This generation of video game consoles has been about expanding experiences beyond just
playing games into broader areas of entertainment.
Movie and TV show streaming are now common uses of game consoles and many households,
like my own, spend almost as much time watching stuff on them as playing stuff.
But when Sony revealed the PlayStation 4 a few weeks ago, it positioned the system as
a straight up video game player.
Apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime will presumably continue to be available, but Sony’s focus
appears to be on games.
Microsoft has been particularly vocal about how the Xbox 360 is the entertainment hub
of the living room this generation, and that it is about much more than just games.
So what does that mean for the next Xbox?
Jonathan Blow, the independent game developer behind Braid, revealed his new game The Witness,
at Sony’s PlayStation 4 event.
And while it’s not a PS4 exclusive, it will be on Sony’s platform first.
Speaking with Edge Online, Blow notes that the new, still-unannounced Xbox 360 successor
is “not strictly about games,” leading him to PlayStation 4 as a result.
Quote: “To me[,] they talk about a console that is not strictly about games.
It’s trying to be the [center] of the living room device, which is fine and maybe it’s
the right thing for Microsoft to do, business-wise.
I don’t know; I actually don’t think it is, but they’ve certainly thought about
it more than me!”
Blow then goes into his previous working relationship with Microsoft.
Quote: “I’ve had a bad time working with Microsoft in the past.
Maybe not super bad, but a moderately bad time in terms of business relationships.
Other developers who are friends of mine have had a horrible time, so the idea of signing
up again with Microsoft isn’t something I’d have ruled out, but there’s a certain
amount of dread I have about doing that again.”
He notes that he doesn’t “have that [feeling] with Sony.”
But he goes on to say, “Who knows, maybe it’ll turn out to be just as bad at the
end!
But I don’t think so.”
Microsoft is expected to unveil the next Xbox in April, so we should learn more about how
it is positioning the console at that time.
Until then, stay tuned to IGN.