The Xbox One release date is on its way, just over two weeks from now. Although it’s being launched second, Microsoft claims it doesn’t mean the console will rank second. The Xbox One will supposedly beat and stay ahead of the PS4, according to the company.
If you pay attention to the PR and the hype, Microsoft is getting cocky with that claim. Back in May, the console was announced to mass disappointment as they told us what “the future” of video gaming was. Apparently, “the future” involved a lot of sports, TV, and Call of Duty . Other things were mentioned, but Microsoft didn’t seem to care much about what the console could do for the gamer.
As time passed and the actual facts were revealed under the radar, Microsoft lost a lot of their initial fan base. Eventually, they realized their loss in popularity and tried to turn the tide by reversing their DRM policy . Just when the gaming public was breathing a sigh of relief, a petition asked for the DRM controls back, and much to Microsoft’s ignorance, Sony gamers signed by the thousands.
Knowing all of this, the Xbox One release date isn’t looking so much like an easy win as it is Microsoft throwing themselves a party and nobody showing up. Eventually those DRM policies are coming back , the company told us, and in spite of all this, Microsoft still insists that the Xbox One will beat and stay ahead of the PlayStation 4.
News: Xbox One will ‘start ahead’ of PS4 and still be ahead in 2023, Microsoft claims: ‘Th… http://t.co/Exiiai4mCk #videogaming #games
— Gaming News (@GamingNews24) November 7, 2013
Now to be fair, the Xbox One does have some aspects that might help it meet Microsoft’s goal of domination. The new and improved Kinect , the more stable online network, the controllers, and the focus on general entertainment could easily make the Xbox One an all-encompassing media hub. Add to that some great exclusives like Killer Instinct , Forza Motorsport 5 , and Titanfall , and Microsoft could indeed have the upper hand in the battle of PS4 vs Xbox One.
As the Xbox One release date approaches, we also have to take into account that the PlayStation 4 will be a generally more gamer centered console. Sony learned their lesson since the unfortunate PS3 launch. Yes, the PS3 ended up being more powerful than the Xbox 360 in the end, but the sales figures don’t lie. Microsoft’s console sold more, though how many of those sales were related to the “red ring of death” isn’t clear.
Microsoft Canada’s Xbox director of marketing Craig Flannagan told the press recently:
“Xbox One is going to start ahead, in terms of the experience we can deliver. And because we’re built for the future, we’re going to stay ahead. I think there is not a better experience you can buy this holiday, and there will not be a time this generation where there’s a better experience you can buy than Xbox One … And it’s probably going to be a pretty long generation. We’re probably here for a while because we’re built for the future. This is a console that will last you, conservatively a decade, if I had to put a bet down today.”
As the Xbox One release date closes in and the PS4 vs Xbox One battle rages on, we would like to tell Microsoft something we heard in Star Wars : “Great, kid, don’t get cocky.”