Xbox Head: Competition With Sony Is Good For Both Companies

Console Wars only exist in comment sections.

Yes, they compete, but it's always a friendly rivalry. I wish everyone else spewed out less vitriol.

I think that both Microsoft and Sony are better now because of each other. The real beneficiary is gamers.

He's right, they benefit off each other. Microsoft and Sony have both done good things for gaming after all.

I think we all remember Sega going 3rd party. That wasn't good for gaming, three consoles is a healthy amount of competition and goodness

I wish everyone shared his opinion.

Took me ages to work what I meant when I re-read it! 😂

EDIT:
Sony have so lost this last generation. Big time.
I moved from PS4 and Switch to Xbox One X and Switch nearly 3 years ago.

PS4 is just weak and the range of exclusives is so limited it’s laughable. I recently moved back to PS4 as the XBox Controller is disgusting and cheap and I cannot stand it.
I found the PS4 controller to be better quality controller, but instantly noticed how weak the hardware is.

I still stand by the opinion that the PS4 was pointless next-gen release and not worth the upgrade from PS3.

In the last 7 years, the number of AAA console exclusives on PS4 stands at:
Street Fighter V
Uncharted 4
Bloodborne
God of War
Spiderman
Last of Us II.

and that is it.
For a 7 year run, that is disgusting and in my eyes an utter failure to deliver to your customer base.

However. The next gen for me will rely on the controller. Visuals are not really improving any more now from gen-to-gen and AAA titles are getting less and less about a quality game than they are about fancy packaging. The indie games of the last 7 years have far outshine the big studios in terms of quality and originality.
The big studios development budgets are so obscenely high that they cannot risk to take a risk anymore and just produce cookie cutter games and invest in graphics.

Point in case; Uncharted 4.
Brilliant franchise but it peaked with Uncharted 2 which is an all time classic and subsequently got more boring with each sequel. Pretty game, but didn’t add anything or get any more interesting over the next two games.
Forza Horizon 4 duped me into an XBox One X and it looked incredible. After a week???... goddamn it’s a boring game.

Console manufacturers need to go back and rediscover what makes an amazing gaming experience. The controller must be the best it can be, solid and intuitive. It is THE only conduit between you and the experience. If the interface is problematic then it’s a bad experience, no matter what. Then they need to rediscover what makes a great experience. Sitting through cutscenes and QTE set pieces is..... crap and cheap.
Spider-Man and Gears of War? Garbage and vacuous.
Doom and Metroid Prime? Absolute benchmarks of what a gaming experience should be.

@Shinobi1Kenoby I actually feel the opposite way about the controllers. Not only do I feel the PS4 controllers are cheap feeling, but the left analog sick is in a terrible position for 3D games. Ideal position for 2d games, though.

If that’s the only thing that makes you prefer PS4, even if you prefer Xbox hardware, I have heard of various adapters that let you use a PS4 controller on an XBox.

Link to an article on that: https://www.lifewire.com/use-ps4-controller-on-xbox-one-4174523

I know 8BitDo makes one that lets you use basically any wireless controller on a Switch, but that’s a different story.

@TimG13 I wish Sony even acknowledged the existence of competitors. When they talk, they seem to act as if Xbox and Nintendo didn’t exist, unless asked about them directly.

@Shinobi1Kenoby I agree about PS4 exclusives being overrated. I prefer the Xbox One controller, the PS4 doesn't feel comfortable but if you prefer it yes you can use it on Xbox One, I have an adapter for using a PS4 fighting stick on Xbox One and it will work on Series X too.

@zane547 That PS4 exclusives are mostly boring interactive experiences and that he likes the Xbox One X but prefers the PS4 controller.

@Tharsman the XBox controller are just cheap, poorly made and cheap plastic. The tap-tap-rap of the sticks against the brittle cheap plastic shell is annoying and the L3 housing is appalling. I’ve never had sticks disintegrate, crunch and develop drift so fast and easily on any format. I’ve gone through probably 7 pads in 3 years.

The sticks are better places on XBox and poorly on PS4. But the build quality of PS4 pads is just better.

THE best pad so far is the Switch Pro Controller. If you could use that on any format I’d use it for everything.

@PretendWorking I’m amazed at how much sh** and nonsense I wrote. I had to go back and edit and re-write most of it as there were that many incorrect-autocorrects in it 😂.

@zane547 done it...... it was a mess.... but I Fixed it.

@zane547 gears is crap. Always was.
It’s space invaders in a very elaborate graphic engine.

Hide behind an array of strategically laid out walls in an arena, pop out, shoot stuff, move on.

Harder enemy, hide behind array of strategically laid out walls in an arena, pop out, shoot stuff

Even Harder enemy, hide behind array of strategically laid out walls in an arena, pop out, shoot stuff.

Super Harder enemy, hide behind array of strategically laid out walls in an arena, pop out, shoot stuff.

Repeat??

@zane547 PS4 was not the upgrade that PS3 was for him and by "lost" I think he means that Sony didn't make the most of the generation in terms of hardware and games (not hardware sales).

