I don’t know why Microsoft hasn’t considered merging the pc/console experience together sort of like what Alienware did years ago or what the steambox did. Obviously they could make better specs and offer different skus of prebuilts. To me this sounds much better instead of a gimped console.
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Microsoft’s should go the pc/console hybrid route.
- Thread starter SNG32
- Start date
mansoor1980
Gold Member
it already is a somewhat of a hybrid
Sushi_Combo
Member
They are doing that already.
64bitmodels
Reverse groomer.
thicc_girls_are_teh_best
has already suggest this time and time againi agree. They should do it. It's probably a way better choice to sell heavily subsidized Windows Mini PCs than try and fail to compete against Playstation.
No it’s not the series X can’t run steam out the box
64bitmodels
Reverse groomer.
He doesnt mean linking the console and pc experience
He means making Xbox a NUC style mini PC that runs full WIndows 11 and can play Steam games.
Punished Miku
Member
So they should not make hardware that only has their store on it that they get 30% of everything from. They should make hardware to sell games on Steam.
Sorcerer
Member
People would just use Steam and ignore the Microsoft/Xbox store. Will Microsoft pull all their games from Steam? No one cares.
pasterpl
Member
Their games are rather popular and sell well on steam, and now they have ABK so can get from them on steam as well
At this point the windows store should be used for apps and they still have game pass which they are pushing hard anyways.
Not necessarily if they put gamepass on every device that they want and still sell games on it whats the issue. They could still do exclusive deals with publishers and they could still release exclusives on gamepass or windows store first and release on steam later.
Like what epic is doing.
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Klayzer
Member
That's the main reason for the Xbox platform to stay in production. I just can't see Microsoft giving up that revenue stream. 30% cut, dlc, micros, Live, etc.
Though, if their sales trajectory continue this downwards trend, they might not have a choice.
Pelta88
Member
Hardware does not address the issues with XB.
Last gen they released the 1X which was meant to spur interest. It didn't. This gen they released 2 consoles to (in theory) bridge two separate markets. Today, the console is preforming worse than the debacle that was the X1. A console which even Nadella recognized as a collapse. Hardware refreshes, pro upgrades, or new controllers with a golden Kung Fu grip, doesn't change the fact that the platform is in the lowest selling in the products 20+ year history. If anyone believes that a new box will address the issues with the platform... I got a bridge to sell you.
Last gen they released the 1X which was meant to spur interest. It didn't. This gen they released 2 consoles to (in theory) bridge two separate markets. Today, the console is preforming worse than the debacle that was the X1. A console which even Nadella recognized as a collapse. Hardware refreshes, pro upgrades, or new controllers with a golden Kung Fu grip, doesn't change the fact that the platform is in the lowest selling in the products 20+ year history. If anyone believes that a new box will address the issues with the platform... I got a bridge to sell you.
Nah but like I said the series x isn’t a full blown windows pc out the box
if it’s a box that’s a PC then they might be good. PC gaming is growing year by year. If they can make a great experience for people who want to tap into pc gaming without breaking the bank to crazy I don’t see the issue.
Holammer
Member
I have suggested this before, drop the Xbox brand and convert consoles into Windows 11 machines.
With this "one weird trick” Series X owners would suddenly have access to everything with no walled garden or devmode. Some nutters might install Linux/SteamOS on it, but the vast majority would remain in MS's real eco system.
They might as well do it now before Valve beats them to the punch with a console form factor device like the Deck.
With this "one weird trick” Series X owners would suddenly have access to everything with no walled garden or devmode. Some nutters might install Linux/SteamOS on it, but the vast majority would remain in MS's real eco system.
They might as well do it now before Valve beats them to the punch with a console form factor device like the Deck.
FoxMcChief
Gold Member
Sounds like you just want a cheap pc (console price tag) that can play Xbox Series X quality visuals.
PC’s aren’t that hard. And there’s already ways to play your steam games on a tv, even if it’s not plugged in directly to it.
PC’s aren’t that hard. And there’s already ways to play your steam games on a tv, even if it’s not plugged in directly to it.
First of all I never said it had to be cheap at console price. That’s what a PS5 is for. I don’t expect them to sell this at a console price.
GHG
Gold Member
SteamOS is Linux fyi.
64bitmodels
Reverse groomer.
problem with a very visible solution- put gamepass on Steam. Xbox gains revenue from that.
Besides, they won't have to produce so much hardware, advertise so much, and all the extra junk that comes from keeping up a whole console platform. All they have to do is sell games and a service.
Even if the revenue is lower they'll make actual profit.
How they already make games for PC? They wouldn’t need to make a console version of the game if anything.
Woopah
Member
I think that's seperate from what the OP was suggesting, which I believe was that Xbox hardware becomes more like PCs. I don't think they were taking about Gamepass on other devices.
To address your point specifically, it would work for PC, but doing it for mobile, PlayStation or Switch would result in Microsoft paying royalties to the platform holder.
You'd think the hardware sales can't keep declining year after year, but maybe I'm overly optimistic.
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Bkdk
Member
Please msft give us age of mythology 2. Also focus on mod tools, AI and making their games moddable so they don’t have to hire as many game devs. One of the biggest weakness in msft is they do not know how to manage game studios too well and just can’t hire the good devs they need. Focusing on ai and modding tools will probably help them a lot.
