kmtrain83

@BAMozzy
I agree that games come first, devices come second.
That being said, there’s something about playing Tears of the Kingdom on a bespoke Switch OLED, when I am aware that I can play it on PC 4K 60 FPS via “other means.” Does that make me a bad guy or a good guy?

@Gemini53
I don’t have a business degree or anything, but there is a compromise with maximizing profits versus, perhaps giving back just a little in short term in order to build loyalty and gain more repeat business in the long-term. There is usually more predatory tactics when the business owner believes it will just be a one time transaction like an emergency tow of a disabled vehicle. Then they’re incentivize to maximize when they can as it is unlikely you’ll become a loyal customer from one tow.

This is just weird, but not uncommon for affluent individuals to pay people of lesser means to do the grunt work for in order for themselves to maintain a high achievement level.

@BAMozzy
Yes Microsoft certainly owns strong IP in the form of COD, Minecraft, WOW, Diablo, Overwatch, Elder Scrolls, Forza, etc. I'm not sure what proportion of fandom likes them for the games vs the hardware. You have to admit that without the hardware, it is slightly less enthusiasm for a gaming company. I like my Xbox Series S, but not as much as Switch or Playstation. Looking ahead, I will always have a PC in the home office, and good chance I will get the next Nintendo for portable, and Sony for the den. Microsoft could spin off Xbox into a Sega like subsidiary, and we may not lose much. I only wish they would be satisifed with running in 3rd place, and making okay profit margins, then we could maintain the status quo, but it's all or none with a big corporation like this. If they see higher ROI in AI or business related software, they will shut down gaming and move capital elsewhere.

@Gemini53
I suspect that if/when gaming becomes cloud / streaming based in the 2030s, Nintendo will license out their products and/or devolve back to a more low tech Gameboy type experience of offline games.

@Balaam_
I assume they are referring to cloud and streaming directly to the TV, with no dedicated hardware other than a controller, and no physical games. The technology is already there for movies and music, just not quite yet for games which have more data and speed requirements.

@Fragslayer
I guess that’s fine, but did ASUS, or Dell for that matter specifically come out with a plan to create a PC that integrates seamlessly to a big screen TV and couch set up? I know we’re waiting on Steam to try again with a Steam Machine, but does anyone expect it to sell 100 million? Why are people so eager to bury the console experience?

@BAMozzy
It’s being called a corporate shake up, and it’s going to be very interesting to see how it plays out with what we thought we knew about the next 3-5 years roadmap.

@BAMozzy
Does her job as “President of Xbox” even exist anymore? When your title vanishes in a puff of smoke, I guess that’s as good time as any to leave.

If Microsoft was satisfied running in 3rd place, it would be fine to continue the status quo. I don’t care that they “win” against Sony and Nintendo.

@TrollOfWar
This can be spun in different ways. He probably came to the realization last year that he should attempt to leave on his terms because the job was not worth it. The exact timing may or may not have been completely under his control given that it was a Friday 5 PM message. That’s usually where you try to hide negative news.

@martynstuff
I was literally humming that tune a couple of days ago… was it a premonition?

I’d like to try Towerborne, and if I like the gameplay, I’ll probably pick it up on Steam with PC mouse and keyboard.
KCD2 was apparently in Amazon Gaming for streaming. As much as I like RPG‘s, I just don’t have that kind of time.
I own Witcher on three other formats already.

There are so many games like this now that they probably figured out the business model and if it’s not a hit upon launch with all the marketing behind it, then they determine to either pursue sunk cost versus cut your losses

When my children were young enough to play Thomas, I don't think their little pre-school hands could utilize an Xbox controller. I wonder if that will be a problem. It makes me feel like this game will mostly be a passive experience, or better suited to an iPad.

This converts to $1,109.20 USD. My children will require new PC's for college in the next 1-2 years, but this ain't it !

This looks like a nice physical edition for those interested. I have a Series S, anyway and am not into this series. I probably won't get it for Switch either. The whole digital vs physical debate is probably better suited for other articles.

It was a good presentation over one hour and several titles of interest. It seems like there were something for everybody, regardless of which console or consoles that you own.

@PipOwO
Dead Cells was so good

Yes let's level up monetization

@Millionski
I am interest to see what comes next. However, I do have some concerns. I don't believe they have announced or solved the issue of existing physical Xbox library, which affects the most loyal customers, who are the ones most likely to stick with Xbox rather than jump to Playstation. The cleanest solution from my estimation would be to offer a low cost external DVD drive, or allow for digital license conversions. A one time conversion would kill the used game market, such as it exists. They would also probably have to merge console and PC Game Pass, and likely make online play for free. I'm not sure how the dollars and cents play out with this new business model.

@eduscxbox
Yes I will be interested to see if they can pull it off. They may have to sell a detachable DVD drive for loyal physical collectors to bring their library over, or risk abandonment.

