PS4 vs. Xbox One: Who Won January 2017?

PS4 in January 2017

2017 gaming has been kicked off with an impressive January that brought some strong exclusives and third-party blockbusters. I’m not sure anyone expected to see the Resident Evil franchise so reinvigorated after Capcom decided to finally go back to the series’ roots. All in all, it was an impressive start. But it was also a time where we got to see a glimpse of what Sony and Microsoft are bringing to the table for the year.

It’s no secret that Sony closed off 2016 strong. After months of Xbox One leading in monthly sales, the PS4 finally found its footing again thanks to the release of some big games (Final Fantasy XV and The Last Guardian) and new hardware in the form of PSVR and the PS4 Pro, so all the attention was on Sony to carry that momentum into 2017. So far, they seem to be accomplishing just that.

While not much is ever expected from January – you have to give these companies some time to really pick up the pace – it was all about the games. There wasn’t much in the way of offerings for the month, yet the PS4 never seemed short of solid experiences. Kingdom Hearts 2.8, Gravity Rush 2, and Tales of Berseria had exclusives sitting high. Then there were third-party experiences to keep things interesting in the form of Hitman: The Complete First Season and Resident Evil 7 which had exclusive VR compatibility on the PS4.

The PS4 really kept the rate of games up, receiving hit after hit throughout the weeks, keeping owners entrenched in one experience or another. Seeing as how the first months are normally on the slow side as the industry tends to wait for around Spring for big games, this was a pleasant surprise.

Outside of games, there wasn’t much else going on, but that’s perfectly fine. We got an experience that takes advantage of the PS4 Pro and something that showed off the immersive capabilities of the PSVR – while also scaring the crap out of everyone brave enough to try it. It was good to see Sony keep it simple while also showing off that its all about the games. Not a bad way to set the tone for an entire year. 

Xbox One in January 2017

January didn’t start off the best for the Xbox One, with the cancellation of Scalebound and the realization that there’s not much in the way of exclusives for the console over the next few months. But consoles have managed without many exclusives in the past. Intelligent use of third-party agreements, marketing, and momentum are good methods of compensation. Unfortunately, if that is Microsoft’s plan of attack, there was no hint of it to kick of the year.

Game wise, the Xbox One relied primarily on whatever third-party developers decided to put out. Hitman: The Complete First Season and Resident Evil 7 did help when it came to having something to play, but it was hardly enough to really make the console itself stand out. This is especially true when you think about the Pro support and PSVR compatibility on one of those titles, it places the Xbox One into more of a shadow.

There was some good news in January, though. Phil Spencer did share that he tried some new games and even spoke about Project Scorpio, which is certainly exciting. But there was nothing to actually see, which isn’t doing Microsoft any favors. It does inspire hope for the future, but as far as January goes, it was lacking.

So Who Won?

While the Xbox One is still a solid console, when it comes to January there’s honestly no contest. 2017 opened up being all about the games, and the console that really brought it was the PS4. Both shared a lot of third-party titles, including one of the biggest games of the month. Yet it was Sony that really expanded beyond that with a strong exclusive lineup, which was just a small fraction of the total set up for the year.

Of course, this was only the first month, and there’s still plenty of time to turn things around. January was only a glimpse into 2017 as a whole, but it isn’t written in stone. Sure, first impressions are important, but Microsoft has proven capable of coming back from a rough patch. Until they do, though, PS4 is crowned the victor.