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[therealbigrich]

What this is making me think about is Xbox is already tried this out a little with the Xbox Elite console. . It didn't add any GPU or CPU power but it was a better version of the Xbox for more money . I think it would work especially with a good trade in program and a clear message .

 

[Samurai G0SU]

But you can't play the new ones designed for the more powerful system. Isn't that the point of doing yearly upgrades?

MS has specifically said they want it Forward compatible too. so this would mean older hardware will still be able to play newer games when the newer hardware is available.

“We’ll actually see us come out with new hardware capability during a generation and allowing the same games to run backward and forward compatible because we have the Universal Windows Application running on top of the Universal Windows Platform that allows us to focus more on hardware innovation without invalidating the games that run on that platform,”

 

[jelly]

I don't think there well be any confusion. The question is will the game console market want to invest in regular updates a'la PC gaming core?

Historically the view has been no. If the bulk of the specific game console market turns out to actually want a fixed, single investment they make every 4 to 5 years with games that will always work exactly the same vs other consumers then MS approach won't work.

I have no idea myself but it's not a given regular HW updates a'la iPad would work for this specific market segment which historically has been focused on a very different model.

The things is though, you buy an Xbox One today, tomorrow, two years from now or an Xbox 1.5, the games are still there to play either way. You don't need both consoles or replace one with another if you don't want to.

 

[rokkerkory]

I wonder if getting BC with 360 had anything to do with this. It's almost like they can do anything with s/w so they are confident of BC and FC going forward.

And Windows to tie everything together.

 

[Figments]

So Phil Spencer says they will release hardware upgrades and GAF turns around and says "They are leaving the console business!". What is going on the last few days on here?

They aren't leaving consoles. This isn't a Sega situation. The sky is still blue.

Overreaction, armchair speculation, and not enough popcorn for the rest of us.

 

[Art Vandilay]

The things is though, you buy an Xbox One today, tomorrow, two years from now or an Xbox 1.5, the games are still there to play either way. You don't need both consoles or replace one with another if you don't want to.

Hopefully there would be 3-4 years before the release of a new console. If they did this and offered a decent trade-in promo then I'd be on board.


Edit: By new console, I mean an upgraded version. E.g., Xbox 1.5

 

[Trup1aya]

Exactly this, thank you.



No there's no point I'm missing. The discussion in this thread is starting to run in circles.
Let's agree on this one : We don't know how customers will react to this

a) Xbox Brand will grow, more sales+ shares
b) Xbox Brand will stay on the same level, equal sales + shares
c) Xbox Brand will decrease, less sales + shares

So, all I'm trying to say that I'm betting on 'c', because
- I don't see how things will change world-wide just because there will be more Xboxes. (EU and Asia still won't care or even less, because countries like Germany and Korea prefer PCs)
- the average uninformed Joes will go out and buy Xbox2 at launch. Once they find out that a new model is already on the way after 1 year and a half, they might get pissed, because not everyone is able or willing to spent 400$ every 2 years on a console. Once, again maybe this is the main reason why consoles exist today in the first place
- the 'maybe I should wait to get more for my $' mentality may become the nail in the coffin. Yes, the old Xbox 2 still runs all the games. Wait two years and you can play all the games you have missed at better quality. See, this can go both ways....

I just don't see people getting pissed by the optional opportunity to upgrade.

The idea that people will wait perpetually because they know better things are coming doesn't really materialize in this space. This is technology... Better things are always coming. You see people buying an iphone6 when they know iphone7 is coming. You see people buying a new graphics card when they know it will be upgraded in the future. The future existance of better tech isn't what angers people. What angers people is when support for their current hardware is quickly dropped... Which isn't what is proposed here.

I mean, let's say you've got an option to buy an xbox2 or a Ps5. Let's say the hardware is comparable between the two. Do you choose the Ps5 simply because you know the xbox2.5 is coming? Won't the Xbox 2.5 also be outclassing your ps5?

No everyone isn't willing or able to spend $400 every few years... Nor would they be expected to. if someone is content to stick with the same hardware for the entirety of the generation, they could do so and still enjoy the same games, the same way they would have if the .5 console never existed.

 

[cakely]

Wow. After watching that interview ... he's not talking about and upgradeable set-top box at all.

He compared his vision of a console directly to the phone market: "Most people buy a phone every two years".

I guess they're expecting their developers to go after an endlessly moving target. I wonder when they expect their next console to drop? Holiday 2016? 2017?

