Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-11-16)

 TECHNOLOGY Businessweek November 16, 2020

30

HALO INFINITE: MICROSOFT. SPIDER-MAN: SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT

delayed till 2021. Its hero,

Chief, is pictured on thepac

ing of the new Xbox, a gla

reminder of the game’s absen

For Microsoft, the conso

a chance to redeem itselffr

the lackluster performance

its predecessor, the XboxOn

Although the company’s gamin

sales have inched up in rece

years, their share of totalrev

has declined. It was 8.1%, or$11

lion, in the last fiscal year.

A lack of content is aty

issue for consoles in theirfirs

or so on the market. Micros

try to make up for that with

Game Pass, a subscriptions

vice akin to Netflix thatoffe

access to new and old games

$10 a month. For those whomissedoutonthe

best games of the past decade,includingRedDead

Redemption and Dark Souls, thisis a goodwayto

catch up. Of course, you could likely stream all

of that throughGamePassona computer,smart-

phone, or eventheXboxOneforthenextyearor

two. Microsoft’s $ billi i i i

of the parentco

lisher BethesdaS

translate intothe

games that sellc

There are adva

ing for the newX

The Series X c

least somegam

ultra-high-definit

lution and 60fra

second. You need

new television

sharp eye tobe

fit from theform

but the lattermakesa massivedifference.Witha

higher framerate,animationslooksmoother,con-

trols feel moreresponsive,andtheoverallexpe-

rience is far better. This may matter only to the

biggest game enthusiasts, but after playing on the

Series X, it’s tough to go back to old hardware.

○ SONY PLAYSTATION

PlayStation  5 delivers on promises of loading

games faster and performing more smoothly

than the previous console. But the most impres-

sive thing is the DualSense controller, which adds

a dimension to the experience of playing games.

Among its best features is the ability to deliver

tlerange of vibrations that simulate

enttactile sensations.

stro’s Playroom, the game that’s built into

rysystem, is a good demonstration of the

chnology. Every step your character takes

punctuated by a slight vibration from the

ntroller. When you leap onto a moving plat-

morwalk through tall grass, the vibrations

w more pronounced. Stomp on an enemy

yankan object out of the ground, and the

erpulsates in ways that evoke the feeling

rming those actions.

may not sound like much, but success

ame console can come down to one or

ifferentiating features. The PlayStation 5

firstproper new Sony console since 2013.

edecessor, the PlayStation 4, sold 112 mil-

units and transformed gaming into the

important part of Sony’s business. Video

esand online services now account for

almosta quarter of Sony’s revenue. Compared

withtheXbox Series X, the PlayStation 5 has a

farstrongerlineup of games this fall. It includes

Demon’s Souls, a remake of the challenging 2009

actiongame,andSpider-Man:Miles Morales, which

looks smootherandplaysbetter on the new hard-

d d sleep on Bugsnax, a

independent title in

h you solve puzzles

apture insects that

mblesnacks.

e early games, includ-

Spider-Man, will be

the PlayStation  4,

akes the $500 for the

n 5 feel like an unnec-

penditure right now,

forthose who can’t

ait to play games in

K ultra-high definition

Sony will try to make

upforthelimitedselectionofcontent by offering

improvedversionsofoldergames. The DualSense

controlleralsohasmotioncontrols, a speaker, and

a microphone. The back trigger buttons contain

their own technical novelty called adaptive resis-

tance. This allows a game to change how much

force is required to press the buttons down. In the

new Spider-Man game, for example, the triggers

require some extra oomph while swinging around

New York City, creating a unique and enjoyable

challenge.—JasonSchreier

PlayStation 5

○ Price

$500 (standard)

$400 (digital-only)

○ Launch games

Spider-Man: Miles

Morales, Demon’s Souls,

and Bugsnax

○ Pros

Stellar controller, fast

loading times, and great

performance

○ Cons

For now, most PS5

games are also on

PlayStation 4

Xbox

○ Price

$500 (Xbox Series X)

$300 (Xbox Series S)

○ Launch games

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

and Assassin’s Creed

Valhalla (also on PS5)

○ Pros

Fast loading times,

great appearance, and

Xbox Game Pass, the

Netflix of video games

○ Cons

No exclusives and no

big Microsoft holiday

games

THE BOTTOM LINE Whether it’s the new PlayStation or Xbox,

most gamers would be better served waiting for a decent library

of games you can’t play elsewhere.

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