Forget sales numbers – which are record-breaking right now in the West. The Sony PlayStation 5 is lagging behind its competition. The Nintendo Switch is dominating Japanese sales numbers, Nintendo is releasing game after game after game, and thus far, the PlayStation 5 has next to nothing. Sales matter but it only takes a console so far. Sony’s business model is fundamentally flawed, focusing purely on hardware and third-party titles for its launch. There have been little-to-none first-party titles, and the heavy hitters keep on getting delayed. At this point, there’s no reason to own a PlayStation 5. The Xbox Series X is in a similar predicament, but with the Xbox Game Pass, as well as their acquisition of Bethesda, their future is bright. They keep on moving forward. While Microsoft is playing the long game, Sony is stagnating and not looking toward the future like Nintendo and Microsoft are.
The PlayStation 5 is an overrated console that is not worth its price tag. For that matter, the Xbox Series X either, but most of the games that will be available for the Series X will also be available for the Xbox One for the next year or so. This is true for the PlayStation 5 as well, but the Series X decimates their competition with the Game Pass. This is the future of Xbox. Regardless of how sales turn out, the Xbox Series X and the family of Xbox Consoles have a leg up on the PlayStation 5. PlayStation seems to be stuck in the past, while Xbox is continually moving forward, and once again playing the long game. This is not so different from Nintendo.
With the eventual release of the Nintendo Switch Pro, Nintendo is on pace to sell 100 units, at least. It’s a worldwide phenomenon with several 20-30 million sellers. This is unheard of. The Switch is poised to be one of the most successful consoles of all-time, and is only in the middle of its life cycle, according to Nintendo’s President. Will the Playstation 5 be able to compete? This is yet to be seen, but given their lack of first-party titles and multiplatform games as their primary source of software, they may not be able to. Microsoft is going in a different direction and focusing on original content and streaming, which is a detriment to Sony. Sony is lagging behind their competition right now on all fronts, and if they don’t pick up the pace, especially considering their disappointing State of Play, they may not have as good a console generation as some think. They cannot afford to launch their blockbuster titles, such as The Last of Us Part II, near the end of the console’s life cycle. Sure, it will move units, but it will be too little too late. They will lack the first-party titles that Nintendo and Microsoft will have and this is a serious detriment.
Sony needs to pick up the slack. God of War needs to come out this year, as does Horizon Forbidden West. If these two games come out this year, PlayStation will be in good shape. But this is not looking likely. Sony cannot afford to continue to lag behind their competition, especially with Halo Infinite, a system seller, coming out this year for the Xbox. Breath of the Wild 2 will most likely come out this holiday season for Nintendo. Sony needs to pick up the slack if they’re going to continue to dominate this console cycle, especially if their competition continues to churn out exclusive after exclusive. Nintendo has done that for the past four years and is dominating worldwide. Sony needs exclusive games if they are going to compete both with the Switch and the Xbox Series X.