Sony Doesn't Plan to Imitate Microsoft's Xbox and PC Unification Strategy, Exec Suggests

Microsoft's push to unite its Xbox One and PC audiences won't impact Sony's plans, according to Sony Interactive Entertainment president Andrew House.

During Sony's investor relations event House was asked whether Microsoft's new unification strategy was being perceived as a threat, and if PlayStation would do anything to counter it.

"I always hesitate to be drawn into discussions of someone else's strategy," he said. "I'm more than happy to talk about our own strategy. Yes, there was a big emphasis from the folks at Microsoft on Xbox and PC cross-play. It remains to be seen wether there is latent large consumer demand for that.

"But we don't see it as really effecting or prompting any change in our thought process and strategy," he continued. "We've always tended to believe that a proprietary ecosystem offering a very well crafted, unified client experience is the way to go, and that sort of remains our strategy."

One of the ways Microsoft's vision of bringing together PC and Xbox One players has manifested is cross-platform multiplayer for Rocket League. Microsoft has invited Sony to also connect its audience. Sony hasn't shown much interest in doing so.

Another way Microsoft is bringing together the Xbox and PC audiences is through Xbox Play Anywhere, which allows games to be purchased once and then played across both platforms at no extra cost. You can see the list of upcoming games that support Xbox Play Anywhere by clicking here.

Of course, the cross-pollination of audiences is also enabled by the inclusion of an Xbox app in Windows 10. The next major update for Microsoft's operating system will have "key gaming features," according to Xbox engineering lead Mike Ybarra. Among these are the ability for all Xbox Ones to act as development kits, as well as background music and support for the Siri-like Cortana digital assistant. Read more about the update here.