Who will win between open Android consoles and semi-closed overseas consoles?

The PS4 was released in mainland China last month, and it was confirmed that it was not region-locked but only locked to the PSN server. Then, Xbox One pushed the latest firmware at the beginning of this month, and its region lock setting was also cancelled.

The two console brands are no longer region-locked, but domestic players generally reacted coldly to this historic moment. On the contrary, a number of domestic Android consoles such as OBOX, Big Chief, and FUNBOX are widely favored by industry insiders due to the open ecosystem of the Android system and their deep understanding of the needs of domestic players.

Too few games were criticized and overseas console sales were mediocre

Although lifting the region lock is a great relief, unfortunately, PS4 has left the "little tail" of PSN lock (Xbox One has been proven to be the same). It is this "little tail" that damages the experience of core users.

PSN in other regions gives away free games to members every month, but the Chinese version of PS4 will be greatly affected by the PSN lock. Secondly, after the PSN server is locked, only a small number of approved games on the Chinese version of PS4 can be purchased digitally. In addition, although many overseas games can be played, players cannot purchase subsequent DLC.

Figure 1: Xbox One officially unlocks region locks in April

In addition to the widespread criticism of the "semi-region lock", the lack of games is also a focus of players' complaints. An Xbox One player said: "Overseas consoles are too affected by policies. Even if the policy allows you to buy them, you still won't have any games to play if they don't pass the review." The PS4 was forced to postpone its release due to the unsuccessful game approval process, and the Chinese version of the XBOX one was also complained by players for having too few games.

In addition, due to the current situation of the domestic game market, the payment model of overseas consoles is also difficult for players to adapt to. For domestic players who are used to playing games for free, it is difficult to be willing to spend a few hundred yuan just to buy a game disc. Frank Gibeau, head of the famous game manufacturer EA, once said: "The existing Xbox and PS console platforms have reached the end of their life and are about to be eliminated."

Data from major e-commerce platforms also show that the sales of the Chinese version of Xbox One and PS4 are not satisfactory. Take Xbox One as an example. Judging from the sales in November and December 2014, the number of players who purchased the Chinese version through official channels is less than a fraction of the total sales. The reason for this is probably the restrictions on the number of games and content of the Chinese version.

Android consoles are more open, and newcomers will follow

In 2015, the industry suddenly discovered that a large number of Android consoles appeared on the market, including Xiaocong Game's Big Chieftain, Snail's OBOX, and Tengmu Technology's TIMEBOX. Compared with the "semi-castrated" PS4 and Xbox One, the advantage of Android consoles lies in their open ecosystem, which can easily guarantee a large amount of game content.

Take Snail OBOX for example. On the one hand, it has imported popular console blockbusters such as "Modern Warfare 4", "Asphalt 8", and "Band of Brothers 3: Sons of War" from abroad; on the other hand, it has adapted many online games and mobile games for the big screen. For example, for the large-scale PC game "Nine Yin Scriptures", OBOX has created a unique two-player on-the-same-screen gameplay, which enables interaction between players in the living room.

Figure 2: Snail OBOX is a representative of domestic Android consoles

"The openness of the Android system ensures that players have games to play, and there are always new games to play." A relevant person in charge of Snail said, "As the gap in hardware performance with imported consoles such as PS4 and Xbox One continues to narrow, the vitality of Android consoles will continue to explode, and will become a highlight to attract users in the future."

"In addition to the advantage of a large number of games," said a senior industry insider, " Android consoles are more likely to adopt a free-to-play model for game content, so players can quickly access any game they want to play without having to consider too many factors."

However, a senior executive of a domestic manufacturer also admitted that there are currently a large number of mobile games ported to domestic Android consoles. If more professional adaptation work is not carried out in the future, it is likely that players will find it difficult to buy them. In the view of some industry insiders, despite facing huge challenges, with the support of an open ecosystem and the huge potential user base in the mainland market, Android consoles may completely overtake overseas consoles in the future as long as they find a suitable business model.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.