By: Bryce L. Jackson

We’ve come to this odd tranquility where people are willing to say “Play where you like, it doesn’t really matter” when it comes to playing on XBOX One, PS4, PC, or Nintendo. Ushered in by the slow adaptation of cross-play, gamers can play their preferred systems and still play with friends on different systems. But that “peace” is an utter sham. Nintendo doesn’t care. They’re perfectly fine not playing the same game as their counterparts and being an auxiliary console with dual capability. PC has their own war brewing between game launchers Steam and Epic. But that XBOX vs PlayStation truce is a lie!

Disclosure: I play on PS4. I’m too deep in on some of the console exclusives like Horizon and The Last of US to consider switching any time soon. It’s a familiar system and I’ll admit to being hesitant to even consider a change or getting an XBOX as a second console. But I’ve been skeptical about the murmurings about “theres no more console wars” for the last few years. The sort of sudden switch to peace between XBOX and PlayStation never sat well with me, even after Phil Spencer, Reggie Fils-Aime, and Shawn Layden shared the stage at The Game Awards 2018. Along with Sony and Microsoft making an agreement to share technology in cloud gaming, the suggestion of gaming unity seemed earnest and hopeful. We do all love gaming and hold some respect to the opposing game system. For example, I personally respect what Microsoft has done with XBOX Game Pass that opens the XBOX catalog of AAA titles and Indie games to all for a low cost.

However, with the next console generation slated to begin Holiday 2020, the smoke signals of war are in the air. It’s no secret that Microsoft completely botched the release of the XBOX One. They were getting gapped so badly by the PS4 in sales that they stopped reporting them and instead reported XBOX Live with Gold membership and transitioned into speaking of their ecosystem. Microsoft has marketed the Series X early and often, leading to renewed confidence in XBOX fans who seem suddenly ready for a scrap.

PlayStation has honestly left much to be desired for marketing the PS5, only officially announcing Godfall as a PS5 launch title and the design of the PS5 DualSense controller. Along with small patterings of details over time and a consumer unfriendly press conference, Sony’s more measured marketing tactics have unwittingly cause them to take the backseat in the eyes of the gaming community leading up to Holiday 2020.

Now the lines are being redrawn and the two factions are stockpiling ammunition. There was never really peace. One side didn’t have a leg to stand on for years and the other got bored of pummeling their opponents so they invoked their own ceasefire. The war is ramping up and the vitriol will begin firing. Just look at Twitter when one side’s online service has an abrupt interruption. And it will only get worse as we inch closer to Holiday 2020. Prepare to rep yo set!