Topher
Identifies as young
Microsoft has already opened one Pandora's (X)box, and now they've been teasing opening another: bringing Steam and Epic Game Store to its Xbox consoles.
Microsoft opened Pandora's (X)box earlier this year.
Following rumors and speculation, Microsoft revealed that it will bring Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Pentiment, and Hi-Fi Rush to PlayStation, ending decades of console gaming tradition. Microsoft's increased support of the PlayStation ecosystem will inject even more cash into the Microsoft Gaming operation, which leaped by 40% in revenue last quarter, thanks in part to the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard.
Microsoft has insisted that its initial experiment will only involve those four games, but given how high Grounded and Sea of Thieves have been riding on the PlayStation Store, it's fair to assume even more Xbox games will come to PlayStation in the future. Halo, Forza, Gears of War, Starfield — we have no real idea if anything is off the table, which begs the question — how will Xbox differentiate and drive interest in the next generation without the promise of exclusive games?
Microsoft has discussed internally with its teams that the next Xbox will represent the "biggest technological leap" in a generation so far. Xbox Game Pass also continues to be the best value subscription in all of gaming, which should eventually see games like Call of Duty itself enter the service. But perhaps Microsoft is banking on yet another unique "feature" to remain competitive next gen, too.
Xbox lead Phil Spencer hinted in a recent interview that it wants to see PC storefronts, like Epic Games, Steam, itch.io, and GOG.com, available on Xbox, too. This would be a huge departure from established console doctrine, which suggests that the closed ecosystem subsidizes comparatively cheaper hardware while remaining competitive with mid to high-end gaming PCs (although, obviously, nowhere near the super high-end). Opening up Xbox to competing stores potentially disrupts that model, too, which, by extension, could also disrupt today's Xbox console user.
Microsoft has a lot of questions to answer before it opens yet another Pandora's (X)box, and Xbox's paying customers deserve answers to these questions before any formal announcement is made, in my view.
As much shit as I like to give Jez Corden for being really insufferable at times, every now and then he puts away the Microsoft fanboy hat and asks some really good questions. Thought he did a pretty good job here.
Another question I have is whether or not Microsoft will be able to achieve anything that is being speculated about the future of Xbox. Phil Spencer and company keeps leaving hints like putting other stores on Xbox, what he wants in a handheld and such like that anything less than is going to be seen as a big disappointment to many. Phil and company have built up so much hype that Microsoft loyalists are scratching their heads trying to figure it all out. They better be prepared to amaze.
Microsoft opened Pandora's (X)box earlier this year.
Following rumors and speculation, Microsoft revealed that it will bring Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Pentiment, and Hi-Fi Rush to PlayStation, ending decades of console gaming tradition. Microsoft's increased support of the PlayStation ecosystem will inject even more cash into the Microsoft Gaming operation, which leaped by 40% in revenue last quarter, thanks in part to the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard.
Microsoft has insisted that its initial experiment will only involve those four games, but given how high Grounded and Sea of Thieves have been riding on the PlayStation Store, it's fair to assume even more Xbox games will come to PlayStation in the future. Halo, Forza, Gears of War, Starfield — we have no real idea if anything is off the table, which begs the question — how will Xbox differentiate and drive interest in the next generation without the promise of exclusive games?
Microsoft has discussed internally with its teams that the next Xbox will represent the "biggest technological leap" in a generation so far. Xbox Game Pass also continues to be the best value subscription in all of gaming, which should eventually see games like Call of Duty itself enter the service. But perhaps Microsoft is banking on yet another unique "feature" to remain competitive next gen, too.
Xbox lead Phil Spencer hinted in a recent interview that it wants to see PC storefronts, like Epic Games, Steam, itch.io, and GOG.com, available on Xbox, too. This would be a huge departure from established console doctrine, which suggests that the closed ecosystem subsidizes comparatively cheaper hardware while remaining competitive with mid to high-end gaming PCs (although, obviously, nowhere near the super high-end). Opening up Xbox to competing stores potentially disrupts that model, too, which, by extension, could also disrupt today's Xbox console user.
Microsoft has a lot of questions to answer before it opens yet another Pandora's (X)box, and Xbox's paying customers deserve answers to these questions before any formal announcement is made, in my view.
1. Will we still have to pay to play online?
2. How will you avoid degrading the 'console' experience?
3. Why would developers still support Xbox Store versions to sit side-by-side with Steam?
So many other questions
As much shit as I like to give Jez Corden for being really insufferable at times, every now and then he puts away the Microsoft fanboy hat and asks some really good questions. Thought he did a pretty good job here.
Another question I have is whether or not Microsoft will be able to achieve anything that is being speculated about the future of Xbox. Phil Spencer and company keeps leaving hints like putting other stores on Xbox, what he wants in a handheld and such like that anything less than is going to be seen as a big disappointment to many. Phil and company have built up so much hype that Microsoft loyalists are scratching their heads trying to figure it all out. They better be prepared to amaze.
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