
In a new chat with Seamus Blackley over at VideoGamer, the outspoken OG Xbox creator has touched on Microsoft's messaging around producing the most powerful console hardware - and how his take on Xbox would have been quite different had he stayed with the company.
This discussion about Xbox hardware power has been pulled from an upcoming podcast episode, where Blackley makes it clear that sheer graphical grunt isn't as important anymore - going on to say "the battle for content has switched away from that sort of technical achievement".
"And now, the battle for content has switched away from that sort of technical achievement into other things, and I think that if you want to win you have to find those other things that they’re compelling to people, right, you have to create an experience where people when they see it they have to have it."
Blackley goes on to say that while marketing powerful console hardware was important when creating the OG Xbox, "this narrative around being more powerful is not helpful today" - adding that "it's not my f**king fault" that Microsoft continued down that path rather than focusing on other things.
"And then, you know, how they managed that brand and the story going forward is not my f**king fault, and it’s not, you know, I would not have done things the same way — I don’t know if it would have been more or less successful — but I certainly think that this narrative around being more powerful is not helpful today."
Seamus certainly has a point, especially in recent times where Xbox's content droughts were keenly felt and well-documented. Having said that, the team's latest strategy seems to focus on games more than anything else - and while that's resulted in a push to release on more platforms, it does at least mean we're starting to see frequent big game releases from Microsoft.
What do you think to these new comments from Seamus? Have your say down below.
[source videogamer.com]
Comments 59
It went from game comparison, to resolution comparison, to FPS comparison, to power comparison, and comparisons will go on and on and on. MS is switching gears and getting a foothold into the future of a changing market. That is all. Xbox has come on in massive leaps and bounds since the dawn of Xbox One, and they've never been stronger imo.
@Kaloudz I totally agree. Xbox is very strong right now and really focussed and ready for the future market.
I agree that the capabilities of a console have pretty much hit a point where the benefits of each iteration are no longer that noticeable, and so there really is much less that Sony or Microsoft can do to improve each generation.
I know there will be people that think that the Prime will include Steam, but I really cannot see that happening as it is possible to pay 25%+ less to pre-order games for Steam than it is for the Xbox. So the inclusion of Steam would simply see people buy their games on Steam instead, and thus Microsoft would get 70% of the money, from a lower price point, from their first-party games, rather than the 100% that they are used to at full price. Thus I highly doubt that Microsoft would go down that path as to do so would be a massive act of self-harm, though with that said, we have been witness to Microsoft's suicidal tendencies of late, so I guess we cannot completely rule it out.
The question you have to ask yourself is whether you are happy with your current console and what it can do, and whether you really feel the need to buy the next console. Personally, I am undecided right now. I am very happy with my Series X, and feel that I need to be convinced as to whether the Prime is a must buy console.
What I do firmly believe is that Microsoft will become the most successful first-party publisher out there. The irony is that at precisely the time that they had the games to entice people into their ecosystem, they waved the white flag and went multiplatform, which whilst great for those that game on other systems, is probably terminal for the Xbox as a console. Of course, the problem that Microsoft faced were multifaceted; they had the smallest install base by far, like everyone else they faced increasingly expensive game development, and investors were hungry for a return on their purchases of Zenimax and ABK. It's the combination of all 3 that has done for Xbox. A perfect storm, the culmination of which has led to Microsoft going all in on multiplatform.
I know there are some here that don't see it that way, but the question you have to ask yourself is, if the Xbox had the install base that Sony has, would they have done things the same with 42 studios under their umbrella? Highly doubt it! They would have done exactly what Sony has done with far, far fewer studios, and squeezed the life out of the Xbox, and thus forced them to go multiplatform.
On the day that we see the rumours that the next Batman game made by Rocksteady maybe a PlayStation exclusive, it is easy to see that you can spend far less than Microsoft have done, garner great exclusives, and entice people into your ecosystem that way.
All a bit late now, I guess...
@Bleacdemon Hard to argue against how great things are right now, isn't it? I mean even this bit (one point of many)
Seamus certainly has a point, especially in recent times where Xbox's content droughts were keenly felt and well-documented
Now we're in a place where Xbox are having to push release dates back to make space for other games. It's crazy good right now.
