(Image credit; 4.bp.blogspot.com)
In terms of sales,
the PlayStation 4 is far ahead of its peers. Recent statistics show that Sony’s
beastly machine has 40% more sales than Xbox One according to ArsTechnica. We believe that the
‘console war’ is now being fought between Nintendo’s Wii U and the Xbox One. It
may get even more cutthroat as Microsoft’s CVP Yusuf Mehdi recently announced
on Xbox Wire that Xbox One shipments
to retailers are nearing 10 million. However, this does not give us any
indication of consumer sales.
If we compare hardware, there is no question the Xbox One
offers more power and graphical capability than the Wii U. The one thing
favoring Nintendo’s little monster is that it is loaded with exclusives. Most
recently, the stylish fighter ‘Bayonetta 2’ was released on the Wii U and
became an instant hit and its 95/100 Metacrtic
rating proves it. ‘Super Smash Bros.’ has already scored 85/100 rating on Metacritic and hopefully it will repeat
the success when it releases on the Wii U on the 21st of November.
The Xbox One may not have as many exclusives as the Wii U but
some of their best include ‘Forza Horizon 2’, ‘Sunset Overdrive’ and ‘Halo:
Master Chief Collection’. This year’s biggest Xbox One exclusive was
‘Titanfall’. Unfortunately, its sequel is reportedly going multiplatform.
But are gamers always looking for exclusives? Some may argue
that exclusives offer a unique selling point for consoles. However, since the
launch of Xbox One and PS4 in November 2013, the multi-platformers performed
better especially ‘Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag’, ‘Battlefield 4’, ‘FIFA 15’,
‘Destiny’ and ‘Watchdogs’. ‘Assassins Creed Unity’ is one of the hottest
third-party titles going into the holiday season. ‘Call of Duty: Advanced
Warfare’ has already scored 83/100 on Metacritic
and is a smash hit.
None of these new multi-platform titles are making their way
to the Wii U. However, this does not help the Xbox One either because some
gamers may chose to play the multiplatform hits on the relatively powerful PS4.
The PS4 has sold 13.5 million units according to Sony’s official figures and
there were fewer exclusives released on it as compared to the multi-platform
titles. Thus, both Nintendo and Microsoft will battle it out on exclusives.
According to a report by Tech
Times in June, the Wii U is on
second place. When speaking to the Seattle
Times, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said, “We think that
the Wii U has a long and vibrant life in front of it. What it needs are games
like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros for Wii U and Splatoon - those types of
games that can really drive the installed base. We believe if we can do that
effectively the Wii U has a long and robust life”.
Microsoft Xbox division head Phil Spencer will need to make
sure they have the quality of exclusives to match Nintendo otherwise they may
fall behind in the console race. The hotly-anticipated ‘Halo 5: Guardians’ and
‘Quantum Break’ look promising and a new ‘Gears of War’ will be greatly
welcomed by fans.
According to The
Motley Fool, the Xbox One is “a lost cause”, but Mr. Mehdi will surely
disagree!
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