On the run up to Christmas the battle to win the hearts and minds of gamers heats up, especially between PlayStation and Xbox. With Xbox One having a strong run up to Christmas with exclusives, could it be the winner of this battle, even if it may have no chance at winning the war?
When looking at the success of the two consoles it is easy to think that PlayStation 4 is already the winner in terms of this generation’s “console wars” but even if the war is dominated by Sony’s console, Xbox One could still win some small battles. This Christmas may be an example of this, if their exclusives are able to dominate the competition.
When looking at the exclusives that will have an impact this Christmas the results are quite surprising:
Xbox Exclusives:
- Halo 5: Guardians
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Forza Motorsport 6
- Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
PlayStation 4 Exclusives:
- Until Dawn
- Bloodborne (based on the release of The Old Hunters DLC)
- Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
While the deal that Sony has in place for Call out Duty: Black Ops 3 to get content first, it is debatable whether this is that important to all players. With the DLC content coming to all platforms, the wait won’t be that much for Xbox One and PC players. Another title that has such incentives is Assassin’s Creed Syndicate which features 10 levels exclusive to PlayStation 4, but again will this make you rush out and purchase a PlayStation 4 just for them?
With Xbox One having the impressive list of exclusives, especially with Halo 5: Guardians and Rise of the Time Raider a question that has to be asked is if there is real power behind these releases. We know that Rise of the Tomb Raider will be coming to PlayStation 4 in a year’s time so people will be able to wait it out if they want, and Halo 5: Guardians release seems to not have really created the expected hype. If the exclusives don’t entice people to make the move to a console are they really as special as the companies think they are?
While Sony and Microsoft love to show off the fact that they have games that are only on their console, it is debatable as to what impact this has on the fans of the games. While it does strengthen the games library of the consoles and does make them more enticing, in the end there seems to be a lack of real enthusiasm by gamers for exclusive releases. With 2016 looking to be the year of big exclusives though, this may change.
Another question that will be raised is what of the titles that aren’t exclusives? Well the biggest of these are Star Wars Battlefront, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Just Cause 3, Fallout 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. While some have deals with Sony to provide exclusivity periods and content for PlayStation 4, the more interesting incentive may be the fact that PlayStation 4 has the special Star Wars bundle featuring the special edition PlayStation 4. With Star Wars Battlefront being playable through EA Access first on Xbox One, Microsoft may still win out on that one.
With the old argument that PlayStation 4 has better performance than Xbox One, this will also be an important factor in people deciding which console to have. With this performance comparison being less of an issue though, this may not be such an issue. Both consoles are struggling to provide the above big titles at 1080P/60FPS this really shouldn’t be an issue anymore. Fans of either consoles will likely argue that this statement is incorrect of course.
What is surprisingly about the holiday season this year is that Xbox One may have the edge this year when it comes to exclusives and potential bundles. We’ve already seen an impressive Black Friday deal revealed to prove that. Don’t rule the PlayStation 4 out here though as price drops have already been revealed around the world, these always catch the interest of potential buyers. The lack of exclusives running up to the end of 2015 though will weaken Playstation 4’s chances to show off.
While many people have now moved into the current generation of gaming there are still many out there yet to make the move and this Christmas is the perfect time to make that move. Whether PlayStation’s lower cost, or Xbox One’s big titles being released this Christmas will catch the eyes of buyers will be an interesting battle to watch.
This Christmas PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will once again go to battle to catch the eye of the Christmas shoppers looking for the best deals. If Exclusives do hold some power over gaming fans, then Xbox One may be the winner this year or at least make some gains on the competition. Will PlayStation 4’s price drop be able to fight off this competition? I tend to think that if exclusives have any power over gamers then Xbox One will be the victor in this small battle, even if the overall war for domination of this console generation may already have been won.
