Have the PS3 and Xbox 360 Lost Their Thunder?

In the year since Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One launched, things have become rather difficult for the old warhorses the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. For years, the biggest AAA titles would release on both systems not to mention, Rockstar Games’ ‘Grand Theft Auto V’.

When ‘GTA V’ released and became an overnight success, it seemed as though PS3 and Xbox 360 owners had little to fear from the PS4 and Xbox One. None of the current generation consoles could boast a title, exclusive or third-party, that would be considered as successful as the bestselling open-world action game. If all the features aside from the graphics would be same on all platforms, then why would a customer think about spending $400 or $500 at launch?

In order to push current generation platforms, their predecessors may have to be treated by game developers as neglected children. Let’s take the case of one launch title ‘FIFA 14’ shall we? The PS4 and Xbox One benefited from a brand new ‘Ignite’ engine while the PS3 and Xbox 360 seemed more like an annual update of ‘FIFA 13’. EA Sports could’ve added some features that made the last-gen versions different.

Similarly, ‘Watch Dogs’ on the PS3 and Xbox 360 misses out on current-gen exclusive features like the Decryption competitive multi-player mode and free roam with multiple other players online. Though the story is the same according to Ubiblog, it has fewer NPCs (non-playable characters). The features are considered a bonus which makes us wonder why this never made it onto last-gen machines. Could it be an incentive for buyers to invest in the latest gaming hardware? Well, OBVIOUSLY…

While ‘Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag’ was more or less the same on all platforms, Ubisoft kept its sequel ‘Assassins Creed Unity’ exclusive to the PS4 and Xbox One. The PS3 and Xbox 360 will see ‘Assassins Creed: Rogue’, which could possibly be their last title to release on these platforms from the hyper-successful franchise.

2K Sports have kept their MyCareer modes, improved gameplay, pacing and mechanics in ‘WWE 2K15’ – also exclusive to the PS4 and Xbox One. The PS3 and Xbox 360 version released-recently is not as polished or refined as the latest one which released earlier this month.

2015 may just be the last year for last-gen platforms as both Sony and Microsoft look to phase them out. With that being said, the PS3 and Xbox 360 do boast an awesome back catalog that will take years for their latest counterparts to match!