14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 home entertainment systems celebrated their first anniversary, and the head of Microsoft’s console division showed once again why people have faith in the console.
Phil Spencer tweeted a few celebratory messages, stating how excited he was for both consoles’ second year on the market, and for the many things to come.
He praised Sony’s PlayStation 4, the Xbox One’s main competitor, stating that Sony had a great first year, and showing his excitement for the great games and exciting competition in the console world.
In spite of the fact that he is in a position of great power and responsibility, Spencer still manages to remain humble, saying that, although everyone thinks that the Xbox One’s recent resurgence is due primarily to his naming as head of the division, “it’s really a team and community effort.”
And it really is a team effort, or rather a multi-team effort, considering that a lot of the success of a particular console, or at least its perceived allure, boils down to what exclusive titles it has.
So far, Sony has been doing a pretty good job with its exclusives, but Microsoft isn’t out of the fight yet.
Spencer is looking forward to year two
The Xbox One got off to a rocky start, and right now we’re seeing a significant discrepancy in the sales levels of the two major consoles. Microsoft is doing its bests to catch up, and is doing so quite aggressively.
Phil Spencer has always been a sport about the competition with Sony, at least when it comes to public statements, but the reality is that the rivalry between the two companies is far from friendly.
Behind the scenes, Microsoft has been pushing the Xbox One into the spotlight, first removing the superfluous Kinect motion sensor, then by repeatedly cutting the console’s price, either as a temporary discount, or by releasing various bundles, packing the hardware together with a popular video game, or by offering a coupon for a hefty sum, to be used on digital content for the Xbox One home console.
In addition to having a slew of games lined up for 2015, Microsoft has also been doing a pretty good job when it comes to the Xbox One’s firmware updates, adding new features month after month, while Sony’s fans decried the company’s tendency to release mostly bug fixes, without adding as many new features.
Phil Spencer and the Xbox team pledged to continue supporting the home console throughout the entirety of 2015, bringing the most requested features to the Xbox One month after month.
This 1st year has been incredible. Great launch for 2 consoles, exciting competition & great games. Thanks for all the support & feedback.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) November 22, 2014
