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[Javthusiast]

 

[Ghost of Caelid]

Look at it this way. Sony is a traditional big man in the modern NBA. What they do worked/works, but they have to make an effort to adapt to the modern way gaming is consume hence why half of their studios are working on GAAS...but the major tech giants have been working to change the rules and style of play to fit them. Lots of money up front, little profit for massive gain on the back end. So they are trying to push Sony into a battle they can't win and Sony is doing everything to keep the industry as traditional as possible. They're in a wired space because they are still in first place, but first place playing the traditional game in a space where the rules are obviously changing.

 

[8BiTw0LF]

 

[ViciousAgenda]

With the acquisition of CoD, Sony is in trouble long term.

 

[ZehDon]

I think Sony will be just fine this generation. They can't make enough PS5's to satisfy demand right now, so they're literally raising the price in a few countries.

It's next generation where I think Sony will face its problems. Microsoft will have had their new publishers running for a few years, and they won't be starting on the backfoot like they were this generation.

 

[SLB1904]

With the acquisition of CoD, Sony is in trouble long term.

dont you dare say
''wait for 2028''

I think Sony will be just fine this generation. They can't make enough PS5's to satisfy demand right now, so they're literally raising the price in a few countries.

It's next generation where I think Sony will face its problems. Microsoft will have had their new publishers running for a few years, and they won't be starting on the backfoot like they were this generation.

​

​

 

[DarkMage619]

See you in the next: "Microsoft buying Activision is anti-trust" thread.

Totally underrated post. Since MS isn't much of a threat and are clearly in last place, Sony has nothing to worry about right? Sony is very healthy and they shouldn't need any concessions from MS when MS tries to purchase a gaming company. We need to get the narrative straight: either MS is completely inept and a joke or they are a monopoly looking to ruin the gaming industry. Can't see how you can argue both at the same time.

I would never say Sony isn't going to sell plenty of consoles, they have a very loyal customer base but I'm very interested in seeing how the gaming landscape looks this time next year. Maybe you guys are right and MS will have 'no games' or maybe the opposite. Many here were great at predictions with the Switch and XSS.

 

[Elder Legend]

Not that it's all about winning the sales numbers war, but if it were, Sony is trouble. They went against the weakest effort ever from Microsoft last generation and Xbox still had some success.

This generation is easily the most hungry version of Xbox I've seen and it's not close.

Gamepass, BC, and emulation might not be huge by themselves, but together they make a strong argument against ps5, and $300 console option to boot. How much longer until that console is $199? Late 2024? That will be an incredibly difficult problem for Sony to solve.

And when the heavy hitter xbox exclusives start rolling in next year, it's over imo. Starting with Starfield. I don't think Xbox has ever had this level of exclusives in the pipeline that people want to play again. Halo even last gen wasn't what it was, Gears and Forza aren't really console sellers.
So, Sony boxed against a featherweight last gen as a middleweight. Now it's a heavyweight match. Worse, it feels like there's no urgency and we're seeing a passive version of Sony. VR and the lack of fresh content are much of my reasoning here(I'm talking about console seller fresh content)

And as much as I love VR, it feels like an experiment rooted in the leisure of success. It shows a certain level of comfort to toss their hat back into VR.

Success is not guaranteed this time. Xbox made it super easy last gen and the opposite is true this gen. Not to say ps5 won't have incredible games and good sales numbers, but that's not my point.

So tell me dear prophet - since you obviously know all the Sony secrets. Please be a good person and spill the beans. Is Bloodborne 2 real? What about the game after Wolverine? Or that Naughty Dog project? Isn't there a Socom Reboot too? /s

 

[IFireflyl]

Not that it's all about winning the sales numbers war, but if it were, Sony is trouble.

Not to say ps5 won't have incredible games and good sales numbers, but that's not my point.

Is this a troll/bait thread? Your opening and closing remarks are diametrically opposed to each other. Bad thread, man.

Beyond that, the things you listed as strong arguments against the PlayStation 5 are far from strong arguments.

