Talking Point: Xbox Fans, How Do You Feel About The Future Of The Brand In 2024?

personally if Xbox doesn't shut down any more studios, doesn't remove physical releases, and can just get each studio to work on non gaas games, it should be a good generation for them.

I dont see any reason to worry. As long as Ms manage to keep the store open that is . While we might not hear much about it I guess that must be a challange that Microsoft is faceing, at least at some point in time..

If they can get on a consistent schedule of releasing quality games every quarter and continue to get 3rd party support for gamepass the brand has a good chance. But xbox sales are extremely low. They really need to give people a solid reason to buy an Xbox (exclusives would do that). Despite all their studios, the first party games are slow to come out. Hopefully that changes beginning this fall. I much prefer to game on my xbox then anything else so I hope all works out!

The xbox hardware will always be bad for me. But I'll check out what games they can bring in the future. The showcase was good, but I only liked the third party games shown. There are no first party games I'm attracted to.

I might consider getting gamepass again, but last time I had it, my ps5 controller on PC gamepass wasn't recognised. Which put me off from renewing. Steam is just way better with controller support.

They have the most exciting lineup of upcoming games out of any publisher. I think the future is bright for xbox.

If they add a handheld and bridge the gap between their console ecosystem and the pc ecosystem then I will probably shift my main platform focus back to xbox from steam.

I'm a little worried that we may see the end of Xbox branded hardware more quickly than any of us anticipated, and whilst its not my fave system, I would be pretty depressed to see that. We all need Xbox's to be competing with the other systems.

However, in terms of games publishing they are here for the long term, and have plenty to be excited about next year and beyond, so no worries on that front!

Really excited for gaming over the next 12 months. I have some great games in my wishlist that are already out but there are some great games (both exclusive & non excl) that are being released over the next 12-18 months. I still have a feeling we will see something big announced in terms of hardware towards the end of the year.. perhaps the rumoured handheld device or something?

Long-term, I do not see a future for Xbox as a console manufacturer (unless it's a handheld, maybe). If there is a generation after this one, and I think it remains an if at the moment, then I think that will be the last of the traditional Xbox consoles. If we think this generation has been poor for sales of the Series console, then hold on to your hats for the next one, because that will be truly bleak! Plus, seeing something like Xbox games included with the Amazon Fire Stick, just speeds up the process of doing away with the need for a console, in my opinion.

That said, it really does depend on what Microsoft do with their exclusives from here on out. If exclusives such as Indiana Jones and Blade, Fable and Avowed go to the PlayStation either day and date of release, or six months later, then it really becomes questionable as to whether it is worth buying the next Xbox. Obviously, there is Game Pass, which will alleviate the cost of buying these games on the PlayStation, but you would still have to invest big money in buying the next Xbox too, and unless you plan on playing pretty much every Xbox exclusive on the Game Pass, then it might be just as cost effective to buy them on the PlayStation and not bother buying an Xbox.

It all depends on your buying habits. If, like me, you always buy both consoles, then just buying the PlayStation, will potentially save money, even with buying the Xbox made games. And it needs to be remembered that buying a PlayStation will also give you access to their games, so it's not a straightforward comparison of cost savings, as there is also what you will be getting for your money.

I think Game Pass will struggle to find third-party support going forward, and indeed, the same maybe true for the console too. I think we are already seeing that right now.

When it comes to making great games, I do think the outlook for Microsoft gaming is extremely bright. They have made wise investments that will keep gamers and shareholders very happy. They just need to up both the quality and cadence of their output.

I'd love to be wrong about Xbox as a console, as it is my preferred place to game, and I love the controller, but I have severe doubts as to its longevity...

If you believe the rumours and the youtubers with no evidence, Xbox has been dying for at least a decade. So not worried at all.

@Fiendish-Beaver pretty much agree with everything you summarized, especially how they treat their should be “exclusives”.

