Winners and Losers: Starfield delights Xbox gamers while PS5 owners suffer a rare loss

OPINION: It has been another busy week in the world of tech with Nothing unveiling the look of its first Nothing Phone (1). But for us here at Trusted Reviews it was the fresh wave of Xbox and PS5 announcements that stole the show and marked an interesting shift in the next generation console war.

So much so, that for the first time in a long time, our team of avid gamers pegged Microsoft as the top dog in this week’s installment of winners and losers and PS5 gamers suffering a rare loss. Here’s why.

Winner: Xbox gamers

This week Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S fans were treated to a wealth of treats. The biggest was the official unveiling of Starfield.

Specifically, we saw Bethesda finally show actual gameplay of Starfield and confirm it will release in 2023. This is a big deal as the game has been generating loads of hype since it was first unveiled and teased by Bethesda at E3 many years ago.

Made by the same people behind some of the best RPGs we’ve ever reviewed, including Fallout and Skyrim, the game oozes promise and from what we’ve seen it could be one of next year’s best games. The gameplay on show looks like Skyrim in space. To non-gamers that means it’s a giant role playing game where you can fly spaceships, visit planets in a breath-taking open universe.

We don’t know much about the story, but the game looks epic in scope with Bethesda showing off detailed character customisation mechanics as well as fun combat and spaceship piloting gameplay. If that wasn’t enough to tempt you, it also revealed that there are more than 1000 planets to visit in over 100 solar systems. If true, Starfield could make Elden Ring look short.

Loser: PS5 gamers

The only downside we saw during the Starfield demo is that, following Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda, the game will be a PC and Xbox exclusive. If you have a PS5 then you’re out of luck as Starfield won’t be launching on the platform.

Adding to the woes of PS5 gamers, the platform also lost a few other popular games. The biggest of these was Atlus’ beloved JRPG Persona 5, which was officially removed from the PlayStation Plus Collection.

This is a rare occurrence in the ongoing console wars, with Sony’s PlayStation platform traditionally outright dominating Xbox for game exclusives and original IP. This was a key reason we recommended the PS4 over the Xbox One back in the day. Exclusives included God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn and The Last of Us, which to this day are among the highest scoring games we’ve ever reviewed.

Given that Microsoft still has plenty more up its sleeve with other Bethesda properties, not to mention everything it swallowed up when it bought Activision, there could be more envious moments to come for Sony’s playerbase.