Next Xbox must be revealed before Sony gets too far ahead
Remember when Sony announced the PlayStation 4? Well, you should do, because it was just under two months ago. But two months can be a very long time in the games industry. Sony managed to beat Microsoft to the punch and reveal plenty of details about its next-generation console, showing off juicy bits of information such as a new controller and new games. Microsoft was expected to react with a vengeance and tell us what it had up its sleeve, but things have gone a little too quiet on that front.
First we expected to hear about the next Xbox in April, now the event has apparently been pushed back to May. If that is indeed the date that Microsoft reveals its new hardware, then the PlayStation 4 would have had an extra three months of marketing and hype before we even know what the next Xbox is called... (My money is on just 'Xbox').
Usually such a thing wouldn't be cause for concern, after all you can still get half a year of marketing done if you're planning to launch just before the holiday period. However with every new rumour that goes unanswered you start to wonder whether Microsoft is losing out on potential buyers just by playing it safe and keeping quiet.
A prime example of Microsoft possibly losing ground on Sony occurred recently, when speculation pointed to the next Xbox requiring an always-online internet connection to play games. Not only did this upset gamers, it angered them - although a Microsoft creative director telling people to "deal with it" probably didn't help matters.
But the reason people are angry is because they don't understand what an always-online future looks like. And this is because Microsoft hasn't told us. It hasn't given us any details other than the usual, "We don't respond to rumours or speculation" line. A 'no comment' here or there will rarely damage a brand any further, but here might be one of the few occasions where it does. Gamers need answers and they need them quick, as this move could be one that changes the face of console gaming forever.
Not to mention the fact that many countries around the world still don't have access to a reliable broadband connection, and even in countries that do there are still problems with being disconnected at inconvenient times. What if I get kicked out of my single player game just because my internet connection decides to randomly take a break, which often happens? Is that really the future that we can come to expect?
Maybe it is for the best; maybe an always-online console will allow Microsoft to develop the greatest gaming system ever built, who knows? But until we get answers, and until we're told exactly what the benefits of an always-online console are then Microsoft will continue playing catch-up to Sony and the PlayStation 4. This could be end up being the clearest console war yet.
