Support NeoGAF

[kyussman]

The whole Xbox strategy since Spencer took over has been so odd.

 

[reinking]

We are all Xboxes

 

[Borowski_1]

Why isn't Hellblade 2 on PS5 yet?

 

[Three]

Definitely not. Capcom is on the verge of being the best publisher in the industry. Their stock is near an all time high and has seen considerable growth over the past 5 years. It would be cashing out way too early, especially when their upcoming games(MHW, RE9, Onimusha) have yet to release. On the top of my head, I can't think of a more efficient publisher than Capcom

Which is why I fear it could happen.

Why isn't Hellblade 2 on PS5 yet?

Game bombed just like redfall. Not sure it would be worth the porting cost for them.

 

[ProtoByte]

No, they are not. Sony has expanded into PC, but that is really all. We don't see Herman Hulst actively talking about publishing games on Xbox like we do with Phil Spencer and company.

It is still more than enough to be heresy.

Oh and another thing helping keep Xbox artificially alive are the PS ponies that are cheering its demise while buying the PS ports like Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves sails are less than a rounding error of what Microsoft needs long term though. And it's the only one of these ports that has done anything in terms of numbers, right?

 

[coachmcguirk91]

Which is why I fear it could happen.

Game bombed just like redfall. Not sure it would be worth the porting cost for them.

Prosperous publishers are not looking to sell within the industry. Also, it is very hard for non-japanese companies to purchase Japanese companies

True on HB2. Redfall had a higher CCU on Steam than Redfall. Crazy Bomba

 

[Three]

Prosperous publishers are not looking to sell within the industry. Also, it is very hard for non-japanese companies to purchase Japanese companies

True on HB2. Redfall had a higher CCU on Steam than Redfall. Crazy Bomba

IDK I hope you're right, both Mojang and ABK were pretty prosperous too.

 

[Jibran#one]

Xbox as a brand should be studied in businesses schools how shit higher ups can destroy a billion dollar brand.
With all the money in the world they keep making more and more stupid decisions

 

[coachmcguirk91]

IDK I hope you're right, both Mojang and ABK were pretty prosperous too.

ABK had a shitload of turmoil within the company that made enticing to sell. Not to mention, they were somewhat stagnating/not growing. Not sure about Mojang

 

[hinch7]

Well yeah. No sense to push to Game Pass+Xbox as exclusive when you own ABK and the revenue that brings in.

 

[sendit]

Series S says hi.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

It’s literally the only reason I hope MS stays in the console game, just to keep Sony is check with their pricing, at least until someone else might step in

I think its way too late in the game for someone to jump in in time for next gen unless someone has been cooking in super secrecy

They haven't though and what do we get?
Woke crap and $700 consoles.

The sooner they leave the sooner another option pops up.

 

[SneakersSO]

This is the future of market. The hardware no longer matters due to production costs. All us old guys just need to accept it. The “generations” of console exclusives is done in the next decade. RIP GameCube, PS2 and XBOX era

Its really not the future of the market. Nintendo will always have a device and exclusive software to sell said device. Sony will also have hardware, and soon a new handheld, but will also have software to push said hardware. Only difference is that Sony is perfectly okay with allowing software to be sold elsewhere after the hardware pushing value of the title has been tapped.

I don't understand why so many folks attribute Xbox's market problems to the other hardware manufacturers. The reason Xbox is in this position is one born of antiquated marketing and terrible regional growth strategies. At any other company, Greenberg and Phil would've been sacked given the results they've produced for 2, going on 3 generations now. Its purely a Microsoft Corporation cultural thing with why execs like this stay - you basically will not be fired if you will be a corporate cheerleader within the org, and as long as your leg of the business isn't losing too much money.

Interesting. I'm not the biggest Bungie fan but I'm interested to see what this supposed "gummy bears" project is about. I assume this is what you're reffering to?

I think Gummy Bears was another mobile IP that they canned awhile back. Could be mistaken. This is a new IP.

They haven't had competition since the 360 days.

The dead weight leaving would make way for another as there is always 3.

