Many would argue that PS5 has been up against tough competition in 2023, with releases like Starfield and the popularity of Xbox Game Pass giving Microsoft substantial momentum. But despite the discussions you may see on Twitter, Sony’s stranglehold on the new-gen video game market is only getting tighter – especially in Europe, where it’s been historically dominant.
As part of a wider article on the Xbox business, Ludostrie – which has access to industry sales data – notes that Sony is within touching distance of 90 per cent market share in France when compared with its Redmond rival. It adds that PS5 sales have exploded this year, while the Xbox Series systems have seen a significant decline in September 2023 compared to the previous year.
It should be noted that this data excludes the Nintendo Switch, which is very popular in France and also commands significant market share. But it demonstrates Sony’s unprecedented position of strength when compared with Xbox, which is likely to be consolidated with the release of the PS5 Slim model later this year. It’s going to be a big Christmas for PlayStation, it seems.
[source ludostrie.com]
Comments 109
Well, maybe MS should buy another publisher or ten. Just to make it fair.
Vive la France, Vive la PS5!
Well Europe is PlayStation Nation.
Ubisoft will be Xbox’s next acquisition. They will argue that it would only be fair to own a French company to break through the ‘Market Leaders Domination’. Pfft
If they really didn't see a Starfield boost, they're in big trouble. Microsoft looking for a way out of that CoD multiplatform requirement now.
@UltimateOtaku91 If you see how they threat us you would believe differently. 🤣
Game Pass is fantastic, but the major area of growth on that front will be PC. Microsoft is doing everything it can to make people not want to buy its consoles.
Nothing new there. Xbox games are also on PC, so it'll never sell as much.
@ThomasHL Easy to assume that, but Microsoft are playing the long game. Come back in 5+ years after the launch of next gen, once Microsoft have a new big game coming out on Game Pass at least every quarter. If they have still not clawed back some market share* then they might be in trouble.
* That said do they really need more CONSOLE market share? Xbox is bigger than a console now, it's spread across console, PC, Cloud and will no doubt push into mobile etc. If ABK continue to bring in as much as they did in the past Microsoft will be making basically the same amount of annual revenue as PlayStation, and more profit as ABK has much better margins. So do they really need to match Sony's sales numbers on the box? Fact is they have changed the landscape, perhaps things like boxes sold, while still important to a degree, are less relevant than they were.
Starfield isn’t a system seller if you ask me. People would have waited for the reviews before spending £500 in a cost of living crisis. Those reviews were not favourable and the ones that were honestly felt like they were paid to say nice things.
@themightyant I know you want to sell your Xbox mania here you why they will come on top because they have near unlimited funds. They break the market like Amazon did. They only need to starve the competition or like Amazon did stay under the prices and bankrupt the competition it's the American way.
@themightyant To be fair, people were saying "come back in five years" about Xbox five years ago.
The crazy thing is, despite the turn around in enthusiast perception, their market position is actually getting worse.
@get2sammyb @themightyant yeah, “come back when we’ve managed to spend Sony out of the industry” more like - smh
@themightyant Exactly this!
Things like PS+ Subscriptions and First Party games like Spider-Man 2 are ONLY available on Playstation. If you want to play SM2 the day it releases, you'll need to own a Playstation - so it pushes Sales of that Console.
Game Pass and Starfield are NOT exclusive to Xbox Consoles. You do NOT need an Xbox to play Starfield or Subscribe to Game Pass to play it day/date. In fact you can play it Day 1 on Cloud for example and its NOT even a Console Exclusive as it can be played on a Steam Deck.
The Series Console is purely 'optional' hardware for Microsoft. Series S is the 'entry' hardware tier with Series X offering a comparable 'premium' Gaming tier to PS5 - but Cloud is still the cheapest entry tier and PC's can offer the 'highest' tier, well above what PS5 is able to offer if you have the budget to spend.
Point is, Sony should continue to Sell more Hardware - especially as it looks like ABK games won't be 'exclusive' and they aren't that 'prolific' either. It may still make more sense for MANY gamers to buy a Playstation because ONLY Playstation will have 'exclusives' as ALL of MS's Games, if you want to play them, will be available on PC (inc Handhelds like RoG Ally) or Cloud so you don't 'need' an Xbox. PC & Playstation for example could be all you need and not 'miss out' on ANY MS exclusives.
If by 'market position', its just the 'console' ecosystem - not counting any who may also be in that Ecosystem and therefore not buying a Console for the sake of it, then of course releasing ALL your Exclusives on PC/Cloud is going to negatively impact. As stated, if you want to play Starfield, Forza, Perfect Dark, Fable etc - you don't 'NEED' an Xbox and PC gamers who may buy a PS5 to play Spider-Man 2, ain't buying an Xbox ever again...