 

[Breakbeat]

New product annoucements will generate enough excitement if their features are exciting enough. The iPhone 6 blew up the mobile market for example, and that was like the 10th revision of the iPhone?

Again, the mobile market was grown and cultivated with different cultural expectations, associations, and lifestyle associations than the console market. It would quite literally be a case of culture shock, and that will cause your base to bleed, no two ways about it... ESPECIALLY because Sony (a strong competitor in the space who, if past history is any indication, is slow to move and won't see any reason to abandon their current model) will be ready to welcome them in with open arms.

Add that to the fact that there are simply more things that a phone does, thus more room for a phone to innovate. Without something like VR revolutionizing the entire gaming market (it won't), I'm hard-pressed to think of new hardware features that could generate that kind of wow factor on more frequent console hardware iterations. Not to mention, those wow factors are starting to become slim in the phone world as well...

 

[Zedox]

So Phil Spencer says they will release hardware upgrades and GAF turns around and says "They are leaving the console business!". What is going on the last few days on here?

They aren't leaving consoles. This isn't a Sega situation. The sky is still blue.

Dude, just enjoy the ride. It's funnier to just read these statements about "leaving console business" after basically alluding that they are doubling down on the console business.

Never change Gaf.

 

[darkhunger]

Yet it was when I personally switched to Android after 6+ years with Apple, because it felt, more of the same.

Personal anecdotes aside, the fact is that the IPhone 6 did generate excitement, and Apple promptly used it to take over the market again.

And personal anecdotes aside, a big problem with the old system of generational upgrades is that people DONT have loyalty when generation shifts. Just look at how many customers changed companies from Sony to MS or Nintendo in the last generation and how many switched back this generation.

So it's not like what you're saying isn't already happening for consoles.

In fact the new system would probably promote brand loyalty since backward compatibility ties you into the platform's ecosystem so you can keep your library of games across upgrades.

 

[gamz]

I wonder if getting BC with 360 had anything to do with this. It's almost like they can do anything with s/w so they are confident of BC and FC going forward.

And Windows to tie everything together.

I'm sure that was key and what got them thinking, and they have a unified OS now might as well utilize it.

 

[Disaster Nebraska]

What this is making me think about is Xbox is already tried this out a little with the Xbox Elite console. . It didn't add any GPU or CPU power but it was a better version of the Xbox for more money . I think it would work especially with a good trade in program and a clear message .

Different situation. The Elite (and other similar revisions) was just as much a response to the RRoD as anything else.

The goal was not simply to come out with a better Xbox 360, but to reassure potential buyers that "we fixed it this time, we promise"

 

[gamz]

Dude, just enjoy the ride. It's funnier to just read these statements about "leaving console business" after basically alluding that they are doubling down on the console business.

Never change Gaf.

No thumbs up gif?

 

[twobear]

the situation isn't all that dissimilar to PSVR really, except that there'll probably be PSVR-only games whereas if phil spencer is to be believed there wont be any xbox one.5-only games.

 

[MogCakes]

Overreaction, armchair speculation, and not enough popcorn for the rest of us.

Do you have anything to say?

 

[jelly]

Hopefully there would be 3-4 years before the release of a new console. If they did this and offered a decent trade-in promo then I'd be on board.


Edit: By new console, I mean an upgraded version. E.g., Xbox 1.5

I would be down with 3-4 years. Two consoles a generation of 6-8 years.

No thanks at 1-2 years. That's crazy.

I've said before, sometimes there might not be a need for any new console regularly like that if no worthy tech advances or features that require it, maybe just back to a slim revision. The margins will be small on newer hardware so why bother when you don't need to and can profit better from a slim revision.

 

[gamz]

Different situation. The Elite (and other similar revisions) was just as much a response to the RRoD as anything else.

The goal was not simply to come out with a better Xbox 360, but to reassure potential buyers that "we fixed it this time, we promise"

But they did correct the HDMI and built-in Wireless problem. Not just RROD

 

[Yoday]

So Phil Spencer says they will release hardware upgrades and GAF turns around and says "They are leaving the console business!". What is going on the last few days on here?

They aren't leaving consoles. This isn't a Sega situation. The sky is still blue.

It's been pretty crazy. Between this and the QB coming to W10 threads I don't know what to think about people anymore. A lot of it feels like Sony and PC fanboys grasping at straws because they want to see Xbox fail, and Xbox fanboys going nuclear because they have some weird obsession with exclusives. I have no other explanation, as most of it is completely irrational. Somehow MS releasing more hardware options and making sure you don't lose your library when you get a new console means they want out of the console market. What!?

