Yesterday, Sony announced the PlayStation Classic, a response to Nintendo’s line-up of rebooted digital-only consoles with a version of their own. Now, Microsoft has chimed in with a great response and one that actually makes complete sense without the need for nostalgia.
The PlayStation Classic console has just been announced within the past 24 hours during the peak of the Tokyo Game Show. The company announced this smaller version of the console that released in 1994 will come pre-loaded with 20 different games ranging from Tekken 3 to Final Fantasy VII.
Sony confirmed that their mini-console would cost a steam $100 USD. Even with the price-marking on the console, fans have reacted rather positively to the news and the price tag Sony placed upon their console. However, not everyone thought it was as funny as Sony did and decided to have a bit of fun on their own. Those very people just had to be the official Xbox UK Twitter account, who tossed a bit of dirt in Sony’s eyes and made an odd albeit valid point regarding backward compatibility.
Earlier, Sony made the surprise announcement of the PlayStation Classic console. The PlayStation Classic is a smaller version of the original PlayStation that launched in 1994 and comes with 20 different games pre-loaded including Tekken 3 and Wild Arms. Sony even revealed the console’s price, confirming that it would cost $100.
While most PlayStation fans have reacted positively to the news of the PlayStation Classic, Sony’s closest competitor is using it as an opportunity to have a bit of fun. Earlier today, the official Xbox UK Twitter account appeared to shade Sony by reminding its followers that they can play more than 500 classic Xbox and Xbox 360 games on Xbox One “totally free” through the backward compatibility feature.
The catch-22 here is quite clear. In order to play those 500+ titles, you need to at least own them in order to take advantage of the 500+ classic titles free of charge. It is an improvement on Sony and Nintendo’s approach to backwards compatibility as both have locked down their consoles behind subscription fees (you can check out 20 of the games you can play with a Switch Online Subscription here) and streaming services.
Some have been delighted by Microsoft’s little nudge in Sony’s ribs about their approach to classic gaming while others have been more critical about Microsoft’s response and idea of what “free” actually means. Regardless of which side you are on, Sony and Microsoft have had a healthy amount of rivalry this far into this generation – a generation coming to an end – have taken full advantage of it without skipping a beat.
Recently, things have heated up a bit as Sony has declined the idea of cross-platform play with both Nintendo and Microsoft while the latter two have enjoyed a healthy relationship in recent days. Fortunately for all involved, the rivalry remains healthy and fans are absolutely supporting their platform of choice while others are ready for the rivalry to come to an end.
Regardless of where you stand, this little tweet was a good one and it shows that Microsoft will take advantage of some friendly nudging when they can.
About the Writer(s):
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.