@themightyant xbox as a physical console is dead i agree ,they would love game pass on ps ,it may happen in the future ,I dont really care how much money microsoft makes ,just want some great games ,they're a trillion dollar company,they should've been doing better than they have been,it must really irk them, that a comparatively small company like Sony is destroying them in sales and first party game quality,I dont understand all the hate towards Sony in the playstation v xbox shenanigans, they're the underdog after all ,aren't we suppose to root for the little guy ,again comparatively, and waiting for xbox ,is sort of there mantra.
@get2sammyb is that not what happens when you need a Nintendo console to play Mario, and you need a Playstation to play Spiderman, but you don't not need an xbox console to play xbox games.
They moved beyond the console years ago, but people keep comparing them in console sales disingenuously
Who exactly are the "many" you speak of. Everytime there is some kind of poll sony are always at the top. Sure microsoft has 2 games (forza whatever and starfield) that are doing pretty well but sonys been shifting more units this gen and last gen than microsoft. So again who are these "many" you speak of?
@Boxmonkey you mean the 10-15 reviews that all gave it a 100 with XBOX in their names lol. Take those out and Starfield probably in the 70’s which is honestly where it should have been
Listen, if Xbox improve their cloud service then I’ll absolutely be impressed. PlayStation’s cloud offerings is honestly buttery smooth now for me, plays fantastic and managed to complete several PS3 games through it. Xbox’s is kinda laggy and unresponsive in comparison. That could be due to me playing it through the PC instead of through a PS5 but still, PS Plus on the PC is better too.
@get2sammyb I mean the only time they were truly leading was the 360 era and it was not from anything they did, but the mistakes that Sony made.
@Rmg0731 I looked at metacritic the other day and the game got user review bombed with 10/10 perfect game. Ridiculous!
I'm planning to buy soon an xbox S... but one not series, sorry Billy boys ! Maybe during the next gen...
@Americansamurai1 PS3 sold more units overall, they were not leading by sales but definitely lead culturally.
It's honestly very surprising considering how similar the hardware is and how they both have exclusives. I don't think it's really to do with cloud or PC as the number of casual console players outnumbers PC players by a lot, and still yet to find anyone who cares about cloud gaming.
@SlipperyFish yeah I know Sony eventually outsold them, but it took the whole generation. If Sony didn't make the mistakes they did then Microsoft would have never had a long lead like they did.
I feel like this discourse has become redundant. Xbox has lost because they have no games (technically they have 3, which is about 1 per year) and their hardware has no advantages over direct competition (PS5 is mostly the same, Switch portability is unmatched).
They are finally starting to ship games (whichever state they might be in), but battle has been lost for current gen.
Sony could not release a single game for the next ten years and it would still outsell Xbox. The bulk of people in Europe was brought up with a playstation that's what they know and it's what thier friends use.
You are correct in what you say, @BAMozzy, but only if you assume that people own a PC and a PlayStation. If you don't have the funds to buy a decent PC, then the Xbox is still the only way to play Xbox exclusives at a comparable price to the PS5 (or indeed cheaper in the case of the S).
I often see people site the PC as an alternative to the Xbox console, but that assumes that people have the money to buy one that can run the games at (or better) than the Xbox equivalent. PC gaming is far from cheap, and even further from simple. Without some understanding of the ways of PC gaming, it is very easy to come unstuck.
Will people playing Xbox exclusives on the PC harm the sales of Xbox consoles? Absolutely! But I honestly do not believe that that dent is as significant as some make out.
For a £1000 you can own a PS5 and a Series X. It'll cost you double that to buy a truly capable PC, and that's before you get yourself a PS5. People often site the PC as the panacea for Xbox gaming. But do not be fooled. It is not. If Xbox sales are struggling, PC gaming is only a very small reason why. It is games that shift consoles, and that is why the PlayStation is streaks ahead. Will that change long-term? Possibly. However a lot of that also depends on the PlayStation. If Sony brings out a string of Live Service games that join the majority of its ilk in the GaaS graveyard, and fail to reach expectations with its big first party single-player games, then maybe Xbox can claw back some of the ground it has lost, but truthfully, I think that ship has sailed. This, and probably the next, generation has already been lost. Microsoft would have to make some truly significant acquisitions if it is going to move that dial now...
@BAMozzy a quick question for you. I know its off topic but i'm in the market for a new tv. Is vrr or allm worth it? I'm only asking you specifically because you always seem to know what you are talking about..any advice would be appreciated 👍
@Americansamurai1 that's true. I was in middle school at that time lol, so all I knew was PS3 was too expensive. But eventually with the slim/super slim it was cheap enough for my dad to get one for himself and I ended up liking it a bit more than my 360
There's blue and red colors in the French flag
@Toot1st not sure if that's 100% true. Remember xb360? It almost destroyed playstation and Sony until the slim launched in 2009 and Sony took a massive loss on each unit sold.
