Tom Warren: I've heard from insiders that [Microsoft's own handheld] it's essentially canceled as the company focuses on Xbox's new software platform

You should have seen the original title, lol
I can only imagine with all the posts I am seeing like
Yes I knew it. Yes I have been telling everyone this! I knew it!

This has kinda been an incredible day.

Alters, Stellar Blade PC, Silent Hill 1. Now Xbox finally.

It's been a good day.
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They can't compete against Sony and Switch 2 handhelds. Not when their hardware were so badly designed compared to Sony's since PS4.

They seem to miss the design sweatspot all the time since XB1. Basically without Cerny, they have no clues about how to make the best gaming hardware.
 
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It's a good idea. An open platform that any OEM can make gives consumers way more options in performance, and all storefronts are available.

It really just comes down to a question of.. can Xbox tame Windows and make it feel more like a console interface.

lots of options, lots of performance profiles, different price points, and way more games than other consoles. Probably the best move Xbox can make.. if you can't win the game, then play a different game.
 
As a PC Gamer I hate all of this because what this really implies is a push for more Windows Store games.

They want PC Gamers to use this new game mode of Windows to be driven to their Windows Store branded as Xbox.

It will support Steam and all that but it's unlikely the integration will equal that of buying from MS's store.

I guarantee you internal meeting are about taking over PC Gaming while avoiding the ire of regulators.
 
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Its shelved for sure and I am 99% on board we get a home console from Xbox next gen along with vendors like Asus

This article is nothing and literally what we have been saying here for over a year if not two

Well.....not exactly. Warren is saying the Xbox handheld is cancelled. Not going to happen. That's a bit more than "shelved", you shitposter. :messenger_winking:
 
Until Microsoft is ready with emulation, it's filling the gaps with Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming instead. Microsoft's Xbox app on PC will simply show your recently played games, and then you can just play them
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The acquisition cheerleaders if anything underplayed how dire the situation was for MS and how dominant Sony is. Anyone claiming MS was going to be an unstoppable monopoly are the ones with a stream of crows so far down their throat it's coming out their ass at this point. MS abandoned consoles in less than a year and couldn't even survive long enough to implement anything they purchased in a way to affect their console business.

That's some mental

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That's some mental

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Claim #1 From Xbox acquisition supporters: MS is 3rd place, they can't compete with a dominant Sony console. This acquisition will not lead to a monopoly or threaten PS. Call of Duty will never be exclusive.
Claim #2 From Xbox acquisition opponents: MS is going to swallow the entire industry and if they are able to buy Activision, they will put Sony out of business. Consumers will be left with only Xbox as an option and then they can price gouge everyone. Nintendo doesn't count as a console or competitor and their marketshare doesn't mean anything in this conversation. MS will make Call of Duty exclusive, and everything exclusive to crush PS.

Sure seems like claim #2 is very plainly steaming bullshit. "Gymnastics." Good comeback.
 
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Knew this was coming, but this isnt as devastating as Sega exiting the market.
I mean for me it's worse, Sega was like « welp, it doesn't work, my bad, we're going full 3rd party now », which is as honourable as it gets.

But Microsoft going « it's only 4 games », « everything is an xbox », « you don't even need a console to play xbox » and now a PC with an Xbox sticker on it, starts to get sad.
 
Redswirl and Josephfantazy in shambles right now FRFR TBH AFAIK

That's some mental

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Guess PunishedMiku didn't read the leaked emails and internal memos. Because from those, we know at least early on, MS's intent in buying Zenimax & even ABK was foreclosure on PlayStation of critical big 3P games.

They only pivoted from that once Satya & Smith (and other non-Xbox folks at MS) saw that ABK price tag and said "Now wait a damn minute, Phil!"

Its shelved for sure and I am 99% on board we get a home console from Xbox next gen along with vendors like Asus

This article is nothing and literally what we have been saying here for over a year if not two

It's not going to be a traditional console tho, that's for sure. Makes zero business sense anymore for Microsoft.

It'll be a "console", as in a PC with a SFF/NUC console-style form factor, running a custom version of Windows with a more streamlined version of what's coming in the ROG Xbox Ally, and probably using some mix of emulation/translation layer/recompile for extensive Xbox BC support.

And it's probably gonna cost $150 - $200 more than a PS6 for PS6-equivalent performance. But at least it'll be upgradable, unlike a PS6.
 
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I mean we all basically called this.

Microsoft is leveraging brand visibility and ID to create licensed Steambox-type devices that are just a nice revenue bonus and facilitate the maintenance of Gamepass while they transform the brand into a publishing arm that will eventually abandon Xbox as a platform entirely.

What we'll be left with is Microsoft game publishing under the Xbox name.
 
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Redswirl and Josephfantazy in shambles right now FRFR TBH AFAIK



Guess PunishedMiku didn't read the leaked emails and internal memos. Because from those, we know at least early on, MS's intent in buying Zenimax & even ABK was foreclosure on PlayStation of critical big 3P games.

They only pivoted from that once Satya & Smith (and other non-Xbox folks at MS) saw that ABK price tag and said "Now wait a damn minute, Phil!"
I'm sure they discussed it, but that was never their plan. Call of Duty was never going to be pulled from PS even with zero contract. Not a chance in hell.

Surely you can admit that nothing I said in my post can be categorized as "eating crow." Literally everything I said in the acquisition thread was not only true, it was underselling how weak MS was compared to Sony. My position was actually more right than I was even arguing.
 