Eh - I highly doubt a 3rd competitor would enter the market, and no, Microsoft isn't preventing anyone from entering it now. In order to enter the console games business, you need a portfolio of software makers and a hardware platform that can support a user-driven digital ecosystem. Thats a lot of work and tech for an already nearly calcified market. In order to enter it, you gotta produce something that either identifies and delivers a use case that consoles don't already have covered, and you have to do this because so many console users are already locked into their digital eco systems. The most likely entrant would be Valve, in this case.

As far as the software is concerned, I do think there is room here for some efficiencies. If a hardware maker were to come in with a hardware platform that made development so streamlined that titles could be produced in far shorter time frames, say the 1-2 year SDLC of the 360/PS3 era, then I think the sheer volume of releases could be enough to attract a userbase. Right now, even Nintendo is struggling with the 3-6 year dev time frame of modern game development, and this sort of development window is simply untenable in the long run. Someone will eventually find a variety of solutions to reduce this down, which will in turn help reign in budgets. I imagine AI will be one of the factors towards achieving this.

 

[Woopah]

Its really not the future of the market. Nintendo will always have a device and exclusive software to sell said device. Sony will also have hardware, and soon a new handheld, but will also have software to push said hardware. Only difference is that Sony is perfectly okay with allowing software to be sold elsewhere after the hardware pushing value of the title has been tapped.

I don't understand why so many folks attribute Xbox's market problems to the other hardware manufacturers. The reason Xbox is in this position is one born of antiquated marketing and terrible regional growth strategies. At any other company, Greenberg and Phil would've been sacked given the results they've produced for 2, going on 3 generations now. Its purely a Microsoft Corporation cultural thing with why execs like this stay - you basically will not be fired if you will be a corporate cheerleader within the org, and as long as your leg of the business isn't losing too much money.

I think Gummy Bears was another mobile IP that they canned awhile back. Could be mistaken. This is a new IP.


Eh - I highly doubt a 3rd competitor would enter the market, and no, Microsoft isn't preventing anyone from entering it now. In order to enter the console games business, you need a portfolio of software makers and a hardware platform that can support a user-driven digital ecosystem. Thats a lot of work and tech for an already nearly calcified market. In order to enter it, you gotta produce something that either identifies and delivers a use case that consoles don't already have covered, and you have to do this because so many console users are already locked into their digital eco systems. The most likely entrant would be Valve, in this case.

As far as the software is concerned, I do think there is room here for some efficiencies. If a hardware maker were to come in with a hardware platform that made development so streamlined that titles could be produced in far shorter time frames, say the 1-2 year SDLC of the 360/PS3 era, then I think the sheer volume of releases could be enough to attract a userbase. Right now, even Nintendo is struggling with the 3-6 year dev time frame of modern game development, and this sort of development window is simply untenable in the long run. Someone will eventually find a variety of solutions to reduce this down, which will in turn help reign in budgets. I imagine AI will be one of the factors towards achieving this.

This. Other companies might be rich, but they don't have the development infrastructure/partnerships that Nintendo and Sony do. Establishing this is incredibly expensive and risky.

And welcome back by the way!

 

[SneakersSO]

Can you elaborate on what these hurdles may be? Are they hurdles facing PC gaming as a whole, or are they something that Microsoft specifically has to face in its attempt to grow on there?

Well, the big thing is that Microsoft's hold on PC gaming is very much fixed in Windows, but a steady stream of developments are beginning to loosen that grip, and Valve does seem increasingly like they will streamline their Desktop OS to better attract users who are growing tired of dealing with Microsoft in the OS space.

It comes down to devs right, and one of the nice things Valve has done with the Steam Deck is create production pipelines for SteamOS titles, something that sunk their attempts at the Steam Box and getting devs to support SteamOS in the past. Part of what we're seeing is that Windows OS builds are far more prevalent towards instability. This has always been true to a degree, but the recent improvements to SteamOS SDKs, and Valve's willingness to expand SteamOS to enable non-gaming related applications, such as enterprise software or multimedia software, from running within the shell, could be very attractive towards users. Along with that, Valve is adding emulation layers into SteamOS to allow users to access an increasing number of their Win32 .exe titles on SteamOS.

