The PlayStation 4 is apparently sold out at all retailers, according to an IGN report for a recent closed door PlayStation Summit. Despite this, there is a constant and regular supply happening to avoid shortages.

SCE America marketing head John Koller also stated that, “This is a story of engagement. When demand outstrips supply, the promise of what’s to come is really critical.” Other figures revealed include 34 million hours of collective play time per week for users, 50 million hours of general usage, 48 million screenshots and videos shared thus far, 1.7 million hours of Twitch and Ustream video sharing, and about 90 percent of all consoles already being Internet-ready.

It was also announced at the Summit – and later confirmed on the official PlayStation Twitter that more than 100 games will be releasing for the console this year. We assume this includes both third and first party titles (naturally) but there’s already been plenty of indication that Sony will be dropping news on new exclusives soon. Stay tuned for more details.

Sony and Nintendo are a formidable force in the gaming industry- not only are they among the leading providers of gaming hardware, but they have an arsenal of enviable franchises and games that are exclusive only to their systems, because they are made and owned by them and their internal studios. The reason that PlayStation and Nintendo consoles sell is because they are guaranteed compelling games that you won’t be able to play anywhere else.

Microsoft, though, seems to disagree with this philosophy. OXM reports that Microsoft Studios boss Phil Spencer believes that owning a wealth of first party studios is not necessary to deliver a catalog of compelling exclusive content.

“I think to some out there there’s a fixation with which studios you own, which studios you work with, and for better or worse I’m not fixated on that,” he said.

“I lived through the Xbox 360 generation and we had a great relationship with Epic, and we built Gears of War, and really that franchise was born on the Xbox 360 and hit incredible heights on the Xbox 360. And whether we owned Epic or simply worked with Epic was not part of the conversation [about whether] that game was going to be great.”

This is the kind of philosophy that seems to be driving Microsoft on the Xbox One as well- games like Dead Rising 3, Sunset Overdrive, Ryse: Son of Rome, or TitanFall are all exclusive to its console without being owned by Microsoft.

“Certain people will look at how many Microsoft-badged employees do you have versus Sony-badged employees, and when they start to weigh the different first parties,” he continued. “And I know there are some people that want to own their own studio, be independent, drive their business, and go completely their own way, keep their own culture.

“And I respect that – if people want to work that way, we’ll continue to work with them. I don’t see it as a barrier to what we can do together. Whether it’s Remedy, whether it’s Insomniac, whether it’s Crytek. So the relationship with Respawn? Obviously they have a publisher, EA, for their game, but it’s a strong relationship and we feel great about what they’re bringing to Xbox.”

It’s certainly a good way to get unpredictable exclusive content on your system, though it leaves you without the safety net of something like a Pokemon or an Uncharted.

Jason Rubin, who had co-founded Naughty Dog along with Andy Gavin, and was president of THQ before its bankruptcy earlier this year expressed similar views. When asked by a fan on Twitter about whether one could get more or less from the PS4 hardware versus the Xbox One, Rubin stated that:

@iamnovatribe Once drove a racetrack in mom-van with a pro driver then couldn’t beat his time driving a ferrari- Its the driver, not the car

— Jason Rubin (@Jason_Rubin) July 10, 2013

Didn’t get it? Simply put, it’s about everything but the technology inside at this point, as Rubin explains further.

@iamnovatribe Business model, indy inclusion, price, online services, community, exclusive titles, etc. may matter. The chips won’t.

— Jason Rubin (@Jason_Rubin) July 11, 2013

So even if the Xbox One is technologically weaker than the PS4, it will eventually come down to the features and games when consumers decide between each console. Of course, Rubin expressed his personal views on Cerny as well.

@iamnovatribe I think Mark Cerny’s success with PS4 is a well deserved culmination of decades of hard work and genius. I am a big fan.

— Jason Rubin (@Jason_Rubin) July 10, 2013

At this point, which console will you buying by year-end? Let us know in the comments below.

But the publisher isn’t done yet. According to Microsoft Games Studio head Phil Spencer in a short response on Twitter:

@TheLocksus Yea, we still have exclusives to reveal.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 1, 2013

There is a chance we could see titles like the next Banjo-Kazooie and Gears of War along with a new Fable. However, there’s also a chance that Lionhead Studios and Rare could be bringing out entirely new IPs for the Xbox One.

As for where these exclusives will be revealed, our money is on Gamescom. Expect a few announcements before then as well. Which exclusives are you looking forward to, or wish that Microsoft would announce?

“We just ran through our [release slate] and counted the number of exclusives, and looked at the amount of money that we’re spending and the deals that we have, exclusive windows and [things to create differentiation]. I think, candidly, people are way, way under-indexing how hard we’re punching.

“There are great hits, there’s innovation, and there are world class creators plugged in. You know, I keep track of it all, and I hope everyone here does – we kind of look back at all the different years and at what we shipped, how many units have sold. There’s a lot of hyperbole about things, but I think we’re going to deliver.”

At the Xbox Reveal, Microsoft revealed that 15 exclusive titles will be coming to the console in the first year, with 8 of those being new IPs. Titles we’re already aware of include Remedy’s Quantum Break, Turn 10 Studios’ Forza Motorsport 5 and Crytek’s Ryse.