Everything right now is speculation and bets. Bets that may happen or not.
Maybe they will release a new PC like console, with other storefronts. Maybe they will release this console in every region, not just North America.
Will you stick around, keep buying games on their ecossystem, solely based on these promises? Or will you move to another, more future proof platform, since you can’t even find the console anymore in some regions.
That’s the dilemma most hardcore Xbox players are facing right now.
And you can’t blame them. We just don’t know what will happen.
This isn’t everybody obviously, but a bunch of people like to root for underdogs just to be different. Playstation fanboys getting their comeuppance was a motivating factor for being an Xbox fanboy so now that that motivating factor is gone they’re just gonna switch over to Playstation. They’re extremely watered down versions of Timdog basically.
First they are not porting everything over the manpower for that is just not there also PC games like WOW, Starcraft among others will probably still stay PC.
As for hardware innovation and services that could work as long as they market it.
I also believe competing in a similar space like PlayStation to a huge degree puts them in the shadows. Doing their own thing differentiates them like it did for Nintendo. No one goes into a store thinking should I buy a Switch or PS5 as they don’t do the same thing or compete in the same space. The games are for the most part different. Xbox is aiming through hardware innovations and services to appeal to gamers in a different way or space like Nintendo so that their next system isn’t seen like another version of PlayStation that does the exact same thing.
Exclusives are meant to differentiate, and I think they want that differentiation to be instantly noticeable like the Switch way before you load a game. I think it will be exciting to see.
I also think many fails to see the cloud initiative; they could very well use their Cloud apps to promote and market their next hardware and coming out a year or more before the PS6 could give them all the marketing advantage.
The problem with the ’ don’t care ’ approach is that it’s breeding the same exact attitude that consumers will have towards the Xbox console (as is).
The main selling point will be that it supports GamePass and for many that won’t be enough, despite how good value it is.
Therefore will Xbox just move to being a PC/Cloud store?
I don’t have an issue with that if that’s the case (assuming all my purchases and saves stay intact).
However I think competing with Steam will likely be harder than competing with Playstation and Nintendo.
Hopefully the PC-hybrid rumours are true where it’s actually just PC gaming in a consumer (console like) experience. Therefore those which still seem reluctant to get rid of console won’t even realise they have now moved to PC.
Honestly I don’t think Xbox even makes a next gen system. 3rd party manufacturers will make them with Xbox OS. I’m expecting them to be expensive if their going to basically be gaming PCs. It gives Xbox an out as a console manufacturer and gives them free reign to keep buying publishers and growing Xbox as a 3rd party publisher. We will have to wait and see but if it is basically what people have been speculating where it can play your entire Xbox library and also have access to Steam etc I’d be interested. If it’s some bullshit like you can only access the few amount of play anywhere titles I’m noping the fuck out and getting a PlayStation lol
Why would people buy a less popular device that gets a bad rep in the media (and currently doesn’t have access to Playstation games) over buying a more popular device that has access to all the Xbox games and Playstation games?
It’s the same logic as the Netflix vs Disney+ scenario I mentioned above. If all the Disney+ content was on Netflix nobody would subscribe to Disney+.
I just don’t understand the value proposition outside of GamePass of buying a Xbox console.
If they do the hybrid-PC thing that will change but they haven’t officially communicated that.
Xbox is poised to release upwards of ten first party titles of high quality this calendar year alone and you don’t see a value proposition to game pass?
The better value proposition is buying a $500 + console and $700 in software? Just so you can play 1-2 Sony titles (per year)?
I wouldn’t be surprised if they take this approach either, the only issue with that is it’s eventually going to be trying to convince people to buy on the Xbox store over Steam which seems unlikely.
When this eventually happens what will MS do except try acquire Steam?
You will see what Destin’s interview has to say in regards to the argument about not porting some stuff. Is all am gonn asay, but pc and nintendo feel mighty tempting just to escape this chokehold that Xbox is doing currently. I wanna believe that they are not being rash in this whole thing but i am being somewhat pessimistic as of late mostly cause the newest interview do not give me nothing in the questions i would genuiely want some answers to. Its just the same old song and dance at this point.
One question i really want to be answered is in regards to how much Xbox is commited to people’s libraries and how should current users feel secured about their purchases on their platform. Cause this whole strategy is making some folks feel somewhat bamboozled about their investments in the ecosystem of 2 decades.
