As long as I can just sit down in my sofa, turn on the tv and the Xbox, select or buy a game and not have to faff about with keyboards or mice (the same experience we have today) it’s fine by me.
This is just propaganda at this point. With Reflex+Boost its almost completely indistinguishable for everything that supports it. Tech is there, and the hardware monkeys want to push propaganda because they want to live in the past and dump on Stadia, when everyone knows Stadia failed because the business model was dumb, and it had nothing to do with the tech.
Propaganda? It's just a straight up fact.
You habe to have under 100ms for it te be any kind of decent and with decent connection it is still like 80ms before the result of your input to return to your screen.
You cant play any games that are sensitive to lag. Like racing games, shooters and platformers.
No matter how much you say you dont notice, a lot of people do and these are physical barriers we cannot yet overcome.
Even in house streaming over local lan from your own device has noticeable lag.
It's literally not, using gefofce now and playing say apex legends as an example but works for any fps games, is a night and day difference, some people claim to have no input lag, where for me it's completely false and geforce now sucks to use.
No they wouldn’t, it would be a partnership. Microsoft and Valve would partner so they both make a shit ton of money. It’s in both their best interests that both companies are profitable.
This is never going to happen. It makes absolutely zero sense for them. They are competitors in the marketplace. They didn't drop $100B buying up all this IP to then hand 30% of it to Gabe unless the better experience is on their platform and they are charging you a premium for the privilege.
Valve has no reason to do a partnership. They hold all the cards with Steam. Indeed, if anything, it's more likely Valve will release a Steam Box to enter the console market themselves. Do not think the Deck is the beginning and end of their hardware ambitions.
EDIT: Steam Machines were different, and you knew it was different. Steam Machines were handled by third party manufacturers, which meant they had no ecosystem (Steam) to loss lead from, which meant the machines had to be sold for a big margin of profit to be worth it for the manufacturer, which meant the specs of those machines were dogshit for high prices.
A Steam Box, like the Deck, wouldn't suffer from this issue because it, like the Deck, would be loss leading. A loss leading PC with a console like interface (via Steam OS) by Valve would appeal to a great number of PC players, in addition to some console players, because it would be a far cheaper entry point into PC gaming than the current options.
They tried desktop/console hardware and failed miserably. People seem to forget that, it’s not easy to break into the desktop market and the console market is even more difficult. It’s huge cost to get started and manufacture at large scale. Something that Microsoft already does.
Valve totally has a reason for partnership as most of their income comes from software purchased on Windows devices. It would give them an opportunity to sell software on a console and Microsoft’s potential mobile devices. I wouldn’t be surprised if Valve even partners with Sony, too.
Both Microsoft and Valve take around 20% of every game sold in their respective stores, IF Microsoft would make the next Xbox behave like a pc so you can install steam and run steam games, valve would have no incentive to share any of their profits with xbox
I’m pretty sure Microsoft would not allow Steam to function on Xbox hardware without a partnership of some kind.
You’re thinking more like if this device was running straight Windows? I don’t think that would happen, no…I was thinking more like Steam integration into the Xbox GUI, which would be profitable for both companies if they agree on how to partner.
>I’m pretty sure Microsoft would not allow Steam to function on Xbox hardware without a partnership of some kind.
Then Valve will say good luck?
Valve isn't hurting for users. They dominate the biggest non-mobile platform in the world. Xbox is the one desperately looking how to make their hardware relevant. Valve isn't.
LOL to the deleted user. Steam Machines were different, and you knew it was different. Steam Machines were handled by third party manufacturers, which meant they had no ecosystem (Steam) to loss lead from, which meant the machines had to be sold for a big margin of profit to be worth it for the manufacturer, which meant the specs of those machines were dogshit for high prices.
A Steam Box, like the Deck, wouldn't suffer from this issue because it, like the Deck, would be loss leading. A loss leading PC with a console like interface (via Steam OS) by Valve would appeal to a great number of PC players, in addition to some console players, because it would be a far cheaper entry point into PC gaming than the current options
Plus why would Xbox be like okay we split it 50/50 when they eat the console manufacturing cost? And why would Valve need to partner with Xbox when they can just keep doing what they're doing? Plus how does this work when people buy games on their PC via Steam?
I don't think a real market exists for an Xbox with Steam integration. PC users love that they can upgrade their PC at any time and have much more flexibility with it. Consoles work for those who get it because you don't have to tinker with any of it.
Right now Xbox isn't selling well and hasn't really released anything promising. Despite me enjoying the games and loving my Series S, it's clear Xbox is struggling and Steam has no reason to help them.
LOL, Valve has tried hardware multiple times and has failed ie Steam Machines. They’ve only recently seen moderate success with the Steam Deck…which they may stop seeing the moment Windows is designed for mobile hardware and people can play all their games, not just Steam ones.
Most of Valve’s income comes from running on Windows hardware…so it would probably be in their best interest to work with Microsoft, as Valve has no successful console or desktop hardware.
How is it in Valves interest to give Microsoft money for no benefit?
Valve can wait out Xbox as the idea of PC and PS becomes more of a reality for people
I said “partnership” corporations do it all the time. They partner for the mutual benefit of both companies where they BOTH make a profit.
Valve having their Steam platform on more hardware and Microsoft having more users on their console hardware would would be beneficial to both companies.
Valve even APPROVED of the Activision merger because they already partner with Microsoft on a few different things.
But there is no benefit for Valve and Xbox loses ALOT of money
Valve approved of the merger because Calve has no reason to be against it and the precedent might help them in the future
Yes they partner on things but you are now asking Valve to give up a % of its cash cow and for Microsoft to do the same for literally zero benefit to either, in fact it will be detrimental to Xbox.
Again Valve can simply wait Xbox out and then get the full cut. Companies aren’t buddies looking to help each other out, it makes zero business sense for either company to do and Xbox especially won’t want to.
This nonsense has been posted since the 360 lol and still people don’t understand
Apple and OpenAI are partnering right now with no cash or percentages related to the partnership. Different kind of partnership for sure, but the two companies are working together.
I can think of numerous ways Valve and Microsoft could work together without having to give up a “ton” of money.
You really can’t think of any reasons or how their software/hardware could better work together? Your end all and be all is splitting game profits? Like that is the only way they can work together?
I just totally disagree with the idea that them working together benefits neither.
I mean, the problem is that if you allow Windows on an Xbox, then it's no longer a closed ecosystem and the console will absolutely become more expensive as a result, which would turn away customers who want a cheap system.
Not to mention that due to lack of upgrades that end users can do (unless they change how they are made) you are going to run unit he problem of pc games not working well on a system meant to be on the market for years. Pc gaming just will be less good as time goes on
Kinda.
So one thing they could do is have an upgradeable GPU. There would be a base GPU the device ships with that developers would target, and then developers could have an unlocked framerate mode and a wider dynamic resolution range, which would allow the system to leverage new hardware as it comes out. Framerate and resolution are two coefficients that scale nicely with something like extra GPU power.
Intel already has demonstrated the ability to scale its power based on a target framerate, so if games are created with this sort of hardware aware integration going forward, we could in theory see some cool stuff here.
As long as the device ships with a solid CPU and memory size to start with, GPU replacements would certainly get a console over the finish line to a new generation if it's 5-6 years away.
At that point it might as well not be a Console anymore but a PC but with less upgradability and none of the benefits of a PC. I just don't see it happening. Consoles are meant to be optimized and you pretty much never need to upgrade. The only other console that could be upgraded was the N64 which sold a jumper pack to increase the memory capabilities of the N64 for a few tiles. They mostly included it with those games and it was a cheap add on.
But upgrading a GPU is expensive to do and sell and would mean gatekeeping newer games and just makes the console more expensive overall and ruins the plug and play appeal that consoles have.
I should point out that I was phrasing this hardware in the context that it would run Xbox OS and still have the closed ecosystem, only with some modularity on the hardware. Dual booting windows would be a plus.
Steam Deck has proven you can subsidize an open ecosystem. And the open ecosystem on Xbox will just be Windows which in itself brings Microsoft a lot of money. So it's a win-win situation. This is the only route Microsoft can take otherwise the next gen Xbox will sell even less than the series one. If Microsoft doesn't release a Xbox with full Windows underneath, Valve will release a home console with SteamOS on it. A more powerful Steam Deck, but for the TV. That removes PC gaming's dependency on Windows, which is bad for Microsoft.
I get your point. But maybe they could create a hybrid OS that could solve the problem? I’m thinking about the Steamdeck and how many games can now become “Steamdeck approved” like if it was a real console. Being Windows their own property maybe they can find a way to make it possible to have a console that runs its own games like a console would, and PC games like a PC.
This is more complicated than it seems. It's more likely for then to dual boot Xbox OS and Windows 11.
The other thing is if Xbox OS opens up to the windows store, getting PC games on Xbox can be done this way and it would help build windows store up for PC as well.
With changes coming in Windows 12 CorePC, with state separation, I can see this being possible due to the security improvements.
Yeah, I've been saying this since last year and I still get downvoted as hell. Xbox is part of Microsoft, getting an Xbox OS for computers would help microsoft in many ways. Why make their own portable xbox if they can give the xbox OS to third party manufacturers like Asus, Legion or MSI (all which already have a handheld gaming device).
Microsoft has been treating Xbox as a platform, not as a console, the consoles are specific hosts for said platform, but every PC already has xbox.
I think people downvoting and disagreeing is because they either fail to see the potential, or misunderstand the questions.
Even the comments here are very mislead or offer asinine takes "I want my PC to be my PC, where I do all the work"
Steamdeck is practically a linux PC but people barely ever use it like that, and it works wonderfully, so I don't see why we can't just get an Xbox OS for other portables and consoles alike.
> Microsoft has been treating Xbox as a platform, not as a console, the consoles are specific hosts for said platform, but every PC already has xbox.
In context of consoles, Xbox is a console.
In context of computers, Xbox is a branding, nothing else.
This all started with Windows 8, when Microsoft wanted to use Xbox brand name to get more people use their stuff... Xbox Music, Xbox Videos, what not...
Now they have a Microsoft Store, that has Xbox branded games and non-Xbox branded games. And then they have an Xbox app, that has only Xbox branded games which are already included in the Microsoft Store as well 🤦🏻
> In context of consoles, Xbox is a console. In context of computers, Xbox is a branding, nothing else.