Only part I think I disagree with is third party support for gamepass. Is it currently struggling? Seems like 2024 has been a pretty good year for gamepass. Then again I have gamepass but don’t feel like I utilize it enough, since most games I want to play this year haven’t been on gamepass.

I'm largely where I was before. I like the look of the games that are coming and assuming the quality is there "yay". Xbox is at the point it has to start delivering on all those purchases constantly, both in terms of the rate of releases and quality.

But the whole no-exclusive talk still has me rattled. If Nintendo brought their games to Xbox, I wouldn't have a Switch. As much as I love it it is simply cheaper to have one less console. If I'm thinking that as a proudly multi-format gamer, what must those who can only have one or worse yet third-party publishers be thinking? (obviously, if there next-gen console is some sort of dual boot Console and PC then all that goes away)

TLDR. I want MS to deliver some quality games and clearly state some red lines on their multiplatform policy.

For me they chop n change too much searching for the next big thing, which is fine, but they just don't seem to be settle and I can't see it settle down soon. Erratic.

This will probably be my last Xbox... but it won't. I don't like the idea of a console-less platform. As long as they keep hardware coming. I will pick one up and GP, but yeah, they're a tad frustrating to support at the minute. Hopefully, they can stick around and keep nibbling at Sony's heels.

I really don't like Game Pass. I get choice paralysis. Recently it's not even like the choice has been good.

The June showcase will turn stuff around when we actually start seeing the good first party stuff none of the digital devolver humble game stuff that’s coming. Because I did not buy an Xbox to play humble games

I am pretty optimistic yes! After the Xbox showcase, they seem to have a somewhat more consistent release schedule that is more packed than previous years, and hopefully they can continue that for years to come, since that is an issue Microsoft has had for a while in spite of having a ton of studios under its helm.

On top of that, they are also continuing the backwards compatibility program, so more titles have the chance to become playable, and I’m a sucker for playing older games, so I’m glad that’s coming too as well!

I will start by saying the whole industry is not in the best place right now for me.
To many remakes and remasters and taking far to long to make big AAA games that I like and of top quality overall.

Console wise the series x is the best console.
It’s size form factor
Quick resume
VRR LFC
Adding memory plug in external
4 things better than PS5.

Starting with console sales in Europe not including the UK we like Xbox. It is an utter shambles and can’t believe how Sony with PS5 have such a strong hold they have done nothing special this generation and the 4 items mentioned above the PS5 does not have.
But even Sony are now over 5 million consoles down on PS4 sales, same time line in Europe.

As for Xbox the brand I’m unsure about the hardware future, I’m desperately hoping they make a next generation console and keep the 4 items mentioned above and the controller layout the same.

Gamepass is very good value for money and you can’t go wrong there.

Brand software wise well it’s up to them, make great games and results will improve but they have bought so many studios they can’t really mess that up.

They don’t seem to want to promote and advertising much so not sure what they doing there. But they will for COD for sure.

As for the future probably the most uncertain out of all the big three.
We know exactly what we will get from Nintendo.
Sony will continue as is, though they have a very bad own Studios games drought at the minute.

Xbox is sort of on a variety of directions and I’m not sure where they will end up.
Next generation hardware is definitely not ensured, especially home console.
Gamepass to continue probably maybe.
Cloud gaming very poor but probably the distant future one day.
Publishing games, definitely they have so many studios is the only real main stable item. All the rest Microsoft could pull out of anytime they wish.

Nintendo and Sony you know won’t go anywhere as it is a massive part of their business as Xbox is a side dish to Microsofts trillions.

Great! Xbox is definitely my favorite platform right now and they seem to be making all the right moves.

Zero confidence. They're too erratic for my tastes. Posting record growth as a company and then closing award-winning studios is just not a good look. I'm also among the few who wasn't impressed by most of their games showcase.

With Xbox sharing more of their exclusives and missing out on PS5 exclusives, and even third party console titles missing only Xbox out, apart from my historically having Xbox's, it's seemingly more pointless really.

