Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success

Xbox is now echoing the last days of Windows Phone. The rebrand on PC to “PC Game Pass” makes more sense.

It won't be long until Xbox has no exclusive games and they start porting Gears, Halo and Starfield etc.

They don't care about loyal Xbox players anymore. There won't be any reason to buy an Xbox next generation if people can play everything on the PS6.

Terrible mis management and self sabotage it's no wonder console sales are poor and slowing down.

@CaptainCluck

Xbox console != Windows phone which only lasted a short trial period with the public (no traction).

MS makes heaps of hardware. Xbox console is going to be around as long as MS and the USA is.

@CaptainCluck indeed. It will have the same outcome as well I think.

Well i am a little nervous about this cause Nadella wants exclusives to be a thing of the past as we heard him say on past interviews. I think it’s Phil saying to him if we do that we could lose our platform. Then Nadella see’s this money haul and it’s not even the heavy hitters. As an Apple user it was Nadella that said we must bring everything to the Mac. This could be scary my friends.

Will this newfound success lead to more Xbox releases on Sony's storefront?

The appropriate word, for some reason, feels like capituation. This will certainly be interesting...

@CaptainCluck The comparison to Windows Phone checks out, mostly because I really liked Windows Phone. I also liked Windows 8's Metro UI, though, too, so maybe I shouldn't get involved with beloved things. XD

We are literally getting a new series x in a few months and they have already confirmed there will be another console after the series s/x so Xbox consoles will be around for a while yet such negativity in all the comments on this site lately cheer up people!

We’re expanding our games to new platforms, bringing four of our fan favorite to Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation for the first time

This reads a bit like a pitch for regulators: See, we are putting our games on rival platforms....please don't be too harsh on our next mega- acquisition.

@Ricky-Spanish

We are literally getting a new series x in a few months and they have already confirmed there will be another console and series s/x so Xbox consoles will be around

Yes but where's the fun in reading into that? Better go with the doom and gloom (Xbox) prophecies, it's the in vogue topic 😉....

Microsoft has worked harder over the past several years to make Playstation owners happy than they have xbox owners...

....yay?

@Ricky-Spanish
I agree. There's new Xbox systems coming out, there's the supposed handheld console and games are still being made by Xbox and third parties for the system.

It's not like we never get any new games on Xbox. As long as we're still getting games and being supported, we're good.

And with that the floodgates will open...

Spencer is no longer in charge of what happens at Xbox. No current or (in particular) future Xbox exclusive is off the table. Xbox will, initially, become a place for timed-exclusives, and then games will begin to release day and date on both platforms. If you look back at the not too distant past, this is exactly how Microsoft dealt with PC releases; staggered at first, and day and date.

It's easy for people to point at there being another console to follow the Series, and say the future of Xbox, as a console, is safe, however, the Xbox vs PlayStation ratio is currently 25% to 75%. If all Xbox games go to the PlayStation, that ratio will fall still further, and then it becomes a question of whether third-party developers believe it to still be worth making games for the Xbox (something we are already seeing). Yes, Xbox as a game developer and publisher will continue strongly, but as a console manufacturer, I'm not so sure...

@TheGiraffe. Xbox maybe more successful than Windows Phone. but it's failure to gain traction against Android & IOS is a typical response for Nadella's Microsoft to throw in the towel early & Xbox's hardware is now facing a similar problem against PlayStation & Nintendo. As Microsoft should have let users see the benefits of the ABK deal first before shifting strategy.

I see so much negativity on this site that you would think that it's all doom and gloom with Xbox!

Look we need to lighten up a bit. At the end of the day, Microsoft is a massive company. They are going to do what they think is right for them. I say, we just ride it out and try to enjoy ourselves instead of being negative all the time. If we don't agree with something they do, so be it. We'll kick up a fuss as people tend to do.

I reckon Xbox will be around for a while yet. You don't pay nearly 70 billion for a company just to give up.

So Getting games first and 'free' with Game Pass isn't an incentive? You'd rather buy a Playstation and 'wait' for MS to sell their Games that you could have played for 'Free' on ANY MS Platform (PC, Cloud or Xbox Console) months, if not years before?

MS will still likely keep some IP's and Single Player AAA games 'Exclusive' to get people into their Ecosystem but some games will benefit more by releasing on Sony's hardware day/date too - Minecraft has been doing that for years and we know CoD for sure will as well.

Personally, I'd still 'buy' an Xbox so I can still download and play Xbox games for 'free' with Game Pass rather than buy a PS to pay £70+ to play them. Not only that, with Game Pass, I can also play on PC or 'on the go' on Handheld PC's or even my Mobile - not just limited to playing on Playstation.

Point is, there will still be 'incentives' to buy an Xbox over a Playstation. Releasing 'more' games a year - even if some are now on PS too, but access is free on Xbox would be quite a financial incentive to buy.

Xbox is Bigger than the Console - Its the entire MS gaming brand. Its not 'just' about console exclusives - but getting Gamers into Xbox IP's and Xbox ecosystem. If you are a fan of Minecraft or CoD, you are a fan of an MS IP, you are spending money on MS products...

As much as some people don’t want it, games will go to PS. You can see it in everything that is said (and often unsaid).

Remove ABK and revenue was down 4% (or what has been worked out). MS constantly saying they expect console sales to slow (despite potential new SKU’s) Gamepass figures were stalling.

All in all MS are a trillion $ company. They want to make more money (when is enough ever enough?) and MS can see putting it on PS works out financially. So games will go there. Maybe a year later, maybe 6months, maybe even some day 1.

@BAMozzy it’s not free. Stop peddling it’s free. It’s utter nonsense. It’s £150 per year. Plus a console of anywhere between £250-£500. Or a PC. (To compare like for like).

Many on PS would wait a year. They already have their PS games released in that year to play…. Then the Xbox games, that will have been patched and so on.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Games on Game Pass are free to me seeing as I subscribe mainly just to play certain games online. It just makes sense to me to get Ultimate for the perks and games. Btw I only pay £9 a month for GPU from CDkeys that’s under £110 a year, I couldn’t even get two £70 games at that price.

@BAMozzy another problem with Microsoft strategy is. How will it effect Games Pass? As it is still influenced by hardware mostly. So if people in the long run jump to PlayStation? Will we see Games hit PlayStation Plus?

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Its essentially 'free' with a Subscription - you are not spending £12 a month for any 'specific' game but access to 'hundreds' of games. Yes there is a fee involved - but there is a Fee involved in just playing games you've already spent £70 on just to play them 'online'.

If you want to play CoD or Battlefield for example, its not just £70 for the game, its another £60 or so for a year of Game Pass Core/PS+ Essential - but you don't add that on to the Cost because you 'buy' the Subscription to access more than just CoD. Same with Game Pass - you aren't Paying £150 a year to play a Single Game, its access to hundreds of games £1000's worth of Software, inc 'EA Access' titles too.

£150 a year to access HUNDREDS of games including at least 2 or 3 'new' £70 releases and you are already significantly better off financially. £500 for a Console + £60 a year for Online access or £150 a year to play ANYWHERE on ANY Device you have - inc High End PC's that offer far better Performance and/or Visual Quality.

Over 5yrs - GPU would cost £750 and have access to a LOT of Games, many Day 1 releases - yet you'd need £800 (5 x £60 + £500) before you even consider Games on Playstation/Xbox without Game Pass for example. If you think about it, it's only £7 a month extra for GPU, as you need Game Pass Core on Xbox to play all the content in Games you buy. EA Access is £5 too, so only £2 extra for Xbox 1st Party games day and date....

@cragis0001 Game Pass is available outside of the Console - PC and Mobile - maybe they'll find a way to bring Game Pass to Playstation - with a Curated list of games specific to PS - ie can get CoD, Minecraft, etc as these are on PS. Games 'not' sold on Playstation (Starfield, Indiana Jones) may only be playable over the Cloud on PS hardware (no Native version to Download) but downloadable on Xbox/PC so another 'incentive' to buy Xbox.

I bought GPU because I have a PC and then bought a RoG Ally too - in other words, it enables me to play Xbox 'anywhere' (except Switch/Playstation) at NO extra cost. I am NOT limited/restricted to playing Xbox Games on a Xbox Console. PC gamers can buy Game Pass too - its not 'just' for those on Console Hardware...

@Kooky_Geezer Exclusives aren't the only reason people buy a specific console. I personally buy a console because I like the hardware, ecosystem and simplicity, among a bunch of other things. Exclusive games rarely have anything to do with my hardware purchasing decision. How can you say they don't care about Xbox users anymore? Are they taking something away from us? I could understand what you're saying if they released games on every platform except their own Xbox platform, but all they are doing is expanding where they sell their products. They are a business that is their job, it is their job to sell their products to as many people as possible in as many places as possible. It is their job to make as much money as possible. It has nothing to do with loyalty. It's getting really old hearing schit like this from people like you. They are trying to bring as many games to as many people on as many platforms as possible. Explain to me how that is a bad thing? I've been playing video games for over 40 years and I've been waiting all that time to see what's happening now, happen. I'm tired of different hardware from different companies having specific games. What is wrong with the games being everywhere possible? That's one of the problems PC people have with console people, that kind of exclusive nonsense mentality. If you want to talk about lack of loyalty, go look at PlayStation and how they are alienating their entire customer base and stealing from them.

