Xbox & PlayStation's New Social Media Ads Make Fans Question Whether 'Console War' Is Over

I’ll rewrite my comment more “nicely”
The console wars aren’t a thing, haven’t been for years. Some people convince themselves they exist for various reasons but it’s unnecessary, the only actual console wars that happened was the SNES v Mega Drive. Most people these days either own all platforms, a PC or just don’t care about waging a “war”. And that’s a good thing.

The console wars are over with the companies are but with the fans of the consoles it's definitely not over yet!!

AAA exclusives are no longer sustainable. Sony was openly complaining about the cost of their big titles like Spiderman vs the revenue they make. Xbox showed that multiplatform works without harming the brand at all, if anything it boosts the brand.

"I saw some analysis or estimate of one same franchise released during PS4 era and PS5 era generation double the budget, and that has reached... the point that we cannot recoup this investment. So this generation, PS5 generation, I think is the first time that the industry really, truly believes that you know there has to be something that has to be done," Shuhei Yoshida

Love it! Crossovers between Xbox and PlayStation games next. ❤️

EDIT: Oh wait, we already have Halo ODST in Helldivers 2. What a time to be alive! 😄

@TrollOfWar I love your profile image!

Console wars aren't really a thing and haven't been for years - however, that doesn't stop Social Media and fanboys continuously arguing and fighting over their preferred Box.

Even if Sony and Microsoft made identical boxes, each with identical Libraries, identical performance etc so you could buy either and not miss out on any Game, people will still argue and fight about why their box is the best and defend it whilst the other is 'terrible/awful' - so the war will continue long after both sides made peace....

@ILuvGames Thanks. It suits my profile name, as it's a play on both God of War and Gears of War (and the console wars).

Wanted to generate a picture of a Helldivers 2 soldier and Marcus Fenix, but Google Gemini has no clue what they look like.

@BAMozzy it’s sad and completely unnecessary. When children do it I understand, they can’t just go “I’ll play on everything and then some” but adults (that aren’t in a poor financial situation) absolutely have the ability to play on anything and no reason to argue out of brand loyalty.

Saw a post on r/gamecollecting recently about a guy saying with rumors the next xbox is all digital they feel like they bet on the wrong horse and people told him to collect multiplatform and he kept responding that he’d never buy PlayStation or Nintendo because he’s loyal to xbox and always will be, said he’d quit gaming before collecting for the “other teams”.

I have all 3 consoles, so no horse in this race ( if there even is a 'race' ), but I would be very surprised if Sony suddenly put all the God of War, Spiderman, Astro Bot, Uncharted, Last Of Us, etc games on Xbox consoles.

I mean, it may very well happen, but I just don't see it..

The console wars are over. Now, Sony and Microsoft will unite to take on Steam in the PLATFORM WARS!!

Personally I have never been considered console wars to be as significant as some make out, although that may well be because I have always had each console, and so whether one is winning or losing matters not to me.

Having said that, I think console wars are well and truly over now. For a war to be fought, you have to have at least two opposing factions, and Microsoft stopped fighting the minute they announced that they were porting 'just 4 games' to the PlayStation. The moment that happened, it was clear that if the war was really a thing, then Sony had won it. Microsoft capitulated, and Sony gratefully accepted their surrender...

Yes please let it be over ….
Now MS and Sony , go work together to make crossplay much easier by making a cross console friends list !! Go go go !!

@darkswabber Couldn't agree more. I find it ridiculous but you know as well as I do that fanboys will argue over things like Controller layout, over sub services or sales (even sales pricing) - anything that even slightly differs is always a 'win' for their Box and a major flaw with the other.

Sony and Microsoft both have a very different Business model - Sony is very Sales focussed and supported by Services, Microsoft are much more aa Service based Company supported by sales. That alone leads to differences of approach to Sub Services - Games on a Sub Service day 1 is beneficial for the service but is supported by sales, where as Sony only sell day 1 and then support their services at a Later date once sales are no longer significant on that product. Not saying either approach is better/worse, but that does lead to differences to a Consumer and therefore gives them something to argue and fight about.

Different Exclusives and/or Quantity of Exclusives were often a main part of driving the Console War, but if neither differs in Library, that won't 'end' the war because the fanboys will move on to other differences. Even if they were 'identical in EVERY way, the fact that one has a PS logo and the other an Xbox logo would still be enough for them to argue over whilst everyone else just enjoys playing games on whatever devices they have...

If it's not the end, it's definitely the sign of the end being near. I was skeptical, and still sort of am, on this favoring Xbox with its lower userbase, but so far so good.. so hopefully my pessimistic view on it is proven wrong.

@Dimey I don't see it happening 'soon' either - even though those game are no longer Exclusive anyway and soon can be played on Xbox branded devices.

Sony 'could' go to the expense of porting and optimising those games to extract whatever extra income they can from their old IP's that have practically exhausted their own platform. Once you've bought, Sony are finding ways to make you pay again (£10 upgrades for newer Hardware support, porting forward and selling as a remaster etc) but in reality, those assets are not generating much, if any revenue anymore so why not sell - unless the cost outweighs the potential revenue.

Spider-Man or God of War isn't selling PS5' today - just like Starfield or Flight Sim isn't selling Xbox today, probably not selling at all now so the only way to get revenue is to release to other markets. Sony at the moment may only expand to Steam and/or Epic on PC (Not MS/Xbox on PC) but that is no different from Xbox expanding to PS5 after 6months or more - expand once the game is 'old' news, not selling many copies, not selling hardware, the 'new' big release is.