Claim #1 From Xbox acquisition supporters: MS is 3rd place, they can't compete with a dominant Sony console. This acquisition will not lead to a monopoly or threaten PS. Call of Duty will never be exclusive.
Claim #2 From Xbox acquisition opponents: MS is going to swallow the entire industry and if they are able to buy Activision, they will put Sony out of business. Consumers will be left with only Xbox as an option and then they can price gouge everyone. Nintendo doesn't count as a console or competitor and their marketshare doesn't mean anything in this conversation. MS will make Call of Duty exclusive, and everything exclusive to crush PS.

Sure seems like claim #2 is very plainly steaming bullshit. "Gymnastics." Good comeback.
K
 
I remember being a bit sad in 2023 over the constant rumors and stuff about a Xbox handheld console in development at Microsoft while there was no smoke on the Sony side outside of the PlayStation Portal. And now this happened while we're getting the PlayStation 6 Portable in 2 years.
Funniest. Timeline. Ever.
 
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Redswirl and Josephfantazy in shambles right now FRFR TBH AFAIK



Guess PunishedMiku didn't read the leaked emails and internal memos. Because from those, we know at least early on, MS's intent in buying Zenimax & even ABK was foreclosure on PlayStation of critical big 3P games.

My favorite part was when Matt Booty said MS should spend Sony out of the business. Fun times that thread.
 
So....that was exciting.

I do want to point out that PC and console audiences are not apples to apples. What sells amazingly well on one may flop on the other. What flies on one may not fly on the other. MS should be aware of this going forward. Living in denial of this basic truth could cost them bigtime. The audience will never be unified because it is not the same audience.
 
They're constantly reshaping their strategy only to lose again.
The funny thing is that they have two great things they can do....and there are some signs they're doing that.

1. Go completely 3rd party and embrace it. Call the publisher Xbox Publishing and eliminate any and all hardware.
2. Make a completely game focused version of windows. no bloat. No ads. No telemetry. I'd even pay a subscription for it. They could offer a tier that has gamepass added in. That MIGHT move the needle.
 
I would hate to be a primary Xbox gamer at this point. That digital library is cooked and is on an inevitable crash course.

Once Xbox stops making official hardware (due to dead sales) what happens to all of those digital libraries...where do they go for console only gamers?
 
My favorite part was when Matt Booty said MS should spend Sony out of the business. Fun times that thread.
They literally said on day 1 of the announcement they're treating Call of Duty like Minecraft and it will be everywhere. We had the braintrust club here acting like Sony was going to go out of business even after the 10 year exclusivity contract and all Activision games contract were in place because of Jim Ryan. Still the claim was what I listed. And man were they wrong.

I have no response because you are spouting rubbish that's not in line with the thousands of posts in the ABK thread (y) Not worth my time to pick apart fantasy.
You don't have to pick apart anything or quote mine. Just try responding with anything of substance. You can just reference it from memory.
 
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I've repeated many times that I can't see a situation where an XBOX Handheld with its own OS, separate from Windows, would make sense. In fact, from a user perspective, it would be a clear red flag.

1. Third-party support is essential, and this support will always depend on sales success.

Developers don't want to see more devices that require genuine development.

2. A Windows-based Handheld is a much more secure product, with a better future prospect, knowing it won't become a paperweight because third-party support is guaranteed.

3. For MS The ROG XBOX Ally option is far more beneficial, offering an OS that offers the simplicity of a console experience. And in the process, you save on R&D investment, and the user gains a variety of options and devices with different power and security features thanks to third-party support.
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Then, regarding the thread in question... Well, it's nothing more than what had been rumored, and I don't understand the reaction of the usual suspects, even uncorking champagne without blushing 😅😅😅

- If MS wants a more open platform and compatibility with different stores.
That goal can only be achieved through Windows.

- MS is going to create its own hardware/console. I suppose the idea will be for it to serve as a base hardware and optimization guide for third-party PC games. Will OEMs accompany that Xbox hardware? It's something I want to see how they resolve if so.

- BC emulation. That's the differentiating point if they want to keep their current console users in their ecosystem. If that engineering team manages to make it possible for you to play a large number of your games from past console generations, they'll have won that battle.

PS. A hardware that allows you to:

- An OS like the XBOX console
- Closed and well-designed hardware vs. PC

- Access to the BC catalog

- Third-party support guaranteed by being based on Windows and also open to other stores. The broadest catalog possible.

I don't think the general user (especially the Xbox user) would prefer spend time in the discussion of "is it a console or not?" and decide buy or not in base of this question🤣😂
 
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That's not what a console is lol

I mean TBF to him, the concept of "virtual consoles" does exist; you can look up some cool stuff like Vircon32 if you want an idea of how those work (tho that one I believe also has a physical version).

However to be realistic, what MS have currently with the UI thing is not a virtual console. It's a launcher hub with some UI influence from the Xbox interface. To me a "virtual console" would also imply it also emulates an entire system architecture for purposes of compatibility, and that devs could program software for that virtual console, the same way they can for actual, physical consoles.

Again, that's what things like Vircon32 achieve, though they're way weaker/simpler than modern systems (intentionally).
 
I would hate to be a primary Xbox gamer at this point. That digital library is cooked and is on an inevitable crash course.

Once Xbox stops making official hardware (due to dead sales) what happens to all of those digital libraries...where do they go for console only gamers?
Maybe they are working on solution to transfer your xbox game library's to PC....we will see.
 
They literally said on day 1 of the announcement they're treating Call of Duty like Minecraft and it will be everywhere. We had the braintrust club here acting like Sony was going to go out of business even after the 10 year exclusivity contract and all Activision games contract were in place because of Jim Ryan. Still the claim was what I listed. And man were they wrong.

And then there was evidence that was leaked that showed what they said publicly didn't match what was said privately. I don't accept your "claims" of the arguments, but I'm not going down that rabbit hole. You can believe whatever you choose to believe my man.

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