is a monster on the inside with 8GB of RAM and 8-core CPU with a Blu-Ray drive (which I am sure is killing Microsoft on the inside knowing Sony won that battle). It has the horsepower to match the PS4 which is what we expected. The other thing we expected, which I was hoping was wrong, was that Microsoft would focus on Xbox One being the central hub of your living room. This is where my initial disconnect begins.
Back in February, Sony took a calculated risk by saying the PS4 would be a gaming machine focused on the games. They bet double down that Microsoft would take the entertainment route and they were right. Now in the next six months we are going to see if that bet pays off. For a gamer like me I am more than ready to get a PS4 day one because of this reason. I understand Microsoft’s overall strategy with the Xbox One. It is the next evolution of the brand and that’s all well and good….for Microsoft. I have no problem with my cable box, I have ten sports channels to watch and a laptop and smartphone to check my fantasy teams on and while all the bells and whistles that Microsoft showed off today were certainly fun, they are not convincing me that I will be saving $500 for a midnight release.
With so many games being multi-platform now and my existing systems still going strong with their impressive libraries and ability to play Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO Go, etc., my first choice in next-gen systems breaks down to exclusives and as much as I love the Xbox brand, Sony is going to win that fight. I love my Gears of War and Halo and will be playing them (eventually) on an Xbox One, but when I begin to look at the Sony franchises that I am addicted to my choice becomes clearer. Uncharted, Infamous, Little Big Planet, Ratchet and Clank, God of War and Killzone is quite the list and two of those franchises are guaranteed to me on day one on the PS4.
I know this article may be a little hypocritical seeing as how I will eventually own both systems, but early adopters are the ones who drive the spin of which console is winning. Last generation Sony priced themselves out of my range for two years while my love of Xbox grew. Now this generation Playstation is focusing on the games while Xbox One is trying to get me to voice command it to watch Mike and Molly.
Early (and big) advantage: Sony
Leave a Reply