 

[DeepEnigma]

It's been pretty crazy. Between this and the QB coming to W10 threads I don't know what to think about people anymore. A lot of it feels like Sony and PC fanboys grasping at straws because they want to see Xbox fail, and Xbox fanboys going nuclear because they have some weird obsession with exclusives. I have no other explanation, as most of it is completely irrational. Somehow MS releasing more hardware options and making sure you don't lose your library when you get a new console means they want out of the console market. What!?

If that is all you got out of it, you are not paying attention to the vast amount of people upset over the same MSFT, with the same anti-consumer policies (end-user control), slowly tricking the DRM, etc, etc.

This has nothing to do with what team you are on. Sure that exists, no doubt, but if that is all you focussed on, then what is your mindset?

 

[ironcreed]

It's been pretty crazy. Between this and the QB coming to W10 threads I don't know what to think about people anymore. A lot of it feels like Sony and PC fanboys grasping at straws because they want to see Xbox fail, and Xbox fanboys going nuclear because they have some weird obsession with exclusives. I have no other explanation, as most of it is completely irrational. Somehow MS releasing more hardware options and making sure you don't lose your library when you get a new console means they want out of the console market. What!?

 

[MogCakes]

There are also many people who just think this is a bad move.

 

[Figments]

Do you have anything to say?

I already asked a question on the last page, if that counts.

If you want my opinion, that may cost you one hug plus interest. And not those shitty wimp hugs you give your significant other--a real manly hug you use when tackling wild game to secure your breakfast.

I may or may not remove your face for lunch afterwards.

Spoiler

This whole debate has grown into nothing but silliness and regurgitation with little else left beyond conspirational speculation and whimsy.

 

[vcc]

Console gamers are probably their most valuable consumer customers. Releasing a new console that is better than Xbox One means they aren't leaving high end gaming.

Actually business customers are the most profitable segment. Gamers are cheap and super demanding. When you have 10k echange licence deals and orgs that buy 100 OS and Office licences at a time the gamers just don't measure up. They also buy those surfaces and expense it.

 

[vcc]

In fact the new system would probably promote brand loyalty since backward compatibility ties you into the platform's ecosystem so you can keep your library of games across upgrades.

...launch PS3...

 

[gamz]

It's been pretty crazy. Between this and the QB coming to W10 threads I don't know what to think about people anymore. A lot of it feels like Sony and PC fanboys grasping at straws because they want to see Xbox fail, and Xbox fanboys going nuclear because they have some weird obsession with exclusives. I have no other explanation, as most of it is completely irrational. Somehow MS releasing more hardware options and making sure you don't lose your library when you get a new console means they want out of the console market. What!?

Bravo.

 

[darkhunger]

Again, the mobile market was grown and cultivated with different cultural expectations, associations, and lifestyle associations than the console market. It would quite literally be a case of culture shock, and that will cause your base to bleed, no two ways about it... ESPECIALLY because Sony (a strong competitor in the space who, if past history is any indication, is slow to move and won't see any reason to abandon their current model) will be ready to welcome them in with open arms.

Add that to the fact that there are simply more things that a phone does, thus more room for a phone to innovate. Without something like VR revolutionizing the entire gaming market (it won't), I'm hard-pressed to think of new hardware features that could generate that kind of wow factor on more frequent console hardware iterations. Not to mention, those wow factors are starting to become slim in the phone world as well...

Console users do tend to skew towards an older demographic and there are certainly some hardcore users who are resistant to change, as the XBOne controversies of the past indicate, so yes, it can potentially be an issue. But the mobile market was basically cultivated in the current decade so it's not like this is something that takes years and years of people to get used to, and is the expectations of the younger generation these days who grew up with their smartphones and tablets, so I don't think it's that big of a "culture shock" for one.

As far as Sony goes, I don't think they can afford to rest on their laurels if MS does choose to go this path (and all indications are that Nintendo is doing the same). When new games are being released on the competitors latest systems that blow the PS4 away in terms of performance and graphics, Sony will be forced to switch over, especially since performance is such a selling point of the PS4.

...launch PS3...

Totally different era of gaming. No PSN/Live stats/friend network/trophies to carry over. No online library of games that will carry over. This is ancient history as far as technology goes.

 

[gamz]

Actually business customers are the most profitable segment. Gamers are cheap and super demanding. When you have 10k echange licence deals and orgs that buy 100 OS and Office licences at a time the gamers just don't measure up. They also buy those surfaces and expense it.