• Game Pass is more of a gimmick right now than anything. People might play games on it here and there, but Game Pass itself doesn't hurt Sony in any measurable way. Mostly I see people using Game Pass to play games they were never going to buy anyway, and that doesn't hurt Sony at all. Game Pass isn't a console seller. It's just something to use if you already have the Xbox Series S/X.
• Backwards compatibility was something the Xbox One had going for it, and we saw how that console fared against the PlayStation 4. It's a nice feature to have, but its not a console-saver by any stretch of the imagination. Also, the PlayStation 5 is backwards compatible with PlayStation 4 games, and I would hazard a guess that games will be backwards compatible going forward since they have moved to a standardized architecture.
• Emulation has never been an Xbox or PlayStation seller. The amount of people using these devices for emulation is minuscule. Emulation makes a lot more sense with the Nintendo Switch or the Steam Deck.

Combine the user base that is ditching Sony and migrating to Microsoft over these three items and Microsoft will steal maybe a couple million users from Sony. And that's being generous, by the way. The only thing Microsoft has going for the Xbox Series S/X is the publishers they acquired. The Bethesda acquisition alone will cause more people to by an Xbox Series S/X than the above three traits combined.

P.S. That last part isn't a dig against Microsoft. I've got my Halo Infinite edition Xbox Series X sitting right in front of me. It's a great console, and Microsoft should be proud of it. But the console plus the three features you mentioned aren't going to cause Microsoft to gain the lead over Sony. Sony was too far ahead of Microsoft from last generation, and Microsoft has produced too little first-party content thus far. Once those acquired publishers start releasing Xbox Series S/X exclusives I imagine Microsoft will have some epic sales numbers. But that's got nothing to do with Game Pass, backwards compatibility, or emulation.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

"Xbox will on top by the end of the generation - it's already obvious to see the ripples."

I'm getting "wait for E3" vibes from this.

i think a lot of you guys take this stuff personally.

People just come into a thread like this with their defense up.

I really don’t think it’s hard to see, but no need to get defensive and shitpost lol.

I’m guessing half of you readily assumed I am an Xbox fanboy or something, because a lot of people are biased towards a console and project it onto others.

I see Xbox taking a lead by the end because of the value proposition, among other things, but that’s the big one.

Then you have Jim Ryan at Sony making a lot of PR mistakes which just don’t bode well for the current direction of the company. People aren’t wrong when they say “arrogant Sony is back”.

Sony still has the better games for my money, but that could change by the end of the generation, with all the acquisitions.
Plus, it’s not really about who’s games I like more, it’s about broad appeal and Bethesda has that.

Games like Starfield sell consoles and a subscription service like Gamepass is unmatched.

 

[lefty1117]

Microsoft made great ecosystem moves but they still have the fundamental issue of compelling exclusives. And with 343 botching things up it's worse than expected. Ergo the ActiBlizz acquisition. If they ever correct that issue it's going to be a major problem for Sony, I just don't think they can keep up with MS when it comes to infrastructure and ecosystem.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

4 page Gaf, 4 pages.

 

[GametimeUK]

Sony don't have to prepare. They're at legendary status. Just turning up and taking part is enough to succeed at this point. The fanbase is too strong.

 

[Lupin25]

Look at it this way. Sony is a traditional big man in the modern NBA. What they do worked/works, but they have to make an effort to adapt to the modern way gaming is consume hence why half of their studios are working on GAAS...but the major tech giants have been working to change the rules and style of play to fit them. Lots of money up front, little profit for massive gain on the back end. So they are trying to push Sony into a battle they can't win and Sony is doing everything to keep the industry as traditional as possible. They're in a wired space because they are still in first place, but first place playing the traditional game in a space where the rules are obviously changing.

Yeah, but there’s only a handful of GAAS games successful as GTAO, Apex & Fortnite constantly thriving lol. Plenty of devs are striving for this, but even MS has had troubles designing games for this model (Halo Infinite).

“Continued” success of GAAS games is perplexing devs the most. Keeping the core base engaged and player counts stable season-to-season is obviously difficult when a new fad arrives at the same rate too.

 

[Rac3r]

Look at it this way. Sony is a traditional big man in the modern NBA. What they do worked/works, but they have to make an effort to adapt to the modern way gaming is consume hence why half of their studios are working on GAAS...but the major tech giants have been working to change the rules and style of play to fit them. Lots of money up front, little profit for massive gain on the back end. So they are trying to push Sony into a battle they can't win and Sony is doing everything to keep the industry as traditional as possible. They're in a wired space because they are still in first place, but first place playing the traditional game in a space where the rules are obviously changing.

 

[odhiex]

I don't care about who is "winning/won" a console generation, and never really care.

