Does MLB The Show going multi-platform factor into your console choice next generation, or was baseball not the reason you pick one console over the other?
Phil Varckette: Absolutely for me. The only reason I even have a PS4 is because of MLB The Show. Assuming this expansion will happen in 2021 on the new consoles, I will now only be purchasing a Project Scarlett, or whatever they decide to call it. This will end up saving me a lot of money. So it’s a pretty easy decision for me. I know most people consider the PS4 the better system because of the exclusives, but for me, I don’t play any of them. If I’m not playing a sports game, it’s almost always a multi-platform game. Plus I just prefer the Xbox. I enjoy Game Pass, but this is for a whole other discussion. So yeah, in the end, it works out perfectly for me. I get to stay on Xbox as my primary system, save what will probably be $500 on the PS5, and still get to play The Show. Could not have worked out better.
Kevin Scott: This very well could influence my decision when it comes to what next-gen console I end up buying. It was certainly a factor in me getting a PS4 instead of an Xbox One as there was no way I could possibly think of owning a system without being able to play the best baseball game on the market. But I do like Sony more at this point after experiencing one too many “red rings of death” on my Xbox 360 (for the record, one “red ring of death” is one too many, but I had to send my system back to Microsoft at least three times). Either way, if The Show ends up the Switch as well, I might just have to pick up two copies of it, as I have done in the past with NBA 2K, so I can play it on the go as well as at home.
Josh Houtz: For me, MLB The Show was not the only reason I had a PS4. However, it was definitely an added bonus and something I could look forward to every year. Currently, I have a PS4, Xbox One and Switch, so it will be nice to have the chance to play the premier baseball video game on the console of my choice. And as Kevin suggested, I may need to pick it up on multiple systems. The good news is now sports gamers won’t be forced to buy a PlayStation if they want to enjoy an authentic MLB game. We might never know the specifics as to why the change is happening, but in the long run everyone wins. I will most likely buy a PS5 and pass on Project Scarlett, but that could very well change as we inch closer to the release. Thankfully, for everyone, MLB The Show won’t be the deciding factor in which system we ultimately purchase.
Elliott Jenkins: I am absolutely thrilled by the news, but it comes with some specific reservations. Platform exclusivity and exclusive publishing rights are two of the biggest plagues in the industry, and I yearn for the day that they are gone forever. However, given the recent criticisms of The Show, such as the focus on Diamond Dynasty versus evolving its single-player modes and the hitting gameplay needing significant tweaks, I am a bit fearful as to how this could impact the evolution of the game. I have purchased The Show annually for a decade, and it was the driving force behind me purchasing a PS4 over the Xbox One. I am very happy to see it come to a larger audience, sell even more copies, and see its resources boosted for future titles.
That being said, barring a FIFA-level departure in performance, I will happily jump ship to Nintendo Switch so I can play in both docked and handheld states, even if it means knowingly sacrificing better graphics and performance. As long as the game does not turn into the disaster that is the annual FIFA Switch paint job and roster update, I will be red-hot on the Switch version.
Jeff Botkin: In the past, I was strictly an Xbox guy. However, when I was first introduced to MLB The Show, I quickly dipped from the MLB 2K series and made the decision to dive into MLB The Show. The Show was the sole reason I purchased a PlayStation console. Ever since then, PS4 has delivered on every promise I’ve asked for from a console. So would this change make me consider future Microsoft products/consoles? Possibly. Now that MLB The Show will be available on multiple consoles, I may end up taking advantage of what the Xbox has to offer down the line. However, I have naturally developed a loyalty to the PS4. As of now, I’m leaning into the PS5 as my future console of choice. Depending on any future news, there is always a chance that I could instead make the switch back to Xbox. But for now, PlayStation is where my home is.
Joel Smith: My console purchase decision(s) since PS3 have always been based on who I game with — the majority of my gaming friends by a large margin have always been on the PlayStation side. That being said, the current generation has seen me own both consoles (PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X) solely because the Xbox One X is a 4K system in comparison to Sony’s upscaling PS4 Pro. With MLB The Show now being available across multiple consoles, that is definitely a welcoming feeling for Xbox fans who have been without a true baseball sim since MLB 2K8.
With that being said, for me, nothing changes. Next gen I’ll be buying both the PS5 and the Project Scarlett systems. The Show being available across platforms won’t be the reason why, but AAA sports games that I play exclusively locally or really focus on career/franchise modes will be purchased for the system that has the better performance and graphics.
Kevin Groves: I picked up the PS4 because of PES and the Sony exclusives being more to my tastes, even though I already had an Xbox One on day one. Over the course of the past couple years, I have found myself only firing up my PS4 because my gaming time became more offline-based due to my time being condensed as we grew our family. I’m not a huge baseball fan, but I love career modes so I purchased The Show a couple times just to play through it. Regardless, I agree with Joel in that I am very invested in how good the graphics look. I need the latest and greatest when it comes to my consoles, so whichever next-gen console can offer me the prettiest picture, that will be the one I scoop up.