And getting rid of quality game studios, being more obnoxiously money-oriented with live service nonsense, I now largely just buy single player games with all content and patched for much less a couple years later. I know it's not just Xbox, the whole industry has become bleh, but I do miss the golden era of gaming in the 2000s. Finished games, complete products, worthwhile DLC etc...

As a publisher their star is golden. As an ecosystem, a "place to play games" between streaming, subscription, being baked into TVs as a gaming service, PC, Playstation (lol), I think they're doing their own thing and building something interesting. As for an actual hardware gaming platform, it's going to be an interesting, and bumpy ride I think for a good while. I don't think they're going anywhere with "official" Xbox hardware (whether a single model or a partner hardware network or what) but I think the pending transition from traditional, failing console, into this new ecosystem, PC-driven, whatever form it's going to morph into will eventually be good, but I think it's going to be a very rocky road to get there, where Series owners might feel shafted like WiiU owners for a while, and new platform early adopters will have to go go through the typical Microsoft janky piecemeal cobbling of a new system. In a lot of ways if it works the way I imagine it will work the end result will be a new era of what console gaming is, and the first major upgrade to the model since the 32 bit consoles. But I also think getting from here to there might be a rough ride, made rougher by MS's penchant to foist their corporate directives onto Xbox, which was supposed to end when Xbox became its own division away from Windows, but somehow is back to that (you KNOW Qualcomm and Copilot will be forced into Xbox in awkward and problematic ways, you just know it will.)

The thing with Xbox they don’t need to attract us we are the gamers and yes they could steal a few from Sony and Nintendo
But it’s the masses the general public they really need for Xbox consoles and game pass and I don’t think they have much of a chance on that front for both consoles or gamepass.

Yes software if going multiple platform if the games appeal, of course COD will and DOOM to a lesser degree.

But with XBOX as a brand as hardware and gamepass. They will never take off with the mass I’m afraid to say. The masses are deeply in Sony and Nintendo territory now and gone for good.

Do I think the Xbox division is going to collapse or stop turning a profit? No.

Do I think Microsoft is going to maximize the appeal and overall gameplay experience offered by Xbox? Once again, no.

It's difficult to speculate about what exactly will happen though because there a lot of relatively new variables at play these days: GPU manufacturers are targeting the AI / big data sector ahead of gaming, high speed internet is becoming increasingly common, the buying power is decreasing for the majority of the population, etc. etc.

What I'd like to see happen though is this: Microsoft releases a "gamer's variant" of Windows to compete with SteamOS, but it would have better compatibility being based on Windows. Xbox consoles are still sold, but become a baseline standard for developers to aim for on the new OS.

Publisher wise they should be fine, the only concern is how they have handled some studios recently with closures and how much of that is influenced from the higher up corpos. Its will be intersting to see how Ninja Theory are handled following Hellblade 2 not exactly setting the world ablaze given how others were treated.

Hardware wise I think it would take something amazing for them to ever offer meaningful competition. On paper people may like to say they have the bet console, but when sales are lowest the perception of the consumer says the opposite.

Game pass I think will probably get worse overtime or just become a primarily microsoft game studios product. Similar to how all sub platforms seem to decline over time.

They should be fine but I think the real focus will shift over all to being a publisher, and gamepass as a publishers own platform with some guest spots.

@NEStalgia You have to love Copilot, we are moving our finance package at work to Dynamics BC365 and during the training this week we were shown how to write a simple report from a 4 word phrase.

All used the same 4 words, got 4 different reports... some not even relevant. Good Job Microsoft

@101Force "GPU manufacturers are targeting the AI / big data sector ahead of gaming, "

This one is huge. Once upon a time Nvidia basically existed as a company that makes graphics cards. Today that's barely an afterthought tiny business for an enthusiast niche, while their focus is entirely on AI, datacenter, automotive, etc. They don't seem to put a lot of thought into graphics chips anymore, and the big gains they get at exorbitant prices are mostly from building on top of their AI chips. Meanwhile they price themselves out of the market in which they're a monopoly (nearly double prices from RX30 to RX40.)

