This console generation so far has by far been the bloodiest one, in terms of sheer fanboyism. Lines have been drawn since early and gamers have been moving back and forth crossing the line depending on their preferences. Well personally for me Playstation had been a preferred platform of choice up until 2005, when Microsoft made the all so important decision and released the Xbox 360, one full year ahead of PS3, meaning the start of healthy new competition.
This move by Microsoft proved to be a game changer in this all so monopolized gaming industry, where Sony was calling all the shots and Playstation was the ruling King. Now what this meant was that Xbox 360 got a one year head start over PS3, in the current console generation, providing ample time for the developers to perfect their know how with the Xbox 360 hardware.
Best Package?
It must be said here that the overall quality of Xbox 360 launch titles was rather underwhelming considering all the promises of never before seen next generation experience. But on the other hand the developers kept on working hard making all so publicized next gen experience a reality and it paid off by the time PS3 released. Microsoft managed to pull off a stunner in the shape of Gears of War, in comparison to which every PS3 launch title failed to impress, for the obvious reasons.
Xbox 360 taking the one year advantage kept on enjoying its success, even though PS3 did manage to produce some amazing AAA titles but there sales were never so promising when compared to Xbox 360 exclusives due to a larger console base. After all it’s all about the sales and profits in the end, in order to continue providing quality stuff and surviving in this tough industry.
Everyone was doubtful, even the hardcorest of the PS3 fans, up until 2009, when games like Killzone2, Infamous and all so important Uncharted 2 were released, which apparently set a benchmark for all the games to follow. No one can deny the quality of these titles, unmatched by any other console this year. But the sad part is that still these titles failed to manage those stellar sales enjoyed by the counterparts of the likes of Gears of War and Halo. Multiplatform titles also tend to sell better on Xbox 360 mainly due to superior online service provided by Xbox Live. Now all this could mean a disaster.
Survival of the Richest!
After all how long can Sony afford to keep on making such games of unmatched quality but managing such mediocre sales in the end. This does not sound financially viable either for Sony or the developers, which is apparent by seeing so many PS3 exclusives moving onto Xbox 360 this generation. Also price cuts forced by strong competition resulting in even lower profits, don’t help either. Xbox with such a strong financial backing by all those Microsoft $$$ will sure not back down by any challenge proposed by the competitors, anytime soon.
With PS3 just starting to make profits and only recently being able to utilize the full potential of PS3, while Microsoft realizing paling quality of its exclusives compared to PS3’s, so what if Microsoft again manages to pull off a next generation console ahead of Sony, this time with a possible even 2 year head start. A new generation console in the market already against PS3 could mean a possible disaster for Sony, already struggling with all those lackluster software sales. Also Microsoft charging for their online service means more profits while free PSN service doesn’t help Sony with any profits either. Now this means a possible danger for this all so healthy competition resulting in some of the most amazing games ever. With Microsoft working on Project Natal targeting all those casual gamers, Sony needs to stay in with the competition for their own survival. We here pray this doesn’t happen, and Sony-Microsoft continue to make quality games for the sake of competition, enjoying blockbuster sales equally thus creating a win-win situation for us- the gamers.