The PS5 and Xbox Series X are going to war this holiday season, but both could be defeated by the Nintendo Switch. The PS5 and Xbox Series X are releasing in some of the worst possible conditions, and a brand new console is going to be a hard sell for a lot of people.
The PS5 and Xbox Series X have had their share of good and bad publicity throughout the year. By comparison, the Switch has kept itself in the news with the strength of its exclusives, with its biggest titles appealing to a mainstream audience in a way that the promises of 4K visuals and SSDs will not.
Buying a console on launch day is poor value for money, as the system is at its most expensive and has the fewest amount of games. A lot of people will be struggling for money at the end of 2020, and the Switch might be the better prospect to take up space beneath the Christmas tree in terms of value.
PS5 & Xbox's Limited Availability
The biggest thing holding back the PS5 and Xbox Series X this holiday season is supply not meeting demand. The PS5 pre-order situation has been a total embarrassment, and it's currently impossible to buy a pre-order without paying a couple of hundred extra to a scalper. The Xbox Series S/X situation has been handled better, but it has still sold out everywhere.
Microsoft and Sony aren't to blame for this situation, as COVID-19 has led to production issues for both systems. Nintendo has also had trouble keeping Switch units on shelves, but they already have the framework in place to mass-produce units. The fact that no new PS5 pre-orders have opened recently, coupled with the cancelations and delays of the current crop of pre-orders, suggests that Sony is going to struggle to meet the demand. This scarcity is the main reason why most people believe the Switch will outsell PlayStation and Xbox.
The Value Of The Nintendo Switch's Present Library
The Switch's release schedule for 2020 has been bare, but it has had a few key titles that have dominated the discourse on social media. Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been a star on Twitter, with people sharing their island creations all over the Internet, and thanks to content updates there is still a lot of excitement for the game.
Another Switch title that received a lot of publicity in 2020 was Ring-Fit Adventure. The lockdown period left many without the ability to visit the gym or do other group exercises. Ring-Fit Adventure allows people to work out at home in a fun way. Nintendo has had trouble keeping Ring-Fit Adventure in stock, but the supply issues have been fixed, and it's possible to buy the game without having to pay extra on the second-hand market.
By contrast, the discourse surrounding the PS5 and Xbox Series X has been about technology and not games, while people have been raving about Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Ring-Fit Adventure for the majority of the year. It's safe to say that the Switch is very much in the public consciousness going into the holiday season.
Why Upgrade Right Now?
The Xbox Series X lost its biggest launch title when Halo Infinite was delayed. This means that the Xbox Series X launch line-up is composed of cross-gen games and timed-exclusives for third party games, none of which are particularly exciting for people who already own a PS4 or Xbox One. Xbox Series X has Game Pass, which is an amazing deal, but Game Pass is also available on PC and Xbox One.
Sony seemed as if it was going to blow Microsoft away with the PS5's launch line-up before it decided to shoot itself in the foot by making Sackboy: A Big Adventure and Spider-Man: Miles Morales cross-gen titles. This means the only PS5 launch exclusive of value is Demon's Souls, which is a remake of a PS3 game. Consumers will have to ask themselves why they are upgrading, if some of the PS5's biggest games are coming to a system they likely already own?
The Switch might not be able to compete with the hardware of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, but it's not all about graphics and loading times. The next-gen systems might become a force to be reckoned with in a few years, but the Switch could come out on top in sales this holiday season.
The PS5 will be available on November 12, 2020, in select countries and November 19, 2020, globally. The Xbox Series X will be available on November 10, 2020.