Xbox Business Update Podcast | Xbox Everywhere Direction Discussion

What will Xbox do

  • Player owned digital libraries now on cloud

    Votes: 3 23.1%
  • Multiplatform all exclusives to all platforms

    Votes: 3 23.1%
  • Multiplatform only select exclusive titles

    Votes: 8 61.5%
  • Surface hardware strategy

    Votes: 2 15.4%
  • 3rd party hardware strategy

    Votes: 2 15.4%
  • Mobile hardware strategy

    Votes: 1 7.7%
  • Slim Revision hardware strategy

    Votes: 1 7.7%
  • This will be a nothing burger

    Votes: 4 30.8%
  • *new* Xbox Games for Mobile Strategy

    Votes: 2 15.4%
  • *new* Executive leadership changes (ie: named leaders moves/exits/retires)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    13
  • Poll closed .
It doesn't really change the story. Some time back Activision decided to put together another studio and completed this likely before the buyout concluded or shortly after. Then MS surprise closed Tango et al. The establishment of this studio before the closures has just come to light, but this isn't a case of 'you close some, you open some' as the studio was not opened as part of MS's strategy whereas the closures were. And all the questions as to why MS closed those four studios after saying lots to the contrary still remain.

MS closed three smaller studios, regrouped one, and created one large studio.
From a business perspective, this is what happened.
 

From the Bosman interview with Piscatella, the majority of players on pc gravitate towards the F2P graphically simple games, using low end PC's that they use for school or that they already have. That's what makes it the biggest platform (considering player counts). Accessibility is what's important.

On that, Microsoft was right. The series s is a cheap device to play those games without problems (if only it had like 2 more teraflops and 2 more GB's of ram, it would have been perfect). So I think that Sony is going to follow them on that next gen, and Microsoft (if they are really doing a new traditional console) are going to double down on it.

If it's also a portable, even better. Let's forget generations, they are done.
true that, PC is associated with hardcore, but as they say it is the broader platform. Even on my PC which is capable to some extent, I play very few AAA games. I play shmups, Vampire Survivors alike, local co-op games, etc, most of the time. People can miss how fun those games truly are.

Steam has you covered -pc gamepass don't have shmups :/ nor visual novels, etc-. This means that there is a lot of trash there for sure (a colleague found a game yesterday which is simply a time inactivity counter. xD But you have a bit of everything and masterpieces of the past due to infinite backwards compatibility.
 
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What people play is not as relevant as where they are spending their money, because they aren't the same thing.

If people are mostly playing Vampire Survivors, but are spending their money on CoD then AAA isn't really in bad shape compared to what it is currently being portrayed as.
 

From the Bosman interview with Piscatella, the majority of players on pc gravitate towards the F2P graphically simple games, using low end PC's that they use for school or that they already have. That's what makes it the biggest platform (considering player counts). Accessibility is what's important.

On that, Microsoft was right. The series s is a cheap device to play those games without problems (if only it had like 2 more teraflops and 2 more GB's of ram, it would have been perfect). So I think that Sony is going to follow them on that next gen, and Microsoft (if they are really doing a new traditional console) are going to double down on it.

If it's also a portable, even better. Let's forget generations, they are done.
I'll bet you $10k Sony wont ever release a Series S type device. You're more likely to see them release a handheld and they wont release two devices at the same time. Otherwise its a great video.
 
I'll bet you $10k Sony wont ever release a Series S type device. You're more likely to see them release a handheld and they wont release two devices at the same time. Otherwise its a great video.
The biggest problem with PS5 adoption is the price, I don't think there is any doubt about that. If the PS5 could be cost cut like a PS4, who knows how many units they would have sold. So they have no choice, and who knows, maybe they could release three devices at the same time, including a handheld :ROFLMAO:

Ps: the inclusion of ml based upscaling and better raytracing next gen will probably blur the line between hardware tiers a lot more, so that's also something to consider.
 
The biggest problem with PS5 adoption is the price, I don't think there is any doubt about that. If the PS5 could be cost cut like a PS4, who knows how many units they would have sold. So they have no choice, and who knows, maybe they could release three devices at the same time, including a handheld :ROFLMAO:
Yes indeed. As well there was a huge pandemic and global chip shortage brought about by environmental factors, lack of monsoon winds, etc. The PS5 price is going to go down in the second half of the generation as more titles are produced for the gen as well as chip production investments from the past four years start paying off. PS5 pro is what will maintain the $499 price point till the end of the gen. I dont think that one will go down much in price after launch. Next gen will be quite different.

