A new poll went out recently that presented potential buyers of the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X with four different selling points: Backward Compatibility, Affordable Pricing, Better Graphics, and Exclusive Games. The poll then asked these buyers to choose one of these four points to represent what would most influence their decision to choose the PS5 over the Xbox Series X and vice versa, and the results that came back were interesting if not a tad bit predictable.
As a quick heads up, this poll isn't some official study or anything like that. It was created by Mortal Kombat 11 Director, Ed Boon, out of curiosity. However, the poll pulled in responses from over 50000 gamers, so it does voice the opinion of a pretty hefty chunk.
The poll recorded the results in the form of percentages, with the grand total equaling 99.9. Readers may have guessed which selling point won out in the end already, but the other results have something to say as well. In the end, from first place to last, the poll looked like this: Affordable Pricing at 37.5, Backward Compatibly at 30, Better Graphics at 19.2, and Exclusive Games at 13.2.
Quite literally, everyone is attracted to buying a console that's within their budget. Even hardcore fans that would buy a favored console no matter the price would prefer that it was cheaper rather than expensive. This is something that Sony seems to currently be struggling with, as hardware shortages may make the PlayStation 5 much more expensive than the PlayStation 4. Microsoft hasn't given much information on its pricing for the Xbox Series X, though.
Backward compatibility coming in a close second also makes sense. Its been one of the most requested features for consoles for years because the last couple of generations haven't had the ability, at least not without post-release updates and limited libraries. Most people don't want to have to move on from games they've already bought and grown attached too merely because the next generation can't play them, nor do they like the idea of having to keep a bunch of older consoles on hand just to play things they want.
The positions of Better Graphics and Game Exclusivity are also understandable. Both of these ideas lean more toward the hardcore gaming population when compared to the first two points. Better graphics are nice, but not an incentive for most to break the bank. The same thing goes for Game Exclusivity. The Last of Us 2 may end up being the best game of the new decade, but paying 400 + dollars to play it is admittedly absurd.
It would be interesting to see an updated official poll with these kinds of selling points and to discover what a wider audience has to say about all of this. At the very least, it might make the marketing for the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 that much more enjoyable when Sony and Microsoft enter that phase.
The PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X are scheduled to release Holiday 2020.