Sony's Playstation 4 edged out Microsoft's Xbox One in the latest round of console wars. That is according to Unity CEO John Riccitiello and Xbox founder Ed Fries.
"That's one of the more - in my opinion - depressing stories in the last couple of years. In the battle of big ideas ... there was a clash of ideas that really separated Sony and Microsoft... Microsoft was trying to [compete against] Apple. They didn't feel gaming was big enough to justify the pent-up desire ... to have the recognition they wanted as an innovator," Riccitiello said in an interview.
He also mentioned that both Sony and Microsoft used similar architecture and technologies in their consoles but the latter focused more on entertainment beyond gaming.
According to Riccitiello, Sony came up with the best console they could based on their available limited resources. Microsoft's vision went beyond gaming, when they should have set their sights on becoming the best on it.
"Sony focused on the shot they needed to make, which was win the hearts and minds of the gamer. The broader scope of entertainment might be a bigger idea, but not with an unfocused execution... Sony nailed it, and they deserve the victory," the former EA CEO added.
Meanwhile, Fries, one of the Xbox's creators, also thinks Sony won the tightly-fought console wars although by just a slim margin.
"The two sides say nice things about each other; they compliment each other's cool games. It looks to me like most of the excitement is kind of over in the console war for this generation. It looks like Microsoft is gaining a little traction back, but PS4 got a really early lead that will be hard for Microsoft to catch," Fries said.
Recent sales figures for both Playstation 4 and Xbox One show the Sony console sold more than Microsoft's. In terms of worldwide sales, Sony is at the 22.3 million mark while Microsoft's latest published figure is 10 million. Although Micosoft's figures were released late last year, the fact they have not released new information may indicate they have yet to come near Sony's console sales.
Will Sony keep its lead over Microsoft in the gaming console industry, or will the latter eventually catch up and overtake the former?
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