The end of the PC vs Console War?
While Microsoft has been more than clear about the fact that a new Xbox is on its way, the actual console itself has been something of a mystery.
First officially announced under the codename Scarlett back at E3 2019, the system was touted as a more powerful successor to the popular Xbox One and Xbox One X. Though there were certainly plenty of rumors circling around the project, it’s been unique in the way it has been presented.
Traditionally, game consoles have been somewhat mysterious up to the moment of launch. There might be the occasional article that details some of their specs, but they’re largely mysteries surrounded by industry buzzwords. It’s been surprising, then, how transparent Xbox has been about its new console. Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s Xbox Executive Vice-President of Gaming, delivered some of the key specs but has been quite honest about letting fans know that most of the real information about the console was still forthcoming.
The big surprise of the December 2019 Game Awards was that Microsoft formally debuted its console-PC hybrid. The new machine, dubbed the Xbox Series X, was shown off in all of its glory.
Not only did it receive an official name, but it also received an official released date – Holiday 2020. This means that the console is not only still over a year away from hitting the shelves, but that Xbox is taking a completely different path to the market than Sony’s taking with the Playstation 5.
While the Playstation 5 is largely a mysterious beast that inspires a great deal of speculation, the Xbox Series X (the first console in a new generation of consoles that will revert to the simple ‘Xbox’ moniker) is a console that’s remarkably open about what’s under the hood.
It’s so open, in fact, that people are discussing it in terms of not what it might do, but how it will stack up against gaming computers that are already out on the market.
Though there’s been a fair bit of good-natured humor surrounding the unique look of the new console, it’s clear that Microsoft has fired the first shots in the war over who’s going to dominate the next generation of console gaming.
Only time will tell if Microsoft’s more transparent communication will be enough to attract a strong install base when it begins competing with Sony’s new console at the end of 2020.
For now, though, it will be interesting to see how the competition shapes up once journalists actually get their hands on the console.
