Well, we've already established that MS doesn't really have any interest in expanding their first party right now.
My question is, what do you think the breaking point will be? What series of circumstances do you think MS will have to find themselves in before they decide they need change?
Or do you think there's nothing that will change MS's current trajectory?
Ever since Nadella took over, MS has been gradually reducing investment in properties which have only lost money or have declining market share. We have seen this with Windows Phone which is all but on it's deathbed and we are seeing it with Xbox. Nadella wants MS to focus on things which make MS money or are growth markets, and this means Windows, Office, and Azure. Stuff which was always flushing good money down the drain after bad like Bing and Windows Phone are being put out to pasture, and it looks like they are looking hard at whether Xbox is worth continuing to piss away billions of dollars on. (It's not.)
MS's shareholders have generally been happy with the reign of Nadella, as evidenced by the stock price marching upwards after Ballmer left. So I expect this paring down of the useless consumer products portfolio to continue so MS can get back to doing what it's good at, which is fucking up everyone's computers every time a new Windows 10 major update is released.
Bing is not being out out to pasture and is a billion dollar business. Wtf???
Same here. If you have a pc there is zero reason to buy one. Tbh even if I didnt own a pc, I would have no reason to buy one, because I still havent played any of the xbox store games anyway. The only reason why anyone I know owns an xbone is because they had friends that play on xbox live
Good job, thank you for following up and investigating this. Appreciate the footwork.
I agree that Amy Hood's statement is ambiguous, and the fact that it is embedded in articles that seemed to have mis-stated the facts in several ways does tend to discredit the whole thing.
However, if pressed, I'd say the Amy Hood does seem to refer to Xbox, or at least to MS's gaming division as a whole, because she does use the words "us" and "we" ("if you think about us, we've got a multibillion dollar business that is profitable..."). The sentence before that is referring to the whole industry, but then she seems to narrow it to "us." However, I agree, it's not crystal clear.
"Our gaming business now is more than $9 billion and growing profitably. The gaming world is growing faster than ever before from gameplay across multiple devices, to the explosive growth in streaming and eSports, to new subscription services and mixed reality scenarios...We launched...new services (Mixer and Xbox Game Pass) to broaden our reach and enrich our gaming experience, both of which are off to a very strong start."
Gaming is ”growing profitably"? Wait. What?
One of the dirty little secrets of Microsoft's Xbox/gaming business is that it has never actually turned a profit. So I was curious to hear Mr. Nadella utter these contorted words last night: ”Our gaming business is now more than $9 billion, and growing profitably." So. $9 billion is revenues, not profits. So growing means that revenues are growing. And growing profitably means ... what? That the business is ”becoming profitable"? Or is it just growing revenues positively? Was this a misstatement? What does that mean? Here's my guess. He means usage and engagement are growing. Because I can state this with certainty: Microsoft's gaming business is not profitable. In fact, it's undergoing a digital transformation of its own.
Known MS inxider, Paul Thurrott, also seems to think that wording was weird[/URL]:
Actually, while nearly a month old, that Thurrott quote may be new thread worthy
And yet would still not convince many of the people here to get one. They've got no intention, regardless of what MS does.
Bing's share of search has been continuously declining since it was launched in 2009. This is primarily because of the decreasing usage of Internet Explorer and the non-existence of Edge, the only two browsers where Bing is the default search engine. Therefore it belongs in the category of declining products that I am talking about.
So according to NeoGAF everyone wants to play on PC given the chance apparently. It's quite shocking how consoles have managed to be so popular if this logic were even remotely accurate. Not everyone wants to game on a PC, I hate the PC gaming experience.If someone owns a PC I can't think of a reason to own X1. Then again I'm older Rarely play with real life friends anymore. I'd feel the same if all Sony games went to PC. I would build a PC and my Ps4 Would be out of here.
Wow. "One of the dirty little secrets of Microsofts Xbox/gaming business is that it has never actually turned a profit." "I can state this with certainty: Microsofts gaming business is not profitable."
That's pretty strong language, coming from an MS insider. You're right, it may be worth a separate thread. It's new information, from just 3 or 4 weeks ago. It's off-topic here. It would be interesting to have a discussion where everyone gets their evidence on the table. It'll get contentious, I'm sure.
I'll leave it to you.
I feel like MS is slowly wrapping up Xbox, honestly.
Yep, I do not understand why people are so excited about X, it is going to have the same barebones catalogue.I feel like MS is slowly wrapping up Xbox, honestly.
Ummm. What are you talking about? It's been increasing forever. It's 30% market share.
Bung is the back bone of MS analytics. It's not just a browser thing.
welp, i made the thread
may god have mercy on us all
There may actually be some die-hards who would act as you describe, but there are plenty of lapsed Xbox gamers here who would gladly give Microsoft another chance given sufficient motivation in the form of compelling exclusive titles. I'm one of them.
30%? LMAO? According to who? The same people who measure Xbox profitability?
https://www.netmarketshare.com/search-engine-market-share.aspx?qprid=4&qpcustomd=0
I'm talking US. Bing isn't even global.
Bing has a 30 percent share. It's been growing per quarter with share and revenue.
30%? LMAO? According to who? The same people who measure Xbox profitability?
https://www.netmarketshare.com/search-engine-market-share.aspx?qprid=4&qpcustomd=0
If I was to assume the current software situation was the new, permanent status quo, then it feels less like that and more like that they've given up on trying to take the market leadership position and want to transition towards safe bets and long term profitability. But their current software weakness seems to be at odds with their current aggressive hardware push - they clearly feel like it's an advantage for them to retake the performance crown.
