9 ms·

They are still missing a mobile platform and that's why I believe they will retry within the next few years

by kungito 5y ago

WithinReason 5y ago
Wonder if Windows on ARM will be any help there
curiousllama 5y ago
That's an interesting idea. I wonder if the size & concentration of that market is an effective deterrent?
keewee7 5y ago
They haven't completely given up on mobile. The Microsoft Launcher for Android is really close to what a modern Microsoft mobile platform would feel like. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/launcher https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/launcher https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Launcher https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Launcher
- twobitshifter 5y ago
  I could see using this for work with office 365 integration but that’s the complete opposite direction of gaming for me.
- keithnz 5y ago
  I use this on my phone, I really like it. All they have to do is leverage it and start a store, but not sure if the timing is right just now. I think if MS embraced ad blocking and made edge (both mobile and desktop) support extensions including ublock origin they could really eat into that platform. At the moment you can run Firefox with ublock origin on Android ( which I do ) but quite a few extensions don't work ( like violent monkey). To me, being able to run ublock origin (and other addons) on Android is a massive competitive advantage, but Firefox can't seem to convert it to users in the mobile space, basically they have no real platform/marketing leverage.
  - skinnymuch 5y ago
    People outside tech and geeky niches won’t leave something like Chrome because of stricter ad blocking. Just like privacy, security, and the intense amounts of FB/Meta hatred, these issues aren’t the same for the populous at large.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
JAlexoid 5y ago
I don't think they will. There's no point. There is a stable duopoly, where Microsoft can reap the benefits of competition between the two, without wasting any resources. May not be best for consumer - really great for business. (especially, if courts hold that Apple/Google cannot outright ban apps from their stores)
- bduerst 5y ago
  Yeah, there's already a quality- and cost-leader for the mobile market. MS would need to push their business office lock-in, but both they and Blackberry tried that. Without the consumer market it's not viable.
- rusk 5y ago
  I’ve heard that thanks to patents and stuff they already makes loads of money out of mobile as it is!
  - nikanj 5y ago
    I wonder if the Nokia phone division sale included the NGage patent portfolio
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - mnd999 5y ago
      Nokia kept all their patents.
      - adventured 5y ago
        For anyone curious about that: "Nokia will retain its patent portfolio and will grant Microsoft a 10-year license to its patents at the time of the closing. Microsoft will grant Nokia reciprocal rights to use Microsoft patents in its HERE services. In addition, Nokia will grant Microsoft an option to extend this mutual patent agreement in perpetuity." https://news.microsoft.com/2013/09/03/microsoft-to-acquire-nokias-devices-services-business-license-nokias-patents-and-mapping-services/ https://news.microsoft.com/2013/09/03/microsoft-to-acquire-n...
pjmlp 5y ago
They are going at it with their own Surface Duo based on Android, it is like Android but with Microsoft twist, so.
- simonh 5y ago
  Duo is an utter facepalm. What are they thinking. It doesn't make the device cheaper or lighter, in fact it makes it heavier and more expensive. It constrains your interaction and UI model. It introduces unnecessary mechanical complications and points of failure. It made sense for Nintendo on the DS because it did reduce costs and the device could be small and light enough for it to work. The Duo is just different for the sake of being different though. Classic solution in search of a problem.
  - pjmlp 5y ago
    We could have had Windows 10X as well, but apparently the new blood on WinDev has lost track of what made Windows great, and are now as headless chicken running into all directions.
  - VRay 5y ago
    I agree with you 100%, I've never even heard of or seen a use case for the dual-screen flip smartphone That said, my friends seem to love their Samsung foldable phones. "Having a tablet available at any time in your pocket is a game changer" (I don't understand how it's a game changer, but there you go, one counterpoint)
    - skinnymuch 5y ago
      I watch everything on an iPad. For me personally, it’s a minor game changer to be able to do all that on one device. Same with the minor notes, management, journaling I do on it. Though as you say. Not a game changer because of the pricing. If this was available at the same price as current devices, I’d consider that a moderate game changer.
  - fomine3 5y ago
    It's just not for you. Bigger dual screen makes sense for some people.
Croftengea 5y ago
That is a really interesting thought. Now they got much more of everything both in terms of technology (cloud, mobile apps, hardware experience) and developers trust.
politician 5y ago
They should just copy Steam Deck.
rdudek 5y ago
This will be interesting to see. If Steam Deck becomes a successful device, I believe the Xbox division will release a mobile device to compete with Nintendo.
- k12sosse 5y ago
  I mean if your controllers already support Bluetooth and you already have an Android-based dual-screen form factor device and you already have cloud gaming infrastructure.. do you really need an entire new device? Or do you need a bundle at point of sales
sorry_outta_gas 5y ago
just saying wouldn't be a bad idea to make a xbox mobile-android device in the near future now that they have mindshare again
chc 5y ago
Microsoft is making the Game Pass catalog playable on mobile devices. I think that's their strategy there.
whywhywhywhy 5y ago
Convinced they're just going to do the Netflix/Stadia route with mobile etc. Sell a controller, use the device you already have and stream games running from azure. Long term plan, obviously.
- curiousllama 5y ago
  Not so long term - xCloud has been in live public beta for a few years now.
eh9 5y ago
I don’t think so. They’ve moved away from owning the platform (at least in mobile) in favor of services. Office is wildly popular in mobile OS app stores.
shmoopi 5y ago
They don't need to have a mobile platform if they can get a foothold on game streaming on mobile.
ksec 5y ago
May be a Microsoft branded version of Android. Or like how Android currently work on Windows. Windows with Android compatibility. Or a xPhone where they could leverage Xbox gaming on Mobile with Android compatibility. It is sort of strange to think Microsoft prospect all of a sudden looks fairly bright.
kertoip_1 5y ago
It's too late to capture mobile platforms, not only because the market is stabilized but most importantly: computing moves to the cloud, where Microsoft is already a big player. IMHO there is no point for them to do that.

