In the gaming world, what’s the first rivalry you think of? Is it Mario vs. Bowser, Link vs. Ganon, Sonic vs. Dr. Robotnik, or Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero? Although these rivalries are certainly classics, there might just be one feud you haven’t thought of that arguably surpasses all of these examples: PlayStation vs. Xbox.
Since the release of the first Xbox in 2001, Xbox automatically became a direct competitor to Sony’s PlayStation, with some of the most powerful processors around, CD or DVD playback capability, and impressive graphics for their time. Since then, they’ve naturally competed against each other, with a rivalry that has only gotten more intense. Together, both consoles have paved the way for other brilliant consoles and digital experiences, similar to how slot machine games for mobile phones have changed portable casino entertainment.
With Xbox recently announcing some massive changes to its strategy, many people are left wondering if this decades-long battle has come to a close. Did PlayStation win the clash? Or is there more to the story? Let’s start by going back to the roots of the rivalry.
The Beginnings of Xbox and PlayStation
Developed and released in 1994 in Japan and in North America in 1995, the PlayStation had a head start on the Xbox. At the time, it competed with two other home video game consoles: the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn. It was a widely successful console, sold at a very accessible price, and offered popular games that were suitable for both kids and adults. Franchises like Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, Tekken, Spyro, and other mainstays in the gaming world today began on the PS1.
Although the first Xbox console was released in the United States six years later, Xbox’s story began much earlier than that. In fact, it was when Sony announced the PlayStation 2 in 1999 that engineers at Microsoft put together a battle plan for a Microsoft console. With PlayStation 2 emerging as a threat to PCs, they wanted the Xbox to use similar PC hardware components so Windows could build games for the new system in-house. When it was released to the public, it was immediately pitted against the PlayStation 2—their plan worked.
Xbox and PlayStation’s Ongoing Battle
Ever since, Xbox and PlayStation have been going at it. Each console release marked the start of a whole new debate about game selection, online services, hardware, and opinions on which one was the better console. The competition was fierce, and both consoles continued to garner millions of buyers. As Microsoft had a couple of years to figure out how it could one up Sony, Microsoft boldly launched its first console with built-in online capabilities. The Xbox Live service came out in 2002, letting players play online as long as they had a broadband connection. However, Sony was quicker—it launched the Broadband Navigator service that let users download media, send instant messages, and download software a few months before Xbox.
This set the precedent and continued with the release of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The PlayStation 3 era was undoubtedly Sony’s worst one, with many launch challenges due to its lofty price tag, incompatible hardware architecture, poor online infrastructure, and features that simply didn’t align with its core gaming audience. Sony was straying from its gaming roots and tried to appeal to a general audience with multimedia capabilities. Ultimately, the strategy didn’t work.
At this point in time, the Xbox 360 arguably took the crown as the top console of the two. Microsoft managed to tap into exactly what gamers wanted at the time. It effectively gained a foothold with its powerful Xbox Live service and exclusive game library with much-loved titles like Halo 3 and Gears of War, which are heavily associated with Xbox even today. The performance and graphics were next level, and the Kinect motion-sensing accessory was introduced, which kickstarted motion-based gaming (even though it was widely unsuccessful).
But PlayStation wasn’t done. The brand gained momentum again and recovered from its less-than-stellar release with the PlayStation 4 in 2013. It dominated for years, solidifying itself as one of the leading consoles on the market. Sony was determined to beat Xbox at its own game—and it did. The Xbox One couldn’t compete with the PS4’s competitive pricing and impressive lineup of games, including Uncharted, The Last of Us, and God of War, and many first-party studios. Up until the release of the PS5 in 2020, it had sold over 110 million units. Meanwhile, the Xbox One struggled in comparison.
The End of the Console War?
Xbox has certainly fallen behind in the console war. Although 85.73 million Xbox 360s have sold since its launch, Xbox console sales have declined overall, with around 57 million for the Xbox One and 27 million for the Xbox Series X/S. Recently, Xbox announced something that could put a final end to the console war: former Xbox exclusive games like Halo are coming to PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2. Considering that part of the appeal of each console is their exclusive games, this signals something big for many gamers around the world. Could Xbox be taking a step back? Is the company deliberately allowing rival hardware to take over Xbox-exclusive games?
Many believe that Xbox will no longer be a physical console that you can buy, but Microsoft says otherwise. There are no plans for Microsoft to stop making or selling the Xbox console. While it’s only natural to speculate its end, it’s also possible that Xbox will soon evolve in a way none of us expects.
