Sony and Microsoft resume game console battle
Sony is hoping for blockbuster sales of its new PS5 games console and a leg-up in the battle for dominance with Microsoft, which will launch its Xbox Series X console in the late autumn.

Last week Sony released a preview of its new PS5 games console, due in shops before Christmas, says Matthew Field in The Daily Telegraph. Sony is hoping for“blockbuster” sales and a leg-up in the two decades-old battle for dominance with Microsoft, which will launch a competing machine in the late autumn, the Xbox Series X. This comes as lockdown has “super-charged” the gaming market, with reported sales of Sony’s PS4 console and Microsoft’s Xbox One more than trebling in the first half of the year.
Both companies’ new offerings seem highly advanced compared with the current generation, says Dan Gallagher in The Wall Street Journal. They boast faster processors, better graphics and more storage. Still, the ”harsh” global backdrop may persuade cash-strapped consumers to stick with “cheaper options” such as second-hand copies of current models. The fact that production in the games industry has been hit by the pandemic, with programmers forced to work from home, is also a worry as new games “are key to selling new consoles”.
A bigger concern is the shift towards streaming games on the internet, says Kosuke Shimizu and Ryosuke Arasawa in the Nikkei Asian Review. If 5G mobile technology spreads fast people “will be able to enjoy high-definition games on their smartphones or standard PCs”, rendering consoles redundant. So, it is no surprise that Sony will make the PS5 “backwards-compatible” with older games to minimise disruption for the 41.5 million users of its subscription service that allows them to play online with other gamers.
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.
He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.
Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.
As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.
Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri
-
HMRC confirms crypto ETN ISA rules
With crypto ETNs now technically available for UK retail investors, HMRC has confirmed they can be held in an ISA – but there’s a complication
-
Pensioners targeted in fine wine scams – the tactics to watch for
Wine has emerged as the latest lure in investment fraud, with pensioners being specifically targeted by scammers
-
Pierre-Édouard Stérin wants to make France great again
Conservative billionaire Pierre-Édouard Stérin is seeking to lead a political and spiritual renaissance across the Channel. The planning looks meticulous
-
Global investors have overlooked the top innovators in emerging markets
Opinion Carlos Hardenberg, portfolio manager, Mobius Investment Trust, highlights three emerging market stocks where he’d put his money
-
Pinewood Technologies: a drive for growth
Pinewood Technologies’ platform is one of the best in the business. Investors should buy in
-
'EV maker Faraday Future will crash'
Faraday Future Intelligent Electric is failing dismally to live up to its name, says Matthew Partridge
-
Investors should cheer the coming nuclear summer
The US and UK have agreed a groundbreaking deal on nuclear power, and the sector is seeing a surge in interest from around the world. Here's how you can profit
-
8 of the best houses for sale with follies
The best houses for sale with follies in the grounds – from a five-storey Victorian Gothic tower in Tonbridge, Kent, to a former mill in Oxfordshire with gardens that include a folly on an island in a lake
-
A tale of two Reits – why performance matters for valuation
AEW UK and Regional are two Reits that are valued very differently, despite a shared focus on properties outside London
-
Healthcare stocks look cheap, but tread carefully
Shares in healthcare companies could get a shot in the arm if uncertainty over policy in the US wanes, but are they worth the risk?