When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.
Microsoft has changed the game, literally.
However, the rumors persisted.
Xbox Series X next to a PlayStation 5.
Microsoft’s radio silence on the matter was met with frustration in some quarters and disbelief in others.
That is, at least on the face of it.
When you dig down into the numbers, Xbox is healthier than it ever has been.
Xbox Series X next to a PlayStation 5.
PlayStation 5 is reportedly outselling theXbox Series XandXbox Series Sto a ratio of 3:1 globally.
Microsoft has more PC players than ever, both across Steam and within its own PC Game Pass platform.
Layoffs are rife across all of tech, despite Microsoft’s and others' “record” numbers.
Could this lead to the end of Xbox as we know it?
Nobody has a crystal ball, but we can at least make some well-meaning predictions.
This is because, in essence, we’re still within that generation.
Microsoft is doubtless experiencing the same problem.
But it’s also true that over time, basically everything gets more expensive.
I get that console fans love their consoles.
The US video game hardware market is, however, a mature market at this point.
It’s not dying by any means.
But the market is what it is.
Have to get beyond the boxes in the US to find growth.
Your costs are going up, but your addressable audience isn’t growing in line with costs.
So, what do you do, in this scenario?
The obvious ones are already being explored by Microsoft and Sony both.
This is a game from a major well-known franchise, hitting every single platform, including mobile except Xbox.
Monster Hunter Stories and Gundam Breaker 4 both announced today, skipping Xbox platforms.
to eventually hit their system.
But does it matter?
People feel digitally locked into their ecosystems now, with games and save files tied to your account.
Xbox Series X next to a PlayStation 5.
For PlayStation, that means being tied to your console, for Steam users, that means PC.
But for Microsoft, their account systems and cloud-first service games can roam to other devices.
Or at least, they can try.
“Every screen is an Xbox,” or is it?
Microsoft can’t get its A.I.
Microsoft wants to have its cake while also eating it.
Google’s Gemini A.I.
I want to believe that Microsoft has learned from these mistakes when it comes to the Xbox hardware ecosystem.
Underinvesting in Xbox hardware could eventually see Microsoft come against the same problems with PlayStation.
Perhaps they’d do the same with Minecraft, and so on.
Perhaps Microsoft Account sign-ins would get blocked, and so on.
Any single one of Microsoft’s verticals could completely fail, without doing harm to the overall business.
A company valued at two trillion dollars shouldn’t be releasing games that hit 60/100 on Metacritic.
I don’t know why more people aren’t even aware of Xbox Game Pass and what it offers.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Microsoft do more with achievements and Xbox Avatars either.
The good news is that most of the above are just pure nit-picks.
And that’s why I actually want to see Xbox stick around.
Unlike many of the people commenting on this stuff, I actually actively use Xbox hardware, too.
It was never an issue that PS5 players get to experience Sea of Thieves, and other games.
But the proof, as always, will be in the execution.
It’ll certainly be interesting if Microsoft continues to report growth in console users over the next few quarters.