@ZYDIO
Well said. 👏👏👏

@PrinceOfPorgs98 Thank you.

seems many can't remember or weren't old enough to understand why MS got into the Hardware market in the first place, what their original reason for making the xbox was.

That was to bring out a 'PC in a Console' format to bring PC games to the more ''casual' and affordable market. Back then, RPG's (like Fallout, Elder Scrolls etc), RTS and FPS Games were not really ported to Consoles - so MS saw a gap in the market and filled it.

Now they could get Asus, Lenovo or HP to make a Licenced Xbox PC in a Console format if they choose. They don't need to be 'Licenced' either - they make Handheld Console PC's now anyway. They don't 'need' to be in the Hardware sector and weren't when they started making GAMES long before they had a Console to ship them on - MSFS is OLDER than the Console...

I think it’s too early to tell where all this will end up.
I think for now and Xbox next console, it will be gamepass first and through Xbox consoles and other devices then other consoles PS5 and Switch later down the line.

This keeps the need for gamepass as a subscription service and keeps Xbox consoles just about ticking over ok.

After a good few years of the above the generation after next generation it’s anyone’s guess.

@BAMozzy I'm aware that you can play it anywhere but PlayStation/Switch with GPU. But statistics say that Xbox hardware pushes a bulk of Games Pass subs atm.
Again Microsoft needs to be transparent with it's PlayStation plans. as if they support PS+ in the future. It could be a comprimise for some if they jump ship to PlayStation.
My main worry for next gen Xbox hardware. Is 3rd party support. That for me will determine future support. As was hoping Microsoft would push that more.

Hmmm, what a conundrum. People are pointing to upcoming hardware releases as proof that Xbox will continue. I do believe the there will be a new console in the short term, but long term who knows. And even if it is released who can say it will bear any resemblance to Xbox as we now know it. Cloud? Processor switch like Snapdragon? PC/Xbox hybrid with the knowledge the next iteration won't include the Xbox half? One thing for sure, we are in store for turmoil.

AMD future processors do promise solid enhanced performance. However, since both Playstation and Xbox are using essentially the same type processor (and handhelds do so to) it is hard for Microsoft to differentiate the advantages of one game hardware over another. So what path is Microsoft going to choose? As pointed out, follow the money. eople have pointed out that Xbox is a small piece of whole company and not worth ditching on that score. But for shareholders under performance of even a tiny sector leads to dissatisfaction.

The question is how could Microsoft sunset Xbox without an outcry. How long could the Xbox store be kept open? What happens to accounts? Redownloads? Microsoft does not have a good answer for any of this. I am sure there is the start of internal debate of how to juggle all the things I posited towards a satisfactory future. The only thing I see for sure is turmoil.

@cragis0001
You are correct at least half of GP subs are on Xbox consoles.
I don’t understand why Microsoft don’t promote and push the series consoles more. They went to the cost of design and build and produce them so why not sell as many as you can and increase GP subs.
It would be far better if they attacked on both fronts and increased console sales as well as it would give brand momentum and PR and push for the word XBOX overall.
I think this is the area where they are being a bit short sited.

@ZYDIO
Sorry but will Sony or Nintendo be porting over any of thier exclusives. We all know that the answer is no never.

Why should Xbox have no exclusives that's what ultimately sells a console for most people. Game Pass has probably saved them also.

If people can play every game on Playstation do you really think that won't effect sales even more. They already have a super low market share and will get lower with these awful choices.

Playstation shareholders must be laughing as they watch Microsoft destroy the Xbox brand without doing anything.

@PrinceOfPorgs98 I can definitely remember how negative tons of people were initially acting when a bunch of unsubstantiated rumors said each and every one of Xbox’s exclusives were to go multi platform, when I think that in reality, they probably would do that only for a handful of their games. Some were even saying that they were going to stop selling hardware altogether! Didn’t Microsoft say a few months ago that they were already planning out the next Xbox console?

The issue I have with leaks and rumors is that they often don’t have their validity questioned and are passed off as “real news” when most of the time they go unconfirmed. Everyone took that “Xbox is going entirely third-party” “news” as if it was real and started acting all negative about it, when I think it was just a bunch of “leakers” piling on some of the fake claims for attention and to make people all worked up and spout negativity. Even if a couple of info does come from “credible” sources or individuals, it should still be taken with a grain of salt. There are also some “leakers” that tease or claim stuff before a gaming presentation or event by going something like “this game is in development and is going to be revealed tomorrow, trust me bro” and I can’t tell you how many people I have seen online treat info like that as if it is real. Sometimes they either get disappointed or upset in the end because of how they believed it was real without checking how valid the “leaker” was, similar to this situation.

I still do think Microsoft is going to release some more of their games on other consoles as a result of the positive reception Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush and Grounded have yielded, not to mention Sea of Thieves got a ton of pre-orders on PlayStation and I have seen a lot of people excited for that port. Despite saying that, I can’t see them doing it for all of their IP, especially with their big and flagship franchises like Halo.

Plus, I can imagine the dozens of game studios Microsoft’s owns, as well as their affiliates, have lots of newer games in development, both unrevealed and known already, and I am pretty excited to see what they have in store for the future! I am sure we will see a little bit more in their upcoming June showcase. I’m looking forward to that one!

@OldGamer999 exactly. Microsoft have never been able to market there consumer projects properly. Being a $3 trillion company you'd think they'd have invested & figured it out by now.

We were expecting that XBOX will have a huge revenue increase due to Activision Blilzzard acquisition. What we need now is for XBOX to produce massive content to support Game Pass and develop its multiplatform strategy.

XBOX has now over 40 studios with a variety of games coming out every year from live service to single player games. They should bring all their games on Game Pass. All Activision Blizzard should come to Game Pass, and I expect to be announced in the coming summer fest event.

XBOX can provide day one content on Game Pass and, at the same time, could have their first party titles multiplatform on PS5/Switch to make more revenue and higher profit margin. Game Pass subscription growth and multiplatform sales could vastly increase XBOX revenue in the next year, which will dominate the market share.

Besides first party content, I really want XBOX to produce more second party games which will bring day one on Game Pass. XBOX has already bringing a lot of day one indie every month to the service, but it needs to bring more AA/AAA games to the service in order incrase the value of the content, which will attract more subscribers.

XBOX should really develop more AAA action-adventure, story driven cinematic games like Sony. These are the most popular games for the mainstream audience. They are many third party studio which will cooperate with XBOX for second party cinematics games. I mean studios like Remedy, Moon Studios, Eidos Montreal, Crystal Dynamics, Don't Nod, Telltale, etc etc

@Ricky-Spanish It won’t matter if those consoles don’t sell (and they won’t cause all games will be eventually released on all other platforms), we’re literally reliving Windows Phone yet again, in the last few years Microsoft swore multiple times they had multiple phones and software in development and that Windows Phone wasn’t going anywhere, then they started doing things like releasing MS Office for Android and iOS (when it previously was Windows Phone exclusive), obviously hurting their platform and getting nothing in return as Google nor Apple launched any of their apps on WP, exactly the same thing happening to Xbox porting games and receiving nothing in return, that situation dragged for years until they literally cancelled everything overnight.

Microsoft’s actions speak much louder that their words, and their actions are screaming Xbox customers’ “you don’t matter, the moment we get more money from selling games on other platforms ours is done for”.

@IOI Sorry I just don't agree the reason windows phone probably stayed away was because they were bad I owned one and compared to a android or I phone it was terrible and Xbox is not in that bad of a position but you feel how you feel and I feel how I do I'm not worried at all about the future of Xbox

@ZYDIO Exclusives might not be the only reason but they are the biggest reason, let’s be real. People like us who care about ecosystems are in the minority. People are buying PlayStation’s, not only because that’s where all the games are but because that’s what’s perceived to be the “right” thing to do. Xbox is seen as “uncool” and failing. And now PlayStation users—and Nintendo users too—can sit very comfortably with their purchase because now they’re getting even more games.

This all may be a great business decision for Microsoft at large, but Xbox as a console brand is drowning right now. I think that’s very sad and entirely unnecessary because it all could have been avoided, if the right steps were taken years ago and by people who actually had a clue.

@cragis0001 Of course Console may well be where the 'bulk' of Games Pass Subscribers may well be at the moment - but that doesn't mean it's the ONLY option.

PS+ for example is limited to Console so if you have 100m consoles, the most you can get into that Sub service is 100m. MS can sell Game Pass to far more than 100m with only 50m Series consoles sold. Those on XB1S/X can buy it, those on PC or have a Cloud enabled device can buy into it. With Handheld PC's becoming more accessible too - those buying a RoG Ally, Lenovo Go or any other 'Windows 11' device for example can buy Game Pass. It has a much larger potential - like selling games on more than just one Platform, selling a Sub service too will benefit...

As I said, I bought GPU because I got a Gaming PC and then bought a Gaming Handheld so I can play games like Starfield, Forza, Indiana Jones etc ANYWHERE - not tethered to a Console/TV. Its enabling me to play those games whenever I want on whatever Hardware I want/have access to.

If you can't afford to upgrade to a Series S/X from XB1, you don't need to or if you have some other 'Hardware' (PC or Win 11 handheld 'console') you play on, then you can still benefit from Game Pass.

