Okay, sorry. I didn't know about this. But you can't deny they've been criticised for that support for, like, 3 years. Things are always slow if you have hundreds of thousands of people involved in corporate processes. I also don't think that ARM laptops will suddenly take off, even though mobile Intel chips aren't the most power-efficient...
No worries, it's hard to keep abreast of every little development - I waste far too much time on this stuff!
Largely, Microsoft's support for ARM was dictated by the sales of the devices, which simply didn't catch on. This was also true for their failed Windows Phone platform (which I actually really enjoyed). I can't be too harsh for them not injecting millions into areas of development and support that just aren't returning. Contrast this with their DirectX support, which has established Windows as the defacto PC gaming platform, largely because it was so widely adopted early on. Microsoft's push for further adoption of their DirectX API on other platforms - like Xbox - is all about driving their platform's adoption. It's easier to create games that target DirectX, thus those games will be available on Windows and Xbox, which gives those platforms the necessary content to keep people in their respective ecosystems. It's smart, and explains why Microsoft continues to push their multi-platform services.
… I was talking about the whole company, not just their small Xbox division, which doesn't seem too important for their bosses. That is a huge difference between them and Sony. The latter has just separated SIE from other corporate structures which is great news for gamers. More investment, more focus on SIE because it generates money. Will the decisions be good? We don't know. On the other side, I think that Spencer has a very hard task to accomplish. With limited resources, he's been tasked with making Xbox more profitable, which doesn't leave much room for innovation.
Well frankly, Xbox is really the only consumer-focused-division that's ever gained traction for Microsoft, so I suspect they want to continue to grow it. Years back, Sony basically bottomed out across its numerous divisions, forcing them to cut staff, close factories, and scale back operations.
PlayStation was and is their crown jewel - and for good reason; PlayStation is a terrific brand, and a wonderful product. Sony are the undisputed kings of the video game industry, with everyone from Microsoft to even Nintendo living in their shadow. But I feel its worth remembering that
Sony talks about PlayStation a lot and in detail because, for a long time, it was their only division not losing money hand over fist. They doubled down on it, and it's paid off handsomely.
Xbox, on the other hand, has never been a massive money maker for Microsoft - I suspect it's all about image for Microsoft. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has spoken about Xbox numerous times, giving it his full support. But, unlike Sony, Microsoft's divisions are all profitable - Nadella has his focus on a lot of places. But Xbox is apart of Nadella's vision for Microsoft. Sony want the Apple model, known as a walled garden. Nadella doesn't want that. For example,
back in 2017 he talked about Xbox as being the most profitable gaming network in the world - Xbox is Microsoft's own iTunes, with Games, Movies, and Music all available. In 2019, he talked about
Xbox as the "Netflix of games", with things like Game Pass and xCloud driving that. That's Microsoft's vision - all of their stuff available everywhere. Xbox is one piece of the pie for them, not their sole focus - but it's an important one. It gets consumers in the door - so, despite not making billions, it gets a massive budget and a lot leg room. For Sony, PlayStation is the biggest and best bet for the entire company. Which approach is better for us, the gamers? Who really knows - but its fun to speculate