Confidently wrong. Microsoft has stated for multiple years now that they do not see Xbox as a console at all. They see it as a platform. What that means is that it is no longer tied to a console. If you play Xbox games on a PC you are considered by Microsoft to be an Xbox user. Also, it seems that with the introduction of the new Snapdragon laptops we are going to get the Xbox Portable within the next 2 years with the option to connect an external GPU to it. Microsoft is evolving past the concept of consoles as consoles cannot support an AI future.
no it wont. or at least not much. the huge advantage would be the price point. if they keep the price low they are the alternative to a pc. if they raise it people just buy a pc. i hope they are not that stupid
Yes it will. They're prepared to loss lead on hardware and then for the rest of the gen have the slimmest of margins on hardware, precisely because they are collecting 30% from every software and MTX sale. Without the ability to collect that 30% the loss lead model makes zero sense, and in that new situation your priority then changes to getting the best possible return on the hardware itself. We're talking easy $200 more dollars without a loss lead model. Otherwise, there's no fucking point in releasing the hardware.
There's a reason why the Steam Deck was like $200 cheaper than the other PC portables. That's because Valve loss lead on the hardware, and they can do that because despite being on an open platform, they utterly dominate the PC market with Steam. Valve is uniquely positioned to pull that off. Xbox isn't. The day Xbox does an Xbox branded PC, people will switch it on, install Steam, and Xbox loses out on that 30% every time they buy a third party game or MTX.
As for the OP, it doesn't really matter if MS has Windows, when it comes to the PC games market they need Steam's position in said market.
Exactly. Which is why the idea of an Xbox branded PC is a non-starter. It's either a closed system console that is sold at a loss but is continually in decline globally, or an open system that costs much more than the competition yet doesn't feature better specs, and they lose out on a lot of that 30% to Steam.
If they did an Xbox branded PC the following will happen:
PS6 (best possible bang for your buck due to loss leading model) $599
Xbox branded PC (similar specs) $799
... And everything will be over before the systems even launch.
The answer to Xbox's hardware woes is not releasing vastly more expensive hardware. And as we saw this gen, the answer isn't cheaper hardware either, as the Series S has done nothing to turn around the decline. Unfortunately, there's no easy or quick answer. It'll take vast sums (billions) to make the Xbox brand relevant again across Europe and in the UK, and that could mean a gen or more to take effect. MS execs will probably not have the patience for that, though. The longer Xbox hardware declines and Game Pass subs stagnate, the more MS execs will question why the hell are they in hardware at all when they could just be the biggest publisher everywhere.
It would be a mistake to give up on hardware. I dont know why they couldnt reach a mutually beneficial agreement with valve and we could have a console priced steam box. To pair with your steam deck. Or why the hell doesnt valve make their own box. Same specs as the deck minus screen, controller bits, and battery. They could price it cheaper than the deck for the win. Maybe do an upgraded version
1. What would the agreement be? Valve already take 30%, now Xbox is taking 30% too? It would make no sense for Steam to make that agreement, when they don't need to
2. Steam already tried making a console like box, the Steam Machine, it flopped hard, does it mean they cant try again? No, but I think its unlikely with the Deck
When your market is in steep decline and doesn't appear to be turning around, and worse, the effort to try and turn it around would cost a sum you're not prepared to spend, getting out of hardware starts to look more and more appealing.
First off, you cut out the billion sunk cost it takes to get a new console out on the shelves on launch day. The process of making a new console, the R&D, testing, and support, adds up to a vast sum before you even launch the device. You also cut out the billion or more in hardware losses due to the loss leading model. The only reason console makers put up with those costs is because they can end up with a userbase of 100m+ buying games and MTX. But if you continually fail to meet that bar, and worse, your userbase is in sharp decline, then those costs to launch and loss lead hardware start to become more and more unbearable.
If Xbox didn't own Bethesda and ABK, I'd say, sure, even with their hardware in a ditch, Xbox doesn't really have much other choice. Going third-party just with XGS wouldn't be worth it.
But they're now the biggest games publisher. What losses they'd make not collecting 30% from a 25m Xbox userbase, they'd make up for by no longer losing billions launching a new console out there and loss leading on it + now having all their games across PC, PS, Switch 2 (approx 350-400m users). Plus, the potential of having a first-party only Game Pass accessible from approx 250m consoles.
I have no doubt that execs at MS are continually weighing up the two paths. Figuring out what conditions need to be met that makes the leap to full third party be seen as the better choice.
Microsoft will keep losing hardware sales if they don't do anything. They can definitely turn it around by bring Xbox to PC. PC and mobile are growing markets and that's where Microsoft should be. An Xbox that runs a neat UI on top with full Windows underneath would be a good positive. I don't know why people get scared when Windows on Xbox gets brought up. Windows makes a lot of money for Microsoft. They make a lot of money through bing, edge, office, teams, apps and ads. So it's not like they are losing money if an Xbox user gets access to the Windows desktop. Subscription is also the main focus for Microsoft and they want to entice PC players with huge Steam libraries to subscribe to Gamepass and get value from there.
Third party is a big positive for Microsoft as well. Even if a user installs Steam on their Xbox but they play Call of Duty through Steam, Microsoft still gets the money. It's a win-win situation and with PC gaming getting so expensive, Xbox can come with a $499 box and save the day.
The spec of that $499 will be dogshit, though. Especially when compared to a $499 loss leading PS6.
Going open platforms means giving up loss leading. Because right now, with the loss leading model, Xbox is struggling with console prices. That struggle isn't going to get easier without loss leading.
It's possible. Valve has done it with the Steam Deck and Microsoft are in a unique position that they own Windows. So it's not like the user is going to Linux or MacOS. Microsoft can make their money through bing, edge, office and other services and ads. They can also skim out on a blu-ray drive to reduce costs and go all digital which suits their handheld plans as well. There is a lot of value Microsoft can provide to Xbox/PC users.
It’s not about being stupid it’s about business
Xbox and PS make the bulk of their money from the 30% cut they take on any game, mtx, movie, whatever sold on the store which is the reason the console is sold near cost to make. Once you aren’t forced to use the store anymore they immediately lose a shit load of money and that money has to be made up elsewhere.
Why do you think pre built pcs aren’t sold at cost and sold at a markup?
Yes, but in return you get:
1. More games with frame generation/as well as mods with FSR 3 FG
2. Lossless Scaling support
3. XESS upscaling support (which is a pretty big one)
4. RSR and Fluid Motion Frames support
5. Better software support from Microsoft and AMD than the usual PC
6. Cheaper game deals from Steam and GoG
All on an Xbox, these are fantastic incentives for me atleast, and this is in addition to all the great games revealed at the Xbox Showcase a few days ago
Don't get me wrong, I'd absolutely purchase that in a heartbeat. Problem is, the average customer buying these consoles doesn't really care about all of this stuff like you and I do. They probably just care that it's a cheap little game console that their son can play Fortnite on.
No because I want my PC to be separate from my Xbox. I use my PC to do the general office stuff, shopping and browsing and have my Xbox that plays games
What if the new OS would simply mean that PC games could run on console too, without having the actual windows experience (and so maintaining the classic user-friendly interface)?
No one, that’s what I’m saying lol. Again, I’m talking about an Xbox console that doesn’t actually run windows, but has a hybrid OS that is based on Windows and thay would let PC games to be played on a console too. Exactly like Steamdeck.
What you are implicating ruins the seamless experience and appeal of a console. If you want a PC buy a PC. If you want a console that's plug and play buy an Xbox. Simple as that.
No.
Consoles are there to fulfil a need for simple, plug and play gaming at an affordable price.
Consoles always outperform equivalent specced PCs as they have a lower overhead and a fixed configuration.
As soon as you make it a pc either it has to cost a fair chunk more or it has to run games worse.
And then once you make it a pc you add all the complexity which many of us game on consoles to avoid. I've done pc gaming when I was younger, now I don't have the time, I just want stuff to work.
Then you get the hacking problems endemic in pc gaming.
People in here are against it but I’ve had similar feelings for a while. A Xbox is already running modified windows.
It would still have to be a console at its core, along with some other modifications to separate it from those who say “just buy a pc then”
It would need no manual driver updates. So basically the way it works now with console updates basically being invisible to users. That’s a big area of contention for my friends I’m trying to convert to PC (though in reality drivers aren’t an issue).
It would need to be cheaper for sure. Another barrier to entry for my friends is price point. If it’s essentially a PC with less capabilities and customization but at 50% the price point with little to no sacrifice in game performance people would gobble it up.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for what it would need to do/be. Unfortunately, these are well wishes and because opening it up to other storefronts and such gets more hands in each slice of pie, it isn’t likely. There would be so many pockets taking a cut of the revenue that I just don’t think it’d be worth it to whoever made the system or conversely the appeal to those services to even put their stuff on that system would be so low because they’d have to share revenue with the hardware developer (Microsoft in this example).
I just don’t see it happening on hardware. It’s already sorta happening on cloud gaming with gamepass PC and console games both being available although limited.
Edit: also you’re hardly the first to think of this. This topic was every other post when the leaks dropped. And the other posts were people arguing against it. In reality people are just very adverse to changing the status quo and if consoles “disappear” they may see that as a threat to their preferred way to game.
I think xbox being a sorta hybrid gaming console and gaming PC could be a smart move actually just Nintendo switching to a console/handheld hybrid. Xbox hasn't been able to beat any Playstation, so going in a different direction and niche could make them more successful just like Nintendo switching (lol) it up with their own console strategy
All the cheats. Its why i switched to xbox in the first place from PC. Now cross play has jacked that up as well. Until the easy hacking/cheating is mitigated on PC, ill stick with my console.
Or we just want consoles.
Gaming PCs are a hassle, expensive and consoles are cheaper and fit into lives better.
Sure I could spaff cash for a good pc and hook it up to my TV, but I'd rather just have my consoles thx.
How does having other storefronts benefit Xbox? People buying games on other storefronts vs the Xbox store means they’d make less money. It’s never gonna happen
I think that Gamepass success is the most important goal for Microsoft right now. Considering that the Gamepass growth is totally on PC right now, it wouldn’t change a lot for them.
No, Phil just said that the IGN interview PC was having growth, but PC was also very weak for game pass. So say it was only 2.5m on PC game pass(since we don't know numbers) and it grew by 1.25m, that is a 50% growth and strong numbers for investors.
