We’re into the 2nd month of 2020 now and while Microsoft has been revealing all sorts of details about it’s next generation console, the Xbox Series X, the same cannot be said for Sony. When the PlayStation 4 was about to get released, Sony was all over social media doing press events and revealing other things. However, the company seems to be taking a different approach to things this time around.
For instance, Sony has not even announced a reveal event for the PlayStation 5 yet. In comparison, Microsoft has already shown off it’s console at The Game Awards way back in December. Furthermore, apart from a little logo reveal at CES this year, there has been virtually no response from Sony at all.
Is it the classic case of post-success complacency? We have seen this pattern of behaviour from companies in the past as well. When Microsoft came off the success of Xbox 360, the company was just overconfident and complacent. According to top Xbox executives at the time, they thought that they knew what the consumer wanted, which ultimately turned out to be false and resulted in a botched Xbox One launch.
Sony has been through a similar phase with the PlayStation 3 as well which came as a result of the incredibly successful PlayStation 2. However, it would be bizarre if either of these companies actually repeats the mistakes of their past. Some new leaks do suggest a rather peculiar strategy from Sony this time around though that might just end up working in their favor.
No reveal event but a PlayStation 5 dedicated page is up
While we haven’t had any announcements or rumors of a possible PlayStation 5 reveal event, some leaks have pointed towards a pretty conservative strategy from Sony. While this does mean that the company will be on the back foot for the entirety of 2020 before the consoles come out, it does mean that Sony can react to Microsoft’s announcements much more efficiently.
After all, Sony is the top dog in the industry right now and it has actually no reason to step out into the firing range first. Instead, the company is waiting for Microsoft to make its moves and then adjust and react according to what team Xbox is doing. However, while this could end up being genius in the long run, it isn’t something that most Sony fans would find to be appealing.
There hasn’t been complete silence by Sony though as the PlayStation 5 dedicated page on the company’s website is up and running. However, for now, it doesn’t really say much apart from the fact that the console is due to come out during the holiday 2020 season and people can sign up for more updates as they get announced.
Sony won’t reveal price until Microsoft does
As for the price though, a new leak suggests that Sony is trying to play it smart and keep its cards close. We’ve seen multiple leaks and reports at this point that allude towards the Xbox Series X being more powerful than the PlayStation 5. While the power of a console is obviously not as important as the exclusive games it offers, it is still an extremely important factor for a consumer in determining a purchase decision.
With the Xbox One, Microsoft missed the mark completely. The console was less powerful than the PlayStation 4 and ended up being more expensive as well. This time around, the Xbox Series X will probably be more powerful than the PlayStation 5. So, Sony is basically trying to avoid the mistakes that Microsoft made with the Xbox One.
Waiting for Microsoft to reveal its price first makes a lot of sense in this case since Sony simply cannot afford to launch a less powerful console at a higher price. Sony’s PlayStation business is much more important to the company than Xbox is to Microsoft. A company like Microsoft can afford a bad launch since the gaming division is not significant enough to make a dent in the company’s earnings. However, this is simply not the case with Sony.
If Sony waits for Microsoft to show its cards first, it can react and even possibly undercut the price of Xbox Series X, which could prove to be crucial for initial sales. However, the strategy of being silent and on the back foot would still unnerve most Sony fans and there has to be some messaging about what’s coming up.
Furthermore, with its absence from E3 this year, Sony needs to make sure that it doesn’t botch it up or this strategy could actually prove to be more damaging in the long run.
In any case, the mind games leading up to the launch of next generation consoles from both companies are just incredibly interesting and it will continue being a competition of one-upping each other until we finally get our hands on the new consoles.
Do you think that Sony has made the right choice by choosing to not reveal much and waiting for Microsoft to play its cards first? Let us know down in the comments below!