Fahzgoolin
Banned
From what I understand, software is where the money is at and M$ makes more money off of Windows OS than console sales, so it looks like they should keep up what they are doing.
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Should MS continue pushing PC or should they focus on console exclusivity?
- Thread starter RedRum
- Start date
BlazeHedgehog
Member
Then doing PC stuff is fine as long as they do it right.
The problem is there doesn't seem to be a way for them to do it right. They lost that battle many years ago and unless they're willing to go against basically their entire corporate culture there's no way they're going to be anything more than Valve's second fiddle.
Exerting more control and throwing their weight around isn't going to do them any favors.
The problem is there doesn't seem to be a way for them to do it right. They lost that battle many years ago and unless they're willing to go against basically their entire corporate culture there's no way they're going to be anything more than Valve's second fiddle.
Exerting more control and throwing their weight around isn't going to do them any favors.
neurosyphilis
Definitely not an STD, as I'm a pure.
If they stopped making consoles it wouldn't be a big deal, like if Sony or Nintendo did.
Getting at this gets at the heart of what the value in consoles is anyway.
Some people want console exclusives just for the sake of justifying the consoles, but if that's what it takes then you probably need to question why you need consoles at all. When you get down to it the only two reasons are that consoles are easier to set up and some games might be exclusive, usually first party games. If you're fine going through everything involved in setting up PC gaming and need exclusives to justify consoles for you then that's a flimsy justification for $400 boxes. Microsoft putting its first party games on PC breaks that and you shouldn't really be mad about it if you're willing to buy those games on PC. If you don't play games on PC then you should ignore this whole issue because it doesn't affect you, it just means other people get to play those games now.
For Microsoft, it's a matter of figuring out what audience is bigger: the people who might buy a $300 Xbox for Gears and Forza, or the people who won't buy that Xbox for those games but will buy Gears and Forza if they're on PC (in this case a $100 operating system also sold by Microsoft). I guess you'd also have to factor in the profit margins on Xboxes vs the profit margins on Windows, on top of the sizes of the gaming audience for each.
If you bring all this to the logical conclusion on the consumer end, Xbox as basically a Windows console probably makes the most sense. The problem is consoles make most of their money off 3rd party licensed software, To make something like that even remotely feasible Microsoft would have to bring some significant changes to Windows 10 to make it more conducive as a living room, "10-foot" OS, and buff up the Windows Store way beyond where it is now in terms of selling games. Maybe there really should have been a separate "Xbox" store, but that brings up back into GFWL territory again. It really is baffling how much Microsoft has bungled selling and distributing games on is own OS where plenty of other developers have shown it the way.
The logical conclusion on the complete opposite end of the spectrum is that Microsoft lets go of its grip on PC gaming, which right now exists largely because of the dominance of DirectX. Just let Vulkan overtake them on the PC end and watch as Linux becomes a bigger piece of a multiplatform PC environment. Oh, how's Metal doing?
Some people want console exclusives just for the sake of justifying the consoles, but if that's what it takes then you probably need to question why you need consoles at all. When you get down to it the only two reasons are that consoles are easier to set up and some games might be exclusive, usually first party games. If you're fine going through everything involved in setting up PC gaming and need exclusives to justify consoles for you then that's a flimsy justification for $400 boxes. Microsoft putting its first party games on PC breaks that and you shouldn't really be mad about it if you're willing to buy those games on PC. If you don't play games on PC then you should ignore this whole issue because it doesn't affect you, it just means other people get to play those games now.
For Microsoft, it's a matter of figuring out what audience is bigger: the people who might buy a $300 Xbox for Gears and Forza, or the people who won't buy that Xbox for those games but will buy Gears and Forza if they're on PC (in this case a $100 operating system also sold by Microsoft). I guess you'd also have to factor in the profit margins on Xboxes vs the profit margins on Windows, on top of the sizes of the gaming audience for each.
If you bring all this to the logical conclusion on the consumer end, Xbox as basically a Windows console probably makes the most sense. The problem is consoles make most of their money off 3rd party licensed software, To make something like that even remotely feasible Microsoft would have to bring some significant changes to Windows 10 to make it more conducive as a living room, "10-foot" OS, and buff up the Windows Store way beyond where it is now in terms of selling games. Maybe there really should have been a separate "Xbox" store, but that brings up back into GFWL territory again. It really is baffling how much Microsoft has bungled selling and distributing games on is own OS where plenty of other developers have shown it the way.