MS having their grip loosened in desktop gaming on the OS side has always been a scenario that they simply refuse to acknowledge, but they have been getting chipped away as the years have gone by, and they've been asleep at the wheel. There could be a steady increase in users switching over to non-Windows OS for desktop gaming, and its a really, really bad scenario for MS, cause it'll leave them only with the enterprise sector as primary buyers of their OS. And SteamOS or rather, non-Windows OS desktop gaming has a distinct advantage: far more bang for your hardware's buck. Games running on weaker hardware often run better when running on non-Windows OS. Steam Deck's performance is a living testament to this, but MacOS titles are increasingly showcasing this. Getting more performance for a cheaper OS is a heck of a natural selling point.

 

[reinking]

It’s literally the only reason I hope MS stays in the console game, just to keep Sony is check with their pricing, at least until someone else might step in

I think its way too late in the game for someone to jump in in time for next gen unless someone has been cooking in super secrecy

Isn't MS rumored to be working on what could be a more expensive premium console/hybrid? I am not blaming MS or Sony. I believe console prices are going up regardless based on the XBSX Galaxy and the PS5 Pro prices. I also do not believe any other company is going to come in and sell a console at a loss. I am not happy about it, but I have accepted that companies are no longer going to subsidize consoles.

 

[Woopah]

S SneakersSO , we are seeing quite a few Xbox games coming to PS5 now. How do you expect Xbox to treat Switch 2?

 

[salva]

Just extended my Game Pass Ultimate to March 2026 using the last few MS reward points I had... some interesting times ahead.
I think 2025 will really make it clear on what MS/Xbox's next steps are... we should have a new console announced and finding out what direction they're going with

 

[GulfCoastZilla]

Why isn't Hellblade 2 on PS5 yet?

It’s not worth the cost to port I imagine

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Why isn't Hellblade 2 on PS5 yet?

It probably will be by Spring

Matt Booty said this of the process


"We are very much making the [exclusivity and windowing] decisions on a game by game basis. And each of our studios is in a little bit of a different position.

There’s also the production timeline on a game, so the decision on spacing comes there first. We want to make sure there’s a great experience for our Xbox players, and then the gap between [when it becomes available on PlayStation] is as much a production decision as it is anything else”

 

[reinking]

I think 2025 will really make it clear on what MS/Xbox's next steps are

 

[Astray]

Well, the big thing is that Microsoft's hold on PC gaming is very much fixed in Windows, but a steady stream of developments are beginning to loosen that grip, and Valve does seem increasingly like they will streamline their Desktop OS to better attract users who are growing tired of dealing with Microsoft in the OS space.

It comes down to devs right, and one of the nice things Valve has done with the Steam Deck is create production pipelines for SteamOS titles, something that sunk their attempts at the Steam Box and getting devs to support SteamOS in the past. Part of what we're seeing is that Windows OS builds are far more prevalent towards instability. This has always been true to a degree, but the recent improvements to SteamOS SDKs, and Valve's willingness to expand SteamOS to enable non-gaming related applications, such as enterprise software or multimedia software, from running within the shell, could be very attractive towards users. Along with that, Valve is adding emulation layers into SteamOS to allow users to access an increasing number of their Win32 .exe titles on SteamOS.

MS having their grip loosened in desktop gaming on the OS side has always been a scenario that they simply refuse to acknowledge, but they have been getting chipped away as the years have gone by, and they've been asleep at the wheel. There could be a steady increase in users switching over to non-Windows OS for desktop gaming, and its a really, really bad scenario for MS, cause it'll leave them only with the enterprise sector as primary buyers of their OS. And SteamOS or rather, non-Windows OS desktop gaming has a distinct advantage: far more bang for your hardware's buck. Games running on weaker hardware often run better when running on non-Windows OS. Steam Deck's performance is a living testament to this, but MacOS titles are increasingly showcasing this. Getting more performance for a cheaper OS is a heck of a natural selling point.

I think Steam OS has great potential to dethrone Windows as the default PC gaming OS, especially if Nvidia stops its cowardice and starts supporting Linux properly.

Forget PC Handhelds, those are almost a given at this point to be better with Steam OS.. If people start buying into Laptops with SteamOS preinstalled then it might genuinely fuck over Microsoft big time because now you're not only outside their gaming ecosystem (Gamepass doesn't work on Linux so far), you're also taking OS Licensing revenue from the Windows division too.

 

[Raven117]

Lol. I mean…. Wasn’t that obvious?