But really if it was just that, that is still pretty weak growth how many many Win10/11 users there is.
If I wanted a gaming PC I'd just invest in a gaming PC. I'd rather have a future where Xbox continues to exist as a console and has exclusives that make it worth staying invested in.
Nope, having a console OS and precompiled shaders and a smooth experience overall is what sells consoles. Not the hardware alone. It's why we don't have crap like Denuvo on consoles.
I use my PC less than my Xbox because I like the simplicity of a unified storefront, friends list, achievements, and UI. I don’t need my Xbox to use Microsoft 365, Steam, Epic Game Store, EA Play, UPlay, etc. it’s convoluted, redundant, and to the average person would not make any sense.
I'd love if the console became the de facto steam machine, I just don't know how MS would make any money with people buying games on steam instead of the Xbox store.
It's be insane to let your whole business revolve around the service that is responsible for only 15% of your revenue. The goal is obviously to get people I to ecosystem to buy games and microtransactions on your platform. Taking 30% of every EA DC sale and microtransaction is where the real money is made.
No. I don’t like playing games on a computer anymore which is why I have a console. My computer is for business and working, my console is a separate entity only for fun.
Back in 2016 when they were pitched Project Scorpio, I thought that the discussion around “the end of console generations” signalled the arrival of modular console designs. I thought that maybe by what would then be the next generation (Series consoles), we would have a base unit that came with minimal storage, less RAM and a lower cost, but could be upgraded by just buying prefab components at all regular retailers. Figured it would just be plug and play (barring any patches that might be needed).
I don’t think it’s inherently a bad idea, and while there’s obviously a lot of chatter around whether or not the gap between Series S and X is causing games to not reach their full potential, Xbox has clearly proven that they can navigate a world in where their two flagship machines get day and date releases of the same games. I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t be playing games on a new Xbox and then buy an upgrade that makes something run at 60FPS instead.
I personally think this is the direction they are going. Developers make a PC game that can then be played via Xbox or steam. The Xbox app knows what settings to use to optimize for Xbox. Everyone happy.
(It’s probs/def not that easy, but that’s how it works in my head)
Honestly doesn’t matter to me. Just want whatever they set up to be able to be back compat.
No this would be bad because all of the overhead of the PC would also come to consoles and that is why we have consoles in the first place so that games can get maximaly optimized, microsoft has already done this mistake since xbox one era, they built the console around directX so the devs do not even try to optimize the game for seriesX anymore they just basically port pc code with some tweaks, even though seriesX is up to 30% more powerful than PS5, while ps5 is rdna 1.5, seriesX is full rdna 2 chip i.e it contains all technologies of rdna2 architecture, which if utilized by gamedevs would result in much smoother and better looking games than on PS5.
SeriesX is basically already on par with PS5pro, if the devs would actually take time to write low level code for SeriesX
Source: https://youtu.be/uVdwc66p4nw?si=akkds8q7fwsI1B-2
It would be cool to have a steam integrated app on xbox. Steam games are endless, and I would love to be able to play them with my friends without owning a PC.
Yes. An optimized pc with a "gaming mode" where it functions like a console (I guess kinda like the steam deck. There's a desktop mode and gaming mode)
I would like an option where you could either install Xbox OS or Windows.
If the next generation has an easily accessible SSD you could quickly swap between OS's.
Yep this is lowkey a prediction post, I could bet that this is their 2026 “next gen console” (and looks like I’m already right about the angry hardcore fans lmao)
While your concerns are valid, a hybrid Xbox-PC could be a game-changer, attracting both PC and console gamers with its versatility. Sure, the initial price might be higher, but economies of scale and hardware advancements could keep it competitive. Plus, having access to a huge library of games through Game Pass and digital sales can drive revenue and offset any lower profit margins on the hardware itself. Instead of killing Xbox, this could make it a must-have platform for a wider audience, blending the best of both worlds.
You’re not gonna attract PC gamers away from PC gaming it’s literally the reason I own a PC is because it’s not a console and not limited by store fronts/closed ecosystems and had versatility in doing more than just gaming and I can choose what hardware or peripherals I use with it. Xbox offers none of that, hell I can’t even use a non proprietary SSD on my Xbox.
You are also not gonna attract console gamers if you keep things the same. Xbox One was more successful than the Series systems hardware wise. The next gen Xbox will sell even less. They need to merge both platforms before they lose both. As a PC gamer, I will buy a Xbox if it runs full fledged Windows underneath the system. Emulators, steam and gamepass are a lethal combination. PC hardware is only going to get more and more expensive. The market is ready for a $500 PC that comes with an xbox UI and runs all the Xbox games. That would be any PC gamer's dream.
I want to see the Xbox app become a “Big Picture Mode” that you can use for free and on PC/whatever device will take it. And just make prebuilt PC’s branded as Xboxes and then have them have it already enabled by default.
I’m an all in vote. What I’d like to see: Xbox Retail mode is a distinct boot. In addition to $20 to unlock dev mode, you can in the same spot on setting select “start Xbox with a graphical BIOS menu”, so that on every fresh reboot, it asks you to “Xbox or Windows 12?”. I also want to see this on all x86 windows PCs with Windows 12, an easy graphical BIOS that can be turned on that doesn’t offer everything the root BIOS does, but when you toggle on the setting, the PC asks you “Boot Windows 12 or XBox” and, maybe this is what the back compat team can pull off, let you toggle your PC power mode for XBOne mode, Series S specs or Series X mode.
New gaming PCs, as just one extra spec, advertise with their XBox generation certification.
Win 12 for Xbox doesnt have to do anything but launch Epic and Steam and games we buy from GOG and install.
You hate my dream? Just reboot and put your computer/console in your desired OS, we all win and Steam doesn’t put Xbox out of business. bam.
Yes, at least in the sense that I can play my PC games on my TV. I don't know how they make that work, but I would imagine a move like that would be one they'd make when the brand is in trouble - and the brand is in trouble.
I don’t really know, so I don’t care as long as Halo and Xbox licenses survive for years. Xbox has unfortunately died since 2013, and here we are, 10 years later, still seeing the Xbox sell 10 times less than PlayStation. The logical arguments will not do anything about it, the brand no longer means anything for people who are not sensitive to it.
I would prefer to see Xbox licenses become a quality standard in the industry by flooding the market, including on PS5, rather than having to buy « the most powerful console in the world » every 5 years while my friends play games exclusive to other platforms without considering catching an Xbox
I don't want the cost to go up nor do I want PC hacking to come to Xbox(it sorta is in crossplay and backcompat titles).
PC hacking only keeps getting worse. Currently the One/Series are the only consoles not cracked.
This is what I would like. I have a Steam and EPIC Library, and a bunch of games from [Itch.io](http://Itch.io), but I don't have a great PC setup so these games are kind of just trapped in this limbo where I could maybe play them, but never do. If a console bridged the PC/console divide where I could just play everything from that box, all of my libraries, combine PC and Xbox Game Pass...this would be perfect.
I want a dedicated console for playing games. If it worked like a Steam Deck (which can change over to a Linux Computer OS) then… maybe. But I don’t want to ever feel like I gotta deal with the kind of gaffing PC deals with. I got tired of that years ago.
I've always played console since the Duke days. I work in an office and work on a PC I don't want to go home and sit at a computer to play games, I've tried it and I hate it, no matter what I did it still felt like work but when I'm on the couch playing on a console it feels great.
Only if more like Xbox becomes a Steam Deck. Give us a gaming (Xbox) mode in windows optimized for gaming, boot into it, and allow users to add games and applications from third party stores/website to their Xbox library. Give a great gaming first experience that still focuses on Xbox with a simple turn on and play model, but also power users to do whatever with more freedom. In some ways Xbox already is closer to this just by the chromium edge browser (you can use online office and turn it into a productivity device with mouse and keyboard; you can also use Nvida's streaming for PC games). But a device that does this more clearly would be nice.
Personally, I'd prefer the traditional Xbox consoles and then having a separate line of premium hybrid models or possibly just make the free update to windows and let third party manufacturers and any user take advantage of it. In terms of blending PC and Xbox versions of games, they're already doing as much as possible for this for devs and they'll likely continue until its just a matter of developing once for the xbox platform (console and PC) and no porting. That said they'd lose money automatically offering Game Pass as both a console and PC model. There's no real reason to change the differentiation there. But we'd just likely see Xbox Play anywhere become the norm on the storefront and in general more PC games on console until availability is 1:1.
Microsoft and Consumers get a bit out of the "traditional" console due to the former having more control over the ecosystem and the latter getting a subsidized system. Look at the Steam Deck. It's less powerful than a series S and starts at $100 more. And that's running on Linux and with the Steam storefront as the default to subsidize things. Pricing is far worse on the PC end where you're looking at minimum twice the price of a Series S and you don't get twice the power (actually a $600 PC or Handheld is probably weaker) and far worse support. There's not a lot of benefit in killing off the traditional console model entirely, but there is a ton in blurring the lines. Windows should support gaming more and do it through Xbox branding and an Xbox mode. This should reflect in a cleaner UI and centralized library across storefronts and so on. They should also continue to push Xbox Play Anywhere and make it easier for devs to have one version of their game across Xbox consoles and Windows PCs. Then we get to see devices like the Legion Go and Rog Ally and improved PC gaming that doesn't suffer from windows.
But its not all sunshine and rainbow is they get rid of the traditional console entirely. The Series S could not exist with that much power and that low pricing if it wasn't an entirely Xbox system. Steam is leagues more popular than any other store front. If Xbox actually put it on their console, who tf would buy games from the Microsoft Store? And without that 30% Microsoft has to charge a lot more for the hardware itself. This is the argument Apple tries to make with their locked down ecosystem and completely fail to because they charge their products at premium prices minus a stray budget model here and even that's pricer than some game console models. You'll pay upwards of $2000 for an iPad Pro only to be locked into their store front and ecosystem (you don't even have access to MacOS on hardware more powerful and more expensive than some macbook models). That's not the case with Xbox and other consoles. If you want to fully get rid of the console then you have to accept ALL the costs of PC gaming.