The brand has never been stronger than it is now.
Now Xbox are motoring with GPU and game releases from their studios I’m a lot more happier and of course the best console is the series x and feature set and controller layout.
I kind of agree with Seamus (although he is eccentric and a bit out there, it's hard to argue his points).
But I don't think it's just content, it's a differentiation factor that is required to survive in today's market. Nintendo has handheld and family gimmicks nailed down, Sony tried their best at immersion (DualSense, PSVR, Audio, avoiding loading, etc..).
Xbox differentiation factor is GamePass, which is not marketed very well, and claim at the most powerful console on the market, at the time when that claim has historically lowest value.
Don’t think I agree with the brand being stronger now than ever before when there’s so many games that were once exclusive now going on to rival platforms.
@Kaloudz Xbox is the strongest it's ever been?
Exclusive games are no longer exclusive, the hardware is selling the worst it ever has and the future for the entire platform looks in doubt.
How on earth is this the strongest ever?
Do you understand that the entire platform business is centred of that 30% cut Xbox gets from each game sale right? Sure they get some money from subscriptions but their goal was 100 million by 2030 and there is no way of reaching that now.
Once the 30% cut is gone then entire platform is dead and Xbox becomes a 3rd party publisher like Sega or EA.
@dodgykebaab Do you mean to tell me that as a consumer, you don't feel that Xbox is better now than ever before? Strip away the business bits that you, as a consumer, shouldn't even be worrying about, and tell me this isn't the best time to play Xbox?
They have a metric ton of first party games, so much so that they are having to delay their own games to make space for others. The biggest change within the brand since the acquisition of ABK and Zenimax, is that they're putting some of their games on other platforms.
Tell me, as a consumer, does that hurt you in any way, shape, or form? Does it affect the way you play? Will more games go exclusive? Yes. Does it really matter? No. MS will make a shed load of cash doing this, and it's just the state the market as a whole is heading in. Do you really believe, with the constant assurance we're given by MS that hardware is still central to Xbox, and the amount of money they've spent on acquisitions, and the inclusion of MUSE AI (from just the other day) and the fact we know the hardware teams are (right now) creating the next console that's touted to be the biggest jump ever, and be very feature competitive, that Xbox is going anywhere, any time soon?
C'mon...
Their last direct (January 2025) was packed and that only went as far as Q2. It's a phenomenal time to be an Xbox fan, and there's no denying whatsoever how strong they are right now - with more studios and output than ever before - despite (once again, due to the ever expense rising market) having to go multiplat.
Xbox isn't going anywhere dude. They're just shifting tactics for the future. Game dev is ridiculously costly. That's why third party devs that have been exclusive for decades, are shifting multiplat too.
Lmao, sorry but I’m just gonna say that if you really think the brand is “stronger than it has ever been been” it’s not even coping anymore, that’s just pure delusion.
And Seamus apparently had more vision than Don Mattrick or Phil Spencer ever did, what a different story would be with him or Peter Moore as head of Xbox the last decade.
@Kaloudz
"Do you mean to tell me that as a consumer, you don't feel that Xbox is better now than ever before?"
No.
As an owner of digital Xbox games, the platform looks like its going to fold.
So there goes thoses digital games. As a consumer, that's crap.
Strip away the business bits that you, as a consumer, shouldn't even be worrying about...
That's like being a passenger on the Titanic and saying, "Don't worry about the icebergs, there just there for decoration..."
Of course we should be worried, @Kaloudz! It's quite literally the longevity of Xbox as a console that is at stake. Yes, the publishing side will go from strength to strength (at least it will until they start mismanaging that too), but consoles? Not so much.
Ask yourself this, if Microsoft weren't in the position they are now;
So, were things truly going great at Xbox would we really see what we're seeing right now with the brand? You really have to do some spectacular mental gymnastics to say yes to that! Are Microsoft making the best of a bad position? Probably yes. However, don't allow yourself to be fooled into thinking this is the path they would have taken if they were the market leaders. This is them trying to keep Xbox afloat after hitting a series of icebergs (all of them entirely of their own making). I have no doubt that the passengers (the games) will be saved and thrive in the future. However whether they can salvage the ship (the console) is an entirely other matter.