The only way to guarantee you get to play EVERY Microsoft or Sony game is by buying their Hardware so they will keep them 'exclusive' for some time, even if they now do bring EVERYTHING to other platforms eventually. But I do think that Sony will still avoid MS platforms as they'd rather lose 70% of any potential revenue than let their Rival get 30% - unless its almost printing money for little effort like Live Service MTX transactions...

@Fiendish-Beaver You see, you just can’t help yourself — you still have to play the console war game, even though you claim otherwise. So tell me, what exactly has Sony won? They sold more consoles? Do you really think that’s where the revenue comes from? They haven’t won anything at all.

The real winner is the one who makes the most revenue and sells the most games! And, surprise surprise, it’s Xbox that sells the most games by selling more titles and subscriptions. There are different ways to look at things.

The console war no longer exists because Xbox has redefined the rules of the game and has mechanically made this war obsolete and absurd. Why? Because PlayStation is now following exactly the same strategy as Xbox, just a few years behind.

They’ve finally realized that the exclusivity strategy isn’t sustainable — in fact, no major third-party publisher wants to make PlayStation-exclusive games anymore, just like Capcom, Square Enix, and others. So, in a way, they have no choice to change their strategy. Whether it’s with their own first-party games, which you can count on one hand, or with third-party titles, that path is a dead end. The only way forward is multiplatform.

So, in this story, who’s following whom? Who’s leading? The answer seems pretty obvious to me!

@Fiendish-Beaver

... and Microsoft stopped fighting the minute they announced that they were porting 'just 4 games' to the PlayStation.

I think Microsoft gave up way sooner, precisely at the point where they acquired Activision Blizzard King.

They now have 2 of the biggest multiplatform game publishers. Business wise it wouldn't make sense to make their games exclusive to Xbox when the games cost so much to create and market.

I think that was the catalyst, @TrollOfWar, but not the point they waved the white flag. I think when Microsoft acquired ABK, they thought they would put themselves, and Xbox, in an unassailable position. Unfortunately, I think the money men at Microsoft, and Nadella in particular, saw an opportunity to make a quick buck, and as such made some decisions that sold Xbox down the river (and Phil Spencer in the process).

The console war didn't end with the decision to buy ABK, but it certainly was the start of the end...

@Medic_alert

But as hardware becomes more generic and PC like and all games start to be shared then where's the competition?

Game quality, successful franchises and subscription services.

Microsoft has been in the top 10 charts of the sold games on PlayStation with multiple games for several months. Sony's games are now competing with Microsoft's games on their own platform.

It is you that cannot help yourself, @fatpunkslim. You rush to the defence of Microsoft and Xbox, having been completely blindsided by the fact that Microsoft are making record revenue, and failing to see that in doing so they will end up removing themselves from the console market.

They will make this PCBox thing that will be too expensive to be a console, and too weak to be a decent PC. A halfway house that satisfies no one. Once that has been released they will retreat into a monster of a first-party publisher, leaving the console space and selling their Xbox operating system to third-parties.

That is how Microsoft lost the console war. They will leave the console space and wholly become a publisher leaving Sony as the only high-end console maker, although Nintendo will likely occupy this space too with whatever they do next after the Switch 2.

You are mistakenly just looking at exclusives and revenue, and failing to see that Microsoft are only making this PCBox because it is a last gasp effort to stay relevant in the console space because they cannot compete on equal terms with Sony and the PS5 / PS6.

if the PCBox experiment fails, and it likely will basically because of its price and specs, then Microsoft will abandon it pretty quickly, and then fundamentally change Game Pass by transforming it into a first-party only service, which will then be allowed onto the PlayStation consoles.

All of this will likely play out before and around 2030. Mark my words, this is how it will play out...

@Fiendish-Beaver "Mark my words" lol, we’ve been hearing this kind of talk for years now—always the same troll memes and fanboy memes. You’re fooling no one, and certainly not me. Ever since Xbox started launching games on PC day one, we’ve been hearing that Xbox is going to become a third‑party publisher, that it’s going to leave the console market, etc. Aren’t you tired of saying the same thing over and over?

Has that been the case all this time? No! Do they sell fewer consoles than others? Yes! But it’s more or less at the same level as the previous generation, knowing that the entire console market is in decline (with 78 million units sold to date, PS5 will never reach the 128 million PS4 sold).

Since you have no arguments, you go into speculation, talking about this “PCBox thing” (you can feel the bitterness in your words), talking about a supposed price, etc. Do we know the price of the next Xbox? No! Yet another fake news story we’re used to.

Phil Spencer has said numerous times that a $1000 console is out of the question. They’re not going to sell a console at that price point—it would be insane. Consumers would just go for a PC or stick with their current setup. Their goal isn’t to make profit from hardware, but to sell a system that lets players buy games and play through their Game Pass subscription. Even if production costs are higher—especially with a high‑end APU and multi‑store support—even if they sell it at a loss, it won’t be more expensive than a standard console, or at least not much more.

Will they sell more or fewer units of this new console? We have no idea! Price is of course a factor, but don’t think it will be more expensive or much more expensive than a PS6. That’s never happened before, and there’s no reason it would happen now. Only those looking for arguments against Xbox believe that. The multi‑store question is also a major change that will attract a broader audience than before.

