SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va., – It’s coming to that time again. Yes, we all know what happens every so many years even if we lose track of it we will see it all in the news. It seems that it is everywhere, almost to the point we can’t avoid that special time around November.
Of course, I’m talking about the release of the new gaming consoles the Xbox (Microsoft) or the PlayStation (Sony).
However, when looking at where we are headed to in the future, it is always good to look back at the past and see exactly where we came from.
Towards the end of the 1990’s Microsoft worried about the PlayStation (First Generation) taking over the whole console market, and to be honest, it most certainly had at that point. PlayStation sold around 100 million units, a rather impressive feat for that time. Microsoft, however, with the might of Bill Gates (Co-Founder of Microsoft) along with some of the best programming teams at the time, had the desire and capability to bridge the gap and take on the supposed king of consoles, the PlayStation.
Fast forward to today where we see the figures for the Xbox One and the PS4, both current generations, we see that gap closing ever closer.
In May of 2020 we have seen the total PS4 total Sales at 33,340,343 and the Xbox One at 28,482,688, with the PlayStation only having a 4,857,655 lead in U.S. Market. With this current generation, however, we may just see this next generation favor the Xbox One when it comes to total sales.
When looking at any piece of technology people have their usually diehard fans that you could almost consider free spokesmen for the company, and also critics that feel like they hate the product so much they would buy the opposing system just to break it in a fit of rage.
Most people look for a few different factors to decide which one they purchase, mainly: specs, gaming exclusives, and most importantly price.
When it comes to the specs of the next generation, we have some pretty interesting stats. It seems that when it comes to the computer processing unit (CPU), the graphic processing unit (GPU) and storage, the Xbox is winning in all categories.
Looking at gaming exclusives, it would feel that though Xbox would have a few iconic titles, but the PlayStation has a majority of titles and also a consistency of well-rated titles.
This makes or breaks a decision for some, because if you want to play that PlayStation only game, you need to have a PlayStation, and if you want a Xbox only game well you can only play it on Xbox. Although if you look at consistency and quantity the clear winner would be the Play Station.
The PS5 has a starting price of $500 with the ability to opt out of a disc drive to drop the price to $400. The Xbox Series X has a starting price with $500 or you can receive a series S (Xbox’s cheaper option) for $300. It seems that the winner in this category would be about a tie when determining quality of product for the money.
Microsoft is trying a new method to make the Xbox more affordable. They are allowing a payment plan for either plan for 24 months that allows you to keep the console and makes it so you don’t pay more for it.
Microsoft is actually allowing better deals for services, making it cheaper to not have to pay all the money upfront, just as long as you make a subscription and a commitment for 24 months, while PlayStation is offering nothing like this currently.
With the Xbox Coming out Nov. 10 this year, and the PS5 coming out Nov. 12 this year, it will be interesting if Xbox can close the gap and take over or if PS5 will still hold its current ranking as the most sold console of the two.