| padib said: Few of you know that I had already predicted that the hybrid Nintendo console would dominate gen 9. I did this years ago (in 2014) because I understand the video game market and was able to predict years in advance the factors that would make that a reality. The main reason was a unified library between Nintendo's home and portable console, which prior to the hybrid were fragmented, and fragmented their release schedule, making it much stronger once unified. |
Everyone who understands a little bit how the market works would know the Switch would become a huge success. And the "main reason" you put is not really what made the console attractive in the first place. Remember: the Switch started to have blockbuster sales with only BOTW and Mario Kart 8, 2 Wii U ports, and while the 3DS keept receveing new games (remember Pokémon Ultra Sun & Moon released on November 2017). So, no, the main appeal of the console is the hardware itself.
| padib said: On day 1, xbox owners get to play the very best offerings because Microsoft is putting their 1st party games on gamepass at launch. Not only that, but they are hard at work with partners, making sure they do the very same thing. |
Let's see the "best offering" since the launch of this generation (since it's the topic).
3 day one launches on Game Pass since November 2020:
- The Medium (71 on MC)
- Outriders (73 on MC)
- MLB The Show 21 (81 on MC)
So, let's agree this is not the best games that will appeal to gamers. In fact, the fact that both Outriders and MLB The Show were one of the best selling Xbox games during their launch month in the US showed that people would rather buy the game instead of getting the Game Pass to play on it.
Besides that, there are only old games that are being added to the service every month since November 2020. So the "best offering" is still yet to be shown.
| padib said: Let's compare some alternatives. Stadia for example was a ruin from the start. Google offers users a membership, but users still have to pay full price for games during their membership. |
Stadia is not an alternative to Game Pass, you clearly didn't understand what Stadia actually is. Stadia is a gaming store where you can directly play your game on your computer or Chromecast (if by miracle you actually the only one which actually works with Stadia). It can charge you extra fee for a "Gold/Plus" type of subscription, but still far different from the Game Pass.
| padib said: Someone unsure of what console to choose can easily purchase an xbox with a gamepass subscription and get playing immediately. |
That's what MS thought when they launched the Series S. But the Series S are collecting dust on the shelves.
That's why they will eventually go with a Xbox TV stick where you can play your games through xCloud, without needing an actual console. And this will become big.
| padib said: Therefore, my prediction is that while Sony will be very strong this gen with 1st party software, with a similar strength to the PS4, Xbox will catch up to Sony within the first 3 years of the lifespan of the gen. This will surprise a lot of people because most underestimate the importance of gamepass and its upcoming impact. |
Actually the PS5 it outpacing the Series X/S and it won't get any better soon.
I think you overestimate the importance of Game Pass actually.
