Microsofts Ambitious Xbox by Jez Corden

[Cpt_Haddock (Peeeter)]

@SheepDip

That’s an interesting thought. Does there stop being any distinction between the “Xbox console” and “Windows” version of a game. That would be a continuation of the blurring that’s already happened.

Maybe that could solve the problem of developers not bothering to port their game to Xbox. If every PC game just already “is” an Xbox game. (I guess they would have to do some minimal stuff like adding Xbox achievement hooks.)

I think it’s their only choice, forcing developers to make a Xbox version for next gen would be a suicide move, we’re talking about a machine with very low sales potential after all.

@Titan

No dev is going to go “Oh, well I’m already putting this game on Steam, so there’s no reason to make it for Xbox.” if that were the case then other launchers on windows simply wouldn’t exis

While these exist, many big games skip these launchers, Epic Store’s probably the second biggest one and you can’t find Helldivers, MH Worlds, Persona, Metaphor, the new Digimon… just to name a few recent ones, and the same thing happens to the MS Store on PC, that’s the point of the future machine being able to run Steam, because they probably can’t guarantee their store will get nearly as many games as Steam do, but they can’t force developers to make a different version from the Steam one or most of them won’t bother, which would mean no money for MS from royalties.

[Titan]

Finally found the time to read all the way through: yeah it sounds exciting. Really exciting. Like I want to pull a Cartman and freeze myself for this bad boy. I don’t really play multiplayer games competitively and I don’t even have a problem with windows as is, so the only detterent would be price. Which hey, I’m very happy with the $800 I spent on my Series X and S after what will have been 6 or 7 years so I can spend more.

You will be able to run PlayStation’s PC titles like God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, and Spider-Man on the next Xbox, purchased via Steam or Epic Games. You will be able to play World of Warcraft on the next Xbox, via Battle.net. You’ll also be able to install practically any game that runs on Windows, giving you access to decades upon decades of content all on a single device.

Furthermore, thanks to new silicon from AMD (already approved all the way up to CFO Amy Hood and CEO Satya Nadella), the new Xbox will also run all games currently available on the Xbox Series X|S library. This means all the OG Xbox back-compatible games, all the Xbox 360 back-compatible games, all the Xbox One back-compatible games, and all the current and future Xbox Series X|S games. These games will run natively on the new Xbox and launch seamlessly via the Xbox launcher’s library.

This sounds like something out of the dreamscape.

Also, looks like Steam is looking to do the same, but working backwards and without the leverage of windows.

Anyway. This is something no company has tried to do on this scale before. Valve is working on its own “gaming console” Steam OS-powered experience, which will sport both PlayStation and Xbox games on a single device. Xbox has the advantage of maintaining direct access to some of the world’s most popular games, like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox, as well as kernel-level anti-cheat, which can cause issues still on Steam OS in competitive multiplayer titles. Those advantages aren’t impossible for Valve to overcome over time, though.

In theory, the next Xbox will have more games, more content, than any other video game device in history, combining games locked to the Xbox console ecosystem, while sporting full open access to every PC storefront and launcher on earth.

It remains to be seen (executed), but it’s sounding amazing from all angels. It sound like Microsoft and Valve might be building the platforms and experiences of the modern gaming landscape. And hopefully that’s the shot of epinephrine the industry needs before it kills itself from whatever extreme allergic reaction has been going on.

If Microsoft pulls this off and Valve follows suit, I don’t think there’s a single price difference with the PS6 that could actually keep a closed off ecosystem relevant for anyone other than the console warriors in this landscape (and granted that’s the problem now, it’s all upgrades). Especially if the plan includes those OEMs are more price and technical configurations and a cheaper cloud only device. Oh and Jez also talked about a partner preview in November focused almost entirely on Xbox Play Anywhere. And how devs are increasingly interested in Xbox Play Anywhere following the success of the Xbox Ally. All great stuff. There’s still a lot of time between now and 2027 for Xbox to really prep for this evolution. I’m starting to think a desktop or laptop Xbox PC OEM is necessary to continue beta testing and building out this future ahead of the big first party hardware launch.

Microsoft’s Xbox platform has more support from Japanese developers than ever, Xbox Play Anywhere is seemingly catching on with developers at an increasing pace, and the Xbox Ally X PC gaming handheld is sold out in many core markets. The Xbox platform is evolving to encompass PC gaming, cloud gaming, and traditional console gaming too — but that latter point has left fans wondering exactly what the next-gen Xbox might even look like.

I mean, I’m just left really excited. This is just straight up the holy grail.

[Titan]

@Cpt_Haddock

While these exist, many big games skip these launchers, Epic Store’s probably the second biggest one and you can’t find Helldivers, MH Worlds, Persona, Metaphor, the new Digimon… just to name a few recent ones, and the same thing happens to the MS Store on PC, that’s the point of the future machine being able to run Steam, because they probably can’t guarantee their store will get nearly as many games as Steam do, but they can’t force developers to make a different version from the Steam one or most of them won’t bother, which would mean no money for MS from royalties.

