So here we are 3 months after the launch of the latest console offerings from both PlayStation Sony and Microsoft. Yet still there is a lot of fanboy (and girl) fanaticism on social media.
In almost every Xbox/PlayStation specific post on social media, (in particular Twitter), there seems to be a handful of angry trolls from one camp or the other; staunch advocates of their favorite brand to the point where they berate the console and fans from the opposing house.
It goes something like this:
Console Post: " New firmware update out on Friday"
Troll 1: "Your console is shit you should have bought the same console as me"
Troll 2: "STFU you and your console are both shit, I LOL at your performance/framerate/exclusives/design choices"
It undoubtedly deteriorates even further from this point as more and more get involved, all stemming from a post they didn't even read and their comments have no relevancy to.
Once all the issues of stock availability settle down, I think this generation more than any other offers the opportunity for a consumer's household to experience multiple consoles. Particularly with the more accessible and attractive price point of the digital only variants. Straight off the bat it seems ridiculous for people to be slamming one console or another, particularly when they probably don't have first hand comparative experience. Their rants seem fueled only by blind brand loyalty and hormonal rage.
To say that a console is "shit", It's basically like saying a newborn baby is shit. (Here come the analogies).
With the exception of the UI and online/community features the next gen consoles are basically tabula rasa, a blank slate, ready and waiting for input. In short, you're going to get out what you put in.
This is where, with careful planning the nurturing parents (in the form of Sony and Microsoft) get to shape the life path and experience for each console. Securing exclusive and timed exclusive deals, taking ownership of new in house developers and studios to feed their hungry child insatiable appetite for new, innovative and progressive content.
While both consoles have enormous potential, of which we have probably barely scratched the surface, the overall end user experience is almost wholly shaped by the parents and not the child.
The birth of Sony's child seems to have been carefully planned out, from the moment of conception on sexy night, right through to its college years, career and retirement home. With an affluent background, schools have already been selected and paid for and everything is going according to plan. Sony was born into a detached house that has a piano.
In stark contrast however, it seems like Microsoft's child was a bit of an unplanned pregnancy, Friday night after a cheeky Nando's. It was something they discussed, wanted and were looking forward to; but it just happened at a time where they weren't quite ready. No exclusives ready at launch but we can repurpose some hand-me-downs, "that will do until we get back on our feet".
It's clear that both companies love their children very much, however one definitely got the better start in life.
But that isn't to say that things will not turn around.
We still have yet to see any high quality exclusive content that would really test the Xbox's capabilities. But regardless of either systems current selection of titles It's ridiculous to say that either of these innovative consoles is "shit". I for one stand firmly with a foot in each camp genuinely excited to see what comes next. Both companies are heading in ever so slightly different directions and will have different exclusives along the way, but ultimately will be forever connected by the playerbase as this will be the generation of cross play and cross progression. 2020 and 2021 have not been normal years and it would be wholly unfair to judge this generation's launch against that of previous generations. Covid-19 has had a tremendous impact on individuals and the industry as a whole, from hardware component manufacture right the way along to a software developers and studios.
Gaming as a whole is definitely moving forward, far more accessible and inclusive than ever before. If Sony and Microsoft are the parents, PS5 and Series S/X are the children that just leaves these blinkered Twitter and Reddit users as the bigoted grandparent intrinsically resistant to change.
"Just ignore him, he'll settle down and have a nap after his glass of stout"
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