Thirty7ven
Banned
So… you want them to release a PC, that can be easily exploited, and you want them to lose money on hardware so that Valve can grow.
Man I should’ve gone to business school.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
ReBurn
Gold Member
Yep.
I was just thinking that with the AMD architecture in Series consoles and the Steam community having already done so much work to map game inputs to controller layouts that it feels like a version of the OS that ran in a virtual machine on the series hardware could be a thing that might be possible with a reasonable amount of work, should Microsoft (or a hacking group) ever allow for Booting to Linux. Seems like a Steam app could run on the system with a reasonable amount of headroom.
FoxMcChief
Gold Member
Why do you want an Xbox branded PC then?
GHG
Gold Member
People in this thread literally asking for Xbox to become a PC, even asking for access to Steam.
Just buy a PC, or one of the many handheld gaming PC's. Having an Xbox logo and Phil Spencer talking about it isn't going to make it better.
You're asking for Microsoft, the owners of Windows to put Linux on one of their devices from the factory? It's never going to happen.
The rest of my answer is in this post above. I don't understand why you guys don't just make yourselves happy. The options for all of this already exist in the market today.
Just buy a PC, or one of the many handheld gaming PC's. Having an Xbox logo and Phil Spencer talking about it isn't going to make it better.
You're asking for Microsoft, the owners of Windows to put Linux on one of their devices from the factory? It's never going to happen.
The rest of my answer is in this post above. I don't understand why you guys don't just make yourselves happy. The options for all of this already exist in the market today.
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SmokedMeat
Gamer™
What would be the point then? Just build a PC.
64bitmodels
Reverse groomer.
I think it would be of great use for many people of all the Series Xes around the world got an update to become fully fledged easy to use WIndows PCs.
Not like this closed ecosystem console job seems to be working out for them.
They can stop production of the Series Consoles, get to work on producing a modular, more powerful PC in the same form factor, sell that for 700-800 dollars at a profit with a free Windows 11 license. Advertise it as a "surface gaming box" or some goofy ass shit. Skip console gaming entirely, put Gamepass on Steam, continue business as usual.
Even if not all the games are hits, they will make an actual profit for once since they aren't wasting their money on whole ass consoles and they're making a profit off of the systems they sell. No more unfair comparisons to Playstation or Nintendo, and they can still have a foot in the gaming market. It's literally the best solution for everybody involved.
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ChorizoPicozo
Member
is dead, let it go.
MS is not an entertainment company nor a consumer facing one. as simple as that.
MS is not an entertainment company nor a consumer facing one. as simple as that.
Not everyone wants to build a PC though. There’s people out there that want to get into it but couldn’t be bothered with all the specs and shit to put it together.
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Sushi_Combo
Member
Yes.
FoxMcChief
Gold Member
Then buy one. There’s tons of online sites that sell prefab, or customized builds.
Exactly. The console specific shit ain’t working out for them anymore.
GHG
Gold Member
Running fully fledged windows is one thing, but something like SteamOS? That's absurd.
Anyway, this whole discussion is bizarre, I thought people were happy with their Series consoles and the current state of the Xbox ecosystem? Apparently not.
64bitmodels
Reverse groomer.
well the point of the thread is that XBox will be selling cheap PCs that will certainly be far less expensive than a prebuilt which is already more expensive than building on your own.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
No. Steam Deck is a PC / console hybrid. It offers out of the box console like experience with 8,000 games that you install and it just works. And it is a PC where you have Linux environment, you can install Windows, and consequently every app on the planet. Hell, you can have fucking Excel spreadsheet running on it if you want. That's a PC / console hybrid. Series S/X is a console.
And to answer OP question: they should go that route, 100%.
ByWatterson
Member
100% agree.
Microsoft should be a publisher-OEM hybrid, but not a platform holder, per se. An Xbox branded device, Steam-compatible, while publishing on it, PC, and PlayStation, would be a killer move for them.
Different SKUs, lower pricing, TONS of potential in Japan and Asia, generally?
Killer move.
Microsoft should be a publisher-OEM hybrid, but not a platform holder, per se. An Xbox branded device, Steam-compatible, while publishing on it, PC, and PlayStation, would be a killer move for them.
Different SKUs, lower pricing, TONS of potential in Japan and Asia, generally?
Killer move.
T4keD0wN
Member
They do, but what performance would they target when there is a huge variability in hardware capabilities on pc in order to sell as many copies as possible?
Consoles make this a bit easier and ensure enough people will be able to buy it. A person with a gtx 1060 wouldnt buy Alan Wake 2 or Starfield on their store, we all know cheaper hw would be more popular.
They make money through software/services on their store, not hardware. The only reason consoles exist is to lock you into their store and to "keep up" well enough to offer a platform for 3rd party publishers to sell their games through, they wont risk taking loses on the hardware if it limits the audience and they wont have a guaranteed monopoly on the software store.
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FoxMcChief
Gold Member
Man. Sounds like console yuppies tired of being console yuppies, but not good enough to be PC elite.
Only reason I stopped being PC elite is because it was bad for my mental health, wallet and relationship with my wife. I always felt the need to upgrade the second something came out, then when I did, I would get sad that a better upgrade came out, and I would want it.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
How are you going to upgrade it?
PC gaming requires some know how. You’d spend $$$ on a piece of hardware and know nothing about it.
Doesn’t make sense to me.