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No one is saying Microsoft should stop making video game hardware. What we’ve been exploring in this dark and twisted Engadget Slack channel of his is whether Microsoft should continue to make different consoles each generation on traditional hardware cycles. Basically, does Xbox need a box? Microsoft has been hard at work building the foundation for a platform-agnostic, cloud-first future for video games, but the console race has always seen both Sony and Nintendo I was lagging behind. So why are executives trying to get us all excited about the super-powerful 10th generation Xbox?
Perhaps Microsoft is hesitant to reveal any significant ecosystem changes after the turmoil surrounding 2013’s Xbox One and its always-on DRM feature. After being flooded with negative feedback on the idea of a permanently online console, Xbox had to quickly backtrack on its launch plans. Sony, on the other hand, scored an early win with the PlayStation 4. This failure set the stage for his next decade of console sales and is a useful lesson for any studio, especially those looking to make streaming and cloud gaming the norm.
That’s understandable, but the fact remains that accessible and affordable (possibly handheld) hardware makes a lot of sense for Microsoft’s current vision and investments. At least it’s better than expensive game consoles.
This week’s story
delicious elden ring Main dish
elden ring‘s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on June 21st. This has been a long time coming. From Software announced his DLC in February 2023, leaving plenty of time for players to get excited for more masochism. new, 3 minute trailer Shadow of the Erdtree features expansive locations and epic bosses inspired by a chaotic combination of animals, insects, and the elements. The expansion costs $40 and is available for pre-order now.
Cate Blanchett’s “Borderlands”
Let me be clear: I think Cate Blanchett would make a great Lilith.of first trailer For this summer Movie “Borderlands” seems to be coming out mad max meet guardian of the galaxy — Anyway, this is Borderlands in a nutshell. The film stars Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Ariana Greenblatt, is directed by Eli Roth, and is scheduled to be released in theaters on August 9th.
Xbox should get out of the console business
Last Thursday, Xbox executives made it clear they had no intention of abandoning the traditional hardware market, hinting at a next-generation console that would represent the “biggest technological leap we’ve ever seen.” That’s great, but given Microsoft’s position in the industry, it doesn’t feel like Xbox needs to make any more consoles.
After acquiring half the industry, Microsoft is now a giant game publisher with more than 30 in-house studios. Many of these development teams are world-renowned and have rich multi-platform histories. The company is also the operator of Game Pass, one of the world’s largest gaming subscription services.
Game Pass has grown significantly during the pandemic, but subscriptions have stagnated.in court documents Since April 2022, Microsoft revealed that it has 21.9 million Game Pass subscribers and 11.7 million Xbox Live Gold members across consoles, for a total user base of 33.6 million. Last week, Microsoft revealed that Game Pass has 34 million subscribers. This includes Game Pass Core, the new name for PC Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold. Even if PC Game Pass had zero subscribers in 2022, this would mean Game Pass subscribers grew by just 1% over the past 22 months. A more likely scenario is that the total number of subscriptions actually declined during this period, but it’s at least possible that more people are paying for full-price services than before.
Microsoft’s plans for this console generation were clear to everyone. It sells hardware and upsells subscription services featuring its games. After all, it’s hard to sell his Game Pass to people who don’t have Xboxes, and not enough people buy Xboxes either. Microsoft stopped reporting hardware numbers during the Xbox One era, but analysts estimate total sales of Xbox series consoles to be around 25 million units. Meanwhile, Sony sold more than 50 million PS5 units and Nintendo sold about 140 million Switch units. This gap seems to be widening by the day, and it’s much more pronounced in Japan and Europe than it is in the United States. If Microsoft wants Game Pass to grow, it appears it will need to roll it out on platforms other than Xbox.
This week, Xbox confirmed plans to bring four previously exclusive games to PlayStation and Nintendo consoles. For years, executives have touted an ecosystem where Xbox (and Game Pass) can be played anywhere there’s a screen. Microsoft has a powerful cloud network. Sony also uses it In addition to the game streaming space, it owns over 30 studios. Over the long term, Microsoft is positioning Xbox as a platform-independent software publishing powerhouse, backed by the industry’s most stable streaming network.
In this context, it’s amazing to hear Xbox talk about building a high-performance console for the next generation. I’m not advocating that Microsoft exit the hardware market. It makes sense for the company to focus on handheld devices and affordable streaming boxes that support Game Pass and cloud play. Xbox is working toward a future where its games and Game Pass are available everywhere, but this raises obvious questions about its current plans. Why bring expensive next-gen consoles into a war that’s actually about software, subscriptions, and streaming?
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Sony President Hiroki Totoki told investors last week that the company would be more aggressive in bringing PlayStation titles to PC.
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Xbox has confirmed that their games will be released on other consoles. ground and Pemento It will also appear on PlayStation and Switch. sea of thieves and hifi rush Appears only on PS5.both sea of thieves and ground Supports cross-play across all platforms.
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Now, that’s a completely different port. The Pokémon Company has scheduled a commemorative stream for next Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET.It may be a little early for the release of the 10th generation, but the remake version of the Switch version is black, white Seems like a safe bet.
Now playing
If you’re a Switch or PlayStation player and you’re interested in seeing all of these Xbox games come to your console, there’s one easy and clear recommendation. Pemento. Obsidian’s story-driven tapestry-like games surprise and delight, and I had a lot of fun playing them recently on Game Pass. It’s currently out on PS4, PS5, and Switch, and we’re sure it’ll be just as great on those platforms.
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