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Xbox is failing because of PC?

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I am starting to think that the main reason the Xbox is failing is due to the rise of PC gaming and the simple reality that you can play every Xbox game on the PC. Halo 3 was only on the Xbox 360, as was Forza, Gears at first etc. You simply don't need an Xbox. Sony is releasing games on PC but after they have been out for a while on the PS5. It could be a year or two before we see Ragnorok. Some games like Demon Souls may never come to the PC. If I could play Tears of the kingdom on the PC at 4k 60 (legally) I wouldn't touch any piece of Nintendo hardware and I would hazard a guess many wouldn't. I don't think the original Xbox would have been as big a success if Halo was also released at the same time on PC and that was before the Twitch age
 

winjer

Gold Member
Xbox is failing because of lack of good games. Not because of PC.
While Sony is delivering great AAA games, MS is delivering crap like Redfall.

Let's remind that the Xbox app, UWP and the Windows Store on PC are complete trash. They are not a selling point for MS, they are a problem for PC gamers to deal with.
So no, the PC is not stealing gamers from Xbox.
 

reksveks

Member
If the monthly arpu for a pc user is enough in comparison to a console user (it does also depend on MAU's), then xbox probably don't give a f.
 

Kumomeme

Member
that is what people been saying for years. people no need to buy Xbox since PC also available. same amount of money to buy their console could be spend on upgrading pc instead.

however currently they barely has any exclusives game of their own so it make things worse.
 

Azurro

Banned
You could say Xbox is failing because of two things:

1. MS has been training their userbase to not buy games with GamePass.

2. Having all their first party games day and date on PC is hurting their value proposition a lot, because there's absolutely no reason to get an Xbox since everything is on PC as well and a lot of their fanbase comes from there.

However those two things don't matter that much if the quality of your 1st party games is not very good to begin with.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
Exactly. Did you know that these mofos still work from home? I recommend this interview with the 'creative' director and main con-man behind the game, Harvey Smith.

Timestamped:

But isn't Haarvey Smith the guy behind Dishonored?
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
Yes, he is. It's shocking. He was a designed on the OG Deus Ex and co-designed on Dishonored. I believe that Raphaël Colantonio was the main creative force at Arkane. He left and now we see the results.
Oh no he is moaning about fucking pandemic, this bullshit is really tired excuse.
 
Xbox is failing because of no exclusive great games being released on it. Phil can say what he wants but that is the reality on it. Also, they should not release everything day 1 on PC if you want to sell the console. It’s stupid and luckily Sony decided to not take the same road to the bottom.
 

Robb

Gold Member
If they’re popular on PC they’re not failing though?
Suspicious Will Smith GIF


I’m sure console sales suffer, but that’s just their strategy in general. People can play Xbox games on their phone or iPad as well. Some Smart-TVs even have the GamePass app nowadays, so you don’t even have to have a console connected to your TV anymore.
 

IDKFA

I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Maybe? I do know a couple of people who didn't bother buying an Xbox because they can play the same games (with better performance as well) on their PC.

However, I'm not sure this can be seen as a fail for Microsoft. Although they're not selling the hardware (something they admitted they've never made a profit on), they're still making money on GP sub/game sales.
 

Fatmanp

Member
Xbox is failing because of lack of good games. Not because of PC.
While Sony is delivering great AAA games, MS is delivering crap like Redfall.

Let's remind that the Xbox app, UWP and the Windows Store on PC are complete trash. They are not a selling point for MS, they are a problem for PC gamers to deal with.
So no, the PC is not stealing gamers from Xbox.
Agreed. I would flip the argument and say Xbox is failing on PC due to how shit the app on pc is.
 
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Majukun

Member
xbox is failing because

-they failed to capitalize on the 360 gen great start and then killed the brand with the xbone debacle
-sony and nintendo brand loyalty is much stronger
-they mismanaged their first party teams by not striving to reach a constant amount of quality for their releases, and focusing too often on only a couple of cyclical brands
-yes, mostr of their games being on pc doesn't help...with an half decent pc you don't need an xbox at all
 

DavidGzz

Member
Failing to deliver great exclusives to their fanbase yes, but failing in general? Making hand over fist maybe. If they were failing Spencer would be getting canned. Xbox will be fine. We can laugh and be frustrated all we want, but the division is making plenty of money, just not Playstation money.
 
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SJRB

Gold Member
Exactly. Did you know that these mofos still work from home? I recommend this interview with the 'creative' director and main con-man behind the game, Harvey Smith.

Timestamped:


I think Harvey Smith is a legend but the "work from home" excuse is dumb as fuck when there are plethora of other games coming out in pristine quality.

You can't keep blaming the pandemic or work from home when other developers all around you deliver excellent games regardless of the circumstances.
 

SeraphJan

Member
By the context OP is given I would say partially yes.

1. OP is specially talking about the Xbox platform, not in terms of gain from the game
2. Microsoft Windows is not Xbox platform
3. There are multiple reason why Xbox is failing, releasing game day one PC is only one of them
4. If Nintendo somehow release their first party game day one on PC, they will sold more game and make more money, but that doesn't mean Switch as a platform is unaffected.
5. Releasing the game on PC day one will of course NOT make the game worse, but it will make Xbox as a platform less unique.
6. Day one release is pro consumer, however it negatively impact Xbox as a platform in someway, because it give one less reason to purchase that platform

However that is far from the only problem that is causing Xbox to fail as a platform, I personally would say the factor that impact them the most is unable to release games that is appealing enough to capture consumer's desire to purchase their platform.

