Executive Standpoints and Celebrations
The console war has been bubbling away in the background of the industry for quite some time now. Who has the best system, the best exclusives, the best controller, online network, you name it, it’s been fiercely debated thousands of times. Yet, while we’ve seen executives and developers often have a bit of fun at the expense of the competition (everyone remembers Sony’s used games on the PS4 clip, right?), recent years have seen developers playing down the bitter hardware rivalry.
Most notably was Phil Spencer’s recent comment on Twitter, which boiled the console war down to “which piece of plastic I own.” However, developers and other executives have been downplaying the console war in their own ways, too. All you need to do is check out Twitter following any sort of major release and the whole industry is celebrating the success of the developer. It might not be as to the point as the Xbox boss’ comment, but it certainly helps to move the industry away from warring factions to a celebration of all the incredible experiences on offer across the board.
Different Release Schedules
Perhaps one of the most interesting ways that the console war has recently become obsolete is the different release schedules the ‘big three’ have adopted. With iterative consoles now becoming a thing in the form of the PS4 Pro and Microsoft’s Project Scorpio, players no longer have to choose between two or maybe three great-looking consoles releasing at the same time. With the Nintendo Switch, PS4 Pro, and Scorpio all releasing months apart from one another, some players may even be able to pick up all three.
It also indicates almost a lack of direct competition between the three manufacturers. They each bring their great exclusives and hardware strengths to the table, and hone in on them. Nintendo’s Switch brings console gaming to the portable market and has a bunch of stellar first-party franchises, while Sony continues to be on the brink of new and exciting ways to play with PlayStation VR and its Gaikai streaming in PlayStation Now. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform has brought the Xbox One and PC closer together than ever before with the Play Anywhere initiative, and we can’t wait to see how this foundation is developed upon further in the future.
In short, there’s no need for the three companies to compete with one another because in a way, they’re all following their own visions for the future.
Introduction of Cross-Platform Play
Who cares what console you’re playing on if you can all play together anyway? While we’re still quite a way off from comprehensive cross-platform play on all titles, the fact that developers like Rocket League’s Psyonix have at least figured out a way to get the system working is a promising sign for the future of video games.
After all, if everyone can play together, what difference does it make what system you’re playing on? Sure, there will still be debates going on about which console offers better framerates, but at least with cross-platform play we’ll be able to settle it all with a friendly game of Rocket League or two instead. Besides, if Microsoft and Sony can put their differences aside to provide you with a universal online platform to play on, we certainly can too as we blast each other in the face.
Third-Party Power
Third-party developers have had a huge part to play in this generation, and while they’ve not always remained impartial, the number of developers releasing their titles across all systems (though sometimes after a timed-exclusivity deal) has certainly led to a blending of the console experiences.
After all, some of the biggest and best games each year come from third-party developers and release on the major systems at the same time. Sure, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo will always offer their own exclusive experiences, but these make up a small chunk of each system’s library. As such, players across all platforms are, for the most part, getting the same experiences. It may run a tiny bit smoother on one system over another, but these differences are often so marginal you’d hardly be able to notice. And there’s certainly no need to “war” over that.