Is it a habit or a conscious clickbait to call Gen 9 "new" almost seven years on?🤔😅
@Fiendish-Beaver I don't think a game like Starfield would even survive without PC, and good old Redfall is garbage, so I think you're right in saying that ship has sailed. I don't think what they need is acquisitions but rather to actually screw their head on and make some half decent games.
@BAMozzy PC gaming seems a far rarer thing these days than it used to be.
I basically make my living from PCs and don't own one that would be "gaming capable". My current, perfectly capable and CPU intensive optimized machine, would cost about 1000$ to upgrade for gaming. For that, I would be able to get a console and subscriptions for next 5 years for all the games I would need.
There ain't no PC first gamers out there anymore...
@themightyant
"Come back in 5+ years after the launch of next gen, once Microsoft have a new big game coming out on Game Pass at least every quarter."
I believe that's the same plan that was in place after the Xbox One, and look where MS are... pretty much same place.
I am betting on Sony because I feel they are committed to physical media.
get2sammyb wrote:
Absolutely right, I was one of them. It is, thankfully for Sony fans, taking them longer to get their 'kaka' together.
But more than anything I was replying to the chap that was erroneously suggesting Starfield was magically going to propel them forward. It's one game, it sold SOME units, and plenty of Game Pass, but alone it was never going to move the larger needle much, and you are right Sony sold more in that timeframe.
But Microsoft have a much longer term approach and it will take a long time for it to kick in. Much like we could see repercussions from Jim Ryan's policies stick around for 5+ years, and he in turn took credit for things under the previous administration. Ignore them at your peril.
@Flaming_Kaiser @Futureshark @colonelkilgore @Mephisto2869 etc. (Too many replies to get to you all individually)
To be clear I want Microsoft to be MORE competitive to keep Sony honest, I DON'T want Microsoft, or cloud, taking over. Or them disappearing and someone worse (Amazon, Tencent etc.) coming in.
@themightyant “To be clear I want Microsoft to be MORE competitive to keep Sony honest…”
The irony is, that commenters who regularly make this statement seem to have no such requirement for Microsoft being kept similarly ‘honest’ 🤔
It would take something very special to gain any ground over Sony in Europe.
Sony have a massive presence and fan base and I can’t see that going anywhere.
The closet Xbox get in Europe is the UK to getting close to Sony, but they blew most of that after the xbox360 days and have been trying to catch up ever since.
Nintendo they do well in Europe in their own world which I’m pleased about as well.
@colonelkilgore I'm sure some do. But I get accused of being a Sony fanboy on Pure Xbox and a Xbox shill here on Push Square. Can't win
@themightyant it can be a fine line to tread I’m sure… if it’s any consolation I’ve never felt you were a bot. However having read many of your comments on Push Square at least… I would opine that your junk sways ever so slightly to your green knee 😉
@colonelkilgore They say the exact opposite on Pure Xbox. lol
It's probably projection. I really don't care either way.
@themightyant well if that is the case (I never visit Pure Xbox) then that would indicate you possess, or are extremely close to… objectivity. Kudos 🍻
@Fiendish-Beaver I know a PC maybe the most expensive option - if you want to have the best hardware - but you are assuming that people will need to invest in a PC to play. Some may have a decent enough PC that can match a Series S - only have a 1080p monitor anyway. Even if their PC can't play games natively, they don't have to 'invest' in CPU's, GPU's or RAM to play, they can play via Cloud.
Yes Cloud may not be the 'best' way to play, but it maybe better than their hardware would run it natively, if at all. I can play Starfield on a Student Laptop/PC for a LOT less money than it would cost to Buy a PS5/Series X Console. I can play Starfield on my XB1S without having to go out and buy a Series S/X for example but PS4 gamers will have to upgrade to play Spider-Man 2.
You don't 'need' an Xbox Console to play day/date - Steam Deck, RoG Ally and numerous other 'Handheld' options exist. So even if you can't buy a $1000+ PC (Laptop or Desktop), there are still cheaper options. The Consoles may well give the 'best bang for buck' upfront price for performance, but PC's can be upgraded as and when you want, games are cheaper too and you can save money on not having to pay to play online too.
'PC' could be an 'expensive' gaming Rig but also a handheld 'Console' like device these days. You also have the fact that 'everyone' these days 'owns' a device they could play games on via the Cloud too.
The 'hardcore' gamers may well already have a PC gaming rig - whether its 'better' than Series X or not, it makes sense to upgrade that than spend $500 on a Console. There is so much choice for gamers of ALL budgets - from those that can't afford to buy 'hardware' specifically at the moment all the way up to the most hardcore/affluent gamers.
Yes a Console provides a certain tier of quality - but its a 'choice' with MS. I can play Starfield on my RoG Ally anywhere, on my 3080ti Gaming Laptop too, on any PC regardless of its 'gaming' specs, on my XB1X or S, on my Samsung Mobile etc - I don't have to play ONLY on Series X.