The other problem is "mainstream" budget GPU doesn't really exist as a category anymore, as integrated graphics have replaced it for "free", so basically 100% of GPUs are enthusiast product by definition, and they've priced the market away from itself.

That's going to affect how games are developed and what hardware they're targeted to quite a lot IMO.

@Fiendish-Beaver "seeing something like Xbox games included with the Amazon Fire Stick, just speeds up the process of doing away with the need for a console, in my opinion."

Yes, it does, though I think that's always been the plan, as the whole model of GP required, from the start, hitting numbers that are far, far, far, in excess of the number of people that have ever owned consoles at once in the history of consoles. So reaching mass market like that has always been the goal. Though IMO the bigger threat to consoles comes not from the Firestick casuals that were never ever going to buy a console to begin with. It's the new laptops and such that are accelerating at such a rate, that a random ultra thin laptop in a few years will probably blow past whatever the latest console is. I.E. I really wonder if the whole idea of dedicated GPUs (and thus consoles) are to come to an end as general purpose mainstream computing is getting closer and closer to it, right at a time when games devs realize they can't afford to keep feeding ever more powerful GPUs.

Even on the PC side of things, if you look at GPUs, the high end GPUs seem to double in power and rise 50% in price ever 2 years now. Meanwhile the mid-range cards only get like 15% gains per generation, a few fps, plus some new features. If integrated graphics start nipping at that, even dedicated GPUs outside the extreme enthusiast pay-anything market start seeming antiquated.

Weird time in gaming. It feels like were at the leading edge of transitioning away from custom purpose hardware just to play video games. We're not there yet. But if you figure it's taken 30-40 years for "gaming" to just "run on any computing device" maybe it's been slow, rather than fast.

Zork ran on anything. Oregon Trail ran on anything. Mario is Missing ran on anything. Maybe we're decades past due, in returning to that.

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I enjoy the Xbox brand and they are certainly trying their best. At the moment they also seem ahead of PS in creating new games however, PS as brand can afford making a lot more mistakes than Xbox. PS brand loyalty is top-notch! Since the PS5 is far away from the brand it used to be, they keep selling a lot of consoles still. Price hikes (sub), remasters, remakes, etc. doesn't seem to bother those sales.

I hope we get to see some change in numbers after COD's release and what Xbox has shown. As a publisher they will definitely succeed!
Very interested to see GPU numbers after releasing COD. Could be a lot more or people don't care of switching and/or paying full price for that game.

Not alone for Xbox but also for a better competitive PlayStation who should feel the need to improve some things on their side. I can not imagine that PS will keep their spot in this industry while doing nothing compared to Xbox. That freewheeling must have an expiration date? (although Astro Bot 2024 will be a hit, I'm sure)

A lot will depend on how Xbox will choose the right exclusives and keep them off PS (current PS tactic). Still do multiplat because they need the funds, but keep the best new exclusives for themselves (not an easy task but they have a lot of studios so Xbox can start playing some darts 😋)

A lot of new partnerships can potentially happen in the future. The industry keeps changing and if the Fire Sick can become a thing, maybe there will be something like Apple + Sony, Steam + MS, ...

In all seriousness, I hope that the Xbox brand keeps existing ..

My faith in Microsoft Games has been restored. In Xbox, not so much. I don’t care either way. Been gaming on a ROG Ally and if xCloud keeps improving the way it has and Game Pass has all those games that MS promised us I can see my Ally being only an emulation and past geneation gaming machine. Think I’ll just get an OLED tv with the Game Pass app built-in and that will be my gaming setup going forward.

They still support single player WRPGs and FPSs so we’re good.

But add gyro aiming to the controller please.