*Game Pass launched in 2017, to reach the target of 100 million subscribers by 2030, they would need to have lured in an average of 7.7 million subscribers a year. So, if we assume that 30 million are currently subscribed, then already they are failing that target by half (61.6 million should be subscribed). For them to hit that target right now, they have to add 14 million each year for the next 5 years. Seems unlikely doesn't it?
I think Microsoft is well positioned for go-forward gaming success. Between UE5 and other purchased publishers/developers MS has great tech to make games. And they invested heavy in Live Services so that is also in great shape, Not to mention gaming infrastructure like the cloud, gamer profiles, and streaming.
I just hope MS starts to stay the course as they currently are moving towards. And not make yet another major direction change. It is good to be agile, but a brand is built on a reputation, and a reputation is built by being consistent in what you do.
@Fiendish-Beaver I think people who wanted Ps exclusives to start with already got into PS ecosystem.
So even if there is next halo and its 10/10 exclusive, these people dont care as they are waiting for next naughty dog game.
I think people who survived xbox one exodus and lived thru the series gen and are happy, well I dont see a reason to not buy prime. So I dont see it selling considerably worse (like 50%) than series gen. Its even better time now with finally decent lineup of GP.
Honestly will be glad all fanatics and console warriors go elsewhere. You win. Congrats!
I will enjoy my xbox and GP in a cozy 30M corner of the market where we discuss games because there are plenty and GP removes a $ barrier to try different genres and projects
I think that is a fair assessment, @Millionski. The question is, can Game Pass survive, in its current form, on 10, 15 or 20 million subscribers? What is the the number at which it would be forced to become a first-party only subscription service similar to Ubisoft or EA (or cease completely)? Will there be another Xbox after the Prime, or will my digital library forever be tied it?
lol well we know being more powerful is what they will be marketing the next generation on, Phil and Sarah have both confirmed this.
@Fiendish-Beaver why would it drop from 35M+ to 10? Even 20? There are more and better games.
Also they are launching their portable xbox with native GP support. That can offset some of prime sales if they are less.
They also can launch the watered down tier of GP without day one games like EA play on PS/N while having ultimate tier on xbox/pc/xbox portable.
Will there be xbox after prime - will there be ps7 or we all go to cloud? Will there be switch 3 or N will try to come up with new device? What does it matter today?
Purchases made on xbox will be available on last xbox if anything. You can still play your digital 360 games even that store was closed. Same here.
They are also working on a way to make your purhasea availabe on other devices - something that competition does not do at all. Sell your Ps or N and you cant access these games. You also dont know how the backward compatibility will work on future devices from PS/N either
The fact everybody now refers to Xbox as a brand and not a console tells you everything you need to know.
As a brand it is flying, as a box it it is not.
@dodgykebaab Xbox is the strongest it's ever been and the proof is in the revenue reports Microsoft posts quarterly. Xbox made more money in 2024 than they ever did in any year prior, and this year is likely going to surpass that number as they creep towards eclipsing Sony in gaming revenue. More income means Xbox is in a stronger position than it ever has been and just because your selling less plastic boxes than you did before doesn't mean you're not producing great content and services that draw in strong dividends.
@Weebleman I agree. But you don't need to outsell your competition to be #1. Look at Mac Books and iPhones. There are way more Windows PC's and Android phones in people's hands than Macs and iPhones, but yet Apple isn't chomping at the bit to get rid of them due to money from iTunes and software they generate. Same thing for the Xbox itself. It may sell less than its competition, but it's bringing in GP subscriptions and software sales and making the company a tidy chunk of change.
@Fiendish-Beaver I personally think we'll always see an Xbox in some form due to the sheer amount of GP subscribers tied to it. If for some reason the plastic box went away I'd imagine our digital libraries will be streamable via the PC and phone apps. If not than Microsoft would have a HUGE problem on their hands and it would be a PR nightmare and they can kiss any chance they have at a digital future goodbye.
@TheEstablishment you also dont need to do it in literally any other industry to be successful.
For some reason its the consoles only.