Some really don't care about 4k - don't have 4k Displays so their 'hardware' is more than adequate to play Starfield - so why 'buy' a Console? There is 'options' for everyone - whatever 'budget' they have. Cloud may not be the 'best' way, but for some, it enables them to play at a cost they can afford/justify. No pressure to buy ANY Console - its OPTIONAL
@Americansamurai1 "it was not from anything they did"
-Pioneered the standard for online connectivity, online gaming & DLC
-On top of having a premium service that wasnt hacked for about a month
-Party chat
-Achievements
-Noticeably better multiplats
-Detachable harddrive
-Optional game installs
-Halo reached its peak with 3 and Reach and was a console seller
-Other games like Gears of war, left 4 dead, etc that skipped playstation
-Arguably better controller
The xbox360 is one of the greatest consoles of all time and hall of famer & this is coming from someone that loves the ps3 and think its still the best playstation.
I'm in the EU and from what I see around me playstation is selling well because of the brands name and lack of MS Marketing. When you tell a person to name one console the first name will come to his mind is "playstation", so that's no surprise, EU has always been a ps playground.
@nomither6 PSN was free at least which was greatly appreciated, and PS3 also had changeable hard drives, which weren't a proprietary format
@Northern_munkey ALLM - Auto Low Latency Mode - basically switches a TV into its 'Low Latency' (often called Game mode) automatically. It depends on whether you prefer lowest input latency because it often turns off some of the TV's own built in Picture Processing to save time, therefore reduce lag, before its displayed for you to see. Some find it a bit 'Raw' and would rather have the TV's Picture Processing (movie mode for example).
VRR is Variable Refresh Rate and is useful too. If you are bothered by stutter or Screen Tearing when frame rates drop, this is essential. Without it, a TV refreshes 60 times a second (generally - although TV's are now using 120hz panels with VRR enabled sets) so if the frame rate drops, its 'out of sync with the TV leading to a stutter or screen tear. VRR will adjust the TV to match the Frame Rate so it refreshes with every frame - at least for Frame Rates above 48fps on PS5 to so it at least looks smoother and/or cleaner.
Both are recommended for Gamers and if you do get a 120hz VRR display for example, you can play games like R&C, Spider-Man 2 etc at 40fps Quality mode instead of 30fps. 40fps is exactly mid-way between 30 and 60fps. I'd never advise or tell people how to spend their money so I'll leave it to you to decide if its worth it to you - but all I'll say is that these are 'Gaming' Features of modern TV's and Modern Consoles (at least the Series S/X and PS5) are able to utilise those so I would highly recommend these features to ANY gamer and let them decide if its worth it to them...
@BAMozzy thanks for the info..i guess i'm off shopping tomorrow 🤣
@SlipperyFish compared to the quality and what Xbox Live offered at the time, id have to say putting a price on it was justifiable; it was a premium service & the terrible PSN hack that compromised accounts solidifies that even further, i guess paying customers got what they paid for, lol. sony would have been foolish to charge at that time.
and yes i know you could detach a ps3 harddrive, but the xbox360 facilitated the concept and it was more convenient and way more simple.
@nomither6
Red ring of death
Releasing a console that they knew had hardware issues just to release a year early
Kinetic focused
Lack of first party support after 2009
Buying 3rd party exclusives ( the same thing Xbox fans were complaining about Sony doing this generation)
Cod timed exclusive dlc (same as above)
I can make a list too.
@BAMozzy Why would I go for a PC to match a console. The first thing about console gaming is the ease of it. I put my console on download a some patches or a system update and I'm done. I have a controller no looking at requirements or what videocard processor i need it just works. And I don't need to have a big case in the living room.
@get2sammyb couldn't agree more, that come back in five years quote was funny. Been hearing that since Xbox one lol 😆 😂
@Flaming_Kaiser
This. I’ve just ditched my PC and went back to Playstation for all the reasons you mentioned. Well that and horrible PC ports that seem to be a plague of late.
@Americansamurai1 really dont see how this is relevant when i was just addressing you saying "it was not from anything they did" as if there was no reason to have an xbox360 other than because sony overpriced their console.
"I can make a list too."
-i couldnt care less dude, maybe some fanboy does, but im not part of the inane fanboy fights.
@nomither6 you cared enough to comment buddy so...
@Cikajovazmaj Again - PC gaming does not necessarily mean those sat at a 'Desktop' with at least a RTX 30 series or equivalent AMD GPU. Steam Deck is 'not' a PC, its a Console - but Steam is 'PC' so therefore comes under the PC umbrella. PC has Xbox Store and Game Pass too of course - but PC can also be a RoG Ally for example or any of the other Windows Handheld gaming devices on the market - maybe better than a Console for those who spend most of their Gaming time on the Go...
Even a cheap Student Laptop with no separate GPU can be used to play games. Cheaper than a Series S with a screen - as long as it has wifi and a Browser, you can play on Game Pass Cloud. I know its 'not' the best way to play, Series S has its advantages over Cloud, Series X - advantages over Series S and high end PC's advantages over all the rest.
