PS4: 9 Major Problems Sony Face In 2016
Hand on heart, do you even care about PS VR?
Coming out of E3 2016, there's something of a mixed feeling in the air for Sony. Yes, the likes of Crash Bandicoot making a half-return alongside God of War's soft reboot are incredibly interesting going forward, but that was... about it.
Days Gone couldn't have looked more like My First Zombie Shooter if it was released in 2006, there's a shocking lack of dependable first-party IP, and what is coming soon (No Man's Sky, anyone?) was nowhere to be seen. As for this year's E3 being the one to convince the world of how VR is totally not a gimmick and PS VR is going to be worth every penny of its £350 price tag, well... that didn't come together whatsoever.
As an owner of every current console under the sun, it affords a perspective that lets me ponder on the pros and cons of how each company is handling themselves. I'm still a big 'PlayStation guy', but as for Sony demonstrating they deserve their commanding sales lead over a slowly-advancing Microsoft, well... let's break that down.
-
9. Microsoft Are KILLING IT With Free Backwards Compatibility
Whichever businessman came up with the notion of "Hey, there's gonna be a marked step-up in texture quality this gen, let's re-release all the old games!" is a bonafide money-grabbing genius. Or rather, they were, until Microsoft caved and started admitting it was entirely possible to just play your old games on new hardware.
Because of course it was. It makes financial sense to re-buy your old DVDs on Blu-Ray, so why would this be any different? If the new machines allow for compatibility with your original collection, there's zero incentive to plonk down cash on rebuilding an 'all-new' collection of anything - especially when said versions are barely distinguishable.
Microsoft conceded simply to garner some much-needed favour with the public after the Xbox One's disastrous first year, however that doesn't change the fact that Sony still want to charge you a fee to play many games you already own. PS Now is their subscription-based service for such a thing, and would likely be the norm had Microsoft not been pushed into a corner - yet now that they have, it puts a countdown on Sony to do the same.
How much goodwill do you have for Sony, to allow PS Now's model to continually 'win' over the free Xbox One setup? An amount that dwindles the more you think about it, I'd imagine.