The generational changes have always represented a particularly important moment for the videogame people, we know this very well. In fact, latest generation hardware components not only mean new productions designed to convince us to move towards one or the other machine, but also represent an important step forward for the industry itself which, thanks to the technologies adopted, will be able to push with even more force on the accelerator of realism, placing on the scales playful ideas considered unattainable until a few years earlier. Of course, this sense of change has been particularly changing over the decades, partly due to consoles becoming more and more like PCs - complete with improved versions that have reached the middle of their life cycle -, partly due to attention general of insiders more focused on the mere visual aspect of their products. After all, it is much easier to sell an open-world characterized by a photorealistic technical sector rather than by an artificial intelligence really capable of putting the gamer in difficulty. Despite this, however, the beauty inherent in the arrival on the market of a new console has never failed and, as easily imaginable, even with the arrival of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S the music has not changed.
Long and agonizing months of waiting, various events full of new productions and many high-sounding promises, here are the three secret ingredients to ensure the mass hysteria of the public, ready to challenge the elements, obstacles and (in the most striking cases) even the police in order to be able to secure a console in a short time. Yet, once you reach the spasmodic realization of your "forbidden dream", the adrenaline fails and the first questions emerge from the darkest meanders of our mind, ready to load us with doubts; in the end, was it really worth it?
The great (and futile) race
Needless to go around so much, I fit perfectly into the large category of players just described above, men and women unable to resist their most animalistic instincts when the big majors in the sector unveil their news on sparkling silver trays from which it is possible to perceive a sweet perfume that heralds a sheikh's binge. In simple terms, I was ready to do anything to grab both consoles on Day One; and ironically I did it without even having to sweat that much. For the first time in my life, luck smiled at me, and while Sony and Microsoft confirmed the difficulties encountered in terms of distribution - difficulties that in truth have unfortunately not yet disappeared -, I was already looking forward to the incredible adventures that I could have enjoyed. in complete tranquility. Arrived on November 10, 2020, it's Microsoft's turn. I run to the shop, pick up my shiny Xbox Series X, get home and set everything up.
The first few minutes of exploration are pure poetry, I move through the menus, study the dashboard, launch on the Game Pass and start downloading some games… and it is precisely here that the magic somehow fails. Yes, because in the face of the new hardware, I find myself playing those same titles that were already present on the old console. For heaven's sake, splendid Yakuza 7, magnificent Ori and the Will of the Wisps, spectacular Gears 5, but let's talk about a long series of production - of undoubted value, let's be clear - that I could have played safely even on an antiquated Xbox One. Indeed, it is unfortunately evident how much Microsoft, despite all the promises made, struggled to create a strong enough line-up for the launch of its new consoles. With an idea in the basics similar to that seen with Nintendo Switch, Halo Infinite should have proved itself as the proverbial Breath of the Wild of the moment, the great work that alone could (and should) drive the Xbox Series sales. X / S for entire months ... and who knows, maybe the strategy would have proved successful, were it not for the fact that the entire project, due to obvious difficulties in the development phase, was postponed to the end of 2021, a bitter morsel for all Microsoft fans.
But let's fly now to November 19, 2020, the day on which PlayStation 5 finally made its appearance on the market. In fact, the process I follow is very similar to that experienced with Xbox Series X, if not for two details. On the one hand, the PlayStation 5 line-up was able to be more varied than its rival, with two exclusive productions for the console (one of which is also offered free of charge to all interested parties) followed by some new cross-gen productions; certainly nothing transcendental, but certainly a couple of steps forward compared to Series X. On the other hand, however, I had to deal with one of the most unstable software I had ever seen in my life, a real sieve that hid problems with every menu, to the point that on my first start I found myself with a console that could not read the game discs; needless to say, those were hours of pure terror lived with my heart in my throat.
A look into the future of PlayStation 5 and Series X / S
However, it is of little use to complain about a launch that we already knew would not have been particularly exciting, even more so when you think that no videogame generation has ever blossomed from day one. The hopes of many were in fact turned to the months that should have followed the Day One of the consoles, to a 2021 that the top floors of Sony and Microsoft assured us would be incredible. The headlines had been presented, the declarations were made and the hopes were skyrocketing… and from there, silence fell. If I had to describe these first six months in the company of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, I could define them quite bleak, weeks after weeks marked by a few surprises, posted in rapid sequence and several remastered. Nioh, Devil May Cry V, Maneater, these are just some of the many titles back on the scene in great form, including improved textures, more stable frame-rates, ray tracing and more. We are certainly talking about titles worthy of attention, but in any case they are all productions that we have already seen in the past, without forgetting the many cross-gen experiences recently released or arriving over the next few months; again, all games that would not have required the purchase of a new console.
Let's be clear, we are talking about two excellent consoles that in the near future will be able to count on exclusive productions of great value, but which at the moment they are keeping a very low profile, for many saved only by the backwards compatibility options which allowed the public to recover all those Old-Gen works left to gather dust in their personal backlog. In short, the situation is currently quite lean and does not seem to be destined to change in a short time, to the point that a faint but present layer of dust already adorns my PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Better days will come, those fateful moments in which we will devour great productions in rapid sequence with a smile on his face, splendid years like those we have been able to experience in the company of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but those days are still far away. Today it is simply not worthwhile to get a console sold on eBay for double the price from some scalper - perhaps without even receiving the purchase receipt and risking to find yourself in the future with a faulty gaming machine - and that, net of a couple of works actually Next-Gen, would simply lead you to take back those exact same titles that you were already enjoying on the older generation.
The hype generated behind the Sony and Microsoft consoles is understandable, partly linked to the mechanisms of any new consumer product, partly due to their difficult availability, but at the same time totally unjustified if one considers the stock of securities currently available on the market. The entirety of this editorial is therefore entirely aimed at a single council; as difficult as it may seem (and believe me, as a gamer I understand it very well), have patience, wait for the stock problems for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S to disappear, that will be the right time to launch for the Next- Gen. In fact, you will find more stable machines in terms of software, a much richer videogame library, a market more focused on the new generation of consoles and, with a bit of luck, even some slight but certainly appreciable price cuts. At the end, the first to win will be you players.