@Shinobi1Kenoby To be honest my first Xbox controller was the Elite controller so I can only talk about that and it's the best I've used. I have heard that the launch Xbox One controller feels much cheaper than the Xbox One S and Xbox One X controllers but I only play with the Elite controller so don't know.

@BlueOcean I got an elite as my fourth replacement thinking they metal stick would solve the drift and weakness issue. It didn’t, it developed drift within 3 Weeks and went straight back. Over £100 for a controller and the bit that was crap and weak beneath the sticks where it joins the PCB is the same as in the standard controller. Disgusting.

@zane547 I thought who’s this guy ragging on my lengthy post!? Then I read what I’d posted and thought....... oh dear 😂
Some of the edits took me while to remember what the hell I was saying so you had no chance 😂

@Shinobi1Kenoby Sorry about that, I know that some are faulty but did you use the guarantee?

@zane547 Hey Zane it's hard typing on a phone, you know.

@BlueOcean yep, every time. They break that quick they have always been in warranty. I’ve not had one longer than 6 months before it’s useless.
My PS4 and Switch Pro Controllers? Rock solid and never an issue.

@Shinobi1Kenoby Mine is still good, I guess I was lucky! The only thing is the rubber on one stick broke up like some PS4 controllers.

Shinobi, either your been very unlucky or have very different perceptions on quality (or have very controller aggressive children 😅). I have not only worn down plenty PS4 sticks, I seen plenty of similar cases, because they are made of a cheap rubber.
Example:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/w6YCpiPwcZY/maxresdefault.jpg

The first XBox One controller did feel plasticky and cheap to me, mostly the shoulder buttons and triggers, felt terrible. That’s never been an issue for me with the S/X controller revision. I love that controller and feel is the best controller I have ever held, It’s either that or the Switch Pro controller.

But I think this is pretty much a matter of opinion. I happen to also think Gears is a solid game series, even if it has a few repetitive entries.

@zane547 the Switch joy cons are really bad. The pro controller has seemed bomb proof. Both of em

@zane547 Typing on a phone is a nightmare indeed, at least I got a bigger one after the last broke. I'm typing on it now, too.

I think that it's also related to the way that controllers are used. I am quite gentle with my controllers and I don't have any controller that drifts but of course controllers should be able to resist heavy use. I have a Switch Lite, I'll tell you what happens with that after more time using it because the design of the sticks is similar to the joy-cons, known for their drift issues worldwide.

Probably, the pH of the sweat has something to do with the rubber disintegration of Xbox One Elite and PS4 controllers, that's a theory of mine because it happened while playing Fortnite, a game that makes me sweat.

@Tharsman I haven't heard Sony or Nintendo ever congratulating Microsoft although Microsoft and Nintendo made that cross-play trailer when Sony opted out.

@BlueOcean I think Nintendo did talk about Microsoft a few times, at least about being a good partner while doing things like releasing Banjo in Smash, and Minecraft or Ori on the Switch.

Nintendo is in an odd position, though. Given their handheld nature and low power, they play a more niche market segment that MS not Sony really compete for, even if many of the games are the same. Even then it seems Nintendo is a lot more comfortable dealing with MS, and I have a feeling it’s mostly due to Sony being harder to cooperate with.

@Tharsman I just remembered Sakurai talking positively about Microsoft and Banjo-Kazooie. Sony is harder to cooperate with and also have the worst customer service in my experience with the three of them although Nintendo should review their nineteenth century purchase and digital rights policies.

In the short term... neither are worth buying. Hardware wise, they just aren’t needed or provide any significant generational upgrade over the Pro and One X.
In addition to this, we will just get continued remasters for the first 2 years again and twin releases where the vast majority of all AAA titles will also be released on Pro and X.
I won’t even be looking to buy one till probably year 3 when the inevitable bug fixed, better design, more power, smaller model comes out. Who’s still got and plays the original 4 or One?

@Shinobi1Kenoby that's my worry. When this gen started there was constant port begging of "omg plz port xxx to xxx in 60fps!!!!!!!!"

I want a next gen console to play next gen games. Why would I buy a PS5 to play the same games I've spent the last seven years playing?

Next gen, new games.

Tho certainly the consoles themselves offer upgrades of noticable worth. PS5 has zero load times and 3D audio, alongside a controller with haptic feedback (which sounds suspiciously like they nicked HD rumble off Nintendo).

Xbox offers more power on paper and vastly reduced load times from this gen.

@SuperNintendoMii exactly! And we are already supposed to be impressed that we are getting GTAV.... again! Nearly 8 years after it launched on PS3 and 360. What’s worse is that the game is pure garbage anyway and always was.

@Shinobi1Kenoby yes I can't believe Sony lead with Gta 5. A PS3 game for crying out loud.

If rockstar are porting Gta 5, get ready for Skyrim!

@Shinobi1Kenoby
How old are you? 5?

@tinCAT-zero what’s that in response to?

@Shinobi1Kenoby
Sorry make a mistake 👍

@tinCAT-zero what mistake?

@Shinobi1Kenoby
I made a mistake. I meant to say it to someone else 🙂