Watch and Learn
One of the benefits to coming out second is being able to watch and learn from your competition. The PS4 Pro is a definite upgrade but it’s already hit a few stumbling blocks thanks to some PR confusion regarding patches, the lack of a Blu-ray drive, and some wondering if it’s too soon. Project Scorpio isn’t due out until holiday 2017, which is actually a good thing for the company. While most of the specs are probably locked in (it’s difficult to change hardware specifications so late in the game), Microsoft can definitely start getting its message in order.
Phil Spencer and the rest of the team over at Xbox can see what Sony does and take cues from their actions as well as note down what fans really didn’t enjoy. This puts them in the position of being the people pleasers as they can avoid all of the same pitfalls (if they’re smart of course). It also gives them time to build a larger library at launch as well. The PS4 Pro is kicking things off with under 20 supported titles, many of which most fans have most likely played.
There will surely be other issues that arise once the machine launches, and each one will be a learning opportunity. As will the things that Sony gets right. There’s nothing wrong with “borrowing” good practices.
