It’s been a pretty crazy week for the two biggest console giants, Microsoft and Sony. The impending release of their upgrade consoles loom, and with Sony’s divisive PlayStation event sending fans into a frenzy of joy or hate, Microsoft jumped at the chance to take to the stage of social media and give their competitor some side eye.
It’s time to kick back, escape the heat of the sun, and check out this fresh shade.
First up, we have the official Xbox account, which straight after the announcement of the PS4 pro hit back at Sony, specifically targeting the fact that the PS4 Pro will not support 4k Bluray. It’s not exactly subtle, the check marks relating to the main announcements, and the ways in which they think they’re superior, being 40% smaller and cheaper.
4K streaming & Blu-Ray ✅
HDR gaming ✅
Greatest games ✅
40% smaller ✅
Xbox One S from $299: https://t.co/GzguOUfMeV pic.twitter.com/vWb6r1x9PD— Xbox (@Xbox) September 7, 2016
However, this was just the tip of the shade iceberg. Aaron Greenberg, head of Microsoft marketing, quoted said tweet soon after, just to make sure Sony got the message.
And a great lineup of exclusive games coming this holiday! @ReCoreGame @ForzaMotorsport @GearsofWar @DeadRising https://t.co/7PvySy3keD
— Aaron Greenberg 🙅🏼♂️💚U (@aarongreenberg) September 7, 2016
Greenberg pointed out the amount of great exclusives also coming soon, showcasing a strong holiday season for Xbox. These titles will also be available on PC through the Play Anywhere scheme, with Xbox heralding an end to console exclusivity.
Proud to bring True 4K gaming & most powerful console ever made coming with Project Scorpio https://t.co/kTiy4cdtBo https://t.co/ipIGJWI1r1
— Aaron Greenberg 🙅🏼♂️💚U (@aarongreenberg) September 7, 2016
As if that wasn’t enough, he came back half an hour letter to put another nail in the coffin, pointing out that Xbox’s answer to the few differences between the PS4 Pro and the Xbox One S is coming soon, and bringing with it True 4k. Project Scorpio claims to be the most powerful console yet, with 6 teraflops to the PS4 Pro’s 4.2.
Mod support ✅
Backward Compatibility ✅
Fastest, most reliable gaming network ✅ https://t.co/XS7pwdZWHB— Xbox UK (@xboxuk) September 9, 2016
The war resumed 2 days later, when after poor PSN network conditions and the announcement that Fallout 4 would not be receiving mod support on PS4 (because of a seemingly open wounds dispute between Bethesda and Sony) Xbox UK took to the shade stage to really twist the knife. They pointed out that it has a more reliable network, mod support, and the elusive backwards compatibility the PS4 lacks, with Sony only allowing select games to be played behind a paywall through PS NOW.
ICYMI: Xbox One owners have been enjoying @Fallout 4 mods since May. Details https://t.co/6p7DAqjIhf pic.twitter.com/ktCYIhIFkx
— Larry Hryb 💫✨ (@majornelson) September 9, 2016
Major Nelson also came in with the final haymaker of the week, pointing out how Xbox One owners have been enjoying the mod support for months, whereas PS4 owners have had to stick with the base game.
I've been public about my dislike of the negative dialog. We should stay focused on what we are building for Xbox gamers.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) September 9, 2016
Phil Spencer finally intervened, who isn’t very happy with the consistent negative dialogue, hoping that they can both just focus on the fans.