 

[namenotfound]

Well, the big thing is that Microsoft's hold on PC gaming is very much fixed in Windows, but a steady stream of developments are beginning to loosen that grip, and Valve does seem increasingly like they will streamline their Desktop OS to better attract users who are growing tired of dealing with Microsoft in the OS space.

It comes down to devs right, and one of the nice things Valve has done with the Steam Deck is create production pipelines for SteamOS titles, something that sunk their attempts at the Steam Box and getting devs to support SteamOS in the past. Part of what we're seeing is that Windows OS builds are far more prevalent towards instability. This has always been true to a degree, but the recent improvements to SteamOS SDKs, and Valve's willingness to expand SteamOS to enable non-gaming related applications, such as enterprise software or multimedia software, from running within the shell, could be very attractive towards users. Along with that, Valve is adding emulation layers into SteamOS to allow users to access an increasing number of their Win32 .exe titles on SteamOS.

MS having their grip loosened in desktop gaming on the OS side has always been a scenario that they simply refuse to acknowledge, but they have been getting chipped away as the years have gone by, and they've been asleep at the wheel. There could be a steady increase in users switching over to non-Windows OS for desktop gaming, and its a really, really bad scenario for MS, cause it'll leave them only with the enterprise sector as primary buyers of their OS. And SteamOS or rather, non-Windows OS desktop gaming has a distinct advantage: far more bang for your hardware's buck. Games running on weaker hardware often run better when running on non-Windows OS. Steam Deck's performance is a living testament to this, but MacOS titles are increasingly showcasing this. Getting more performance for a cheaper OS is a heck of a natural selling point.

One thing where Microsoft has struggled has been the Windows store. It's a store of abandonware and scams. If it the touch centric app situtation wasn't so bad and Windows so heavy, then Windows could conceivably be a competitor for Smart TV's and set top boxes. Instead that has been forfeit to Google/Apple/Roku/Samsung/LG. Roku having so much success and even Samsung and LG with their own TV OS's to me demonstrates a weakness for Microsoft to diversify Windows deployments for different demands

They had Windows Subsystem for Android. It worked but you'd run it and it'd take up a ton of memory and have your CPU running hard enough to have the fan in a laptop going wild. Over on Linux there's Waydroid which isn't a VM and there's also Android Translation Layer which is like WINE for Android applications on regular Linux. Run a lot better laptop level hardware compared to Windows. Valve deveopers make contribution to Waydroid and there's been appearences of Waydroid in SteamDB. Valve is helping Linux developers assimilate other software platforms into standard Linux OS's

Then there's Microsoft's problem with getting developers to release ARM versions of their applications since Windows 8. The popular Linux applications have been supporting ARM well since the first Raspberry Pi. Then over on Linux RISC-V releases of software is progressively becoming common. Windows has an ARM to x86 translator that is improving while over on Linux there are two Box32/Box64 and FEX. Box32/64 already supports RISC-V. Valve has one of the primary graphics developers that writes Linux graphics drivers for ARM Mac's contracted working on FEX. Because of Microsofts relationship with Qualcomm, they may be able to supercharge Windows ARM support past Linux for a while on these new chips until Qualcomm hits their stride in having Linux drivers available day one like AMD/Nvidia/Intel do.

Microsoft is a development bottleneck into Windows whereas Linux anyone any company can be a kernel developer and try to get it upstreamed into mainline. Don't have to wait for Torvalds and friends to say now it's time to work on ARM/RISC-V/whatever support. Didn't have to wait for Torvalds and friends and GNOME/etc to adapt to mobile or TV. Android did that for phones and Google bought them and then Google had them work on TV's and watches too. Valve made the first SteamOS over a decade ago for a TV centric gaming Linux that was still a standard Linux distribution once you exited big screen mode

I always question how well will Microsoft ever support a Windows that isn't the normal desktop/laptop Windows and Windows Server. Stripped down Xbox Windows doesn't really sell O365, OneDrive, and Copilot subscriptions like full blown Windows and the video games they publish sell whether there's a well supported minimal gaming Windows spin or not. Internally I don't see the incentive for the Windows division to split their resources further for a special minimal gaming Xbox Windows spin when it seems like supporting Windows as it already is desktop and server is already difficult to do without buggy updates

 

[SneakersSO]

S SneakersSO , we are seeing quite a few Xbox games coming to PS5 now. How do you expect Xbox to treat Switch 2?