They aren't cheap at all. That's a misconception that I have no idea where it came from. MS just proved that on a 150 dollar controller. Video Game peripherals aren't cheap and they sell a ton.

 

[MogCakes]

I don't think engaging in an arms race would save consoles.

 

[jelly]

Actually business customers are the most profitable segment. Gamers are cheap and super demanding. When you have 10k echange licence deals and orgs that buy 100 OS and Office licences at a time the gamers just don't measure up. They also buy those surfaces and expense it.

True but I'm talking about consumers, not business customers. Think of Xbox consumers as the only thing that is comparable to Apple consumers on iTunes/App Store. Microsoft have little to nothing without Xbox consumers, that's why Xbox merging with Windows Store and Windows 10 is so important.

 

[DeepEnigma]

I don't think engaging in an arms race would save consoles.

Sad part is, consoles in general do not need saving.

 

[Trup1aya]

They aren't cheap at all. That's a misconception that I have no idea where it came from. MS just proved that on a 150 dollar controller. Video Game peripherals aren't cheap and they sell a ton.

There's a large segment of console gamers who just want to play the latest games with the littlest investment possible.

They spend on hardware once every 6 years,

 

[justsomeguy]

this is a very straightforward attempt to lure console gamers into the PC/smartphone/tablet platform. Microsoft's walled-off platform, to be exact.

My XBox is already kinda in a walled of Microsoft platform... what's the difference as a console gamer?

 

[cakely]

Dude, just enjoy the ride. It's funnier to just read these statements about "leaving console business" after basically alluding that they are doubling down on the console business.

Never change Gaf.

What an irritating thing to say.

Many of us here are at the very least confused about these recent announcements. Xbox exclusives heading to the PC? A new hardware cycle that looks like it might be less than two years? A new focus on platform vs. hardware? Big changes are coming and none of them seem designed to keep people buying the current iteration of the Xbox One.

You seem to take all of these announcements as universal positives, but "Gaf", on the whole, doesn't agree with you.

 

[Disaster Nebraska]

But they did correct the HDMI and built-in Wireless problem. Not just RROD

Agreed. All I'm saying is there was a frantic push to get a "reliable" Xbox 360 SKU on the market and to advertise it as such. IIRC, the first attempt with Jasper wasn't a huge success and basically relabelled it to E85? My memory is fuzzy.

I do recall the Elite (and the non-Elite, if there was one) being heralded as a legit fix to RRoD, which I believe it was.

In contrast, if there are additional upgraded SKUs for the Xbox One it's not for the same reasons of the Elite. We can't exactly use the Elite as an example of "Microsoft has pretty much done this before".

 

[Papacheeks]

Personal anecdotes aside, the fact is that the IPhone 6 did generate excitement, and Apple promptly used it to take over the market again.

And personal anecdotes aside, a big problem with the old system of generational upgrades is that people DONT have loyalty when generation shifts. Just look at how many customers changed companies from Sony to MS or Nintendo in the last generation and how many switched back this generation.

So it's not like what you're saying isn't already happening for consoles.

In fact the new system would probably promote brand loyalty since backward compatibility ties you into the platform's ecosystem so you can keep your library of games across upgrades.

But that's the company's problem not the fan/consumer. PS3 fucked up in the beginning so Microsoft and Nintendo reaped the reward, even though xbox had 68% failure rate on their consoles by 2008. Microsoft screwed the pouch on xbox one and PS4 is reaping the rewards. And if NX is something people get excited for, then Nintendo will also reap the reward.

The issues of having people flip flop is because of a company doing something or making something they did not want.
For PS3 in the beginning is was a 600$ console with limited network functions. For Wii U it was the tablet, and continuing of Wii ,along with the library of games outside of a few broad titles people didn't seem to care or want.

Xbox one was they didn't want a box that was all about TV, always online, DRM.
You can't put blame on the customers, the blame is on the company and their product.
If Microsoft just listened and looked at why Sony is selling so well, they could seriously be doing the same thing next generation.

But instead they are going to try something that does not work in the console space as seen in the past. It works for items such as smart phones because there are so many options for phones. People don't mind or care if there are yearly releases of the same phone. Because there are so many options out there, and when it all is said and done, a phone is a phone for making calls,texts and the occasional web surfing.
People are not buying phones to spend 59.99+ every couple months to buy games on them. Gaming on phones is cheap. But if let's say phones were primarily used for gaming instead of just calls, and games cost 60$ + you would see people not buying phones that much.

