It’s been an extended yr stuffed with large video games, however we’ve lastly reached the tip of 2023. There’s no query that this yr shall be remembered as one of many all-time greatest for brand spanking new releases — and one of many worst for recreation creators — however it’s been a whirlwind 12 months for the “big three” console makers. PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo all had pivotal years, although in completely alternative ways. While the Nintendo Switch took a victory lap, the PS5 entered an experimental period. The Xbox Series X, alternatively, lastly delivered the suite of exclusives followers had been ready for … with combined outcomes.
To replicate on such an eventful yr, we’ve determined to tackle the function of instructor and hand every firm a closing grade for 2023. We took a number of elements into consideration right here. Exclusive video games are a serious element of the ultimate grade, naturally, however we additionally checked out how nicely every system maintained its wider ecosystem. That contains supporting companies like PS Plus and Game Pass and evaluating how new {hardware} modified how we play.
Put your pencils down; it’s time for the ultimate examination.
PlayStation
Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends
It’s no stretch to say that the PS5 has been the highest canine of this console era since 2020. Though Xbox Series X provided a robust worth with Xbox Game Pass (final yr’s lineup of additives was notably extraordinary), Sony has constantly delivered the extra conventional residence console expertise with professional precision. Every yr introduced a number of blockbuster exclusives that made the console a must-own. Sony continued that this yr, however its momentum began to gradual. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy XVI gave PS5 two large exclusives, however there weren’t too many extra top-tier exclusives exterior of that energy duo (Forspoken would have been the third, however it launched to an unkind reception).
There’s a purpose for that: 2023 was a little bit of an experimental yr for Sony. The firm started to widen the scope of its imaginative and prescient, with a a lot bigger concentrate on {hardware} and ecosystem. That began with the PlayStation VR2, a promising headset that will ship a robust sufficient launch title in Horizon: Call of the Mountain and the wonderful Humanity shortly thereafter. First-party help for the headset has been nonexistent since then, making it appear like an expensive paperweight subsequent to the Meta Quest 3 and its crown jewel, Asgard’s Wrath 2.
Other {hardware} releases had been equally disappointing. The streaming-only PlayStation Portal is a serviceable cloud handheld, however one which didn’t ship key options like Bluetooth help. A mid-generation PS5 “slim” refresh was a welcome change, however its lack of a worth lower made it onerous to justify an improve. The solely space the place Sony scored main factors was in its PS5 Access Controller, a really progressive piece of tech that permits extra gamers than ever to expertise Sony video games.
Sony’s revamped PS Plus service didn’t assist bridge the gaps in its schedule both. A scarcity of retro releases — one of many service’s main promoting factors — and a worth improve would scale back the Game Pass competitor’s worth. All of that left us with a combined yr that set the stage for a worrisome 2024. Will Sony’s reside service and cellular push repay? Can indies like Pacific Drive make up for the truth that there are few tentpole exclusives on the horizon? That’s a query for subsequent December, however not less than 2023 left us with sufficient highs to counterbalance the PS5’s first underwhelming yr.
Grade: C+
Xbox
Microsoft
Microsoft had so much to show heading into 2023. The Xbox Series X had but to ship a really generation-defining unique to make it a must-own system just like the PS5. Especially coming off an empty 2022, Xbox wanted massive video games. It delivered that, although in scattershot trend. The long-anticipated Starfield would lastly launch in September, giving Xbox house owners the massive recreation they’d been ready for. The solely drawback? It wasn’t all it was hyped as much as be. Overly bold advertising and marketing would go away Bethesda’s sci-fi epic feeling like a second-tier launch; it wouldn’t win a single award at this yr’s Game Awards. Even worse, Bethesda’s Redfall would land as a fair greater disappointment.
Thankfully, Microsoft confirmed the facility of diversification this yr. While Sony centered on one main first-party unique, Xbox had a number of beneath its belt. Hi-Fi Rush would begin the yr as a left-field recreation of the yr contender, whereas Forza Motorsport would give the Series X a robust, long-tailed service recreation. Minecraft Legends, alternatively, would supply area of interest technique enjoyable for teenagers. That line-up was beefed up by a robust slate of console-exclusive indies and main Game Pass grabs, like Lies of P and Cocoon. It was yet one more yr that confirmed the facility of Xbox’s ecosystem-driven technique, although Game Pass did appear to ship fewer watercooler zeitgeist moments total.
While Series X delivered sufficient video games, it was a quiet yr for Xbox in any other case. Microsoft’s solely {hardware} launch can be an under-the-radar Series S improve, and Game Pass would quietly roll out to a couple area of interest platforms. The largest Microsoft improvement of 2023 would come from its closing acquisition of Activision Blizzard, however that wouldn’t lead to any video games. It was enterprise as regular in 2023, although that’s maybe what Microsoft wanted after a rocky begin to its newest era.
We’re hoping to see some extra bold strikes in 2024. Big-name exclusives like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 and Avowed must push Xbox’s momentum with extra consistency. We’re additionally hoping that a few of Xbox’s upcoming {hardware} plans could make the console thrilling once more. Documents leaked throughout its FTC battle over Activision Blizzard revealed a refreshed Series X and controller on the best way. Both are the sort of thrilling mid-generation shake-ups Microsoft must maintain its model on high in 2024.
Grade: B-
Nintendo
Nintendo
Usually, after we’re in a console’s closing years, expectations are low. You may need assumed that the majority of Nintendo’s first-party studios would have moved on to growing video games for the rumored Switch 2, leaving third events to fill the yr. That was removed from the case; 2023 may need been the Switch’s greatest yr ever. That was, in fact, because of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, two must-own titles, however Nintendo didn’t cease there. Pikmin 4 and Fire Emblem Engage gave the console two extra nice technique video games, whereas shock double dips like Super Mario RPG and Metroid Prime Remastered gave gamers lots to play by means of the yr.
And that’s simply the tip of the iceberg. Bayonetta Origins, Advance Wars 1+2 Re-boot Camp, WarioWare Move It!, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, F-Zero 99, Xenoblade Chronicles 3‘s Future Redeemed DLC … I could keep going. While you could count PS5 and Xbox’s headlining exclusives on one hand, Nintendo delivered extra in a single yr than most put out in three. It was a agency reminder of why Nintendo remains to be in a position to compete regardless of delivering underpowered {hardware} and dated on-line choices: It has the video games.
While that was greater than sufficient to make Nintendo the writer of the yr, I’m left with one nitpick: Nintendo Switch Online. The service has change into an more and more vital piece of the Switch’s total worth, delivering a catalog of basic Nintendo video games from the NES by means of the Nintendo 64. Nintendo upped the ante this yr by including Game Boy and Game Boy Advance video games to the service, however help for these additions dried up instantly. We solely obtained a small handful of video games from every this yr and it was the same dry spell for the opposite included programs. Instead, Nintendo appeared extra eager to resell outdated video games like Pikmin — one thing that’ll proceed subsequent yr with a number of deliberate HD re-releases. It was a type of moments that jogged my memory of how usually Nintendo struggles to modernize, botching what ought to be gaming’s greatest retro recreation service.
That’s a small gripe within the grand scheme of Nintendo’s robust 2023. While it didn’t ship something in the best way of recent {hardware} or accent innovation, we obtained one heck of a send-off for the Nintendo Switch, as its successor could also be proper across the nook in 2024. You couldn’t ask for far more this late in a console’s lifespan.
Grade: A
Editors’ Recommendations