I owned a PlayStation 5, briefly. I got caught up in the pre-release hype, figured I needed it for my job, and saw the opportunity to add one to my phone contract on a payment plan. It was simple, really. But then it gathered dust for a year. I played Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (which also released on PC), Spider-Man: Miles Morales (which also released on PS4), and not even the pull of a sequel to the God of War game that I never understood the hype around could entice me into keeping hold of the console. It was a £400 paperweight.

I had the Xbox Series X too. I initially justified having two next-gen consoles as a part of the job, but I only ever played one. And, truth be told, I played the one with Game Pass on it. The subscription service is a monumentally good deal, and the fact that it has cross-progression with my PC makes it a doddle to switch between work and play.

via Xbox

However, the PlayStation feels like the superior piece of hardware. I chose to keep my Xbox not out of support for Microsoft over Sony, but because of Game Pass and the sheer amount of games playable on the Series X. By comparison, I’d switch on my PS5 to see an advert for the next Sony exclusive which was still months away. I could play Elden Ring on either, so I’d play it on the one with the wealth of new releases given to you for just £10 a month, please.

I’ve still got my Series X, and I play all my games between that, my Switch, and my PC. There’s no need to have two current-gen consoles unless you absolutely have to play every exclusive game that releases. But if Xbox games soon won’t be exclusive to the platform any more, then why shouldn’t I trade in my Series X for a PS5?

via PlayStation

If Indiana Jones, a presumed Xbox exclusive that I’m quietly looking forward to, releases on PS5 too, then why would I limit myself to a Series X? Why miss out on Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, Marvel’s Wolverine, Death Stranding 2, and the inevitable The Last of Us 3, 4, and 5 if I can buy Starfield 2 on the console too?

We don’t know the details yet – or if it’s even officially happening – but this isn’t the Sony slam dunk you may think. Each year I get every Xbox exclusive for the paltry price of £10 a month. Millions of others do also. Sure, it keeps me in the Microsoft ecosystem and is the sole reason I chose to keep my Series X over my PS5. But I spend so little extra money on the console barring my subscription that I think Microsoft would earn more from me by making its games cross-platform.

Xbox making its game multi-platform isn’t ceding ground to PlayStation. It’s not a sign of the console losing the war. It’s a reaction to poor sales performances and a strategy that might not be working out. If anyone wins from this situation, it’s gamers. We don’t have to choose between two consoles. We can have all our games on one expensive platform instead of shelling out the best part of a grand for two nearly identical (on the inside, at least) machines. After Xbox has spent years acquiring developers to establish its dominance on the industry only to lay off hundreds to reach profitability targets, this might be the most pro-consumer move it has ever made.

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