Why Non-Exclusives are Hurting Xbox and Challenging PlayStation’s Identity

This concept keeps coming up, and everyone is acting as if it's obvious. All parties involved benefit more from non-exclusives. More people can play, more people can access, and more people may be free. Does it sound ideal?

Why, then, did the corporations that were most aggressive in pushing it begin to struggle the most if it was true? For the simple reason that it was precisely that. Check out Xbox. This idea was their whole bet. Feel free to play wherever you choose. Starting on the first day of PC. Playable on all devices.

Platforms do not really have a wall.

No, this game isn't playable without this box. At first glance, that appears to be the most customer-centric approach ever. Now we get to the unsettling part. If all of your games are playable on any device, why bother with an Xbox?

They never gave a satisfactory response to the inquiry. And eventually, the figures began to reflect it. Its hardware became unrecognizable. It ceased to be an essential. Soon, it was a choice. A tool for providing services rather than an emotional object.

That's the unspoken compromise.

Not only does removing exclusivity enhance access, but it also removes urgency. Switch to PlayStation now. Even if they didn't go quite as far, they did begin to explore similar territory. A stronger drive to branch out from the console, more PC ports, and shorter gaps. Sounds intelligent again. A larger customer base, more revenue.

However, a peculiar occurrence started thereafter. "Wait, shouldn't I just wait for the PC version?" was a common question when it came out. Just asking that one question begins to undermine the whole rationale for pre-ordering the console.

It reduces speed. "I need this now" becomes less powerful as a result. On paper, the Switch should have aged out much earlier than it actually did, which is the most bizarre aspect about it. You were staring at hardware that was significantly behind next-gen consoles at the conclusion. It was the foundation of long-ago ideas in hardware design.