Internally, Microsoft views the Switch 2 as a massive selling opportunity for their software portfolio. Ports and new releases. They're going to prioritize it as much as they can and spend considerable effort on optimizing games to run on it. They are hoping that the build targets for a lower-spec machine like Switch 2 can also be utilized for their handheld. Best to think of the Xbox handheld and the Switch 2 as bespoke target platforms. Their view with Switch 2 is similar to how they view PS5 in the high-end space: have an Xbox machine for the GamePass user entry, and have the launches on the other console to get maximized revenue and larger marketshare.

 

[SneakersSO]

I think Steam OS has great potential to dethrone Windows as the default PC gaming OS, especially if Nvidia stops its cowardice and starts supporting Linux properly.

Forget PC Handhelds, those are almost a given at this point to be better with Steam OS.. If people start buying into Laptops with SteamOS preinstalled then it might genuinely fuck over Microsoft big time because now you're not only outside their gaming ecosystem (Gamepass doesn't work on Linux so far), you're also taking OS Licensing revenue from the Windows division too.

Yeah, namenotfound here has a fantastic breakdown on the technical advancements that have been steadily building up to allow this potential massive shift to occur.

One thing where Microsoft has struggled has been the Windows store. It's a store of abandonware and scams. If it the touch centric app situtation wasn't so bad and Windows so heavy, then Windows could conceivably be a competitor for Smart TV's and set top boxes. Instead that has been forfeit to Google/Apple/Roku/Samsung/LG. Roku having so much success and even Samsung and LG with their own TV OS's to me demonstrates a weakness for Microsoft to diversify Windows deployments for different demands

They had Windows Subsystem for Android. It worked but you'd run it and it'd take up a ton of memory and have your CPU running hard enough to have the fan in a laptop going wild. Over on Linux there's Waydroid which isn't a VM and there's also Android Translation Layer which is like WINE for Android applications on regular Linux. Run a lot better laptop level hardware compared to Windows. Valve deveopers make contribution to Waydroid and there's been appearences of Waydroid in SteamDB. Valve is helping Linux developers assimilate other software platforms into standard Linux OS's

Then there's Microsoft's problem with getting developers to release ARM versions of their applications since Windows 8. The popular Linux applications have been supporting ARM well since the first Raspberry Pi. Then over on Linux RISC-V releases of software is progressively becoming common. Windows has an ARM to x86 translator that is improving while over on Linux there are two Box32/Box64 and FEX. Box32/64 already supports RISC-V. Valve has one of the primary graphics developers that writes Linux graphics drivers for ARM Mac's contracted working on FEX. Because of Microsofts relationship with Qualcomm, they may be able to supercharge Windows ARM support past Linux for a while on these new chips until Qualcomm hits their stride in having Linux drivers available day one like AMD/Nvidia/Intel do.

Microsoft is a development bottleneck into Windows whereas Linux anyone any company can be a kernel developer and try to get it upstreamed into mainline. Don't have to wait for Torvalds and friends to say now it's time to work on ARM/RISC-V/whatever support. Didn't have to wait for Torvalds and friends and GNOME/etc to adapt to mobile or TV. Android did that for phones and Google bought them and then Google had them work on TV's and watches too. Valve made the first SteamOS over a decade ago for a TV centric gaming Linux that was still a standard Linux distribution once you exited big screen mode

I always question how well will Microsoft ever support a Windows that isn't the normal desktop/laptop Windows and Windows Server. Stripped down Xbox Windows doesn't really sell O365, OneDrive, and Copilot subscriptions like full blown Windows and the video games they publish sell whether there's a well supported minimal gaming Windows spin or not. Internally I don't see the incentive for the Windows division to split their resources further for a special minimal gaming Xbox Windows spin when it seems like supporting Windows as it already is desktop and server is already difficult to do without buggy updates

See, this is the big area where Microsoft have only themselves to blame: their core product is Windows OS, and its steadily become unoptimized bloatware for over a decade now, purely driven by the fact that they simply haven't had a true competitor in the space. Because Apple's OS was tied to Apple devices exclusively (in terms of practicality - I know running MacOS on non-Apple devices is totally possible but not for the mass consumer), the possibility that someone could eventually come up and actually give some competition in one of the sector's they've used to maintain that dominance, whether its enterprise services or gaming, has never really been one they've entertained.