But what’s certain is that even if Xbox sells more or fewer consoles, Xbox will not leave the console market. It’s in their DNA to offer multiple different ways for players to enjoy their games, and as long as there’s consumer demand to play on consoles, Xbox will simply keep making consoles. It’s just common sense, and it’s just business. They’ve already created multi‑year partnerships with AMD for their own consoles and with partners like Asus. What you’re saying has absolutely no basis and makes no sense—it’s just the same old tune we’ve been hearing for years and that never comes true.

But you’re free to keep singing it.

It's only a console war if you can't afford all the devices. I have always enjoyed a broad range of gaming hardware to get the best of each platform's game library and features.

So this time machine that you have, @fatpunkslim, is it readily available, or did you build it yourself? Or are you psychic? Or did I doze off and wake up in 2030. I'm so utterly confused as to how you already know what happened in 2030. Might I enquire, with this marvellous foresight you have, could you advise me into which companies I should invest some money?

I did say right at the start that Xbox games going on the PC would be bad for Xbox, and I was right, it meant that some people no longer needed to own an Xbox in order to play an Xbox game.

All these decisions are gradually eroding the Xbox brand. Yes, Microsoft are making money. I have never said otherwise, but the continued existence of their place in the console market is very much in doubt.

You say I am bitter in what they are coming up with next, and I am, I do not deny it. I am bitter because I strongly believe it to be a mistake that will end Microsoft's place in the console market, and cost them billions in lost revenue to boot when people start to buy their third-party games on Steam instead of the Xbox Store. It is a massive gamble, and a massive mistake.

As for me being a fanboy, a fanboy of what? Pray tell me because that should be so very funny to read. Don't dodge the question, tell me about what I am a fanboy because this should be truly fascinating, although I suspect you will simply ignore that and talk about something else instead. I clearly have fooled you because I know that whatever you say will be totally wrong... 😉

The "war' needs to end. No more exclusives unless they are only timed. Itd be great to see Sony and MS share games over time, so you dont miss out whereever you choose to play.

@Fiendish-Beaver Let’s stop here, because you’re really in complete denial. How exactly is the Xbox brand being eroded? All the numbers show you’re wrong — Xbox games have never sold this well. If the Xbox brand were eroded, they wouldn’t be selling this well. Four or five of the top ten best‑selling games on Steam are Xbox games — what are you even talking about? Xbox isn’t just a plastic box, it’s an ecosystem with games, subscriptions, cloud gaming and hardware.

And even on the hardware side, even if consoles aren’t selling as much because Xbox gives players more choice, Xbox machines are recognized for their interface, their power, and unique features like Quick Resume, etc.

But your narrow, simplistic mindset reduces the Xbox brand to a plastic box, when it’s not just that — it’s much more than that. And on all these points — whether it’s games, cloud, or subscriptions — the Xbox brand is far ahead and recognized for it. On Google Trends, people talk more about Xbox than PlayStation — surprising for a brand that’s supposedly “eroding,” isn’t it?

Even the CEO of PlayStation admitted that the future is no longer hardware‑centric. That’s just how things move forward. Your view of things is outdated — you need to update your way of thinking, because it’s a relic of the past.

You’re stuck in a narrative and refuse to see the facts. It’s not complicated — you just have to look at the game sales numbers, the revenue numbers, the active player numbers — all of which are growing.

You accuse me of “predicting the future”? That’s rich, coming from you — you’ve been speculating about the future from the start. You even admitted you think Xbox games on PC have been bad for Xbox! Bad in what way? You’ve convinced yourself of something that doesn’t even exist, man! Wake up — or stay in the Matrix, it’s up to you. I’m simply sticking to the facts and reality — you just have to look at what’s happening right now, plain and simple. I suggest you do the same!

Love the console wars, Don’t care what anyone says. Banter back and forth, cheap shots. We won’t have any of that ever again. They’re too friendly and nice now.

Putting games on the PC meant that fewer Xboxes were sold, @fatpunkslim, because people could access the games there. PlayStation are only doing it now because they are in such a dominant position that they do not need to be concerned about people not staying within their ecosystem, whereas Microsoft were forced to do so because the Xbox One sold so poorly, a trend that has continued into this generation. It may have been a necessary response on the part of Microsoft, but it was not good for the long term sales of the Xbox console, and exactly the same will be true of them putting their games on the PlayStation.

Yes, Microsoft will do very well as a publisher, and are doing so right now, I do not contest that, and have never said otherwise. I do not even contend that it is the wrong thing for them to be doing as they will profit from doing so (mores so in the short term than the long term, but that is another matter).

What you keep missing is that I am EXPLICTLY and EXCLUSIVELY and ONLY talking about the long term existence of the XBOX CONSOLE. Now, you may be saying to yourself, 'why all the capital letters, and the bold text?'. Well, my dear, fatpunkslim, you keep talking about everything else that I am not referring to. I literally have no idea how I am to get it across to you what I am talking about, because you keep rambling on about other stuff.

I am talking about the survival of the Xbox console, not the existence of the ecosystem, albeit I do believe the longevity of Game Pass is intrinsically linked to console sales. Somehow, though, you seem to think because it has not happened yet, it won't happen at all, yet pretty much everything that has a beginning, has an end too. My predication is that the Xbox console will not survive beyond 2030, yet somehow you know I am wrong! Even I don't know whether I am right or wrong because we still have over 5 years to go yet.

