I feel like PlayStation 5 will be the leading console of its generation, for a whole variety of reasons that at this point are well trodden territory:
I don't think that will happen, and there's a very basic and simple reason as to why: the PS4 had the benefit of launching in a market with no viable competition. Nintendo completely face planted with the biggest mainstream failure in console history, while Microsoft suffered from the worst messaging and marketing debacle in the console market of all time, which continues to plague Xbox One to this day. Sony had a clear field, the entire console market to themselves, for all practical purposes - and this, combined with their inherent strengths and advantages (as outlined above) led to the kind of utter domination we saw in the early years.
This is not to say that Sony got "lucky", or that they only won because the competition messed up. To reiterate (for the third time), Sony played their hand perfectly, and they were always going to win, no matter what, on the sheer inherent strength they have built up over the last two decades. I'm not handwaving their success as luck - I am saying the extent of their success definitely was influenced by the non-existence of any meaningful competition in the market at the time.
The PS5 launches in a vastly different market. Nintendo is resurgent, and has reasserted itself as a top seller with market-appealing exclusives. More importantly (in terms of direct competition), Xbox is in a far better position now than it was at the start of the generation. Microsoft has carefully studied its mistakes and put in the legwork to try and address the problems that took it down earlier this generation: they have purchased studios to bolster their first party, they have valuable offerings like Game Pass, plus initiatives like Play Anywhere amd BC to counter the image of them being "anti consumer"; even if Xbox ends up not doing well outside the anglosphere, in the Anglosphere, it will end up doing far better than the Xbox One did - and that success will obviously come at the expense of the PS5.
I still expect PS5 to "win" the generation in total - but I do think it won't outsell the competition as much as the PS4 did. i think a stronger Xbox will lead to Xbox clawing back some marketshare from PlayStation - enough that PS5 won't be dominant like the PS4 was (even though it will be the leader).
- PlayStation brand power
- Sony's marketing and logistical infrastructure in major markets around the world
- Sony's head start over Microsoft when it comes to great compelling exclusives that people will buy their console for
- Sony's grasp over the console market, that has just ensured that they have not had a true failure in the console market yet
I don't think that will happen, and there's a very basic and simple reason as to why: the PS4 had the benefit of launching in a market with no viable competition. Nintendo completely face planted with the biggest mainstream failure in console history, while Microsoft suffered from the worst messaging and marketing debacle in the console market of all time, which continues to plague Xbox One to this day. Sony had a clear field, the entire console market to themselves, for all practical purposes - and this, combined with their inherent strengths and advantages (as outlined above) led to the kind of utter domination we saw in the early years.
This is not to say that Sony got "lucky", or that they only won because the competition messed up. To reiterate (for the third time), Sony played their hand perfectly, and they were always going to win, no matter what, on the sheer inherent strength they have built up over the last two decades. I'm not handwaving their success as luck - I am saying the extent of their success definitely was influenced by the non-existence of any meaningful competition in the market at the time.
The PS5 launches in a vastly different market. Nintendo is resurgent, and has reasserted itself as a top seller with market-appealing exclusives. More importantly (in terms of direct competition), Xbox is in a far better position now than it was at the start of the generation. Microsoft has carefully studied its mistakes and put in the legwork to try and address the problems that took it down earlier this generation: they have purchased studios to bolster their first party, they have valuable offerings like Game Pass, plus initiatives like Play Anywhere amd BC to counter the image of them being "anti consumer"; even if Xbox ends up not doing well outside the anglosphere, in the Anglosphere, it will end up doing far better than the Xbox One did - and that success will obviously come at the expense of the PS5.
I still expect PS5 to "win" the generation in total - but I do think it won't outsell the competition as much as the PS4 did. i think a stronger Xbox will lead to Xbox clawing back some marketshare from PlayStation - enough that PS5 won't be dominant like the PS4 was (even though it will be the leader).
