With the pending launch of the Playstation 4, Sony is going all out to capture the top spot in the next-generation console market. Following early mis-steps from Microsoft regarding the Xbox One, Sony in uncharacteristic fashion went on a all out offensive and used E3 to gain an early edge over Microsoft with a very competitive unit price that was $100.00 less than the Xbox One as well as some very pointed barbs aimed at Microsoft’s then intention to block the use of news games on their console.
So with the launch of the Playstation 4 less than 48 hours away and the launch of the Xbox One to follow a week later, and with Intergi Entertainment citing the Playstation 4 as the console of choice amongst the majority of gamers they surveyed polled, We will look at what Sony must due to build on their momentum.
“To quote Integri, PS4 Tops Xbox One as Most Preferred Next-Gen Console Among Consumers.
Deerfield Beach, FL – Intergi Entertainment surveyed console gamers across their explicit network of 1,500 sites to determine which next-generation console will triumph the gaming market this holiday season. With over 5,000 submissions received, Intergi determined that Sony’s PlayStation 4 will more than likely surpass its competitors, Microsoft’s Xbox One and Nintendo’s Wii U”.
While 5,000 people is a drop in the bucket compared to the potential global audience for both systems it does give a sample size of which way the consumer market is currently trending.
Sony needs to take advantage of this momentum by ensuring that they have and continue to have exclusives that people will want to play and in doing so, provide justification for purchasing their system. When the Playstation 3 launched, many people cited Resistance as the game of choice at launch but also commented on the lack of titles at launch especially exclusives.
This time out Killzone: Shadow Fall is the A list exclusive with Knack providing the content that casual gamers will likely enjoy. There are several exclusives on the horizon such as Infamous Second Son and The Order: 1886.
Sony must be careful not to follow the mistakes that Nintendo made with the Wii U and have a lack of exclusives worth playing as Nintendo is entering it’s second holiday season for the Wii U and finding that many of their pending titles of interest such as Mario Kart 8 and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will not be released until 2014. While a price cut will help sales the lack of A list exclusives is sure to hinder what could have been a great sales window for them.
In the end exclusives will be a large part of which console ultimately prevails but for now the early lead goes to Sony, and I cannot wait to see what they do next.
