PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium exists because of Xbox. Sony allowing crossplay exists because of Xbox. The best PS3 games, including the PSN games, exist because of Xbox. Trophies exist becauseof Xbox.
Competition is good.
Yeah, but that's when Xbox was actually trying. You notice that? Those days are long gone. Also some of those points are wrong. Sony wanted crossplay during PS3 gen but Microsoft were the ones who rejected it; from what I know they were "forced" to accept crossplay on PS4 because of MS doing some sneaky stuff behind-the-scenes, but I need to re-check info on that.
Those PS3 games, trophies...that was all during the 360 gen. Ages ago. And PS+, as it originally existed, arguably inspired Games with Gold, so don't think the influences only go one way.
Sony customer service has been terrible since the PS4 generation because they know that PlayStation loyalists might complain, but ultimately will just accept it.
Personal opinion, and too many variables to account for from customer to customer to claim it is systemic of a problem.
Additionally, Microsoft being in the same market allows for consumer choice. I have both a Series X and a PS5; I basically play all third-party games on my Series X, because I'm not a fan of the DualSense (the haptic rumble can be cool, but it doesn't override the sheer comfort of holding a Series controller, and I hate adaptive triggers). But even then, if a third-party game comes out and, for whatever reason, is clearly superior on PlayStation, then I have the choice to purchase that game for that console instead.
Good for you. But for a lot of other people, the multiplat results consistently pulling out ahead for PS5 means they don't need to entertain a Series X for the chance a 3P game runs better there; statistically speaking they have a high chance it'll run better on PS5 and if that system provides other benefits Series X does not, they save themselves $500 by just getting the PS5.
You also have to understand the amount of people who prefer 3P games on Series X because of the controller is very small, and we can extrapolate that to the wider market data by looking at sales trends.
To argue that Microsoft should just go third-party is just, as I mentioned earlier, a result of you wanting to play certain Xbox exclusives while also having a misguided bias for Sony. You should instead encourage their competition and then, whether now or later, enjoy the exclusive benefits of both consoles.
I have encouraged how they should compete better. But it's clear that Microsoft don't seem to agree with those suggestions. Why haven't they done remakes for Gears 1 & 2 yet? What's taken them so long to make a proper new Banjo-Kazooie game? Why did they sit on Perfect Dark for almost 20 years? Why didn't they court more 3P AAA games for Day 1 into Game Pass in 2022? Why did it take them so long to finally get a 2nd manufacturer for expansion cards? Why couldn't their deal with Sega have netted a few exclusives to rekindle the OG Xbox relationship (like a new Gunvalkyrie or Outrun)? Why didn't they prioritize Series X over Series S stock through the back half of 2021 and through to Fall 2022, to capitalize on when PS5 supply was at its most constrained? Why didn't they ensure Crossfire X was at least decent? Why didn't they ensure games like Hellblade 2 and Avowed were ready for 2021/2022 releases?
Microsoft's new idea of "competition" is to buy up big 3P publishers. If that's what they want to keep doing, if that's what they really think is "competition", then honestly I don't think we need their competition in the market anymore. Again I'm not saying I'm at the point where I
want MS to go third-party; it's not even really about what I want, obviously. But again, with RedFall looking like it's going to come in mid, if Starfield similarly underperforms, what hope is there for the rest of their 1P output in terms of quality or support? Why would I want to see them flail and fail to compete with PlayStation for another 4-5 years, when at that point they would be much better off going "3P" (but keeping Xbox hardware around as Windows-powered mini P NUC gaming devices)?
If what's best for the brand and MS at that point would be to go "3P", then so be it. But again, I'm not "wanting" them to go that way. A lot of that does now hinge on how Starfield turns out, though, IMHO.
Wait, do you want MS to exist console business?
No, not necessarily. But if things continue at their current trajectory, and if Starfield underperforms (especially critically among gamers), then they will probably be better off not marketing Xbox as a games console, and changing that approach.
Marketing it as a gaming PC NUC device, but with an Xbox console-style UI, that can switch seamlessly between that and regular full Windows mode, and publishing their games in full on PS and Nintendo platforms...would be a much better use of resources than this uphill losing battle they've been waging with Sony for the better part of 20+ years. Plus it'd free them up to focus more on the mobile storefront, which is what they really want to grow, anyway, and that's where I expect their focus to shift anyway within the next 2 years.