In the future, Game Pass maybe on Nintendo/Sony Hardware - like Ubisoft+ or EA Access. It may not offer games like Starfield or Indiana Jones as they may not have Native ports to offer - but they could also allow Cloud Streaming to play those, where Xbox owners can actually play Native ports. In theory, you have the 'best' way to play on the latest Xbox hardware with Sony, Nintendo and/or last gen Console owners still able to play over cloud.

Starfield only released on PC and Series S/X hardware - yet is still playable on Last gen XB1 hardware, Samsung TV's, SteamDeck and other Handheld consoles....

@Ricky-Spanish Absolutely no, I owned several Windows Phones and it was much better than Android phones at that time specially on mid-range phones, the problem with it was that it didn’t get support from major developers starting with Google itself, not having YouTube, Facebook, and several must-have apps from that time really hurt the platform.

So when Microsoft started porting their own apps to Android and iOS without getting nothing in return it eventually killed the platform as customers saw no point in getting a WP as their must-have apps weren’t there but they were on Android/iOS plus all the MS apps that we’re previously exclusive to Windows Phone, exactly the same dilemma we’re getting at with Xbox right now, why should a customer get an Xbox when it doesn’t have Sony’s must-have exclusives but the PS5 has them plus MS own games, why should a customer choose the platform with less games? And yes I know Game Pass is a factor but it doesn’t seem to be driving console sales at all.

@BAMozzy That's future thinking. Most gamers, and I say this as a 40 something, are stuck in the past. Microsoft know they lost the console war boll**ks but can see a way to navigate around that to a place where games are sold to actual people rather than to console fan boys. There are a couple of hundred million of us console owners out there, but 9 billion potential customers out in the wider world.
Would the Microsoft vision of time when every gamer has access to any game on whatever device be so bad?
Let em try, I say.

@IOI
I was there with the whole windows phone thing.
And yes you can taste it in the air with Xbox and maybe why they just don’t promote and give a dam about console sales.
Will it happen, it will one day of course and saying what you are saying is not clever.

My clever question to you.
Is when will it happen???

@IOI It doesn't mean everything we go the exact same for Xbox it's not in as bad a position as the phone at all like you said no goggle YouTube etc that was the reason the phone was bad and all the best big games are still actively coming to Xbox your outcome is a possibility but for me it's one of the least possible of the outcomes your basically thinking everything will happen step for step like the phone did they barely even made windows phones for long either Xbox consoles are going a lot longer and are still this moment more popular than the windows phone ever was

@OldGamer999 Xbox will leave consoles when everything including Nintendo and PlayStation is just another app and subscription that's the future but not for a while yet we will get another generation of consoles at least from all the above to answer they question you asked the other guy

@BAMozzy just forgetting that you need to buy the console/PC to compare huh? And the fact that £60 to buy essential also comes with many free (as you call them) games.

If you own a PlayStation, you already most likely will have essential. You are not going to go out and buy an Xbox (£200-£500) or a PC and a GPU subscription (£150per year) if you know the game is going to hit PlayStation.

Currently it’s worth having both consoles to get everything, but if (and it’s still a big if) games go to PlayStation there’s less desire to go out and buy an Xbox. Why not have the PlayStation, get the PS exclusives and then the Xbox games at a later date. Or a pc and have both.

You may be able to play GPU on any device but 90% of the time it’s on a terrible version, lag and so on. And a Rog ally is what £500?

@Ricky-Spanish
Thought I would ask it as I saw you two debating it.
I gonna be honest not sure why Xbox are going another generation, they don’t promote their consoles that well and they don’t sell well outside of the USA.
Don’t get me wrong I have always said they should promote Xbox consoles a lot more as half of GP subs are on Xbox consoles and the brand needs momentum.
So if they don’t it makes me wonder if in the background they don’t try to expand GP on PS5 and Switch to grow GP just they have started doing with their games.
My history with Microsoft is, they don’t give a dam they want the growth and money. And Xbox games and GP on other consoles gives them that growth and money they want.

@Ricky-Spanish
Remember Microsoft are Ricky Spanish in disguise 😂

@PsBoxSwitchOwner PS+ essential, like Game Pass Core, doesn't offer Day games that cost £70+ to play. You get a couple a month on PS+ that if you really wanted to play, would have bought.

You don't have to buy the latest console to get access to Xbox Game Pass and/or the latest Xbox games. You could play on devices you already own - whether that's a Mobile phone, any PC (whether it has the 'Spec' to run the game natively or not) and who knows what other devices may come out.

The point is that you can play the latest games ANYWHERE for a 'small' monthly fee - so can play on the go (mobile or handheld PC), Play on High-end PC's to get the 'best' version or play on Console for a more affordable option.

Why buy a Playstation in the future? You are better off with a PC as most Sony games will be on PC and the majority of their 3rd Party exclusives release on PC day/date. All Xbox games are on PC anyway and playable free with a GP subscription - and you get access to all those 'PC' exclusives, emulation and the largest Library of games anywhere - far more than on Playstation.

Yes you may get to play some Xbox games eventually on Playstation, some day and date, but its still cheaper on Xbox with Game Pass - especially if they do get their 4+ a year schedule. You can wait in hope that they may come to PS eventually, but you may also miss out on 'some' games (Starfield, Indiana Jones, Forza, Halo, Gears etc) and wait years until MS decides to release them for Playstation.

Sony are selling games on PC now so why buy a Console at all - get locked to that 1 Store, forced to pay for online access and the vast majority of games on PC the same day for less. Let alone ALL the games from history you can play so the largest gaming library with the 'best' performance and/or Graphics. Able to play anywhere, anytime on any hardware you have to me is much more important than being locked to one Platform that will be 'obsolete' in a few years or so...

Whilst MS may not have released 'many' games you'd want to play Day/Date, other games like Lies of P, Stalker 2, High on Life, Hades, etc also add to that value - If you wanted to play Day/Date on PS - even without adding PS+, it would cost you a LOT more for a year of gaming on Playstation vs Xbox...

Xbox community is the worst community between major 3.

it is amazing how when good news come out people just look and go away. But at the first thing midly negative the whole community shows up.

Despite the fact Microsoft have already confirmed there will be another Xbox after Series X people still talking about they killing the console.

I'm growing more tired each day of this community.

Playstation will definitely see more xbox exclusives in the future

@PrinceOfPorgs98
Take car, go to mums, kill Phil, Grab Liz, go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint and wait for this to blow over!

@OldGamer999 Yeah you are right it makes no sense why they don't advertise anything at all for any games or the consoles I'm just glad we will at least get one more generation of Xbox god knows a what gaming will be like in ten years time and yeah unfortunately all any company really care about it profits and getting the money in your pockets and there's only one Ricky Spanish my friend
(on this site) don't accept anything less than ha!

@Kooky_Geezer PS shareholders at the moment have their hands full trying to figure out how Sony can make more than 30 million dollars on a $300 million dollar game. Hence they lost 10 billion in stocks. They may also be worrying about all the canceled live service games and where the next big game that will make money is coming from. Then if they have the energy maybe they are laughing at Xbox. Kind of have to take care of your house before worrying about the neighbors.

This is what I don't get about this site sometimes. We're all quick to jump to conclusions and think doom and gloom once bad news comes out, but whenever good or great news comes out, it's like nothing happened. Instead of being happy, we either have a light applause or we have people having a moan.

Trust me, if you just focus on the consoles you have and have a very light focus on the other consoles, you'll feel a lot better. I'm a Xbox only guy by choice, Xbox just suits me better than the others. The only PlayStation news I get is from arguments on this site.

All I'm saying is just be content with what we have and enjoy it while in the moment as believe me, it could be a lot worse.

@HonestHick
Definitely Sony have their own issues.
Shareholders won’t be happy that they are down 4.5 million in Europe against the PS4 same time line.
Then again console manufacturers are greedy.
The PS4 was £300 in the same time line as PS5 £480 at this point in its life cycle.

This article seems to have triggered certain people.

I was told that consoles are an irrelevant market so why are people so upset that these games are now playable on PlayStation?

@Kooky_Geezer Well the reason there doing this is because the loyal Xbox fans aren't enough anymore to sustain there business after these acquisitions. Hate to say it, but there not your buddy they are just a business that cares about making money.

@OldGamer999 thats my point is that not every thing in Sony land is roses and sunshine. Sure they are selling a good amount of units. They always do. But they are to heavy leaning on Marvel games which takes a large cut of the profits. We also don’t know when and what the next blockbuster AAA’s are from Sony outside of marvel titles. So while i don’t think any of the big 3 are in trouble, they all still face some issues and most of those issues are dev costs and how long it takes to make games and then getting gamers to play them right away and get the cash coming back in.

As for Xbox, everyone is saying ABK is the only reason they did well and it’s largely true. But something to think about is that the only big games of 2024 so far for Xbox. Once we get avowed, Indiana jones, HB2 and many others going into 2025-2026 and getting more from ABK deal. Now those numbers are going to be not only more balanced but very large.

Consoles as we know them are on life support. There is bound to be some changes coming to the area for both Sony and MS. But i do not think MS throws in the towel now. They said before they wish they would have stuck it out with windows phones. That tells me they are just going to throw away Xbox. Sure they need to get their console sales up. Sure they need to start hitting on AAA games. But that is about to start in May with HB2 and really shouldn’t slow down much from there, so lets judge all this in the next 12 months and see where they are at, but i think the money will be right and the struggle will be moving more console units, which in turn won’t make them more money but won’t loose them the kind of money the old strategy would.

