The upcoming console battle between PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this holiday season will prove healthy for industry growth, says platform holder Microsoft.
Speaking at the Citi Global Technology conference (via VG247), Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice-president for the Big M, noted that this is the first time the company has gone up against a competing console at launch. He also reckons it’s a ‘great time’ to be a gamer.
Said Mehdi: “First, I do think it’s an incredible time for gamers. One of the things that has never happened is we go head-to-head with a competitor on a console launch. I think that’s going to bring a lot of energy to the overall gaming market and a lot of focus and attention, and I think that’s going to further grow the market. So I think in general it’s a good time to be a gamer. We feel good about our business within that.
Turn the page to see how Mehdi feels Xbox One stacks up against PS4’s launch offering.
Written by – Mike Harradence
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“Competitively speaking, so far, I feel like we have a much better… more complete value prop. We do things that aren’t found on other platforms with the Kinect, a huge piece of differentiation. As I said before, the fact that we do entertainment and gaming," he said.
The executive couldn’t resist a pop at Sony though, stating his belief that Xbox One boasts a better software line-up.
“And then even if you just take gamers, hardcore gamers, gamers buy for the game. They don’t buy for stats on a spec sheet. And if you look at the games we have, according to most industry experts now, a better lineup of games.”
As Mehdi said, this is the first time Sony and Microsoft will be going head-to-head at launch. The original Xbox launched a full year after PlayStation 2, and the Xbox 360 got a 12-month start on PlayStation 3.
This generation though, both formats come out in the same month. PS4 hits the U.S. and Europe on November 15 and November 29, respectively, while Xbox One launches on November 22.
How do you feel PS4’s launch line-up compares to that of Xbox One’s day-one offering? Sound off in the comments section below.