Point is, if you wanted to play Starfield, Forza, Fable, Perfect Dark etc the DAY they release but can't afford (or justify) buying a Series S/X, you can still play on some device - even if its just your Mobile Phone or via a browser on your 'old' laptop/PC. Not everyone cares about 4k or even use Game mode on their TV so Cloud may feel much better, less lag than they are used too...
@Americansamurai1 lol, i didnt care about you making a list in retaliation to something i said that was completely different from sparking a fanboy fight. you took what i said and tried to spin it into a fanboy fight, but whatever.
@colonelkilgore ...or apathy. I just don't care about a console war. But I do believe in comparing them to hold them account for our benefit. I play wherever there are games. Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC, Mobile. If there are good games i'll be there.
@nomither6 well yeah PSN wasn't worth charging money for, that's why they didn't. You also had to buy a WiFi dongle for the OG Xbox 360, so £50 for that on top of paying for Xbox live just to play games online was a bit ridiculous, especially when it was free on PS3 and PC. Not justifying the hacking, just saying both had less than desirable online.
And I don't really believe X360 facilitated the changeable harddrive, considering the PS1 and PS2, GameCube, etc were using memory cards..
I understand the convenience aspect but I'll always prefer the slightly more inconvenient option that isn't proprietary, to the simple proprietary option. I also find it ironic how angry everyone was at PS for proprietary Vita storage just no one ever cared about X360 harddrive, or the Series SSD expansion
@themightyant true gamer.
and i also want to add that its absolutely ok to criticize all 5 (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC, Mobile) , because its about what satisfies you as a gamer/consumer and makes you happy from what any of the 5 can serve you. brand loyalty is just shackling yourself & benefits no one but the greed of companies.
@Sakai I mean, if they really truly don’t care about their hardware sales anymore, may as well release their games everywhere, no?
But you’re going to tell me they only care about their subscription. And whatever they’re saying publicly, they need hardware adoption to drive it.
What are the chances this is Microsofts last generation? If building a monopoly isn't enough to make Xbox successful, they should probably just give up, right?
@nomither6 I'm not a fan boy, I was just calling a fan boy out.and still you care enough to keep commenting lol
@SlipperyFish i mean thats besides the point, i was initially just addressing the misconception that there was no reason to prefer or have an Xbox360 at the time. all im saying is there were reasons to have an Xbox360.
Not surprising given trust and marketing are things that Xbox lack. With the former you have Phil Spencer constantly saying "next year will be better" and it turns out even worse. Meanwhile it's been a long time since Xbox has had some fantastic marketing, pre-Game Pass era I'd say was the last time.
Though sadly Microsoft are being rewarded for this as they were allowed to acquire several studios including 2 gigantic publishers.
@Americansamurai1 jesus youre unbearable, block list you go.
@nomither6 fanboys usually don't have thick skin, so thanks for proving my point.
A complete and utter domination by Sony in France. 😂
It's looking increasingly likely that Xbox will transition to 3rd party at this rate.
@gollumb82 I have a laptop for the serious businesses and for the rest I just own a PS5, PS4 and a PS3 in storage. 😂
@Flaming_Kaiser Great - Consoles 'suit' you the best. However if you gamed on PC, you wouldn't buy a Playstation if ALL their games released day/date on PC - its pointless...
Playstation doesn't really give you a choice - its buy Playstation or 'miss out' - at least until they bring it to PC. With MS, you have so many choices - from using whatever hardware you may have and stream it for a small monthly fee with many other games also playable for that tiny fee - great if you can't afford or justify spending hundreds on Hardware just to play game(s) - all the way up to having the 'best' PC set-up money can buy - you don't NEED an Xbox Console or have to miss out, don't need to go out and buy a Series S/X at all or even 'buy' the game these days....
Also if you have a 'great' PC, you are not forced to spend hundreds to buy a Console or 'miss out' until MS release it on their preferred platform. There is an 'option' to suit any preference/budget. Even Steam Deck console gamers for example don't need a Series S/X or 'miss out', they can play Day 1.
If you want the Ease of Plug & Play that Consoles offer - MS still has the Series S or X as two different tiers. Those 'options' are still there of course - Series X is the Equivalent to the PS5 in that regard. But with Sony, Consoles are not an 'option' - its the ONLY choice to play Sony games day/date. Someone with a XB1S, Steam Deck, PC/Laptop etc doesn't 'need' to buy a Series S/X to play Forza Motorsport but a PS4, Steam Deck, PC/Laptop gamer will need to buy a PS5 for Spider-Man 2.
Sony's 'ecosystem' is literally just the Console. MS's is the 'PC/Cloud/Xbox' of which the Console is just 1 option - which may be the 'best' option for some - hence they'll buy, but for others, they may 'prefer' the other options as it suits them, their budget, their preferences etc the best...