I guess the real question is does Microsoft have a continued interest in contracting external developers to make games for them? Unless they're beefing up their internal studios (which I haven't seen indication of), that's the only way they are going to be bringing out more exclusive software. It's sort of unfortunate for them that their external studio bets this gen didn't seem to have paid off - Ryse, Sunset Overdrive and Quantum Break are the main ones that could easily have become franchises if they had seen major commercial success.
Ummm. What are you talking about? It's been increasing forever. It's 30% market share.
Bung is the back bone of MS analytics. It's not just a browser thing.
"Bing is heading to $5 billion revenue per year, beating many Internet stalwarts like Twitter, and has had 30-40% YoY growth over the last year, largely driven by the growth in Windows 10 deployment, according to Steve Sirich General Manager of Bing Ads"
I didn't realise I could only play exclusives on it and not the plethora of 3rd party & indie titles.Yep, I do not understand why people are so excited about X, it is going to have the same barebones catalogue.
I feel like MS is slowly wrapping up Xbox, honestly.
Yep, I do not understand why people are so excited about X, it is going to have the same barebones catalogue.
Yep, I do not understand why people are so excited about X, it is going to have the same barebones catalogue.
Was that ever in doubt? That's precisely what it is, and always has been.It is more and more looking like the x1x isn't actually intended to grow the audience but custom made for a core base that is on board no matter what. That's the only way the price makes sense.
Every heard of the phrase 'the exception that proves the rule'?Agreed. It's hilarious to learn from other people that there is no reason to buy an Xbox.
I have
- no PS4
- no Switch
- no capable PC
- an Xbox One
- an Xbox One S
and will buy an Xbox One X next year.
I must be doing this for no reason.
Was that ever in doubt? That's precisely what it is, and always has been.
So according to NeoGAF everyone wants to play on PC given the chance apparently. It's quite shocking how consoles have managed to be so popular if this logic were even remotely accurate. Not everyone wants to game on a PC, I hate the PC gaming experience.
I own a gaming PC, a PS4, PSVR and still own an Xbox One which is my primary gaming console. Surely I shouldn't exist according to most people here?
That is precisely what it is and I think that is MS' strategy going forward - tend to the base that is already there since significant base expansion is out the window.It is more and more looking like the x1x isn't actually intended to grow the audience but custom made for a core base that is on board no matter what. That's the only way the price makes sense.
It is more and more looking like the x1x isn't actually intended to grow the audience but custom made for a core base that is on board no matter what. That's the only way the price makes sense.
Who says it isn't interesting?Uh yeah. I believe there was a time when the idea of x1x doing something interesting was not exactly an outlandish concept.
Yep, I do not understand why people are so excited about X, it is going to have the same barebones catalogue.
I'm talking US. Bing isn't even global.
Bing has a 30 percent share. It's been growing per quarter with share and revenue.
https://mspoweruser.com/you-would-be-surprised-how-much-bigger-bing-is-than-you-think/
It is more and more looking like the x1x isn't actually intended to grow the audience but custom made for a core base that is on board no matter what. That's the only way the price makes sense.
But really, I'm not so sure why you're so concerned. Does your brand loyalty to Microsoft extend to their search engine? That seems a little ludicrous.
I don't think anyone is excited about the One X.
I don't think anyone is excited about the One X.
You're comparing the Windows phone with the Xbox? Uh okay then. The Windows phone was never going to take off given how monstrous Android and iOS have been. Windows phones barely made a dent in the phone market when they came out, which is in stark contrast to the xbox and the console industry. I have no idea why you are so dead set in your belief that the xbox is being done away with. News flash: it's not going anywhere. And rofl at saying that MS is pissing away billions of dollars. Thats some serious spin, but feel free to keep trying.Ever since Nadella took over, MS has been gradually reducing investment in properties which have only lost money or have declining market share. We have seen this with Windows Phone which is all but on it's deathbed and we are seeing it with Xbox. Nadella wants MS to focus on things which make MS money or are growth markets, and this means Windows, Office, and Azure. Stuff which was always flushing good money down the drain after bad like Bing and Windows Phone are being put out to pasture, and it looks like they are looking hard at whether Xbox is worth continuing to piss away billions of dollars on. (It's not.)
MS's shareholders have generally been happy with the reign of Nadella, as evidenced by the stock price marching upwards after Ballmer left. So I expect this paring down of the useless consumer products portfolio to continue so MS can get back to doing what it's good at, which is fucking up everyone's computers every time a new Windows 10 major update is released.
The die hards are from what I've seen but how many of them there are in the grand scheme of things I can't say.
I'm not excited at all and I consider myself a Xbox fan despite what the likes of gamz says.
I feel like MS is slowly wrapping up Xbox, honestly.
Yep, I do not understand why people are so excited about X, it is going to have the same barebones catalogue.
Honestly I feel the same way even with the existence of Xbox One X.
I don't think anyone is excited about the One X.
Absolutely no one, I tell you.
I'm not a die hard but i'm looking forward to the chance of playing my stuff in a better, stronger hardware. Not enough to throw a party or shoot some fireworks so maybe that doesn't count as being excited? I mean, people were hardly bursting of joy for the PS4pro either.
It is more and more looking like the x1x isn't actually intended to grow the audience but custom made for a core base that is on board no matter what. That's the only way the price makes sense.
I feel like MS is slowly wrapping up Xbox, honestly.
Theres a good chance this is going to seem surprisingly prophetic 20 months from now.