Finally, yet again, you have not covered how it is that I am a fanboy. I am desperate to know what I am a fanboy of, and how you have come to that conclusion. What have I said that could in any way be regarded as fanboyism? It's as if you don't tell me the answer to that question, because you don't know yourself. You are happy to throw the accusation about, but not prepared to back it up. Why is that? Please tell me. (See, I even asked nicely too)...

Massive change on this website from the "LOL! Suck it, ponies!" of 2022-23 to the, "Can't we all just get along?!" of 2024-25.

I buy on all platforms, but use PS4/Switch/Xbox One and under. But the game design doesn't appeal, so they can make as much money as they want but the wide audience or angles of games in gameplay just aren't fun. So making more money but more bland games isn't going to get me to care if it's PS or Xbox. I'm buying neither 1st party anyway and 3rd parties are hit and miss.

But use my Xbox One less, Series X never touched and has gotten less use then Xbox One by those around me.

The design mentality/direction has just changed and put me off PS4/Xbox One and especially PS5/Series. Less appealing IPs, less appealing new IPs, less appealing Indies, less appealing AAs, just not worth it.

Peripherals or software features are 'fine' but not really things I am that excited for. Portal (worse the Vita app with resolution targetting, no dual screen, no Android, just a companion app device, boring). PSVR2 is fair but the game design and controls/inputs are just so eh. Even Wii/Move games play better, I'm serious. PSVR2 feels like a continued PSVR or the PS1 gen continued of VR then PS2 of VR. It's just not improving but getting worse. The PS4/5 game design has made empty VR games or bad controls and it's just sad. When more older era games have awkwardness I can get past and VR doesn't it's bad game design. I don't want grounded games or realistic motions I know the limits of motion in VR compared to Wii/Move, and better motion/button use on those. PSVR2 has less buttons on it's controllers then Move and about as much as Wiimote, maybe less due to how they will treat the sticks. It's like having an N64 with the A/B, but no X/Y or a PS1 controller without sticks for inputs (even if it has sticks i know).

Quick resume is cool but I don't use digital on Xbox and the share button is 'fine' but not as exciting as Impulse triggers.

I don't like Switch 2 mouse mode either, or it's placement on the Joycons so..... Yeah modern gimmicks haven't been to my liking whether in uses they have yet to show, have shown or positioning on controllers let alone features at all.

Otherwise old consoles just have that better game design gimmicks or less gimmick focus and more appealing design, so going to play those over modern games.

To me I haven't cared for a 1st party PS/Xbox games since 2017, maybe even all of 8th gen at all. Even if a few on Xbox One/PS4 I cared for, many of the studios I like during PS4 are dead, so I have no reason to get a PS5 for 3rd parties even and my PS4 library is more particular 3rd parties that aren't garbage. Less reason or none at all to get a Series X or use it. Xbox One gets the same UI and I hate it, just less background features I don't even care for and games are just as not appealing.

While Switch I have many 1st party to get but I got most of the niche ones I wanted for now and still waiting on Rhythm Heaven Groove even in 2026.

Otherwise plenty of old gen games 1st and 3rd parties of past trends, mechanics and more to get into or buy if come across them.

@ButterySmooth30FPS

Massive change on this website from the "LOL! Suck it, ponies!" of 2022-23 to the, "Can't we all just get along?!" of 2024-25.

Some people grow up and change. They learn how pointless the "console war" debates are and move on. Let's celebrate playing together. 😉

Until I see Sony publish a single player, non-live service game on Xbox I’m not convinced the era of competition between these two platforms is over.

@Fiendish-Beaver And here we go again—you’re back to talking about console sales, still not getting it. But I understand now: that’s where your major analytical mistake lies. Fewer Xbox consoles sold doesn’t mean the Xbox brand is fading—it’s because Xbox offers more choices. It’s got nothing to do with erosion. They’re expanding their audience by not limiting themselves to the console market, which, let me remind you, is both limited and declining globally.

Xbox anticipated the rise of the PC market from the start, unlike PlayStation, which stuck to consoles. And now we see they were right: the PC market is growing at double-digit rates, while the console market is shrinking.

Instead of restricting the Xbox brand to a narrow audience, Xbox broadened its reach—PC, cloud, TVs, handheld consoles, and of course, Xbox consoles. The analysis you should be making is the exact opposite of what you’re thinking. Xbox has never been more present, never been stronger, precisely because it expanded its audience instead of clinging to a small, now-declining market. PlayStation eventually realized the same thing—but too late.

To help you understand better, it’s like an e-commerce site expanding from a local market to an international one. Who do you think gets more visibility—the one that stays in its little country or the one that’s everywhere? Let’s take an even clearer example: you’re a Canadian site selling coffee machines. Americans already buy from you, but it’s inconvenient—low visibility, higher costs due to taxes and shipping. So what does the Canadian site do? It launches a U.S. site for the American market. BOOM—tons of coffee machines sold on the U.S. site, plus pods. Sure, fewer machines sold in Canada now, because Americans buy directly from the U.S. site. But overall, the total sales skyrocket. The audience multiplies by ten.