@get2sammyb when the subscription is not tied to a single piece of hardware, you don't need hardware adoption to drive it, that is the whole point
Kudos to Sony for being synonymous with gaming - especially when you look at the fact that the highest played games on Sony don't even require a PlayStation: people are just buying it because it's the "new PlayStation."
I don't know if there is anything Microsoft can do about that unless its next system massively outperforms the PS6 and costs significantly less (which is impossible unless Microsoft wants to take a significant hit in hardware sales just for the sake of gaining console market share).
Those gamers couldn't care less about who has the "better exclusives" they just buy the newest model.
@Flaming_Kaiser
Yeah, I have a laptop for work as well. I had a gaming PC for a year but it was loud, generated enough heat under load to heat my entire flat and the hassle with all storefronts was just too much. Add horrible PC ports and the pricetag of $1300 (what I paid for it last October) and it’s just ridiculous to spend so much if all you need is a gaming machine (contrary to what BAMozzy is saying). Oh and no, Xbox games are not worth it either. That’s coming from someone who put 70 hours into Starfield.
Just more evidence I think of MS ditching consoles all together in 2 gens maybe. They solely rely on services and most likely make games Game Pass exclusive too, so you won’t be able to buy them but have to subscribe to own them.
Meanwhile PlayStation will still be selling great hardware and making great games and hold a dominant market share.
@nomither6 oh yeah for sure, I agree with you on that. I had x360 for about 10-11 years. Halo 3 and FM4 made it worth it. Dad eventually got a PS3 and I enjoyed all the Naughty Dog games. PS3 felt more grown-up, x360 seemed directly targeted at teenagers lol. If you didn't own both consoles you were definitely missing out on something
@gollumb82 PC gaming is like putting a jetengine in a small and then start bragging that it runs better. 🤣👌
I mean Xbox has been having barren years since the latter years of Xbox One until now (when they have big AAA games back to back). Most people are probably locked into PS accounts from PS4 era. I predict the GP subscription number will go down next year, now that MS 1$/£ promo ended. I subscribed for 3 years but didn't use it much and it expired this month and did not renew.
@S1ayeR74 "Meanwhile PlayStation will still be selling great hardware and making great games and hold a dominant market share."
You hope.
You don't want a Sony that is entirely unchecked. No one wants any company that is entirely unchecked.
Sony only plays hardball now because it has to in order to stay on top. If there is no one left...then what?
As the saying goes: "be careful what you wish for."
@mrbone I'm the end they will see how many people will stay with the real price. I have to say I don't have a lot of time and the last thing I want is to have to hurry to play my games and I don't need more games on the pile that I can't finish anyway.
@GamingFan4Lyf Nobody wins if there will only be one.
But seriously it's not good for anyone.
Ever since Microsoft started buying up publishers, I've actually wanted PlayStation to crush Xbox. Before Microsoft started doing all that massive damage, I did not because the competition was healthy.
Playstation has always been more popular than Xbox in France.
@Boxmonkey considering the majority of reviews were and are favourable....
And what, exactly, do you think Sony will do once it has 'crushed' Xbox, @TheCollector316? Once Xbox ceases to be competition, what do you think Sony will do? Once the PlayStation is the only console, what do you think will happen? Cheaper hardware? No! Cheaper games? No. Cheaper subscriptions? No. Will subscriptions even be necessary to Sony? Maybe not, after all, if your only choice is to game on a PlayStation console, why bother offering you a subscription. After all, the only place you can play games on a console is on the PlayStation, so Sony may as well make you pay for the games you play rather than offer you a subscription.
I get that people dislike, or even hate, Microsoft for buying up big publishers, but the alternative is that Xbox withers and dies (indeed, that is still a possibility based on the market dominance of the PlayStation). However, Sony really don't care in the slightest about you as an individual gamer. They only care about the bottom line. So, if they can increase the price of a console to £800/£900/£1000, they will do it. Why? Because they are the ONLY place you can game on a console after the Xbox is gone. If they can increase the price of a game to £80/£90/£100, they will do it. Why? Because they are the ONLY place you can game on a console after the Xbox is gone.
It is so short-sighted to think the World will be a better place for us gamers without Xbox. All that would mean in reality is that Sony will have free reign to do as it pleases. And you can bet your bottom dollar that that does not mean we would benefit as gamers. The polar opposite of that is actually the case. Only strong competition will keep us gamers happy both in pricing and game quality, and if that means that Microsoft need to buy publishers and developers in order to provide that strong competition, then I'm afraid that we will just have to accept that as an inevitability because without that I don't think Xbox can survive...
@Fiendish-Beaver did you just forget that Nintendo exists? You know, the company with the console that actually sells the most units.
You mean the handheld hybrid console, @SlipperyFish? I didn't forget, but I'm also fairly certain that neither Microsoft nor Sony really see Nintendo as a direct competitor. Nintendo does its own thing very successfully, but they do not offer the same type of games as either the PlayStation nor Xbox.
