This week, we finally learned what the specs for PS5 and Xbox Series X are. These are early days for both consoles, but our expert opinion is that "the PS5, on paper at least, is far less powerful than the Xbox Series X." . However, there's a lot more to dig than that, and we recommend you read our two in-depth spec review articles, linked above, to get an informed opinion on the new consoles. Historically, it's hard to say how important hardware specs are to a console's success. There are usually other factors to consider, most obviously the range of games, but also the price of the console, or its appeal beyond traditional gamers. Timing can also play a key role, and additional features can also inform your success. How important is powerful hardware to winning a console generation? And why does each console really win its respective generation? Below we've walked through the last four console generations, to understand how they stand out, which might give you an idea of what will determine the winner this time around.
Why did PS4 beat Xbox One?
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Did the most powerful console win the generation? As for the basic consoles, yes. The PS4 had a performance advantage over the Xbox One from the start, with many games reaching higher resolutions on the PS4 than on the Xbox One (there's a long list of comparisons on this front in the database. IGN Data). ). But the new Xbox Series X is more powerful than the PS4 Pro, and the Xbox still ends the generation far behind overall, with PS4 sales exceeding 100 million. What did the generation really gain? Other factors determined the victory lap of the PS4. The Xbox One was more expensive at launch and experienced a PR disaster for its position on used games (which it was forced to retract). Its Kinect device was also completely removed after its release, apparently showing a lack of confidence in the offer, even if it allowed Microsoft to lower the price. The Xbox One has never had the software quality like the 360, despite strengths like the Forza series and Sea of Thieves. Meanwhile, the PS4 has flourished with great story-exclusive titles like God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn.
Why has Wii defeated PS3 and Xbox 360?
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(Image credit: Nintendo) Did the most powerful console win the generation? No The Nintendo Wii won with over 100 million units sold, and it couldn't even come out in HD. But there really wasn't a loser in this generation. Both the PS3 and 360 found themselves in similar positions in terms of sales (80 million units or more), and while the PS3 is hard to develop, games ended up performing similarly on both after a rough first year for gamers. PS3 ports. The Wii U, which launched in 2012, had a better GPU than its competitors (and an apparently less efficient processor), but it performed differently with games of comparable quality. His real problem, however, was that his second USP screen just didn't cut it. The Wii U didn't seem like a serious upgrade for PlayStation or Xbox gamers either, and the proper next-gen consoles would follow a year later. What did the generation really gain? occasional games. The Wii promise was all about gaming as part of your family's lifestyle, with Wii Sports promoting local multiplayer and Wii Fit expanding Nintendo's mandate beyond Mario, Zelda and society. The motion control had a serious novelty factor that sold the Wii to many people outside of the mainstream gaming audience. But the PS3 and 360 had strong generations, in the end, and Microsoft in particular has made a lot of progress over its previous console in terms of sales thanks to the quality of its software and its offering. online industry leader.
Why did PS2 beat Xbox, Dreamcast, and GameCube?
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(Image credit: Sony) Did the most powerful console win the generation? No. The PS2 was considered less powerful than the original GameCube and Xbox (here's a good Popular Mechanics article on the subject), but that didn't matter. The PS2 is the best-selling home console of all time with more than 140 million units, while none of its competitors have surpassed 30 million. The consoles had so much overlap in their software offerings, it would be hard to tell the difference between the consoles unless you paid attention to subtle visual details or load times, where the Xbox was particularly strong. What did the generation really gain? The PS2 DVD player combined with its massive library of third-party software won out, killing the Dreamcast early on. The PS2 was also the first to be released after the Dreamcast, beating the GameCube and Xbox by over a year and a half, giving it a huge head start. At this point, the PS2 already had mega-selling games like Gran Turismo 3 and GTA 3, ensuring its dominance.
Why did PlayStation beat N64 and Sega Saturn?
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(Image credit: Sony) Has the most powerful console ever won? No, but this case is complicated by more factors than the N64 having a more powerful processor and more RAM than the PlayStation. Sony's decision to use CD-ROMs gave it a huge advantage in terms of capacity and audio, while Nintendo stuck with cartridges from 4 to 64 MB in capacity. Games like Metal Gear Solid wouldn't have been the same on the N64 because of the amount of audio (dialogue, in Metal Gear's case) stored on the CDs. Which is why it's a miracle that Resident Evil 2, for example, was released on the N64 (here's an excellent feature on Eurogamer on this topic). What did the generation really gain? This one was all about the software: its range, quality and price. And Sony won on all fronts, while the N64 struggled with third-party support after dominating with the SNES. The PlayStation also killed the Sega Saturn by costing $100 less in North America, and it didn't help that the Sega console never had a proper Sonic game to help it sell. The N64 was also released over a year after the PlayStation and was extremely slow in building its software library.
The conclusion?
The games tend to be more important than the hardware itself with each console generation. When people see what a Horizon suite looks like on PS5, they won't think about how the specs line up next to the Xbox Series X. They'll just want the console for themselves. That's why it's so important that Xbox gets the right balance of games this generation. And while you can say that Microsoft is extremely proud of its new hardware, its series of acquisitions from developers like Obsidian and Ninja Theory signals that it knows that big exclusions are essential to the success of every system. It looks like a generation where the two manufacturers should avoid their past mistakes and really compete effectively. However, we don't yet know how much these consoles will cost, and that depends a lot.