Sony has so far taken a much slower approach than Microsoft in revealing its next-gen console, and the strategy actually seems to be helping build hype for the PlayStation 5. What at first seemed like an overconfident and over-relaxed PS5 announcement strategy may have instead proven itself to be working.
Microsoft first revealed the Xbox Series X - both the console’s name and its physical form – in December 2019, and the company has followed that up with several more announcements and tech demos. The new Xbox has even made it into the hands of YouTubers like Austin Evans already, who demonstrated the impressive look of Minecraft with ray tracing on Series X. Sony, meanwhile, didn’t reveal anything more than a logo until mid-March, when it finally announced the PS5’s specs.
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Sony has good reasons for not yet showing what the PS5 looks like, however. The PS4 outsold the Xbox One by a wide margin, which made Microsoft the company with something to prove, while Sony can sit back and watch how Xbox is received before tipping its hand. Even still, the lack of concrete information from Sony was disappointing to some, and it seemed like fans were finally fed up when the chat for the hyper-technical GDC PS5 livestream was filled with “zzz” messages.
And yet, all of this waiting makes fans eagerly anticipate any scrap of information Sony tosses out. Microsoft dumped nearly all of its Series X info at once, so discussion now centers on Sony whenever it has anything to say. Even the disappointing PS5 logo reveal back in January got fans hyped, becoming Instagram’s most popular gaming company post, despite being essentially the same as the PS4 logo and lacking any substantial context. This happened again with Sony’s randomly timed PS5 controller reveal, which, by itself, got plenty of people talking on Twitter, while Microsoft simply revealed the Series X controller with its console.
At the same time, there does seem to be a downside to this strategy. With Microsoft’s seemingly more powerful Series X specs and other details out in the open, it’s possible the gaming community will constantly say “Xbox already did that” when Sony comes out with similar reveals. Exactly this happened after the PS5 DualSense controller announcement: “Xbox controller” trended on Twitter, with many fans comparing Sony’s new design to Microsoft’s previous ones. Xbox itself made a jab at the DualSense, too, tweeting a short video of its controller accompanied by no text.
But none of these comparisons will likely matter, in the end. Continuing to focus on individual details of the PS5, like the PS5’s impressive SSD, seems to be getting at least a portion of Sony’s comparatively massive install base into a sustained hype for the console. Plus, Sony could ultimately get the biggest possible leg up on the competition: price. Sony has implied the PS5’s price could depend on Xbox’s, and its advantage from the previous console generation could allow it to wait until after the Series X price announcement to determine the PS5’s. If Sony is able to offer a similarly powerful console at a lower price – especially with the hype it’s already been building – it will likely secure victory once again. That is, unless Microsoft is saving a substantial surprise for later.
The PlayStation 5 is set to launch sometime in the 2020 holiday season.
