XBOX’S SURRENDER IN THE CONSOLE WARS

The console wars have long been a defining aspect of the gaming industry with giants like Xbox and PlayStation vying for supremacy. However, recent developments suggest a significant shift in the balance of power. Rather than framing it as the end of the console wars, some argue that Xbox has effectively surrendered.

If we look closely at the sales figures, it is evident that PlayStation has dominated the market for decades, with Xbox trailing behind. The Xbox 360 was the only console ever to notably appear to be serious competition for the PS3. But that generation of gaming was quite smooth because both consoles had a lot to offer, with exclusives not being a major factor as they started to be in the generations that followed.

Source: https://www.statista.com/

Despite the numbers, I don’t think Xbox is at all surrendering. I think they’re doing something new, something different; Xbox is ushering in a new era in the gaming world which will see an effective end to the idea of console wars. PlayStation has, for the longest time, thrived on exclusives and that always gave people a reason to choose PlayStation over Xbox. But what happens when Xbox starts putting its exclusives on its biggest competitor? I see that as Xbox selling games to more than just Xbox owners and that as a win.

People buying your games regardless of the platform they own is definitely a win. Now, it’s not big names like Halo or the Forza franchise, but it is a step in a different direction. I see it eliminating competition game-wise. Not entirely, though, because I don’t think PlayStation would let go of its exclusive ways. But then again, we have seen PlayStation exclusives going to PC, and that’s a sign that we may truly see an end to exclusives. In some sense at least.

Source: https://ampereanalysis.com/

It’s undeniable that Xbox’s Series X is a technological marvel that boasts more power and affordability than its competitors. Despite this, the market response has been lukewarm, and Xbox struggles to gain traction in comparison to the PlayStation.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/fksfsx/xbox_series_x_vs_playstation_5_specs_comparison 

In a strategic move to bolster their console sales, Xbox introduced Game Pass, a subscription service offering a plethora of games for a monthly fee. While Game Pass has garnered attention, it hasn’t been enough to sway the masses towards Xbox.

Source: https://www.statista.com/ 

I’m not a fan of subscriptions and prefer one-time purchases which give me the games forever. Unlike subscriptions, which, if not a game being removed from the subscription, then maybe I fail to pay for it (due to the hefty prices) and lose access to all those games. It’s a weak reason when you look at the number of games you get from subscriptions, but it’s a reason nonetheless. With PC gaming, I don’t have to worry about that or paying for online play. Surely this means PC gaming is the way right? But that’s a topic for another article.

Reflecting on personal experiences, there’s a palpable sense of revulsion towards Xbox. But first, allow me to exclude myself because, over time, I have grown to love both platforms but cannot deny that growing up in a PlayStation-dominated country definitely made me a little biased. But I’ve since outgrown that.

Conversations with friends reveal a surprising preference for PlayStation over Xbox despite the pricing being in favor of Xbox with its pricing being in the ranges of K6,000 for the Xbox Series S to K10,000 for the Series X and the PlayStation 5 ranging between K10,000 and K15,000. With it even being as much as K30,000 at launch. The biggest and most common reason for this preference was, “My friend owns a PS4, if I get an Xbox, we won’t be able to trade games or share accounts”. A deeper dive led me to note that there isn’t a reason related to hardware or software, but more of what was already out there and commonly used. Buying games can be costly. But if I buy 1 game and then trade it with friends to have an opportunity to play lots of games and still not spend thousands of Kwachas on games, that wouldn’t be the case if they bought an Xbox instead. If money must be spent, having a shared account on which we would purchase games with funds we’d put together allows us to spend less on games because everyone would chip in.

I find that this is more a community thing than a preference. But when it comes to preferences, seeing people prefer last-gen consoles like the PS4 over the new-gen Xbox Series S, knowing full well that they would be getting a more powerful new-gen console is a show of how much people prefer PlayStation over Xbox.

Communities have built an ecosystem for PlayStation players; from account sharing to trading CDs. And because of PlayStation’s exclusives, the gaming community has a strong PlayStation foundation. I have gamed on PlayStation for most of my life because I have friends who are also on PlayStation. With cross-play being a relatively new entry into the scene, CD sharing was the primary source of diversity in playing a vast number of games without buying them yourself, and that remains the case today. Rumours of Xbox leaving behind physical copies of games and going fully digital with their next console do not bode well for the local gaming scene, and honestly wouldn’t be a good look on the larger gaming industry. Luckily these are rumours that have been debunked by Microsoft’s Gaming CEO Phil Spencer (more on that here https://www.thegamer.com/ )

Image source: https://gamerant.com/

Xbox’s Series X, although more readily available, hasn’t translated into a significant market advantage. This was especially evident at the peak of COVID-19 and noteworthy in the U.S., where the PlayStation 5 faced scarcity issues due to scalpers inflating prices. Even with that, Xbox was still trailing behind PlayStation. This also translated the same in Zambia, seeing that people would rather watch for availability on Amazon and still miss the chance to purchase a PlayStation 5, over the available Xbox Series X.

Source: https://www.shortform.com/

In light of these factors, it is clear that Xbox isn’t surrendering in the console wars, rather, it is redefining the terms of engagement. Xbox’s strategy appears to be focused on expanding its influence beyond hardware sales and exclusive titles, aiming instead to establish a more inclusive ecosystem where games are accessible across multiple platforms. This shift, fueled by innovations like Game Pass and cross-platform availability suggests that Xbox is positioning itself as a service-driven brand rather than a console-centric competitor. As the gaming landscape evolves, this could mark a pivotal moment where traditional console wars give way to a broader, more interconnected gaming experience.