With the heat from the next-gen kitchen getting hotter and hotter, any and all announcements from Sony pertaining to the PlayStation 5 are going to make the news. Some of that news happened today in the form of a welcome announcement that the PS5 will be mostly compatible with PS4 controllers and peripherals, especially when it comes to the likes of fight sticks, racing wheels, and other more unique controllers.
Never one to want to feel left out of the controller conversation, the official Xbox UK Twitter account took to the digital streets shortly after the announcement to give hot takes nobody requested. The account pointed out the Xbox Series X is backward compatible with all Xbox One controllers, an obvious comparison to the announcement from Sony that the DualShock 4 can only be used with the PS5 on PS4 titles. Sony wants its next-gen DualSense controller with its unique features to be the exclusive way to “feel” and play PS5 games. The Xbox and PS5 war continues on the controller compatibility front.
ICYMI: Xbox Series X is backwards compatible with ALL Xbox One controllers across ALL games
Official Xbox Controllers
Xbox Adaptive Controller
Xbox Elite Wireless Controllers
SCUF Controllers pic.twitter.com/f8URC3iJXr— Xbox UK (@xboxuk) August 3, 2020
This kind of social media sniping isn’t anything new or shocking. In fact, one might argue Sony did it first back in 2013 when Adam Boyes and Shuhei Yoshida took shots at the Xbox One with their “how to share a game on PS4” video. In an era of social media and community management where marketing messaging is instant, it’s expected that Xbox would shoot its shot here as a response to Sony’s announcement in order to be a part of the conversation. I mean, it got us to write an article about it on a PlayStation site, so it must be doing something right.
However it does perpetuate the silly idea of a console war when the two major hardware manufacturers–and whatever Nintendo is doing over there in the corner until it gets around to its next first-party title–won’t stop trying to point out its differences in black and white, marketable bullet-point ways. It’s both trying to constantly compete while having two completely difference strategies for next-gen: one focused on innovations with a generational hardware leap and the other centered on accessibility and opening up an ecosystem for as many people as possible.