I just wanted to play good games. Heck, some people love those so-called "failed" consoles hehe.

 

[Spitfire098]

I wonder what's the overlap on posters claiming Sony is doomed and those who were adamant that the xsx would blow out ps5 in every head to head prior to the start of the generation.

 

[Romulus]

Is this a troll/bait thread? Your opening and closing remarks are diametrically opposed to each other.

Not sure what you're saying. Losing the war doesn't mean you can't have great numbers. You can have great sales, great games and still lose when it comes to the tally of unit sales at the end of the generation.

 

[drganon]

Whatever you say, nostradamus. You want to tell me the lottery numbers while you're at it.

 

[IFireflyl]

Not sure what you're saying. Losing the war doesn't mean you can't have great numbers. You can have great sales, great games and still lose when it comes to the tally of unit sales at the end of the generation.

Microsoft didn't "lose the war" last generation while putting up great numbers. They "lost the war" (and I'm using quotation marks because I hate that phrase when it comes to consoles) because they got absolutely stomped. If Sony and Microsoft had been neck-and-neck but Sony eeked out a million more consoles sold and marginally better profit then both companies would have "won".

More to the point, the rest of my post actually addressed the specifics of your original post.

 

[Ghost of Caelid]

Yeah, but there’s only a handful of GAAS games successful as GTAO, Apex & Fortnite constantly thriving lol. Plenty of devs are striving for this, but even MS has had troubles designing games for this model (Halo Infinite).

“Continued” success of GAAS games is perplexing devs the most. Keeping the core base engaged and player counts stable season-to-season is obviously difficult when a new fad arrives at the same rate too.

You don't have to be the most successful to be successful. Sea of Thieves, Multiverses, Destiny etc...games that are successful but aren't the biggest. You need one fortnite or 2-3 destinys...you dont need 10 fortnites for it to be a success as a company. Throw a ton at the wall see which sticks.

 

[Bernardougf]

Whatever you are smoking.. please... share with me !!!

 

[Romulus]

Microsoft didn't "lose the war" last generation while putting up great numbers. They "lost the war" (and I'm using quotation marks because I hate that phrase when it comes to consoles) because they got absolutely stomped. If Sony and Microsoft had been neck-and-neck but Sony eeked out a million more consoles sold and marginally better profit then both companies would have "won".

More to the point, the rest of my post actually addressed the specifics of your original post.

The op was addressing this specifically as IF sales numbers were the metric we were going by. Not saying thats my opinion on success, yours, or anyone else's

 

[IFireflyl]

The op was addressing this specifically as IF sales numbers were the metric we were going by. Not saying thats my opinion on success, yours, or anyone else's

And again, I addressed the specific points that you made which were the basis for your claim that Sony would "lose the war" to Microsoft this generation. Go back and read my post.

 

[Romulus]

And again, I addressed the specific points that you made which were the basis for your claim that Sony would "lose the war" to Microsoft this generation. Go back and read my post.

I'm good, I'm just clearing up that you said my last post and first post were polar opposites, they're not. They can co-exist fine. There's no rule that both can't have great success and still lose "the war."

 

[Hobbygaming]

Lol 360 was definitely dominating PS3 for a good amount of time.

For those who forget, at the start of that generation, 360 EXCLUSIVES included Bioshock, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Halo 3, Ninja Gaiden 2, etc. These were the biggest, most exciting titles of that time. Playstation had Uncharted 1. It was ugly for a second there. Of course, I got it for MGS4 but that came a tad later and just wasn't enough to compete.

Then PS3 came roaring back and dominated with PS4.

Don't take it personally and you'll see the light. That's the key.

Xbox360 had a whole year head start and still lost in the end

 

[bender]

Xbox360 had a whole year head start and still lost in the end

Really close though and showed great improvement from their first generation hardware sales. Still a pyrrhic victory considering what RROD cost the company and how the One squandered that momentum.

 

[rickybooby87]

2020Q3-2023Q1 output for MS is not/has not been spectacular. Maybe once next the generation of consoles hit, some of these studios will start to materialize some steady content.

 

[IFireflyl]

2020Q3-2023Q1 output for MS is not/has not been spectacular. Maybe once next the generation of consoles hit, some of these studios will start to materialize some steady content.

It won't take that long. There should be some improvements from Microsoft's output in this generation between 2023-2024.

EDIT: Which is not to say that I agree with the OP.