Same thing with Xbox. Xbox is everywhere—on your console, your TV, your handheld, the cloud, your PC. That’s Xbox. You still haven’t grasped that it’s been this way for years. Xbox anticipated market evolution and diversified across platforms. And now we see they made the right call. Maybe at one point it seemed questionable, because the PC market hadn’t yet caught up to consoles, and Xbox was selling fewer consoles. But today, everyone knows the PC market has overtaken consoles. So who made the smart move by getting in early? Xbox’s PC revenue is booming—thanks to game sales and Game Pass for PC.

@Fiendish-Beaver
You can keep convincing yourself that console sales are what matter, but as long as you’re stuck in that outdated mindset, your analysis will be wrong. No one in the industry uses console sales as a success metric anymore. It’s all about MAU—monthly active users. The more platforms a brand is on, the more potential players it reaches. Xbox currently has over 500 million monthly active users vs. 124 million on PlayStation. Even the ratio of active users on Xbox consoles is higher than on PlayStation consoles, because the latter is mostly casual gamers who barely play.

Take Helldivers 2—Xbox console players have already bought more copies than PlayStation players. Why? Because from the start, Helldivers 2 was played mostly by PC gamers. Crazy, right? Even though the PS console base is larger. A console base doesn’t equal a player base! We underestimate how many people own consoles but barely use them.

So if you still don’t get it after all this, you’re officially a hopeless case.

Sounds like a couple of people here need to get a room and have a scrap 😂

That aside in my view at least the console wars ended with SNES and Mega Drive. After that it's just been driven my social media and mostly in certain fans heads.

Ultimately gaming has moved on for better or worse into what makes the most money. MS saw it first and acted. Sony now following suit.

Nothing shocking about it could see it coming and generally will be how things are now.

@fatpunkslim Although I'm enjoying reading this back and forth from afar it must be said Xbox "console" players haven't bought more copies of Helldivers 2 at all its sold millions on the playstation and not even one million yet on Xbox "console" but pc players have bought more copies then both consoles put together.✌️

I find it amusing that two people spoke about and accused each other of still keeping up the console wars whilst both ironically doing that very same thing typing out essays to each other 😂

I just don't get why people feel the need to delve deeply into sales and business tactics etc. Just enjoy the consoles/games. We're not being paid to do business courses.

@Jaxx420 Well, the "console war" did take place between PlayStation and Xbox. Ken Kutaragi (former CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment), Kaz Hirai (former CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment), Shawn Layden (former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment), Peter Moore (former vice-president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business), Phil Spencer (CEO of Microsoft Gaming) and Matt Booty (Head of Xbox Game Studios) all gave some comments or had emails leaked (in case of Matt Booty who was thinking of "spending Sony out of business" ) over the years where they did acknowledge the rivalry.

But as soon as Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft) took over the control of Microsoft's gaming division by acquiring Activision-Blizzard-King, he seemingly ended the console war from Microsoft's side.

Since Nadella became the CEO of Microsoft in 2014, he has been shifting the company's strategies and has emphasized working with companies and technologies with which Microsoft also competes, including Apple, Salesforce, IBM and Sony. In contrast to previous Microsoft campaigns under Nadella Microsoft embraced Linux and are making their products, like MS Office and Teams available on all platforms, where those products would have been Windows exclusive before.

I guess that same open approach is now being applied to Microsoft Gaming.

I'll be up for that, @Jaxx420! I spent a career having the scraps with the unruly... 🤣

I accept that fatpunk and I always have these back and forths, @ANJB78, mostly because we argue about different things!

However, can you explain to me how we are engaged in console wars? Surely to have two people having a console war, you would need each person to be standing up for a different console?

We are engaged in an argument, but not a console war. Unless you consider him believing that Xbox consoles will go on forever, and I believe the next Xbox will be the last?

You have me stumped, matey...

@Ricky-Spanish Helldivers 2 shifted 926k copies on Xbox six days after its release. To compare, the PlayStation version of Helldivers 2 sold 633k copies six days after its own launch last year. gladly accept your apology. Source: https://www.eurogamer.net/former-ps5-console-exclusive-helldivers-2-now-tops-xbox-sales-chart-as-sony-continues-to-dabble-with-its-multi-platform-strategy

As for PC, yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, it's PC gamers who play it the most. So thinking that releasing games on PC is a mistake, as our friend Fiendish-Beaver believes, is pure heresy.

My point, all along, @fatpunkslim, is that Microsoft will be officially done with consoles within 4 years of the release of this PCBox. That is what I have been saying, but you seem incapable of grasping.

I totally get that 'everything is an Xbox'. I get that Microsoft don't use console sales as a metric anymore, although that ceased when sales fell flat during the Xbox One era.

What you seem to miss is that Xbox began porting their games to the PC when the Xbox One failed to sell, and began porting their games to the PlayStation when the Series consoles failed to sell sufficiently.

These did not start out as a master plan, but as a means of survival. That is why we are getting this PCBox, because Microsoft know that they cannot compete with Sony when it comes to console sales, and thus they need to do something different next time.

Sure, the plan has evolved, and is seeing some success, but don't be fooled into thinking that this was what Microsoft planned all along...

In fairness to @Ricky-Spanish, @fatpunkslim you said:

Take Helldivers 2—Xbox console players have already bought more copies than PlayStation players.

You did not say 'within 6 days'. Right now, the game has sold far more copies on the PlayStation, and Xbox has a long way to go yet. Also, it needs to be remembered that the game is a known quantity now, but that was not the case when it first released, and it took a little while to build up a head of steam...

