The PlayStation 4/Xbox One generation is nearing its end. While not completely over, it’s safe to say that, as Sony and Microsoft gear up for their home console successors, we can look back and see what made this generation memorable. Both consoles launched in 2013, and since then, they’ve ushered in an unprecedented era of success in the industry, while also providing power and a level of polish we’ve never seen before.
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For the sake of this list, we’re not including Nintendo consoles, as the Wii U and Switch arrived in weird times, while theXbox OneandPlayStation 4launched around the same time and were more direct competitors. With that said, let’s look back on how this console generation will be remembered.
10The Death of Motion Controls
Motion control was popularized by the Wii and became a hit in most households, ushering in a wave of casual players that didn’t have to worry about button layout. It was so popular, in fact, that Sony launched its own version, the PlayStation Move. Following this, Microsoft launched the add-0n to the Xbox 360, the Kinect — a full-body motion control device.
Yet, when the Xbox One andPlayStation 4consoles launched, it became apparent that players didn’t care for this style of gaming anymore. Microsoft quickly removed Kinect from their Xbox One bundles, and PlayStation Move controllers were an optional gameplay type that only worked with PlayStation VR.
9The Return Of Classics
Nostalgia is great for marketing, and it’s clear that publishers and developers really discovered that this generation. While remakes and remasters are common across the board, this generation saw outright comebacks.
Shenmuegot its long-awaited third installment after 18 years between titles, andStreets of Ragegot its first game since the Sega Genesis. Outside of that,Sonic The Hedgehogsaw a return to form withSonic Mania, andStar Wars: Battlefrontwas revived. This was a good console generation for a lot of long-time gamers.
8Great Indie Games
The independent gaming scene really took off during the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/Wii generation with the help of Steam and Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade.
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Since then, we’ve slowly seen more and more indie titles get bigger spotlights, while also maturing in a way we never saw coming.
7Multiplayer Only Games Thrive
For PC gamers, multiplayer-only games were common. For console players, however, it was a foreign concept that seemed like players were getting less while paying the same price for a game.
That all changed, however, when titles likeTom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Seige,Fortnite,Rocket League,and more grew in popularity. Now, it seems the stigma of “online-only” has worn off, and players are open to both ends of the spectrum.
6Single Player Games Survive
While"online-only" titles started to gain in popularity, publishers like Bethesda and Sony made it clear that single-player games aren’t dead. They backed it up too. Titles likeFallout 4,God of War, andSpider-Manwere some of the highest regarded games of their generation.
It wasn’t just limited to those publishers, however.The Outerworlds, developed by Obsidian, was a massive success, while CD PROJEKT’sThe Witcher 3is still regarded as one of the best games of this generation, despite it launching relatively early on.
5Twitch/Mixer/eSports
Streaming games has been big since the previous console generation, but it was nowhere near as big as it is today. The same goes for eSports. Part of this is because streaming has never been easier, with built-in capabilities available with the most basic models for thePlayStation 4andXbox One.
While many have moved away from YouTube, Twitch is still a viable scene, while Microsoft still pushes Mixer — even taking Twitch’s biggest star, Ninja, with them. Much like streaming, eSports have been around for a long time, but the rise of platforms like Twitch has allowed them to burst through in North America in a big way. Now, major sports broadcasters cover the events and arenas around the world sell out to watch people play.
4Revived Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality (VR) technology comes and goes. In the 1990’s it seemed like it was the future of gaming. Arcades featured VR machines, Nintendo made a portable system dedicated to it called theVirtual Boy, and media touted it as the next step in gaming. Yet, by the time the 2000s rolled around, VR was considered dead. Then, things started to change. The likes of Oculus Rift and HTC Vive put the tech back on the map, but the cost of the units mixed with the price of a PC that can run it meant the average player couldn’t get their hands on a set.
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That changed when Sony introduced the PlayStation VR. An add-on to the PlayStation 4 — the most successful console of the generation — players didn’t have to worry about building a PC that could run it. All players needed was the console and the add-on, which was affordably priced at $399 USD.
3Kojima Leaves Konami
One of the biggest news stories of this console generation was Hideo Kojima’s messy departure from Konami. It all started when Konami droppedP.T, a playable trailer for the upcomingSilent Hillsgame Kojima was working on alongside Guillermo Del Toro. Sometime after this, a corporate restructure caused a large rift between the talented developer and the publisher of his most celebrated works. This came shortly after the release date for Kojima’s highly anticipatedMetal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Painwas announced.
While it was easy to see there was some spite between the two parties, things really got sour whenP.T.was pulled from online stores and the project was canceled — then things got petty. At the 2015 Video Game Awards, Konami would not allow their now-former employee to accept an award forMetal Gear Solid 5, which caused the crowd to erupt in boos.
2Game Pass
Regardless of anyone’s stance about physical vs. digital media, Game Pass has made a pretty expensive hobby more inclusive. With a Netflix style method, Microsoft Game Pass charges a monthly fee while giving players access to hundreds of titles on Xbox and PC.
While games do come and go, every Xbox exclusive launches on the service day one. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, for sure, but for $9.99 a month or $14.99 a month for the Ultimate version, it does make gaming more accessible.
1Cross-Platform Play
The biggest breakthrough of this generation is easily cross-platform play. Since the dawn of online gaming, players could only game against other people using the same console. The one exception to this wasFinal Fantasy XI. That all started to change, however, as fans began to voice their displeasure regarding this with titles likeFortniteandRocket League.
Slowly, the console makers who once guarded their online landscapes started breaking the walls down. Now, we live in a world where someone can playCall of Dutyon their PlayStation 4 with their friends on PC and Xbox One.
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