It's not really a strength because you and I can just build or buy a device that does everything this is supposed to do. Those who want pure convenience aren't thinking PC at all either and will go Sony/Nintendo.
I repeat, first we'll have to understand the proposal and what's being offered. Right now, it's all speculation. Based on that, and as much as some might not understand it for whatever reason, Xbox has a loyal user base and another, not-so-loyal, segment that could perfectly well buy its hardware again as long as the product offered something that interested them.
Xbox has many things that differentiate it from the PC and also from the PS and Switch. Playing in a console environment with the benefits of the latter: day-one GamePass, BC, PlayAnywhere, a new gamepad? Time-exclusive and optimized first-party games that also allow you to access Steam games from other publishers?..... I don't know, but I can see a product there that could be attractive enough.
My issue is, what exactly is the market differentiation between this newfangled device and buying either a PC or a Playstation 6? I think the problem of market differentiation is one that Microsoft hasn't really solved ever since Sony "caught up" with the unified online suite of Xbox Live (this was XB360's real killer app imo, and it enabled a ton of great experiences that Sony just wasn't delivering at all), and as much shit we give the Kinect and TV TV TV ideas, they were at least legitimate attempts at solving this issue and creating unique value and appeal for their customers that isn't explicitly copying others.
MS has a decades-long ecosystem, a gaming infrastructure that is perhaps the largest of any company (including everything related to AI and the cloud), the largest conglomerate of studios and developers in the industry... No matter what, all of this must be accompanied by its own hardware and devices that are a source of revenue and the foundation of the business. Remember that Xbox's immense revenue base, even today, comes from consoles, game revenue (30%), third-party microtransactions, and GamePass subscriptions. Giving hardware up isn't an option today, especially when the goal is to be the highest-grossing video game company.
It just feels like there's no real raison d'etre for Xbox at this point, right now it's more or less a Playstation that gets less games and has no VR support.
What I'm saying is, they need to find a reason to exist beyond just existing, if that makes sense.
We all recognize that MS's situation is very unique, even more so after the major acquisitions and the market situation and AAA developments that require a user base of hundreds and hundreds of millions. Users increasingly distributed across different devices.
In other words, MS needs a product that fits this special situation, its multiplatform policy... I think we can all agree that a traditional console is NOT the smart choice.
The hardware strategy, therefore, will have to be different. The feeling is that Microsoft has ended the tradition of Xbox hardware = Xbox console.
In other words, the idea now is that the Xbox console is just another device among many others that play the ecosystem's games and services. If you sell 20 million Xbox consoles + you have another 20 million users through other devices (handhelds, TVs, PCs, fireStik etc....) while your studios also release their first-party games on other platforms. It's a much better situation than just earning 70% from publishing your first-party games on PS and Steam like EA or TakeTwo.
Along the way, who can guarantee 100% that they can't improve expectations and strengthen their position in the market if circumstances arise? Again, there are many things to know, and above all, how these're executed.
For example, who's to say that this new Xbox couldn't be compatible with PC VR devices? That those games could even be purchased on the Xbox Store?
I mean we are beginning to find out now?
Normally we'd be hearing rumors about newly revealed Microsoft patents and speculating on how they'll improve the experience etc, we've seen stuff like this happen with every new console coming to market.. But instead we're just hearing about how amazing it is that they will give Sony and Valve etc access to their users (for free I suppose?).
Rumors? Don't you think there are enough? If the launch of new hardware is planned for 2027, it's certainly not the time to know specific features. But the hardware roadmap is starting to become clear:
- A replacement for the XSeries + Xbox Handheld.
- Alignment with Windows.
-Possibility of supporting other Stores.
-S. Bond, "the biggest technological leap in a generation"......
I think the idea is almost there, now it's time to figure out how it will be executed.
With the bolded part, you're telling me why this is good for the existing fans, that part is known (and I want to take an aside here and say that I genuinely respect anyone who wants to preserve their Xbox library via new hardware, they spent hard-earned money and time on this platform and deserve to maximize their investment's value). But if I'm not an Xbox guy already, that means I've already built up a library presence and bought a machine elsewhere (like PC or PS).
But what we're hearing about how they intend to go to market with their new device.. It's absolutely harmful to Microsoft's existing subscription business, why stick with Gamepass when you can trawl a bit for Steam and EGS codes and get more or less the same licenses to keep for the money you'd pay for renting them? Are they going to cancel paid online? If yes then that's gonna be another chunk of $$$ walking out the door.
The other thing is, if I'm Ubisoft or EA or Epic, I immediately cease posting and supporting titles on the Xbox store and just add my own store alongside the supposed Steam integration.. Because why not take this golden opportunity to get at the userbase without paying the massive royalties?
If MS Gaming think they're hurting now, then imagine losing any of those EA FC/Fortnite/Assassin's Creed royalties or a chunk of those Gamepass subs.. It won't be pretty at all.
Several points.
1-Why would we expect anything different than what we have today? Is your idea that MS would stop providing tools and resources for third-party publishers and studios to continue releasing optimized games for devices/hardware on the Xbox ecosystem? Precisely what we're seeing is the opposite. More and more games from different places and all kinds are coming to Xbox consoles and Windows PCs.
2-But it is that also reuniting the Xbox/console Store and Windows Store would make everything simpler. Third-party developers would find it easier and cheaper to have optimized versions for multiple devices than the current situation where the Xbox Series version is different from the Windows PC version .... but you still always have versions optimized for Xbox Series X/S.
3-I would struggle to imagine a situation where MS doesn't provide resources (DevKit, tools, Pix, etc.) to promote better versions of its games on its devices versus the general no optimized PC game version on Steam.
In the end, what was said.... There's a lot to know. Mainly about how it's executed, which I believe will be the key to success (to a certain degree) or failure. We'll see.
Mibu no ookami
made this point before, but it's not just these guys.. So much of the gaming coverage industry relies on console warring and comparisons in both covert and overt forms, how exactly do you crank people up to watch and pay attention to your podcast or site if each major platform is on a distant island of its own and cannot be directly compared at all?
