[Windows Central] Xbox's biggest problem right now isn't games. It's hardware

[Remember_Spinal]

noted in the intro that Sony has a 2:1 advantage over the Xbox Series X|S, but it's actually a little worse than that.


I was quite bullish on the Xbox Series S strategy in the early days. On paper, it makes a lot of sense to have a more affordable SKU that can potentially target students, younger gamers, the gift market, and stuff like that. The Xbox Series S makes up a significant chunk of the Xbox Series X|S player base, although we don't know exactly by how much.

I thought it was a good strategy, but unfortunately, it seems to have come at the expense of the more powerful, direct-PS5 competitor Xbox Series X, which increasingly doesn't seem to have the install base developers and, perhaps Microsoft, need it to have. So, for third-party developers, not only is developing for the Xbox Series X|S lineup more expensive (having to test and maintain two separate versions), it also comes with poorer margins, since you're obviously going to sell far less on Xbox Series X|S. The "S" version will also showcase games at their worst, which is not something developers would want to do ideally, making it easier for PlayStation to land marketing deals.

Tentatively, based on my research, it seems that Microsoft is not going to have an answer for the PS5 Pro either, at least initially.

 

[Cool hand luke]

Hardware would sell if they had better games than the competition, who serve as substitutes. They don't and they never will. It's always been a games problem.

 

[historia]

Tell that to Nintendo.

Jez Corden being a idiotic shill as usual.

 

[Remember_Spinal]

Tell that to Nintendo.

Jez Corden being a idiotic shill as usual.

I think he’s just nervous his xbox will become more irrelevant as the console generation goes on and microsoft start making more money from pc and mobile

 

[historia]

I think he’s just nervous his xbox will become more irrelevant as the console generation goes on and microsoft start making more money from pc and mobile

That should be a good thing.
They are a software and cloud solution company, losing 100-200 USD per hardware units and then another few billions per year ain't gonna cut it.

 

[Eternal_Wings]

Yep shill Corden is jealous on how Sony does release a Pro variant of its current console and Microsoft admitted their Mid-Gen refresh happened already with Series X. On the day MS announces to exit classic console business he will probably have his midlife crisis.

 

[Nhomnhom]

We can finally all agree that the Series S simply sucks and MS tried to ruin this gen by lunching such a weak hardware that does not justify it's price.

I can only hope that one day MS will be forced into allowing devs to skip the Series S.

 

[Muddasar]

No Microsofts issue was games which is why XS consoles have sold like crap.

Buying 2 publishers doesn’t change this fact.

 

[Killer_Sakoman]

We can finally all agree that the Series S simply sucks and MS tried to ruin this gen by lunching such a weak hardware that does not justify it's price.

I can only hope that one day MS will be forced into allowing devs to skip the Series S.

They can't. It is impossible. Series S is their most sold console. Maybe 70% of their current generation sales.

 

[Killer_Sakoman]

The fact is Microsoft fails at both hardware and software.

 

[ethomaz]

That is really a dumb take.

Hardware is not selling because MS never made the platform desired to gamers... they DON"T RELEASE GAMES in a good frequency.

 

[Eternal_Wings]

We can finally all agree that the Series S simply sucks and MS tried to ruin this gen by lunching such a weak hardware that does not justify it's price.

I can only hope that one day MS will be forced into allowing devs to skip the Series S.

Much easier solution: Developers skipping Xbox like already some publishers do. Xbox community never bought games, not now nor in the past. The 3-7 % of Xbox sales are not worth the trouble.

 

[historia]

Much easier solution: Developers skipping Xbox like already some publishers do. Xbox community never bought games, not now nor in the past. The 3-7 % of Xbox sales are not worth the trouble.

PS5 Pro is Sony nuclear button to exterminate Xbox.....
So anti-consumer, how can they alienate Series S.

 

[Eternal_Wings]

PS5 Pro is Sony nuclear button to exterminate Xbox.....
So anti-consumer, how can they alienate Series S.

Good wipe them off from the console market.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Jez Corden's biggest problem right now isn't hardware, it's FF XVI being a PlayStation exclusive because somehow that means all Japanese games are skipping Xbox

 

[Swift_Star]

Nah. The issue are both games and marketing.
They don’t have good games and their marketing is trash.
MS don’t know how to market shit and they hope their money and monopoly power moves will carry them all the way to the top.
Guess what, they won’t.
Sony and Nintendo completely butch MS in this department.
And I honestly hope they’ll never learn how to market stuff because we don’t need MS being an industry leader.

 

[Fenton]

Series S-style consoles ‘have not had great results’, says PlayStation boss | VGC

Jim Ryan claims Sony considered a lower spec PS5, but decided it would be too ‘problematic’…

www.videogameschronicle.com

 

[Remember_Spinal]

Nah. The issue are both games and marketing.
They don’t have good games and their marketing is trash.
MS don’t know how to market shit and they hope their money and monopoly power moves will carry them all the way to the top.
Guess what, they won’t.
Sony and Nintendo completely butch MS in this department.
And I honestly hope they’ll never learn how to market stuff because we don’t need MS being an industry leader.

Yeah, as far as i see it the lack of console sales are a direct result of the lack of good games and marketing. The media can talk up games like pentiment and hi fi rush until they’re blue in the face but people don’t buy 500 dollar consoles for that.

 

[laynelane]

It's been games for years now. Even acquiring publishers hasn't helped (eg. Redfall). This is so obvious that I question whether this is his actual opinion or PR orders from MS - particularly in light of PS5 exceeding 40 million sales. Although since he's a shill it's probably best to just ignore him either way.

 

[Duki360]

This is all about games - they preffer to buy 3rd developers insted of creating their own titles, and now we see consequences of these decision. Halo series, for example, gonna be killed by Call of Duty after they finally acquire Activision. I think they will quit from hardware market and their own IP's and just gomna focus on mobile stuff. They don't care about Xbox as a console at all.