Still waiting for you to explain to me how I am a fanboy, @fatpunkslim... 😉

@Fiendish-Beaver essentially it began because you said if there had been a war then Sony would have won it, which he took issue with and then began saying why would Sony have won and Microsoft lost.

@Fiendish-Beaver @fatpunkslim Exactly the overall all sales on playstation are more for Helldivers 2 obviously it's out over a year on playstation if they had outsold that total amount on Xbox by now it would massive shocking news in the games industry!!
But at the end of the day I'm just glad the game is on Xbox now both companies Sony and Microsoft/Xbox are doing great right now hopefully they can continue to collaborate in the future on more games going both ways!
In the future god knows what will happen or what's planned for playstation or Xbox everything is speculation right now 🤷
I say screw the arguments there's games to play!!✌️🕺

Got you, @ANJB78. That makes total sense now. Just to clarify, I was talking about the continued existence of consoles, where I believe Sony will at least get to the PS7, and maybe the 8 too, whereas I think the next Xbox will be the last... 👍

@TrollOfWar that was a business dispute not a console war. The SNES vs Mega Drive was amongst the respective fanbases but also a lot more aggressive in terms of their TV advertising etc. You won't see anything like that again.

@Jaxx420 True, marketing was way more aggressive in the 90s. In my opinion, it feels like gaming is now past the "edgy teenager" phase and is finally becoming mature.

Folks can say what they want, but this is such a great time to be a gamer. Barriers coming down, compatibility on the rise, cross-integration growing strongly. This is amazing.

@Fiendish-Beaver We don’t agree on the analysis or even on simple facts, clearly. Xbox absolutely did not start releasing games on PC only after the launch of the Xbox One in 2016 — Halo: Combat Evolved came out on PC in 2003, Halo 2 in 2007, Fable on PC in 2005, Gears of War in 2007, Alan Wake in 2012, Fable 3 in 2011, Halo Wars in 2016 on PC (at the same time as the Xbox One release), and plenty of other examples. We’re talking about major titles here, so this is absolutely nothing new. They just gradually increased the pace of PC releases, but it’s not specifically tied to poor Xbox One sales.

So you’re wrong again. You don’t realize that, to support your narrative, you’re making up arguments that don’t exist — and I’ve just proven it once again with concrete, indisputable examples.

As for Helldivers 2, more bad faith on your part — what you’re saying is false. When Helldivers 2 launched simultaneously on PC and PlayStation, it benefited from massive publicity because it’s an already well-known franchise, because it was a PlayStation console exclusive, and because numerous trailers had already whetted players’ appetites. It actually started doing extremely well on Steam very quickly. So you’re just finding yet another excuse to hide the simple fact that, in one week, Xbox sold more copies than PlayStation. And of course I’m talking about the same time frame — it makes no sense to even have to specify that, it’s obvious! More bad faith, clearly.

You can keep trying, but you’re only digging yourself in deeper and showing your ignorance.

Why are you a fanboy? I don’t actually care whether you are or not — I’m just pointing out that you’re using exactly the same arguments as the “ponies.” And by the way, I see you on PushSquare, PureXbox’s sister site — you’re not nearly as critical there, strangely enough… surely just a coincidence, right?

You need to take a look at my comments on Push then, @fatpunkslim. You will see that I often defend Microsoft, Xbox and Phil Spencer on there. However, you won't bother because that won't suit your desire to attempt to discredit me.

I honestly could not care less what you think, Fat, at the end of the day, you stated that Helldivers had sold more on the Xbox than on the PlayStation, and that is not a correct statement. Had you said within the same timeframe, then fair enough, but you didn't, and rather than accept that you misspoke, you simply attack me.

The fact is that I see things differently to you, indeed, even Phil Spencer said that Xbox had lost the most important generation, yet when I say the same, you say I speak in bad faith.

I only want the best for Xbox. I want them to succeed, more so than I want PlayStation to succeed, and more so than I want PC or Nintendo to succeed. If each of the others suddenly went up in smoke, I would not care, so long as Xbox is doing well and still is in the console business. However, somehow, me caring about what is happening to Xbox, and me seeing a very problematic future for them, is somehow me attacking them, or speaking in bad faith (whatever you seem to think that might be). You seem to think that you have all the facts, yet somehow you seem to miss the blindingly obvious. Xbox is in trouble, it is why they are doing what they are doing right now. They are reacting to poor sales and poor circumstances. They are making this PCBox because they need to do something different in order to compete with Sony, because the Series X/S has failed in that regard.

Somehow though, you seem to think that anyone that criticises or expresses concern about your beloved Xbox is a PlayStation Pony. It cannot be possible that they are worried about the future because 'look, Xbox is doing so well!'

Well, if worrying about the future of Xbox makes me a Sony Pony, then so be it. Have it your way, however pathetic that might be...

Just for the record, @fatpunkslim. I own a PS5, and this is the only game that I have played on it this year:

Days Gone: Remastered

These are the games I have bought for my PS5 this year:

Days Gone: Remastered
Death Stranding 2
Ghost of Yotei

This is a list of the games that I have bought this year for my Xbox. That's bought, not played on Game Pass. Actually purchased:

Aternum: New World
Euro Fishing: Ultimate Edition
Assassin's Creed: Mirage
Warhammer: Age of Sigmar
Doom: The Dark Ages
Split Fiction
Cluedo
The Thaumaturge
The Talos Principle: Reawakened
63 Days
Hero Defence
Star Trek Prodigy
Hot Wheels Unleashed
Cronos: The New Dawn
Terminator Resistance
Deadzone Rogue
Hell is Us
Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel

I will pre-order these three games for my Xbox over the next few days once they are closer to release:

Silent Hill F
Dying Light: The beast
Borderlands 4

Believe it or not, this is a quiet year for me when it comes to purchases, but I am trying to cut back, as I have over 1400 games in my digital library on my Xbox.

