The Next Gen Console Wars 2020 are underway!
The bell has sounded for Round 1, and both competitors, Microsoft and Sony, are circling each other in the ring. Nintendo is in the crowd at the moment, happily eating popcorn, patiently waiting. So far, a jab here and there has been thrown, and gamers have gotten rumors and slivers of information. Microsoft put together a big post about the specs of its console, which was a decent left hook. Then, on Thursday, Sony countered with a massive overhand right that landed flush on the chin with its PlayStation 5 stream. It was a very heavy right hand. It may not have knocked down Microsoft by any means, but it was one of those "you definitely felt it" kind of punches. Many boxers often say they need to be punched in the face at least once to get them into the mindset to fight.
This was that punch.
Here are five takeaways from the PS5 "The Future of Gaming" event.
Zion Williamson's sweat looks very real
Seriously, y'all: NBA 2K-SWEATY-1, coming soon.
OK, now for the real five takeaways:
Plenty to choose from
If you're someone who loves nothing more than to pour a cool 25 hours into a game, and then another 100 hours into extras and being a completionist (shout out to Jared Khalil), then this PS5 presentation was for you. Not only did we get a lot of first-person adventure games, but also a strong variety. For crying out loud, you can play AS A CAT. A CAT, Y'ALL! This is NOT a drill! Stray looks like a ton of fun (and was many people's MVP of the presentation).
But I use the diverse in many ways. Yes, we got a good array of games -- a racing game in Gran Turismo 7, additions to favorites like Grand Theft Auto 5, tons of new characters, what looks like a car battle royale (which we will get to later), and even, as I mentioned above, NBA 2KSweatyZion -- but it's also diverse in the looks of the games. From the fun and colorful Ratchet and Clank to the Grindhouse vibe of Deathloop and everything in between, it felt like there was an artistic style of game for many people here.
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Diversity was also on display for the main characters in the games. With Miles Morales, the first Afro-Latino Spider-Man, kicking things off early in the hour, we saw many characters from different genders and races emerge. The presentation felt like it had something for everyone.
This console didn't skip cardio day
While the Xbox Series X resembles a large rectangular box (but hey, it can lie on its end OR side, hooray!), the PS5 design has more curves and is more slim. That said, I can't stop laughing at this tweet.
Aye yall getting the xbox series x or the ps5? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/wVc5ZrZecK
— 🇺🇸Noble|SylverRye🇳🇬 (@SylverRye) June 11, 2020
As for price, we got no idea. My guess is $699 for the full version, $499 for digital. Both Microsoft and Sony made a clear effort to note that this will be the biggest gap in console generations ever. That will also, in my humble opinion, reflect in the price. We were once shocked at how expensive phones started getting but quickly got over it; I believe we will feel the same way for this console generation, before we see drastically reduced loading times, seamless transition between games, smooth immersive gameplay as we've never seen before -- and don't forget all the teraflops!
At this point, players have to accept the new price range ... or switch to a PC.
No Call of Duty news yet, but we got Car Fortnite!
Notable omissions from the presentation were a trailer for the upcoming Call of Duty 2020 release, God of War 2 and Street Fighter 6, which were popular predictions. But we DID get Destruction AllStars, which looks like a demolition derby with punches and kicks, also lots of explosions, kinda like a bumper car battle royale.
Honestly, I'm here for it. I'm also pledging to be the first and best Destruction AllStars esports caster. Hire me! In all seriousness, the sheer volume of titles seen in the presentation make these omissions seem more palatable -- we know a COD announcement is coming at some point. Season 4 in Modern Warfare just dropped today, which might also have something to do with it. Patience is a virtue here, even though gamers (myself included) don't often have it.
GIMME ALL THE ANNOUNCEMENTS NOW!
Conventions are dead
The reveal absolutely crushed on Twitch, with more than one million concurrent viewers regularly watching the stream on PlayStation's channel and Esports Charts reporting that more than seven million tuned in overall. To put that into perspective, about 10 million watched Falcon 9 go into space earlier this month. A rocket. Into space. Only three million more people watched that than the launch of a video game console. Think about that.
#SpaceX - 10M Peak Viewers#PS5 - 7.2M Peak Viewers@SpaceX @PlayStation
— Esports Charts 📊 Esports & Streaming statistics (@EsportsCharts) June 11, 2020
This reveal felt like a breakthrough moment. We've certainly seen successful streams like this before, but the combination of steadily declining in-person attendance at places like E3, combined with numbers like these, makes you think about what the future of conventions will look like. Especially now, during a pandemic, where people are signing up for virtual conventions and established giants are giving online offerings, what will motivate people to continue to meet en masse for video game reveals? Traveling and getting an autograph from celebrities is one thing, but game trailers and reveals are another. We might see a whole lot of small VIP parties and online events become the well-established norm in the very near future. Saves money, too!
Games and exclusives > specs
The company clearly in the lead after this presentation is Sony.
We just talked about the viewership, but it was more than that. This PS5 update gave us back-to-back-to-back games to look forward to, while Microsoft gave us a blog post about teraflops. I'm not saying the Series X is a flop, but Sony is winning the early part of the race. It's Microsoft's turn to return with a right cross after Sony's great four-punch combo that landed on the jaw.
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What will we learn about the XBOX Series X that makes it unforgettable? What exclusives are coming that we MUST have? What about the price, and how will it compare for both? One thing's for sure: In Round 1, game trailers > technical specifications -- at least when we're talking about them before being able to try them. That might change when you finally get the console in your home and the controller in your hands.