All that would happen if Xbox disappeared would be that Sony would market itself as the ONLY high-end console. The ONLY place that you could experience AAA gaming the likes of God of War and The Last of Us. There simply is nothing of that ilk on Nintendo. It is why Sony said their only true competitor was the Xbox. I know they tried to row back on that, but I honestly believe that that is their thinking, and I would say with good reason. When games release multiplatform, it is rare for said game to release on the Nintendo as well, and that is mostly because the Nintendo is incapable of natively running it. Thus, whilst many would be celebrating the end of Xbox, they would also be pushed to decide whether paying a premium price tag to game on the PlayStation is worth it, or whether their budget means that the Nintendo is the only thing that they can afford, and in doing so, missing out on all the high quality titles that the PlayStation is renowned for (but that will also welcome a premium price tag).
Why do you think that Sony have introduced increased pricing on the subscription services whilst not, at the same time, bringing any new benefits to the service? It's simply because they calculate that PlayStation gamers will just put up with it because, well, the PlayStation is the best place to game. So when the PlayStation is the only 'premium' console, what else can you expect from Sony other than increased (premium) prices?
It should also be noted that what Sony have done with the pricing for the subscription services is precisely what they did when they were the first to raise the prices of games to £70 and the first to increase the price of their consoles. They just know that the community is to invested in their PlayStations to go elsewhere. And were Xbox to cease to exist, then as the only one in the market, they can do as they please, and you can absolutely bet that it will not be to our benefit...
Welp let's go ps5 time for a fire sale let's go
@Fiendish-Beaver so "ONLY console to play" becomes "ONLY high-end console to play" I see.
It's a damn shame they don't see Nintendo as competition, because they certainly are. It's like saying hey BMW and Mercedes shouldn't worry about Toyota because BMW/Mercedes is a different league to Toyota. Yet Toyota will outsell them either way.
And if Nintendo can go and do their own thing with zero competition, then why can't playstation.
Funny you give Last of Us and God of War as examples as Playstation is the only console you can play those games on already.. oh and they're on PC too.
You literally said yourself if people couldn't afford playstation they'd play Nintendo if it's all they could afford. You explained yourself why playstation wouldn't price their consoles/games to astronomical prices, because nobody would buy them, and they'd just choose to miss out on the "high quality titles". Then guess what.. Sony loses loads of money.
I know why they've increased prices to £70, because games development costs more than ever before. Services go up because prices of everything everywhere are going up.
Of course playstation could do as they please if they were on their own. But people vote with their wallet, and they'd still have to be in the realm of affordability to still exist.
This is without even going into the rise of the steam deck. There's no reason why Valve wouldn't try to launch a Linux based home console. Developers are even optimising games for steam deck now. No one cared about SteamMachines because they were just crap pre-builds. If they made one box of hardware for home console gaming, run on SteamOS, it could quickly become the new Xbox.
@Dadou I mean buying a Series S is probably the worst deal to go with. Sure it's cheaper but the specs on it and devs needing to go through so much to make a game work when it should be simple is what is holding back the system and innovation imo.
@BAMozzy I played on a PC for 5 years and don't miss it and I will never miss it. I don't feel like doing effort for gaming anymore and I dispise digital only.
You can thank Jim Ryan for the sheer Euro domination of Playstation. I know most players won't, but Sony's CEO and shareholders will. He left behind a very healthy market.
I like Xbox too, and Starfield is a game I have enjoyed more than any other this year, but it is clear they are going in the directon of Software growth as they did with thier windows products (Withdrawing from hardware to create huge market cap growth). Satya Nadella has doubled down cloud based soultions and this is now working it's way (slowly) into Xbox.
I'm pretty certain Microsoft doesn't care about selling the consoles now, they want to sell you software (Games) and services (Gamepass/Cloud gaming).
@Rmg0731 We all know if Sony had got their way and made it exclusive you'd be singing it's praises same thing happened when tiers was announced and people thought it'd be Sony's version of game pass 😒
@SlipperyFish playstation players don't vote with their wallet at all that's why games like forspoken and last of us 2 still sold 😂 , the only Sony exclusives i ever purchased were days gone , killzone and uncharted this was back when days gone wasn't on pc.
I wouldn't pay the prices sony want now, spiderman was on sale on steam this weekend and it was still too much for me especially since superheroes are corny to me.
And yet, Xbox had their best Q1 quarter in history of division.
It's almost like they are not relying on sales of hardware as much as Sony. Which is kinda obvious if you are releasing your first-party games on PC at same time as on Xbox consoles.
But I fully expect that people just won't get it for sake of console wars. Same as they did not get that ABK purchase was mainly about gateway to mobile and not about Call of Duty...
@get2sammyb Xbox will never outsell Playstation because the xbox fanbase will follow the games the playstation fanbase will suffer and wait as their blind brand loyalty won't allow them to buy an xbox.