Oh, and I also played Expedition 33 on the Game Pass.

So, please tell me, what exactly makes you think that I am a Sony Pony, because I'm struggling to understand how you can possibly come to that conclusion...

@Fiendish-Beaver In that case, I offer you my sincerest apologies if I may have compared you to a pony. I do, however, find some of your positions rather surprising, as they sound uncannily like the familiar tune we usually hear from those people. I can absolutely understand that one might criticize Xbox, but I simply expect honest and well‑reasoned justifications. That said, I’ll admit I take great pleasure in putting ponies in their place (which you are not, don’t get me wrong) — it’s generally quite easy, since their arguments usually don’t hold up and are based on nothing, and there are a few of them right here.

Ultimately, the main thing is that everyone can play all games — and quality games at that — and I believe that on this front, Xbox is moving things forward, in the interest of their business of course, but also in the interest of players, which is not incompatible — quite the opposite. If today PlayStation releases games like Death Stranding or Helldivers 2 on Xbox, it’s thanks to Xbox. If today almost all third‑party publishers release their games on Xbox, it’s thanks in part to Phil Spencer. It hasn’t always been that way — many franchises long remained the exclusive hunting ground of PlayStation — but that’s no longer the case. Publishers like Capcom, Square Enix, and others now release their games on Xbox. Almost no third‑party publisher leaves Xbox out these days. Even if sometimes there’s buzz around certain games not coming to Xbox, in reality those have become very rare exceptions. Looking back, Xbox has never had as many games as it does now, whether first‑party or third‑party. And I maintain that the Xbox brand has strengthened over time by diversifying its strategy.

On the contrary, I believe that if Xbox had stayed solely in the console market, they’d already be dead today. As it stands, they’re everywhere — not everyone necessarily owns an Xbox console, but there have never been so many people with a bit of Xbox in their lives, whether by playing Xbox games, through Game Pass, through the cloud, and soon through portable consoles like the Asus ROG Ally Xbox edition, etc.

And this is only the beginning. Diversification makes them stronger, not weaker. Some underestimate the power of the Xbox community, which is actually far more engaged and active than others — you only have to look at the number of active players on Xbox consoles, which is almost at the same level as active players on PlayStation consoles, despite a smaller console base. So I absolutely do not believe that in four years Xbox will stop making consoles, as you say. On the contrary, the revolution that’s coming with this so‑called “PCBOX” is the start of a renewal for Xbox hardware, because they are simply unbeatable in that area — they’re the only ones who can pull this off. It’s a huge game‑changer for players; you don’t seem to realize just how much it changes everything. And I know plenty of PC gamers who are ready to get this future PCBOX.

Happy gaming to everyone — and I do mean everyone!

Glad we got the Sony Pony bit sorted, @fatpunkslim.

That said, it occurred to me that something I should make clear is that I said I was bitter that Microsoft are going the PC route, and I didn't explain why, I want a console that I can just switch on and play that fits in the unit on which my television sits.

I want the simplicity that a console offers, and have no need for a gaming PC because I already have one. One that I do not use for gaming at all!

Gaming on a PC is a real faff, and can be a real pain in the arse. Most of the people looking forward to playing Steam games on the PCBox, have no idea how much of a pain it can be to simply get a game to run properly. I have literally lost a whole night (on more than one occasion) trying to get a game to run on a PC so as to game with my friends. And if not me, it has been one of my friends, so the net result is the same, we end up just chatting and trying to help one another get the game running, and end up not playing at all. It has happened countless times, even with a game that worked the night before.

Admittedly, things have got better on that front in recent years, which is ironic because we all bought PCs after the disastrous Xbox One reveal (although I also still bought the Xbox One at launch), and now they have children meaning that they no longer are able to find the time to game anyway. Obviously there is the chance that whatever Microsoft (or their partner) bring out as their next generation console will solve this problem in particular, but equally, because we are talking the wild-west of the PC world, there is a chance that some of it is beyond Microsoft's control. My point being that many people looking forward to having access to a PC have no idea how difficult their lives may become if all they are used to is the simplicity of a console.

As I said, I already have a gaming PC, and I do not use it for gaming, so that means that I have no need for another gaming PC. What I want is a console, much like the Series X that I own, although I'd happily take something a little more capable, I am already extremely happy with this particular console. What concerns me is that Microsoft, in their endeavour to include access to the PC world on this PCBox, will charge me a premium for something that I have no need for, when all I want is a console experience that improves on the Series X. Now, if Microsoft offer a Series X2, as well as this PCBox, with the X2 offering exactly the same capabilities as the PCBox, but without the PC access element, then I'd happily buy the X2 (assuming that the X2 would be significantly cheaper).

Part 2.

