Microsoft’s ‘Project Scarlett’ Killer Feature Puts Xbox Ahead of Sony’s PlayStation 5
Microsoft is increasingly winning over the community with a number of 'gamer-first' policies and features. | Source: Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
- Project Scarlett and the PlayStation 5 are the two biggest competitors for the next generation of consoles.
- Xbox’s new machine will have some advantages out of the gate thanks to backward compatibility and Game Pass.
- The next generation is shaping up to be the most interesting one yet.
As the end of the console generation approaches it’s time to get excited about the next generation. The PS5, the Project Scarlett and whatever Nintendo end up doing are sure to be interesting machines. Next-gen hardware always surprises gamers by bringing something new to the forefront. In the case of the last-gen, it was video recording and sharing , next-gen it may be streaming games.
Regardless of what the big focus is on the next-generation, Project Scarlett is set to have a huge launch. In the past, console launches have proven to be sparse times in terms of games available on a system. The Scarlett looks set to completely turn that on its head.
Project Scarlett’s Killer Feature
The typically sparse launch line up of a new console generation happens for several reasons. It’s hard to get developers to switch to a new console over one they’re already familiar with. It takes a long time to develop games and a dev kit cannot be out too early or the main console will be out-of-date.
Project Scarlett is going to have a huge library right out of the gate. It’s already understood that both Project Scarlett and the PS5 will be backward compatible. The difference is that while the PS5 will be drawing on the PS4 library only, the Scarlett will continue backward compatibility all the way back to the original Xbox.
That means that Project Scarlett will have a potential library of nearly 1000 games based on Xbox One’s current compatibility list and library . Although that number isn’t the hugest, it does allow for some consumer confidence, not to mention nostalgia baiting, thanks to gamers being able to keep and play their old games from 2 generations ago. Plus, there’s also the possibility of the Scarlett haven’t an expanded compatibility list.
Xbox Game Pass Will Have a Role
There is also one other killed feature going for Project Scarlett, namely Xbox Game Pass. The service is already insanely popular, and assuming it will work with Scarlett it’ll be a massive boon to the system at launch. The service adds a huge number of games to a buyer’s library with very little cost.
Considering that Xbox also recently announced some pretty huge additions to the service, it seems like Game Pass might be a deciding factor in the system’s early success. With game streaming soon to be an option, and an ever-expanding library Xbox’s streaming service could make-or-break the system.
That’s Not the End of the Story
All of this does not guarantee success for Scarlett. While the PS5 will only have PS4 games to fall back on, that console’s library is over 2000 games strong. On top of that, exclusives tend to be a deciding factor. While Xbox has stuff like Halo and Gears, PlayStation can content with God of War and The Last of Us.
Even if PS5 has strong exclusives, the Scarlett has some pretty big advantages. No matter what happens things are sure to be interesting. With Xbox and Nintendo having a closer relationship right now , the ‘console wars’ will go to some strange places next-gen. Now we just have to wait for the machines to come out.
