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This console cycle has not been user-friendly for Microsoft and the Xbox One. Microsoft's problems began as early as the second revelation of Xbox One in 2013 – not only did the company reveal a console that seemed to put the game last, but it also took a cumbersome approach to managing digital rights who immediately suffered many backlashes. Although Microsoft canceled many of these controversial decisions before launching the console, the damage was done.
Today, the Xbox One is behind the PS4 by an unknown amount – but probably still important -. There seems to be little hope that Xbox One will ever catch up with PS4 sales, and we can probably point to this first revelation as the main cause. Add to that a small range of exclusive games and the Xbox One becomes even less attractive to mainstream consumers.
Even though the Microsoft generation was quite disappointing, I would say that the company won it by occupying second place – apart from sales for life, of course. Microsoft seems to do more to advance the gaming industry than Sony, perhaps because it knows it can not catch up with PS4 and so it has not to worry about creating value that only extends to Xbox One and no further.
I think one of the best examples of this is Microsoft's decision to put all of its exclusive games in the first game on PC. When Microsoft first announced this new initiative, it puzzled me because it meant that there was even less reason for the owner of a capable gaming PC to buy an Xbox One. If a PC player decided to buy a console, Microsoft's decision to integrate its exclusive Xbox One games on the platform meant that it would definitely buy a PS4.
Nevertheless, even if it does not really make much sense from the point of view of the console manufacturer, it is excellent for PC gamers because it means they no longer need to buy a separate console to play the game. games like Forza Horizon 4 or Sea of Thieves. It's a pleasure to see the company give computer games a bit of love, especially considering its position as a Windows developer.
Another thing that I think is helping to move the gaming industry forward is the Xbox Game Pass, and it's something that, in my opinion, would never have existed if Microsoft had totally dominated that generation. Whatever the case may be, the Xbox Game Pass offers a very good value for money. As sad as it may be, it seems almost unheard of in this era of video games designed to make the most money out of players.
At worst, it's an inexpensive way for players to bridge the gap between major releases, but I guess for some, this is the main way to play games on Xbox One. I'm really excited to see where the Xbox Game Pass is going in the future, and I hope that subscription services with game downloads will persist in the next generation and improve in the future. from there.
In fact, the Xbox Game Pass has already had an impact on the sector, since Sony has reversed game downloads for PlayStation Now in September. Previously, PlayStation Now was just a streaming service, and I'm tempted to say that without Game Pass competition, we would never have seen this feature on PS Now.
Then we come to the device which, for me, really animates this idea: the Xbox Adaptive controller. Revealed and launched earlier this year, the Xbox Adaptive Controller allows users to attach a variety of switches or buttons and map them to the function of their choice. With its large integrated buttons and flat design, it is designed to be a solution for disabled players who prevent them from using a normal gamepad.
In short, I think this controller is great and Microsoft should be commended for taking the time and resources to develop it. All that allows more people to enjoy the game is a victory in my book. The Xbox adaptive controller is an excellent device and the game world is better for its existence.
Microsoft also seemed very early to adhere to the idea of cross-platform functionality, at least in the context of this console cycle. Would it have been different if Microsoft was above Sony instead of Sony? Maybe, and we can even say it's likely, given Microsoft's own resistance to the previous generation's cross-game idea. This time, however, Microsoft has a lot to gain from the cross-platform game because one of its biggest titles, Minecraft, is available on many different platforms of the Xbox family.
The reality is that, when Psyonix said that he was ready to switch the switch to multiplayer multiplayer in Rocket League two years ago, Microsoft seemed to approve the idea almost immediately. Although he rejected the idea of cross-reading when the Xbox 360 was at its peak, we really can not accuse him of delaying his arrival in the current cycle of the console.
We then have what Microsoft plans to do in the future, namely the independent game streaming from the device. We do not have specific details about the launch, the operation or the costs, but the Microsoft goal, stated in the E3 2018, is to provide "a quality console game on any issue". which device ". big business, because so far, streaming games was a fairly limited business.
Of course, Sony deserves congratulations for its role in advancing streaming games with PlayStation Now, which is one of the few successful examples of a games streaming platform. PlayStation Now support has disappeared from many platforms since its launch. Last year, Sony narrowed the list of supported PlayStation Now platforms to PlayStation 4 and the PC, so that Microsoft is moving in the opposite direction.
In fact, no matter which streaming platform Microsoft works on, it's likely to take years, and for now at least, there's no guarantee that it will work as expected. Yet this is an example where Microsoft is maximizing the work done with cloud computing and Azure to give users more ways to play games. Even though his brand of streaming games is not really agnostic at the time of his arrival, it's encouraging. something to see.
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Sony naturally deserves praise for everything it did during this generation of consoles. Some of the PlayStation 4 exclusives we've seen in the last five years have propelled the game to a whole new level and many of them are some of the best games of the generation.
However, Microsoft – perhaps motivated by the fact that the Xbox One will always play the role of second to PlayStation 4 – has done many things less focused on improving games and more on improving the number of players. Whether it's the Xbox Adaptive Controller, the Xbox Game Pass or the implementation of Xbox exclusives on PC, they were all made in order to make the games more accessible to more people. I'm not about to tell people to start choosing an Xbox One over a PlayStation 4, but when all these initiatives are taken together, they contribute greatly to reducing the perceived gap between Sony and Microsoft of this generation.
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