PS5 and Xbox were left stuck in time by the COVID pandemic

COVID-19 and its effects must, surely, have left an indelible mark on this generation of consoles. But how? PlayStation 5 is selling in broadly similar numbers to PlayStation 4. The Xbox Series consoles are trailing Xbox One, but there’s a whole bunch of reasons for that. It’s hard to tell if the consoles were held back by the logistical challenges of the lockdowns, or supercharged by the gaming boom the pandemic inspired. Or neither. Or both, but the effects canceled each other out.