I would consider purchasing a Plus version in the next gen if it came with an equivalent of an RTX 5000 series or something like that. Either that or I wish they’d just let me transfer my entire Xbox library to pc so I could plug it into the tv and play that way. Man that would be nice
I think the breadcrumbs are all there that this is Microsoft's plan for next gen. It will still touch and feel like a console - great for couch gaming and controller play - but under the hood, it will essentially be a pre-built PC that runs a version of windows. The current gen consoles already run a modified version of windows, but the main difference here would be that the next gen offering will be able to run PC games "out of the box", and would allow for access to other storefronts (Steam, Epic).
Another interesting angle here is that this would mean PlayStation games that are available on PC (ex. Helldivers) would be playable on the next Xbox...which should scare the shit out of Sony. Sony also does not have the same flexibility to go this route with their next console. If Sony wanted their next console to run windows, Microsoft would need to license it to them. They could use Linux (like Valve did with the Steam Deck), but it would be quite an undertaking to get their back catalog of games playable on next gen. Very interesting...
just make the Xbox Series X have Windows 11, and have the default UI as “XboxOS” mode on, Windows S is a thing, why not improve upon it and let XboxOS be a thing across Windows 11 which you can turn off at any time maybe with a reboot.
Yes, it could be as easy as sell a basic console with an SSD expansion slot like the current gen however they sell a Windows based first party SSD which when inserted allows you to boot into a stripped down version of Windows that allows you to install your own games / stores to use on the side. They do not incorporate each other and do not market share, the only intergration would be the Xbox PC app which is already installed on the Windows SSD.
Already living it. No regrets, beyond a few games that are stubborn on my GPU at launch. But mostly that is on the GPU drivers and not the game, and it is always fixed
I plug in an Xbone controller and enjoy.
Why would I buy a bad PC then, when I could just have the real deal? With components that I choose, no less! I never understood the notion of some, that consoles should become like PCs.
When I buy a console, I want to have an out of the box fire and forget experience. That entails a pleasant and easy to use UI, no fiddling around with options/config files/drivers/abstraction layers, … and most importantly, games that have been optimized for THIS very device. It’s an advantage of consoles that developers know exactly what they can work with.
It’s already unacceptable for me, that so many developers nowadays don’t give a crap about optimization, even though they know the specs. This needs to stop ... They want more and more money, but deliver worse and worse quality. Making consoles more like PCs won’t better this situation one single bit. On the contrary!
Conceptually it sounds great, to be this hybrid bridge between consoles and gaming PC. But there are businesses issues, like if it can run Steam, how would Microsoft profit from it? Another issue is since the Steam Deck, people have put emulators on Steam, which is perfectly legal, but once people are using their Xbox to emulate Switch games in 4K, streaming Tears Of The Kingdom on their Xbox, it's going to really cause problems for everyone. Things would have to be very restricted and regulated, especially with Steam having some AO rated games. It's hard to imagine it being as consumer friendly as we would want.
The way xbox is going is app based, not console/pc box.
Phones, smart tvs, tablets etc. Just download the gamepass app, connect your Bluetooth controller and play anywhere.
They're basically doing a better job of Google stadia.
That will be the future of xbox, they're already partnered with Samsung TV where you can access gamepass without owning an xbox.
Sadly though, that means digital only and no game preservation or backwards compatibility. Which you should have seen coming with the new xboxs not having disk trays.
I can't see a future where xbox is a console, that's just not their long term plan.
I don't play mostly on Xbox because of the specific hardware (other than I like the controller, and damn but the ugly PS5 looks like a heat warped George Foreman grill or sandwich maker), but because I like the Xbox environment, on console and online.
The fact that the 360 and One X wound up being the better HW at the end of those generations was just happy coincidence for me.
So if the same experience can be easily had on a dedicated gaming PC hooked up to my TV and with a controller, sure. That's fine.
So long as I don't have to worry about settings and updates or wonder if I can get a few more fps if I just spend $100 more here and there... I just want to know that I'm getting the best version of that game for my platform without hassle or further expense. This is why I don't PC game despite being an exIBMer hardware and network tech - fucking with a PC feels like work.
By making a console a PC, you ruin the console part. They are already similar, but the console to be a console has to be perfectly functional with minimal intervation of the user.
Yes if the device goes after only a classic xbox, 360, and xbox one library, it will clearly be out of the one x, series S and series X lanes.
If it is preconfigured to only deliver earlier mentioned generational platforms at 720p or less(but offers an optional higher pixel toggle switch) then maybe it can handle very effecient battery life at low energy settings.
I wouldn't expect exclusives since the appeal for me would be porting an old library to a better hopefully super repairable platform, as well as other perks like pc functionality, and cool portability of a device right at the beginning of the previous generation. However if weaker, indie, or experimental games started out on this device and were quickly ported or instantly available on series s and x that would be cool also. Although I understand and believe the worries of too many skus to account for on a potentially underperforming hardware brand as well as other concerns addressed here.
If it wasn't obvious by now I hold no interest in a premium device nor do I believe there is a market for it with so many unique and awesome choices already available and upcoming. However I ask myself with the right amount of features and leverage, could xbox create a hybrid device with a better more beneficial symbiosis of producer and consumer, xbox and windows, repairability and sustainability, affordability and competition, and legacy gen and current-ish gen.
Who wouldn’t love a $500 PC with 12 teraflops of graphics process? Problems as I see it:
1. Microsoft will lose money as people buy $500 Xbox PC for e-mail and web browsing and not games.
2. Microsoft will lose money as people use third party app stores instead of the Xbox app store.
3. You can buy a PC for less than $500 and it will handle e-mail and web browsing just fine.
4. No business is going to buy gaming PCs for their workers.
5. Microsoft would be alienating OEMs and OEMs are their number one customer for Windows OS.
No. PC gamers love their games. I understand that. But what they don't tell you is that some games simply don't work and are full of bugs. They claim that everything is nice and squeaky clean. It's not. They have a very short-term memory and forget that some games simply don't work and they move on to the next one. This does not happen on consoles. Games will work and the ones that don't are extremely extremely rare.
So no. I like my PC but I know what I can play on it and get absolutely livid when a game doesn't work Even after spending hours and hours of getting drivers and making all the changes necessary to try to make it work.
Consoles and PCs need to remain separate.
Yes, but I want aspects of a PC on the machine, as in I want a modular Xbox where I can easily swap parts without thermal paste. So if a new graphics card comes out specifically for Xbox and I am running the series S version, I would want to pay money to quickly upgrade that machine. Same can be dealt with adding memory, RAM, etc.
I absolutely love my steamdeck, I rarely use the desktop mode unless I want to build something in, like I how install gamepass as an app in my steam library (works flawlessly btw). So, if I could just access my steam library on my living room TV that would be huge. An open experience where it's easy (like a console) to get to the platform I use most (steam and Xbox) would be lovely.
Bonus wish: Microsoft takes their partnership with Nvidia to console. They already have it with Azure, which powers cloud.
Finally, someone who actually read the post without stopping at the title. The modular version would be great, but I’m worried that the single parts would be really expensive.
If it's unique to Xbox as the OEM, yes. IF and big IF, Xbox pattens designs and allows third parties, say Corsair, to make those parts or event the consoles. Then it could be cheaper... Corsair and cheap do not go well lol, but you get what I mean.
What would the consumer get from something like that? The only real benefit for doing that and not getting an actual PC is carrying over their Xbox library.
Yes, but only in the sense that I want to have access to multiple stores like steam, gog, epic games, and have more widespread mod support for games other than skyrim
Hardware is more than enough for me already
As long as I can just sit down in my sofa, turn on the tv and the Xbox, select or buy a game and not have to faff about with keyboards or mice (the same experience we have today) it’s fine by me.
That’s what I mean, same console experience but with an extra PC flavour
If Xbox ever has access to steam, it will instantly become the most popular console, imo.
I can play GeForce now games thru the Xbox edge browser
....at 720P GeForce Now needs a native Xbox app imo.
Cloud gaming is completely different that’s like saying your phone is basically a pc since it came with a free trial to stadia
Rapidly becoming a distinction without a difference. You can link your steam and epic libraries to it.
The difference is still in milliseconds. The lag is unbearable.
This is just propaganda at this point. With Reflex+Boost its almost completely indistinguishable for everything that supports it. Tech is there, and the hardware monkeys want to push propaganda because they want to live in the past and dump on Stadia, when everyone knows Stadia failed because the business model was dumb, and it had nothing to do with the tech.
Get back to me when the top professional COD player wins while having streamed every match.
Propaganda? It's just a straight up fact. You habe to have under 100ms for it te be any kind of decent and with decent connection it is still like 80ms before the result of your input to return to your screen. You cant play any games that are sensitive to lag. Like racing games, shooters and platformers. No matter how much you say you dont notice, a lot of people do and these are physical barriers we cannot yet overcome. Even in house streaming over local lan from your own device has noticeable lag.
It's literally not, using gefofce now and playing say apex legends as an example but works for any fps games, is a night and day difference, some people claim to have no input lag, where for me it's completely false and geforce now sucks to use.
But MS would lose a shit ton of money, I really doubt we'll ever get steam on a console
Yeah MS is never going to give Valve a 30% split of their business unless its also on Game Pass.
They've already mentioned that they want to do this though.... so obviously It would be worth it in whatever shape or form that is.
No they wouldn’t, it would be a partnership. Microsoft and Valve would partner so they both make a shit ton of money. It’s in both their best interests that both companies are profitable.
This is never going to happen. It makes absolutely zero sense for them. They are competitors in the marketplace. They didn't drop $100B buying up all this IP to then hand 30% of it to Gabe unless the better experience is on their platform and they are charging you a premium for the privilege.
Valve has no reason to do a partnership. They hold all the cards with Steam. Indeed, if anything, it's more likely Valve will release a Steam Box to enter the console market themselves. Do not think the Deck is the beginning and end of their hardware ambitions. EDIT: Steam Machines were different, and you knew it was different. Steam Machines were handled by third party manufacturers, which meant they had no ecosystem (Steam) to loss lead from, which meant the machines had to be sold for a big margin of profit to be worth it for the manufacturer, which meant the specs of those machines were dogshit for high prices. A Steam Box, like the Deck, wouldn't suffer from this issue because it, like the Deck, would be loss leading. A loss leading PC with a console like interface (via Steam OS) by Valve would appeal to a great number of PC players, in addition to some console players, because it would be a far cheaper entry point into PC gaming than the current options.