If people are buying PS5’s anyway and they only want a handful of the GamePass titles will they buy another $500 console and subscribe for $180 a year or just buy those specific Xbox titles on their PS? I think it’s the latter.
I personally have moved back to PC now and have access to PS titles, Xbox titles, Steam titles AND GamePass so it’s win win.
I still occasionally play on my Series X, however until I hear more about this potential PC-hybrid or handheld I am reluctant to be excited about a new Xbox console.
But again if the ‘Xbox console’ market has no current incentive other than being compatible with GamePass that entire market could cease to exist for them.
Consumers are then left with a choice to either:
Move to PC to continue playing their Xbox games and use their GamePass subscription
or
Stay on console but with PS or Nintendo instead and buy their Xbox games there (and only get 70% from games sold rather than 100%).
Personally that seems incredibly risky to me, they could loose any revenue they make from games sold (and/or GamePass subscriptions) from their Xbox console customers.
Plus they will also be trying to get people to buy games on their PC store and not Steam which seems unlikely.
Yeah, it’s a very risk game imo because it could make gamepass subs decline. Correct me if I’m wrong, but majority of gamepass subs are from console gamers. If those console gamers leave platform, then that would cause a decline in subs. I think PC gamepass is in a weird spot where gamers are intrigued about it, but want nothing to do with windows store.
I am unsure how gamepass grows in the multiplat scenario because subs are tied to console sales. I think once you lose a person to Playstation, then they’re most likely not coming back. We saw what happened with the xbox one and now series x/s. I think similar thing will happen next gen, which will impact gamepass sub.
Anyway, it’s wait and see how Microsoft delivers it’s message and product. However, I am thinking gamble will affect consoles, and I hope I am wrong
I’m staying with my original prediction regarding next gen - $500 portable handheld and an $800 console. No Steam/Epic/etc. storefronts either because I don’t see the benefit from a Valve perspective especially if they’re doing their own “console” again and from a Microsoft standpoint, I wouldn’t want Steam/Epic/etc. on the console because that gives third party publishers an out when it comes to making an Xbox console port to where they could say well, buy the games on Steam and then play that version on your Xbox console via the Steam app which in turn would lead to Microsoft losing the 30% cut they get for every transaction as it would all go to Valve. Seriously, I truly don’t see this happening because it doesn’t benefit Valve to agree to it when there’s no valid reason for them to do so and Microsoft would be taking a far greater risk than ever before which could cost them all that extra revenue from third party sales transactions.
Either way, it’s going to be interesting to see what happens.
I play on Xbox and PC only. If I would stop buying Xbox consoles, I’d just go PC only in the future (if all of my library follow me as I won’t leave behind my OG and 360 games) and still subscribe to Gamepass and still buy Xbox controller accessories since they are the best imo. If the handhelds start running a Xbox OS of some sort as well optimized for gaming and tightly integrated with the XBox store, I don’t see why I wouldn’t buy my games there either instead of Steam as I prefer Xbox achievements to Steam achievements.
Maybe MS’s goal is for those people to move over to PC and stay in MS’s ecosystem at the same time. I know I, as an Xbox customer, is the path I’d definitely take if such a transition were to happen.
Yep, I’m pretty sure a large proportion of GamePass subscribers are still on console. The last sort of figure we had was from a Linkedin post about a year ago that suggested they now support upto 15 million PC players but that also included GamePass Ultimate customers.
I personally don’t understand how sales (including micro-transactions) or GamePass subs don’t get impacted by this new approach as they absolutely are linked.
Like I said above any sales from these other platforms will be at 70-80% with the rest going to the platform holder, same with the micro-transactions. If people move to PS/Nintendo they loose that sub too.
I absolutely agree with your PS4 / Xbone analogy, if anything it will just exacerbate as more people jump ship to PS or Nintendo and the Windows Store vs Steam seems a even bigger hill to climb than competing in the console market.
I’m in the same scenario and logically this hybrid setup (if true) seems like the only incentive that would encourage me to invest in another Xbox device.
Even then I would probably still buy the majority of my games on Steam (as they are usually cheaper) and then just use GamePass for the rest, therefore Xbox wouldn’t really be benefiting from me much outside of my subscription.
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