Are there same discussions on bmw vs audi? I really wonder. Like instead of driving car of your choice people worry about how many were sold and who is the winner?
@TheEstablishment I think xbox consoles will exist until cloud is capable of fully replacing it. Basically how netflix replaced physical discs renting.
I think its another 2-3 gens.
Basically when playing on hardware will sound plain stupid when you can stream in 4k with min latency and any issues.
Unless or course one of the gens completely flops and sells like 5M in 3 years which I highly doubt.
@Kaloudz Xbox as a console has never been weaker.
@TheGameThrifter LOL at those tying themselves to a single plastic box. The console is a piece of the pie, not the whole pie. People need to realize there is more paths to succeed in this industry than just plastic boxes.
@TheEstablishment while I don't necessarily disagree, it just saddens me that as gamers we are all celebrating revenue rather than games.
@TheGameThrifter Could not disagree more.
@dodgykebaab It was just yesterday that MS announced Muse AI - something they'll be utilizing for game preservation and B/C. Quote
"We believe this could radically change how we preserve and experience classic games in the future and make them accessible to more players."
So no... it doesn't look even close to a fold of the division. Quite the opposite.
@Fiendish-Beaver I think this is one of the differences we have as people. I turn my console on, and I enjoy my games. I don't even remotely get caught up in hard stats outside of these news posts on this one singular Xbox site (the only one I frequent). But with the bits that I know, do I think the console or the brand is anywhere near to shuttering? No. It's not even close.
MS are branching out and pulling in revenue from publishing games, and no doubt soon enough, cloud play - hence the whole "This is an Xbox" jargon. Group that with Xbox PC - a rapidly expanding market space - and it's clear to see where their heads are at. That's not to mention their efforts with yesterday's announcement of Muse AI (for game preservation and devs) as well as work on the next gen console and the exciting bits we know about that. It's high times as far as I am concerned and for someone that has been with Xbox since the beginning - I can wholeheartedly say this is their best spot.
Selling lots of consoles isn't the future of the industry and Microsoft know it. They are planning for a future without consoles where they are the biggest developer and publisher in the industry.
Eventually, all of those PlayStation and Nintendo players will have to buy directly from Microsoft or subscribe directly from Microsoft to access Xbox games.
Releasing them on other platforms now is a huge, money spinning Trojan Horse to retain those players in the future.
@Fiendish-Beaver you have to double check your facts mate:
1) “3 or 4 times fewer people” - more like 2.5 as people are spread between 2 gens and ps5 selling little slower than ps4. This was the same last gen (50M xbox one vs 120M ps4 by end of gen).
2) 100M GP was internal target that they dropped after around ABK deal closed. They are not that bullish on GP anymore. This was never an official goal or anything like that, just a leaked number during trial. Moreover, we saw leaked “adorably digital xbox with new controller” - was it materialized? A lot of things changed after.
So your whole paragraph about GP growth can be disregarded as you basing at it some random leak.
Moreover, Spencer said in his interview that GP is only 15% of MS gaming revenue or so and he expects it to be the same going forward!
The official number we heard was 34M. Since then growth has been reported esp after BO6 dropped into service. PC GP growth was 30%. So its more than 35M at this point.
3) investors are “so concerned”. Investors invest in MS and not just xbox. MS stock has seen double digit growth in last 2 years.
ABK boosted P&L to record earnings of MS gaming BU last year.
4) yes I would agree if there were market leader they would be doibg things differently but what they decided to do after x360? It was not enough to be top player on console market for Ms. They always wanted more. Now they have more.
You might want to check your facts yourself, me ol' mucker, @Millionski. Last reported sales of the PS5 has it tracking ahead of the PS4.
Also, the bottom has fallen out of the Series console sales, and the PS5 sales are increasing. What does that mean? The gap between how many that game on a PlayStation and those that game on an Xbox is growing. 2.5 is an old number. WAY old! No point in denying it, Xbox (as a console) is being trounced.
