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MSFT exec admits console wars are over: ‘We lost the worst generation to lose'
- rektide 3y agoKind of the end of history. There's just so much longer periods for consoles. You're stuck with what you ship for a long time, the memories keep enduring, the next thing isn't right over the hill.
- Zhyl 3y agoIf this is sincere then it's a heartbreaking moment of reflection and clarity for Microsoft - albeit with the success of game pass I don't think they're going to be too sad about the relative poor performance of XBone and Series X. If it's a cynical play to appear vulnerable so that they're in a better position to appeal the UK CMA decision then I think they're going to have to come up with more than the "poor little us" story when they still have $69bn knocking around for the acquisition. The console wars will be over when Microsoft ditches the XBox and uses the PC as their platform. I don't see that happening for the next generation.
- daniel-thompson 3y ago> If this is sincere then it's a heartbreaking moment of reflection and clarity for Microsoft Don't worry; it isn't.
- SalimoS 3y agoThat’s bs, you can’t say console war is over because we lost but still have the most anticipated game (for Bethesda fans at least) exclusive in the console market I would believe them when I see Forza, Halo and other xbox games on PlayStation
- manojlds 3y agoMost expected games inorder 1. TotK 2. Spiderman 2 3. Starfield And each is exclusive and only Starfield comes on PC. What are you talking about?
- psychlops 3y agoTotK = The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom To save anyone else the googling I had to do....
- wastewastewaste 3y agonot so expected after all if i can't figure out the acronym
- Narishma 3y agoSpiderman 2 will probably come on PC in a few years.
- dvngnt_ 3y agoyou can play the new Zelda game on PC right now though
- kyriakos 3y agoNot officially though
- Waterluvian 3y agoThe PS4 outsold Xbox One so badly that Microsoft stopped sharing the numbers. The best we can tell right now[1], PS5 has outsold One S/X by about the same 2:1 ratio, and the Xbox didn’t spend a year struggling to stay in stock. From a fan’s perspective, I can certainly see why a “console war” might be measured by how many good titles they have. But these businesses are generally interested in making money. [1] https://www.ign.com/articles/best-selling-video-game-consoles-nintendo-playstation-ps5-xbox https://www.ign.com/articles/best-selling-video-game-console...
- CharlesW 3y ago> …the Xbox didn’t spend a year struggling to stay in stock. The Xbox Series X was nearly impossible to get at retail for two years, and is still difficult to find unless you pay $100-200 more for a bundle. It's not at all surprising to me that a console launch is going to do poorly if it can't be purchased without dealing with scalpers.
- Waterluvian 3y agoThat’s true. They sold a version that was basically a last generation console and apparently easy to manufacture and keep on shelves, but the X did struggle like the PS5.
- AraceliHarker 3y agoWhile the Xbox Series X, like the PS5, was extremely difficult to obtain due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Series S was relatively easy to purchase. In fact, the Series S outsold the PS5 in Japan during the weeks when PS5 supply was low.
- ummonk 3y agoWait the ratio is only 2:1? From the original article and your first sentence I was expecting Xbox to be on the verge of a death spiral, not getting as much as 50% of PS5 sales.
- Waterluvian 3y ago
- blihp 3y agoThey're saying they lost the console war because they're trying to get a big acquisition approved. They're trying to sell the story 'see how weak we are... we need this to remain competitive'.
- AraceliHarker 3y agoIt is a fact that Xbox One/Series has inferior sales to PS4/5 in almost all countries to varying degrees. In fact, other than the CMA in the UK, which has taken issue with cloud gaming, have regulators in other countries approved Microsoft's acquisition of AB on the basis that it would not reduce competition, based on Xbox's share of the console market? The UK should also be of the opinion that there is no problem if it is only consoles. I think Spencer's argument is rather counterproductive as a rebuttal to the CMA, since he is not talking about consoles, but rather about cloud games, mobile games, etc., which are the main areas of focus.
- est 3y agoWhile big corps spend money on consoles in an attempt to dominate the living room, I have noticed an increasing number of shopping malls offering pay-as-you-go console booths and VR arcades. Are business-oriented consoles becoming a thing?
- gryn 3y agoYou mean making a comeback? kinda noticed this with VR boots Maybe it depends on the country, I remember back in the PS2 era a lot of cybercafes in my hometown had sections where you could rent time to play competitive games, a lot of teenagers would go and play mini tournaments.
