LogFAQs > #979577447

Kamen_Rider_Blade posted...

That's if it was living in that bubble where there was ZERO competition.
That's not a realistic scenario.

PS5 offers the same games, but on a more compelling platform that has outsold XSX|S.
That's w/o featuring "Game Pass" as a primary focus.

PC offers a larger library & backwards compatibility, but at the cost of some user unfriendliness and slower release cadence for AAA/AAAA games.

MS has been throwing $$$ into the Dumpster Fire that is the XBOX division since it's inception, at some point, it might think about going the Sega route and just be a "Software Publisher".

That's far more palatable to MS, since it's strengths has always been software, not hardware.

MS has recently divested of it's consumer hardware division for peripherals, despite being successful.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/18841/microsoft-to-discontinue-self-branded-peripherals-focus-on-surface-instead

https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/27/23700998/microsoft-keyboard-mouse-webcam-discontinued-surface-brand

They'll only stick with the over-priced "Surface Brand" that wants to compete with "Apple's Over-Priced Hardware".

More Don Mattrick, then Phil Spencer.

Phil has stemmed the bleeding from Don's screw up, but whomever thought the XBOX Game Pass was smarter than the traditional business model, needs to be fired.

That was one of the main things that was a good counterpoint to it, but it was like twisting people's arms to get them to admit that. No one will say that Game Pass isn't good on it's face, I used to play most of my games from goddamn GameFly back in the day for christ's sake lol. The problem is that they're hoping for it to single-handedly salvage Xbox while still focusing on the lagging hardware right?

I don't disagree with anything else you say besides the last sentence, all the rest mirrors my own thoughts. Don Mattrick definitely lopped off the limb that started the proverbial bleeding of Xbox, but Phil Spencer has been talking out of both side's of his mouth for years now & been doing plenty of corporate speak justifying the brand & it's mistakes. If it wasn't admitting that "Xbox can't compete with Nintendo" as a company 30x their size because of MS's bulk, it was "good games don't sell systems" or any of the other dumb shit he's uttered.

He's clearly in a high position as an executive & has to ride the fence or tow a line, the problem being that he was praised for being fair & transparent with gamers & whatever through the course of his position. But it's been smoke & mirrors the whole time, whether if it's about Xbox's focus on Game Pass subscribers instead of raw numbers for what returns it's getting (how many of those subscribers only use it when they get time for free like me). Or their inability to compete entirely, & him saying that & causing the last large freakout when Xbox customers came away with them admitting "yeah we're giving up on the Xbox by moving every future game to other platforms as much as we can."

It just stinks of defeatism & trying to do everything to just give up, instead of actually being a good competitor. Because companies just try & mimic what other's are doing, instead of beating them on how intuitive, or well produced something is. The 360 to go back to it, was fucking PLAGUED with problems. But it was such a stellar ecosystem for games & playing with people that it still did very well even when the PS3 sold more consoles.

But yeah the Series X/S being outsold 2:1 is pathetic, & the PS5 isn't perfect by any means. I don't think there's any person that could take Don or Phil's place & actually steer the ship correctly or they would have been put there by now.