Performance benchmarks for Windows 11 are absolutely abysmal. So much overhead on the system for nearly no real gains. And with Microsoft seemingly set in their ways to deprecate W10 next year, all it would take is a solid alternative with some solid upside like SteamOS is quickly becoming to convince users to drop it. The dev support has only grown and the SDK is as clean to implement in your games as its ever been, and Steam Deck support gives you a solid reason to do so.

You do bring up an incredible point regarding a stripped down Windows and the potential expansion for them in the Smart TV/Smart Device space. Google has nearly gobbled up that entire opportunity market, which is surprising since OS markets is basically Microsoft's thing. A streamlined, efficient Windows OS should be calcifying that space, and they simply aren't. Big oversight with large implications in the future. It makes this fight they are having with Google on Storefronts even more silly, given that as an OS maker, they should have the lionshare of opportunity to target consumers with a storefront, and yet seem hamstrung for no real reason.

 

[HeWhoWalks]

I don't understand why so many folks attribute Xbox's market problems to the other hardware manufacturers.

Agreed.

 

[Woopah]

Internally, Microsoft views the Switch 2 as a massive selling opportunity for their software portfolio. Ports and new releases. They're going to prioritize it as much as they can and spend considerable effort on optimizing games to run on it. They are hoping that the build targets for a lower-spec machine like Switch 2 can also be utilized for their handheld. Best to think of the Xbox handheld and the Switch 2 as bespoke target platforms. Their view with Switch 2 is similar to how they view PS5 in the high-end space: have an Xbox machine for the GamePass user entry, and have the launches on the other console to get maximized revenue and larger marketshare.

Thanks! So potentially we could see Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed on the platform (plus COD).

I wonder about Indiana and Fable.

If don't see other companies increase support for Switch 2 vs. Switch, MS could actually be one of the strongest third party publishers on Switch 2.

 

[RPS37]

GPbox

Pretty accurate. I’ve bought next to no first party Xbox games lately.

 

[bitbydeath]

Would you trust any of them to make a quality product at a good enough price that makes gamers hesitate buying it over a PS6?

I think its a scary proposition for any company looking to throw their hat into the ring with the monster that is Sony unless its something different

Amazon recently got J Allard and Panos.

News - Xbox cofounder J Allard has joined Amazon to work on ‘new ideas’

Read into that what you will… Xbox cofounder J Allard joined Amazon last month as a vice president on the company’s devices and services team. In an email to The Verge, Allard confirmed his new role but says it’s “too early to have anything to say” about what he’ll be working on at Amazon...

www.neogaf.com

 

[XXL]

Thanks! So potentially we could see Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed on the platform (plus COD).

I wonder about Indiana and Fable.

If don't see other companies increase support for Switch 2 vs. Switch, MS could actually be one of the strongest third party publishers on Switch 2.

If the Switch 2 is a generation behind technologically (like Switch) I think they'll be porting current gen games (this gen) over to Switch 2. It would create a double sell situation with PlayStation/PC going forward.

It makes the most sense in my mind for maximizing profit with less risk.

 

[Woopah]

If the Switch 2 is a generation behind technologically (like Switch) I think they'll be porting current gen games (this gen) over to Switch 2. It would create a double sell situation with PlayStation/PC going forward.

It makes the most sense in my mind for maximizing profit with less risk.

Porting the Series S games down to Switch 2 shouldn't be toooo difficult, especially with DLSS.

So yes I can see MS being active on pretty much every platform from 2025 onwards.

 

[LordCBH]

Let’s check in on how the Twitter shills are doing today!

Turns out they aren’t taking it very well!

 

[XXL]

Porting the Series S games down to Switch 2 shouldn't be toooo difficult, especially with DLSS.

So yes I can see MS being active on pretty much every platform from 2025 onwards.

It just make sooooo much sense.

Which is the main reason why I don't see them going to the pain in the ass process of creating, manufacturing, supporting and marketing a console.

