After the PlayStation 5 event hosted by Sony last Thursday, game industry research organization, DFC Intelligence updated their reports on the events of the next-gen console.
Specifically, the analysts noticed that the interest in Xbox Series X so far was low in comparison to the PS5 event that recently transpired.
According to the analysts at DFC Intelligence:
One measure of how excited an audience is about a new system is how many non-industry consumers contact us about product reveal events. Starting on May 7th, Microsoft will be hosting monthly reveal events. However, the interest we have seen in the Xbox events paled compared with the June 11th Sony event (which may be a reason Microsoft is skipping a June event).
Notwithstanding, DFC Intelligence continues to forecast Sony having a sales advantage over its competitor in the next generation consoles. However, there are side talks that mention how Xbox Game Pass is way better in comparison to PlayStation Now.
That’s if Microsoft’s July Xbox Series X showcase comes along with exciting titles—which would be available right from the first day at Xbox Game Pass—the forecast is likely to change.
Now talking about the PlayStation 5 showcase, DFC Intelligence said the list of PlayStation 5 exclusives was ‘solid but not ground-breaking.’ However, they believe Sony held back some major announcements and expect it soon. Like The Last of Us Part II ‘enhancement’ for the upcoming console.
Here’s more of their findings:
For the Sony PlayStation 5 games, we were mainly looking at Sony checking the boxes on its key franchises. Sony did a pretty good job in this area. A new Spider-Man (Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales) is looking like the key launch title. There is also a new Gran Turismo (7), a new Ratchet & Clank (Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart), and a new Little Big Planet (Sackboy A Big Adventure).
Most exciting was a new Horizon game (Horizon Forbidden West). However, like many of the products shown, no release date was announced. Sony did show off one new franchise, Returnal, from Finland based developer Housemarque. Also, a third-party exclusive from Square Enix, code-named Project Athia. This game is from the developers of Final Fantasy XV.
Overall, the PlayStation 5 lineup looks solid but nothing earth-shattering. There was no God of War and, surprisingly, nothing on The Last of Us Part II, which releases next week for PlayStation 4. However, Sony may be holding off on announcing a PlayStation 5 The Last of Us Part II upgrade until after-sales for the PS4 version slow down.
Also, it’s good to know that most of the consumers reached out to by DFC Intelligence aren’t excited about the digital-only PlayStation 5 console.
There was also the reveal of a digital-only PS5 version. This is an appeal to the low-budget consumer. The consumers we speak with are generally not fans of digital-only consoles. The big concern is, “I hope my parents don’t force me to get that one.” It will be interesting to see if manufacturing challenges limit the number of disc-based PS5 systems Sony can deliver this holiday.
What do you think about the analysis carried out by DFC Intelligence as a whole? And the PlayStation 5 event? Fingers crossed! Check back for more updates!
