Who Will Win, Xbox One or PS4, in 2016?
We all like to think the console wars are a thing of the past, but if one thing is clear since Next Gen consoles, it’s still being waged. So for 2016, who will win the hearts and minds of gamers? This will be part 1 of 2 giving perspective on both sides. Admittedly I’m an Xbox gamer so we will start with Microsoft.
To start off, 2016 is going to be a slow year. Currently there are not too many exclusives scheduled for the first 2 quarters (let alone the last two). So why will Xbox win? There are many factors, the largest being Backwards Compatibility. The program received great reception in the closing of 2015, and now gamers have the ability to go onto the website and request which games they would like to see next (looking at you Red Dead Redemption). This program has given gamers a reason to go back and play old favorites, while at the same time pushing those still on the fence about getting a One, to finally take the plunge and get into the next gen era.
Speaking of taking the plunge, given that Microsoft reported record console sales for last year, what better way to win than to reduce the price of the console? We saw holiday sales with fantastic bundle options, but since this May will be the 3rd anniversary of the consoles release, perhaps a price decrease or even a new “slim” version will present itself. We also have the greatest hits library that will be building, coupled with Games with Gold Program and weekly sales. All eyes will be on Microsoft at E3 this year, to see what is going to up and coming the next 2 or so years. How will Virtual Reality play into the console generation? We can always expect big announcements, but there should be one or two that will really get the crowd going.
So how about releases in 2016. There are several releases that folks have been waiting for. We have Tom Clancy’s The Division – an online action game – that demos have please gamers and riled up fans. The next Hitman game comes in April as well as the long awaited Quantum Break – the first major exclusive for Xbox. This game was designed with the One in mind. With wonderful motion capture graphics and physics this game is a guaranteed first day buy. We have the next “I like pain and suffering” game Dark Souls III to scratch our RPG bug and the sequel to HomeFront, which hopefully will be better than the original. Doom is also coming in mid-2016 and one that I cannot wait for. With some minimal gameplay and pictures – we hope to see more at E3 or before. Towards the end we have Fable Legends which is taking a different approach to the Fable series. And finally Recore – a futuristic game about robots and their mysterious cores that seem to power them.
Overall Microsoft has a strong lineup of games, with some exclusives and old favorites as well as some high valued AAA games. We can expect some fan service at the next E3, and perhaps some new programs in place. The next group of Backwards Compatibility will be released, hopefully with the voice of the consumer in which game will be chosen. We can expect some great reveals at E3, along with great sales and the continuation of Games with Gold program for the remainder of the year.
Does Microsoft have what it takes to win? What does Sony have for this year? Did I miss any glaring evidence of Microsofts’ domination of 2016? Post your comments below!
1up
To say there is a “console war” would be to suggest that Xbox still has a chance but the fact is that this so-called war was over before it even began. Anyway, with the PS4s heavy hitters and some fantastic looking new IPs being released this year it will be no contest, not to mention the imminent announcement of GOW4 and TLOU2, the Xbox will have a tough year in terms of competing with the PS4.
JimmyNice
While they have no chance of winning, they can gain ground this year with all the former XBox 360 fans that decided to go PS4 1st and are now looking to get a 2nd console. My best friend and I have been gamers over 30 years each and while I’ve been a “Sony Fanboy” as she calls me, she’s pretty firmly preferred the 360 last generation. She got the 360 1st and later the PS3. I got the PS3 1st and later the 360. We both thought each consoles had great unique titles (I loved Alan Wake!) but got all our cross gen stuff on our console of choice.
This time around we both went PS4 1st…. and we are both now just starting to get the itch for a 2nd console because of stuff like Tomb Raider (my friends FAV series, I can wait for it on PS4) and awesome indies like Ori & Cupman. She got an XB1 at Christmas. Frankly she’s not impressed. She said the interface is clunky… lots of things she can do without PS+ on PS4, she has to have Gold on XB1. Said it was clear the sharing features were more of an afterthought on XB1 compared to something integrated from the beginning on PS4. She wasn’t a fan of the controller at all.
Personally, I think they have stopped the ship from sinking… but MS need to step up their game if they have issues winning over former hard core fans. I’m still interested in some of those games, but until something MASSIVE lands on XB1 that I have to have and is only on XB1… I’ll just stay here on my fence.
J.j. Barrington
So now we’re trying to break it down to just one year?
Microsoft still won’t win, though. It’s just not in the cards this gen.