- est 3y agoI've never played them but I assume for-business consoles must have some different offering than home consoles. Like roaming profiles, etc.
- noodlesUK 3y agoI think that in the heyday that parent (but not grandparent) is referring to, all that you needed to maintain state was to have a memory card of your own. I remember playing GameCube games at a local video game cafe place when I was a kid, and I would either just play a game from scratch with whatever card they had lying around, or I would bring my own memory card.
- GalenErso 3y ago- Confusing naming conventions. Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X. Compare to Sony's Playstations 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Names matter enormously. There's a reason why FAANG and FAANG-tier tech firms all have very simple names. While that may be far from the only reason why these companies are so successful, it matters more than one thinks. - Lack of AAA exclusives. Halo is the main one, but Sony has God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, all the Spider Men, The Last of Us, Gran Turismo, and others. - Price. The PS4 was cheaper than the Xbox One by $100, and this mattered to parents who could afford to gift their children a $400-$500 console, but not a $1,500+ gaming PC. This matters less in the North American market, where people have more disposable income, but East Asian and European markets are safely in Sony's pocket. - Controllers? There is a meme that Xbox controllers are designed for large, "American" hands. Regardless of the truth, memes and perceptions shape decisions. - Sony has the Japanese market locked up. Xbox is the dominant console in the US, but its dominance is weak: 53.3% vs. 46.65% for the Playstation.[1] Which begs the question: why hasn't Microsoft crushed the competition in its prime domestic market, but Sony crushed theirs in Japan? [1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044948/market-share-of-console-operating-systems-united-states/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044948/market-share-of-...
- mtreis86 3y agoSony has Gran Tourismo, Forza is a Microsoft game.
- markdown 3y agoSpeaking of which, there's a movie coming out. Trailed dropped 4 days ago. Another big win for Sony https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVPzGBvPrzw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVPzGBvPrzw
- cm2187 3y agoAnd in my case the xbox was too thick to fit in my TV stand so I had to switch to the ps5...
- noodlesUK 3y ago
- ro_bit 3y agohttps://archive.is/IFZCE https://archive.is/IFZCE
- surgical_fire 3y agoWhile typically I think that more competition is good, I always shuddered at the possibility of Microsoft gaining an upper hand on the gaming market (for that matter, I wanted the Stadia to fail badly for the same reason). The amount of damage to the market those big tech companies could do was immense. I'm okay with Sony and Nintendo calling the shots there. Hopefully, Valve can make some strides in the PC market with Steam Deck. Things are too concentrated on Windows as it is
- lnxg33k1 3y agoThis is just PR to pretend their deal with Activision wouldn't result on a oligopoly, what a coincidence
- seatac76 3y agoExactly!
- crazygringo 3y agohttps://archive.is/IFZCE https://archive.is/IFZCE
- seatac76 3y agoThe core problem MS has is that, it is bad at studio management and simply does not have the same creative vision. Hence the playbook of buying big studios. If they can fix that they’d be fine. Using Sony as a comparison is not ideal, Sony buys comparatively small studios and nurtures them to big IPs. It’s not the same thing, despite the complaints from MS. Recent Redfall release is a classic example.
- prng2021 3y ago“It’s just not true that if we go off and build great games, all of a sudden you’re going to see console share shift in some dramatic way. We lost the worst generation to lose in the Xbox One,” the Microsoft exec said. —- This is why MSFT wants to pay $69B for Activision Blizzard. Because Phil knows making better games is worthless and wants to ensure they burn through all that cash to make sure it doesn’t accidentally get used for something useful. Give me a break.
- CMay 3y agoThis is based on the Phil Spencer interview by Kinda Funny. The major point was that as consoles transitioned to online digital libraries, the customer investments into those account-bound libraries really helped crystallize the console preferences. The result is that there are only so many big bets you can make to try to win customers over to your console, because the majority have already become relatively locked into their platform. With that perspective, if you want to expand your customer base you release things on other platforms like PC, Switch and cloud (which is itself a multi-faceted opportunity as infrastructure improves). That said, it's not impossible for momentum to build over the next decade where console growth could become a bigger part of the story than it currently is. Kinda Funny Games - Phil Spencer Interview: Redfall Reviews, Activision Deal - Kinda Funny Xcast Ep. 137 - https://youtu.be/yKwfEQ1eEyM?t=2167 https://youtu.be/yKwfEQ1eEyM?t=2167