@eduscxbox man. do i have news for you about every console community.
you're mistaking it as one community when in reality, its the same people who float around every board looking for topics like this to talk in. If you don't wanna see it, just mute the ones who float around.

As for me, ill stick with Xbox/Nintendo moving forward. I vastly prefer how the xbox functions and im just not that interested in any of sony's first party stuff anymore. everything i did care about, sony let go of and are now indies with very successful kickstarters branching out to all platforms. i couldn't be more content on that front. So as someone who generally has all platforms, i have no reason to have a playstation. plus i play online alot an ps has this very weird extra latency that isn't on anything else. really breaks everything an infuriates me to no end.
the games i did buy my ps5 have both been disappointing to me. im just not into SE's flagships anymore i guess but im always open to more star ocean lol.

if its not on xbox, its on my nintendo system or pc so ill probably skip playstation moving forward. very content with what i have an tbh, the xbox hasn't really disappointed me in how it performs. If the hardware works great, thats where i'll be. If the games are on multiple platforms, xbox is where i'll primarily get it. if it has a pc version, xbox is where ill primarily play it. if its not there, thats disappointing but im still covered.

I feel like people are just trying to grasp for a reason to hate anything. Like it makes them look cool for doing so. Which is beyond sad.

@HonestHick
Out of the big three, and I don’t know much being honest, I think Nintendo just from a console with the Switch and game development get it about right. They seem to be able to sustain themselves well and make good money and sell lots of games.
Going forward it will be very interesting to see what they do ten years from now.

The long term question becomes where do you feel more comfortable building your digital library? GamePass is great, but outside of Xbox first party games there’s no guarantee as to what will be available. This will become more and more impactful as new generations join the gaming culture.

You keep going on about a PC, @BAMozzy, as if that is affordable for the majority. It simply isn't. A PC capable of playing games at the same standard as a console will cost you at least £1000, and that is only if you know what you are doing, and are capable of building it yourself. To get one all singing and dancing, capable of playing everything at decent to top specs, will cost you £1500 plus, and then on top of that you need to update bits and pieces on a regular basis too. A new graphics card is £100s. I know because I bought one last year, and that set me back £400. And then on top of that, having the know how to run and maintain a PC is a skill set that not everyone has. Gaming on a PC is rarely as straightforward as it is doing so on a console.

Basically, yes, PC's do get pretty much all games, but the cost of purchasing, and maintaining a PC is considerably more than owning both a Series X and a PlayStation 5 console combined...

@HonestHick

You lot are desperate for the "consoles are on life support" nonsense to be true I swear.

Just because one of them is severely struggling doesn't mean that consoles are magically on their way out.

@ShadowofTwilight Many of XBOX fans can't understand the business perspective behind Microsoft strategy. Microsoft is losing money from hardware and selling consoles. The only reason that they are selling console at a loss is because they expect to make a profit from software via games and subscriptions. However, Microsoft has already lost the console wars and they don't care to compete Sony in console market. XBOX has transformed from harware-based(old school model) to software based model, in which the main service is Game Pass that can have access in any platform whether being PC, console and cloud.

XBOX can make a lot of money by becoming a third party publisher which will sell first party games at a full price on other platforms like PS/Switch, while at the same time having all first parties and third parties games day one on Game Pass, which will incrase the numbers of subscribers.

Right now, the only reason to have an XBOX console is if you want to have Game Pass through console. But it doesn't matter for Microsoft. It will be more profitable for XBOX to have Game Pass on PC without the need to sell consoles at a loss. Even if Microsoft start selling all first party games on PS5, then you can still have XBOX consoles for Game Pass. You don't need nothing else expect Game Pass. Game Pass is the secret weapon which differentiate XBOX compared to other platforms like PS/Switch.

Game Pass won't come to any other platform because Sony will lose a lot of money from people who will play all their games on Game Pass instead of buying them on PS Store, in which Sony takes 30% revenue cut.

Game Pass is everything. It's the first source of revenue for XBOX. The second source of revenue is live service games and mobile games, which make billions of dollars through microtransactions in ALL platforms. The third source of revenue could be multiplatform sales at a full price.

XBOX fans should become less "gamers" and more "corporate" to support Microsoft's growth plan for XBOX. Every business plan that makes a lot of money is the right move for XBOX.

Lol "Oh no MS is making more games available to more players. How could they?!" Grow up already.

The death of exclusives can't happen soon enough IMO. Sony will hold on to its exclusives for dear life because it's all they have now. Why do you think they fought the ABK merger so hard.

Nothing to see here folks, anybody notice it's just MS consoles that are not selling. Xbox has just not been a very attractive brand for a decade plus for the majority of people.

Thanks for the extra money Suny!

@Moby
It will be Nintendo that will hold on to exclusives more than anyone in the end.
Unless they are forced to change strategy massively in the next ten years or so.

Nintendo are the ones moving forward I’m not to sure about, we sort of know what the others will probably do, but Nintendo who knows.

@OldGamer999 Yeah Nintendo is sitting in a good spot. As long as they can make games cheaper than the other 2 and sell them in the large numbers they do. They will be more than ok for a long time. I am excited to see what the Switch 2 is all about.

@HonestHick
Was going to my gaming high of this year the Switch 2, especially with those lovely new top AAA Nintendo games that might get released with it.

I still have hope for this year, but we will find out very very soon I guess.

@ShadowofTwilight the moment Sony and MS showed they need PC gamers to float the bill for game development should have been a sign for ya, but the second is the console market isn’t growing with the younger crowd. It’s not what they are growing up on like you and i and many on here. They grew up playing on a tablet/phone that is a tough crowd going forward to have them buy a box that only plays games that are $70 a piece. The last example is the life support comment , once Cloud is 90% as reliable as console. The casuals that buy a PS console for FIFA and Madden are going to just stream that game on the tv they already have and be that in the next 10 years or 15 it’s coming. After all those examples the future growth plan for consoles don’t look great. Which makes me sad cause i plan to be a console gamer until the end. But when you look at technology and where casuals and the up and coming 10 year olds will be in 15 years it’s not looking great for consoles.

@OldGamer999 point very well taken. They're unlikely to open up any of their IPs anytime soon. But, while I recognize the large base, I don't really see them as direct competition to Sony/MS.

Wow. I didn’t realize Xbox console revenues dropped another 30% year over year. I thought that was a big deal when they announced the 30% decrease this time in 2023, but everyone assumed it was due to the Starfield delay. Yet a year and Starfield later, they announced another 30% decrease from last year’s 30% decreased numbers. That is bad no matter how you paint it.

Just to get an idea, using simple math, let’s say Xbox console revenue in 2022 was $1 billion. A 30% decrease the next year would put the console revenue at $700 million. With another 30% decrease that would put console revenues at $490 million. That’s a steep decline.

I take articles like this with a grain of salt. Yes, Microsoft technically has several games on the best sellers list on PS4 and PS5, but if you look deeper these are older games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2, Fallout 76, Spyro Trilogy, Crash Team Racing, and The Outer Limits that were already multiplat releases on the Playstation before Microsoft bought these studios and publishers.

So yeah, it's an odd story but it's not like Halo or Gears of War are on the Playstation and showing up on a best sellers list on the system.

I commented on the ps version of this article that Xbox fans are convinced this means Xbox is going third party and doomed, while ps fans are convinced Ms is only going to do old games and use it as ammo for governments to buy up the industry. Only one is right and both are convinced their side is threatened by the other.

I still think the future where an "Xbox" is a PC inside is simple, easy, and really solves all the behind the scenes problems. And I also think PlayStation will become that as well, by publisher demand.

@ZYDIO exactly what I've been saying for years, yes! The usually older enthusiasts that hang out in boards like this are reliving the 16 bit Mascot wars every day. Then look at ps exclusive sales vs install base. Exclusives are not what's selling most PlayStations.

The only hiccup is the main thing that sells PlayStation is inertia and familiarity, which is still a hard nut to crack. Xbox does have a problem but it's not the one people think.

@lacerz keep in mind PlayStation is underperforming as well. Cost of living jumped 20-30% in 4 years and most people's income rose 10% on average. Go figure entertainment spending is down. Add that young people aren't into consoles and we'll look like Japanese gaming all in on mobile gatcha soon enough.

@Moby Finally, I knew I wasn't the only one.

Maybe, just maybe.... We forget about all of the companies business and let them worry about it. We should all just focus on enjoying all of the wonderful games that exist, since that's what we are all in it for.

@NEStalgia we’ve talked about this in great length already. I think Xbox sticks around in hardware even if the hardware is different from what we have today. Also i think the handheld is them saying we aren’t leaving. What i mean by that is if they were on the fence of staying in hardware or leaving, why not just throw out a Series X2 in 2026 and see what happens? Why go through all the work and expense of making a handheld just to leave? Maybe i am wrong on that take but it doesn’t make sense to invest into more hardware if your 50/50 on sticking around. Also did people really think as soon as the pen signed the paper for owning ABK that the next day sales of hardware and games were going to just explode onto the scene? This ABK deal will take a year or longer to start showing how financially impactful it will be. Throw in games like Gears, Avowed, HellBlade 2, Fable and State of decay and that is money on top of ABK games. That has to look decent even if by then they are only at 40 million consoles and PC. Then COD rights come over and all the games go to GP and who knows maybe 5-8% of PS owners say hey i want in on that. That is growth opportunities. Look i don’t like to see exclusives leave the Xbox brand anymore than the next guy on here saying they don’t like it. But as long as Xbox is raking in cash and Sony is stuck with tight budgets things aren’t all doom and gloom for Xbox. But again this hole they were in due to Xbox One and a slow start with AAA games on Series consoles will take some time to dig out of. The questions is do they have the tools to dig and i think the answer is yes.

