4 ms·

In what way does Microsoft get gaming? They have tried to shoehorn their “Live” service into games for years and have utterly failed at that. The only reason ga

In what way does Microsoft get gaming? They have tried to shoehorn their “Live” service into games for years and have utterly failed at that. The only reason gaming is big on Windows is because everyone has Windows, it’s a chicken and egg situation, it’s not due to some genius move by Microsoft.

runawaybottle 5y ago
Their ‘live’ service was something they have been working on for over a decade with the Xbox. It’s finally all coming together now with the digital only consoles. MS gets gaming believe it or not. Windows has no competitors on PC, sure, but MS has competitors in the console and platform space that they are doing well against.
- JohnWhigham 5y ago
  I don't know if I'd call the Microsoft competing "well" against Sony when the PS4 outsold the Xbox One more than 2:1. I think it was this that MS finally realized they need to leverage PC gaming (after neglecting it for years) if they want to rule gaming. I do believe they now are poised to win this generation though with the unification of Xbox and PC.
  - runawaybottle 5y ago
    I think that anecdote evens out with the fact that both the 360 and Wii sold as well or better than the PS3. The successor of the PS2 can’t fumble like that. In the grand scheme of things, the console wars have left all the companies involved within striking distance of each other.
- the-dude 5y ago
  What does digital only mean?
  - runawaybottle 5y ago
    It means, there is no Xbox. There is only a box that logs you into Microsoft’s platform, and you will pay them for everything.
bluefirebrand 5y ago
Did you forget about the Xbox? It's arguable that gaming really didn't reach mainstream in a big way until the Xbox and Halo. The PS2 was a very successful system but it didn't cause the same kind of culture shift that the OG Xbox did.
- thiht 5y ago
  In the US maybe. In the rest of the world, the PS2 had more than 10x more sales and most of the best games of the generation. The real disruption from Microsoft came with the 360 against the PS3.
  - csharptwdec19 5y ago
    Even in the US the original XBox was still at best 'neck and neck' with the PS2, at least from my recollection. The PS2 came out sooner and didn't need anything extra for DVD Playback which helped sales a ton. Important takeaway though is Microsoft didn't give up even though the first XBox as a whole was a loss for them AFAIR.

runawaybottle 5y ago

Their ‘live’ service was something they have been working on for over a decade with the Xbox. It’s finally all coming together now with the digital only consoles. MS gets gaming believe it or not. Windows has no competitors on PC, sure, but MS has competitors in the console and platform space that they are doing well against.

JohnWhigham 5y ago
I don't know if I'd call the Microsoft competing "well" against Sony when the PS4 outsold the Xbox One more than 2:1. I think it was this that MS finally realized they need to leverage PC gaming (after neglecting it for years) if they want to rule gaming. I do believe they now are poised to win this generation though with the unification of Xbox and PC.
- runawaybottle 5y ago
  I think that anecdote evens out with the fact that both the 360 and Wii sold as well or better than the PS3. The successor of the PS2 can’t fumble like that. In the grand scheme of things, the console wars have left all the companies involved within striking distance of each other.
the-dude 5y ago
What does digital only mean?
- runawaybottle 5y ago
  It means, there is no Xbox. There is only a box that logs you into Microsoft’s platform, and you will pay them for everything.

bluefirebrand 5y ago

Did you forget about the Xbox? It's arguable that gaming really didn't reach mainstream in a big way until the Xbox and Halo. The PS2 was a very successful system but it didn't cause the same kind of culture shift that the OG Xbox did.

thiht 5y ago
In the US maybe. In the rest of the world, the PS2 had more than 10x more sales and most of the best games of the generation. The real disruption from Microsoft came with the 360 against the PS3.
- csharptwdec19 5y ago
  Even in the US the original XBox was still at best 'neck and neck' with the PS2, at least from my recollection. The PS2 came out sooner and didn't need anything extra for DVD Playback which helped sales a ton. Important takeaway though is Microsoft didn't give up even though the first XBox as a whole was a loss for them AFAIR.