@fatpunkslim
Let me see if I understand. If these PC OEMs are making the next generation of Xbox it will be 80/20 hybrid. It will have a mini PC form factor (in order to fit neatly within a TV entertainment system.) There will be at most one expansion slot for a NVMe SSD. The CPU/GPU and memory will be fixed. It will come with a controller, and boot to a controller based UI. The difference with current Xbox, is for those who choose to do so, you can "exit to Windows," for a more traditional PC experience including your own Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Then you can tinker with Steam, EPIC, etc. You can put an Xbox sticker on it if that suits your fancy, or they will affix one for looks. It will have green color scheme.
Am I missing anything?
What would something like that cost, and how is it superior to launching the Xbox app on my current desktop gaming PC? Is this all about backwards compatibility on the hardware itself, and not via cloud? What happends to Xbox owners' physical library? How many people would that benefit, to make it worth all these OEM's dividing the pie?

@Exerion76
This is true to a certain extent, although since the 2010's especially with Minecraft and Roblox, there is a whole newer generation of gamers that prefers the blocky aesthetic.

Can I go into the settings or download a mod to get the Nintendo 3DS sounds? I miss those custom themes.

Every article I read about this hybrid PC/Xbox makes me dizzy and bewildered. I’m not sure how they’re supposed to pull it off.

By the time mainstream GPUs hit the power necessary for photorealistic games (which is assumed right or wrong is what everyone strives for), we will have to accept lesser results because everything will be streamed and compressed/ laggy to some degree.

@Daffy-Duck
I can understand from AMD standpoint if the chip is ready, waiting forever for Xbox to get it out there to consumers does nothing but add anxiety.

I'm still unclear on what an Xbox branded PC will bring to the table? Are they trying to out-razer Razer? Does Microsoft have the street cred?

This looks like something my son would have enjoyed on ipad, when he was six years old.

@betterthings
So Microsoft does believe in exclusives after all, only for Windows as a whole, and not just for Xbox games.

@IOI
Yes we sort of take it for granted that console makers sell hardware at a loss to make up for it in software sales. I don't think Microsoft execs and investors share that sentiment! They are not about to subsidize a bunch of hobbyists from the Cloud and AI profits. They'd rather go all in with the most lucrative lines of business.

As with every survey, it depends on the methodology. I look at games on PC that I’ve thought about getting such as Sultan’s Game or Dread Delusion, and these don’t have any console equivalent. That doesn’t necessarily dampen my enthusiasm for consoles though.

@fatpunkslim
I need a PC for home office schoolwork, etc. I don’t need it to have an Xbox logo on it. That’s like buying an IBM PC in 1988 after all the clones came out.
When it’s time to play, I want the best experience with great games and right now PlayStation seems to have the edge.
I also got into Xbox with the Series S, as did the majority of current generation customers. To go from the lower cost option to a very high cost replacement is asking this market to go opposite of what they did before.

They finally did something with the Kid Icarus franchise. Oh wait, never mind.

Sadly, I don’t think it will matter in my case because my son will be off to college and our subscription will expire. We will keep the Series S as a legacy device.

@Jenkinss
It is a good list, I am not familiar with Kingdom Under Fire The Crusaders.

@Master_Cthulhu70
You seem to have more confidence in the platform then Microsoft does themselves.

@OldGamer999
Sad but true. My predictions is Xbox will dissolve into the cloud. Sony will hold out, but if you look at their trajectory since the 1990s, it is not hard to imagine them shuttering their gaming division after PS7 or PS8. This is coming from someone who bough a Sony Vaio laptop in 2009. Nintendo will likely retreat back into the pure handheld space, and have to skew toward a younger audience in terms of hardware. In terms of software, they will eventually license out their IP to the streaming kings of the day. There will always be a place for PC gaming I suppose since PC's run the business world, and it is easy enough to do gaming on the side.

@Weebleman
Yeah, or maybe like Atari 7800

There’s a couple of problems with this strategy and the first is that I need a PC for home office and student use, but I don’t need a second similarly priced fully featured PC for the media room in the basement. If I had to choose, it would be the one in the study.

Secondly, once you go into the PC space you are swimming with sharks, and it will be a race to the bottom for price versus performance. PC enthusiast are very much focused on that ratio, and they will ridicule the console half of the Xbox hybrid as it goes into obsolescence.

I got John Wick Hex before it was delisted

If you look at upcoming 2026 titles, Xbox is flying under the radar. That could be a good thing, or a bad thing depending on how you feel if these awards are mostly riding a hype train, versus a recognition of quality. I'm hoping for Fable to be what gets me back into the ecosystem, because as things stand I'm drifting away from Xbox once my Game Pass subscription expires in 2027. I might pick up an odd title or two on sale, but that's about it.

I would rather they spend their resources on the next Elder Scrolls

I’m glad Nintendo moved theirs to January because December becomes a blind spot on these end of the year totals
I’m hoping we get one in January for Xbox

@Chip-Douglas
It could be the next Baldur’s Gate 3, or like the last Dragon Age….

@Chip-Douglas
I kind of wonder how much of a fan base still exists for Fable? Will it sell 1 million copies?

Well, I’ve got nothing against some nostalgia and putting out a greatest hits album, they need more than that to stay relevant

I never played it but scrolling through the comments it seems a very mixed reaction.

I’ll be disappointed if Xbox stops making hardware. I guess it won’t make much difference in 10 or 20 years instead of having three console makers we will just have three cloud services companies dominating the game streaming market. Meet the new boss same as the old boss..