One thing that gamers need to realize is how good the competition between console makers is. It forces each company to put their best foot forward as they try to create a better product than their opponents. It seems that PlayStation president of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida agrees.
“Competition is always healthy,” Yoshida recently told GameSpot in an interview. “It’s best for the industry and consumers.”
Yoshida mentioned that when Microsoft announced that they had updated the Xbox One’s YouTube app to allow users to share clips directly to the site, he received a mass of messages asking him, ‘When are you going to support YouTube [on PS4]?”
Yoshida stated that this opposition between companies like Sony and Microsoft creates a kind of positive pressure. When the companies compete in a “constructive, healthy manner” it helps make these platforms better in the long run. He stated:
“So I don’t want Microsoft or Nintendo to be totally unsuccessful. At the same time, I don’t want them to be totally successful [laughs]…So I think we can kind of help each other by healthy competition.”
GameSpot’s interview also touched on the issue of the price difference between the PS4 and the Xbox One.
The PS4 may officially retail for $100 less than the Xbox One, but Yoshida feels this price gap is disappearing. When you take all the recent deals and bundles for a Xbox One, the prices seem to line up. According to Yoshida:
“Nowadays, it’s hard to tell how much price difference there is. It used to be $100 [but now] it could be $50 or even the same,”
So far the PS4 has sold 7 million units. The Xbox One on the other hand has shipped 5 million units to retailers so far. Perhaps all the deals and bundles can help the Xbox One catch up a bit more.
When it comes to competition bringing out a better product, I totally agree.
If these companies want to stick around, they have to continually put out better and better products. Fanboys may not want to agree, but in a way, these companies need each other. They push each other to come up with something better, and their attempts to out do each other results in a better product for the consumer.
A good example of this was when Microsoft had to remove all the restrictions that they were originally going to implement on the Xbox One. After Sony showed off their ideas, Microsoft had to adapt. This is why I am not biased. Both sides come up with some good ideas, and I just choose what I feel is better. I will probably end up with all the consoles this generation like I did the previous one. This “console war” brings out the best of all sides, and gamers should learn to enjoy them all. Being a fanboy helps no one. 
Published: Apr 25, 2014 04:56 pm