While it is not uncommon for gamers to have both Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation gaming consoles, most gamers tend to have a favorite. You are either team Microsoft or team Sony.
According to Business Insider, Sony tends to wipe the floor with Microsoft in this department selling out consoles 2-to-1 in North American and 3-to-1 in Europe. The media outlet argues one of the biggest reasons why Sony PlayStation tends to be more popular than Microsoft Xbox is the price tag. At launch, the
At launch, the Sony PlayStation 4 (or PS4 for short) had a price tag of $400.
The Microsoft Xbox One, by comparison, had a price tag of $500. While neither the Xbox One or the PS4 are nearly as expensive as they were at their launch, the Sony still manages to maintain in the number one slot when it comes to console sales from one month to the next.
Business Insider, however, believes Microsoft may be making some smart moves with their gaming consoles that could make it possible for them to provide Sony with stiff competition in the future. Namely, it is one “secret weapon” as the media outlet refers to it that Sony has always shrugged off as a bad idea and a waste of time.
What is this secret weapon?
The secret weapon that some believe could be Microsoft’s key to finally surpassing Sony in gaming console sales is backward compatibility.
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, it means you can play video games from older gaming consoles on a new console. While
While backwards compatibility has always been a highly requested feature among Sony PlayStation gamers, it has never been a feature the gaming giant has even entertained as a good idea.
Time Magazine asked Jim Ryan of Sony International Entertainment if they had ever considered introducing the feature into the PlayStation gaming consoles.
While Sony has entertained the feature a few times, it has always been written off as a waste of time.
Ryan referred to the older PlayStation gaming consoles as “ancient” and admitted to having no idea why anyone would want to play video games on an older console.
Mike Ybarra disagrees
Microsoft's Mike Ybarra, however, didn’t agree with Ryan and Sony’s opinion of backwards compatibility at all.
Of course, video gamers are constantly looking for new and improved games and gaming consoles. Does this mean that those same gamers don’t want the opportunity to continue to enjoy their old video games? This is more or less the point Microsoft's Mike Ybarra argued in response to Sony’s opinion of the feature.
Business Insider acknowledges that while the numbers show backwards compatibility isn’t a feature highly used by Microsoft Xbox gamers, it is a feature being used. Could Sony be making a mistake by dismissing this feature and not giving it a try with the PlayStation gaming console? Would PlayStation gamers enjoy the opportunity to play games from older gaming consoles without actually having to have the older console?
Microsoft’s decision to continue to utilize the backwards compatibility feature is because the gaming giant believes gamers should be able to enjoy all of their games – not just their new ones. Could this decision be what allows Xbox to finally outsell Sony PlayStation consoles in the future?
