Microsoft Xbox One’s position
The next-gen arena has definitely seen heat as we see tons of console comparison both in terms of specs and their games, however one thing is clear; that when it comes to next-gen, the PS4 by far has been dubbed as the clear winner as far as gamers are concerned putting Microsoft in a bad position as it finds itself being on the ropes against Sony. Now it’s time for Microsoft’s Xbox One to make its move.
Microsoft’s answer
E3 2015 surely brought Xbox users some good news which was its new backward compatibility feature in the Xbox one which was also announced at Gamescom 2015 along with some other features like its backward compatible Games with gold, DVR and a redesigned UI.
On July, while Sony has been leading in terms of software sales, it has been revealed that it wasn’t the Xbox one which came in second, it was their 360 games that came in second to the PS4. While this would only speak that the Xbox one is falling behind in its predecessor software, this could also mean another thing to Microsoft. This could be the momentum it needs to catch up with the PS4.
Was it a bad move, was it good?
When the announcement of next-generation console games came in it was taken both as a good thing and a bad premonition. It brought promise of new games which as we see, continually push the gaming industry to its limits both in terms of graphical beauty and gameplay mechanics, but this meant for players who either couldn’t afford to upgrade to be very demotivating, thinking first on the hassles than the possibilities. However, this problem doesn’t pose as a serious threat but is rather a question on preference and money, a problem that the Xbox one is trying to hit on.
The new feature provides a motivation to players who do not want to upgrade due to varying reasons such as exclusivity, money, or the oh so speculative “Why would I wanna buy a console just to see my games look better?” and etc. to see, feel and enjoy their games in aspects they were only seeing before in their imagination, to see them in next-gen. However, if there are players that are strongly attracted to the feature, it would be those who have already upgraded to next-gen. This provides them the chance to enjoy titles that were very successful before, especially titles that were exclusively for the 360 only.
As for those who immediately went for Xbox one, this makes it unnecessary for them to purchase a 360 to enjoy 360 games. The new added feature generally makes this a good thing as it targets different demographics among Microsoft’s buyers, but perhaps the right question to ask is….
Would this feature hold up?
As far as sales
goes I could say without a doubt that the momentum would hold up for now and it’s looking at the long run that should be used as the deciding factor to declare if the new feature holds up, especially with its compatibility feature with their Games with gold. However the question of will it be able to overtake Sony? That perhaps is a question answered only in the future .
