When I was growing up, the division between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC felt immense. Each console had an array of exclusives that made owners of the opposite console envious. PC players had access to thousands of indie games that never made it to the consoles but had to wait months for ports of Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. Worst of all, if you owned an Xbox and your friend had a PC or PlayStation, you couldn’t even play the same game together. I remember lamenting to my friends at the time about how I wished we could all play together.

Breaking Down Platform Barriers

That wish became a reality. Over the last decade, online cross-play has become the standard. Nearly every modern release with online multiplayer ships with cross-play functionality. If you and your friends want to play the same game, it really doesn’t matter which platform you use. In my opinion, this was one of the best things to happen to the industry. You no longer need to coordinate with your buddies over which console to buy, and for kids at the whim of their parents’ purchase, receiving the “wrong” platform is no longer a social death sentence.

This cross-pollinating trend has only continued in recent years. While exclusive titles still exist, they are becoming increasingly rare. Forza Horizon 5 was ported to PlayStation earlier this year, and it quickly became the best-selling PlayStation game of 2025. Last year, Xbox received a port of the PlayStation exclusive Death Stranding. And just last week, PlayStation and Xbox received ports of the viral first-person shooter Ready or Not, which has already sold 1 million units on console.

Above all, rumors are swirling that the holy grail of console exclusives, Halo, will be coming to PlayStation. There was a time when Halo was one of the primary reasons to purchase an Xbox over a PlayStation. If the rumors are true, the release of Halo on PlayStation will signal a turning point in the “console wars.”

The Island of Nintendo

To this point, I have not mentioned Nintendo, which has arguably the most recognizable exclusives of all time. Nintendo will always be Nintendo, pioneering its own path in the gaming industry. If you want to play a Mario game, you will need to purchase Nintendo hardware. I believe this will always be the case. However, Nintendo doesn’t occupy the same space as PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. No one buys a Nintendo to play first-person shooters, racing sims, or RPGs outside of Zelda. Nintendo occupies its own world, and its product sales are not mutually exclusive with other consoles. If you buy a PlayStation, you’re probably not purchasing an Xbox as well. However, you may still want a Switch 2 to play the newest crop of Nintendo titles.

What Console Ports Say About the Future

Consoles are increasingly becoming “lite” versions of PCs. Now that you can play 99% of modern releases on PC, Xbox, or PlayStation, the main calculus behind which platform to purchase is largely financial. Consoles are essentially cheaper, user-friendly versions of PCs that promise a 7–8-year lifespan with little maintenance required. Hell, these days you can even hook up a mouse and keyboard to your console.

Ultimately, the increasing uniformity among major platforms is a good thing. Gone are the days when playing with your newfound friend was out of the picture because they owned a different console. Access to games is a good thing. Not only can developers reach a wider audience, but gamers also aren’t prohibited from playing AAA titles simply because of a lucrative licensing deal.

I’m curious to see how Microsoft and Sony respond to these changes. If platform exclusives no longer exist, how can they work to make their console more appealing than the alternative? Obviously, there is price. But manufacturers can only go so low before the console becomes unprofitable. The optimist in me hopes that new, innovative features will be included in the next generation of consoles to attract consumers. The only upside to a multi-platform market is competition. If Xbox and PlayStation were to merge and release an “X-Station,” I fear the lack of competition would hurt the consumer. I hope that there is continued innovation in the industry while retaining the user-friendly environment that is currently developing. Regardless of what the future holds, one thing will always remain true – PC players will need to wait to play the newest installment of Grand Theft Auto.