@NEStalgia
A cut in projected console sales doesn’t mean that Sony is underperforming. It means that they’re readjusting projections. If you go to Sony’s website it’s clear that console sales are increasing.

11.5 million console sales in fiscal year 2021 which would be on the 2022 report.
19.1 million consoles sold in fiscal year 2022.
This year is only current through the third quarter (Q3), but is sitting at 16.2 million without 3 months of data. So it’s hard to see decrease instead of growth.

Meanwhile, 30% decline and another 30% decline. Let’s be real please.

EDIT:
Forgot the link so you can see the facts.

https://sonyinteractive.com/en/our-company/business-data-sales/

Xbox will port everything…. 100%. Money hungry executives WILL sellout.

This Xbox generation will be the last I ever own.

@lacerz yes but it's fallen behind PS4 at a time they expected to increase sales, and software sales have been mediocre on key titles, and we know their budgets are broken. They can sell a trillion consoles to Microsoft selling a million but if they're not moving software in volume commensurate with budgets it means noting. Yes Microsoft consoles aren't as popular. But if they're selling software and subscriptions and strengthening the overall brand they're valuable to the brand.

I'd agree they need to reboot the console brand badly right now. But they're spending basically nothing on marketing. Imo they already decided this generation of hardware is a sort of dead and in terms of production cost and are playing it like Nintendo did from wiiu to switch and laying low until the next platform, not necessarily next Gen but at least the handled probably next year. Xbox is solid in the Americas, is Europe and Asia they need a massive new strategy on. There will be hardware to buy game pass and libraries on. It just won't continue to follow "the Nintendo model" anymore.

It's not that the drops aren't bad, but I'm also interested in seeing Sonys next report. Not consoles sold but revenues. Last time I thought Microsoft lost the script I then found out the other shoe dropped at Sony. Since then we've seen lackluster software sales. That's going to be a serious blow.

The industry as a whole feels like it's in the wiiu "transition" phase.

@PrinceOfPorgs98 why limit yourself to one console? The exclusives you are missing out on from ps and Nintendo are huge

@Fiendish-Beaver The point I was trying to make was that a PC will have all Xbox games day/date as well as Sony's games so if the whole reason people are Concerned about the choice to buy hardware because of the Library of games, a PC is the best option.

This whole thread is arguing that MS releasing games on PS makes PS a more attractive prospect than Xbox - which will let you play those games for 'Free' with a Game Pass Subscription. In terms of cost, It becomes far more Expensive on Playstation.

4+ AAA Xbox games a year, let alone all the other 3rd Party releases into Game Pass - and you could save quite a LOT by playing these on Game Pass instead of buying them on Playstation. That money 'saved' could be used to buy 'better' hardware - like a PC. Spend the money on Hardware instead of Software to get the biggest Library - inc BOTH Sony/MS games as they both release on PC, all the emulation etc.

Now you can buy handheld PC's for around Console Prices. Its not much of a step for those 'PC' brands to build a 'dock' or even a more 'console' style PC (whether Licensed or affiliated with MS - like RoG Ally was - or not) that can offer a 'lower' cost entry - but also not 'lock' you into a single platform/store.

MS could make their own 'Console' too - like they make the Surface Pro despite other 'tablets' on the market. And in fact seem to still be planning on Hardware releases. But the point I am trying to make is that a PC has far more games than Playstation or Xbox will offer so complaining about MS releasing games on Playstation, and then not considering the Cost difference is ridiculous. The amount of money it would cost to play ALL the games on PS you could play 'Free' every year on Xbox Game Pass, you could buy a PC, still get those games 'free' and have access to even more Games, inc Sony's PC releases.

I know a PC is more expensive and not as 'simple' as the Plug and Play world of Consoles. But it could still be cheaper and better than buying a Playstation, subbing to PS+ and buying all the Games that you could play 'free' on PC or Xbox, maybe more 60fps+ games. Its not just 'MS' made games either but all the 'free' Day 1 releases that end up saving you money over Playing on Playstation that is the big incentive of buying an Xbox. Yes you may get CoD, Minecraft and whatever other games releasing Day 1 on PS, but you can play them 'free' on Xbox/PC via Game Pass.

I know a PC isn't for everyone, but if its about Library size, its the best, if its about Performance/Graphics, it can be the best. It also has Game Pass so you can save 'money' and still play new releases etc - which may make it 'cheaper' overall than playing on PS

@BAMozzy Your point works if every game ever released on gamepass. In the top 20 games released this year on Metacritic only 1 came day and date to gamepass and that’s Persona 3 Reload, a remake of a game released in 2006. I still would need to buy Dragons Dogma 2, Infinite Wealth, Prince of Persia, Balatro, Tekken 8, Unicorn Overlord etc.

If everything I wanted to play came out on gamepass I would have sold my PS5 by now but it simply doesn’t. Instead I find myself buying games and unsubbing from GP for months at a time because I’m too busy with the infinitely better games that aren’t on the service. The “day one” games on GP would be great if they were all bangers but the vast majority of them are 7/10 at best. On top of that a good portion of the first party games release half baked as well: Forza M, Redfall, Halo Infinite for example.

I’m quite happy buying the top games full price on release if I’m really interested or waiting for a sale if I’m not. If I buy them on disk I can trade them in or sell them as well when I’m bored but either way an important thing for me is that I own them. The system you’re talking about is a world where i could give MS £750 over the course of five years and come away owning absolutely nothing.

P.S how do you get it free? I have looked everywhere on my series X but it keeps trying to charge me £12.99 per month.

@GeeEssEff it’s not free. But people keep trying to claim that it is.

Nobody ever says Netflix or Amazon or whatever is free.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I know I was being facetious. It’s absolutely not free and anyone saying it is clearly does not understand the concept of a contract between vendor and customer. Stop paying Microsoft = Lose access to the games.

People look at the situation like sales, and they don’t seem to see the connection of how Microsoft inflicted the wound themselves. The rumors and the exclusives being ported probably had something to do with the lack of console sales, and they are further poisoning it with comments like this and their actions. Maybe it makes them short term revenue but at long term expense of their identity as a brand. A lot of people have said that Microsoft is a company that is only in it to make money, but what exactly is wrong with having a vibrant fan base that cares about their product and who they are loyal to. That is what apple did for years, and it really paid off.

@GeeEssEff Assuming you dismiss EVERY game that doesn't score 9 or above. Games like Hades and Vampire Survivors were Award Winning games as well as games like Lies of P, Plague Tale: Requiem, MLB and Stalker 2 also are 'free' on Game Pass.

Game Pass isn't FREE, but it does allow me to play Hundreds of Games for 'Free' - as in I don't need to pay to Download ANY game, Pay to play on Cloud or PC. Netflix or Disney+ isn't Free either, but they do let you watch ANY TV/Film in their Service for 'Free' - you don't need to pay to watch the Mandalorian or the Witcher for example if you have a Subscription. If you subscribe to Disney+, you get to watch Marvel, Star Wars etc Movies 'Free' as many times as you want whilst they are in the service.

Stop paying your PS+ Essential or Game Pass Core 'Subscription' and you'll find those 'Online' games you bought/own are no longer playable. You are paying money to MS/Sony just to be able to play all the content in games you 'own'. Stop paying, and those games are not playable.

The 'content' inside a Subscription is Free to access - that is the point. Yes there is a 'fee' involved as the Subscription itself costs, but you then don't have to pay to download Starfield or Hellblade 2. Its 'Free' to play if you have Subscribed.

Its no different from the 'Free' games you get access to on PS+ or Game Pass Core (or the Games with Gold). Again, the service has a 'cost', but you get 'free' access to the Content.

Game Pass doesn't have EVERY game - but in my case, as someone with BOTH a PS5 and Xbox, I can save a LOT of money by playing Games on Game Pass instead of buying them on PS5. Xbox released 4 games on PS recently - all of which I can play Free with Game Pass, add in games like Stalker 2, Lies of P, MLB, Minecraft, Starfield, Forza, MSFS, AoE with games like Fable, Hellblade 2 etc coming and I get my moneys worth from a small subscription fee.

As for ownership, I can buy ANY game when it leaves Game Pass too when its so much cheaper and get an extra 20% discount as well. It's not like I have to keep subscribing otherwise I'll never be able to play these games. That's assuming that I'd want to return in a decade instead of playing the new games. I don't play games from over a decade ago today.

I had boxes of games and 'old' Computers/Consoles in the attic that I 'kept' from the early 80's - but when I downsized, I had to get rid of them and haven't missed owning them. I still have boxes of games from the OG Xbox/PS3 era that I never or likely to play again with 'new' games coming every week. I don't 'need' to own games indefinitely....

