Which Console Is Winning 2016 So Far?

PlayStation 4

The PlayStation 4 has been topping the charts almost every month since its release, and 2016 so far has stuck to that same script. Sony’s console topped both January and February hardware sales according to NPD figures. March’s figures will be available later this month.

It’s not all good news though. Unfortunately for fans of Sony’s PS4, one of its two exclusives so far, Street Fighter V, had a bit of a rocky start when it released back in February. On the flip side though, Jonathan Blow’s The Witness, our Game of the Month for January, had fans covering notepads, backs of hands and any other writable surface they could find with elaborate puzzle solutions. Looking a little further ahead, Sony will be bolstering their exclusive lineup with Ratchet and Clank, Uncharted 4, and No Man’s Sky releasing over the next three months.

In terms of announcements made with regards to the future of the PS4, the console is set to go all in with virtual reality. This could ultimately become a make or break moment for the console. If the PSVR takes off as a peripheral, like the pre-order figures are suggesting, then the PlayStation 4 could add another string to its bow. On the other hand, if it fails to live up to expectations, the PSVR could cost Sony, and those developers working on PSVR games, a ton of time and money that could have otherwise been pumped into a non-VR future for the PS4. Either way, it will be a while before we get to fully see how it all plays out.

Xbox One

It’s hard to judge how the Xbox One is doing as far as console sales go other than just knowing that it’s behind the PlayStation 4. There are no exact figures to point to. There are comments from people such as EA’s Chief Financial Officer, Blake Jorgensen, who suggested the Xbox One was being outsold 2:1 by the PS4, but still, it’s difficult to gauge the sales success of the console in recent months.

Console sales aside, the Xbox One has done some good things on the games front. The console just saw the release of the hotly-anticipated Quantum Break, its first big AAA exclusive of 2016. Combine this with a steady stream of new games coming to the Xbox One’s backwards-compatible library, and some solid games coming to Games With Gold this month, it’s not hard to make the argument that Microsoft has put the effort in to keep Xbox One owners content in the early parts of 2016.

However, the immediate future looks a little bleak. We know the likes of Halo Wars 2, Crackdown 3, and Gears of War 4 are all coming at some point this year, but only Gears 4 has a solid release date of the three. Of course, this may all come in due time at E3, but based on current knowledge, aside from Quantum Break and the upcoming Gears, fans of Microsoft’s console don’t have many big-name exclusive experiences to look forward to.

With HoloLens due to have some form of compatibility with the Xbox One, the distant future for the console is definitely an exciting one. Augmented Reality has the potential to have a lot more practical uses than VR, though how it will be used with gaming is yet to be fully explored.

Wii U

The Wii U enters another year of being on the market with the shadow of the NX looming around every corner. In fact, it seems you can’t get away from the rumors about Nintendo’s next console wherever you look. Regardless, the Wii U’s sales figures have passed 12 million, and the system has received a couple of exclusive experiences in 2016 so far.

March saw the release of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and Pokkén Tournament to Nintendo’s home console. Looking forward to the next couple of months, the Wii U has both Star Fox Guard and Star Fox Zero releasing at the end of this month, as well as Mini Mario and Friends. Just like the Xbox One, the Wii U has a couple more exclusives lined up for sometime in 2016, but no firm release dates quite yet.

Still, while the Wii U definitely has some life left in it, the NX is the future of the company’s home console efforts, and that future may not be so far away. Depending on who you want to believe, there are rumors that the NX might even be out this year.

Regardless of what you want to believe or are hoping for as far as the NX goes, the Wii U 2016 lineup looks to have some excellent first-party titles to keep fans happy.

Winner?

2016 has mostly been a battle between Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Where one gets the advantage in one instance, the other trumps with another feature or announcement.

The PlayStation 4 is certainly looking strong going into the next few months with an exclusive game coming every month from now until June. While the Xbox One has Quantum Break, it has mostly been keeping fans busy by expanding its backwards compatibility and adding popular games such as Sunset Overdrive to Games with Gold. Expect both companies though to provide a lot more details on exclusives for this year in June at E3. Both also have long term plans to implement a new way to play in the form of HoloLens and PSVR respectively, and of course, are getting strong third party support.

The Wii U, however, is in a tough spot. Its lack of third party titles should come as no surprise, and while it has a strong lineup of exclusives both already available, and coming soon in the future, outside of loyal Nintendo fans, it’s all probably still not enough to pull fans away from the experiences currently available on the PS4 and Xbox One, especially when a new console looms in the background. Many people on the fence about getting a Wii U, will probably wait and see what the NX is first.

In reality, 2016 shows much potential for both Sony and Microsoft. While the PS4 has continued to develop on its sales lead over the Xbox One with successive wins in January and February, Xbox One has taken steps to become a part of the Universal Windows Platform. It may not seem like a big deal now, but this could become a huge part of the Xbox One’s future, especially with HoloLens functionality.

With rumors surrounding both the Xbox One and PS4 with regards to potential new versions of each console, the rest of the year could look pretty interesting. Increased horsepower in both systems could open the door to a whole new wave of exclusives experiences on Xbox One and PS4. If this is the case, it’ll be these announcements alongside others at E3 (NX, perhaps?) that will make the end of this year particularly exciting. We’ll just have to hold tight for now.