Is there a PS4 exclusive jinx? Uncharted 4 is latest setback

Uncharted 4 has been delayed until next year. In an official PlayStation blog post the directors of the game have said the release date has been moved back to Spring 2016. That’s no bad thing in our book, we’d rather the developers spend as much time as they need to craft another excellent installment. However, for the PlayStation 4 itself it’s another black mark on rundown of exclusive titles to date.

The PS4 had a great start, it was in the lead before it had even launched. It has more powerful hardware than the Xbox One and Sony didn’t make any marketing blunders, such the One’s DRM reversal or bundled Kinect controller. With stronger sales to date the console has proved a hit, but Sony’s own titles have consistently fallen short of the mark.

No one expects that much of review titles, and though Killzone Shadow Fall was a pretty shooter with some decent class-based multiplayer, it certainly hasn’t proved a system seller. Next up was the very capable, but distinctly last-gen feeling Infamous: Second Son. DriveClub was next up and here’s where expectations started to rise, and simply weren’t met, the game shipped without all its features and the much-touted free PS+ version of the game is still nowhere to be seen. More recently we’ve had the much-hyped The Order: 1886, which was delayed from Christmas 2014. having finally surfaced, it has proven to be stunningly good-looking, but a little vacant to boot, and was widely criticised for its short length.

And now we have the console’s biggest winter exclusive, Uncharted 4, getting delayed until next year. It leaves a massive hole in this year’s Christmas release schedule, far bigger than The Order did last year. The PS4 is now having its third Christmas at retail and it’s really not too much to expect a proper AAA-title, garnering rave reviews, to sit alongside it.

Now, the Xbox One hasn’t had it all its own way, But to date its exclusive lineup has consistently outgunned Sony’s. Titanfall, Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon 2 have all been solid. Excluding smaller, download-only titles and remastered games, such as The Last of Us and Halo: Master Chief Collection, the highest rated PS4 exclusive is still Infamous: Second Son in 67th place with a score of 80. That game is outranked by all three of the Xbox exclusives listed above.

There’s good news on the horizon for PS4, in the form of Bloodborne, a gothic action-RPG. However, if Microsoft can launch a truly barn-storming Halo 5 this Christmas, then it’s hard to see what Sony can counter with. Sony has better hope that those third-party hits keep rolling in, or else PS4 owners might feel a little lonely this Christmas.

If you want to read more about how the two consoles square up, then check out our Xbox One vs PS4 head-to-head.