Microsoft makes a lot of hardware, most of it high-end. They will be making consoles as long as there is a console market. There is absolutely zero reason for Microsoft to stop making consoles. PS5 has sold exactly 1.99x [=twice] times more than Series S|X, but it doesn't really matter, because the only important income these days is software sales and subscribers and now Microsoft is ahead in that regard. That's why Sony is struggling with PS5, in spite of the higher hardware sales.

The Xbox business includes console, computers and mobile devices, so Microsoft has all the important markets covered, plus smart TVs. The console market is the smallest of the three, but not for Microsoft but for the gaming world. Publishing Xbox games for other consoles like Switch and PS5 is striking, but at the end of the day is just another additional income and probably some kind of marketing. PC games crush console games in sales, but PC has made Xbox stronger. If PC doesn't kill but makes Xbox stronger, the same happens when Xbox has some games available on the other consoles. There are some vocal players that jump from console to console each generation or have them all depending on their mood and/or the news, but that's almost anecdotical.

The console market is not growing. The last time that somebody broke the mould was Nintendo with Nintendo DS and Wii, that sold 255.65m together at the same time, 1.8x more than Nintendo Switch, Nintendo's first console to merge the home and handheld userbase. Nintendo is the only company that depends on the success of their hardware, because they earn money with their overpriced consoles and accessories and because most of its software output is cheap to make, especially when they are full-priced ports. For Microsoft and Sony, it's a completely different story.

In any case, this is the best time to be an Xbox console owner, because of Game Pass, large amount of Xbox studios, enhanced backwards compatibility, cross-buy, cross-play, Microsoft Rewards, flexibility, digital rights (best outside PC) and because basically every relevant publisher supports Xbox now, including Square Enix, because Sony's userbase and money is no longer enough. Xbox is expanding, not dying.

I’m tired of hearing about how much money the company is making and nothing about cool games.

@BAMozzy I’m not dismissing any game that doesn’t score 9 or above, I’m very aware there’s been some good games on GP. I’m saying if I relied solely on gamepass for all my gaming over the last 3 years I wouldn’t have had anywhere near as much fun as I have buying games like Elden Ring, Baldurs Gate 3, Resi evil 4, god of war Ragnorok, Spiderman 2, Alan Wake 2, Horizon Forbidden West, Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart and I could go on with an list much longer than this of my fav games that either haven’t appeared on GP or wernt on at launch.

Happy with just and Xbox and GP? That’s absolutely fine but the gamepass model doesn’t suit everyone. I didn’t get much further than your first paragraph cuz I couldn’t be bothered with the mental gymnastics you were trying to pull to suggest gamepass games are free. Suffice to say every game I mentioned above is single player and can be played without GP or PS+ so the “your paying for it anyway” argument is pretty weak when a lot of people are just happy with single player games.

All the doom and gloomers , no they will not be putting all games on ps /nin etc , it was outed in the court case that that paid Disney so Indiana Jones would be exclusive to Xbox, you think they know so little of business that they would pay whatever that amount was then release it multiplatform ? Makes zero business sense

And for those who pay stupid amounts for GP ,get it from Brazil /turkey etc it's approx £26 for 8 months ( if GP has expired )

Hi @GrandValkyrie

The reason I only went with Xbox is just personal preference. I've tried a PS5 and a switch and while I can see why people would like them, I realised that they are just not for me. Nothing grabs me on them like Xbox does. I played the first Spiderman on PS5 and then I had enough of PlayStation. They don't interest me the same way they did in 2014 - 2017. Nintendo, I was never really into. I had a DS years ago and really liked it but nothing else ever interested.

It's just Xbox means more to me then the others and it's makes me the most happy.

This is great XBOX. I think people are forgetting that companies are battling for screentime and not just sales. If you can get people to engage with your product more than other products you win.

@NEStalgia
Dude, outside of the supply chain constraints it’s doing just fine. It’s all in the link I provided.

PS4 Y1 - 7.6M
PS5 Y1 - 7.8M

PS4 Y2 - 14.8
PS5 Y2 - 11.5

PS4 Y3 - 17.7
PS5 Y3 - 19.1 (not a 30% decrease)

PS4 Y4 - 20.0
PS5 Q1-Q3 - 16.4 with a projection lowered from 25 to 21. Still growth year over year and definitely not another 30% reduction.

PS5 is doing just fine and growing each year. Xbox is not. The numbers don’t lie.

EDIT:
To expand on the numbers, we know Xbox was selling 1:2 against the PlayStation. So that means in 2021 Xbox sold approximately 5.75 million consoles. Reduce that by 30% for 2022 and they sold just over 4 million consoles. Reduce that another 30% for 2023 and the number drops to 2.8 million consoles.

Think about that number. Only 2.8 million consoles sold in a fiscal year. That is nuclear bad. But Xbox had 7 games in PlayStation’s top 25.

The writing is on the wall.

Imagine what Halo and Forza could do on the Switch and what Gears of War could do on the PlayStation. Microsoft could hand off the IP of the original Trilogy to Bluepoint Games to do all the heavy lifting

@eduscxbox

Xbox community is the worst community between major 3. it is amazing how when good news come out people just look and go away. But at the first thing midly negative the whole community shows up. Despite the fact Microsoft have already confirmed there will be another Xbox after Series X people still talking about they killing the console. I'm growing more tired each day of this community.

Because that is not the Xbox community, that is mostly the PS community that is currently bored and wasting time on Xbox sites behind multi-brand masks, while the majority of the Xbox community is busy with video games and party chats and post sporadically, especially after seeing the abundance of negativity here.

@Banjo-
This site is getting more PlayStation interest because it has news relating to PlayStation now that Xbox has opened up to be a third party publisher. And (for me at least) it’s NBA playoffs.

@lacerz Again I'm interested in seeing their next revenues. Selling boxes means nothing of software sales stalls. Software and subs spending per console is more meaningful than consoles sold.

MS also stopped marketing the console for the most part. That means far less sales but also less spent money. Ms also has an awkward problem with production where they're losing money on each hardware sale still while Sony isn't so each hardware sale is a net loss to the bottom line, they're not interested in promoting it too hard.

I agree with you that they really screwed up the marketing and sales if this gen, again. Zero marketing, ignored it during the abk debacle and lost all momentum. No doubt. But that's a very different issue than them not attempting to fix that on the future hardware they already announced.

It feels like a repeat of everyone declaring Nintendo dead during the Wiiu Even when rumors told us the next console was a hybrid.

Ms will try to fix the failures because problems or not they need to sell own hardware for their software and services goals. They don't want to become a boxed software retailer for other companies storefronts. That's not what Ms does in any industry. They see that as obsolete business. What they do need to do though is merge their console and PC business and technology which is exactly what I think they're planning to do and the way the industry will go overall on its own anyway, Even for ps. But Nintendo but they basically already merged mobile.

@lacerz also, I don't think Ms staying in hardware as I expect means their games won't also be on ps. I think their strategy is now more aligned with steam where thery dont Care about using exclusive games as bait for their ecosystem which will be pc based. Though I think they'll keep a few things even to have pc store exclusives like egs. Halo and Forza probably.

@Banjo- Partly but there's also a lot of actual doom and gloom Xbox fans that assume the sky is falling because they're as stuck on the old console wars as the bluest of ps stans... Again wiiu redux.

@BAMozzy @MaccaMUFC You can both try and spin it anyway you want but the fact remains they are not free but included with your paid subscription.

@GrandValkyrie While it of course could be to personal preference (which is what @PrinceOfPorgs98 said when replying to you) some people cannot buy another console for money reasons and have to stick to the ones they have in their hands already. Obviously, consoles are expensive, and, thanks to the influx of inflation nowadays, some people have to save up money and put it towards necessities and can’t afford to buy more consoles.

@NEStalgia Right, some people still believe consoles sold is what matters. PS5 has proven that that's not the case. I also agree with the idea of Microsoft merging the console and PC business and it's more obvious now than ever before, but I think that they started that with Xbox One. Their consoles will be basically gaming PCs, but aren't Xbox One, PS4, Series S|X and PS5 gaming PCs? The advantage of Xbox is that Xbox is consumer-friendly, while PS and Sony as a company, certainly isn't.

As you said, PS is all about brand power. Microsoft's strategy is crystal clear, while Sony is changing their strategy all the time, but will yield, eventually, like they did with the upgrade fees (partially), cross-play, Fortnite accounts' ownership and so many things they said no to, because it meant giving a choice to "the players." That's precisely why they were mad at the ABK deal, because they don't want players to have a choice. They want to be the high-end monopoly. The third-party marketing and exclusivity/exclusion deals were more effective than the minority of players that got a PS4 for Sony's exclusives. That's why there aren't any new Sony games on the horizon, but they wasted so much time and money on marketing Call of Duty and preventing the ABK acquisition.

@Pastellioli Yes. It's also a question of practicality. Most people don't want to have lots of consoles lying around and/or don't have time to play every game anyway, so they choose the best value or the one that gives them more of what they like. Besides, most best-selling games are third-party, until Microsoft purchased Mojang and ABK, but they stayed multiplatform. Nintendo is different, obviously. They sold 60m of a Wii U port. However, I don't think that Nintendo will be as lucky next generation. It's practically impossible.

