Everyone is asking the question, is the new Steam Machine a threat to PlayStation? The way the industry is going right now. We’re seeing the likes of Microsoft opening up the doors to their ecosystem and others. A sort of universal gaming approach where the power is really starting to go back into players hands again specifically on console.
When you pose that question. it’s a difficult one to really answer because everyone who owns a PlayStation really is embedded into that whole ecosystem which has been a part of their lives for a long time. What can be said is that it definitely poses quite the question regarding consumer choice and if PlayStation fans really are happy with overpaying for software digitally. When you take physical media out of the equation and focus on wholly digital. Who is giving you the better deal? Well, it isn’t PlayStation right now.
That’s obviously got to start to change in the next generation. In terms of competition. PlayStation cannot be directly competed against because they’re the biggest gaming juggernaut in terms of brand. What is completely valid though is that they can be competed against in the sense of software and Steam is one of the best at that.
Sony really are going to have to relax their whole pricing in the future somewhat. It’s the competition from Microsoft and Steam which is going to be the answer to the many questions there have been on if we’re getting a good deal on digital games right now. PlayStation is going to be brought to the table on that one a lot sooner than they thought they would be. This is obviously great for PlayStation fans, but universally, it’s good for gaming.
When you have more players buying games then your game creators win. I think we could see a future where Sony sets a higher price on their own IP but they actually compete with the rest on third-party software. I think that makes a lot of sense when you take into account that most fans want to continue to see PlayStation smash it out of the park with their own software.
As prominently as they were in the PS4 days. I also expect PlayStation Plus to get more competitive with Xbox Game Pass. Not day and date, but more streamlined and intertwined with better deals on games for all in the future. They will definitely respond to the negativity of that price rise by Microsoft.
Ultimately, other platforms are opening up their doors and Sony may be forced to follow suit to match them in some ways. That could be good for the gaming industry – especially third-parties who want their games played more and everyone is running after those higher aggregated numbers.
Written by Craig Clark
From gaming industry headlines to all things Manchester United and entertainment, Craig covers the stories everyone's talking about — alongside his own published works.