Going back to the core discussion about business strategy for MS, I think they shouldnt repeat mistakes from this gen. Sometimes a failure is a good sign not to even attempt to repeat something. A handheld with its own dedicated devkit like the consoles and Switch devices would be a much much smarter idea. But its hard to tell where they're going considering HiFi Rush was the kind of title that sells handhelds. I hope it goes to the Switch 2. It will be a hit
 
Not doing
Going back to the core discussion about business strategy for MS, I think they shouldnt repeat mistakes from this gen. Sometimes a failure is a good sign not to even attempt to repeat something. A handheld with its own dedicated devkit like the consoles and Switch devices would be a much much smarter idea. But its hard to tell where they're going considering HiFi Rush was the kind of title that sells handhelds. I hope it goes to the Switch 2. It will be a hit
Not doing a cheap console while Sony does it would give them further market share. But who knows, maybe both of them are not doing it. But I doubt it. The market needs a device to get the users that are using they're school provided Chromebooks for gaming instead of a console, for them that's the path for growth.
 
Not doing

Not doing a cheap console while Sony does it would give them further market share. But who knows, maybe both of them are not doing it. But I doubt it. The market needs a device to get the users that are using they're school provided Chromebooks for gaming instead of a console, for them that's the path for growth.
I have younger siblings and younger cousins, not even one likes their school provided devices let alone chrome books. First I've heard of this, not saying it doesnt happen but those things actually suck. I think what MS is trying to do is to leverage internet access and remote gaming servers to deliver gaming to anyone. The issue is execution and timing. I can see a compelling reason why someone would want their own dedicated server(console) at home so they can play anywhere in the world through portals. It could be on a dedicated portal device like the playstation portal, could be a web browser, but I dont see cloud gaming services ever displacing buying your own console at least for the next 10 years.
 
I have younger siblings and younger cousins, not even one likes their school provided devices let alone chrome books. First I've heard of this, not saying it doesnt happen but those things actually suck. I think what MS is trying to do is to leverage internet access and remote gaming servers to deliver gaming to anyone. The issue is execution and timing. I can see a compelling reason why someone would want their own dedicated server(console) at home so they can play anywhere in the world through portals. It could be on a dedicated portal device like the playstation portal, could be a web browser, but I dont see cloud gaming services ever displacing buying your own console at least for the next 10 years.
Oh yes they absolutely suck. But they can run Minecraft, they can run Stardew valley, they can run Fortnite. I would expand the sample to every shitty 300€ PC with integrated graphics.
And it is painful to know that, maybe, that's all they will play, without branching out, ever.

About cloud gaming, the fact that I can't play without awful image quality and stutters on my 3 months old new fiber connection without connecting a cable tells you everything about the technology. When I can use it around the house without problems maybe it will have a chance at market penetration.
 
No idea. Someone told me that he did this with Gamepass and have no clue if he was telling the truth or not so I am asking
Having said what I did, I ended up with an unwanted Prime subscription due to an app glitch. I cancelled it immediately and they refunded all but one day's sub value. So I guess it does happen.
 
Having said what I did, I ended up with an unwanted Prime subscription due to an app glitch. I cancelled it immediately and they refunded all but one day's sub value. So I guess it does happen.
Ok because here is what I want to point out and why Gamepass may be totally broken and financially sabotage its own products.

Hellblade 2 is $50. That price includes costs and a mark up, plus expected sales to at least break even.

Game is only digital

Gamepass Ultimate offers a monthly subscription of around $16.

2 of my friends who own XBOX won't buy the game. They will only give $16 to Microsoft play it and finish it. Why pay $50 when MS offers it for $16 too. This is not the first time they did this. I am sure a lot more are doing it.

It is as if MS is sacrificing the finances of its own created content to push Gamepass, like a subsidy of some sorts. This is unsustainable.

But what makes it worse and wonder if it is true, one of the two also claims that once he plays the game, he cancels his subscription and requests refund which he gets.

And I was like? WTH?
 
Gamepass Ultimate offers a monthly subscription of around $16.

2 of my friends who own XBOX won't buy the game. They will only give $16 to Microsoft play it and finish it. Why pay $50 when MS offers it for $16 too. This is not the first time they did this. I am sure a lot more are doing it.
I expect so if monthly subs, cancel any time, are an option.
But what makes it worse and wonder if it is true, one of the two also claims that once he plays the game, he cancels his subscription and requests refund which he gets.

And I was like? WTH?
That would be extremely broken. I mean, the $16 for a triple AAA game as you describe is already pretty broken - it needs to be a year minimum to justify the content consumed or else people will just sub a month for a game. I guess that's where smaller games aren't a good investment and massive games that takes hundreds of hours are better, to secure players over multiple months.
 
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