Can the PS4 China-launched game console really survive in China?

On March 20, the Sony PS4 console, which had been delayed for a long time, was finally officially launched in China. Although the official did not officially announce the relevant sales information, judging from the queues of players in Shanghai on the day of the release, players have shown enough enthusiasm for the console. Recently, there are also rumors that Microsoft XBOX ONE will also be unlocked in April. After passing the first hurdle, the challenge has just begun. Whether PS4 or XBOX ONE will face the question of whether the game content can keep up.

Games follow foreign ones closely, no one can be left behind

Both of them have the problem of too few first-time games or low appeal. XBOX has a limited number of first-time games, and too few games that can really hold up the scene. Although the PS4 lineup seems to be stronger than XBOX ONE, it has a strong taste of old dishes. In Sony's earlier release, Sony proposed a global unified hardware strategy.

Half a year after Microsoft XBOX ONE was launched, the game updates were almost stagnant. There are many reasons for this, one of which is the strict region lock and censorship. Sony PS4 has confirmed that the hardware is not locked, but the PSN is locked, so in terms of future game follow-up, there is at least one more choice for players, and XBOX ONE, which is rumored to be unlocked in April, will also usher in new opportunities.

Completely localized, becoming a host that is "more suitable for most people"

In addition to the question of whether the game can be updated regularly, the types of games sold in China are also very important. In the eyes of core console players, games on consoles mostly mean movie-level performance and rich and diverse gameplay. At the two press conferences, Microsoft and Sony successively announced online games in cooperation with Chinese manufacturers and some games that do not look like console platforms.

Especially Sony, some people even think that the Chinese version of PS4 has become a mobile game platform. At the same time, some people are also worried that domestic online games on console platforms will copy the charging model of PC terminals and completely "corrupt" the console platform. Or, as players worried at the beginning, it will really become a learning machine.

In fact, I often see a group of children playing some small games and teaching software around XBOX ONE in many shopping malls. The overall quality is still quite high. If they can really achieve both gaming and learning, it is not necessarily a bad thing.

As for the so-called PS4 becoming a mobile gaming platform, before the games are officially launched, we cannot judge the quality of these games, including the charging method. If it is not unfair and can bring benefits to players, Sony and developers, changes in the charging model are acceptable.

Change user habits to make users adapt to the host

The third factor that determines the success or failure of a console is user habits. The so-called user habits include many aspects. First, whether the Chinese game market, which is dominated by PCs, can accept a device that has almost only the single function of playing games; whether players who are used to free games can adapt to paid games that cost hundreds of yuan; and for core console players, whether some strategies of console localization can make them feel satisfied.

These three basic user habits are very important for console games. Microsoft and Sony need to constantly teach users in various ways what the fun of console games is, what kind of high-quality games can the buyout fee bring them, and whether localization will affect the experience of traditional console players.

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.