If -- and it's a big if -- Rare managed to make for Xbox One a collection of games comparable to that released during its glory years between 1994 and 2001, then, yes, it would propel that system ahead of PS4. After all, Xbox One and PS4 share much of the same library. Many of the high-profile games of 2015, including Arkham Knight, MGSV, Evolve, and The Division, can be played on either system. Therefore, higher resolution notwithstanding, PS4 has an advantage only with its exclusive software. If Xbox One suddenly received a steady stream of superior exclusive games, many of them masterworks, then it would easily surpass PS4.

But Rare returning to its glory days is a pipe dream, I'm afraid.

Probably not. Sony still has franchises like The Show that set it apart.

I already picked an X1. Rare being a great again would be great though although I'm keeping my expectations for their next game low.

Assuming I didn't have a PS4 like I already do, I'd probably still go with the PS4, but I'd be much more enticed to get an X1 at some point than I am right now.

No, because they could never make a game as good as rose tinted nostalgia glasses make old ones.

that series is exclusive for a reason: it barely sells. it's been on a steep decline for the last decade and not a single title has ever come close to breaking even 1m. i'd say that's just as niche as even the lesser rare of recent memory. tho of course you're probably just speaking for yourself here.

No. Considering the only Rare games I truly enjoyed over the years was Battletoads (NES), Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES), and Goldeneye (N64), I don't really understand the affection it receives.

(1) gran turismo hasn't been good since ps2 days, probably a-spec was the peak of the series. they do nothing else but gt and people aren't exactly clamoring for it. (plus racing simulators are in decline generally: see forza horizon 2's abysmal sales.)

(2) interactive movie makers

(3) last good game was in 2010 (god of war 3); since then biggest game was ps all stars which was a smash bros rip off and more or less objectively a turd of a game (and boy did it sell like one).

(4) are you kidding?

you'll notice i exempt japan studio and media molecule. they're very different from one another but are alike in their commitment to quality at their best. listing a bunch of stuff =/= making a point. and i'm just about the furthest thing from an ms fan.

also i don't know what a donga is but the internet tells me it is "a small ravine with steep sides."

This, that and the other.