 

[DeepEnigma]

I would sooner buy an Xbox series x pro than a ps5 pro at this moment.

Isn’t that just a PC at this point?

 

[Radical_3d]

 

[Lord Malachite]

That makes sense.

I'm thinking that they might delay their announcements of games coming to PS5 - rather than announce that port at the same time they announce the release date for the Xbox exclusive, they will save it for later. I say that because I think announcing the PS5 version at the Summer Games Fest the way they did kind of backfired, creating ill will among Xbox diehards and leaving no room for people to perceive it as an Xbox "exclusive" in any but a temporary sense, thereby possibly undercutting hype for their own brand. I think they will delay announcements of PS5 ports until after the game releases on Xbox/PC.

But that's just about the timing of the announcements, not the timing of the ports themselves. I think you're right that they may be testing this brief period of exclusivity to see how that performs.

There is some sense to this, but it also depends just how serious Microsoft as a whole is about Xbox at this point. Supposedly more Xbox hardware is coming, but what is the point? They are releasing all of their games on both PC and PS, making dedicated Xbox hardware the definition of redundant. No one needs an Xbox at this point. It's throwing good money after bad, especially with sales of the current hardware on a significant downward trend.

The new push of "Everything is an Xbox" reeks of desperation, of a brand trying very, very hard to reach for relevance and failing. It's clear that the actual Xbox engagement outside of the console isn't very strong or they wouldn't need to be advertising so hard that your phone, tablet, TV, dishwasher, etc. is actually an Xbox.

The long and short of it is that the PS5 is becoming the new Xbox. We are not far off from a time when all Xbox franchises will be playable on it, and if you're a console gamer then you'll either be shifting to PS or giving it up and going to PC. If you are an Xbox only gamer, neither are very attractive options as it requires investing in new hardware and a new ecosystem. PC might be more attractive should Xbox transfer people's digital purchases to PC copies, but if that's not going to happen Xbox only gamers are forced with moving to a new ecosystem, new hardware, and starting from scratch with their libraries.

This last point is probably the only reason Xbox is talking about new hardware. Supporting their brand in a legacy mode for the die hards. But the future of the Xbox brand is bleak in terms of it being a viable platform for playing and distributing games. As the world's largest third party video game publisher, the future can be exceptionally bright as long as they put out a lot more titles of the quality of Indiana Jones And The Great Circle and a lot less drek like Redfall and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II.

 

[ExtendEmbraceExtinguish]

There is some sense to this, but it also depends just how serious Microsoft as a whole is about Xbox at this point. Supposedly more Xbox hardware is coming, but what is the point? They are releasing all of their games on both PC and PS, making dedicated Xbox hardware the definition of redundant. No one needs an Xbox at this point. It's throwing good money after bad, especially with sales of the current hardware on a significant downward trend.

The new push of "Everything is an Xbox" reeks of desperation, of a brand trying very, very hard to reach for relevance and failing. It's clear that the actual Xbox engagement outside of the console isn't very strong or they wouldn't need to be advertising so hard that your phone, tablet, TV, dishwasher, etc. is actually an Xbox.

The long and short of it is that the PS5 is becoming the new Xbox. We are not far off from a time when all Xbox franchises will be playable on it, and if you're a console gamer then you'll either be shifting to PS or giving it up and going to PC. If you are an Xbox only gamer, neither are very attractive options as it requires investing in new hardware and a new ecosystem. PC might be more attractive should Xbox transfer people's digital purchases to PC copies, but if that's not going to happen Xbox only gamers are forced with moving to a new ecosystem, new hardware, and starting from scratch with their libraries.

This last point is probably the only reason Xbox is talking about new hardware. Supporting their brand in a legacy mode for the die hards. But the future of the Xbox brand is bleak in terms of it being a viable platform for playing and distributing games. As the world's largest third party video game publisher, the future can be exceptionally bright as long as they put out a lot more titles of the quality of Indiana Jones And The Great Circle and a lot less drek like Redfall and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II.

Agreed. If next box has software to keep it afloat then I can see them going to war with everyone. Recall folks; there always hungry devs out there and a graphically interesting game can establish an ip. If msft is willing to bring pc experience to console owners it will need mods and other stores.