 

[Zedox]

Console users do tend to skew towards an older demographic and there are certainly some hardcore users who are resistant to change, as the XBOne controversies of the past indicate, so yes, it can potentially be an issue. But the mobile market was basically cultivated in the current decade so it's not like this is something that takes years and years of people to get used to, and is the expectations of the younger generation these days who grew up with their smartphones and tablets, so I don't think it's that big of a "culture shock" for one.

As far as Sony goes, I don't think they can afford to rest on their laurels if MS does choose to go this path (and all indications are that Nintendo is doing the same). When new games are being released on the competitors latest systems that blow the PS4 away in terms of performance and graphics, Sony will be forced to switch over, especially since performance is such a selling point of the PS4.



Totally different era of gaming. No PSN/Live stats/friend network/trophies to carry over. No online library of games that will carry over. This is ancient history as far as technology goes.

Exactly. People are saying MS is going to drop out of the console business...but if Nintendo and MS are going this route...you really think that Sony wouldn't do the same? That would be even more bold.

 

[Bitch Pudding]

But it's still a billion dollar business that they aren't leaving anytime soon. Same goes for Xbox. Why leave a sector that still sells.

Because within the corporation of MS, XBOX division is the Poor dog, while Windows and Office are the Cash cows and Azure is the Star. Which leaves Windows Store the spot of the question mark.

^^ No intention to explain what the hell I am talking about .

 

[vcc]

They aren't cheap at all. That's a misconception that I have no idea where it came from. MS just proved that on a 150 dollar controller. Video Game peripherals aren't cheap and they sell a ton.

The same gamers complaining $60 games is too much? How many of those controllers were produced versus sold? Selling out doesn't mean it sold in huge volumes. The gaming market has its whales (like me) but also tons of folks who buy 1-2 games a year. The lifetime profit off one business seat licence is greater lifetime sales on one gamer console sale.

Guestimate 500 vs 300.

 

[Trup1aya]

What an irritating thing to say.

Many of us here are at the very least confused about these recent announcements. Xbox exclusives heading to the PC? A new hardware cycle that looks like it might be less than two years? A new focus on platform vs. hardware? Big changes are coming and none of them seem designed to keep people buying the current iteration of the Xbox One.

You seem to take all of these announcements as universal positives, but "Gaf", on the whole, doesn't agree with you.

The "iteration" of Xbox 1 sold becomes irrelevant when people across iterations are playing the exact same games.

That's kind of the point. Xbox gamers can benefit from however they choose to play.

 

[Disaster Nebraska]

My XBox is already kinda in a walled of Microsoft platform... what's the difference as a console gamer?

I am using "platform" in the same way that Microsoft is in this situation. It's an account that is divorced from any specific piece of hardware. That is not quite what Microsoft is offering on the Xbox One, currently.

 

[JayWood2010]

It's been pretty crazy. Between this and the QB coming to W10 threads I don't know what to think about people anymore. A lot of it feels like Sony and PC fanboys grasping at straws because they want to see Xbox fail, and Xbox fanboys going nuclear because they have some weird obsession with exclusives. I have no other explanation, as most of it is completely irrational. Somehow MS releasing more hardware options and making sure you don't lose your library when you get a new console means they want out of the console market. What!?

Its one of the main reasons I have a hard time reading discussion on forums anymore. Too many comments are pushed with an agenda anymore, and the over-reactions have gotten absurd. I would really like to see the gaming community grow up a little bit. Its just too invested in the console wars right now.

 

[vcc]

Exactly. People are saying MS is going to drop out of the console business...but if Nintendo and MS are going this route...you really think that Sony wouldn't do the same? That would be even more bold.

Of all the players in the market ninendo will be out last. Sony would likely have to get out of the game if the ps4 had been #2 as #2 makes so much less money and they were a troubled company.

 

[Zedox]

What an irritating thing to say.

Many of us here are at the very least confused about these recent announcements. Xbox exclusives heading to the PC? A new hardware cycle that looks like it might be less than two years? A new focus on platform vs. hardware? Big changes are coming and none of them seem designed to keep people buying the current iteration of the Xbox One.

You seem to take all of these announcements as universal positives, but "Gaf", on the whole, doesn't agree with you.