In fact if you take a different perspective: The reason they are releasing games day one on PC or on Game pass is because of their anticipation that the game will not create big enough impact for consumer to purchase their platform, thus in this situation the best way is to gain as much as possible from that game instead of building the platform, however this mindset is ultimately their downfall, its a vicious cycle. If you take this perspective you could see that they are not willing to sacrifice temporary gain for the goal of rebuild their Xbox platform, basically this is their way of giving up on the platform without telling you they are.

Another perspective: They are just using their console business as a stepping stone for their subscription and cloud service based business model, its not crazy to guess that they might just quit their console business in the future, either perspective its clear that Xbox as a platform is not their current focus.
 
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FunkMiller

Member
It's part of the problem, yes.

Now the biggest part - that's Xbox's complete inability to compete on first party games, but you're never going to do well by a console, if you insist that you can play all of the same games on another platform.
 

Pelta88

Member
There are more (15 Million) game pass users on PC than there are on console (10 Million) so that might play a role. Especially since Microsoft's focus is Game Pass.
 
Xbox isn’t just a console anymore, it’s a platform that includes console hardware but also encompasses PC and cloud gaming, meaning that there are more metrics of success to them.

You need to understand that because once you do, you’ll realise that the reason they are ‘failing’ is because they are not releasing unmissable, steady first party content that demands to be played.

Sony and Nintendo are succeeding in this area because they consistently release a steady stream of good first party content. Sony would still be doing just as good as they are if they released that content day and date on PC. They will eventually start doing this and believe there has already been mutterings of them doing this with their multiplayer content in the coming years.

Bottom line - Xbox aren’t releasing big AAA games that people want and rightfully expect from them. Until then, Sony and Nintendo will continue to dominate this space.
 

cireza

Member
Games, Xbox needs more quality games! That’s all.
Xbox has a ton a quality games... This narrative is tiresome and should be killed.

Because Xbox games don't fit whatever expectations you set for yourself, purely based on what good games are on PS, doesn't mean that good games don't exist on Xbox.

Redfall is bad ? Well yes, maybe. Shit happens. Other games aren't suddenly worse because one was bad.
 
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Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Xbox has a ton a quality games... This narrative is tiresome and should be killed.

Because Xbox games don't fit whatever expectations you set for yourself, purely based on what good games are on PS, doesn't mean that good games don't exist on Xbox.

Redfall is bad ? Well yes, maybe. Shit happens. Other games aren't suddenly worse because one was bad.
I’m not saying they don’t have quality games but compare to Sony and Nintendo, they don’t release as often as they should.
 

cireza

Member
I’m not saying they don’t have quality games but compare to Sony and Nintendo, they don’t release as often as they should.
Sony and Nintendo certainly don't release that many first party games either. They fill the gaps with outsourced development to third parties, or even privatize multi-platform series to fill the gaps, which Microsoft does not do.
 

Schmendrick

Member
Xbox has a ton a quality games... This narrative is tiresome and should be killed.

Because Xbox games don't fit whatever expectations you set for yourself, purely based on what good games are on PS, doesn't mean that good games don't exist on Xbox.
There`s a difference between a good game and some massive blockbuster AAA good game. The latter is severely lacking on Xbox and has been for over a decade now. They exist, but those are way too few and release too infrequently to pull a whole ecosystem.
 
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darrylgorn

Member
OP, I'm not sure if you're aware of this but there is pretty rampant piracy of Switch games and it is still wildly successful.
 

cireza

Member
In comparison to? Because it sure isn`t in comparison to Nintendo or Sony.
The issue here is that the only people who care comparing Xbox to Nintendo and Sony are Nintendo and Sony fans.

You can have a profitable activity without having to "beat" Sony and or Nintendo, or competing directly with them. And this is exactly what Spencer explained recently.
 

Schmendrick

Member
The issue here is that the only people who care comparing Xbox to Nintendo and Sony are Nintendo and Sony fans.

You can have a profitable activity without having to "beat" Sony and or Nintendo, or competing directly with them. And this is exactly what Spencer explained recently.
because that`s what every company strives for, just not fail completely. Not market shares, higher profit or anything, because that would be capitalistic and stuff.
...
...
...
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Record breaking revenue.....

..Deffo failing.

The only thing they are failing in is releases and leadership...as a business they are probably happy...which makes it even worse!
 

Ev1L AuRoN

Member
I do not own a Series X due to already having a gaming PC, but even if that wasn't the case, Xbox don't have any game that warrant me the necessity to bought one. Don't get me wrong, there are great games on the system, Forza and Flight Simulator are some of the standouts for me. But there are no exclusives that I really into to. You can laugh at the Single-player cinematic adventures from Sony's, but those are the games I really miss on Xbox. And I think Hellblade 2 will be the first game that will make me really want an Xbox.

I don't think the Microsoft problem is the PC, they just need to release better games with consistency, and for the love of god, games that tap into the console's true potential. Game pass is another problem to solve, not for us gamers but for Microsoft relationship with partners, if the machine continues to have trouble selling software, a lot of projects may end up being exclusive not because of some money hatting but just because of sales projection.
 

cireza

Member
you need to crawl out from under that rock where you´ve obviously spent the last 3 years
Those three years were they made their highest revenue since the beginning of Xbox ?

I have spent these three years playing on Xbox and never had any issue finding quality games to play.
 
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