Much more optimistic. Interested to see what they do next gen. Software output ramping up nicely too.

The Xbox brand is slowly becoming irrelevant. Microsoft Gaming is going from strength to strength.

They’re done competing with the other consoles in the traditional sense, it’s all about maximising profits however they deem necessary and I think in the long term the Xbox brand will be diluted until it becomes non existent.

Since moving away from consoles, I don't really think about the Xbox "brand" anymore. Same goes for PlayStation. It's actually been quite liberating to not be beholden to a platform holder; I just play what I want and don't worry about whether my platform of choice has enough exclusive games or any of the other guff that comes with console fandoms.

I disagree, @themightyant. There are way more gamers now than there were back in the days of SNES, MegaDrive/Genesis, N64 and the OG Xbox, so you would absolutely hope that the current Series console has sold more. So beating the OG Xbox is a low bar. However, the competition for X is directly with the PlayStation, and people need to stop kidding themselves that Xbox is even remotely competing in with PS5 in terms of consoles. Indeed, the Series isn't even visible in their rear view mirror. As for beating N64 sales of 49 million? No. I do not see it.

I genuinely question whether there will be another proper home console from Microsoft. Different people are calling the shots now, and they are expecting differing things from Xbox. The design and manufacturing of a new console is an expensive aspect of the business, and if you can sell just as many games by virtue of people buying them on the PS6 and the PC, then can probably do away with making a new Xbox console. Even with the 30% you'd have to pay Sony and Steam for games sold, you would still make more money than you would by developing a new Xbox home console, and trying to flog your games there.

Would I prefer Xbox to retain a presence in the home console market? Absolutely! My Series X is my primary console, and competition is good for the market. However, do I think Microsoft will make another home console? Of that I am not so sure. Microsoft can make a lot of money in other ways, and another home console is a gamble they may not be willing to make...

People were most hyped to see Doom, a first party game coming day 1 to Playstation.

Obviously I have much deeper thoughts on this that I've posted here ad nauseam but it's a perfect tldr on the state of Xbox and its future.

Good i suppose they had a great show with the reveals at there show great games coming up gamepass is great value I hope it continues!

The comments did not disappoint as usual. 😂

After the disastrous XOne release, MS needed to right the ship. They've done so and then some. While there is an inherent need to continue making consoles, they don't care if you're not buying the next gen Xbox hardware. They end up making more money if you don't, so tying their success to the outdated idea of console sales is completely missing the big picture. Gaming is fast moving past consoles and MS is already way ahead of Sony in that area. (Don't get me wrong we need Sony and MS battling it out for the competitive edge, which benefits gamers.)

MS making deals for cross.play is just another ploy to remove any edge Sony holds. And if they bring a native handheld to the market, it will be yet another huge boon to their bottom line. (The current Sony "handheld" is an absolute joke.)

MS is playing the field to line up their strengths and cement their hold on the gaming market.

It would be really easy to say it’s all doom and gloom because of poor hardware sales but the fact is that Xbox is different now. Games on different consoles. Incredible games. Now on Amazon as well. More hardware to come. Xbox isn’t dying, it’s just growing in a very different way and I’m excited for the future. The best way to play Xbox games is on Xbox and always will be.

More and more players are going to be playing Xbox games and that in turns means that the future is bright….the future is bright Green!

Enjoy.

@Mustoe very true. 😂 Both Sony and MS, at the end of the day, really only care about their bottom lines. Currently, MS is making moves to improve its standing that happens to benefit gamers more. "Fanboys" need to realize neither company cares about gamers.

OT: Many seem to have forgotten Sony was originally planning to release the PS4 with most of the same restrictions planned for the XOne. Sony's sudden about face destroyed MS's marker share. MS's arrogance and tone-deaf approach almost destroyed the XBox completely.

I meant SNES, had sold more than 49 million, @themightyant. I simply typed the wrong console.

