PlayStation 4
Determining what 2019 looks like for the PlayStation 4 is like throwing a dart at a dartboard blindfolded — it could go really well, or it could turn out to be quite lackluster.
When you look at what we actually know about 2019 for the PS4, there’s a dearth of knowledge. Sure, we know that Days Gone is coming, and we know that PS4 console-exclusives Spelunky 2 and Shenmue III have been announced to release next year, but beyond that, everything is up in the air.
The Last of Us: Part II? Nobody knows. Ghost of Tsushima? Nobody knows. Death Stranding? Nobody knows. See the trend?
There are some great games coming exclusively to the PS4 sometime in the future, but they could very well release in 2020 and beyond. Yes, there are some great third-party titles coming to PS4, but if they’re coming to the Xbox and/or Switch as well, they don’t really add too much in this conversation.
Beyond the games, there’s the looming question of just what exactly Sony is doing with this console next year. They passed on a 2018 PSX and announced that for the first time in over two decades they won’t be at E3. We don’t really know the “why” behind these decision either.
Perhaps they’re passing E3 to host a PS5 announcement conference. But then wouldn’t they want to show that console off at E3? Perhaps they’re planning to take complete control of their media coverage and hold their own megalithic E3-like conference featuring their own products exclusively.
Nobody truly knows so only time will tell, but right now, 2019 is a big question mark for Sony and their console.
Xbox One
Of the three major consoles, the Xbox One appears to be the most business-as-usual. We know they’ll be at E3 (where they might talk about their new consoles) and we know about their major exclusives for 2019. Gears of War 5, Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Crackdown 3 are very likely to all make 2019 barring an unforeseen setback.
The great Xbox/Microsoft service infrastructure is likely to continue to improve. Play Anywhere, Backwards Compatibility, and Xbox Game Pass, all will continue to grow in scope, and offer a unique and positive reason to own the platform.
Assuming none of these features disappear next year — and let’s be real, they won’t — 2019 will be a great year for Xbox One owners.
As always though, it comes down the games for the Xbox One. With the PS4 possibly on the path for a slower year in 2019, the Xbox One could finally have an opportunity to shine.
Nintendo Switch
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Yoshi’s Crafted World and shall we keep going? We will.
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, Daemon x Machina, Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order and a slew of Final Fantasy games.
As you can see, more than the other major consoles this generation, the Nintendo Switch is prime for a 2019 centered on exclusive games, and more than just a few of them too.
Sadly though, when you remove games from the conversation, the Switch has a lot of ground to make up. It’s online experience is a mess. Chatting with friends online is still terrible. We can only play NES games with their Netflix-like service. Where are the SNES games, Nintendo?!
It’s a significantly cheaper online service compared to its competitors, but boy does it show. There’s also some quality of life fixes that would be great, such as more home screen customization.
Those are correctable problems though, and it’s not a bad thing to have lot of room to improve if the core reason for owning a console, having access to great games, is settled.
Which Console Is Set to Have the Best 2019?
2019 could be a massive year for gaming. The PS5 could get announced. Sony could host their own E3-like conference and buck the trend of E3 completely (after all, they are skipping it this year). Xbox could detail its Scarlett streaming box on stage at E3 and maybe even announce the Xbox One successor.
Both Sony and Xbox have some great games down the pipeline, but sadly, the “when” is very ambiguous right now. Maybe The Last of Us: Part II, Ghost of Tsushima, Dreams and Death Stranding will all release next year. If they did, that would certainly change our feeling about the PS4 heading into 2019.
Maybe they won’t, though, leaving PS4 owners with a dearth of exclusives for the first time this generation.
Perhaps Xbox will release Halo Infinite, a new Fable, or showoff some IP from the studios it recently acquired (although 2019 seems to be a bit soon for that). Similar to Sony’s situation, if Microsoft did this, the conversation might be tipped in their favor.
All of this is speculation though and the console that requires no speculation to determine if its 2019 is going to be awesome is the Nintendo Switch.
Unlike Sony and Xbox, the Nintendo Switch has a lot of exclusives confirmed for 2019, both in the realm of first-party and third-party. Some of the best reasons to own a Nintendo Switch are releasing next year in the form of Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Mario and more.
Sure, if you’re not the biggest fan of Nintendo games, these offerings likely don’t excite you, but if that’s the case, then you probably don’t, and will not ever own a Switch. It is a Nintendo console after all and when buying a console, one of the most important things, if not the most important thing, to take into account is exclusives.
If you are a fan of Nintendo games, games with history that spans across years and years of multiple Nintendo devices, there’s no doubt the Nintendo Switch is poised for a big 2019.
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