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Although the current console generation has been underway for almost two years now, for some people the console war will never end .
. Both the PS4 and Xbox One have done very well in sales and as price drops continue and new games arrive later this yearand early in 2016 that can actually harness the power of these machines, both Sony and Microsoft can expect to move a lot more units.
Although both companies are experiencing financial success, some members of the video game community like to see the two as enemies and try to figure out which side is winning the war. There’s no doubt that employees at each company are very interested in the successes and failures of their primary competition, but according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, he’s just happy that gamers still seem to love playing on consoles.
At the start of the current console generation, some industry talking heads speculated that the age of console gaming had come to an endand thanks to mobile and more affordable computers, gamers would no longer be interested in spending a few hundred dollars on new consoles. With the benefit of hindsight, we all now know that consoles are still very much in demand and often deliver gameplay experiences more accessible and bug-free than their PC counterparts.
In an interview with with Edge, as reported by, Spencer spoke about the general success of this console generation…
“I’ve said this a few times, but four years ago when I was sitting doing these interviews it was, ‘Do people need consoles any more?’ and ‘Isn’t this just dead? Everybody’s playing on their phone… And now you’re looking at the PS4 having sold over 20 million. And we’ve sold a ton of Xbox Ones globally, more than we’ve sold 360s [in the same period]…
We’re both doing really well, and I think Nintendo has a plan for the future – I don’t know what the NX is, but it’s great just to see the business being done.”
It’s a lot of fun to compare the big three and try to determine which powerhouse is winning in sales and success, but Spencer is right that both Sony and Microsoft are doing much better in this console gen than lots of financial experts expected. Nintendo’s Wii U may not be selling on the same level, but if Nintendo manages to deliver a powerful machine with a strong library of game’sat launch, then the NX could help Nintendo turn things around.
As the success of this generation continues, it’s never too early to start speculating about the next wave of technology. The PS4 and Xbox One should each have about eight years left in their expected life cycles and the real test of the demand for consoles will be what the next wave of hardware looks like. If VR catches on(and becomes affordable) during those years, then the next age of in-house consoles might be a whole new beast.
Do you think console gaming will last another generation or two? Do you still think one of the big three are winning this console generation? Let us know in the comments.
Source: GamesRadar