They are still missing a mobile platform and that's why I believe they will retry within the next few years

WithinReason 5y ago

Wonder if Windows on ARM will be any help there

curiousllama 5y ago

That's an interesting idea. I wonder if the size & concentration of that market is an effective deterrent?

keewee7 5y ago

They haven't completely given up on mobile. The Microsoft Launcher for Android is really close to what a modern Microsoft mobile platform would feel like. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/launcher https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/launcher https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Launcher https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Launcher

twobitshifter 5y ago
I could see using this for work with office 365 integration but that’s the complete opposite direction of gaming for me.
keithnz 5y ago
I use this on my phone, I really like it. All they have to do is leverage it and start a store, but not sure if the timing is right just now. I think if MS embraced ad blocking and made edge (both mobile and desktop) support extensions including ublock origin they could really eat into that platform. At the moment you can run Firefox with ublock origin on Android ( which I do ) but quite a few extensions don't work ( like violent monkey). To me, being able to run ublock origin (and other addons) on Android is a massive competitive advantage, but Firefox can't seem to convert it to users in the mobile space, basically they have no real platform/marketing leverage.
- skinnymuch 5y ago
  People outside tech and geeky niches won’t leave something like Chrome because of stricter ad blocking. Just like privacy, security, and the intense amounts of FB/Meta hatred, these issues aren’t the same for the populous at large.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