@nomither6 Cringeworthy watching you feed that troll.
@Deityjester so you didn't buy the exclusives that didn't appeal to you? That's called voting with your wallet....
@SlipperyFish I'm not a playstation player dude so again my point stands, PS players don't vote with their wallet, i have played on PS, Xbox and pc so I'm not categorised as a certain player, those who fiend for exclusives and gobble them up are
@Deityjester yes they do, the people didn't care for days gone because it was mid, not enough people bought it, and the sequel got cancelled. People didn't buy the vita. It died. People didn't buy move. It died. People didn't buy PSTV. It died.
Just because it doesn't align with your personal taste does not mean it is not the case.
@OldGamer999 youre right xbox use to do really well in the uk,but then there was that E3,I dont think they've ever recovered.
@Boxmonkey completely agree. Big hype but not a lot of interest outside of hardcore gamers.
Wait! What, @SlipperyFish? Where to start? The reason I did not include the Switch is simply because it is a completely different beast to the Series and the PS5. They have completely different games that often cater to completely different type of gamer. I added the 'high-end' because that is what Sony said, but that does not make it untrue.
As for PCs, I'm not sure what you are getting at. First off, a decent gaming PC will set you back around £2000, which is way more than Sony will ever charge for a console. As for Sony games being on the PC, they do not arrive day and date on the PC as they do on the PS5. Also, if the PlayStation were the only place to play PlayStation games with the Xbox no longer in existence, that competition would be gone, thus it is entirely feasible that Sony would determine that it was no longer necessary to release their games on the PC. Yes, they absolutely sell on the PC, but with Xbox out of the way, then the decision maybe made that if you want to play a PlayStation game then the only place to play them should be on a PlayStation as that would drive sales of their console still further.
@Fiendish-Beaver £2000? Not at all. £1000-1200 will easily match the PS5, or even surpassed it at 1080p. And you don't have to match that spec at all.
And what does Sony releasing games on PC have anything at all to do with Xbox?? I don't see any connection there. It simply makes Sony more money.
lets face it, when did xbox ever had their momentum?
2008/2010?
playstation is just a stronger brand period
No, @SlipperyFish. You are completely incorrect regarding a PC specs. The only people that could possibly get close to the figures you suggest are ones that have absolute confidence in building a PC, and also know where to source everything exceptionally cheaply.
My current PC cost me £2600 about 5 years ago, and I have had to upgrade to SSD and a new graphics card, at a combined cost of over £400, only a couple of months ago just so as to be able to run Baldur's Gate 3. To be clear, you need more than just a Graphics card and an SSD in order to play on a PC!
My mate built his PC, and it is not as powerful as a Series X, and he paid more than £1500 to do so. He works in the IT business, so he knows exactly what he is doing. Remove the ability to build your own PC, and you are then at the behest of suppliers that can. That is where the significant cost ramps up.
As for what Sony has to do with Xbox when it comes to releasing things on the PC, it is all about competition. By releasing games on the PC both Sony and Xbox are trying to tempt people into their ecosystem (as well as garner sales, obviously).
Now, I'm not saying that Sony would choose to stop doing it completely if Xbox were to cease to exist, but the imperative to be in competition with them on the PC would be gone, and so they may simply choose to rely on people looking on with envy instead of having to put a game on to the PC to prove that their product is better than that offered by Xbox, in the hope that those people would then opt to fully commit to the PlayStation brand by buying a console.
What Sony are most likely to do, I think, should Xbox cease to exist, is to release PlayStation games with a more significant delay between the initial release on console and then on the PC. So maybe 5 years. That way two things would potentially happen, first people would buy a console to avoid the significant delay, and secondly people would play a game (say The Last of Us (and yes, I know it is already out, I'm just using it as an example!)) and then be minded to buy and play the sequel on a PlayStation rather than wait 5 years after its release on the console for it to then arrive on the PC.
I think the only reason that we are currently seeing an decrease in the time lapse between release on console and PC is because Sony are in direct competition with Xbox to prove their product to be of better quality / or to be of more interest, in the hope of tempting people away from Xbox, and into the PlayStation ecosystem. Remove Xbox from the equation, and that imperative goes too...
@Fiendish-Beaver Lol at the assumption I know nothing about PCs. I have spec'd and built PCs for a lot of people. You can definitely do it for £1200, as that's usually the spec people want, it's the spec I've done the most.
There were no assumptions on my part, @SlipperyFish, but I maintain that I'm right. Yes, of course you can build a basic PC for less than £1500, but firstly, when people decide to go PC, that's not what they tend to be looking for. They tend to want 4k Ray-Tracing, the lot. Plus, people aren't looking to spend £1200 just to match the specs of a PS5. What would be the point?
However, the point still stands, most people do not get a computer built for them by someone they know. Most people simply buy the best they can afford from some company or other, and then the costs increase significantly...
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