The 100 million target was part of Nadella's pay deal. It was dropped because the target was not going to be met, as not hitting it would have reduced Nadella's bonuses. Funny that, isn't it?!? However, the point still remains. The Game Pass business model was originally built around the 100 million subscribers by 2030. It has failed miserably in that regard. Speak to @themightyant. He will likely be able to furnish better detail. However, I recall him having noticed that the uptick in revenue from Game Pass was such that the sums didn't add up.
The 100 million came from the trial. So it wasn't a random leak. What was a leak was the fact that it had been dropped. I'm not sure where you got the 15% you mention, as I cannot find where you got that from, but even so, disregarding that Game Pass is not doing as well as was expected just because Microsoft change their projections, is a little off. Companies often lower or raise their projections based on how well their doing, and upon their expected returns. So lowering your projections is far from what Microsoft would have wanted to be doing. As it stands, we are getting half the content released on the Game Pass than we have in recent years. Yes, Microsoft have finally got their act together when it comes to releasing a game each month on to the Service, but as for the other stuff, the choice has definitely been curtailed...
I mean, some expert has just called Spencer's claims regarding Muse to be "idiotic", @Kaloudz. So maybe Muse won't be all that Microsoft claims it will be. Maybe it will go the way of how Cloud will make fully destructible environments in Crackdown 3 (it didn't!), or maybe like the next big thing. Or maybe it'll be as big as Windows Mixed Reality, which they discontinued after saying it would be the next big thing. Or perhaps it will be as useful as Kinect... Yeah, I wouldn't put too much stock in Muse just yet. Spencer is a salesman at the end of the day, and he will always talk up a project, until such time as it is shuttered and he never mentions it again...
The original Xbox was technically far superior to the ps2, since it included a 20 GB hard drive and had a ethernet port. The ps2 only had a hard drive and ethernet available as a add on for Final Fantasy 11, which was the only game which used it. The x360 gained popularity due to the launch price of the ps3. The inclusion of Kinect with the X1 hurt the X1 and allowed the ps4 to gain market share. The dual launch of Series S and Series X was a unusual but proved successful for MS. What I see is that MS is producing more games for the Xbox, a wide variety of games.
@Fiendish-Beaver I was just reading that on EG. It sheds a very different light on the info that was given yesterday
@Fiendish-Beaver @Millionski I don't really want to get in the middle of your back and forth but thought i'd confirm a few stats on console sales as you are both kinda right and kinda wrong.
Re: PS5 sales: it is ahead of PS4 in USA but JUST behind PS4 worldwide (75m vs 76.5m), which frankly is staggering as they had stock issues for almost 2 years; a financial crisis where many people couldn't afford luxuries; and the PS5 and PS5 Pro are $500 / $700 after 4 years whereas the PS4 and PS4 Pro were around $300 / $400 at this point in the lifecycle. Moreover Sony announced it just sold 9.5 million last quarter alone, more than in any previous quarter. In short PS5 is selling well above expectations.
Re: Xbox sales: we know far less as Microsoft don't publish numbers but analysts have it around 32 million. So lifetime it's currently around 2.3 : 1 which is wider than the roughly 2 : 1 last gen. While that may not initially look THAT bad what will be of greater concern for Microsoft is that their console sales have completely fallen off a cliff in the last two years, down virtually every quarter, while the competition is setting new records. The gap is widening.
E.g. Last year was the worst full-year in the US market in Xbox history for units sold, which is meant to be their strongest territory. In total it was reported they shipped just over 3 million units worldwide which was down from 4.35m in 2023, which in turn was also a bad year. As we noted above PS5 sold 9.5m last quarter alone. Some analysts have PS5 trending as high as 5 : 1 in recent months. But more broadly it's around 3 : 1 over the last 2 years, but as I said the gap is widening.
@Fiendish-Beaver @Millionski Also re: Game Pass: We don't have any specifics because Microsoft don't divulge them but some of their numbers don't add up and you have to read between the lines of what they announce to see the bigger picture. This is because of how they present their information, they don't usually give hard numbers and only cherry pick a few statistics like PC subs up being up 30%. That's great right?
Well, no, not necessarily. They also announced revenue from services (incl. Game Pass) was also only up 2%. Additionally this was the same quarter that they raised prices, so if PC subs were up 30%, and they raised prices, yet revenue from services was ONLY up 2%, then logically something else was significantly down for those numbers to balance. We don't know what, as they haven't divulged that.