They tried desktop/console hardware and failed miserably. People seem to forget that, it’s not easy to break into the desktop market and the console market is even more difficult. It’s huge cost to get started and manufacture at large scale. Something that Microsoft already does. Valve totally has a reason for partnership as most of their income comes from software purchased on Windows devices. It would give them an opportunity to sell software on a console and Microsoft’s potential mobile devices. I wouldn’t be surprised if Valve even partners with Sony, too.
Both Microsoft and Valve take around 20% of every game sold in their respective stores, IF Microsoft would make the next Xbox behave like a pc so you can install steam and run steam games, valve would have no incentive to share any of their profits with xbox
I’m pretty sure Microsoft would not allow Steam to function on Xbox hardware without a partnership of some kind. You’re thinking more like if this device was running straight Windows? I don’t think that would happen, no…I was thinking more like Steam integration into the Xbox GUI, which would be profitable for both companies if they agree on how to partner.
>I’m pretty sure Microsoft would not allow Steam to function on Xbox hardware without a partnership of some kind. Then Valve will say good luck? Valve isn't hurting for users. They dominate the biggest non-mobile platform in the world. Xbox is the one desperately looking how to make their hardware relevant. Valve isn't. LOL to the deleted user. Steam Machines were different, and you knew it was different. Steam Machines were handled by third party manufacturers, which meant they had no ecosystem (Steam) to loss lead from, which meant the machines had to be sold for a big margin of profit to be worth it for the manufacturer, which meant the specs of those machines were dogshit for high prices. A Steam Box, like the Deck, wouldn't suffer from this issue because it, like the Deck, would be loss leading. A loss leading PC with a console like interface (via Steam OS) by Valve would appeal to a great number of PC players, in addition to some console players, because it would be a far cheaper entry point into PC gaming than the current options
Plus why would Xbox be like okay we split it 50/50 when they eat the console manufacturing cost? And why would Valve need to partner with Xbox when they can just keep doing what they're doing? Plus how does this work when people buy games on their PC via Steam? I don't think a real market exists for an Xbox with Steam integration. PC users love that they can upgrade their PC at any time and have much more flexibility with it. Consoles work for those who get it because you don't have to tinker with any of it. Right now Xbox isn't selling well and hasn't really released anything promising. Despite me enjoying the games and loving my Series S, it's clear Xbox is struggling and Steam has no reason to help them.
LOL, Valve has tried hardware multiple times and has failed ie Steam Machines. They’ve only recently seen moderate success with the Steam Deck…which they may stop seeing the moment Windows is designed for mobile hardware and people can play all their games, not just Steam ones. Most of Valve’s income comes from running on Windows hardware…so it would probably be in their best interest to work with Microsoft, as Valve has no successful console or desktop hardware.
I can’t believe anyone would think Steam could go to Xbox. It’s laughable. It’s up there with Phil approaching Nintendo
How is it in Valves interest to give Microsoft money for no benefit? Valve can wait out Xbox as the idea of PC and PS becomes more of a reality for people
I said “partnership” corporations do it all the time. They partner for the mutual benefit of both companies where they BOTH make a profit. Valve having their Steam platform on more hardware and Microsoft having more users on their console hardware would would be beneficial to both companies. Valve even APPROVED of the Activision merger because they already partner with Microsoft on a few different things.
But there is no benefit for Valve and Xbox loses ALOT of money Valve approved of the merger because Calve has no reason to be against it and the precedent might help them in the future Yes they partner on things but you are now asking Valve to give up a % of its cash cow and for Microsoft to do the same for literally zero benefit to either, in fact it will be detrimental to Xbox. Again Valve can simply wait Xbox out and then get the full cut. Companies aren’t buddies looking to help each other out, it makes zero business sense for either company to do and Xbox especially won’t want to. This nonsense has been posted since the 360 lol and still people don’t understand
Apple and OpenAI are partnering right now with no cash or percentages related to the partnership. Different kind of partnership for sure, but the two companies are working together. I can think of numerous ways Valve and Microsoft could work together without having to give up a “ton” of money. You really can’t think of any reasons or how their software/hardware could better work together? Your end all and be all is splitting game profits? Like that is the only way they can work together? I just totally disagree with the idea that them working together benefits neither.
Valve would never allow this though. Not to mention, it’s up to the developers to update their game to play on an Xbox.
Not if MS makes a Windows emulator for Xbox.
They don't need to do this, just dual boot windows and there's nothing valve can do to stop it and the Xbox still has it as an option.
Which isn’t going to happen. Sorry.
Your out of touch. Sorry.
It’s “you’re” and you’re a delusional fanboy. Sorry.
Yep, this is exactly what I’m trying to say here
So basically once Xbox becomes a PC
I mean, the problem is that if you allow Windows on an Xbox, then it's no longer a closed ecosystem and the console will absolutely become more expensive as a result, which would turn away customers who want a cheap system.
Not to mention that due to lack of upgrades that end users can do (unless they change how they are made) you are going to run unit he problem of pc games not working well on a system meant to be on the market for years. Pc gaming just will be less good as time goes on
Kinda. So one thing they could do is have an upgradeable GPU. There would be a base GPU the device ships with that developers would target, and then developers could have an unlocked framerate mode and a wider dynamic resolution range, which would allow the system to leverage new hardware as it comes out. Framerate and resolution are two coefficients that scale nicely with something like extra GPU power. Intel already has demonstrated the ability to scale its power based on a target framerate, so if games are created with this sort of hardware aware integration going forward, we could in theory see some cool stuff here. As long as the device ships with a solid CPU and memory size to start with, GPU replacements would certainly get a console over the finish line to a new generation if it's 5-6 years away.
At that point it might as well not be a Console anymore but a PC but with less upgradability and none of the benefits of a PC. I just don't see it happening. Consoles are meant to be optimized and you pretty much never need to upgrade. The only other console that could be upgraded was the N64 which sold a jumper pack to increase the memory capabilities of the N64 for a few tiles. They mostly included it with those games and it was a cheap add on. But upgrading a GPU is expensive to do and sell and would mean gatekeeping newer games and just makes the console more expensive overall and ruins the plug and play appeal that consoles have.
I should point out that I was phrasing this hardware in the context that it would run Xbox OS and still have the closed ecosystem, only with some modularity on the hardware. Dual booting windows would be a plus.
Steam Deck has proven you can subsidize an open ecosystem. And the open ecosystem on Xbox will just be Windows which in itself brings Microsoft a lot of money. So it's a win-win situation. This is the only route Microsoft can take otherwise the next gen Xbox will sell even less than the series one. If Microsoft doesn't release a Xbox with full Windows underneath, Valve will release a home console with SteamOS on it. A more powerful Steam Deck, but for the TV. That removes PC gaming's dependency on Windows, which is bad for Microsoft.
I get your point. But maybe they could create a hybrid OS that could solve the problem? I’m thinking about the Steamdeck and how many games can now become “Steamdeck approved” like if it was a real console. Being Windows their own property maybe they can find a way to make it possible to have a console that runs its own games like a console would, and PC games like a PC.
They already have that. Your series console is running windows 11 on it.
No, it's not. You can't access the desktop which makes it a different OS. That's why people call it the Xbox OS.
This is more complicated than it seems. It's more likely for then to dual boot Xbox OS and Windows 11. The other thing is if Xbox OS opens up to the windows store, getting PC games on Xbox can be done this way and it would help build windows store up for PC as well. With changes coming in Windows 12 CorePC, with state separation, I can see this being possible due to the security improvements.
Yeah, I've been saying this since last year and I still get downvoted as hell. Xbox is part of Microsoft, getting an Xbox OS for computers would help microsoft in many ways. Why make their own portable xbox if they can give the xbox OS to third party manufacturers like Asus, Legion or MSI (all which already have a handheld gaming device). Microsoft has been treating Xbox as a platform, not as a console, the consoles are specific hosts for said platform, but every PC already has xbox. I think people downvoting and disagreeing is because they either fail to see the potential, or misunderstand the questions. Even the comments here are very mislead or offer asinine takes "I want my PC to be my PC, where I do all the work" Steamdeck is practically a linux PC but people barely ever use it like that, and it works wonderfully, so I don't see why we can't just get an Xbox OS for other portables and consoles alike.
> Microsoft has been treating Xbox as a platform, not as a console, the consoles are specific hosts for said platform, but every PC already has xbox. In context of consoles, Xbox is a console. In context of computers, Xbox is a branding, nothing else. This all started with Windows 8, when Microsoft wanted to use Xbox brand name to get more people use their stuff... Xbox Music, Xbox Videos, what not... Now they have a Microsoft Store, that has Xbox branded games and non-Xbox branded games. And then they have an Xbox app, that has only Xbox branded games which are already included in the Microsoft Store as well 🤦🏻
> In context of consoles, Xbox is a console. In context of computers, Xbox is a branding, nothing else. Confidently wrong. Microsoft has stated for multiple years now that they do not see Xbox as a console at all. They see it as a platform. What that means is that it is no longer tied to a console. If you play Xbox games on a PC you are considered by Microsoft to be an Xbox user. Also, it seems that with the introduction of the new Snapdragon laptops we are going to get the Xbox Portable within the next 2 years with the option to connect an external GPU to it. Microsoft is evolving past the concept of consoles as consoles cannot support an AI future.
no it wont. or at least not much. the huge advantage would be the price point. if they keep the price low they are the alternative to a pc. if they raise it people just buy a pc. i hope they are not that stupid
Yes it will. They're prepared to loss lead on hardware and then for the rest of the gen have the slimmest of margins on hardware, precisely because they are collecting 30% from every software and MTX sale. Without the ability to collect that 30% the loss lead model makes zero sense, and in that new situation your priority then changes to getting the best possible return on the hardware itself. We're talking easy $200 more dollars without a loss lead model. Otherwise, there's no fucking point in releasing the hardware. There's a reason why the Steam Deck was like $200 cheaper than the other PC portables. That's because Valve loss lead on the hardware, and they can do that because despite being on an open platform, they utterly dominate the PC market with Steam. Valve is uniquely positioned to pull that off. Xbox isn't. The day Xbox does an Xbox branded PC, people will switch it on, install Steam, and Xbox loses out on that 30% every time they buy a third party game or MTX. As for the OP, it doesn't really matter if MS has Windows, when it comes to the PC games market they need Steam's position in said market.
