Clash of consoles: New PlayStation and Xbox enter $150 billion games arena

TOKYO/CHICAGO/STOCKHOLM: Think Michelangelo vs Da Vinci. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Batman v Superman. Another epic rivalry is rejoined next week when Sony and Microsoft go head-to-head with the next generation of their blockbuster video-game consoles.

Sony, whose PlayStation 5 (PS5) takes on Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S, is widely viewed as being in pole position to capitalise on a pandemic-driven boom in consumer spending that has buoyed the $150 billion video game industry.

The Japanese company’s deep bench of games and broader fan base – it has sold over 100 million PS4s, winning the battle of the previous generation – should see it retain its edge over it American archrival, according to industry experts.