Is everything going according to Sony's plan? Playing Microsoft like a damn fiddle

The Past

I can't help but notice Sony's been playing 4D chess while Microsoft's been playing checkers in that they've been several steps ahead of them this generation. To start things off we'll look at the mind games Sony was playing with Microsoft at the beginning of the generation. Everything from the $399 price point, the more powerful hardware, bringing indie developers to their side, and of course the whole DRM and used games thing. At this point everyone knows the Xbox One reveal was a mess.

The Present

I think even the most hardcore of cows can admit that Microsoft has been making some improvements. Phil Spencer seemingly discovered powerful hardware and backwards compatibility for the first time in history. The Xbox One X having the most powerful console hardware hasn't had much of an effect (or any at all) in terms of market share. Now why is that?

• We are already midway through the generation, power tends to be far more important at the start of a generation (which Microsoft fumbled on)
• The impact has already been felt as most gamers picked the PS4 as their primary console for the generation and their friends are following suit (over a 2:1 lead in favor of the PS4 at this point)
• The exclusives: I'm sure everyone's heard enough of this at this point. The PS4 has been stomping the Xbox One in terms of both quality and quantity. While Microsoft has been focusing their efforts on other things, Sony's main focus has been to deliver the games, which is the main thing gamers expect as a generation goes on. Microsoft is completely backwards in their thinking and are now far behind. Not to mention the power difference is hardly felt when games like God Of War look better than anything on Xbox.
• One more minor point not to forget is that the PS4 still has the most powerful base model ,which is the highest selling compared to the higher end models.

The Future

Now on to the most important part. Sony continues to pump out high quality exclusives and they currently have an impressive lineup of exclusives for the future such as Spider-Man, Ghost of Tsushima, Dreams, The Last of us Part 2, Death Stranding. Phil Spencer has said they are looking to do the same but obviously building up their 1st party will take considerable time, even more so now as game development takes longer and is more costly.

Sony has positioned themselves as the ones with the games (alongside Nintendo) in the eyes of gamers worldwide and the media. This will be very important as we draw closer and closer to the next generation, where things like hardware and services will see major revamps (also keeping in mind the current CEO of SIE is a service based individual). Sony will once again be able to gain attention for things like power and new services, most importantly leading into the new gen will be backwards compatibility.

Sony has conditioned people not to expect BC so they will gain huge praise with the PS5 when it is announced to have full BC with PS4 games (and will improve said games as well). Very similar to the game Sony played with the PS4 and expectations at the very start. This will be very key as Sony has already won the most important generation yet with the PS4.

What makes this gen so important? Everyone and their mom knows the PS4 has over a 2:1 lead over the Xbox One at this point. This generation saw a huge shift towards services. Now more than ever people will be expecting their games and accounts to carry over similar to what PC gamers have had with Steam. With so many gamers already inside the Playstation ecosystem, you can expect this to have huge carry over into future generations and you can expect these gamers to bring their friends as well. Microsoft fumbled in what should have been their most important generation yet to gain larger market share. This generation has been a tremendous win for Sony and will be felt for generations to come.

Fiddler on the roof, terrible movie.

To be honest, if MS couldnt "win" vs Sony last generation when Sony was in the biggest financial crisis any company could ever be PLUS with PS3 being a super problematic and overpriced product for the masses then right there i knew they wont have a second chance.

I mean PS3 lost some of the most iconic exclusives PS brand had since PS1. Games like Tekken, Final Fantasy and more. PS3 lost being the lead console for developers with many games play better on X360. It was overpriced with fancy tech yet was underperforming for the price. Had a very rough time to sell the first 2 years. All the promises Sony was making that graphics will be something special ... failed. And the list goes on and on... And still...

And if they had any chance they just kicked it hard by following the motion controls trend Wii introduced..... I mean.. Disaster.

So i dont think Sony playing chess with MS. Sony does what they do since PS1 (aside PS3 which was underwhelming for many reasons though in the end of the day still it got the usual support with great exclusives ) and that is providing new AAA ips and game after game after game till the very end of each generation.

At least PS3 teached Sony a lesson. That fancy, complicated, super expensive hardware wont do the trick so they made PS4 as simple as it could be with a nice affordable price and a simplified architecture for developers to do their best. Simple stuff that worked.

MS shoot their on feet. Sony did nothing different or special with PS4

Agree on the wii controls. Total shit fest. But this VR thing sony is doing. It's like pets.com all over again.

The Wii controls were great. The problem is they weren't as advanced which you can see in some parts of Twilight Princess (the stab forward movement). Though overall, they made gameplay a lot more fun, and you can turn them on their side like a regular controller. The only time the Wiimote really sucked was during Mario Kart (that analog stick just can't be beat there). It was great at the time, but they wanted better motion controls which is why some were excited for the Wii 2; their ideal was an HD Wii with better online, more storage, Wii Sports 2, and better motion controls. Instead they got the Wii U: ugly and bulky tablet, hardcore third party AAA games, and an expensive console that had no value in their eyes. Those were the ones who WEREN'T fooled by the Wii U name.

Though Microsoft did **** up by adding the Kinect. Most Wii owners were not going to jump on the Xbox 360 since they didn't have a cute Sports game, a cute dance game, or Mario. They tried to do a Just Dance and Wii Fit rip off, but that didn't work. Brand loyalty had set in for the most part, and most of them liked the aesthetic of Just Dance over Dance Central.

Wii controls were great ... come on now. Come on. I can accept only words like shit, bad, atrocious, overhyped, not 100% responsive, bullshit ... and if youre die hard fan you can say something like DECENT at best. But great ... no ! just no !

I did an analysis on X1 the time it released. All MS tried to do was to be the next Wii by providing what Wii U couldnt. But casuals done with motion controls crap trend and X1 sunk because made PS4 look like a far better option with a far better price as well. And thats because motion controls was nothing more than a bubble casuals had fun for a while. Nothing great about them.

I hated the wii controls. Loved metroid prime, but the wii controls ruined it. Made it hard to do basic things.

They were great for the time and immersive in my opinion. They made gaming fun. Now they were annoying in moments that they needed to be precise (stab forward move in Twilight Princess), but they were enjoyable for the most part.

MS wasn't trying to be like the Wii. Not even the Wii U tried to be like the Wii. The Wii U tried to go for hardcore gamers, but failed. Then they tried to regroup and go for families, but failed. Lesson: hardcore gamers don't want leftover ports and weaker tech, plus they are brand loyalists. Families won't spend $400+ on a console, controller, and games.

I think casuals would have gone for a Wii 2 that was HD, had upgraded motion controls, better online, and great games at launch for $275 ($300 with Wii Sports 2 bundle). Though Nintendo was done with casuals. They were done with them in 2010. Such a shame. They threw away 101 million potential loyalists for hardcore gamers that will never see Nintendo as a primary console. Went from a clean blue ocean to a bloody shark infested red one. Dumbest decision ever made.

Microsoft has been their own worst enemy this gen. All Sony can do is keep doing what they do. XBox has a lot of ground to cover when it comes to making quality IP. They have not been on the ball there. Everything else is just detaila.

Sony understands their demographic better and also understands how to serve their niche markets while MS seems Clueless at times.

It sounds easy for Sony to just continue with what they're doing and have a smooth time next gen, but it's just as easy for them to screw up in a single move. I hope they don't do something dumb.

Long story short, or tldr... backward compatibility now important to cows in the PS5 world.

MS are completely screwed this gen and probably next gen as well.