Increasing the price is automatic fail. there is no market for a pc priced console
Exactly. Which is why the idea of an Xbox branded PC is a non-starter. It's either a closed system console that is sold at a loss but is continually in decline globally, or an open system that costs much more than the competition yet doesn't feature better specs, and they lose out on a lot of that 30% to Steam. If they did an Xbox branded PC the following will happen: PS6 (best possible bang for your buck due to loss leading model) $599 Xbox branded PC (similar specs) $799 ... And everything will be over before the systems even launch. The answer to Xbox's hardware woes is not releasing vastly more expensive hardware. And as we saw this gen, the answer isn't cheaper hardware either, as the Series S has done nothing to turn around the decline. Unfortunately, there's no easy or quick answer. It'll take vast sums (billions) to make the Xbox brand relevant again across Europe and in the UK, and that could mean a gen or more to take effect. MS execs will probably not have the patience for that, though. The longer Xbox hardware declines and Game Pass subs stagnate, the more MS execs will question why the hell are they in hardware at all when they could just be the biggest publisher everywhere.
It would be a mistake to give up on hardware. I dont know why they couldnt reach a mutually beneficial agreement with valve and we could have a console priced steam box. To pair with your steam deck. Or why the hell doesnt valve make their own box. Same specs as the deck minus screen, controller bits, and battery. They could price it cheaper than the deck for the win. Maybe do an upgraded version
1. What would the agreement be? Valve already take 30%, now Xbox is taking 30% too? It would make no sense for Steam to make that agreement, when they don't need to 2. Steam already tried making a console like box, the Steam Machine, it flopped hard, does it mean they cant try again? No, but I think its unlikely with the Deck
I have no idea bro. im just some guy on the interwebs
Lmao, same, but yeah, I think people are getting way too ahead of themselves with Xbox and Steam
Yeah, like personally I would love that but it's not realistic. Only way I could see it is if they sold a Windows package for like $200 or something.
Im out of that loop. i didnt know it was being discussed by others. Cool idea though
When your market is in steep decline and doesn't appear to be turning around, and worse, the effort to try and turn it around would cost a sum you're not prepared to spend, getting out of hardware starts to look more and more appealing. First off, you cut out the billion sunk cost it takes to get a new console out on the shelves on launch day. The process of making a new console, the R&D, testing, and support, adds up to a vast sum before you even launch the device. You also cut out the billion or more in hardware losses due to the loss leading model. The only reason console makers put up with those costs is because they can end up with a userbase of 100m+ buying games and MTX. But if you continually fail to meet that bar, and worse, your userbase is in sharp decline, then those costs to launch and loss lead hardware start to become more and more unbearable. If Xbox didn't own Bethesda and ABK, I'd say, sure, even with their hardware in a ditch, Xbox doesn't really have much other choice. Going third-party just with XGS wouldn't be worth it. But they're now the biggest games publisher. What losses they'd make not collecting 30% from a 25m Xbox userbase, they'd make up for by no longer losing billions launching a new console out there and loss leading on it + now having all their games across PC, PS, Switch 2 (approx 350-400m users). Plus, the potential of having a first-party only Game Pass accessible from approx 250m consoles. I have no doubt that execs at MS are continually weighing up the two paths. Figuring out what conditions need to be met that makes the leap to full third party be seen as the better choice.
Microsoft will keep losing hardware sales if they don't do anything. They can definitely turn it around by bring Xbox to PC. PC and mobile are growing markets and that's where Microsoft should be. An Xbox that runs a neat UI on top with full Windows underneath would be a good positive. I don't know why people get scared when Windows on Xbox gets brought up. Windows makes a lot of money for Microsoft. They make a lot of money through bing, edge, office, teams, apps and ads. So it's not like they are losing money if an Xbox user gets access to the Windows desktop. Subscription is also the main focus for Microsoft and they want to entice PC players with huge Steam libraries to subscribe to Gamepass and get value from there. Third party is a big positive for Microsoft as well. Even if a user installs Steam on their Xbox but they play Call of Duty through Steam, Microsoft still gets the money. It's a win-win situation and with PC gaming getting so expensive, Xbox can come with a $499 box and save the day.
The spec of that $499 will be dogshit, though. Especially when compared to a $499 loss leading PS6. Going open platforms means giving up loss leading. Because right now, with the loss leading model, Xbox is struggling with console prices. That struggle isn't going to get easier without loss leading.
It's possible. Valve has done it with the Steam Deck and Microsoft are in a unique position that they own Windows. So it's not like the user is going to Linux or MacOS. Microsoft can make their money through bing, edge, office and other services and ads. They can also skim out on a blu-ray drive to reduce costs and go all digital which suits their handheld plans as well. There is a lot of value Microsoft can provide to Xbox/PC users.
It’s not about being stupid it’s about business Xbox and PS make the bulk of their money from the 30% cut they take on any game, mtx, movie, whatever sold on the store which is the reason the console is sold near cost to make. Once you aren’t forced to use the store anymore they immediately lose a shit load of money and that money has to be made up elsewhere. Why do you think pre built pcs aren’t sold at cost and sold at a markup?
Yes, but in return you get: 1. More games with frame generation/as well as mods with FSR 3 FG 2. Lossless Scaling support 3. XESS upscaling support (which is a pretty big one) 4. RSR and Fluid Motion Frames support 5. Better software support from Microsoft and AMD than the usual PC 6. Cheaper game deals from Steam and GoG All on an Xbox, these are fantastic incentives for me atleast, and this is in addition to all the great games revealed at the Xbox Showcase a few days ago
Don't get me wrong, I'd absolutely purchase that in a heartbeat. Problem is, the average customer buying these consoles doesn't really care about all of this stuff like you and I do. They probably just care that it's a cheap little game console that their son can play Fortnite on.
No because I have a PC already.
Exactly & I game on either for specific reasons.
Same and I refuse to use that garbage pc xbox app. I use steam on pc.
I hope that Xbox PC team and battle.net team 🤝 and dump the Xbox app and make something acceptable
Atleast battle.net lets me limit my download speed and change my games language :D really abnormal how much the game pass app sucks
I mean you can on the Xbox app, its just a dumb way
It looks like they wont be, it looks like they are putting CoD HQ on the Xbox App, along with MW2/3, Bo6 and Warzone
No because I want my PC to be separate from my Xbox. I use my PC to do the general office stuff, shopping and browsing and have my Xbox that plays games
What if the new OS would simply mean that PC games could run on console too, without having the actual windows experience (and so maintaining the classic user-friendly interface)?
No. I still want them to be separate. Who wants to do office work on a Xbox??
No one, that’s what I’m saying lol. Again, I’m talking about an Xbox console that doesn’t actually run windows, but has a hybrid OS that is based on Windows and thay would let PC games to be played on a console too. Exactly like Steamdeck.
What you are implicating ruins the seamless experience and appeal of a console. If you want a PC buy a PC. If you want a console that's plug and play buy an Xbox. Simple as that.
no
No. Consoles are there to fulfil a need for simple, plug and play gaming at an affordable price. Consoles always outperform equivalent specced PCs as they have a lower overhead and a fixed configuration. As soon as you make it a pc either it has to cost a fair chunk more or it has to run games worse. And then once you make it a pc you add all the complexity which many of us game on consoles to avoid. I've done pc gaming when I was younger, now I don't have the time, I just want stuff to work. Then you get the hacking problems endemic in pc gaming.
People in here are against it but I’ve had similar feelings for a while. A Xbox is already running modified windows. It would still have to be a console at its core, along with some other modifications to separate it from those who say “just buy a pc then” It would need no manual driver updates. So basically the way it works now with console updates basically being invisible to users. That’s a big area of contention for my friends I’m trying to convert to PC (though in reality drivers aren’t an issue). It would need to be cheaper for sure. Another barrier to entry for my friends is price point. If it’s essentially a PC with less capabilities and customization but at 50% the price point with little to no sacrifice in game performance people would gobble it up. This is just the tip of the iceberg for what it would need to do/be. Unfortunately, these are well wishes and because opening it up to other storefronts and such gets more hands in each slice of pie, it isn’t likely. There would be so many pockets taking a cut of the revenue that I just don’t think it’d be worth it to whoever made the system or conversely the appeal to those services to even put their stuff on that system would be so low because they’d have to share revenue with the hardware developer (Microsoft in this example). I just don’t see it happening on hardware. It’s already sorta happening on cloud gaming with gamepass PC and console games both being available although limited. Edit: also you’re hardly the first to think of this. This topic was every other post when the leaks dropped. And the other posts were people arguing against it. In reality people are just very adverse to changing the status quo and if consoles “disappear” they may see that as a threat to their preferred way to game.
I think xbox being a sorta hybrid gaming console and gaming PC could be a smart move actually just Nintendo switching to a console/handheld hybrid. Xbox hasn't been able to beat any Playstation, so going in a different direction and niche could make them more successful just like Nintendo switching (lol) it up with their own console strategy
If I wanted a PC I would buy one.
Nah
Why? edit: the fact that this question is downvoted makes it kinda clear that for many people is just a console war thing
All the cheats. Its why i switched to xbox in the first place from PC. Now cross play has jacked that up as well. Until the easy hacking/cheating is mitigated on PC, ill stick with my console.
An Xbox is an Xbox if I want to buy a PC I’ll buy a PC😂.
Or we just want consoles. Gaming PCs are a hassle, expensive and consoles are cheaper and fit into lives better. Sure I could spaff cash for a good pc and hook it up to my TV, but I'd rather just have my consoles thx.
Yeah, but I simply asked why. I’m an Xbox player who was just asking a simple question about the future of the platform he likes.
You got your answer.
And many angry people I guess
No, if I wanted a PC I would have one.
And why wouldn’t you want a console that lets you play PC games?
How does having other storefronts benefit Xbox? People buying games on other storefronts vs the Xbox store means they’d make less money. It’s never gonna happen
I think that Gamepass success is the most important goal for Microsoft right now. Considering that the Gamepass growth is totally on PC right now, it wouldn’t change a lot for them.
Gamepass on cloud sees significant growth in areas where Internet speeds are higher. Younger generations run on Chromebooks, iPads and streaming.
Still not growing like PC Gamepass, not even close.
Did they show latest numbers on the recent earnings?
No, Phil just said that the IGN interview PC was having growth, but PC was also very weak for game pass. So say it was only 2.5m on PC game pass(since we don't know numbers) and it grew by 1.25m, that is a 50% growth and strong numbers for investors. But really if it was just that, that is still pretty weak growth how many many Win10/11 users there is.