This is the problem with how Microsoft reports all their figures you have to read between the lines of what they are telling you, between the numbers they are cherry picking to sound as strong as possible, to see the wider picture. Ideally we'd want more transparency. Instead we have to piece together bits of information here and there and it's often more telling what they AREN'T telling us.
@Fiendish-Beaver
1. PS4 is still ahead of ps5 worldwide
2. 75M ps5 sold vs 31M xboxes. Roughly 2.5 multiplier, not 3 or 4.
3. You cant base argument on not reaching 100M target by 2030 today since they themselves dropped this target 2 years ago. Moreover it was never announced officially. Many leaks from trial were work in progress and never reached a reality (here was my example with adorably digital xbox with new design and controller).
4. Game pass has less games but of higher quality and price. There was never a year like 2025 with the amount of $50-70 games on a day 1 which is the biggest value of the sub. Older games can be always bought on sale.
5. GP reportedly grew and should be in 35M + range driven by COD bo6 and PC GP growth
Seamus rarely has been wrong, especially about Xbox brand or hardware and this proves it.
Hopefully they go all in on a wide but decently powerful ARM (CPU) + Nvidia or Intel (GPU) for the next Xbox. Something like this type of future hardware and interesting software features I think that will also translate great to a portable machine like a Switch as well at low end parts/speeds.
The only tricky thing is emulation from x86 to ARM of previous generations. If they go AMD all in APU like now or PS6 I'll just skip unless there is something extremely compelling with software. PlayStation now has a technology (pssr) that they will continue which Xbox doesn't have. Hard times for Xbox leaning too much on GamePass, lack of physical, and borderline no exclusives. I have hundreds of digital and disc Xbox games (300-400) but I need something really compelling to keep buying their new platforms/games next gen.
This discussion has devolved into a measuring contest of how bad Xbox has it currently.
I believe Seamus's point, and what MS should be concentrated on, is innovation and change they can make to improve their status going forward. Even if they were market leader, there is nothing stopping them from imagining new ways of playing and shaking what gaming is for next generation. That is what sells systems, not graphics (is what Seamus is saying).
Historically, consoles that returned (or gained for the first time) market share were always like that, with differentiation factor. As an example, PS1 compared to Nintendo offerings of the time was a miracle of innovation, easier to develop for with better and cheaper storage medium, well performing 3D graphics which were unusual for the time.
Nintendo Wii made gaming accessible to everybody in the family, and all of a sudden it was not just for teens but also parents and grandparents.
Nintendo Switch took that further, and made gaming accessible everywhere, by making it a single console and a single game you were carrying around.
That is what MS needs, because it's very hard to flip market with heavy brand awareness and mental (and all digital) investments people make into these platforms. How they do it, I don't know. But if next Xbox is just another box with better graphics, I ain't buying it.
For the measuring convo, I'll only reflect on 100 million subs target. That was never realistic, as there is not such a big market out there. If you combined all GP and PS Plus subs you wouldn't get that big of a number, and human population is just not gonna grow that much in next 5 years
@TheEstablishment
" Xbox made more money in 2024 than they ever did in any year prior,"
Yeah, acquiring a $80 Billion company in the form of Activision will do that funny enough.
Now look at the break down of those same figures and remove activision out of the sums and Xbox is down bad.
@dodgykebaab ABK is part of Xbox and you need to move on. Of course those figures are included because they are part of the same company.
Do you strip away all of the sales figures for every studio Sony has bought over the years? No.
@SMJ You've missed the point completely.
Of course their figures are the best ever, they pumped $80 billion in. That's how value is worked out!
The actual test of sucess is if the same level of growth is seen in the next set of figures.
Because if not, then clearly "The best ever year" was actually articfially inflated by a cash infection and not because of business growth.
@Cakefish They said "the next Xbox hardware will offer the "largest technical leap" ever seen in a single console generation" a technical leap not the most powerful.
@Rog-X How else can one interpret ‘largest technical leap’ other than better performance? Even if they mean AI upscaling rather than raw teraflops that still ultimately results in better performance in games. Phil said the next generation will compete on hardware capabilities, so this is the expectation they’ve set.
