"Today, PlayStation revealed that its PS5 has sold 40 million units. Microsoft doesn’t share hardware numbers typically, but court documents, math, and slides from an ID@Xbox in Brazil seem to suggest the Xbox Series X|S line-up is around 20-23 million units sold globally. That essentially puts the PS5 at a 2:1 advantage against Xbox, but perhaps the split is even worse than that beneath the surface. "
> > > It will just be closer, and close enough that they decide to stay in the console business. > >
Again, when this has been in question at all? Does anyone really think the 4th largest gaming company is going to drop the market? Despite all that they already invested even before ActiBlizz?
> > > At the scale that Microsoft is operating at, they may as well buy them outright; > >
> > > Exclusivity and studio acquisitions are both out of Sony’s handbook. Microsoft just has a bigger pocketbook. > >
We’ve just been talking of if it matters that Microsoft is a larger company in general, and here you are spelling it out like it’s a gotcha at Sony, which, seeing as it will lead to more exclusivity, it’s not even in your interest as a customer.
I’m just wholly baffled with the way people take Microsoft’s side simultaneously like it’s a desperate underdog and as if it would be a fool not to crush it all and take it all over with piles of money. As if whatever is more profitable and advantageous to them would be good for the customers losing options too. And that would be fair???
But seeems like you are set in seeing it this way and there’s nothing I could say that would make any difference, so I guess I should just drop the matter.
To state one last time, my perspective is that all exclusivity sucks, but it’s better that Microsoft buys them than for Sony to have an uncontested high-end console market. That is not me taking Microsoft’s “side”. It’s me not wanting a monopoly.
Acquisitions are what leads to a monopoly.
Currently, these acquisitions are preventing one.
No they aren’t. First of all, because Sony is not monopolizing the market. Microsoft is there and so is Nintendo. There is a difference between being a market leader and being a monopoly. Sony doesn’t actually control SquareEnix, they can release games for different platforms, which they do. Octopath Traveler II is multiplatform, Dragon Quest Treasures is a Switch and PC release.
The horror scenario of Microsoft leaving and Sony dominating everything isn’t going to happen. Xbox is just half as popular as Sony, which is still a sizable chunk of the market.
But lets say it goes as you wish, Microsoft bravely acquires most of the market to match Sony… and then they just keep buying. What do you get then? Microsoft will be able to just tell Bethesda and ActiBlizz not to release for any other console, and refuse any deals.
If you are a Linux user you should know that MS doesn’t stop at what’s reasonable.
Still, that’s not saying that Sony is acting fine. Which is why I believe they should be prevented from making exclusivity agreements for games that aren’t entirely funded by them.
Just because this acquisition was let through does not mean all future acquisitions go through. They’re under too much scrutiny now.