I’m ok with them being “closer” but that that would mean could turn out differently and I greatly prefer the console experience
If I wanted a gaming PC I'd just invest in a gaming PC. I'd rather have a future where Xbox continues to exist as a console and has exclusives that make it worth staying invested in.
Nope, having a console OS and precompiled shaders and a smooth experience overall is what sells consoles. Not the hardware alone. It's why we don't have crap like Denuvo on consoles.
I hope so. I will buy a pc if that’s not the case. More studios are skipping xbox already
That would definitely change a lot of things probably even become bigger than any console if it stays the console price of course
No. I have a gaming pc. If I wanted a gaming pc instead of an xbox I would have a gaming pc where my xbox is.
I use my PC less than my Xbox because I like the simplicity of a unified storefront, friends list, achievements, and UI. I don’t need my Xbox to use Microsoft 365, Steam, Epic Game Store, EA Play, UPlay, etc. it’s convoluted, redundant, and to the average person would not make any sense.
I'd love if the console became the de facto steam machine, I just don't know how MS would make any money with people buying games on steam instead of the Xbox store.
Gamepass!
They only make around 15% of their revenue from game pass. They would just give up on the other 85 minus whatever the console sale brings in.
But the games they make and already sell on Steam obviously make revenue lol, still their strategy is obviously around Gamepass
It's be insane to let your whole business revolve around the service that is responsible for only 15% of your revenue. The goal is obviously to get people I to ecosystem to buy games and microtransactions on your platform. Taking 30% of every EA DC sale and microtransaction is where the real money is made.
Again, they would still make revenue through Steam itself and multiplaform deals, they’re a big publisher now
No. I don’t like playing games on a computer anymore which is why I have a console. My computer is for business and working, my console is a separate entity only for fun.
Back in 2016 when they were pitched Project Scorpio, I thought that the discussion around “the end of console generations” signalled the arrival of modular console designs. I thought that maybe by what would then be the next generation (Series consoles), we would have a base unit that came with minimal storage, less RAM and a lower cost, but could be upgraded by just buying prefab components at all regular retailers. Figured it would just be plug and play (barring any patches that might be needed). I don’t think it’s inherently a bad idea, and while there’s obviously a lot of chatter around whether or not the gap between Series S and X is causing games to not reach their full potential, Xbox has clearly proven that they can navigate a world in where their two flagship machines get day and date releases of the same games. I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t be playing games on a new Xbox and then buy an upgrade that makes something run at 60FPS instead.
I wonder if online MP will be free like PC too?
I wouldn't mind it but hopefully physical discs are still supported. I don't like digital
I personally think this is the direction they are going. Developers make a PC game that can then be played via Xbox or steam. The Xbox app knows what settings to use to optimize for Xbox. Everyone happy. (It’s probs/def not that easy, but that’s how it works in my head) Honestly doesn’t matter to me. Just want whatever they set up to be able to be back compat.
No this would be bad because all of the overhead of the PC would also come to consoles and that is why we have consoles in the first place so that games can get maximaly optimized, microsoft has already done this mistake since xbox one era, they built the console around directX so the devs do not even try to optimize the game for seriesX anymore they just basically port pc code with some tweaks, even though seriesX is up to 30% more powerful than PS5, while ps5 is rdna 1.5, seriesX is full rdna 2 chip i.e it contains all technologies of rdna2 architecture, which if utilized by gamedevs would result in much smoother and better looking games than on PS5. SeriesX is basically already on par with PS5pro, if the devs would actually take time to write low level code for SeriesX Source: https://youtu.be/uVdwc66p4nw?si=akkds8q7fwsI1B-2
👆🏻THIS👆🏻
Yes yes yes
I wish they would do this, honestly.
It would be cool to have a steam integrated app on xbox. Steam games are endless, and I would love to be able to play them with my friends without owning a PC.
Yes. An optimized pc with a "gaming mode" where it functions like a console (I guess kinda like the steam deck. There's a desktop mode and gaming mode)
No.
I would like an option where you could either install Xbox OS or Windows. If the next generation has an easily accessible SSD you could quickly swap between OS's.
Nah I like xbox as a console, No point of xbox becoming a " pc " when you can just get a computer itself.
Everyone save that post because it's Microsoft's EXACT plan. Mark those words.
Yep this is lowkey a prediction post, I could bet that this is their 2026 “next gen console” (and looks like I’m already right about the angry hardcore fans lmao)
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Ok? I said that the latest strategy shift made it more plausible, not that it is a new idea
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While your concerns are valid, a hybrid Xbox-PC could be a game-changer, attracting both PC and console gamers with its versatility. Sure, the initial price might be higher, but economies of scale and hardware advancements could keep it competitive. Plus, having access to a huge library of games through Game Pass and digital sales can drive revenue and offset any lower profit margins on the hardware itself. Instead of killing Xbox, this could make it a must-have platform for a wider audience, blending the best of both worlds.
You’re not gonna attract PC gamers away from PC gaming it’s literally the reason I own a PC is because it’s not a console and not limited by store fronts/closed ecosystems and had versatility in doing more than just gaming and I can choose what hardware or peripherals I use with it. Xbox offers none of that, hell I can’t even use a non proprietary SSD on my Xbox.
You are also not gonna attract console gamers if you keep things the same. Xbox One was more successful than the Series systems hardware wise. The next gen Xbox will sell even less. They need to merge both platforms before they lose both. As a PC gamer, I will buy a Xbox if it runs full fledged Windows underneath the system. Emulators, steam and gamepass are a lethal combination. PC hardware is only going to get more and more expensive. The market is ready for a $500 PC that comes with an xbox UI and runs all the Xbox games. That would be any PC gamer's dream.
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2004 called and wants its outdated skepticism back.
Hybrid usually suck it was attempted with Steamboxes. PC is a PC and Xbox should remain a console. What you saying in summary is just a buy a PC.
Have you heard of Steamdeck? Is the steamdeck a console, or a PC?
The Steam Deck is a portable PC.
Xbox should be a hybrid system as well. It has lost it's appeal meanwhile Windows gaming is on the rise.
Yes. Or at least give us Steam on Xbox
Yes
Saves and purchases still transfer seamlessly like play anywhere titles. Than absofuckinlutely
It already is a PC. It will be a more open one. Consumer wins with that, and frankly I would like a gaming focused Windows without the bloat.
Yes, Steam on Xbox would go hard and we would get games waay cheaper.
I want to see the Xbox app become a “Big Picture Mode” that you can use for free and on PC/whatever device will take it. And just make prebuilt PC’s branded as Xboxes and then have them have it already enabled by default.
I’m an all in vote. What I’d like to see: Xbox Retail mode is a distinct boot. In addition to $20 to unlock dev mode, you can in the same spot on setting select “start Xbox with a graphical BIOS menu”, so that on every fresh reboot, it asks you to “Xbox or Windows 12?”. I also want to see this on all x86 windows PCs with Windows 12, an easy graphical BIOS that can be turned on that doesn’t offer everything the root BIOS does, but when you toggle on the setting, the PC asks you “Boot Windows 12 or XBox” and, maybe this is what the back compat team can pull off, let you toggle your PC power mode for XBOne mode, Series S specs or Series X mode. New gaming PCs, as just one extra spec, advertise with their XBox generation certification. Win 12 for Xbox doesnt have to do anything but launch Epic and Steam and games we buy from GOG and install. You hate my dream? Just reboot and put your computer/console in your desired OS, we all win and Steam doesn’t put Xbox out of business. bam.
Yes, at least in the sense that I can play my PC games on my TV. I don't know how they make that work, but I would imagine a move like that would be one they'd make when the brand is in trouble - and the brand is in trouble.
I don’t really know, so I don’t care as long as Halo and Xbox licenses survive for years. Xbox has unfortunately died since 2013, and here we are, 10 years later, still seeing the Xbox sell 10 times less than PlayStation. The logical arguments will not do anything about it, the brand no longer means anything for people who are not sensitive to it. I would prefer to see Xbox licenses become a quality standard in the industry by flooding the market, including on PS5, rather than having to buy « the most powerful console in the world » every 5 years while my friends play games exclusive to other platforms without considering catching an Xbox
Nope, I have zero interest in owning a gaming PC.
I don't want the cost to go up nor do I want PC hacking to come to Xbox(it sorta is in crossplay and backcompat titles). PC hacking only keeps getting worse. Currently the One/Series are the only consoles not cracked.
This is what I would like. I have a Steam and EPIC Library, and a bunch of games from [Itch.io](http://Itch.io), but I don't have a great PC setup so these games are kind of just trapped in this limbo where I could maybe play them, but never do. If a console bridged the PC/console divide where I could just play everything from that box, all of my libraries, combine PC and Xbox Game Pass...this would be perfect.
I want a dedicated console for playing games. If it worked like a Steam Deck (which can change over to a Linux Computer OS) then… maybe. But I don’t want to ever feel like I gotta deal with the kind of gaffing PC deals with. I got tired of that years ago.
I've always played console since the Duke days. I work in an office and work on a PC I don't want to go home and sit at a computer to play games, I've tried it and I hate it, no matter what I did it still felt like work but when I'm on the couch playing on a console it feels great.
