After a hectic morning of surfing tweets I came to the realization that Microsoft ain't fucking around with their next gen hardware. They're looking to push technology into the future in a big bad way and they just told the world that only they have the tech that can do it.
Yes, I am talking about the X Box Series S.
Sure the Series X has the stronger hardware and beefier architecture but the Series S has something that X does not have and that's a price that is well within reach of most gaming households. Not only that but what you get for that price point is no slouch in the gaming department. For the current price of an X Box One X you can get a much more powerful piece of a kit that will play any game you own as soon as you plug it. Well... as long as you own that game digitally that is.
While Sony has yet to reveal the prices of their PS5 models they do offer an all digital version but by the look of the console itself all you're really losing is the disk drive. As a result it's extremely likely the the cost savings will be miniscule at best. Sure the all digital PS5 is just as powerful as the disk one but how much is that going to matter now? At the time the consoles were being made I would assumed that the two consoles would eat Microsoft's lunch when it came to comparisons but now... I think Sony just got a gut punch they weren't expecting. Buying an all digital X Box Series S will save you $200 over it's larger brother the Series X. No one expects Sony to be able to match that kind of cost savings and if Microsoft is smart they'll market the cheaper box towards the kinds of gamers who couldn't care less about the loss of power to the X. To them, getting any kind of upgrade is just fine, peachy and keen and the extra power in the PS5 all digital edition isn't going to mean squat.
In a COVID world where millions are unemployed and even those that aren't are suffering loss of income the winner of the console wars for this year is going to be whoever can bring the greatest value. For Sony to have more higher priced consoles is going to seriously hold them back and unveiling pre-orders for a 24K and 18K gold plated edition isn't going to win them any fans either. As a result, even if only completely by accident Microsoft just gave Sony a series run for their money. This could be the first generation of hardware where Microsoft takes an early lead and holds it all the way to the finish line.
