The PS5 Pulls Ahead
Brand loyalty is a funny thing when it comes to video games. Unlike, say, Coke vs. Pepsi, it’s more than a matter of personal taste; every console has some exclusives that even the most die-hard supporter is going to hate, and even the most devoted lover of another console is going to love. I’m a PlayStation guy through and through but while I may love my PS5, I can still admit I’ll eventually buy the Xbox Series X, if only for The Medium and Fable.
As far as features go, the latest console war has had some big surprises. The Xbox may be marginally more powerful but it looks like Sony’s focus on features like 3D sound and haptic control has helped them pull ahead, managing to sell 3,400,000 consoles in its first four months. Not only has this broken all sorts of records, it’s almost double the number of Xbox Series X’s sold in the same period. Not bad, especially when you consider how hard it’s been to get ahold of either console in the wake of the ongoing pandemic.
Demand is still sky-high, and will likely remain so for some time, but the good news is that Sony estimate they’ll be able to get around 18,000,000 new consoles on shelves in the coming year as they learn to navigate the ever-involving COVID-19 situation and as the vaccine slowly rolls out across all territories.
Of course, this is only the first volley of the console war, and things could always evolve. A particularly fantastic slate of Xbox games not unlike Sony’s slate in 2020 could easily shift the balance, and with big exclusives like the long-awaited return of the Fable franchise coming up, that could well happen.
Who do you think will win the war? Let us know down in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.