Xbox is not the strongest it's ever been. That was the 360 era. It's nowhere near that now
My thoughts, shortened down a bit because I dont have enough time
Xbox isnt doing well as a console. Thats a fact, given sales numbers. That means they cant keep first party games exclusive, as that doesnt generate enough income to cover the cost of development (and turn a profit) and given the fact that they are release on gamepass. Hence the move to publish games on other consoles, which secures more income.
That last part is good, it means Xbox can keep releasing games and us gamers get to play them on a console.
There will be consoles in the future, for a good while at least since there is a demand for it. Gaming on PC is much more of a hustle and streaming isnt yet good enough.
Peace!
@Cakefish "How else can one interpret ‘largest technical leap’ other than better performance?"
Not necessarily. Technical leap would also be exiting their comfort zone, and creating a console that uses piece of technology not conventionally used in the field. For example, room sensors making your whole living room a playground (in an actually functional way), which is something MS has historically been very interested in doing (Kinect, and the recent spyware I did not bother to remember name of).
Technology is a broader term, and one should not limit themselves by a confounds of a current trajectory and immediate market competitors when observing what it can offer.
Eh, MS is adapting to the times as any software company would. By putting software in as many places as possible.
@Cikajovazmaj they can’t do that though, they’re a multiplatform publisher now. They can’t do a Kinect 2.0 or VR thingy or a radical controller redesign because all their games need compatibility with PS6/PS5, Switch 2, and PCs. The only way they can realistically technically innovate while maintaining full compatibility with other platforms is through things like AI boosting performance and image quality and suchlike. Anything that changes core gameplay mechanics is a no-go because of aforementioned compatibility issues with multiplatform publishing.
@Cakefish I absolutely agree with you that they "can't" or "wouldn't" do that, due to the situation they have put themselves into.
But you might have also picked up on me not being a fan of MS direction with Xbox hardware, and a long standing goal of creating a similar but more boring and maybe slightly faster PS.
Fact is MS is not willing to risk it to reach the top in gaming hardware, and instead is taking a biggest game publisher route for a steady and predictable route. Which is absolutely fine and on brand, MS always did that, and has always been service and software company above anything.
When I spoke about what MS should do, just as I would guess Seamus, I didn't expect they'll actually do it.
Hopefully they prove me wrong and Xbox Next hook doesn't end up being a bigger CPU/GPU.
@Rodimusprime13 ethernet available as a add on for Final Fantasy 11, which was the only game which used it.
Champions of Norrath wants a word with you 😂
Joking aside that was a truly great game and needs the remaster treatment for all machines that the Baldurs Gate games got.
@Cakefish Largest Technical Leap has always been such a silly statement as it has no real measurable meaning as you can flip it any way you choose.
If they add in something like PSSR / DLSS and Ai for the next box, and PS6 also adds Ai they could still feasibly state its the largest leap in a generation as PS added PSSR during this gen. Its really just meaningless marketting speech which will mean what they want it to mean and nothing else.
@SMJ "Selling lots of consoles isn't the future of the industry and Microsoft know it."
Exactly 💯. PC/Steam gaming is anyhow the future.
Game pass is cheaper on PC, games are cheaper on PC, forget bragging about which console has more exclusives & better games, PC beats them all, forget about moaning about your library potentially being left behind if there is not a next or next/next console generation.
People whine about cost of living, cost of PS5 Pro, what's the next Gen going to cost?? Are people going to keep buying both a PC/laptop & a Console?
Quite frankly as a consumer, I don't see myself buying both, next Gen for me is most probably just shifting to PC gaming.
Hardware progressing is also diminishing returns. I have both a series X & S. Besides storage space, functionally I don't really notice a difference between them. Look at steam stats, huge numbers of PC gamers gamer on old hardware & play old games. Most people are not going to need a next console for a long time.
@Cikajovazmaj I personally like the aim of being more powerful, I’ll happily take all the higher framerates and graphical bells and whistles I can get! The problem with XSX is that the theoretical performance advantage it has over base PS5 hasn’t actually been borne out in reality in the vast majority of games.