That’s exactly my point though. Steam is only the most popular launcher because it has the most users (potential customers). It depends on Xbox. If they can attract the gamers and customers (especially those that don’t want to exit whatever Xbox experience into other experiences) then they’ll continue to receive all the developer support they currently have and like now continue to grow that support. If they can’t then they won’t. Devs and publishers follow the customers as easy as that. If it’s more expensive for devs to skip the Xbox store (expensive as in potential sales lost) than to just develop an Xbox version then they won’t skip it and they will if vice versa. It’s interesting to note because Microsoft is also introducing a free cross save tool through play fab that’s only free if you develop an Xbox version. And there’s the lower store cut. And they’ll make Xbox default on this and everywhere through the Xbox Full screen experience. There’s increasing reasons for devs and publishers to support Xbox on PC, but even without all of that Xbox consoles still have a very strong (and very big spending) core audience that developers increasingly don’t want to skip. And how much of that core audience wants to exit into windows to deal with setting up steam and steam accounts? People on smartphones can’t even be bothered to change defaults.

[Searsy82]

Steam is the biggest because they were first. And they were first by a pretty wide margin. They became the defacto PC store essentially by default. Everyone else was so late to the party that they never really had a chance.

I certainly didnt pick steam because they were doing anything special, I did it because it was the only real option 20 years ago. By the time other options emerged everyone had already established pretty substantial libraries.

If I was starting a PC gaming library today there are actually choices available.

[Meister10000]

@Titan

…as in potential sales lost) than to just develop an Xbox version then they won’t skip it and they will if vice versa. It’s interesting to note because Microsoft is also introducing a free cross save tool through play fab that’s only free if you develop an Xbox version. And there’s the lower store cut. And they’ll make Xbox default on this and everywhere through the Xbox Full screen experience. There’s increasing reasons for devs and publishers to support Xbox on PC, but even without all of that Xbox consoles still have a very strong (and very big spending) core audience that developers increasingly don’t want to skip. And how much of that core audience wants to exit into windows to deal with setting up steam and steam accounts? People on smartphones can’t even be bothered to change defaults.

This is a solid point, but xbox has to really make sure that they value their customers first instead of any other. This is mostly a critique i had with how microsoft has been putting way to much emphasis on playstation and a whole lot less on the actual ecosystem that matters long term. We are only now starting to see them put more focus on the xbox ecosystem thanks to the rog ally handheld, but i would suggest them to put out more incentives outside just game pass, which is now considered a premium thing,which is another reason that they shouldbe making far more effort on play anywhere than ever as that is going to be one of the biggest killer apps within gaming and its not talked about enough.

[Titan]

@Meister10000

This is a solid point, but xbox has to really make sure that they value their customers first instead of any other. This is mostly a critique i had with how microsoft has been putting way to much emphasis on playstation and a whole lot less on the actual ecosystem that matters long term. We are only now starting to see them put more focus on the xbox ecosystem thanks to the rog ally handheld, but i would suggest them to put out more incentives outside just game pass, which is now considered a premium thing,which is another reason that they shouldbe making far more effort on play anywhere than ever as that is going to be one of the biggest killer apps within gaming and its not talked about enough.

Xbox themselves have said they want to win on hardware differentiation and offering the most value, and they themselves need to prove that. I do think Xbox offers more value than PS and Nintendo, but I also know they aren’t doing their best to make that clear. Xbox has also now said they’re competiting in the attention economy against the likes of Tik Tok and the hybrid route will also put them against Valve and steam. Communicating the value of Xbox will become increasingly important.

[Meister10000]

@Titan

Xbox themselves have said they want to win on hardware differentiation and offering the most value, and they themselves need to prove that. I do think Xbox offers more value than PS and Nintendo, but I also know they aren’t doing their best to make that clear. Xbox has also now said they’re competiting in the attention economy against the likes of Tik Tok and the hybrid route will also put them against Valve and steam. Communicating the value of Xbox will become increasingly important.

Something that i have also a critique of, they don’t bother actually communicating with the customerwhat is actually going on nor are they willing to tellthem why its worth investing on xbox ecosystem. Not to mentioned, they will very likely be trying hard to find some new flagship series in order to replace the old guard and make them valuable to xbox users(whether though some exclusives games or whatnot), because its going to be important to have games that are synonimous with xbox like it was for halo, gears and forza.

[Swanlee]

It’s funny to see people tripping over themselves on other forums to make this more complicated then it is.

Since 2013 Sony and MS consoles have been nearly off the self PC’s with a locked down OS and in MS’s case it was already a locked down version of windows.

MS is just removing that artificial barrier and making it a real PC which it pretty much already was and was only a “console” due to the OS being locked down.

It will play all the BC games that the current Series X/S can play and going forward their will not be “Xbox” games but PC’s games with hardware profiles for the next Xbox/PC.

So going forward if a game is on PC that is the Xbox version, People need to stop freaking out about it and act like this has to sell to be supported. It’s a PC, do people fight over Surface sales VS Alienware sales for PC’s?