@Banjo- That’s also a good point! I did like the Nintendo Switch, and I’ve pretty much played Nintendo’s consoles for almost my entire life. Years ago (and still now) I never had an issue with having a ton of game consoles around, and they rarely collected dust, but I do know some might prefer not to buy more consoles and having them sit around.

Even though I don’t play the Switch anymore, I’d still say that I like it and it had plenty of great exclusives like Xbox! I made the switch to Xbox because of my preference for Rare’s games, and, although the Switch does have a couple of their games on there, they cannot be purchased separately and can only be accessed via an online subscription, not to mention that the current libraries on that service lack some of their other well-known games; but, from what I have seen, they are gradually building them up, which I’d say is pretty good.

@Pastellioli I grew up playing on Nintendo. I bought my first Xbox when the backwards compatibility launched, that started with Rare Replay in 2015 💚. I have sold all the Nintendo handhelds before upgrading to newer models, but I still have my old Nintendo home consoles, although the only ones that are connected to the TV are Wii U and Switch.

This is all so dumb. Despite subscribing to Netflix, many still buy games on Blu-ray (4K or otherwise) and despite Sony's MANY attempts in the past to outright own various platforms, everyone else has found a way to make a VCR, a DVD player, a PC, a phone, etc. Tech paradigms are finite. The idea of a console has died out before and it'll die out again, only to be resurrected somewhere down the line. So long as Xbox lets me play my Xbox games (past, present, and future) wherever I want, I couldn't care less what brand is on the box itself. Right now I'm playing 80% ROG Ally, 20% Xbox Series X and my PS5 and Switch haven't been touched in ages. I have a garage full of GameCubes and OG Xbox's etc. that maybe someday I'll hook up again for old times sake but when my newer hardware plays all of this stuff, who cares? It's a plastic box at the end of the day. The Xbox (seemingly sincere) commitment to backward compatibility forever has long since negated my need for them to continue to make new/better boxes when my favorite Xbox console to date was made by ASUS.

@Banjo- TBF I don't think Even publishers had figured out the game changed until recently. This why they over budget and over estimate sales. Console hardware sells ok but software sales aren't moving much.

Publishers just wanted pc since the ps360s days which is why they pushed both ms and Sony to x86 to Begin with.....im actually shocked this Gen exists in the form of does. I thought we'd have gone the all pc route by now. Microsoft clearly wanted to, and the third parties are all clearly building for PC and then grudgingly porting to still bespoke consoles. Even Sony had to buy studios just to port to PC because they didn't just unify with PC to Begin with.

I get why people look at those numbers as a reason Microsoft wouldn't continue making hardware, why bother if it's not selling? But that ignores that inevitable pc merge which means making hardware is no different that making surface hardware.... Which also is failing... And ignores that Microsoft is about running platforms, not just selling software for other platforms. They're not a retail software company. They haven't been that for decades. I'm pretty sure they don't want to simply be a bigger Ubisoft.

But this Gen is a market dud no question. Like wiiu. Nintendo could reboot. And so will ms. The goal is surely cloud but even MS recognizes now that's distant. Even for ai they're pushing in local AI rather than just cloud. Which is kind of hilarious because ai without Internet is basically Microsoft Bob and completely useless but whatever...

@Doomcrow Your name suits you well.

As someone who owns a PS5, X Box Series X and Switch I am happy that sales figures for Microsoft on PlayStation are doing well..

I personally game on PS5 the most as a majority of my friends are on PS5.. It would be great to hopefully get more Microsoft content on PlayStation for my friends and I to play (Halo and Gears Of War are ones I'd personally love on Playstation) ..

At the end of the day.. It shouldnt matter what we game on.. Game on whatever console/system makes you happy.. Its time to put an end to console wars and start making more games cross platform so we can all game together!!

Happy gaming everyone!

@MrMagic Your Paid Subscription grants you 'Free' Access to ALL those games at NO extra charge regardless of whether its an indie or AAA, whether its 1st or 3rd Party, whether its a Day 1 release or not, whether you play 1 or 100 games a month. You never have to pay ANY additional cost to access whatever games are in that Sub service.

Of course the Service costs. I'm paying a 'small' monthly fee for Game Pass Ultimate - but it means that I am able to access games I don't own, have never paid any money for, as and when I want. Its like the 'Free' games with Gold/PS+, 'free' Demo Discs with Magazines etc. All it means is that there is NO additional costs to pay regardless - even when AAA Day 1 games arrive.

I can play Hellblade 2 the Day it releases without having to spend ANY money that day, finish the whole game at NO extra cost to me and know I can do the same with games like Fable, Avowed, Perfect Dark, Clockwork Revolution. Never have to spend additional money for something 'new' to play...

@BAMozzy Your mental gymnastics make no difference. As I said you can try and spin it anyway you want but at the end of the day they are included in your paid subscription, stop paying and you no longer have access so no they are not free and the same goes for playstation plus games.

@MrMagic You're right. Technically, they are not "free" games because you pay a small fee every month as a subscriber. However, the whole point of Game Pass is the value of price/content that offers to the consumer.

You could purchase Hellblade at a full price for 50$ or play it through Game Pass for 14$ bucks.

You could buy Starfield, Hi-Fi Rush, Indiana Jones, Diablo 4 etc etc for 300$ on a full price, or you could play all these games on Game Pass in two months for 30$.

You don't need to spend a crazy amount of money to own the games when you can play them in a subcription service like Game Pass for a small fee every month.

Is it the end of Xbox? No is not going anywhere for now but is horrible optics that they get to port all their games to PlayStation and Nintendo, in return they get absolutely nothing! I doubt Sony and Nintendo are entertaining the idea for even their worst games in their catalog. So is a we give and give relationship 🤦

@MrMagic It’s still free if I’m already paying for the service anyway for the perks and to access online features. When for example HellBlade 2 is added to the service day one, I’ll download and play that for free because I’m not spending a penny towards it since I’m always going to keep subscribing to GPU regardless, I’m not paying for GPU to play HellBlade 2 it’s just a bonus that it’s being added day one to a service I’m always going to be subscribed to, capiche?

@BAMozzy I knew most of the benefits to be fair. As PC is a big consideration for me going next gen due to Games Pass, Smart Delivery & PlayStation games etc. But I live in rural Scotland so broadband is so piss poor it's a joke so cloud gaming is out of the question. I also have kids so need something cheap & easily accessible for them also.

@cragis0001 The point about PC's is that they offer the widest range of gaming choice to a consumer and, nowadays, don't need to spend 1000's on a Desktop set-up. You can buy a RoG Ally for about the cost of a Premium Console and have a much wider Library choice - IF Library size is most important to you.

Why buy a PS just because MS are releasing Some games, a few of those will be day/date too on PS, when a PC will get ALL MS games day/date as well as Sony's games? Instead of buying both a PS and Xbox, a PC would give you access to Halo, Gears, Spider-Man, Final Fantasy etc.

I know the Cloud is the weakest way to play, but its also by far the cheapest as it only requires a 'small' monthly fee and you can play on any Hardware, anywhere in theory.. But as we know, not everywhere has a decent wifi/5g network - but that is improving and could be far better in 5-10yrs time. With Cloud, you could play on a Student Laptop or even your last gen XB1S/X if you don't have the budget to spend on a Console and MS did make a £300 (or less) Console for a 'low cost' entry point.

MS may well keep making Consoles for the same reason - but they could also just allow Asus, Lenovo or any other 'PC' maker to build Handheld and/or Low Cost 'Console' format PC's with Xbox branding instead of making their own Hardware - especially because PC's are Open (not Locked), MS Windows based and can be as powerful as you can afford or whatever Form factor - Handheld, tablet, laptop, desktop or even 'Console'.

In the future, maybe it will be like Music/Movies where the majority access through Streaming with a few still buying Low Cost Consoles (like cheap record/CD players) or 'high end' PC separates (Like HiFi separates for the Audiophiles) for those that still want Hardware/Physical. But whether the Hardware relies on Streaming too as games get bigger, more complex, we will see. You can't fit MSFS on a disc - not the whole world in that detail so its streamed in from servers

@BAMozzy I agree. As I looked at the Asus Rog Ally & Lenovo Legion Go. But there expensive in the UK. Between £599-£699 for a handheld that may struggle to run new AAA games within a couple of years of release.
Again Cloud is a no go for me due to poor Internet in rural Scotland in the meantime. But like you said that could change in time for next gen hardware. Console is a cheaper easier option for the household as I have kids.
I would only consider going either full PC or PlayStation if 3rd party abandon Xbox. But if Microsoft allow more 3rd party support either in the game store or building hardware. It could gain better traction.

@cragis0001 I can't recommend the RoG Ally myself - its 'OK' but no substitute for a Console - not without at least a eGPU dock. But this is just first gen and no doubt, tech will advance too.

I can see MS maybe making Hardware - similar to them making Surface Hardware - maybe even a 'Surface Xbox Handheld' PC. Others like Asus, MSi, Alienware etc can make 'alternatives' to compete - like they do with Tablets/laptops that compete with MS's Surface line.

PC's will have 3rd Party support regardless and work on Windows. Therefore I think if MS sorted out 'Windows' or could build a better UI for gaming on Windows PC to make it easier for Console gamers to 'plug & play' essentially without worrying about PC centric issues that put them off, then why buy a Console?