The logical conclusion on the complete opposite end of the spectrum is that Microsoft lets go of its grip on PC gaming, which right now exists largely because of the dominance of DirectX. Just let Vulkan overtake them on the PC end and watch as Linux becomes a bigger piece of a multiplatform PC environment. Oh, how's Metal doing?
Digital Savior
Member
If they can nail cross play and disparity between kbm and pad users. It would be the ultimate platform. Open up other platforms [Steam, etc] to be able to use Xbox live services to expand the player base while letting users buy the game on the platform of their choice.
Play Anywhere is an awesome start but is far from enough.
Play Anywhere is an awesome start but is far from enough.
Deputy Moonman
Member
MS abandon the console industry and only make pc games? Umm no. What a horrible idea. I don't think people realize the marketing power the xbox brings to Microsoft. I'd even go as far as saying Microsoft-made PC game sales are driven largely by xbox console gaming advertising. I mean how often do you actually see a commercial for a pc game outside of something made by blizzard?
Ah yes the "I don't like any of the exclusives on the xbox one so it doesn't have any exclusives" argument. And lol at sayiny MS is bad at making consoles so they should just bow out. Would you really say the 360 failed? It cant compete at world wide sales but it did pretty well in its own market. You sound like someone who quits at the first sign of adversity. Would you have said the same thing about Sony after they released the ps3? That was not a smartly designed console at all whereas the 360 was at the very least developer friendly. The ps3 eventually did well from price reductions and the nauseating cult like following it already had from the ps2 era. MS did pretty damn well with the OG xbox considering its competition and the 360 was no slouch. Anyway sorry I just get annoyed at stupid opinions.
See above.
Console exclusivity hurts their overal goal of unifying all their devices into one ecosystem. These decisions are being made on a larger scale than the Xbox division. Releasing their exclusives across both Windows and Xbox helps to unify their ecosystems. It's all Windows at the end of the day.
petran79
Banned
Considering what they have done to Zoo Tycoon,I would hold my engines
perfectsil
Member
240?? More like 15
100% keep pushing PC. They have a huge share of the OS market. That is a large distribution channel. Larger than a console. A strong competency of Microsoft is their software not so much hardware. They would have to divert massive resource to ratchet up 1st party development of IPs..and would still want wide distribution.
We all know, and by virtue of that, Microsoft must also be aware that on PC...the windows store hurts moving volume of their games. Also has to know the lack of interesting new IPs hurts movement of hardware. I suspect they are going to gun for the technically best place in the consoles space for the broadest group of consumers and not take risks by investing in new IPs.
I checked their most successful gen - 360. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Xbox_360-only_games And it really boils down to gears, Forza and Halo with some third party exclusives and sigh Lost Odyssey.
We all know, and by virtue of that, Microsoft must also be aware that on PC...the windows store hurts moving volume of their games. Also has to know the lack of interesting new IPs hurts movement of hardware. I suspect they are going to gun for the technically best place in the consoles space for the broadest group of consumers and not take risks by investing in new IPs.
I checked their most successful gen - 360. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Xbox_360-only_games And it really boils down to gears, Forza and Halo with some third party exclusives and sigh Lost Odyssey.
MS needs to focus on making the Scorpio platform an even playing field. Either allow pc games to be played on the Scorpio system or keep games exclusive to the system. It doesn't make sense to support the pc market on the backs of loyal xbox live customers when they don't really get anything in return. If the Scorpio platform is the place where you can play your next gen 4k games, your Xbox One games, your 360 games and your PC games. Then that will make the platform very attractive! Besides it would be glorious to see games that skipped the Xbox One for the pc & ps4 running better on the Scorpio!!! Sting!
12Dannu123
Member
But how can you avoid the rise of UWP, where Microsoft literary provides no Vulkan, Win32 and also no other store on ARM, no Linux especially considering the fact that ARM is likely to replace X86 in the minstream market. Whatever happens in the mainstream market, developers will have to follow.
X86 emulation on ARM and having ARM replace X86 in the market, is a good thing for competition, but it rots the open market from the inside.
2blackcats
Member
I think this could work if the pc games were curated in some way. Don't think you could just have every pc game running on Xbox.
12Dannu123
Member
PC games as in UWP. The OS doesn't have Win32 APIs
12Dannu123
Member
The hardware represents their software. It doesn't show them being putting exclusive content on it.
