Console Wars the 8th generation?

  

"Oh so the console peasants are having their annual little silly fight are they *scoffs in PC gamer*"

As some-one who does acknowledge PC is the superior platform but plays mostly on PS4 at present I guess it's time to talk about the next generation of console and give my extremely cynical view upon the present offerings from the major competitors so far and what they've revealed so far.

Up first is Microsoft's refrigerator 

Image Source = Xbox.com site gallery

Now while you might think I've mocking the design choice it's actually a compliment and the design has grown on me, because to me it reflects Microsoft's seeming understanding of its place working for the customer. The design seems pretty functional if not exactly pretty. It seems like something that even though it probably should be will be fine with other stuff stacked on it in peoples media centres if it's laid on its side. It really looks like Micorsoft have gone "Ok we get it we won't try to make out device the one device that does everything under your TV, we'll allow our device to go with others."

From a time when I said I didn't believe Microsoft had changed I now look at Microsoft seemingly having learned at least some of the issues of the past. Seemingly trying to do something good for its customers and creating the Gamepass and Xcloud deals Microsoft seems to mostly be turning over a new leaf. Offering backwards compatibility for a fair number of titles (though no Xbox version of Brute Force apparently in that selection) as being backwards compatible right back to the original Xbox now Microsoft is giving the customer a reason to upgrade and seemingly understanding people might well be trading in their old Xbox One consoles to get the new Xbox Series X. I do somewhat still worry this is just Microsoft trying to lure people back and once they have them we'll have the auto playing dashboard adds and ads and most of the dashboard just becoming advertising space either rented out or for Microsoft's own stuff once again. 

I wonder who got their ideas from who? Microsoft from Ready Player One or vice versa?

The Microsoft of old who thought they could get rid of the pre-owned market may still lurk there just waiting to be on top again and that really is my worry especially with the sort of sign of that Micosoft still being around because the special seemingly proprietary expansion drives. Part of Microsoft's present problem is it seems lost without knowing quite what it wants to be and feels like it lacks a set identity anymore and is stuck part way through reinventing itself. But the Xbox Series X will apparently let me play Comic Jumper again so that's actually a big plus point for me.

So I've talked about Microsoft's offering and now it's time to look at Playstation's pretentious modern art piece.

Image Source = Sony Playstation website

Now while Microsoft's design grew on me over time I have to say Sony's design has done the exact opposite. It's a design I was initially wowed by the cool somewhat futuristic artistic look of. Then realise how much it reflects the problems with Sony being the frontrunner coming from a successful previous generation. It's decedent for the sake of it. It's designed to look fancy but its form over function. You won't be able to easily stack this with anything else in a media centre set up and you know some of those white bits are going to get broken off if some-one so much as stumbles into it or rests their hand on it for too long. It's also (or so I've heard) a console that needs a stand that they're at least providing no matter if you plan to have it horizontal or vertical. That's right it's a console designed in such a form over function way it literally has it's on special stand it needs to be functional seemingly.

Sony are at the top of the mountain this generation and as per normal for Sony they've sat down and demanded to be fed all the metal from the villagers who helped and followed it. No wait that's Galgameth or Pulgasari (look I've not actually seen either of those films I just know them by reputation ok). Point is Sony feel they've done enough and are mostly sitting back only moving when forced to by immense pressure not feeling the need to actually try to really compete much anymore or do much other than keep on course. For Sony this means high quality exclusive games without the normal bullshit trapping associated with the AAA industry. However Sony's not caring that much means not all PS4 games will be even work on the PS5 let alone games from generations further back, so hope you held onto your PS3 and it doesn't die of you ever want to play Metal Gear Solid 4 again. While Sony will allow people to use their own external hard drives they have stated it will increase load times due to the special PS5 SSD architecture normally allowing it to lower them. Also based on Sony's Teardown video they've put thought into the internals of their system quite a bit more even if the external look isn't the best. 

Sony have however seemingly been skewing more towards censoring games so they do have a fair potential to lose support here.

For me this coming generation is a surprisingly close contest and for me it might come down to how certain games turn out. With the PS5 exclusive Deathloop and Project Athia (you know that Witch game) being two I've that might tip the balance for me one way or another. This could have been Microsoft's generation to take from the get go with Sony's seeming arrogance to sit doing little more than it's already done but it feels like Microsoft failed to wow or failed to pull something as hard hitting a Sony famous "How to lend games" dunk from last generation. Sure Microsoft is coming in potentially strong but it's also coming in seeming like it's still recovering from a heavy night the day before with its clothes not on straight yet and not really ready for this fight quite yet. 

In the end I'm probably going to wait a year to hop onto the next generation at least just to make sure they have a decent library and no major faults but I must say this is seemingly Sony's fight to lose me as free upgrades being offered for The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 it means my present console of the PS4 very much has the advantage to keep me in the Sony architecture more than the Xbox One Series X has to pull me back into the Xbox architecture, especially as I still own my Xbox 360 to play a number of the game I have. Xbox is playing catch up for a pretty bad generation without much other than the odd title to pull me over and bring me back into the system so it's up to the Xbox Series X's lineup to really pull me over and well it's not there yet though I will say it looks like it could get there.

Now to head off any comments about "Why not buy both" well not everyone has that luxury and you can bet I'm not on either Sony or Microsoft's trusted lists or any lists at all because they likely have no clue who I am so I won't be getting a freebie off either of them to try out so I like many others will have to choose. Possibly only initially, possibly it could be the whole generation I stick with it. Hopefully this generation will be a closer fight than last one though.