No drugs were needed. They presumably should have had a packed lineups based on everything they had already been buying up. They had the Halo flagship planned to launch with the generation. They had the media adoration about GP Best Value GP Best Value. They had the most powerful hardware. They had the cheapest hardware. They had a war chest of money to get actual timed exclusives that appeal to average console players. And to top it off, the audience was starving for a new generation due to Covid, and they had the only system you could get without stalking twitter trackers for a solid year +.
Straight facts - they had all the opportunity in the world. They just could not execute yet again.
That wasnt going to fix the core issues, which was market share, Xbox's perception amongst gamers, and the library content.
These things take time. And by the time MS gets Xbox in good shape, PS would be flying high.
This gen is for MS to fix all these issues slowly. Get japanese games on the platform. Expand Xbox's first party library. Have a sustainable studios, which can put out a consistent content, instead of going for 1 year with AAA game. Give people a reason why should they buy an Xbox.
Until these stuff gets fixed, Xbox won't be in position for competition.
That’s the thing though. Xbox has competed in 4 generations and in 4 generations they have failed to surpass Sony and Nintendo.
What aren’t they learning?
This is one of the reasons I am so annoyed by their acquisition strategy. They have had plenty of time to figure things out and yet they continue to deliver a product that fails to break through. Continuing to miss the mark will not only maintain their streak of underperformance but it will begin to destroy the franchises that other consoles had access to historically.
First 2 gen, they didn't heavily invest on their first party studios, which led to Xbox one situation, where MS didn't have AAA game for a long time period.
MS lack of investment on Xbox, and chasing after kinetic success, which derailed Xbox's momentum.
Lack of leadership that can make tough choices. Phil is soft for that. He should have fired Aaron Greenberg long time ago, and make his studios put their games as fast possible.
Lack of global investment. MS literally called Japan a 2nd country for Xbox.
The country that has Sega, square, Capcom a secondary country is a huge insult to their Japanese audience.
Tldr: MS didn't give a crap about Xbox long term future. They only maintained it, so they can stop Sony/PS from becoming a default home entertainment device.