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
Literally the only negative is for list warriors in online pissing matches. I really don't like their storefront and interface but it gave me the chance to play Forza Horizon 3 which was among my favorite games of last year. Gears 4 had an excellent, excellent port. It's pretty cool that they're pursuing it.
Yeah, I will probably never buy an XBox One but I wasn't going to anyway and they still got some money from me.
Yeah, I will probably never buy an XBox One but I wasn't going to anyway and they still got some money from me.
JamesJoyce1882
Member
They should allow Steam on Scorpio and continue to publish their own stuff as Non-PS4 exclusives. They would overtake PS4 easily with that strategy. If they make a good deal with valve, e.g. splitting the Steam fees, revenue might also grow.
SenjutsuSage
Banned
It's a good idea, yes. The games deserve to sell more, and if more of those games going to PC means they have a better chance of success, then I'm all for that.
Nostremitus
Member
I wish they'd just focus exclusively on PC... But then, I play mostly PC.
MatrixMan.EXE
Member
It's irrelevant. The amount of people who can feasibly run a game like Gears of War 4 or Forza Horizon 3 on their PC is relatively small. The lack of Xbox console exclusivity isn't going to hurt their hardware sales that much, especially when most prospective owners will more than likely pick up an Xbox for those games rather than build an expensive PC.
SmoothRunningGun
Member
Win 10 is more important to them so they will continue. I'm fine with it as long as Crackdown 3 has crossplay.
Not just continue, but triple down. They've been amazing about getting big third party grabs lately and I hope that continues.
Play Anywhere is an amazing value add to me as a gamer that uses all his systems including gaming PC and XB1. Sometimes my fiancé likes to play games as well and she's not going to even think about Steam and configs, but does play the XB1--Play Anywhere is like a love letter to our usage case--I get a PC copy for me primarily, and the XB1 copy for when I and/ or my fiancé want to play in the living room.
And before people get into "(1) just hook a Pc up,(2) Steam link etc" I've (1) done that and find it never to be a really optimal setup, and (w2) have that hooked up as is, And I love my Steam link, but neither option is really as pick up and play as just booting up the XB1 and checking pinned games
Play Anywhere is an amazing value add to me as a gamer that uses all his systems including gaming PC and XB1. Sometimes my fiancé likes to play games as well and she's not going to even think about Steam and configs, but does play the XB1--Play Anywhere is like a love letter to our usage case--I get a PC copy for me primarily, and the XB1 copy for when I and/ or my fiancé want to play in the living room.
And before people get into "(1) just hook a Pc up,(2) Steam link etc" I've (1) done that and find it never to be a really optimal setup, and (w2) have that hooked up as is, And I love my Steam link, but neither option is really as pick up and play as just booting up the XB1 and checking pinned games
potatohead
Member
Continue with PC merging but make some fucking exclusives across PC and Xbox ffs. Make Xbox actually matter again.
To be honest I wish they'd continue to ignore the pc so developers started slowly moving to SteamOS and Vulkan. I have very little experience of Linux but I wish I could move over to it. Years of pushing their pc development teams to make console games then closing them when they failed to transition well, staying on DX11 for far too long, saying over and over that pc gaming is important to them and they'll properly support it this year, honest guv'nor, then giving us GFWL.
Sea of Thieves is the only game I have a vague interest in, but I am not using their shoddy excuse of a store front to get it.
So I'm happy for the gamers who are interested in some of the games they'll be bringing over and who like the cross-play stuff, but I'd rather they left pc gaming alone entirely.
Sea of Thieves is the only game I have a vague interest in, but I am not using their shoddy excuse of a store front to get it.
So I'm happy for the gamers who are interested in some of the games they'll be bringing over and who like the cross-play stuff, but I'd rather they left pc gaming alone entirely.
Not everybody got a strong desktop hooked to their living room tv. I think the ideal should be for Microsoft to work towards getting their games playable on both windows platform and Xbox consoles. Get it working well and that's their killer feature for portable gaming. I can imagine people playing Xbox games on their laptop while on the airplane or something. If the laptop is not powerful enough, enable remote play like PS4 maybe. Get that infrastructure working for windows system then I can see people playing Xbox games on surface pro, surface book, windows phones and so on as long as they got a Xbox controller connected to the computing device and wifi for remote play if needed. I think it'd a great thing. The already got a Xbox app on windows, just need to expand on that id say. Also would be great if they can work something out with Steam to get games working together. Can we at least start with shared achievement list?
