It’s been almost two years since the ninth console generation began, yet little has changed in the gaming landscape. Far from fading away like all past generation hardware, the PS4, Xbox One and Switch are just as popular as ever and it’s looking like all three major platform holders intend on supporting them for the foreseeable future. This makes some sense for Nintendo since the company hasn’t even so much as hinted at a Switch 2 yet, but it is surprising that Sony and Microsoft are content to continue undercutting their new hardware. If most first-party exclusives are still available on old hardware, then one cannot help but wonder what exactly is the point of going to the trouble of getting the latest and greatest.
Certainly this is good news for all those gamers out there who just haven’t been able to find a PS5 orXbox Series X; they still get to keep up with all their favorite series. In that sense, continued support for PS4/Xbox One is a fair move on the parts of Sony and Microsoft (not to mention profitable). The makers don’t lose out on sales from all the gamers who’ve thus far have been stuck outside of the current-gen club and many fans don’t have to look on longingly at the likes ofGod of War: Ragnarok. It’s a win-win in that sense. That said, there is a loser in this situation: everyone who DID manage to get their hands on a new system (and spent a nice chunk of change doing so).
It might be tempting for those without to sneer at current-gen holders' frustration, but they actually do have a reasonable grievance here. For as long as there’ve been game consoles, the entire point of upgrading to the new machine has been to enjoy both the new games AND the new technology powering them. If games are going to continue being designed with old tech in mind, that undermines the new hardware’s value. Sure, they might look NICER on the new systems, but they’re still fundamentally previous generation games. After paying 300-plus dollars for the ability to enjoy current generation games, such a turn would (and likely does) feel like a slap in the face from the likes of Sony and Microsoft.
This continued support may also discourage those stuck on PS4/Xbox One from upgrading. Seriously, after two years of being on the market, neither system has a true killer app. The best arguments for getting the PS5/XSX are the likes ofDemon’s Souls,Ratchet and Clank: Into the NexusandHalo Infinite. That’s a one-to-one remake of an early PS3 game, a standard action/adventure with admittedly nice bells and whistles, andan utter mess of a Halo game. Not exactly a great case there. Indeed, there was (and still is) also the anticipation of future exclusivity and the advancement that’d come with it, but now it’s looking like early adopters are going to have to wait a good while longer than expected.
If Sony, Microsoft and theremaining major third party publishersdo indeed intend to continue supporting PS4 and Xbox One for the next few years, then there’s not a lot of incentive to go out and track down aPS5or Xbox Series X. Current generation systems offer a superior play experience via higher frame rates and resolution, but that alone is not enough to justify the cost of upgrading. It’s always been games (and the promise of them), not technology improvements, that move systems. Without them, all one really has is a fancy, largely pointless box.
