So if you have hundreds of hours in a game like let's Say GTA V that continually has tons of people playing it, and buying it digitally you will throw all those hours away to go to a new platform?
Please.
I have hundreds of hours on many PC titles that have a good following on console. I in no way am going to put that time into them again on a new platform. I will continue on the one I've heavily invested in.
I'm heavily invested in PSN, and have a couple big games digitally. I won't rebuy them on a new platform. If my library carries over to PS5 then I'm there at the beginning.
I think that's everyone's stance that's been discussing this with you, but you fail to see how many people play. Like if your a regular who plays Siege a couple times a week, your not going to start over on another platform where you have to unlock every operator from scratch.
You either will keep playing on that console, stop playing, or carry your progress over to the new console if it's permitted.
All signs point to games being BC for next gen, and with that would mean syncing your progress as well.
Why did the Wii sell so well? It was because they (Nintendo) came up with a new control scheme that was appealing to gamers.
Why did the 360 sell well? It launched early, it was easy to develop for, the memory footprint was also much better and third party developers were now putting games on it on day one and they were performing better early on.
Why did the ps3 struggle compared to other generations and lose market share? It was expensive, hard to develop for, third party games were not performing as well on a technical level.
This generation, Sony kept it simple. They have a console that was easier to develop for than the base Xbox One and S, better console overall, it was cheaper at launch and for some months before Microsoft dropped Kinect and they did not make the mistake Microsoft made when they revealed their online DRM requirements.
This is the biggest problem with people who put way too much weight on back compat, it is a view that takes away from the key decisions that drive decisions and that gamers pick up on. It has nothing to do with ecosystem backed BC. For most gamers it is this is what I have always got, or this is popular, or this equipment manufacturer is messing up. Or a combination of other factors not solely attributed to the platform holder.
I also had this debate with someone else some time back and I said that if you want to continue playing the older titles, you always can so long as the servers are running. All you have to do is pop out the console and play these games, you are not losing anything by changing an ecosystem. This is why backwards compatibility has never been a big issue despite hardcore gamers stating that it is, and it does not become existentially more important just because some people bought some digital games.
The infatuation with backwards compatibility overstates the importance of old games when compared to new ones. COD and Battlefield that launched with the consoles are not relevant today, Assassins Creed games like Black Flag are no longer relevant either. Games like Bloodborne that were great when the console launched and helped drive sales are not relevant today to most who owned the title outside talk of how great a game it was. People play games and move on, it was like that before I started gaming and it will be the same when I stop.
But if there is no cross play for the ps5 and the console is very similar in performance and same price as the Xbox, would you still buy the Xbox if your friends stick to ps?
I have done this every generation. I choose a console that suits my needs first and foremost. If there is a need to get another console, that will always come later. A good amount of times I end up going against the grain, and that at times perplexes even my friends. It is how I got to gaming on the Dreamcast and Xbox.