As for your point, I totally agree, but my point is from the perspective of wanting there to be another Xbox home console (the handheld holds no interest for me), and the fact that Microsoft are indeed moving away from the need for a home console. Thus we are both getting to the same conclusion that Microsoft may soon believe that another console is actually unnecessary. That greatly disappoints me, as I much prefer the Xbox to the PlayStation.

As for Cloud, it is not growing at anywhere near the rate that Microsoft had first thought, and indeed, they have pretty much ceased investment in it, as was shown during the FTC trial. The Amazon Fire Stick is a dabble in the business of not requiring a console, which, if successful, could well signal the end of there ever being a neXt box at all...

@Robocrop_Duster Getting rid of physical releases would have practically zero effect on either Sony or Microsoft financially. No one wants to be the first to blink though because of the press that would follow.

At the end of 2023, digital was 83% of unit sales accounting for 95% of revenue industry wide. And if we're being honest, Switch probably made up most of the physical sales. Most people don't want physical and quite frankly, if maintaining physical drives and manufacturing is causing increased costs across the industry (R&D, hardware, supply chains, etc) I'd be first in line to cheer for its demise.

@Secryt I was only saying that I don't want physical to go. I fully understand digital is the future. While I do have digital games my preferred method is physical.

@Mustoe

A definite plus to all this is that it will see an end to the 'console fanboy keyboard warrior'. In time you'll have to visit a museum to see one. 😅

I'm sure that it'll take them less than 24 hours to find something else to argue about.

Not sure if this has been commented or thought by others already, but I feel strongly that Xbox future sees them not completely out of the hardware business, but not existing in that space the way they do now.

Something akin to what Steam is doing with the steam deck and their storefront, but of course coming about the opposite way. Seems like they already are working toward this in pushing game pass everywhere they can get it and the awesome but not oft 3rd party approved play anywhere that gets you pc and console copy of game you buy...

Anyhow, I see in the not so distant future their brand existing as a steam esque store front on pc and possibly on Nintendo or playstation consoles to some extent, and their own consoles produced as mid to high end PC that can function as console on tv connection(a la 'big picture' on steam). They'll no longer be dependent solely on console sales and closed ecosystem, though, so I'd expect a much pricier entry point than console norms(selling at a loss initially).

Oh and if that hypothetical future were to come about for them, I think all current base (self included) would be fine with it, as it takes away worries of losing digital library in that scenario

@themightyant Exactly, spot on. It’s not that only one company can survive. There should be several, competition is good for everyone. Microsoft and Xbox does fine.

GamePass Ultimate surely has many pros but it has also its cons. Due to the fact that games disappear after a year from coming to GamePass, people who like to return to older games must buy them anyway....

The old model with 2-3 games to keep forever whenever subscription exists was better for loyal customers.

I still have some concerns in regards to how much longer MS will continue to support physical releases for video games and whether it will continue to produce Xbox consoles (I know Spencer and Bond have both said there will at least be a next-gen machine but plans seem to change constantly). As far as games, though, there's a lot of stuff coming from Xbox Studios that I want to play. Gears of War E-Day, Perfect Dark and DOOM: The Dark Ages, topping the list.

I skipped this generation of XBOX, but 2025 looks great. Problem is that I'm sure a lot of them will be delayed, and Doom is going to be on PS5. Having a Switch, many portable emus, and a PS5 is already a firehose of games. That said, excellent showcase. I still really, really want XBOX to succeed. Just for the basic "competition is good" reasons.

@Fiendish-Beaver We are speculating way too much on all Xbox games going to PS. Right now, we are focused on a narrow sliver of time that has been heavily meddled with by regulatory gaze. The Xbox was created for a reason. MS wants control and the player base is 30 million on Series alone.

Console players are the easiest to indoctrinate to new services; it's the $500 barrier that is a problem when phones offer mobile utility & necessity, tablets are cheaper, and the console competition is entrenched. MS won't want to be beholden to Sony as the only console platform today any more than in 2001.