In the past few decades, gamers have witnessed incredible battles between some of the most well-known gaming consoles. The 90s saw Nintendo’s SNES take on the Sega Genesis. Later we saw the first Sony PlayStation take on both the Sega Saturn and Nintendo 64. Microsoft eventually entered the industry while Sega exited at the dawn of the new millennium. The Seattle-based software giant took on Sony’s PlayStation 2 with the first Xbox and later Sony’s PlayStation 3 with the Xbox 360. The current generation sees the Xbox One take on the PlayStation 4 but the question is… who will reign supreme?

This time around, both the Xbox One and PS4 launched a week apart and the difference boiled down to two things: price and hardware. The PS4 boasted more power than the Xbox One according to a report by Eurogamer. It also cost a $100 less at the time of launch.

Along with a few nice exclusives including: Knack, Resogun, Killzone: Shadowfall and quality third-party titles like FIFA 14, Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag and Need for Speed: Rivals it had a hugely successful launch. One was considered extremely lucky to even find a PS4, while the Xbox One was somewhat more readily available. Forbes magazine called Sony’s latest toy a ‘rare beast’.

As we entered 2014, we saw two blockbuster exclusives from both Sony and Microsoft. Sony’s long time developer Naughty Dog released ‘inFamous: Second Son’ and Microsoft launched their highly-acclaimed futuristic shooter ‘Titanfall’ developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. EA, according to Gamespot, will release ‘Titanfall 2’ on the PS4 as well costing Microsoft a potential best-selling ‘exclusive’ franchise.

Microsoft recently put out an Xbox One SKU without the Kinect add-on at the same price as the PS4. Though, this move may be a little late considering the PS4 has already proven its value for money over its Xbox rival.

We’ll get a much clearer picture this fall when new AAA titles launch on both systems and we get a better idea of how this will drive sales. We cannot overlook the ‘Black Friday’ sales when both companies will try to lure consumers with eye-catching deals like the ‘super-slim’ PS3 bundle for only $200 back in 2012.

At the end of the day, it boils down to one simple rule of thumb in this cut-throat industry: the games make the console. Top-notch exclusives and excellent third-party titles on both consoles will secure survival in this war. Destiny, FIFA 15, Assassins Creed Unity, Driveclub (PS4 exclusive), Quantum Break (XOne exclusive), Sunset Overdrive (XOne exclusive), The Crew, The Order: 1866 (PS4 exclusive) and Call of Duty Advanced Warfare are just some of the hotly-anticipated titles releasing in the fall.

Will Sony be able to maintain their momentum as the PS4 completes its first year in the market or will the Xbox One steal its thunder? We’ll just have to wait and see…