Time will tell what happens next, but I cannot see Microsoft offering an X2. I think they will put all their eggs in the one basket and only offer us the PCBox, although my concern with that is that it won't be a particularly good PC because mine cost me £3600, and that is cheap by the standards of some. In an effort to keep the price down, Microsoft will be forced to offer lesser specs, and whilst it will do the job, and be a good entry point for many, it certainly won't be something that will interest PC enthusiasts, and may well be too expensive for many used to console pricing.

So anyway, when I say I am bitter, @fatpunkslim, I do have my reasons some of which maybe exclusive to me.

The only other thing I would say is that I have owned every single Xbox having pre-ordered each and every one of them including the very first one. I have also bought every mid-generation refresh, the Project Scorpio, and 5 or 6 Collector's Edition consoles too. Indeed, other than the 360 that had RRoD I still possess each of them. What I'm getting at, is even if I don't like the direction that Microsoft are taking, I will still more than likely buy the PCBox because I simply cannot help myself when it comes to Xbox and new tech...

@Fiendish-Beaver Alright, I’ll try to keep it short — I don’t understand how anyone can find a PC complicated these days. If that were the case, there wouldn’t be so many people on Steam or using a Steam Deck. I’ve never heard anyone say they spent an entire night just trying to get a game to run on PC — if that were common, we’d know about it, and such cases are really very rare.

Secondly, let’s be clear: Xbox Next (sounds nicer than your nickname for it) will be a console, with the intuitive and simple nature of consoles and the versatility of a PC to access other stores and install other apps if needed.

That’s their goal, and we’re already starting to see it with the Xbox app for PC or the upcoming Xbox ROG Ally. Everything’s not perfect yet — it’s just the beginning — but by the time the next Xbox console arrives, they’ll have had time to get even closer to that goal. The idea is absolutely not to offer a complex experience, but to keep the ease of access of a console, of course.

Another goal is to have a unique experience no matter the device: console, PC, or handheld console, all with the same familiar interface. That also means economies of scale by having a single interface across all devices, since they won’t need to maintain multiple OSes or different apps anymore. That also means more resources going into one interface — better optimization, fewer bugs, more features, and so on.

I think your case and your concern are in the minority — I see a lot of hype online about the possibility of having a console that unifies all stores. Let’s not forget that at Microsoft, creating OSes and user interfaces is kind of their business, so I have no worries about their ability to deliver a smooth and intuitive experience, while adding the versatility of a PC with access to all stores.

For me, right now, the Xbox app is starting to surpass the Steam app in terms of ease of use. It’s not perfect yet, but I find Steam has, over time, become cluttered with ads and turned into a bloated mess. The fact that the Xbox app directly integrates Steam games alongside my Xbox games is a real plus, because I prefer the simplicity of their interface.

I kid you not, @fatpunkslim, we lost many a night with one of us unable to get a game running on Steam. Truthfully, it happened to me more than my two mates, but it did happen to them at all, and I would add that one of my two mates is I.T. support expert, and he used to frequently access my computer using (from memory) Teamviewer.

One of the biggest issues we encountered was that a game would open in the wrong resolution, with the screen so enlarged that you could not see the settings, and thus were left unable to adjust the resolution.

Another issue that we frequently encountered was the inability to join each others games, or games just crashing on a frequent basis. Or we could not hear one another when using Discord. Or being unable to get an emulator to work that would allow us to use a controller instead of keyboard and mouse.

The issue with not being able to join each others games even happened when Gears of War: Ultimate Edition released. So it was not just Steam. It took years before I was finally able to play the game in co-op on a PC.

As I said originally though, many of these issues are less prevalent now than they were in 2010 when I first bought a gaming PC. Having said that, my friends and I don't really game together on our PCs anymore, so it may just be that I haven't experienced those problems because I've not been playing any games.

The last game I played on my PC with my friends was Baldur's Gate 3, and all 3 of us had problems to varying degrees with things like stuttering or sound distortion or just crashes in general.

Discord does seem to work much better these days though. What I would say though is that if people think they can dive into a rich back catalogue will find that there are a huge number of games that do not have controller support, and I imagine a lot of people will fall foul of this because they won't give it a thought before buying a game from somewhere other than the Xbox Store...

@Fiendish-Beaver Rest assured, we’re no longer in 2010 And even though I agree with you that this shift from a console‑focused approach to a more PC‑like logic will certainly bring some bugs, new problems, and new challenges to solve, it will remain marginal, and I have no doubt that the few bugs that remain will be fixed quickly. And in any case, issues with multiplayer, in particular, also exist on current consoles.

All in all, the advantages brought by this new Xbox console are, in my opinion, far greater than the few meagre drawbacks.

I would far, far rather stick with Xbox, @Millionski, but really I only want a more powerful console. I know that I will get a PS6, but not because it will be my main (at least that is the plan right now), but because I want it for the exclusives that I know Sony will still provide, be it first-party, or third-party as they do now.

I have no interest in getting the Switch 2, as despite owning the Switch for over 3 years now, I still have only ever played one game on it, so there really is no need for me to upgrade it.

I know what I am like, I am very loyal, and I like to have the latest tech (when it comes to gaming consoles), so the probabilities are that I will get the PCBox, but only use it as an Xbox console.

What really remains to be seen is who is going to make the PCBox? Whether it will be a Microsoft machine, or a partner machine (as is the ROG Ally). Personally I'd much prefer it if it is made by Microsoft, but time will tell with that one, though of course, if it is to release next year, I don't imagine it will be long before we hear more about it...