 

[mckmas8808]

It just make sooooo much sense.

Which is the main reason why I don't see them going to the pain in the ass process of creating, manufacturing, supporting and marketing a console.

Why why make ANOTHER console when your games can sell on Xbox Series consoles, Playstation 5, Switch 2, and PC?

 

[Humdinger]

There is some sense to this, but it also depends just how serious Microsoft as a whole is about Xbox at this point. Supposedly more Xbox hardware is coming, but what is the point? They are releasing all of their games on both PC and PS, making dedicated Xbox hardware the definition of redundant. No one needs an Xbox at this point. It's throwing good money after bad, especially with sales of the current hardware on a significant downward trend.

Yeah, Xbox is clearly not their focus. It hasn't been for many years. MS has been clear about that - well, somewhat clear, but often obscured by Phil's doubletalk. But it's been pretty evident to anyone who's followed Xbox for the past decades that their priority is not the console hardware. Not for the past two generations, anyhow.

However, that doesn't mean the console hardware is unimportant to their overall scheme or that they are going to kill it in two or three years. I don't believe that will happen, for reasons I've spelled out earlier.

The new push of "Everything is an Xbox" reeks of desperation, of a brand trying very, very hard to reach for relevance and failing. It's clear that the actual Xbox engagement outside of the console isn't very strong or they wouldn't need to be advertising so hard that your phone, tablet, TV, dishwasher, etc. is actually an Xbox.

Yeah, that was a dud. Xbox's marketing has always been kind of shitty. It's been a real problem for them.

The long and short of it is that the PS5 is becoming the new Xbox. We are not far off from a time when all Xbox franchises will be playable on it, and if you're a console gamer then you'll either be shifting to PS or giving it up and going to PC.

Well, the devil is in the details, as they say. How far off is "not far off"? This gen will be over in 2 or 3 years. Will it happen that quickly? Maybe? I mean, "all Xbox franchises" includes not just everything going forward, but their entire backcatalog as well, including the indies. I think it's too early to say whether all of that will get ported in two or three years. Tbh, I doubt it. I think some titles will remain exclusive at the end of this gen, even if it's just a handful of old ones and some indies. But neither of us really knows.

If you are an Xbox only gamer, neither are very attractive options as it requires investing in new hardware and a new ecosystem. PC might be more attractive should Xbox transfer people's digital purchases to PC copies, but if that's not going to happen Xbox only gamers are forced with moving to a new ecosystem, new hardware, and starting from scratch with their libraries.

Agreed. Xbox gamers will be in an uncomfortable position if Xbox does not offer a next gen console of some type. Microsoft will have to do a Don Mattrick: "Want a next-gen Xbox? We have a product for you. It's called an Xbox Series X." whomp whomp. But I don't think that'll happen.

 

[Tchu-Espresso]

They clearly couldn't spend billions on acquisitions and expect a profitable return from game pass alone. That experiment is over now. They need to actually sell the game to people who will pay.

 

[RPS37]

Isn’t that just a PC at this point?

I legit don’t have room for a pc in my space. I do have a gaming laptop tho.

 

[DeepEnigma]

I legit don’t have room for a pc in my space. I do have a gaming laptop tho.

Well after this "leak," the Pro Xbox is just the PS5 Pro then.

 

[mckmas8808]

They clearly couldn't spend billions on acquisitions and expect a profitable return from game pass alone. That experiment is over now. They need to actually sell the game to people who will pay.

I'm so surprised people still think MS doesn't care to sell games.

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

I think its way too late in the game for someone to jump in in time for next gen unless someone has been cooking in super secrecy

 

[VinnyMac]

Fuck yeah give me that gears goodness

 

[Vroadstar]

Let’s check in on how the Twitter shills are doing today!

Turns out they aren’t taking it very well!

 

[nordique]

Im not an "Xbox first" fan but this is kinda sad. I have good memories of the original and 360, even some of One and Series...although very few

End of an era


Never thought during the 360 days that that would be their peak - that push from 360 made Sony the best they've ever been as well

 

[RPS37]

Well after this "leak," the Pro Xbox is just the PS5 Pro then.

I hope not.

 

[Taur007]

Good, I hope we never hear a release date.

Still makes more business sense than a game like pentiment