£600 for a 'complete' solution - inc a Screen isn't that bad. Its also a lot cheaper than the £1000's some think they need to spend to get into PC gaming and a RoG Ally competes with Steam Deck on performance etc. A modern Console costs £500 and ideally needs a decent modern Screen with 4k HDR 120hz VRR capability to make the most of it - and they aren't exactly cheap. A console also requires a Subscription to play online - a PC doesn't. Swings and roundabouts of course and who knows what the future brings.

@BAMozzy I did say earlier this year a Surface brand approach could be Xbox's hardware future. But after the Series S/X negative reaction from devs. About them being different & working harder to optimise the hardware. It's hard to tell. With Nadella at the helm now after ABK they may play it safe. Who knows!!!!.
I did read the Rog Ally wasn't geared to replace a PC rig but with rumours of spec reveals for the second generation Ally today that could change. If they improve on the originals weaknesses.
I wonder if Xbox's future OS for there hybrid PC. Will be based on the cancelled Surface Neo's. Windows 10X components became the blue print for Windows 11 essentially. But if they revived the development of the OS. As its compatible, lightweight, modular designed for dual screens screen nature would be perfect. As it could be integrated into Windows 11's gaming mode also. Spencer's vision of Steam & Epic on Xbox is essentially just the integration of the current Windows 11 Store which makes sense. Epic & Disney+ already have there current stores content to browse/purchase. The current Xbox store could be integrated.

@cragis0001 With AMD, nVidia etc making smaller and more powerful APU's for smaller, thinner PC's, I do wonder whether or not these will take over from 'locked' Consoles.

You can build a Handheld to play Series S Quality (albeit maybe a max 1080p instead of 1440p) and get similar performance. With it being a smaller screen, any visual issues are significantly reduced.

If MS can optimise Windows in a 'Gaming' mode with a great User Interface, then why buy a Console that limits when/where/what you can play. PC has Xbox & Sony games, and you can play many old Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox, Sega etc games via emulation too. They already come with the Xbox Store, Epic Store, Steam store etc anyway...

I'll be watching the RoG Ally 2 reveal with interest...

@BAMozzy I heard the Rog Ally X is just an upgrade of the original. Better battery & more RAM. There hotter news was spec leak for the Switch 2. Being a cross between a PS4 & Series S.

My only concern for a handheld PC hybrid Xbox is the expense & with all that's going on lately that people will have faith to buy it.

@cragis0001 with potentially better, more comfortable design. They thought people would prefer lightweight/thin - not bigger with more impressive Battery life but heavier. Also its Black this time.

I'm a bit disappointed the Specs haven't really improved, but with vastly improved 'Software', the RoG Ally in general could benefit. My biggest gripe is that it feels too small and awkward in my hands - nowhere near as comfortable or as easy to hit the face buttons as a controller.

A PC like RoG Ally is not that expensive and its not tied specifically to Microsoft or Game Pass. Not only that, you have 100's, if not 1000's of Free Games, emulation of old Console games etc as well as access to Steam, Xbox, Epic stores - as well as many other Store fronts selling games much cheaper than RRP because more competition. You aren't paying for Game Pass Core/PS+ Essential just to play Online too.

Of course if you really want to match or 'beat' what a Console can 'offer' in terms of Performance metrics (resolution, RT, Frame Rates etc) then yes it can get 'more' expensive - but for around the Price of a Series X or PS5, you can have a PC with significantly higher games library, ability to play EVERY Xbox game as well as most of Sony's (eventually), PC exclusives and many Old games lost to Console gamers today. Not tied to a screen, can play anywhere, any time...

Of course it may not be 4k/60 but you can play on ANY PC - whether you upgrade to newer generations of Handhelds, get a Desktop/Laptop etc. If Xbox 'disappears' for example, PC's won't.

I don't know that I'd buy another 'Xbox' console - it could be a pointless waste of Money for 'me' as it doesn't offer anything I can't do 'elsewhere' (like on a PC) and maybe not as well as my Hardware. I have a 4090 Dock for my RoG Ally for example so could dock that to my TV for '4k' with DLSS 3.0 and beat my Xbox Series X.

Console though is easier and certainly something I'd prefer to buy for kids than a 'PC' - especially younger kids. If they stop subsidising hardware though, will Consoles still be 'cheap' for the Performance they deliver and if you want '60fps', PC maybe the only 'realistic' choice...

@cragis0001 "My only concern for a handheld PC hybrid Xbox is the expense & with all that's going on lately that people will have faith to buy it".

With All that's going on lately!, you mean that Microsoft has 4 AAA First Party exclusives releasing this year and the news that the latest God Of War is going to PC ?

@BAMozzy yeah was a bit disappointed with the Rog Ally X announcement . But still could be a good handheld if it has ironed out all the bugs. Hopefully a successor is in the work & won't be far away. As for price again in the UK its a bit expensive. But still cheaper than buying a gaming rig.

PC is definitely the way to go. Maybe Nintendo for console as well. But see what happens in a couple years.

@Sifi I think it depends on the specs. Id hate to think it would be more expensive than say the Series X or the Asus Rog Ally. I'm loosing faith in Xbox though so no sure what I'll be doing next gen.

Sounds like we could be in for a treat at the June Showcase. Hellblade 2 this month to start the ball rolling. Square Enix back.

@cragis0001 At the end of the day they are committed to their Series S/X customers and have Games coming, even if not at the 'speed' or 'quality' in the 'genre/style' they want to Console for them to play on Game Pass or if not, buy. Those games, if bought digitally may well be Play Anywhere (as in you get whichever version you play on - PC or Xbox) so that may help in 'transition'.

In other words, with Game Pass Ultimate for Consoles - just because it has Online included, and maybe checking which Xbox games are Play Anywhere when you buy, IF you decide to go for a Handheld PC Console - even though its a 'PC' its only useful as a 'PC' when docked with a K&M and bigger Screen - you've already got a Library of games, let alone 'free' games, old games etc that play superbly anywhere, anytime - it's not that much of a Risk in cost.

If Games run 'well' enough on a Series S - then Games run well enough on a handheld in general if you target the right settings/res for the power - reduce power for longer battery - lower settings or frame rate expectations.

For me, its 2 things that stop me using my RoG as much as I could is the 'Comfort' (too small for me) and the User Interface. If you have a PC, you know what windows is like but that's the OS layer that you could see 'briefly' as you Start up and then it 'loads' straight into Ally's Game UI which gives you access to your games (downloaded) and/or apps (Xbox/Steam) with Tabs to settings for the whole handset to your preferences as you'd expect from a console.

It's just not been the 'best' experience but designing, optimising and ensuring its working for their intended audience takes time and tweaks - Steam Deck wasn't great to start but Valve has refined that over years - much like XB1 was very different UI to where its at now. This looks like a big Overhaul of that 'interface' - the bit that crosses the bridge between really needing it to be a PC to get things working as you'd hope as its a bit fiddly without K&M, and the Simplicity of being a Console (and yes BOTH have to deal with updates!) Game and System Level updates.

MS are working on a 'Windows' Lite/Gaming mode for their OS - especially as low power PC's with decent built in GPU's can now play 'modern' games at reasonable spec (1080p for example or even 720p on a Handheld). Series S is 4TF GPU & 8/16 CPU on a chip with 10GB RAM, SSD too - targeting 1440p . These handhelds can have similar specs with 16GB RAM (min) and targeting quarter the res (720p) in a handheld...

Difference is 'Power' and Memory Bandwidth - something a Series S has in its advantage.

You don't have to decide today - you have the current hardware and it's 'Life' cycle to decide where to go 'next' based on what that landscape looks like. In a few years, you'll likely see even more 'powerful' Hand helds maybe even with RT/AI (apple chips can) too more powerful than a Series X and you realise you don't need the next Xbox because you have all your games on your Handheld PC....

@BAMozzy I think we got a glimpse of Microsoft's Windows/Xbox handheld future with the release of the new Snapdragon X Plus & Elite chipset.

Borderlands 3 & Buldurs Gate 3 were meant to be running not to badly I hear.

@cragis0001 Interesting future isn't it - when you see Benchmarks on the iPad M4 for example and how thin that is, see what the Ally and 'current' chips are doing in the RoG Ally (A whole 'gaming' PC in a Handheld - that is remarkable considering how 'powerful' it is compared to the massive PC's of 2010 that can't run 'modern' games.

By the time the 'next' Xbox releases, how 'powerful' could these handhelds be? A 1080/120hz screen so no need to waste 'power' on 4k resolution (maybe an eGPU dock for 4k TV's) and it 'could' offer better performance than a box built for '4k' TV's for the same sort of money.

Then it comes down to taking your games and being able to play 'anywhere' or only Games that the Platform holder 'allows' and/or won't release elsewhere - the 'console' exclusives!

@BAMozzy yeah I've not watched the whole of Build 24 yet. But what I saw was wild. I agree the Apple M chips have been the benchmark for the last several years & considering how quickly ARM has matured on Windows is also crazy.

Talking about the next Xbox. Microsoft announced at Build 24. Partnerships with Nvidia & AMD for AI chips sets, Cloud & app integration. I'm sure they'll work with Intel also. So whatever they use will be taylored to Microsoft's needs. It could also mean that Microsoft will also get royalties for chips sets used in Nintendo & PlayStation in the future.

To think what we gamers will get in the future is exciting. I Can't wait. next gen 2026 became a little closer after Build 24.