The price or even an attachment to a brand (here PlayStation and Xbox) can influence players when buying a console or its competitor, but that would be forgetting a major element… the games themselves.
The price of the games
With the arrival of a new generation of consoles, the price of games is a central issue. The purchase of “Day One” games can quickly become expensive, and represent a significant budget. On PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360, a game cost 60 euros in 2006-2007. On PlayStation 4 / Xbox One, this came to 70 euros in 2013. But what about 9th generation machines?
The suggested retail price for PS5 games is only officially known for a handful of them, and remains a mystery on the Xbox Series. Here’s what we know from trusted sources. Some games Playstation 5 will be marketed at € 79.99 including Demon’s Soul Remake, Destruction AllStars as well as the “Ultimate Edition” version of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales including the Marvel’s Spider-Man remaster (€ 59.99 for the basic version). Sackboy: A Big Adventure is announced at € 69.99.
However, Demon’s Soul Remake is already on “promotion” in some stores, and aligns with the prices on the previous generation of consoles (€ 69.99). The majority of PlayStation 5 titles available for pre-orders do the same (Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion…). As for the games on Xbox series, dealers are also counting on € 69.99. The € 79.99 is currently only applicable to certain PS5 games. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is for example displayed at 79.99 € on some sites.
At the time of the democratization of the catalogs of games accessible by subscription (Game Pass, PS Now, Uplay +, EA Play …), the purchase by the unit is only one way among others to obtain a video game. The Playstation now and its 800 games are at € 9.99 / month (or € 59.99 / year). Microsoft offers the Game Pass at € 9.99 / month on PC or console (€ 12.99 / month for both media – no annual offer) with 230 and 190 games respectively available. Games from Xbox Games Studios and the label ID @ Xbox are available on this service on the day of their release.
The launch line-up
A console’s launch line-up, as decisive as it is, has too rarely caught the jaws of gamers in the past. What about the 9th generation console?
Let us first clarify what we mean by ”Launch line-up”. These are simply the games that are natively available on a console on the day of its release. This therefore does not take into account backward compatible titles, nor those playable only via Cloud Gaming services.
The game catalogs available at the launch of the Playstation 5 and Xbox series are described by Sony and Microsoft as the biggest “Day One” line-up in console history. We must recognize that there is something to see coming, even if the majority of titles are also present on the previous generation as well as on PC. From a purely cash standpoint, the PS5 and the Xbox Series are on par with 19 games on the clock, for an equivalent number of exclusives, namely 6 for Sony and Microsoft.
Games common to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series at launch:
NB Some games are released a few days after the launch of the Xbox Series. We saw fit to include them in the line-up.
Sony console presents 6 “excluded” : Astro Playroom, Demon’s Souls Remake, Destruction AllStars, Godfall, Marvel’s Spider Man: Miles Morales and Sackboy: A Big Adventure. It should be noted that some of these games are released simultaneously on PlayStation 4 and / or will be released later on PC and / or “Xbox” consoles. Only Astro Playroom and Destruction AllStars are truly “excluded” from PlayStation 5.
The “exclusives” of the PlayStation 5 at launch:
Microsoft consoles align 4 exclusives at launch: Gears Tactics, The Falconeer, Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Tetris Effect: Connected. The first three titles mentioned are also available on Xbox One. As for the last, it is only a temporary “excluded”. However, Microsoft’s Smart Delivery feature will expand the catalog dedicated to the Xbox Series, including Gears 5, by improving the gaming experience on these consoles via specific updates.
Xbox Series “exclusives” at launch:
Backward compatibility
The backward compatibility of previous generation games on new generation consoles is a topic as old as video games itself. In the past, some machines were only slightly interested in this feature often requested by part of the gaming community. Microsoft and Sony seem to want to respond favorably to their expectations with the Xbox Series and the PlayStation 5.
No need to wait for porting or remastering a game if your new machine opts for backward compatibility with the consoles that came before it. In this area, Microsoft is working double by ensuring the presence of the entire catalog Xbox one on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. That’s not all. Players can also find nearly 600 games from the game library Xbox (8 games) and Xbox 360 (584 games). In addition, some titles will benefit from Smart Delivery, a feature presented by the Redmond firm that allows certain Xbox One games to be updated on Xbox Series in order to enjoy an optimal gaming experience without having to redeem said games.
- View backward compatible Xbox and Xbox 360 games on Xbox Series
Sony is trying to align with Microsoft’s strategy for backward compatibility. The PlayStation 5 will eventually be compatible and according to Jim Ryan (CEO of Sony) with 99% of titles tested on PlayStation 4. Good news then. However, games from previous generations (PS1, PS2, and PS3) will not be part of the 9th generation console. The Playstation now could be Sony’s answer to Microsoft when it comes to backward compatibility, although the presence of this service on PlayStation 5 has yet to be confirmed. Indeed, the latter allows you to play remotely (and sometimes locally depending on the title) about ten PlayStation 2 games as well as dozens of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 games. “PS5 Upgrade Available” on the boxes indicates the possibility of updating a PS4 game to play it on PlayStation 5 with the improvements provided by a “new gen” patch.
- Check out PlayStation Now games on PlayStation 4
PS5 / Xbox Series X: Backward compatibility, a communication tool above all?
The 2020-2021 game catalog
Knowing the “Day One” line-up of the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series is one thing, being able to plan for the video game year to come is another. Beyond the consoles, their power and the services offered, their catalog of games can be of capital importance. Here is a projection of the games available on PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in 2020-2021 (excluding launch).
The players will obviously have something to take care of on the 9th generation consoles. There are more than 70 titles on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series (+90 with those of the launch line-up). Many of them, coming from third-party publishers, will be cross-platform. However, several “exclusives” (even if they are temporary or cross gen) are likely to tip the scales in favor of Sony and / or Microsoft according to your affinities with a genre or a particular license.
The “exclusives” planned for PlayStation 5 in 2020-2021:
The “exclusives” planned for Xbox Series in 2020-2021:
NB The lists below do not take into account backward compatible titles, nor those playable only via Cloud Gaming services. Some games that only receive a next-gen patch ”may have been forgotten.
Games available on PlayStation 5 in 2020-2021 (excluding launch):
Games available on Xbox Series in 2020-2021 (excluding launch):
Post 2021 PS5 and Xbox Series exclusives
For players who want to travel back in time to a distant future, others Major titles for the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series have been announced by manufacturers as well as some third-party publishers. These games currently have no official release date, not even a window.
The “exclusives” planned for PlayStation 5 post 2021:
The “exclusives” planned for the Xbox Series post 2021:
PlayStation 5 versus Xbox Series comparisons by theme
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