Microsoft has 4 great advantages over Sony

See update below.

I’m still not 100% convinced that Microsoft and Sony can deliver their respective next-gen consoles this holiday, but we’ll continue to discuss upcoming systems as if they’re out in time for Christmas.

Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic is still in full swing, the global economy is still contracting, and it is unknown how a combination of supply chain problems and high levels of unemployment could affect the launch of the Xbox Series X. and PlayStation 5.

In any case, we continue to learn more and more about each other, especially the Xbox Series X which featured thirteen third-party games yesterday morning. You can see all the trailers for those here.

Today, I will talk about some ways that Microsoft is leading the next generation package. From the beginning, I will freely admit that I’m still in the PS5 camp in general, for a very good reason: Sony’s PS5 exclusives will only be on PS5 (at least for a long time), while Microsoft has promised to release across Microsoft platforms, including PC. From a purely practical point of view, having a gaming PC and a PS5 makes more sense.

But Microsoft is coming up with a compelling storyline for the Xbox X Series, even if those games they showed yesterday just don’t look that great. Let’s take a look at the three biggest advantages the Microsoft system has over the PlayStation 5.

1. Xbox Game Pass is a killer app

There is nothing like Xbox Game Pass in the gaming industry. There are other services that are similar, like EA Access or PS Now, but Game Pass is the best. Subscribers get access to a huge catalog of games that is constantly updated, just like Netflix every month.

This library includes access to all Microsoft exclusives from day one. Given the fact that Microsoft has seriously stepped up its own production, acquiring a group of development studios in the process, this will be far more valuable than ever with Xbox Series X, for both consumers and Microsoft.

Game Pass Ultimate combines Game Pass with an Xbox Live With Gold subscription for $ 14.99 / month, which is a fantastic offer that allows you to access online games and applications, free monthly games with Game Pass and Gold Pass. It is an outstanding value and will continue to be for Xbox Series X.

(See which games will hit Xbox Games With Gold in May here. Check out the new games coming to Game Pass this month here.)

2. Microsoft is getting big with All Access.

In a recent interview with IGN, Xbox chief Phil Spencer told the publication that Microsoft was going to “go big with [Xbox All Access] at the launch of the consoles. “

This is great news for any gamer on a limited budget and could give Microsoft a big head start, even if the Xbox Series X costs more than the PlayStation 5, which seems likely.

On the one hand, as noted above, the COVID-19 pandemic is having great tolerance for the economy and the money people are spending.

“We would be negligent if we did not talk about the economic realities that could be here [in the Fall]”Spencer added in the same interview.” Not to be pessimistic, but you saw the unemployment claim numbers that came out. There is a lot of uncertainty [in the market]. I think games are a luxury and we should all understand that. “

All Access could make a big difference for many players. It allows players to pay for an Xbox Series X in the same way that you would pay for a smartphone: monthly for a period of 24 months.

I’m not sure how it would work on Xbox Series X, but right now gamers can buy a new Xbox One X or Xbox One S at no upfront cost, pay it monthly (starting at $ 20 / mo for Xbox One S no disc) and up to $ 25 / mo for Xbox One X) and get a free 2-year subscription to Game Pass Ultimate as part of the deal.

Remember, Game Pass Ultimate is already $ 15 / mo, so you can get that and a console for just $ 5 to $ 10 more per month. It is an incredibly good deal.

Better yet, after 18 months, you can redeem it and upgrade it to a next-generation system. Even if the Xbox Series X is very expensive, this makes it much more affordable, especially since Game Pass Ultimate is included in the deal, which means you may not be able to buy any new games for a couple of years and still have more than 100 titles at any given time to play, including the latest Microsoft exclusives.

3. Smart Delivery adds great value to Xbox One owners.

Smart Delivery is certainly smart. Microsoft does not guarantee that all Xbox One games that also launch on Xbox Series X are only a purchase, but it has committed to two things.

First, all Microsoft exclusives for at least the foreseeable future will launch on both Xbox One and the next generation, and you’ll only have to pay once for both versions.

Second, any game labeled as Third-Party Smart Delivery will also be available to both generations as a one-time purchase. For example, if you buy Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on Xbox One and then in a year, upgrade to an Xbox Series X, you will get the Xbox Series X version for free. It is not clear whether a game like Destiny 2 it will be Smart Delivery, however.

This is not the same as backward compatible. We should expect many of our current generation games to be backward compatible on both Xbox Series X and PS5. This is different because you actually get the next generation version of the game at no additional charge.

Maybe Sony will implement something similar in the future, or announce it when they fully reveal the PlayStation 5. But as of now, this is just one more big plus for the Xbox Series X, and another way that Microsoft is making games very small a little more affordable for Xbox gamers.

To update: Here is a fourth advantage for Microsoft.

4. Microsoft is already winning the public relations war.

Along with all of the above, Microsoft is already way ahead of Sony in the public relations department when it comes to the Xbox Series X.

Sony has repeatedly tried to convey a strong message and a vision of what the PlayStation 5 has to offer. Yes, we have heard that your SSD is very fast and technically amazing, but the actual presentation in which this was announced? Total disaster.

What should have been an exciting, and rather brief, announcement turned out to be a long-running GDC conference aimed at developers and techs, not an average player.

And while we’ve seen the new DualSense controller, we haven’t seen anything else about the PlayStation 5. Right now, at least when it comes to first impressions, the Xbox Series X is a more impressive machine. Its specifications are more robust, its chassis is unique and it comes with all the advantages mentioned above.

Better yet, there is still some mystery surrounding the Xbox lineup. The Xbox X series / codename Lockhart is almost certain, but we don’t know for sure, and we don’t know how the price will work or what the spec difference will be.

The only real flaw for the Xbox team since the Xbox X Series marketing campaign began was last week’s third-party video game storefront. Microsoft showed a lot of games, but none of them really surprised the public and the Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla trailer of the game that was supposed to be the crown jewel of the entire presentation didn’t even have a real game.

Still, at least Microsoft is bragging about games and promoting players for a new console. Sony has been too quiet and distant all this time. What a stark contrast to the Xbox One vs. PS4 marketing campaign, where Microsoft positioned itself as the out-of-touch megacorporation that wanted to require an always online internet connection and destroy the used games market, and marketed the Xbox One with games almost like a late occurrence. Meanwhile, Sony positioned itself as a company fighting for the little one and the PS4 as a first-game device without such mischief.

Ultimately, Sony has drifted further and further away from this message as it outperformed Microsoft on this latest generation of consoles, and the Xbox team, under the skillful leadership of Phil Spencer, has championed all sorts of great initiatives for gamers. professionals.

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The one-two-three punch of Game Pass, All Access, and Smart Delivery make the Xbox Series X (and presumably the Xbox Series X) a remarkably good value for consumers. And Microsoft is doing a great job marketing the new console.

Now the real question is: will the Xbox Series X really launch this holiday with the COVID-19 pandemic that will shake up the planet and the global economy and if it does, will there be enough supply to meet demand?

These questions are so up in the air that we had better not even try. But right now, Microsoft has done an excellent job of making its next-generation systems attractive, affordable regardless of price, and full of value for all gamers.

Will you buy an Xbox Series X at launch or will you lean towards the still mysterious PS5? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook.