Support NeoGAF

[ChorizoPicozo]

even from home and want to get away from the PC "feel" when gaming

exaclty. little things like watching the windows desktop can be mentally tiring of "being inside the same space"

 

[NuclearDiarrhea]

He said they would evaluate future ports based on how well the initial four perform. He was also asked specifically about Starfield and he would not rule out the possibility.

Phil saying that shit about seeing how the 4 ports perform first was probably just a way to shut the Xbox fanboys up temporarily. I wouldn't be surprised if porting most Xbox games was the plan all along.

 

[CircleOfFire]

he said "Nobody wanted to give Xbox a chance, so this is what they get with a Sony monopoly"

That's weird, I thought they brought out 4 generations of consoles that each sold multiple 10s of millions of units.

Shows the level of entitlement a Microsoft monopoly gets you, they just assume that they deserve to win regardless of how well they actually do.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

I wonder if he did this because I spit the truth in the comments of the latest Xbox 2 podcast. we had a small conversation and I went respectfully savage.

 

[Topher]

Which is surely suicide from a GP subs perspective and any real intention of retaining existing customers. They'd need a volume seller and a place for existing console customers to go to. Yeah, reality is 3rd party publisher. This is just a bit of distraction longer term in my mind.

Still interesting viewing...

The core of Microsoft Gaming going forward is clearly as a third party publisher. I don't know that what they are doing kills GP or just forces MS to make some changes. I can easily see GPU become more of a EA Play Pro type of tier for day one games.

In hardware, Xbox is their hardware brand much like Alienware is for Dell. I'm not sure how much volume they need to sell. We can't compare PC sales to PlayStations sold. Their competition is Dell, Asus, HP and Lenovo. I think they gauge Xbox at that point with market share like they do Surface, with hopefully better results.

Phil saying that shit about seeing how the 4 ports perform first was probably just a way to shut the Xbox fanboys up temporarily. I wouldn't be surprised if porting most Xbox games was the plan all along.

That's been heavily rumored as well.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Pretty much. Consoles this gen I spent 1300 on PS5, XSS, XSX. If I decided to sub to PS+ for 7 years that's another 560 to take it online. This will replace all of that. It will price some people out though for sure who want to stick with PS6 instead.

It would be exciting to save up and bring home a beast of a machine.

Was planning to do with a pc, but ngl, its feels a bit daunting. Considering I have only played on gaming laptops before.

Still, remains to be seen what they come up with. If it’s overpriced like apple products, will build a pc instead.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

I wonder if he did this because I spit the truth in the comments of the latest Xbox 2 podcast. we had a small conversation and I went respectfully savage.

Maybe

MS is also pretty good at flushing down "marching orders" to their "army" and see how people react and/or prep them for whats coming

I think SOME of what Jez is saying is accurate and ordered from HQ

 

[Punished Miku]

It would be exciting to save up and bring home a beast of a machine.

Was planning to do with a pc, but ngl, its feels a bit daunting. Considering I have only played on gaming laptops before.

Still, remains to be seen what they come up with. If it’s overpriced like apple products, will build a pc instead.

That's pretty much exactly my plan. I don't want to have to fuck with anything on PC. I will a little bit, but I want the minimum. If this is a good deal and feels like playing my Xbox but 60 fps+ on everything, and then I can load into Steam to buy the stuff I was missing previously, I'll get it. If it's not a great deal, I'll figure out a different PC pre-built set up. I'd much rather not have to deal with any of that though, as long as it's not a huge ripoff. I'll pay for a higher spec version as long as the price is fair.

 

[stn]

Personally, I prefer Xbox as a console and the way its infrastructure works, but the PS has better exclusives. Forza is still amazing, while Gears, and Halo, became stale. On the other hand, PS has all the Team Ninja souls-like games, FF 16, FF7 R and B, and others.

 

[rm082e]

Phil saying that shit about seeing how the 4 ports perform first was probably just a way to shut the Xbox fanboys up temporarily. I wouldn't be surprised if porting most Xbox games was the plan all along.

Exactly. He did an interview with The Verge right after that podcast where he clarified he wasn't ruling out the possibility of any other games coming over to PlayStation:

You mentioned that Starfield and Indiana Jones aren’t part of the four despite rumors, but will those ever come to PS5? Can you rule that out?
I don’t think we should as an industry ever rule out a game going to any other platform. We’re focused on these four games and learning from the experience.
But I don’t want to create a false expectation on those other platforms that this is somehow the first four to get over the dam and then the dam’s going to open and that everything else is coming, that’s not the plan today. I also don’t want to mislead customers on those other platforms. We’re launching these four games, and we’re excited about it. We’re excited about the announce and everything else, but we’ll see what happens for our business.

 

[jm89]

Would be funny if this is MS semi throwing in the towel but it ends up being wildly successful for them and turns the brand around.

 

[Ronin_7]

Okay, Jez lol. Microsoft is literally the most valuable company in the world if they wanted to actually compete against Sony, they could.

They've more things to focus besides gaming.

They will need to invest billions in AI & Data Center's to remain relevant against AWS, GOOGLE, APPLE and so much more.

Hardware is most likely dead for Microsoft, at least consumer wise.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

I know Valve isn't for sale, but if MS were to offer 30 billion, could Gabe resist? Just that this plan would make more sense if ms owned steam. That or some sort of joint venture.

How about using that same 30 billion, and instead make AAA games people want to play?

Why do you think it is a wise way to spend money like that? PlayStation's ENTIRE 2023 budget was 13 billion dollars. What kind of whack person would spend THREE TIMES PlayStation's annual budget to buy Valve?

Are Xbox fans living the fantasy of being the son of a billionaire? Asking their dad to buy a Hotel?

You are asking Microsoft to spend money buying someone else's success. That is not how it works. You either are successful or you are a loser. Buying a successful company doesn't make you successful by proxy.

 

[Aguero9320]

I guess it depends on if it does well or not


I still know people who work with a PC all day even from home and want to get away from the PC "feel" when gaming

I don't know how many would buy it but make a machine that is roughly 2x the render power of the upcoming PS5 Pro, make it feel like a console but side load Steam?

I think it has a market

I agree, but it can't just be an Xbox branded PC.

I just built a PC, it's great, but it was a pain (I've been doing this too long now to be bothered messing around with ram timings to get it stable - I did it, and it is very stable, but I don't want to). I guess I secretly enjoyed it, but that process is never going to be mass market friendly.

If they can reinvent PC gaming in an Xbox with access to the majority of games from all platforms it could be wildly successful (it also might not be). Would I rather have not had to spend my time researching motherboards, CPUs, ram and shit like that? Absolutely. Why does my board have four ram slots but I'm only supposed to use two or it might go to shit? Why does adding a PCIE 5 SSD cut the PCIE lanes in half for the graphics card? And what does that even mean in terms of performance? (Not looking for answers, just pointing out the nonsense you go through building a PC).

It could certainly feel less like a toy than 'Xbone and GayStation' for example (not my terms, just illustrating the inevitable immaturity that comes with a product trying to appeal to both 6 year olds and 60 year olds now).

Gamers have a demographic that is older for the first time in history, yet we're still messing around with Tomy's My First Console. Time for a change. Can Microsoft do that? Yes. Will they? Fuck only knows. Someone needs to. Valve have made some progress for sure... I hate all the names except bizarrely, Switch, which is a surprise as after the 'Wii' debacle who thought Nintendo would be the ones to nail naming the best.

 

[FunkMiller]

he said "Nobody wanted to give Xbox a chance, so this is what they get with a Sony monopoly"

I gave them a chance. I bought a Series X, and it was a great console.

Then they didn't put out any games on it I couldn't get elsewhere, so I sold the fucking thing.

 

[NickFire]

Would be funny if this is MS semi throwing in the towel but it ends up being wildly successful for them and turns the brand around.

MS will see big success from going 3rd party. And it will elevate a brand. But the brand will be MS Gaming that gets elevated.

MS is not really throwing in the towel. It’s more a case of removing the mask.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

No one wanted to give MS a chance? People were excusing them not having games for the last few years of last gen saying they were gearing up for this gen . . .
I don't think any video game platform holder ever deserves that much leeway. That's more than giving them a chance.

 

[Jaybe]

The core of Microsoft Gaming going forward is clearly as a third party publisher.

It’s like Activision Blizzard bought Xbox. The underlying economics of taking on the largest publisher trump what Xbox’s strategy was. Hardware seems to be a millstone around their neck they want to unshackle from. Will probably focus squarely on content production, trying to get their storefront on Apple, Android, PS5, etc, and cloud streaming as an option to bypass hardware from now on. Any future Xbox hardware will have profit margin baked in and used to keep their brand enthusiasts happy and buying from the Xbox/windows store/game pass ecosystem.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

I agree, but it can't just be an Xbox branded PC.

I just built a PC, it's great, but it was a pain (I've been doing this too long now to be bothered messing around with ram timings to get it stable - I did it, and it is very stable, but I don't want to). I guess I secretly enjoyed it, but that process is never going to be mass market friendly.

If they can reinvent PC gaming in an Xbox with access to the majority of games from all platforms it could be wildly successful (it also might not be). Would I rather have not had to spend my time researching motherboards, CPUs, ram and shit like that? Absolutely. Why does my board have four ram slots but I'm only supposed to use two or it might go to shit? Why does adding a PCIE 5 SSD cut the PCIE lanes in half for the graphics card? And what does that even mean in terms of performance? (Not looking for answers, just pointing out the nonsense you go through building a PC).

It could certainly feel less like a toy than 'Xbone and GayStation' for example (not my terms, just illustrating the inevitable immaturity that comes with a product trying to appeal to both 6 year olds and 60 year olds now).

Gamers have a demographic that is older for the first time in history, yet we're still messing around with Tomy's My First Console. Time for a change. Can Microsoft do that? Yes. Will they? Fuck only knows. Someone needs to. Valve have made some progress for sure... I hate all the names except bizarrely, Switch, which is a surprise as after the 'Wii' debacle who thought Nintendo would be the ones to nail naming the best.

They will still have Tommys first console in the form of a dockable Series S type of machine imo

But I totally agree with you, it can't just be a PC with an Xbox logo, it has to be (and sounds like it is) a powerful console with PC functionality without the PC headaches for people who want the console experience

This is what I am quite certain they are looking to do

 

[Matchew]

Nobody gave Xbox a chance is a wild thing to say. They had everyone during the 360 era and ruined it by bad decisions starting towards the end of the 360 era. They failed to make great games and continue to do so.

 

[Darsxx82]

I wouldn't put much stock into that as 99% sure she meant the blue heart to be Blizzard and just hasn't figured out yet gamers will dissect every letter, typo and space bar presses as pigeon morse code or something

Especially because if she had wanted to demonstrate a message or embrace multiplatformity she would have included the red heart of Switch and the gray heart of Steam. It would certainly be unnecessary and miserable if it were a message of love for PS and I don't see Sarah Bond in that category of lowness (even though I don't have much faith in her role in Xbox).

Windows blue or even AB makes more sense. Because even if new games are announced for PS5, the Showcase is certainly not going to be the place.

On the subject of the thread (which is still the polite bet of someone who has us accustomed to
see how he lurches from one end to the other).....

My thought, which I have already stated in other similar threads, is one:

1-MS needs to do something different. The traditional console compared to a PS at the same time has not worked for it (much due to the big mistakes of all kinds of MS itself) and its strategy as a publisher on other platforms is incompatible with that "traditional console centric every generation" strategy.

2-MS is not in a position to lose the amount of revenue generated by tens of millions of users of its platform. You cannot do without the income generated by Fornite, COD, Fifa, GTA VI, etc. in microtransactions, income from subscriptions and 30% of each 3rd party game. You cannot do without the foundations to ultimately establish an ecosystem.

What is the solution from those 2 situations?

I have always believed that the best opportunity that MS has (and that is only within its reach and no one else's) is to embrace the ties of Windows and Xbox. The open platform sharing catalog and that the hardware could have use beyond what MS wanted to maintain its support.
They would fix Xbox and Windows gaming in one fell swoop.

Where is the problem?? Well, how they want to execute that strategy.

If the idea/objective is to maintain a minimum base of loyal Xbox users (let's say 30-40 million), in this hybrid bet it needs to meet some minimums:

1-Offer past and future BC. Is a red line.

2-A well-rounded Xbox OS and APIs so that the games in its Store show better or special optimization/content than games running from other stores.

3-MARKETING. If your proposal is that of SteamDeck and that word of mouth plays its role.... of course you are not going to even reach XSeries figures.

4-The hardware must be indisputable in price-power. Hardware that could be attractive to console users and also to PC players who could look for competent hardware in price, support and power and that they could use as their traditional PC and the benefits of it (different stores, mods, emulators... .). That is, hardware that is not a paperweight if MS support ends abruptly, which can be the main wall for potential users.
Variety of hardware would also help.

It is clear that it is the only solution to converge all the fronts they want in times where the console market is insufficient for any publisher of the size they have acquired after Bethesda and ABK.

How could they do it? These are the questions that must be answered. Maybe in that Showcase they can give a glimpse of what it will be like...

 

[Aguero9320]

They will still have Tommys first console in the form of a dockable Series S type of machine imo

But I totally agree with you, it can't just be a PC with an Xbox logo, it has to be (and sounds like it is) a powerful console with PC functionality without the PC headaches for people who want the console experience

This is what I am quite certain they are looking to do

I'm excited about the handheld. I've seen the possibilities of remote play too with the Steam Deck - if they throw some resources at that, and give me a good screen and battery life that can link up to the main machine I'll buy both in a second. I've found over the last three months the majority of my gaming has been remote play from either the Xbox, PS5 or PC to the Steam Deck and I absolutely love it. If I'm completely honest I built my gaming PC with the intention of streaming from it for the most part. I don't have a single game actually installed on my Steam Deck now I come to think of it...

 

[NickFire]

I wouldn't put much stock into that as 99% sure she meant the blue heart to be Blizzard and just hasn't figured out yet gamers will dissect every letter, typo and space bar presses as pigeon morse code or something

Do you have an extremely low opinion of her and/or MS hiring practices?

Honestly, I cannot fathom that someone in her position could possibly post a blue and green heart next to each other, at this moment in history, and not expect exactly how it would be perceived by gamers.

 

[Gojiira]

Lol Sony Monopoly,typical Xbot and Fill Spender deflection…Yes a ‘monopoly’ they achieved through creating award winning,best selling games versus Xbox’s repeated and consistent mismanagement and poor releases…Sure is Sonys fault Xbox couldnt release a good game, sure is Sonys fault Gamepass has cannibalised all sales and lowered budgets. Geeeeeeee sure is Sonys fault for all of that…

 

[diffusionx]

I still don't really buy these "Xbox-branded PC" rumors. The Steam Deck is a viable product because it is tied so tightly with Steam. Every Steam Deck purchase is another customer for Steam and they make money by people spending money on Steam - it's exactly like a console in this regard. Obviously, you can run Windows and non-Steam stores on your Deck but who is doing that? People are mostly buying a Deck to play games in their Steam library and good compatible games.

Obviously, Microsoft has a PC game store, and PC GamePass is growing unlike Xbox, but it's still secondary. If they're going to sell an Xbox-branded PC to someone who then turns around and does all their gaming on Steam, then they're just Dell. And I don't think MS has any desire to be Dell.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Do you have an extremely low opinion of her and/or MS hiring practices?

 

[wolffy66]

Nobody will buy the next xbox. I don't understand why they would even develop one to be honest. Seems like an odd decision to do anything but just go full stop on hardware/ecosystem. They will still make a bazillion dollars selling games.

 

[Moriarty1889]

Sad if this is true. With all the money and devs they now own they STILL REFUSE to create and release great new AAA EXCLUSIVES. They would rather bitch out and put their games on competing consoles. What a sad bunch of losers lead by the number one loser, Phil Spinster. Ashamed what he has done to Xbox and how far they have fallen under his failed vision and leadership.

 

[RickSanchez]

he said "Nobody wanted to give Xbox a chance, so this is what they get with a Sony monopoly"

For fuck's sake, can't take people who make statements like these seriously.

If you want to leak or report news, then do that. Fuck off with the rest of your preaching. Not the players' fault that Sony generally makes better single-player experiences.

Also, with every PS game eventually coming to PC now, there is no incentive to get a PS5 either, for anyone who can afford a decent PC.

 

[Topher]

Do you have an extremely low opinion of her and/or MS hiring practices?

Honestly, I cannot fathom that someone in her position could possibly post a blue and green heart next to each other, at this moment in history, and not expect exactly how it would be perceived by gamers.

I keep thinking back to her "biggest technological leap ever in a generation" proclamation. It damn near felt like an IT Crowd "this is the internet" moment and someone behind the scenes was having quite the laugh.

 

[rm082e]

I know Valve isn't for sale, but if MS were to offer 30 billion, could Gabe resist? Just that this plan would make more sense if ms owned steam. That or some sort of joint venture.

I agree it would have made more sense than buying ABK for more than twice that. But it seems like there's no offer Gabe would take, no matter how high it is. He's already got more money than he will ever spend, so this it about legacy for him. He's managed to achieve the reputation of a hero among millions of people. If he sold Valve to any company, he would instantly spoil that.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

They will still have Tommys first console in the form of a dockable Series S type of machine imo

I am pretty sure Nintendo has that market locked up.

 

[fastest finger]

he said "Nobody wanted to give Xbox a chance, so this is what they get with a Sony monopoly"

He can fuck off with his victim-complex-bullshit-by-proxy.

I was there day 1 with Xbox and Xbox 360.

They tried to screw gamers with Xbox One and their software offerings after that gave me no confidence in Series X|S.

They’ve had enough chances.

 

[Banjo64]

He said they would evaluate future ports based on how well the initial four perform. He was also asked specifically about Starfield and he would not rule out the possibility.

Yeah but let’s be honest, that decision had already been made when he made this comment.