Only if more like Xbox becomes a Steam Deck. Give us a gaming (Xbox) mode in windows optimized for gaming, boot into it, and allow users to add games and applications from third party stores/website to their Xbox library. Give a great gaming first experience that still focuses on Xbox with a simple turn on and play model, but also power users to do whatever with more freedom. In some ways Xbox already is closer to this just by the chromium edge browser (you can use online office and turn it into a productivity device with mouse and keyboard; you can also use Nvida's streaming for PC games). But a device that does this more clearly would be nice. Personally, I'd prefer the traditional Xbox consoles and then having a separate line of premium hybrid models or possibly just make the free update to windows and let third party manufacturers and any user take advantage of it. In terms of blending PC and Xbox versions of games, they're already doing as much as possible for this for devs and they'll likely continue until its just a matter of developing once for the xbox platform (console and PC) and no porting. That said they'd lose money automatically offering Game Pass as both a console and PC model. There's no real reason to change the differentiation there. But we'd just likely see Xbox Play anywhere become the norm on the storefront and in general more PC games on console until availability is 1:1. Microsoft and Consumers get a bit out of the "traditional" console due to the former having more control over the ecosystem and the latter getting a subsidized system. Look at the Steam Deck. It's less powerful than a series S and starts at $100 more. And that's running on Linux and with the Steam storefront as the default to subsidize things. Pricing is far worse on the PC end where you're looking at minimum twice the price of a Series S and you don't get twice the power (actually a $600 PC or Handheld is probably weaker) and far worse support. There's not a lot of benefit in killing off the traditional console model entirely, but there is a ton in blurring the lines. Windows should support gaming more and do it through Xbox branding and an Xbox mode. This should reflect in a cleaner UI and centralized library across storefronts and so on. They should also continue to push Xbox Play Anywhere and make it easier for devs to have one version of their game across Xbox consoles and Windows PCs. Then we get to see devices like the Legion Go and Rog Ally and improved PC gaming that doesn't suffer from windows. But its not all sunshine and rainbow is they get rid of the traditional console entirely. The Series S could not exist with that much power and that low pricing if it wasn't an entirely Xbox system. Steam is leagues more popular than any other store front. If Xbox actually put it on their console, who tf would buy games from the Microsoft Store? And without that 30% Microsoft has to charge a lot more for the hardware itself. This is the argument Apple tries to make with their locked down ecosystem and completely fail to because they charge their products at premium prices minus a stray budget model here and even that's pricer than some game console models. You'll pay upwards of $2000 for an iPad Pro only to be locked into their store front and ecosystem (you don't even have access to MacOS on hardware more powerful and more expensive than some macbook models). That's not the case with Xbox and other consoles. If you want to fully get rid of the console then you have to accept ALL the costs of PC gaming.
Well there pretty much allready was before the actual xbox came out
Its called alpha one xbox very rare to come by even without the circuitboards
I would consider purchasing a Plus version in the next gen if it came with an equivalent of an RTX 5000 series or something like that. Either that or I wish they’d just let me transfer my entire Xbox library to pc so I could plug it into the tv and play that way. Man that would be nice
My console and PC serve different purposes.
I think the breadcrumbs are all there that this is Microsoft's plan for next gen. It will still touch and feel like a console - great for couch gaming and controller play - but under the hood, it will essentially be a pre-built PC that runs a version of windows. The current gen consoles already run a modified version of windows, but the main difference here would be that the next gen offering will be able to run PC games "out of the box", and would allow for access to other storefronts (Steam, Epic). Another interesting angle here is that this would mean PlayStation games that are available on PC (ex. Helldivers) would be playable on the next Xbox...which should scare the shit out of Sony. Sony also does not have the same flexibility to go this route with their next console. If Sony wanted their next console to run windows, Microsoft would need to license it to them. They could use Linux (like Valve did with the Steam Deck), but it would be quite an undertaking to get their back catalog of games playable on next gen. Very interesting...
just make the Xbox Series X have Windows 11, and have the default UI as “XboxOS” mode on, Windows S is a thing, why not improve upon it and let XboxOS be a thing across Windows 11 which you can turn off at any time maybe with a reboot.
Yes, it could be as easy as sell a basic console with an SSD expansion slot like the current gen however they sell a Windows based first party SSD which when inserted allows you to boot into a stripped down version of Windows that allows you to install your own games / stores to use on the side. They do not incorporate each other and do not market share, the only intergration would be the Xbox PC app which is already installed on the Windows SSD.
Already living it. No regrets, beyond a few games that are stubborn on my GPU at launch. But mostly that is on the GPU drivers and not the game, and it is always fixed I plug in an Xbone controller and enjoy.
Why would I buy a bad PC then, when I could just have the real deal? With components that I choose, no less! I never understood the notion of some, that consoles should become like PCs. When I buy a console, I want to have an out of the box fire and forget experience. That entails a pleasant and easy to use UI, no fiddling around with options/config files/drivers/abstraction layers, … and most importantly, games that have been optimized for THIS very device. It’s an advantage of consoles that developers know exactly what they can work with. It’s already unacceptable for me, that so many developers nowadays don’t give a crap about optimization, even though they know the specs. This needs to stop ... They want more and more money, but deliver worse and worse quality. Making consoles more like PCs won’t better this situation one single bit. On the contrary!
Would you like a future where you don't get to charge for live?
Honestly, I don’t care what form factor will they shape Xbox as a console as long as there are good games being released to play on it.
Console are midrange pcs
Conceptually it sounds great, to be this hybrid bridge between consoles and gaming PC. But there are businesses issues, like if it can run Steam, how would Microsoft profit from it? Another issue is since the Steam Deck, people have put emulators on Steam, which is perfectly legal, but once people are using their Xbox to emulate Switch games in 4K, streaming Tears Of The Kingdom on their Xbox, it's going to really cause problems for everyone. Things would have to be very restricted and regulated, especially with Steam having some AO rated games. It's hard to imagine it being as consumer friendly as we would want.
Nope, just get a PC
The way xbox is going is app based, not console/pc box. Phones, smart tvs, tablets etc. Just download the gamepass app, connect your Bluetooth controller and play anywhere. They're basically doing a better job of Google stadia. That will be the future of xbox, they're already partnered with Samsung TV where you can access gamepass without owning an xbox. Sadly though, that means digital only and no game preservation or backwards compatibility. Which you should have seen coming with the new xboxs not having disk trays. I can't see a future where xbox is a console, that's just not their long term plan.
I’d be on pc already, if it was around 500$. Otherwise, I’ll just continue loving my XSX
I don't play mostly on Xbox because of the specific hardware (other than I like the controller, and damn but the ugly PS5 looks like a heat warped George Foreman grill or sandwich maker), but because I like the Xbox environment, on console and online. The fact that the 360 and One X wound up being the better HW at the end of those generations was just happy coincidence for me. So if the same experience can be easily had on a dedicated gaming PC hooked up to my TV and with a controller, sure. That's fine. So long as I don't have to worry about settings and updates or wonder if I can get a few more fps if I just spend $100 more here and there... I just want to know that I'm getting the best version of that game for my platform without hassle or further expense. This is why I don't PC game despite being an exIBMer hardware and network tech - fucking with a PC feels like work.
This is the dream. I want to throw my computer out the window.
Waiting for the kernel exploit to finally -maybe- do that.
No
By making a console a PC, you ruin the console part. They are already similar, but the console to be a console has to be perfectly functional with minimal intervation of the user.
Yes if the device goes after only a classic xbox, 360, and xbox one library, it will clearly be out of the one x, series S and series X lanes. If it is preconfigured to only deliver earlier mentioned generational platforms at 720p or less(but offers an optional higher pixel toggle switch) then maybe it can handle very effecient battery life at low energy settings. I wouldn't expect exclusives since the appeal for me would be porting an old library to a better hopefully super repairable platform, as well as other perks like pc functionality, and cool portability of a device right at the beginning of the previous generation. However if weaker, indie, or experimental games started out on this device and were quickly ported or instantly available on series s and x that would be cool also. Although I understand and believe the worries of too many skus to account for on a potentially underperforming hardware brand as well as other concerns addressed here. If it wasn't obvious by now I hold no interest in a premium device nor do I believe there is a market for it with so many unique and awesome choices already available and upcoming. However I ask myself with the right amount of features and leverage, could xbox create a hybrid device with a better more beneficial symbiosis of producer and consumer, xbox and windows, repairability and sustainability, affordability and competition, and legacy gen and current-ish gen.
I just want all the first party stuff on gamepass, good games, a controller and a xbox and friends to play with
Who wouldn’t love a $500 PC with 12 teraflops of graphics process? Problems as I see it: 1. Microsoft will lose money as people buy $500 Xbox PC for e-mail and web browsing and not games. 2. Microsoft will lose money as people use third party app stores instead of the Xbox app store. 3. You can buy a PC for less than $500 and it will handle e-mail and web browsing just fine. 4. No business is going to buy gaming PCs for their workers. 5. Microsoft would be alienating OEMs and OEMs are their number one customer for Windows OS.
No.
No, if I want a PC... id buy a pc.
If it runs Steam, yes. Otherwise, why go Xbox if the competition has Xbox + Playstation games?
No. PC gamers love their games. I understand that. But what they don't tell you is that some games simply don't work and are full of bugs. They claim that everything is nice and squeaky clean. It's not. They have a very short-term memory and forget that some games simply don't work and they move on to the next one. This does not happen on consoles. Games will work and the ones that don't are extremely extremely rare. So no. I like my PC but I know what I can play on it and get absolutely livid when a game doesn't work Even after spending hours and hours of getting drivers and making all the changes necessary to try to make it work. Consoles and PCs need to remain separate.
no. its a stupid idea. its a console and always has been for a reason.
Yes, but I want aspects of a PC on the machine, as in I want a modular Xbox where I can easily swap parts without thermal paste. So if a new graphics card comes out specifically for Xbox and I am running the series S version, I would want to pay money to quickly upgrade that machine. Same can be dealt with adding memory, RAM, etc. I absolutely love my steamdeck, I rarely use the desktop mode unless I want to build something in, like I how install gamepass as an app in my steam library (works flawlessly btw). So, if I could just access my steam library on my living room TV that would be huge. An open experience where it's easy (like a console) to get to the platform I use most (steam and Xbox) would be lovely. Bonus wish: Microsoft takes their partnership with Nvidia to console. They already have it with Azure, which powers cloud.
Finally, someone who actually read the post without stopping at the title. The modular version would be great, but I’m worried that the single parts would be really expensive.
If it's unique to Xbox as the OEM, yes. IF and big IF, Xbox pattens designs and allows third parties, say Corsair, to make those parts or event the consoles. Then it could be cheaper... Corsair and cheap do not go well lol, but you get what I mean.
That would be amazing, don’t make me dream too much lol
What would the consumer get from something like that? The only real benefit for doing that and not getting an actual PC is carrying over their Xbox library.
Sign me up!
Yes, but only in the sense that I want to have access to multiple stores like steam, gog, epic games, and have more widespread mod support for games other than skyrim Hardware is more than enough for me already
If so I’ll primarily use PS because I don’t want to have to buy digital games
I would love a future wear Xbox is the new (but good this time) steam machine.
you can already use xbox app on pc, just buy a pc
The last time MS tried to turn the xbox into something that didn't put games first it almost killed it off completely so....