It can sell 10 pieces of hardware and be more supported then the PS6 because it is a PC with all the PC Game stores available.

I see on other forums people REALLY still clinging to Console sales as some barometer, let’s be real Console sales are stagnant, younger generations are playing on PC and their is zero growth in the console market, Even Sony is not going to sell as many PS5’s as they did PS4’s.

MS is moving to a Living room PC model and it is welcomed since these things have been PC’s for the last 12 years, why not remove all the un needed restrictions and give us a multi tool under TV pc?

People brains cannot seem to even think of a world outside of console wars and console sales.

Honestly this just exposes alot of people in gaming aren’t really gamers they are just Brand fanboys and now that MS is changing the landscape are freaking out that they won’t have that console war meta hobby. Maybe these people should actually just play games instead of arguing over sales

[SpineRush08]

The nextbox better have the option to also use the Xbox console OS along with Windows, if its just Windows then there had better be some huge upgrades for Windows coming cause its going to be such a downgrade to go from a Series console that can Quick Resume 8 games and have a legit sleep/standby mode to a Windows PC that cant even download games when youre in sleep mode

[TimPhoeniX]

@SpineRush08

The nextbox better have the option to also use the Xbox console OS along with Windows, if its just Windows then there had better be some huge upgrades for Windows coming cause its going to be such a downgrade to go from a Series console that can Quick Resume 8 games and have a legit sleep/standby mode to a Windows PC that cant even download games when youre in sleep mode

I mainly worry about local MP thing, since no PC platform so far ever supported multi-user mode.

[Staffy]

I’m more excited than “scared” about it, because it sounds like something new that has the potential to really shake up the gaming industry. Slightly scared because it IS an experiment, and MS has done those before and not always succeeded in them and done them away like it was nothing.

But no matter what silly fanboys say, Xbox, 360 , One X and Series are not failed experiments at all. These people are very capable and if done right this could be amazing.

I was watching a video by Alex and he said people have been complaining about the UI on the Rog Ally handhelds when it comes to Windows, that’s why they went for Steam big picture mode instead. If they can just bring us a perfectly fine UI for the console “mode” like we now have with Series, and also have Windows operate fine on it , hopefully not needing a mouse and keyboard if we just want to boot up Steam to play the games on there…I see no concern.

Man I hope they pull it off.

Price could absolutely be an issue for a lot of people , I can see it. But who knows what they’ll do. It sounds like they’re taking this pretty serious.

[Sydle]

@Swanlee

… sales as some barometer, let’s be real Console sales are stagnant, younger generations are playing on PC and their is zero growth in the console market, Even Sony is not going to sell as many PS5’s as they did PS4’s. MS is moving to a Living room PC model and it is welcomed since these things have been PC’s for the last 12 years, why not remove all the un needed restrictions and give us a multi tool under TV pc? People brains cannot seem to even think of a world outside of console wars and console sales. Honestly this just exposes alot of people in gaming aren’t really gamers they are just Brand fanboys and now that MS is changing the landscape are freaking out that they won’t have that console war meta hobby. Maybe these people should actually just play games instead of arguing over sales

I’ve been thinking along these lines ever since Phil’s interview with WSJ and Variety back in 2017 and 2018 where he was saying they can’t reach 2 billion people with a console. There’s an interview with Phil around 2020 or so where he said that he doesn’t see Sony and Nintendo as competition, that he doesn’t want to fight with them while Amazon and Google figure out how to reach billions of gamers.

And of course Satya is thinking in scale beyond what a console could ever possibly offer. He wouldn’t have kept the gaming division around had it been solely a console brand. There’s no user growth there.

It doesn’t resonate as an anchor point because people want to stick to what they know.

[Staffy]

If they nail this we hopefully won’t have the problem of some games still skipping Xbox such as Trails in the Sky of which the latest looks to be quite nice, games by Falcom and several other Asian publishers that just don’t seem to want to bother with Xbox. But these games do come to Steam and if console players can access Steam hassle free, the games running fine etc… nothing but a win win situation right there.

In general it should make some of these skeptical about Xbox devs more enthusiastic, because again, Steam. End of 2027 feels like a long time, but I can’t deny its exciting.

[Titan]

@Staffy

If they nail this we hopefully won’t have the problem of some games still skipping Xbox such as Trails in the Sky of which the latest looks to be quite nice, games by Falcom and several other Asian publishers that just don’t seem to want to bother with Xbox. But these games do come to Steam and if console players can access Steam hassle free, the games running fine etc… nothing but a win win situation right there.

In general it should make some of these skeptical about Xbox devs more enthusiastic, because again, Steam. End of 2027 feels like a long time, but I can’t deny its exciting.

Xbox will still have to put in the work to get native support from devs and publishers with games like those. I don’t think we as gamers should settle for a work-around, and it sounds like the native Xbox experience would still be the most optimized for this device (like Xbox store games would have to be made with this device in mind). Still it would be AMAZING to have a work-around that means we could play any and everything no matter what.