Xbox is in a very difficult hardware predicament

[historia]

It worked wonders for them, though.

It worked wonders for them because cross-gen is not a thing back then. No idiots nowadays would drop last-gen the moment new gen drop, that is only for skme first party games like PS did. The only reasons FF, Spiderman being exclusive to PS5 is because we are three years into generation.

 

[flaccidsnake]

I solved the Xbox problem. The change that will save the Xbox Series is: REVERSE PARITY CLAUSE.

Currently developers are required to match their Series S port feature-wise with the Series X port. This means that if you can't fit a feature (such as BG3 split screen) to run on Series S, you can't release on either system. What's needed is for Series S to be the primetime development target, and X to be the enthusiast PS4 Pro-type unit. You officially announce that volumes of Series X are going to drop sharply. But you do a reverse parity clause. Developers who want to release on Series S have to do at least as good a version on Series X. That way, the X doesn't totally die. People who want somewhat better framerate/resolution can still get it. It just retroactively becomes the "Pro" unit rather than the "real next-gen" box.

 

[Would_you_kindly]

I solved the Xbox problem. The change that will save the Xbox Series is: REVERSE PARITY CLAUSE.

Currently developers are required to match their Series S port feature-wise with the Series X port. This means that if you can't fit a feature (such as BG3 split screen) to run on Series S, you can't release on either system. What's needed is for Series S to be the primetime development target, and X to be the enthusiast PS4 Pro-type unit. You officially announce that volumes of Series X are going to drop sharply. But you do a reverse parity clause. Developers who want to release on Series S have to do at least as good a version on Series X. That way, the X doesn't totally die. People who want somewhat better framerate/resolution can still get it. It just retroactively becomes the "Pro" unit rather than the "real next-gen" box.

There marketing slogan 'simply next gen' would be proven to be bullshit then

 

[ksdixon]

Surely MS will just cover the spread. Like a XBSS with higher spec, or an all digital XBXX, whichever combos are still lacking. Then next gen slim down to one model, probably all digital, and one mid-gen.

They'd do quite well to try and tap some 360 nostalgia.

 

[ksdixon]

One thing I miss about the 360 was how much you could call up on the guide button menu/quick menu. With some shoulder flicks you were off into party chat/invites, switching custom soundtrack song, or acheivement comparing/jumping into library for another game. I almost never went around the actual XB dashboard unless I needed something weird like account management or save data pruning. Only drawback of the time was so many of those options would kill the game or party chat, that wasn't ubiquitously running on the back end back then.

 

[Alabtrosmyster]

They'd do quite well to try and tap some 360 nostalgia.

That was Halo's job.

 

[KiryuRealty]

I thought it sounded like a good idea at launch too. Cheap hardware for people who dont care about visuals but what to get the "next gen" stuff. You would think they would have engineered it in a way where it could have just literally run the same stuff as XSX but at a lower res, but seems like they weren't that smart.

As a result, those of us who thought it could be a positive for MS were 100% wrong.

At this point I'm glad though. MS has turned up the gaming toxicity to 11 so them having any success at this point is basically a bad thing.

Microsoft is Microsoft, any success in gaming for them was a very bad thing.

 

[ksdixon]

That was Halo's job.

I would have said GEARS "master chief collection" if one doesn't yet exist, and a GH revival, classic color buttons, one game/dlc store per gen, built to be carried-forward by backwards compatability. Assuming MS do indeed purchase ABK that's how I think they should go forward. Try for some 360 nostalgia flanked with gears, GH, cod, as the next Forza/Fable etc cook

 

[ksdixon]

Was "Series" refereeing to the X and S together, or were we originally to expect a "Series S 2" and "Series X 2".

I still think about the only thing they can do is pull a "One X". That was promoted as the new default machine, but it was understood to be within the same gen. "Xbox XS" pro model or next gen jump-start, marketing speil about combining the best of both series, small body/big power etc.

 

[Alabtrosmyster]

I would have said GEARS "master chief collection" if one doesn't yet exist, and a GH revival, classic color buttons, one game/dlc store per gen, built to be carried-forward by backwards compatability. Assuming MS do indeed purchase ABK that's how I think they should go forward. Try for some 360 nostalgia flanked with gears, GH, cod, as the next Forza/Fable etc cook

What they really need is to get big games that move the needle in therms of moving the audience away from Sony/Nintendo.

I think the emphasis on IP is too big, it can be a new IP, brand new popular things are made all the time.

However, Halo and Gears would obviously strike a nerve for some, but by now those who remember the glory days of these franchises are in their 40s (maybe 30s). The game needs to be really good to bring on some kids, that will not work on nostalgia alone.

 

[KiryuRealty]

Winning the long game imply that they are making a bunch of apparently small wins, people are taking notice and the buzz around the brand is genuine (it translates in growing sales/revenue).

Now, they have bought over 25 studios (last time I saw a number that was 25)... since 2018 and lately their revenue (not even profit) are down, when it should be up just from having more revenue streams for all the games that are now under their umbrella.

For a studio to increase MS’ revenue, it would actually have to release a game, something most of them are spectacularly failing to do.