Xbox One could take the lead in the next console race (Picture: Xbox)

Have we built ourselves an ivory tower? It often feels that way. Being as entangled by the games industry’s announcements, rumours and controversies as we are, it can be easy to forget that the core are a relative minority.

It’s easier still to miss how a mainstream audience might not be enraged by – or even aware of – the same details that capture our attention so readily. Whilst I have nothing but respect for the publication, Edge’s recent cover proclaiming that the PS4 is ‘your next console’ epitomises such narrow-mindedness.

It’s an understandable stance considering the magazine’s readership, yet openly proclaiming Microsoft to be on-course for disaster feels blinkered. Whilst it may not seem so now, there’s enough evidence to suggest that the Xbox One will be the system to beat going forward.

It would be unwise to count out the Xbox One this early in the race.

This isn’t to expunge the company of any wrong-doing, of course. I also wouldn’t dream of justifying their policies; Microsoft earned a fair drubbing for practices which should never have left their boardrooms. But were consumers at large aware of the implications these decisions entailed, or did an advertising campaign already lunging for the jugular divert their attention?




To those looking from the outside in, this is a powerful successor to one of the world’s most popular consoles. It’s also one with eye-catching, easily advertised USPs. The Xbox One doesn’t just feature improved graphical heft and instantaneous operation switching; an upgraded Kinect also taps into a highly desirable science-fiction fantasy usually reserved for cinema.

It’s an attractive proposal with the benefit of a good track-record. Kinect 1.0’s success in the last three years alone (having sold 24 million units as of February 2013) attests to the impact this device has had on consumers’ imaginations.

By comparison, the PlayStation 4 is harder to sell to this broader market. It may be the most technologically formidable home-console to date, but its current incentives speak best to a smaller and more dedicated audience. Would Sony’s near-legendary E3 conference last June have packed such a punch without broader context?

Aside from exclusive Call of Duty DLC or mass-appeal titles like Titanfall, the power of the Xbox brand shouldn’t be underestimated either. To begin with, the Xbox 360 is currently the UK’s best-selling console. Furthermore, discussions with retailers reveal that brand-recognition is one of the biggest sources of interest for that system’s successor. Although coming from a small sample, the stores I contacted went on to suggest that this battle for customers’ pre-order money is far more even than naysayers would have us believe (deposits for the Xbox One took the lead after Microsoft’s public u-turn alone).

As such, it would be unwise to count out the Xbox One this early in the race. Popular opinion amongst hardcore gamers may suggest otherwise, but the reality of the situation indicates what might be the meanest of advantages for Microsoft going into the next generation.

If the 360’s recovery from that catastrophic red-ring incident is anything to go by, they are more than capable of pulling victory out from the jaws of disaster.