JAlexoid 5y ago

I don't think they will. There's no point. There is a stable duopoly, where Microsoft can reap the benefits of competition between the two, without wasting any resources. May not be best for consumer - really great for business. (especially, if courts hold that Apple/Google cannot outright ban apps from their stores)

bduerst 5y ago
Yeah, there's already a quality- and cost-leader for the mobile market. MS would need to push their business office lock-in, but both they and Blackberry tried that. Without the consumer market it's not viable.
rusk 5y ago
I’ve heard that thanks to patents and stuff they already makes loads of money out of mobile as it is!
- nikanj 5y ago
  I wonder if the Nokia phone division sale included the NGage patent portfolio
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - mnd999 5y ago
    Nokia kept all their patents.
    - adventured 5y ago
      For anyone curious about that: "Nokia will retain its patent portfolio and will grant Microsoft a 10-year license to its patents at the time of the closing. Microsoft will grant Nokia reciprocal rights to use Microsoft patents in its HERE services. In addition, Nokia will grant Microsoft an option to extend this mutual patent agreement in perpetuity." https://news.microsoft.com/2013/09/03/microsoft-to-acquire-nokias-devices-services-business-license-nokias-patents-and-mapping-services/ https://news.microsoft.com/2013/09/03/microsoft-to-acquire-n...

pjmlp 5y ago

They are going at it with their own Surface Duo based on Android, it is like Android but with Microsoft twist, so.

simonh 5y ago
Duo is an utter facepalm. What are they thinking. It doesn't make the device cheaper or lighter, in fact it makes it heavier and more expensive. It constrains your interaction and UI model. It introduces unnecessary mechanical complications and points of failure. It made sense for Nintendo on the DS because it did reduce costs and the device could be small and light enough for it to work. The Duo is just different for the sake of being different though. Classic solution in search of a problem.
- pjmlp 5y ago
  We could have had Windows 10X as well, but apparently the new blood on WinDev has lost track of what made Windows great, and are now as headless chicken running into all directions.
- VRay 5y ago
  I agree with you 100%, I've never even heard of or seen a use case for the dual-screen flip smartphone That said, my friends seem to love their Samsung foldable phones. "Having a tablet available at any time in your pocket is a game changer" (I don't understand how it's a game changer, but there you go, one counterpoint)
  - skinnymuch 5y ago
    I watch everything on an iPad. For me personally, it’s a minor game changer to be able to do all that on one device. Same with the minor notes, management, journaling I do on it. Though as you say. Not a game changer because of the pricing. If this was available at the same price as current devices, I’d consider that a moderate game changer.
- fomine3 5y ago
  It's just not for you. Bigger dual screen makes sense for some people.

Croftengea 5y ago

That is a really interesting thought. Now they got much more of everything both in terms of technology (cloud, mobile apps, hardware experience) and developers trust.

politician 5y ago

They should just copy Steam Deck.

rdudek 5y ago

This will be interesting to see. If Steam Deck becomes a successful device, I believe the Xbox division will release a mobile device to compete with Nintendo.

k12sosse 5y ago
I mean if your controllers already support Bluetooth and you already have an Android-based dual-screen form factor device and you already have cloud gaming infrastructure.. do you really need an entire new device? Or do you need a bundle at point of sales

sorry_outta_gas 5y ago

just saying wouldn't be a bad idea to make a xbox mobile-android device in the near future now that they have mindshare again

chc 5y ago

Microsoft is making the Game Pass catalog playable on mobile devices. I think that's their strategy there.

whywhywhywhy 5y ago

Convinced they're just going to do the Netflix/Stadia route with mobile etc. Sell a controller, use the device you already have and stream games running from azure. Long term plan, obviously.

curiousllama 5y ago
Not so long term - xCloud has been in live public beta for a few years now.

eh9 5y ago

I don’t think so. They’ve moved away from owning the platform (at least in mobile) in favor of services. Office is wildly popular in mobile OS app stores.

shmoopi 5y ago

They don't need to have a mobile platform if they can get a foothold on game streaming on mobile.

ksec 5y ago

May be a Microsoft branded version of Android. Or like how Android currently work on Windows. Windows with Android compatibility. Or a xPhone where they could leverage Xbox gaming on Mobile with Android compatibility. It is sort of strange to think Microsoft prospect all of a sudden looks fairly bright.

kertoip_1 5y ago

It's too late to capture mobile platforms, not only because the market is stabilized but most importantly: computing moves to the cloud, where Microsoft is already a big player. IMHO there is no point for them to do that.