With the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2 at some point this year, everything seems to indicate that the video game industry will face a very important change. This is something that a new analysis has pointed out, which has revealed that this could well be the last generation where Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft compete, since in the future there will only be room for one console that is not from the Big N.
According to DFC Intelligence, the next generation will only feature two consoles, and one of these will be Nintendo hardware. The analysis has indicated that, due to the way the market has operated in recent years, Sony and Microsoft will face each other in a competition where only one will have the opportunity to continue creating specific consoles with exclusives.
Nintendo, for its part, will remain in the lead, and will be the winner of the next generation thanks to a strategy that combines early availability of its new hardware and more limited competition. This, without forgetting, the already established user base. However, Sony and Microsoft will not have the same luck, so the market, or users, will ultimately choose one of these two.
Of these two, Microsoft and Xbox have the flexibility to focus on subscription services and software distribution, rather than placing a heavy emphasis on hardware, which Sony and PlayStation will do. This is what DFC Intelligence commented on the matter:
“There is no room for more than two major console systems. Sony or Microsoft will be fighting hard at a distant third place, largely depending on which of those companies can gain momentum early on.
A new system from Sony (PlayStation 6?) should have an advantage because of Sony’s loyal base and strong intellectual property,” he says, while noting that Microsoft will enter its next console as the largest game publisher.
Microsoft failed with Xbox Series X/S, but has made major acquisitions to become the world’s largest software publisher. “Microsoft has the option to focus on software and distribution models rather than hardware.”
At the moment there is no information about Sony and Microsoft’s plans after this generation. In the case of Xbox, its managers have indicated that they do not plan to abandon the console market, and even want to enter the portable market. On related topics, it presents a new technical video for the PS5 Pro. Likewise, LEGO Horizon Adventures will come to Xbox.
Author’s Note:
This is a possibility, but considering that Microsoft is not giving up, it is something that may not happen in the next generation, or at least not in as marked a way as it happened with SEGA at the time. If Xbox leaves consoles, it will likely be more gradual, moving from home hardware, to portable, and then to streaming services.
Via: VGC