This is the exact same ‘boil the frog’ spiel they used when they started PC ports.

 

[BennyBlanco]

a cheap HTPC is something I would buy. As we move forward into a hellscape of 30 streaming services and all the good TV/ movies being spread across them I have been thinking about building one anyway to set up with a 4TB HD and a bunch of shows/whatever.

Maybe Mattrick will be redeemed and Xbox will be the TV box he envisioned. Also would be nice to get my steam library in the living room with a good controller UI like steam deck.

 

[midnightAI]

What's the betting that they won't allow sales of this thing to be tracked anywhere?

What do you mean, this is MS we are talking about, if they go this route every PC sold regardless of manufacturer will be counted as an XBox hardware sale because it can run the XBox app

 

[Topher]

Yeah but let’s be honest, that decision had already been made when he made this comment.

This is the exact same ‘boil the frog’ spiel they used when they started PC ports.

That's what I think as well, but just think we should be factual about what was actually said. Seemed clear to me that Spencer was trying to ease folks into this, especially the more emotional Xbox fans out there. I mean.....we all saw what a mess twitter was about all this. Not pretty.

 

[diffusionx]

Yeah but let’s be honest, that decision had already been made when he made this comment.

This is the exact same ‘boil the frog’ spiel they used when they started PC ports.

There's no world where they port Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush and then stop there. it just doesn't make sense, even if the games bombed on PS5 (which they didn't). They have PS5 builds of all their games internally and they will release them. The question is do they release them the same day as PC and Xbox or later. It wouldn't surprise me if Indy launches simultaneously on PS5.

 

[Kururu]

Fixed the title for you.

 

[Topher]

Fixed the title for you.

lol....I'm just messing man

 

[Punished Miku]

There's no world where they port Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush and then stop there. it just doesn't make sense, even if the games bombed on PS5 (which they didn't). They have PS5 builds of all their games internally and they will release them. The question is do they release them the same day as PC and Xbox or later. It wouldn't surprise me if Indy launches simultaneously on PS5.

I think they have to rollout the handheld at the very least to give the Xbox crowd something. Day 1 releases on PS5 are a sure thing, but they have to transition out first.

 

[DryvBy]

I didn't say people weren't buying them or they was going away soon. I said they're pointless. An app and a controller is all most people need these days

I came from being a major PC gamer to abandoning it. I am too old to want to invest thousands in a system anymore. $500 and I can just play everything? Sign me up. A video card alone costs more than that.

So no, they're not pointless. Games costs, dlc galore and PC hardware has skyrocketed thanks to massive mark-up (and PC bros just consuming without thinking) it's made PC a thing of the past for me. Literally because all I play on it now is old games when PC was king to me.

 

[Shin-Ra]

Am i supposed to feel bad? I gave them a chance with the 360. It was great early on and i actually prefered it over the PS3 for the fist 3 years. It all went to shit when Microsoft started to push Kinect. Remember those horrible E3 shows from 2010-2012? And then the Xbox One happened.

Xbox has only themselves to blame.

The downfall actually started before Kinect but it’s probably all linked by Rare.

It was the Xbox Avatars (Wii Mii ‘inspired’) that marked a shift toward casual-gamer style appeal and game development. Pervasive OS presence and game integration of these fugly customisable toon characters.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Fixed the title for you.

 

[Skifi28]

lol....I'm just messing man

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

 

[Topher]

 

[splattered]

They will still have Tommys first console in the form of a dockable Series S type of machine imo

But I totally agree with you, it can't just be a PC with an Xbox logo, it has to be (and sounds like it is) a powerful console with PC functionality without the PC headaches for people who want the console experience

This is what I am quite certain they are looking to do

I actually love the sound of this... i'll buy two of the powerful models for my wife and i and possibly the dockable model for two of my kids. Or maybe four of the powerful models for the household like we did with the series x? Will have to see how pricing pans out...

 

[Bring Back Scalebound]

My personal reason to prefer the Xbox way more over the PlayStation, is because of backwards compatibility.

I like being able to play Tekken 8, and then switch to Dead or Alive 3, with zero hassle.

Not to mention the fact that PlayStation exclusives these days are just a bunch of people wasting their time making a game, when it's so transparent that they wanted to make a movie the whole time.

Shit is boring to me.

 

[Topher]

My personal reason to prefer the Xbox way more over the PlayStation, is because of backwards compatibility.

I like being able to play Tekken 8, and then switch to Dead or Alive 3, with zero hassle.

Not to mention the fact that PlayStation exclusives these days are just a bunch of people wasting their time making a game, when it's so transparent that they wanted to make a movie the whole time.

Shit is boring to me.