We've now had a few days to digest all the new information about the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. So far, Microsoft has a slight lead in the specs department, but PS5 is coming on strong with a record-setting presentation full of upcoming games and exclusives. The battle of the new console generation is only just beginning and with a tentative holiday 2020 release for both systems, there's still plenty of time for uppercuts, roundhouse kicks, hadoukens (only from the PS5) and gyroc rockets from a Hydra Launcher (only from the Xbox Series X) to be thrown.
With the next several years of this next iteration of the "console wars" in mind, here are five things I want to see happen:
1. Cross-play becomes the norm
Look, I know several games already have cross-play: Call of Duty and Fortnite are two shining examples. They even have cross-play with a PC (much to the chagrin of the "aim assist" audience), and mobile (much to the chagrin of the "mobile isn't esports" audience ... side note, it totally is, and we should all probably accept that it's going to be the biggest competitive medium in more countries very soon). But I'm talking about a full-on paradigm shift; by the end of this generation's life cycle, I want us to look back and think, "How silly were we that we couldn't play Madden or NBA 2K across platforms?" This will still take a while, because, after all, these companies are battling for market share and the almighty dollar, but eventually people will get fed up and change will come. Even having games such as Call of Duty, which introduced cross-play only for its latest release of Modern Warfare, is a huge step forward. Slowly but surely, this will become the norm. Sports games might be the last to adopt, but adopt they will.
2. We still need "all timers"
The PS4/Xbox One generation had Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us, God of War and many other instant classics. Of course, it's way early in the cycle, and we've already got games to be excited about (at least on the PS5 side) and some of the games I just mentioned came out well into their console's life cycle. The one thing the PS5 reveal was missing was what my colleague Tyler Erzberger called "The Hammer" -- a mic-drop game that EVERYONE would be talking about. There were several GREAT games, but nothing that stood out as a game that completely stopped you in your tracks, moved you to tears, or might be included in the "game of a generation" discussion. I could be wrong, because gameplay and presentation will certainly dictate that, but in terms of hype, the "all timer" hasn't been revealed yet. Microsoft has an incredible opportunity to drop one "all timer" on us that could completely move the attention back to the company after the impressive PS5 presentation.
3. The next Nintendo console
This probably won't come for a while, because the Switch was released in 2017, and Nintendo typically doesn't compete with Sony and Microsoft on power. What Nintendo does best is refresh its glorious IP across multiple generations of consoles. When it's time to reveal a new system, we know that there will be new Mario, Zelda, Pokemon Mario Kart, Smash Bros. and Animal Crossing games. And they will be great. But one thing Sony and Microsoft have been saying repeatedly is that this will be the biggest leap in console generations ever. That's saying something. We literally went from 8 bit to 16 bit in the late 1980s. But seriously, that makes me think this will be a big leap for Nintendo as well. Look at Breath of the Wild, one of the greatest games ever made. Imagine the next iteration of that kind of imagination and execution on an even more powerful console, with more available. That makes me excited.
4. It still comes down to exclusives
Speaking of exclusive IPs, the war will be won in this console generation the way it always has been won: with exclusives that cultivate brand loyalty. Are you a Street Fighter fan? God of War? The Last of Us? Spider-Man? You've got PlayStation. What about Halo? Gears of War? Sea of Thieves? You've got Xbox (or you're playing them on PC, but that's another story). My first point above was about cross-play, and yes, that is coming and will become the norm -- for games that exist on all platforms. Street Fighter, so long as it is exclusive to Sony, is among those that are exempt (and there's that whole netcode issue). But in terms of IP, whether it's purchased or created, that's where the battles will be won. Look at Nintendo -- how do you think Nintendo is still able to compete with what many would call an inferior machine? Amazing IPs that live on forever. But for Sony and PlayStation, which have always battled and will continue to battle directly head to head, what are they uniquely providing to consumers that will compel them to buy their offering? Answer that question better than the other team and you win. Exclusives are a huge part of that. And hey, competition is good, especially for gamers.
5. VR
I will admit that I'm a new virtual reality convert. I bought an Oculus Quest and I'm hooked. Boxing, Star Wars episodes, expeditions, even fun, mindless beat-em-ups ... I love it. I still get a little seasick after playing it too much, but not nearly as much as previous generations. What I'm saying here is, we are closer than ever before to a VR experience that will break through and become as mainstream as any other console. I wonder how VR will expand and advance with the PS5 -- with Unreal Engine 5 and the leaps it has taken, we're in for a technological treat. We could look back at this generation and say that the biggest advancement was the vastly increased enjoyability of VR for all ages. I'm here for that. Give me GTA, Zelda, Super Mario, Rocket League, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Madden in full VR ... when that comes, and it's awesome, watch out.