The Front Row

If you think about the fanfest coming back and the 25th Anniversary and how that’s going to be celebrated in a big way. That’s going to really show us what this new leadership is about. It’s really going to show us where the brand goes next when we take a more in depth look further into the Xbox timeline of games coming along in the future. A few years back we all knew this timeline. It’s well documented online about the games that are coming. We’re now reaching a point where we’re getting closer to an opportunity to see more.

It’s going to be very interesting what the future holds and if Sharma listens not only to feature requests for the platform, but also, if she can resonate with the core Xbox audience in terms of bringing ‘the games’ that people want to see as well.

A lot of this is rubbing off on the PlayStation audience as well. They’re asking Sony to make their own improvements to their platform. When that kind of stuff happens you know you’re on the right track to improve the platform around you.

Sure, the PS5 and the Series X are going to get a second-wind in continued usage well into the next generation if pricing continues to surge higher and there’s reason to keep playing in that way unless their next generation counterparts bring something truly generational. However, it was never about ‘power’ and Nintendo has shown again and again what they can deliver with the bare minimum. Now, there are rumours of a Nintendo Switch 2 price increase still in the works but if they held back on that they really could make a statement and position themselves as the console of the next generation of the casuals.

By extension, their rapid third-party increase in software is pushing Nintendo in the right direction. Just in the sense that most things could be playable on a Nintendo. If you think of the Series S in terms of power. That’s the only thing that rivals Nintendo right now on pricing. I feel like the Nintendo Switch 2 is something that would be the right console for those to invest in as long as Nintendo remains tactful on pricing structures within it’s eco-system for the long term.

I couldn’t be more excited about the future of the Nintendo Switch 2. The software that’s rumoured to be coming. A remade Zelda ‘the most acclaimed on Metacritic’ Ocarina of Time, and a new Star Fox are both on the way, according to those rumours. As well as the increase in third-party software and partnerships that will surely come this June at the next Nintendo Direct.

If anybody was ever on the fence in their commitment to getting onboard right now with the latest in Nintendo hardware. I would ask them why? Because ultimately, the Nintendo Switch 2 is only going to go from strength to strength, and it’s not even peaked yet.

While the next PlayStation and Xbox will be substantially more expensive next generation. You can now understand why Nintendo on console is a good choice right now and maybe for the future also with the way the economy is currently.

When I asked myself that same question last year, I looked at what the competition was offering. Not only that, I assessed how much PlayStation was offering me at that moment in time after years of support of the platform. I want PlayStation to get back to their best, and in principle I would support that.

However, the narrative is now against Sony. Less first-party games being made. Franchises that are on a hiatus pretty much indefinitely right now. Then you have the Sony Studio closures. Of course, this is happening across the industry but with the pattern at play, in terms of less and less output. It is of concern for anybody who truly appreciates PlayStation.

I’m not saying Project Helix will have all the answers for most players. However, with the increased amount of time being invested within the PC eco-system there is every chance some may start looking at their options. Like I did last year. Now obviously the situation with a PC and its components is the same. Expensive. At the same time though, if Microsoft can offer Project Helix at a sensible price in the context of everything, and if they happen to do that within these market conditions. You’re looking at a device that could be sold and be more popular.

That’s when Project Helix starts to become an even more attractive proposition for those who are looking at ‘traditional console’ PlayStation – just not with the same level of enthusiasm as before. You see, if it’s a closed eco-system and that continues ‘as is’. You know personally that Sony isn’t providing the goods as much in terms of first-party output. That’s when you get an opportunity. These market conditions just happen to be making Project Helix more favourable even if it comes at a big cost at first.

If you look at the software, the value of Game Pass which is being continued and with the return of key Xbox franchises with a ‘best played on Xbox mentality‘. It looks a bit more promising for Microsoft’s next generation console on all fronts.

As we have talked about. This is Xbox moving forward with making Game Pass a mainstay in bringing audiences to the frontier of their service through major third-party offerings and truly allowing them to shine. Exciting times for those who use Game Pass Ultimate in a way that allows them to get the most out of finding new things to play whether big or small.

There is a lot to get through, so bear with us, but we’ll be covering most of it.