No one could have predicted the turbulent state console gaming is in right now.
Five years ago, both Sony and Microsoft launched next-generation consoles with very similar PC-based architectures. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series We were told that ray tracing – the recreation of realistic lighting, reflections and shadows in games – would be worth spending $500 for a new box to plug into our 4K TVs.
On the fifth birthday of both consoles, I can tell you that we were sold a lie. Ray tracing is amazing, some games even support graphics enhancements. Of the more than 1,050 games in the PS5’s library, only 60-some games support ray tracing – that’s an average of 6%. As disappointing as it is, the PS5 has emerged as the winner against the Xbox Series As of November 2025, the PS5 has surpassed 84 million units shipped globally since 2020, while the Xbox Series
Where Microsoft has repeatedly faltered—trying to turn Xbox into the “Netflix of gaming” with Game Pass, pivoting to a bigger publisher by buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, and raising hardware prices multiple times due to internal mandates to make 30% profits—Sony has deftly navigated similar industry challenges with smart expansions for its PlayStation brand.
There’s no telling what the future will hold, but looking back at the past five years of the PS5, it’s clear that Sony has hit well with gamers. For the most part, really good.
Designed for the needs of the gamer
I’ll admit that when I first saw the PS5, I wasn’t into its curved panel or its massive size. Consoles should get smaller and more powerful, not bigger – shrinkage is an easy and visible marker of technological progress. The original Xbox was disliked (especially in Japan) because it was too big. But it seems like the PS5 had the design just right, at least compared to the Xbox Series X, which is literally a plain-looking black box. So right out of the gate, Sony shipped hardware that looked like it was from the future – people really like gadgets that look really new and different.
As the game (and exclusive Spider-Man: Miles Morales And Final Fantasy VII: Remake) After joining, it became more certain to me that the PS5 was better hardware for the long run. Although my launch-day PS5 only had 825GB of built-in SSD storage, it could have been easily expanded with a standard M.2 NVMe SSD. Xbox Series Sony chose the lesser evil path and gamers like me appreciate that openness.
Even better than an affordable way to add storage to install ever-increasing game sizes were two hardware features that I didn’t think would leave any long-lasting impression on me: adaptive triggers and “Tempest 3D Audio” in the DualSense controller. Adaptive triggers provide more subtle haptic feedback, such as the ability to sense the resistance of a car gear pedal gran turismo 7tension while drawing the bow Horizon: Forbidden West or bringing a weapon inside Resident Evil Villageor even different surface materials astro botAdaptive triggers add another layer of sensory immersion, Tempest 3D Audio is less known, but almost every PS5 game supports it, Using a compatible headset, you can hear subtle sound effects like footsteps, gunshots, and rain (to name a few) coming from different directions, It works great and is very underrated, but it really amps things up during play, I’ve never used a gaming headset with my console before, but on the PS5, I almost always do,
trying things out
The evolving nature of gaming also means that it’s not enough for Sony (or anyone) to launch a console and get as many games on it as possible. Those days are long gone. So Sony tried things; Weird things that weren’t necessarily big hits, but I’m still glad it hit them because it kept the PS5 from becoming stale.
Peripherals such as the PlayStation VR2, the second generation version of PSVR for the PS4, opened the console up to 2D virtual screens for playing more VR games and PlayStation titles. PlayStation Portal, though not a standalone handheld in its own right, lets players stream their PS5 over Wi-Fi for remote play away from the console. A free software update has expanded the functionality of the portal to allow streaming PlayStation games from the cloud instead of directly from the PS5. Sure, PSVR 2 is largely a failure and Portal doesn’t really compete with the Switch 2 or any handheld PC, but they’ve given the PS5 a moat. The Xbox Series X had no such thing.
A full-on hardware refresh with a thinner PS5 and a more powerful PS5 Pro in 2024 has undoubtedly helped the console enter its mid-life. Does it suck that Sony raised the prices of the PS5 and PS5 Pro after a year because of Trump’s meaningless tariffs? Sure, but it doesn’t seem like it’s had as much of an impact on PS5 sales as it has on Xbox Series
extend to pc
I’ll get into more about Sony bringing PS5 exclusives to PC in a second and what it means for the future of PlayStation, but one thing the company deserves more credit for is expanding the PlayStation brand beyond console hardware.
A PlayStation will always primarily be a console that first sits under your TV, but now it’s also a family of devices that orbit it and any gaming PC that can play its exclusive titles. Unlike Microsoft, which has become dependent on Xbox as a service that can be played on any device, Sony sees PlayStation as an ecosystem and lifestyle gaming brand. In this way, it’s becoming like Razer, which sells its own Blade gaming laptops but also sells peripherals designed for them.
When Sony announced its InZone PC Gaming brand of gaming headsets and monitors that also worked with the PS5, I knew it was only a matter of time before we got more. You don’t need 20/20 vision to see that InZone products were heavily inspired by the white and black design language of the PS5.
