Hello all and welcome to the end of 2017! As we look forward to a new year, I wanted to put my thoughts to e-paper about the current status of the Big 3 in gaming. The year has been a pretty resounding success for gamers in general, with a slew of fantastic titles released this year as well as new hardware from each of the companies in some form or another, but hasn’t been without its challenges. Each company could do a few things better and the new year is an excellent time for them to begin.
Nintendo has had a fantastic year all-around. The Switch has become a commercial success, topping the PS2 for the fastest selling console in Japan for first-year sales. Worldwide, it has been topping sales charts month after month and many retailers reported it as a top seller, even though the hardware wasn’t on sale. Seeing as this is the hybrid’s first holiday season, that isn’t wholly unexpected, but it’s nice to see Nintendo bounce back from the relatively unsuccessful Wii U (even though I really liked the Wii U….). On top of the success of the Switch, Nintendo has been winning plenty of awards with its newest entry in the Legend of Zelda series, as well as the latest offering in the Super Mario franchise. Rounding out their accomplishments for 2017, Nintendo seems to be doing a better job of stocking the SNES Classic Edition consoles compared to the debacle that was the NES Classic Edition release. Righting that wrong, Nintendo has stated that it will have a re-release of the NES Classic Edition this coming summer for those who missed out initially. All-in-all, Nintendo has done well for themselves in 2017.
For 2018 and beyond, Nintendo needs to keep pushing the Switch. They’ve had a solid flow of first-party titles to release and are garnering decent third-party support more so than in past years and on past consoles. The indie scene has led a good bit of the success here and Nintendo needs to keep the momentum going. Giving smaller developers exposure on the eShop and bringing fan favorites to the hybrid gives them new life as the option to take these titles on the go with you is all too enticing. Getting more of the third-party AAA titles would be great, but doesn’t seem wholly necessary since Nintendo is still mostly relegated to a second console option after you decide on Xbox or PlayStation. Until they’re willing to compete on the grounds of power as well as innovation, I don’t see that changing much for the Big N. VR or a potential “expansion pak” are other areas of opportunity for the Switch, but being still relatively close to the console’s launch, I don’t see these as being near-term initiatives. Lastly, appropriately gauging customer interest is a must. They seem to be on track given the steady stock of SNES Classic Editions that have been hitting store shelves, but certain other things, like store-exclusive Amiibo and collector’s editions, have still been hot commodities. I have yet to see a box of the Super Mario cereal in stores and I even went out on the morning it was supposed to be released to look!
Sony has been relatively quiet this year, riding the success the PS4 has seen since launch, as well as the boost received by the PS4 Pro and PlayStation VR. Having released a slightly updated VR headset for the holiday season will give them an extra boost in the near term, but they’ll need more to remain on top. Console exclusives remains Sony’s strong suit. They’ve invested significantly in having experiences and titles come to their platform and it shows. Horizon Zero Dawn has been a perfect example of this. For a new IP, it has received much acclaim and won several “Best of” awards as well. Let’s not forget entries in the Uncharted, Persona, Nier, Yakuza, and Gran Turismo franchises, as well as a smattering of remakes and remasters, rounding out an already excellent console library. Looking at the release calendar for next year, there’s plenty more where that came from, too! The remake of Shadow of the Colossus, Last of Us 2, Monster Hunter World, Ni no Kuni 2, Spider-Man, God of War, and many more have me excited for the coming year! It also has me wondering how I’m going to find time to play them all…
For 2018 and beyond, Sony needs to decide how it’s going to approach console iterations and life spans. Now that they don’t have the most powerful console anymore, are they going to push for a PS5 or take a similar approach to Microsoft and release more powerful versions of the PS4, allowing gamers to use their existing library as well as offering new graphical updates that come with additional power? They need to continue to push VR. They’ve done well in bringing VR to the mainstream with a relatively cost-effective solution for the average person to gain entry to an otherwise expensive endeavor. The refresh of the headset this holiday season wasn’t enough. Simplifying the cables for better management and allowing HDR pass-through are steps in the right direction but the unit needs better resolution, better tracking for its motion controllers, and more power to accommodate all of this. They’ve proven the concept works and people are willing to buy in, now they need to expand what is possible.
Microsoft’s year was also relatively quiet. For a while, they had been ramping up to the release of the Xbox One X, the world’s most powerful home console, but weren’t really focusing on software. After spending time playing second fiddle to Sony and the PS4, Microsoft had enough of hearing how the Xbox One was underpowered comparatively and the Xbox One X rectified this. It is the only current home console that does true 4K gaming and the only one to offer 4K blu-ray playback (besides the One S), solidifying Xbox as THE current console for all your UHD content. On the software side of things, Halo Wars 2 was released early this year. Between offering the original Halo Wars as a pack-in for the collector’s edition and the option for the Xbox Play Anywhere program to play on a Windows 10 PC, this was a pretty enticing deal for Halo, RTS, and gaming fans in general. Forza 7 was the other big title Microsoft released this year. Having its own cult following, the Forza franchise has been successful with each iteration for sure, but having the racing sim make the jump into 4K on the One X is glorious. Weather effects, the detailed car interiors, the plethora of cars (and non-car options), as well as the revamped progression structure make this entry stand out from its predecessors. Microsoft did release a remaster of Phantom Dust in lieu of the new entry, which still appears to be MIA currently. Outside of these titles, a decent number of indie games made their home on Xbox and most notable of these were Cuphead and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (or PUBG). Both titles have been receiving acclaim in their own rights and are only garnering larger followings with the added exposure they’re finding on Xbox. The added backwards compatibility title list that is ever-growing and the improvements being made to older games retroactively through the power of the One X are additional wins that Microsoft has scored with fans in the past year.
For 2018 and beyond, Microsoft needs to focus on exclusives. Just having the most powerful console isn’t enough if there are no games people want to play on the platform. Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps are the only exclusive titles I could think of coming out in 2018. Inevitably, we will see a new Halo (and it will be stunning in 4K and 60fps, but is likely still a year or two away) and probably another Gears of War title, but those two franchises can only carry Xbox so far. Also worth noting is that Microsoft signed a partnership with Oculus Rift that has yet to bear any fruits on their console. With Sony seeing the success of the PlayStation VR, now would be the time for Microsoft to unveil their plans for VR with the power of the One X. Having killed off Kinect production and games not taking advantage of the sensor, it doesn’t seem like the Kinect will factor in to the future plans for the console. Lastly, announce a new Battletoads game. You have the rights for the franchise, Phil Spencer has worn the shirt to a few events, you added the guys to the Killer Instinct roster, stop teasing and gives us a new Battletoads experience. Let’s introduce Rash, Zitz, and Pimple to a new generation of gamers.
Did I miss anything on any of these platforms that you have particularly strong feelings about? Be sure to let me know and we can discuss. All-in-all, 2017 has been a fantastic year for games and here’s to hoping 2018 is even better! As always, thank you for reading and if you haven’t yet, follow me on Twitch and watch me play some of the games I talk about here. See you all in the new year!