 

[-MD-]

First generation where I just have zero desire to own a Playstation.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

Xbox360 had a whole year head start and still lost in the end

I know.

Some of you guys are so caught up in defending your console, you're missing the point.

I only said twice that the PS3 succeeded over 360 in the end.
It was part of my main point.

 

[DavidGzz]

Either way. MS isn't going anywhere and that is great for competition.

 

[MasterDerico]

Current vg generation;

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

Gamepass and BC existed on the previous generation and we saw how that went.

 

[Sosokrates]

The best thing that XBOX has going for them is the Series S and parents buying it for their kids as a gamepass machine.

But Switch probably dominates that demographic by a large margin so who knows what it'll do to carve away at Sony's lead on XBOX.

Honestly though, it doesn't matter to me. I buy Sony consoles cause I like the controller layout and the thought of playing Resident Evil on an XBOX just makes me feel gross, lol, sorry. Ratchet & Clank is the only 1st party series I care about. I'd love to have a Series X but I just have no need for it. I'm sure people who own a Series X feel the same about PS5. Different strokes for different folks.

Switch is doing very well, but it doesn't have the big COD,GTA,RDR2,and all the next gen games coming out.
When cross gen goes away, the SeriesS will see an increase.

 

[tusharngf]

Sony got games on PC that's a good strategy for the long term. I think sony needs a good racing game to compete against forza horizon series. One shooter as well against halo. Apart from that, they should do ps2 ps3 full backward compatibility.

 

[bender]

Sony got games on PC that's a good strategy for the long term. I think sony needs a good racing game to compete against forza horizon series. One shooter as well against halo. Apart from that, they should do ps2 ps3 full backward compatibility.

Sony should acquire 343i from Microsoft so that studio can start work on their second Halo killer.

 

[Syphon Filter]

Xbox360 had a whole year head start and still lost in the end

360 beat ps3, the damage was already done by then.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Sony has some great games coming and hoping we get a showcase soon and a lot of this negativity will quiet down. Even if Sony loses COD they will be fine.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Can’t say I agree 100%. Sony just isn’t able to play at the same level as Xbox. They just do t have the money, they got the skill and the abilities to compete though and have done really well so far in that regard.

 

[Bernardougf]

Sony should acquire 343i from Microsoft so that studio can start work on their second Halo killer.

Loooool ..... OK this Guy Gets the trophy.. we are done here

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

Seek help or get some sleep, or go down because you're too high, pick one:

Sony doesn't need success, it's already succeeding, you're just blind or don't see the whole picture.
Also, you are in closed circuit thinking that everyone is adhering the Xbox vison, that's so wrong in so many levels. And because you don't want VR, you are thinking Sony is not succeeding, that's a ridiculous thinking.
I was a Xbox 360 fanboy, nowadays I don't give a shit anymore since the Xbox One, Microsoft does not appeal me AT ALL.
Even more with they vision "Pay everything, own nothing".

Also, Phil talk too much for nothing trying hard to be your best buddy, that's just PR hypocrisy.
They should talk less, stop buying to have the biggest one and release more: exclusives and new IP like in the awesome Xbox 360 era where everyone wanted to play Gears of war.

Good night.

 

[delirium trigger]

Sony's had a lot more quality exclusives since the next gen consoles launched. Series X basically launched as a backwards compatibility machine. There's a whole lot of eggs in the Starfield basket. They better hope that doesn't backfire on them.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

360 beat ps3, the damage was already done by then.

Beat when? Yea it dominated the first 2-3 years and then before the PS4 came out, PS3 outsold Xbox360 literally everywhere. SONY in the end caught up and took over even after fucking up so bad at the start. Then X1 messed up and they literally just gave up on that generation. At the end of the day, its the games you have. Nobody cares if your console is sleeker looking or more powerful. X1 was supposed to be an all in one machine and it delivered on none of that, they just watered down everything good they had with the 360.

 

[reinking]

Too soon OP. Save this post and re-use it next gen. It might be relevant then.

You say that Sony is not prepared for this generation when they have done nothing but keep on keeping on. The only thing that has slowed them down is supply issues. If anything, Xbox came in unprepared and are now throwing money around to try and correct the course. Game Pass is over five years old and still being used as a loss leader. Two years into a generation and the MS big hits have fallen short. You're mistaken if you think it was Sony that is not prepared to fight this generation.

