It's almost like MS no longer uses console sale numbers as a metric of success any more. Back when they did you'll notice there was no Game pass, no cloud streaming, and they weren't putting new releases out day and date on PC. Sony and MS have different ways of reaching their customers now. MS has consoles but additional vectors too. Sony has just their console. It also explains why MS ordered fewer wafers in the first place. Last generation did them no favors but as many here say you don't need an Xbox to play Xbox games. That largely isn't true elsewhere.
While the Xbox console isn't the only place to play Xbox games anymore (you have PC + xCloud), Xbox consoles are still extremely important for MS. Even Phil Spencer said the same in his recent IGN interview that consoles remain the best place to play (vs. xCloud), and MS also confirmed that hardware sales are super important for MS during the Epic vs. Apple case.
If console sales were important to them as they claim, Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite would be exclusive titles for the Xbox Series S/X.
I think MS cares about console sales it just not the ONLY thing they care about like Sony and Nintendo do. If you aren't buying PlayStations and Switches those companies can't make money. MS isn't limited in that respect. With regards to X1 support if they get the streaming option working they'll be able to support those systems forever as long as you have the bandwidth. Again this is exactly OPPOSITE of what Sony and Nintendo are doing. They'd prefer to toss your old box and buy a new one.
Sure perhaps at the onset it was to mask a perceived loss in terms of sales you also have to realize that things like Game pass and streaming weren't just created out of nowhere. Look at how MS has handled backwards compatibility. They lead the industry and it was because they put in the work. It is entirely possible that the same was true with regards to Game pass and streaming. It should also be noted that despite MS 'losing' last generation they sold more X1s in a loss than original Xboxes in a 2nd place finish. The industry has grown quite a bit since MS first entered the scene and that needs to be take into account. MS won't win console unit numbers but that is far from being the only important metric.
I never said MS does not care about sales. All companies want to sell more of their products. It's just that MS doesn't focus ONLY on console sales because they can make money in more ways that other console makers. There is nothing naïve about that. MS is obviously selling more Game pass subscriptions than Sony is PS Now but they aren't always blasting out press releases on that either. Sometimes a person has to look outside the world of console gaming forums.
MS started releasing XGS games on PC because Xbox One didn't sell as they think it would. There were times when Microsoft was estimating that Xbox One will sell 1 billion units (!). When their plans failed, they started releasing games on PC because they have to recover game development costs somehow. It doesn't mean that Xbox consoles are not that important for MS.
No,
I think they are only selling the Series X/S because they know a good segment of gamers still prefer to play on console but once Xcloud, the TV dongle (Xbox chromecast) and the Xbox Smart TV app gets rolling I think you will see them move farther away from pushing the consoles.
I concur that ass growth is the best metric going forward to measure success.
MS Flight Simulator 2020 is not on the X1 at all and it is coming out next week. This is a little earlier than 2023 hehe.
Eventually, like in a few years, yeah xCloud will become more popular, at least in a few first-world countries.
These aren't just unofficial though - they're made up. Based on nothing.
Sure, and that makes sense, but with MS it's a bit different because as a whole company they completely shifted their reporting metrics and their measures of success. They're now very much a services company. They don't report sales of Surface devices even though we know they're good. Why? Because that's not what their business is focusing on. They are focusing on user/customer engagement and services. They don't care what hardware you buy as long as you're using their services. They care about recurring revenue, especially recurring revenue that is subscription based. They don't really care if you buy an xbox if you then don't continue buying games or subscribing to game pass because you're not a reliable revenue source. A sale by itself is almost meaningless to them. Why do you think they released Game Pass on PC? They haven't made any money from that customer, no hardware sale.
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VGChartz..vindicated...So….. VGChartz were right
They’ve been correct a good couple of times recently
PS5 Hits 10 Million Sales, Is the Fastest-Selling PlayStation Console Ever
The big 1-0