@Ilyn I agree we’ve seen them make bold marketing claims before which didn’t age well, but they should know that most gamers would interpret this statement as being performance related. Phil did explicitly state they intend to compete on hardware capability next gen, so whatever they come up with can’t just be fancy software features.
The issue that damaged Xbox and put them in the situation they’re currently in was the Xbox One. The marketing was wrong. The forced Kinect was wrong. Which led to the $100 price difference, which was required but wrong. When digital libraries started becoming mainstream, the Xbox One went out and PS3’d itself.
@GoldenPants I also think the next gen of consoles will be the last. Microsoft has already promised another console and I'm sure Sony is planning for a PS6 but, after that I just can't see the need.
I do think we'll have disguised PCs in a set top box that will be able access the Xbox Store, PS Store etc. but these will most likely be made by traditional PC manufacturers.
He is right. I've never wanted to use older consoles more, console gimmicks/seek better game design & ignore 3rd party PS4/Xbox One, eh 1st party on both, no care for Xbox Series/PS5.
Eh PS/Xbox. Old or Switch/PS4 on occasion for me. Xbox business wise sure, customer eh.
2017+ I've been collecting & getting odd AA/Indies that aren't nostalgia/underbaked ideas besides genre branching out as well to tactics, hack n slashes, visual novels, etc. Not just because action adventure, shooters, racing, platformers have been terrible since. Indies & AA/AAA.
I respect games I don't play. 2024 I didn't respect any/many. Besides what I didn't/did buy new 2024 PS4/Switch. I am very picky on 3rd party, ignore 1st party or buy niche Nintendo IPs.
Peripherals, console gimmicks software/hardware wise & games are so boring/unconvincing to me I'd rather play 30+ PS2/Wii/PS3/360 games & 1 Switch game to story completion & that is it. Besides odd challenges of old games.
That's how much I don't care. I'd rather use my Xbox One X as a YT box (while eating breakfast or in general) or a blu-ray player for anime.
Then I would back compat, Soundcloud (no interest in Spotify) or a single Xbox game of this gen let alone 2017+ like I dropped off PS4/refuse to touch a PS5. Xbox One had ok games. Series gen (not because multiplat, I mean the games execution is boring on any platform they end up on).
Hi Fi Rush was fair, but I've seen Indies do what it does just as well. Still good game though.
Even Space Marine 2 was 1st game with ok tweaks/other races (format was obvious, I played 1 & 2 back to back) not pushed enough, fair but eh.
I don't want a cheaper PC. I want a console to have it's own ideas besides hardware. Switch's gimmicks don't impress me compared to Wii U even for how far it went when DS was better & Wii U underused besides my own wishes for it & dual screen phones are eh use cases.
But they are still more interesting of games & size for Indies/AAs, besides Nintendo niche IPs.
Not a single Xbox/PS game has impressed me. No compelling gameplay ideas even if spun off a tad, none of them have, nothing exciting for the genres, just games to put out each period is all they are, stagnant, boring games, products with boring personality, movesets, characters, boring worlds, boring design & I've played better never before heard/played 5-7th gen titles, not nostalgia, quality differences, gameplay ideas more competitive then todays trends compared to past trends/original titles.
I wouldn't be collecting them and excited to collect these old trends besides making it a goal to collect old platformers, shooters, racing, other genres, if I didn't care somewhat about what they offered, none of those trends or titles appeal to me today because they just aren't appealing at all. Their bland. It's not that era I miss it's the quality/priorities are different. The design principles are different. How they are treated is different and boring. How to make entertainment boring, they have proven it easily.
Nothing actually fun in my eyes to play. I don't even want evolving ideas I just find none of them to be fun.
South of Midnight a little bit. It's no Kena, close. I don't care for platform. I don't care about Xbox variety/PS similar enough cinematic/boring Astro/Sackboy/Ratchet/GT series directions.
Nintendo variety/ok execution of some games over others, PS1-3/PSP/Vita, OG Xbox/360 era.
Forza Motorsport reboot would have but nope. Waste of time.
I feel like Xbox has become terribly mismanaged in recent years
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