I predict XBox will not "win" this generation but they do not have to. What Xbox needs to do is get in position to try and take the next generation and the ones that follow. They now have the tools to do it. Everyone is being shortsighted and jumping on headlines of today expecting an immediate impact. IMO, next gen is when we will see the real "war" and find out who the real Xbox is. They now have the pieces to take the crown if they do not screw it up.

Frankly, if I was Phil I would go all in on the software side. I would focus on software sales and let the console sales take care of themselves. CoD and other games on Playstation? Hell yes. You pay me to beat you. Let Sony have those sales for now but In the end, I would expect most people will migrate to the native console.

If Xbox can't make a significant run at Playstation next gen I don't think it is ever going to happen. At least not in the console space.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Thanks. I haven't had a laugh like that in a long time.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

I don't think ps5 and Xbox are that far apart right now. 360 had a massive lead for a while before ps3 came roaring back. But again, MS just didn't have the exclusive studios back then. It became Forza, Gears, rinse repeat show and they relied on multiplatforms and took their foot off the gas. That seems impossible now with all their studios. On top of that, they didn't have a console option that can always win the price war. No way in hell ps5 ever gets close to XSS in price. That advantage will last the entire generation.

The sales gap between PS5 and Xbox Series is wider at this point than it was for PS4 compared to XBO time-aligned (1.6:1 vs 1.4:1).

Just looking at the raw numbers it may not seem that wide especially considering how many consoles systems tend to sell lifetime but....the ratio is larger ATM, and we're still talking about several million units worth of difference. So it's there.

 

[FritzJ92]

To you it might be the must hungry version of xbox, but to me, they will never be as good as during the OG and the 360.

Nothing about present xbox appeals to people like me.

Gamepass? no interested in rental services with limited time to play a game before they change the catalogue.

BC? If i could just put the disk and play the game and not have to download a new version that is actually compatible , then that would appeal to me.

A console being able to emulate others is not a deciding factor in my opinion. It should be a bonus, but for the most part, the new games should be the most important, and that's where MS fails a lot for me.

The consoles having online DRM by needing internet to set them up.

Then there's the mess with Smart Delivery. Sure, save money by only releasing one physical edition for all consoles, wich also makes it so nowadays xbox games come incomplete on the disk, either having small data for the one consoles and other small bit for the series consoles, or having only the one version and having to download the entire series version.

During the xbox one, their 1st party output was miserable, not in quantitiy, but in quality, only having Forza to really save it, and so far, the same still applies to the series X/S.

You mention the heavy hitters coming next year, but considering how they have handled their studios for a long while, why should i get hyped before those games get released? At least with Sony and Nintendo, i can expect a certain level of quality from their studios and it's not often that i get disappointed with them.

You say Sony is being passive, and honestly, why shouldnt they be? Where's the real threat? PS5 has sold a lot more than both series X/S. And no, im not being a Sony fanboy, if Xbox didnt have the issues i mentioned, i would have bought one, i wish they went back to how they were, but alas, it doesnt seem it will happen. To me, the xbox brand died, and to get me back again, they would have to change a lot.

People like you will be why Sony continues to do anti-consumer crap and it will be their demise.
GamePass- ignore it just buy the disc
Always online is on all home consoles now, you can't even play GT7 with an internet connection.
Emulation is a big perk for many people, a whole piracy network is dedicated to game emulation.
Smart Delivery is a problem, yet does Sony offer better solutions? Oh charging twice for the same game or for upgrades is the alternative option, not so sure that is better...

Also just adding that if you think Sony doesn't recognize Xbox moves as a threat, then WTF is Jim complaining about COD right now or trying to do their best in acquisitions?

 

[MaKTaiL]

You are placing all your bets on an unreleased game made by Bethesda which hasn't had a good track record as of late. Starfield might be the next Cyberpunk for all we know. Keep your expectations in check.

 

[Robb]

I think Sony still has this gen in the bag. Ps5 is a huge success and is selling out every single shipment in no time.

They’ll be in a more difficult position next gen though. Both because it looks like MS is gaining more ground this gen compared to last but also because by that point they will likely have a more steady stream of content from all these new purchases and almost all of the remaining timed deals etc. they are bound to will have expired.

But competition is good though. I’m looking forward to a more desperate Sony. Xbox, Nintendo and Sony are all better when they’re in a thougher position imo. Would be nice if we could get price cuts instead of price hikes from Sony next gen.