InZone and PlayStation are still separate gaming brands today, and they are catering to both PlayStation and PC gamers. The PlayStation Pulse Elite headset and Pulse Explore wireless earbuds are built for the PS5, but they’re also compatible with PC gaming. The same goes for the 27-inch PlayStation Gaming Monitor with DualSense charging hook, the FlexStrike wireless fighting stick, and the Pulse Elevate portable desktop speaker, all of which are coming in 2026.
This vast and growing ecosystem of PlayStation hardware only deepens and strengthens the platform as a place worth purchasing. Like a sports team, consumers prefer companies and platforms whose general managers they feel are growing. Sony is winning physical and psychological mindshare with PS5- and PC-compatible hardware, while Microsoft is… apparently trying to compete with TikTok and movies. In trying to make every device an Xbox, Microsoft has lost its focus on console gamers who want the new console and its accompanying peripherals to make games more enjoyable – while Sony has focused only on core gamers.
PlayStation I, PC II
It’s a strange thing to see a once-exclusive Xbox game forza horizon 5 And Gears of War: Reloaded on PS5, and halo Coming to Sony consoles in 2026. These franchises used to be fodder for taking sides, but not anymore. Now that Microsoft has prioritized publishing its games on as many platforms as possible, there is almost no reason to remain loyal to Xbox.
Only time will tell whether chasing profits from games was worth sacrificing the Xbox console at the altar, but Sony is facing the same challenge of rising game development costs. Big AAA games with more detailed graphics cost more money than ever to make—hundreds of millions of dollars. So it only makes sense that publishing a game on multiple platforms – even for a competitor – is a more sustainable business model.
The difference is that Sony isn’t handing over its games to PC before making them available on PS5 first. Well reviewed games like marvel’s spider man 2 Released in October 2023 on PS5, but only in January 2025 on PC, and Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut Coming out in 2021 on PS5, but in May 2024 on PC. Even remastered versions of older titles like PS4 god of warIt first launched on PS5 in May 2021 before coming to PC a year later in January 2022.
This friendliness of publishing its games for PC and even making so much PC/PS5-compatible hardware has led many to think Sony is taking steps to follow Microsoft and become an all-platform publisher, but that’s not going to happen. If all the PS5 peripherals haven’t made it clear, the first and main platform that Sony wants gamers to play its games on is on its own PlayStation console. The PC is not an equal citizen; This is second rate. Sony is publishing its games on PC only to recoup losses (if the game underperforms) or to generate additional revenue later (once PS5 sales subside). Remember that most of the work to port games from PS5 to PC has already been done, due to the similarity in x86 system architecture for both platforms, so it’s more cost-effective than before the PS4 era.
Status for PS6, but Steam Machine looms
Looking ahead, Sony is well-positioned to launch its next-generation PlayStation in a few years – let’s call it the PlayStation 6 – and be on track to win. Rumors suggest that the PS6 could launch in 2027 or 2028, which would be in line with previous console lifecycles; The PS5 launched seven years after the PS4. Microsoft says it’s committed to premium Xbox hardware, which is expected to launch around the same time, but because of all the missteps it’s made, the Xbox faithful can’t move forward.
It also doesn’t help that Sony’s PS6 could resemble the Nintendo Switch 2 with a hybrid design that can go from console to handheld and vice versa. Or if the PS6 is a traditional console And A different handheld, which may also be related. Such hardware departures will make whatever Microsoft has planned for its Xbox Series
Sony’s biggest threat isn’t the new Xbox or Switch 2 — it’s Valve’s newly announced Steam Machine that will launch in early 2026. The 6 x 6-inch console is basically a tiny gaming PC that runs SteamOS, which means it can play your entire library of Steam games. Technical specifications and media first impressions suggest that the Steam Machine is a capable enough 1080p and 1440p gaming box, but it may fall short of the performance of the PS5 Pro. Specifications-wise, Sony now has the edge, and will certainly overtake the Steam Machine with the PS6, but it’s not just Valve’s box with which it has to compete. Just as the Steam Deck opened the door to larger and more powerful handheld PCs to the point where the market became increasingly saturated, the Steam Machine will be a blueprint for third-party companies large and small to launch their own SteamOS-based consoles. When-not-if-that happens, Sony will face attack from more directions than ever before.
Game exclusives and an expanding hardware ecosystem helped propel the PS5 to the top and leave the Xbox crippled and confused. This is also something that Sony should not overlook for the PS6 and beyond. A steady stream of specialties Always Sells new hardware. It has always been this way and always will be. Just look at Nintendo. Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon brought the Switch to over 150 million units shipped worldwide, and it’s going to do the same for the Switch 2, which is already breaking records. If the PS6 isn’t as successful as the PS5, it will be because there aren’t enough exclusive games.