Comments 183

Re: Imminent Xbox Layoffs Could Include Entire Studios, Warns Industry Veteran

kmtrain83

@Neither_scene
I asked on the other for him as well

Maybe someone with more business background can answer but how is the $70 billion ABK acquisition structured in terms of yearly profit and loss. Like I know it’s a big amount, but it also gets added to Microsoft net worth so it’s not like completely in the negative column.

Television streaming services are also running into problems in terms of production cost versus subscriber revenue. It seems like no one really understands this business model.

Re: Xbox Officially Adds Steam Integration Via New PC App Feature

kmtrain83

@WildConcept6
I think the Xbox is less important for $3 trillion Microsoft than PlayStation is for Sony, and Nintendo is obviously wholly dependent on console sales.
I could easily see Microsoft jettisoning their Xbox console division if it becomes a money loser, due to shareholder demand. The smaller Xbox gets relative to Microsoft as a whole the more likely they’ll just decide to move on. Otherwise, if it’s just about having bank and force of will, Windows Phone, Cortana, and Zune would still be around.

Re: Talking Point: Have This Month's Announcements Made You Excited About Xbox Again?

kmtrain83

The only hardware I was tempted to get was last year was when they had an Amazon Fire-stick, and Xbox controller on Black Friday sale, and that was mainly for the controller part. The Fire Stick would’ve just been a cheap experiment in cloud gaming. I didn’t see any mention of that series recently. I don’t think I’m in the market for the ROG Ally or Oculus with an Xbox UI.

Re: Talking Point: Have This Month's Announcements Made You Excited About Xbox Again?

kmtrain83

@Gabrie
I agree that but mainly because Microsoft is about 20 times the size of Sony, and not because of any kind of particular strategy they have, nor insight as to what video games will be like in two decades. Microsoft is a big player in cloud services and so if video games is forced into being cloud based, then I guess they win. That’s not what I want, though. Thankfully by then I’ll be too old to care.

Re: Talking Point: Did Xbox Just Hint At A Hybrid Next-Gen Console?

kmtrain83

There again I keep hearing the word "hybrid," but I'm afraid it is confusing because it seems to mean different things to different people. I'm better off waiting for the actual hardware reveal, pricing, and reviews than this random conversation. It is fun to imagine future tech, but this is too discombobulating. I must be getting old...

Re: Xbox Announces Next-Gen Console Strategy, Promises 'Deeper Visuals' & Backwards Compatibility

kmtrain83

@StonyKL
I'm also struggling with this. I keep hearing about a "hybrid Xbox/PC," but what exactly is that? I own a PC with an NVIDIA GPU with Steam, EPIC, EA, GOG, Amazon, DVD-ROM, and I own a Series S. I hardly use the Xbox Windows app. What am I actually going to stick in my home in 2028, and what will it be plugged into? I don't have an engineering or design background, so maybe I just don't have the vision that they do.

Re: Xbox Has Reportedly 'Sidelined' Plans For A 2027 First-Party Handheld

kmtrain83

@GuyinPA75

I wonder if there’s any information if the PlayStation Portal is profitable, and if something like that would satisfy the smallish number of Xbox owners who want console quality games in a handheld format, and who don’t already have an iPad / controller set up, or gaming laptop PC. It really is a niche market when you look at all the comparisons. It’s also makes it more baffling how Nintendo Switch was an all-time best seller, when its predecessor, Wii U failed so miserably. It can’t just be the software because Wii U had roughly the same quality of Nintendo exclusives.

Re: Xbox Has Reportedly 'Sidelined' Plans For A 2027 First-Party Handheld

kmtrain83

@Medic_alert
Surface line is not a great analogy since the PC clones have been out there for decades, and so they have fierce competition. Xbox is more or less a duopoly with PS5, with each side having some exclusivity. I do worry that if the higher ups at Microsoft think Xbox is akin to Surface, then it may indeed lightly fade into the background.

Re: Bethesda Officially Announces Oblivion Remastered, Full Reveal Coming Tomorrow

kmtrain83

I loved Morrowind on Xbox, and even now periodically long to replay it. I specifically bought a desktop PC that could handle Oblivion when it came out. I eventually completed Oblivion years later on a different laptop PC, with all the DLC. For whatever reason, I have no desire to revisit Oblivion. I also never got very far into Skyrim. Something was lost after Morrowind, and I’m not sure what.

Re: Former Xbox Exec Throws Shade At Switch 2, Says It's A 'Hard Pass'

kmtrain83

@nomither6

I think the price has to be taken in account in relationship to the prior Switch that was eight years ago, the lack of any price cuts this generation, widespread, inflation, and comparable handheld such as Asus, Lenovo and Steam. How much above the base Series S would you pay to shrink it down to the point you could carry it and play it on a 120 Hz screen. I own a Series S, and the television did not come with it. I also have a PS 5, and I’m not a console warrior.