Next-Gen consoles on the crossroad: Will Sony become the new Nintendo?

PlayStation sets sales records and the brand is booming. But at the beginning of the current Next-Gen era Sony still seems to remove a little from the mainstream - and could instead approach Nintendo. A comment by Gregor Elsholz.

At first glance, the Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation 5 are not too much in common. In the case of closer inspection, it reveals between the two consoles - and especially the companies behind it - however, some interesting parallels, which in my opinion could indicate a new momentum in the gaming industry **.

Both PlayStation and Nintendo are world-famous gaming brands that many players have accompanying children since childhood days and have always significantly influenced the market. The most important commonality of the two is currently currently in dealing with the respective exclusive games of platforms.

PlayStation on the footsteps of Nintendo?

Nintendo and PlayStation have heroes like Super Mario, Nathan Drake, Donkey Kong and Aloy made to icons and created on the way there huge exclusive franchises. Who ever wanted to play a Smash Bros. or God-of-War game, did not come around the purchase of a corresponding console.

This strategy is more than rising over the years and is still a driving success factor. At the same time, these years of strength from today's point of view but can also be judged as a franchise dependency and thus not necessarily as weakness, but as a limitation.

For a further striking commonality of PlayStation and Nintendo is that both brands once synonyms and thus to a certain extent mainstream monopolies for gaming were - but now no longer are.

Look at some of the exclusive games for the PS5 in our video:

XBox Series X: Microsoft with the mainstream plan

In the latest console generation, Xbox is positioning itself as an absolute mainstream console as an absolute mainstream console, which is ideal for all platform-independent games. Who spends his time primarily with FIFA, GTA, Call of Duty or other multi-platform blockbusters, gets with the Series X the currently most powerful console and with the Series S a cheap alternative - each with Dolby vision - and -ATMOS compatibility.

Anyone who wants to do without consoles or stay with his last-Gen-Xbox may, however, can access a huge library from anywhere via Game Pass Ultimate. The entire Xbox offer focuses on making the gaming access for the maximum of players as easy as possible **.

The most formulated argument against Xbox is the lack of established exclusive franchises and thus essentially to Feelgood moments, the players remember their youth times. But this nostalgia logically takes for a new generation of Gamern other forms, in a time in which Fortnite, Minecraft and Roblox are among the world's largest games.

PlayStation as a new noble: is the Sony's claim?

In the current Next-Gen situation, PlayStation positions itself as a kind of deluxe variant of Nintendo - with a significantly contemporary and thus more powerful hardware, which, however, in terms of compatibility and accessibility is not available to the overall range of Xbox.

For this, PlayStation players can look forward to the upcoming Sequels to Horizon and God of War as well as the The Last of Us reMake. The target audience is therefore very similar to Nintendo secured - but also narrowed. If you do not have emotional binding to the mentioned games, the advantages of the Xbox will probably evaluate as stronger.

Sega, Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox: Gaming Giants in Change

Perhaps, Sony's development shows that has always been in the gaming industry since the trend towards niche formation. While Sega is essentially only the Sonic company, it has Nintendo, former industry prime, in one Independent and candy colorful market niches full of kirbies and magical caps made comfortable.

PlayStation could go the same way, only with slightly covered colors and a selection of 3rd person adventures full of charming anti-heroes.

Of course, it should not be forgotten that Microsoft is the youngest of the three console manufacturers mentioned. Who knows, maybe Xbox will also retire from battle in a few years and leave the fight for mainstream prevention to Amazon and Google.

In our video we show you which games in the editorial team in August:

Gamer, who grew up with the Xbox or at least Xbox 360, will probably look forward to the new Halo, Gears of War or Forza Horizon, and a bit in nostalgia revel - and waiting for everything started from the beginning.