If there is one topic that occupies the debates between players (and investors), it is the console war. Once again, the duel between Sony and Microsoft is dominated by the former, a situation that would not however be catastrophic for the latter, which focuses on another economic model.
Over the past two decades, only the Xbox 360 has managed to outsell its direct competitor, the PS3, worldwide. While the console that gave birth to some flagship licenses like Gears of War has left its mark on the minds of many gamers (including your humble editor), it can’t be said that this was the case for all its other big and small sisters.
The Xbox Series is no exception, and as proof: four years after its release, it has sold 28.3 million copies, compared to 61.7 million for the PlayStation 5 over the same period. And although there are still a few years of good and loyal service left for this generation of consoles, we can already say that Sony has once again won its duel with its sworn enemy. A victory that can be explained quite logically according to the Wall Street Journal.
A console that is not essential
In a video published on YouTube, the American media outlet recalled that Microsoft has played a different card in recent years. Xbox wanted to be a more universal video game brand, no longer content with occupying proprietary consoles, but also computers and smartphones, already present in a large number of homes.
Thus, with the deployment of Game Pass and its cloud gaming service, fueled by the purchases of many firms such as Mojang and Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has given itself the means to free itself from the limit imposed by its console sales.
Xboxes are therefore no longer essential to play the latest Gears of War, Halo or Forza. At least not as much as the PS5 which still has good exclusives like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, The Last of Us Part 2 or Gran Turismo 7.
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Microsoft’s games are also available on other platforms, such as Steam, and it has been mentioned that some of the company’s big exclusives could make their way to competing consoles.
Finally, the American giant is gradually moving away from the classic economic model of console manufacturers to move towards that of a service provider, an area in which it has excelled since its origins.
Microsoft out of competition?
Will this economic model be able to supplant the one practiced for over 30 years by Japanese firms? We will have to wait a little longer before we can draw a real conclusion.
Sony has been sending us some rather unsettling signals for several weeks, by offering us a PS5 Pro for almost 800 euros, but also by increasing its prices in certain regions, particularly in Japan.
Are we dealing with inflation-driven price increases or a crisis of hubris on Sony’s part? Probably a bit of both, and it remains to be seen what impact this will have on its image.
As reported by our colleagues at Wccftechthe announcement of the PS5 Pro seems to have caused a surge in Xbox console sales in Japan, an unprecedented trend that will have to be closely monitored.
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Nintendo charts the course
For its part, Nintendo remains the big winner of the console war. The Switch, released in 2017, has sold more than 143.42 million units so far, almost matching the score of the Nintendo DS, but also and especially that of Sony’s venerable PlayStation 2.
The company now has the heavy burden of repeating the feat with the Switch 2, which should be announced in the coming weeks.
With a price that could be around 400 euros, the obvious presence of Nintendo exclusives and the firm’s expertise in hardware, the console should please again.
A success that could also benefit Microsoft if the Game Pass, or at worst some of these numerous licenses, managed to find a place on the Switch 2.