Jaguar Victory
Member
Phil's loophole? They want to sell XBOXes and Win10PCs. As a console gamer, enjoy it my PC brethren. I don't mind one bit that the console exclusives show up on PC too. More games will get made that way. Good for both ecosystems.
nullpoynter
Member
This ^^ Drop the box and put all gaming efforts into the PC.
packy34
Member
X86 isn't going anywhere. ARM isn't and won't be powerful enough to compete in many power-user spaces.
This I agree with, and would help people buy Xbox consoles more as well.
Buba Big Guns
Banned
Ideally merge the two. But if they charge to play online on PC...wouldnt touch an Xbox with a 10 foot pole.
I think they are moving in a good direction, with adding PC support for most of their games going forward.
I played most of Gears 4 on my Xbox One splitscreen, and then played multiplayer on my PC.
I later got a second copy so we could play splitscreen PC and Xbox One.
I wouldn't mind the game being outside of the Windows store however.
I played most of Gears 4 on my Xbox One splitscreen, and then played multiplayer on my PC.
I later got a second copy so we could play splitscreen PC and Xbox One.
I wouldn't mind the game being outside of the Windows store however.
Simple, Games for Windows Live happened.
I don't have hatred for MS, but they should probably stick with what they are good at, console gaming.
GFWL was supposed to be a big thing. Right out of the gate they tried charging for it and failed. The software was complete shit and they never really made the grand move to PC like they said. After that, every few months they would apologize until they finally gave up, literally.
They tried and failed and all PC gaming got was shit software that got in the way of actually playing games. I don't own a console, and haven't since XBOX/PS2, and up to now MS's attempts to enter the PC gaming arena have been at best, a hassle, and at worst, a clusterfuck.
If they want to try, they can, but they can't expect to swoop in and grab a chunk of the market because of Windows. It's going to take a long time and a big fucking carrot for me to care and the moment they try to force the issue, I'm done.
Well, many good exclusives games is the only way I see myself buying their console again. They fucked up so much with the Xbone all my friends now are on PS4 when it was pretty well mixed before, so if their first party are on PC, no need to bother with a second console.
I'm pretty sure they're on the way out, and Scorpio is the swan song.
I'm pretty sure they're on the way out, and Scorpio is the swan song.
the only reason i would care about the xbox as a console is the competition that forces sony to continue to innovate their platform and create great games.
by itself the xbox console means nothing to me. I'd rather xbox become a distribution platform like steam or origin and see their games crossplay on pc, playstation or switch.
by itself the xbox console means nothing to me. I'd rather xbox become a distribution platform like steam or origin and see their games crossplay on pc, playstation or switch.
This. MS idea of PC gaming (a very expensive console) is the polar opposite of what PC gaming is all about (more power to the user). I see nothing but problems if MS wants to push this idea with their usual boneheaded approach (see: GFWL and W10 store). Unfortunately, I don't think they'll give up easily.
Amount of people who buyed those games are relatively small to game market anyway?
Those games barely sells 1Million copies tops
Depends on what their actual business strategy and goals for the Xbox/Games division actually are. I don't think these have been made clear outside MS itself (I mean specifics not general guidance as you get from PR, interviews, etc).
Personally I feel their approach is in a bit of flux: they're trying stuff, play anywhere, formed Xbox only games on PC via Windows Store, Scorpio....
I feel they haven't fully decided the role of the division in where MS is going overall as a company and are playing a couple of strategies off each other to see how the market responds.
Personally I feel their approach is in a bit of flux: they're trying stuff, play anywhere, formed Xbox only games on PC via Windows Store, Scorpio....
I feel they haven't fully decided the role of the division in where MS is going overall as a company and are playing a couple of strategies off each other to see how the market responds.
Unknown Soldier
Member
If they aren't going to drop the Windows Store and just embrace Steam, then PC gamers will continue to not care and they might as well be only on Xbox. It's not as if a lot of PC gamers have actually bought MS first-party games on Windows Store so far.
I want Microsoft to resurrect Microsoft game studios and start producing games like Age of Empires, Crimson Skies, Freelancer, Starlancer, MechCommander and MechWarrior (I know we have Battletech and MechWarrior 5 incoming which is awesome but credit does not got to MS for those 2). etc...etc...etc...
All the awesome PC centric games they were producing back when they had Ensemble and Digital Anvil. Oh and bring Halo to PC plox.
All the awesome PC centric games they were producing back when they had Ensemble and Digital Anvil. Oh and bring Halo to PC plox.
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