2024 gaming report card: how did PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo fare?

digitaltrends.com:

After a long and busy 12 months, 2024 is officially in the books. Players have a few weeks to rest before the video game release calendar picks up in February with a barrage of major releases. That’s a problem for next month, though. Until then, we’ve still got some time to reflect on what was a rollercoaster year for the gaming industry, full of surprise hits, total flops, and surprising no shows.

At the center of all that was the three pillars of mainstream gaming: Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. While their power may be waning in the age of portable PCs like the Steam Deck, these platform holders are still the watercooler conversation starters whose every move generates buzz. This year, all three companies found themselves in a strange spot. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X hit the awkward midpoint of their lifespans, while the Nintendo Switch was left to tread water after its much anticipated successor was pushed out of 2024. All three would have to get creative if they were going to end the year strong.

The good news is that all three pulled that task off, even if no one excelled. Each company had an asterisk on its record that created an uneven year no matter which console you played on. Continuing last year’s tradition, we’re once again closing out the year by handing out final grades to Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. All three passed, but they’ll all need to study harder if they’re going to become A students in 2025.

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PlayStation

If I were a tough grader, I’d have good reason to flunk the PS5 this year. Sony’s year was full of flops and