he said it all...
To anyone who lived through Sonic appearing on Nintendo console, it's not that brave nor new.- Brave new gaming world is coming.
But after Sega almost went bankrupt. We were expecting it after the Dreamcast died and we knew they could never compete in the hardware space. We would have never expecting Sega to bring a Sega game to Nintendo during their co-existence in the console space and it never happened during those times.To anyone who lived through Sonic appearing on Nintendo console, it's not that brave nor new.
In recent weeks, there have been whispers about certain Xbox games releasing on other consoles, like the PS5 and Nintendo Switch. At first, it sounded like it would just be the likes of Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves, opening these games up to a wider player base. It was also claimed that Microsoft would address this strategy shift in the Spring as part of a new set of announcements.
Over the weekend, the scope of this strategy changed significantly. Now, it is being rumoured that even Xbox's biggest franchises will be going multi-platform, with games like Starfield and Indiana Jones to arrive on PS5. As we already know, the biggest Activision Blizzard titles will also remain multi-platform, something that Microsoft announced prior to acquiring the company in late 2023.
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If Microsoft really is throwing in the towel on exclusives and going multiplatform, then Xbox hardware makes little sense unless it is licensed out. Like the Steam Machines of old, perhaps Microsoft will pursue a licensing model in which partners make their own Xbox systems at different performance/price levels and load it with an OS that boots into a gaming-focused UI that works well with a controller.
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Would this be the best move for Microsoft as a whole? Historically, Microsoft has always been a software-focused company and when Satya Nadella took over the company as CEO, he also directed a new focus on services too. This has led to things like Microsoft Azure and Office 365, which have been hugely successful for Microsoft. By dropping hardware from the equation and switching to multi-platform game development and publishing, Microsoft would stand to make a lot of money and would start to reap the rewards pretty swiftly. After all, there are a significant number of customers on PlayStation who have never owned an Xbox and may have never even played Halo or Gears of War.
perhaps yeah, the true winner in this is Steam -like @cheapchips mentioned- and the PC. It's not like consoles will be dying but maybe, when in fact, the console hardware is the closest to a PC ever. Switch is an entirely different thingKitGuru Games: The Console Wars are ending… and PC wins - KitGuru
Since the launch of the Xbox One, there has been a grey cloud hanging over the Xbox brand. Console swww.kitguru.net
perhaps yeah, the true winner in this is Steam -like @cheapchips mentioned- and the PC. It's not like consoles will be dying but maybe, when in fact, the console hardware is the closest to a PC ever. Switch is an entirely different thing but it's that, more or less
Horizon Forbidden West and Spiderman 2 on Steamdeck 2 will be fun. People wondering why they buy these other "consoles".
KitGuru Games: The Console Wars are ending… and PC wins - KitGuru
Since the launch of the Xbox One, there has been a grey cloud hanging over the Xbox brand. Console swww.kitguru.net
oh well, I could never stand this guy -which I mentioned when he left-. You just look at him and I couldn't imagine anyone getting excited about an Xbox. He must be angry, he is stung. A smoke salesman and I don't know, I didn't see him as the ideal guy with whom associate the Xbox brand with. But maybe that's just me.
I'm starting to wonder about this post, and if he was (is) the original leak(er) for all these rumors after exiting Microsoft. Supposedly, certain employees were upset with the direction that Microsoft was headed with XB back in November-December timeframe.
Not sure why the author seems to assume Xbox users will migrate to the PC
People like my wife and son will purchase consoles regardless of how many exclusives show up on PC. The need to entertain family and friends on a large TV or theater room setup (with zero effort), is very attractive to many people
PS titles are getting delayed PC release and that's not hurting Sony, so why can't some Xbox titles get delayed PS release?
MS believe they can't get PS users to jump ship so they may as well sell millions of games to them. They also believe that hardcore Xbox fans won't abandon the Xbox ecosystem, especially GP users. They may be right.
They aren't worried about devs abandoning Xbox since anyone releasing on PC can easily support Xbox versions.
I do overall think Microsoft should be cognizant of their original reason for even going into the console space in the first place in that hedging against Sony/The Playstation could be just as important in the long run even if they never outright win.