No. I take that particular bolded part and look at the comments alluding to "MS is leaving the console business" and look at people crazy, that's what I do look at it. Making more hardware (consoles) that is BC with all of your Xbox One (360) games with new features + spec bump does not lead me to believe or any other sane person in my opinion to say that they are leaving the console business. That is my opinion.

 

[MilkyJoe]

Just having a ponder...

What the odds that his speech about hardware revisions mid generation is MS conceding that most people would likely/have opted for the most powerful hardware of the generation and are taking a punt on bringing out a beefed up Xbone to claw back market share from Sony, and are shrouding that move with all the jargon and vision to save face on the flaccid original xbone and not cop too much shit on for dividing the install base...

 

[mckmas8808]

Because the launch Xbox is top of the line... at the time. That's like asking why someone would be an iPhone 6 when the iPhone 7 is going to come out in 2 years.

But I can just get a PS5 at launch and wait for the Xbox 2.5, 2 years later.

 

[Synth]

Well you do have Geforce Experience which can just set all your settings for you based on your system, but even then the extent of difficulty with in game settings isn't exactly baffling. It's literally flipping a switch and deciding if you're happy with the result.

Sure.. but I don't know if I like it relative to other settings, unless I play around with those. I also don't know if the settings that I like right now will result in a unplayable mess on stage 3. I used RoTR as an example for a reason. It's simply not the same. I play one both console and PC all the time, often opting for consoles simply to avoid the voice in the back of my head screaming "this should probably be looking better right now". I never get that playing a console game, because the developers have chosen those settings for me, and I trust their judgement in general.

So why would most hard core gamers just wait for the Xbox with the upgraded GPU that can do 1080/60? Why get the launch console?

For the same reason they buy launch consoles today, rather than waiting 4 years for them to be available for less than half the price with a better lineup of games. Buying the console at launch gives the console the longest active life before the next generation. If you bought a PS3 or Xbox 360 in 2012, then a year later it was superseded by an Xbox One, and many of the great experiences the generation offered had already come and gone (playing Project Gotham with an active online community for example). Honestly, I can't believe this question needs asking.

What im trying to figure out is why would MS go the "upgradable" hardware route when they could simply go the streaming route a la psnow/netflix?

They (and everyone else) probably will at some point... but it's not likely to be the only option for the near future because frankly... game streaming fucking sucks as of today... hell, even in-home streaming is a bit crap for many people right now.

Indeed, to clarify I do think they'll have some kind of system out there that definitely fits the idea of what we define as a console. But it will be a huge, huge shift from what the XB1 is today, and will likely be a PC in a box at that point (hardware wise, PS4/XB1 is already close to that, except for the proprietary OS they're both running).

It's kind of funny because MS has already been kind of doing this with their controller...they had the standard pad at launch, then released an improved model with better bumpers, then another version with a mic port built in so you didn't have to use an adapter, and finally an Elite model with new hardware and more software options built into the OS for a much more premium price.

The Xbox One could be argued as not having a proprietary OS though (it being Windows 10 and all) which is what makes this whole conversation possible. Similarly the next Xbox (or Windows box, whatever) would also likely qualify as having a "proprietary OS" by the definition you've given the Xbox One. It'll still likely boot immediately to gaming and entertainment services, with access only to MS selected services, very little configuration, basically no filesystem access, a primarily controller-driven interface etc... basically the Windows equivalent of SteamOS... which is basically what the Xbox One is right now outside of the non-shared software.

MS has specifically said they want it Forward compatible too. so this would mean older hardware will still be able to play newer games when the newer hardware is available.

Honestly, you can say that forward compatible isn't really a thing in this case. What it really translates to is that they'd still be making Xbox One games, even after an XB.1.5 releases.

Actually business customers are the most profitable segment. Gamers are cheap and super demanding. When you have 10k echange licence deals and orgs that buy 100 OS and Office licences at a time the gamers just don't measure up. They also buy those surfaces and expense it.

He specifically stated "most valuable consumer customers", so he's quite obviously not referring to business customers which the direction Xbox takes has no bearing on.

 

[driver116]

The annual or biennial release of an updated hardware with forward and backward compatible titles would be something I'd be interest in.

 

[MogCakes]

Exactly. People are saying MS is going to drop out of the console business...but if Nintendo and MS are going this route...you really think that Sony wouldn't do the same? That would be even more bold.

What makes you think Microsoft and Nintendo are in the same position?

 

[Zedox]

What makes you think Microsoft and Nintendo are in the same position?

I said "if" for a reason.

They don't have to be in the same position to change their model of selling hardware differently.