Bold is my emphasis....
It’s clear to anyone that we’re currently living in the middle of a very successful console generation. PlayStation 4 has been the clear leader from the start and continues the tradition of top-selling Sony systems. Nintendo pulled a complete 180 from the Wii U with the Switch which is on pace to be one of the best-selling pieces of gaming hardware of all time.
Microsoft has…done well with the Xbox One.
I can’t really get into specifics because Microsoft no longer shares sales information on Xbox One consoles, but common estimates put it at about half of what the PS4 has sold, maybe around 30-35 million units. The Xbox One is not a failure, I don’t think anyone but Sony die-hards would say that, as we are miles past something like the scant 13 million sales of the Wii U, but it is clear that if we had to pick an odd man out in this current climate, it’s Microsoft.
Right now, I think we’re starting to see a corner turned for Microsoft. It took them a few years, but they’ve slowly learned from their mistakes. The first one they made was big, marrying Kinect to the Xbox One, but that once “essential” device has now been separated so far away from the system Microsoft isn’t even selling adapters for it any more.
Then came the power disparity, which wasn’t much when the PS4 and Xbox One launched, but with PS4 having a slight edge, that became that narrative for a few years, that the Xbox One was underpowered out of the two of them. Microsoft ditched its motion-based ideas and sped straight toward pure power. It’s like the kid who gets sand kicked in his face one summer, then comes back a year later with 50 more pounds of muscle to stand up to his bully after working out non-stop. That’s the Xbox One X, prioritizing power above any other gimmick, which is what the PS4 did from the start, but it’s now eclipsed by its rival.
But it doesn’t stop there. I think Microsoft has finally seen the light when it comes to its anemic exclusives roster. Microsoft is changing things up by putting Minecraft vet Matt Booty in charge as the VP of Microsoft Studios, and while this has yet to be confirmed (though by all accounts it seems to be happening), Microsoft is bringing Fable back to life by tasking Forza Horizon studio Playground with making Fable 4.
According to sources, Microsoft is going down this road because it was inspired by the success of Guerilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn. That was a longtime Sony studio known for one thing (Killzone), but was given the freedom to do something new, and they instantly created a new, iconic PlayStation series, and one of the best games of the year.
I’m not quite clear on why Microsoft is just catching on to this now. Sony has attracted a large fanbase on the back of many impressive single player games over the years, not just Horizon, most recently, but the Uncharted series, The Last of Us, God of War, and Bloodborne and Nioh, among others. Microsoft has been trying to split the difference, forcing series like Halo and Gears to live on with new studios running them, yet not really evolving them in meaningful ways, trying to capture old magic instead. For Fable, they butchered that series to try and suit their new misguided purposes, first making an on-rails Kinect game, then trying to make some sort of hero arena title with Fable Legends, a game that was ultimately cancelled and Lionshead was shut down. Yet here they are now reportedly making a huge, AAA RPG once again.
To me, it seems very clear that Microsoft’s new directive going forward is “be PlayStation.” I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Something has been very off with the Xbox brand for years now. The Xbox One X has fixed its hardware issues, as it’s about as perfect a console as you can make currently, but now Microsoft seems intensely interested in solving the other half of the problem, must-have exclusive software. The only issue is that this new philosophy may take several years to realize (Fable 4 is in early stages, for one), so we might actually end up being in a new console generation when Microsoft’s new exclusives start to land. Until then we have the likes of Sea of Thieves, Crackdown 3 and State of Decay 2 coming, while Sony has arguably heavier hitters like The Last of Us 2 and God of War 4 on deck.
This has been a slow, painful process for Microsoft to get to this point, but we are starting to see real results. The Xbox One X is a great system and where I’m automatically playing most third party titles now. Xbox One backward capability is the best in the business, as is Xbox Live and its features. If they can get that third pillar up, must-have games, they could very well out-Sony Sony, though it may be a while until we see this final phase realized.
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I do agree with this opinion piece for the most part, which is a surprise considering it's Forbes. It has taken Microsoft quite awhile to grasp the idea that gamers want fresh new exclusive games DIRECTLY from Microsoft or at least 2nd/3rd party, giving them a reason to own an Xbox over any other console.
I remember Phil Spencer stating he wanted to fix this poor impression of their game offerings. He did say that he was going to do that AFTER he fixed the hardware issues. He wanted hardware working before software. He wanted to remove the Kinect gimmick, bring the consoles near the performance of the competition by removing resources being used up by the no longer used Kinect. Then supply the gamers with a poweful console. He said once he was happy with that, then the games would start coming.
I am a patient man, at times. I am happy with the consoles and games I have now. If the turns MS first party studios into HALF of what Sony's first party studios, it's a good start. What do you guys think?
It’s clear to anyone that we’re currently living in the middle of a very successful console generation. PlayStation 4 has been the clear leader from the start and continues the tradition of top-selling Sony systems. Nintendo pulled a complete 180 from the Wii U with the Switch which is on pace to be one of the best-selling pieces of gaming hardware of all time.
Microsoft has…done well with the Xbox One.
I can’t really get into specifics because Microsoft no longer shares sales information on Xbox One consoles, but common estimates put it at about half of what the PS4 has sold, maybe around 30-35 million units. The Xbox One is not a failure, I don’t think anyone but Sony die-hards would say that, as we are miles past something like the scant 13 million sales of the Wii U, but it is clear that if we had to pick an odd man out in this current climate, it’s Microsoft.
Right now, I think we’re starting to see a corner turned for Microsoft. It took them a few years, but they’ve slowly learned from their mistakes. The first one they made was big, marrying Kinect to the Xbox One, but that once “essential” device has now been separated so far away from the system Microsoft isn’t even selling adapters for it any more.
Then came the power disparity, which wasn’t much when the PS4 and Xbox One launched, but with PS4 having a slight edge, that became that narrative for a few years, that the Xbox One was underpowered out of the two of them. Microsoft ditched its motion-based ideas and sped straight toward pure power. It’s like the kid who gets sand kicked in his face one summer, then comes back a year later with 50 more pounds of muscle to stand up to his bully after working out non-stop. That’s the Xbox One X, prioritizing power above any other gimmick, which is what the PS4 did from the start, but it’s now eclipsed by its rival.
But it doesn’t stop there. I think Microsoft has finally seen the light when it comes to its anemic exclusives roster. Microsoft is changing things up by putting Minecraft vet Matt Booty in charge as the VP of Microsoft Studios, and while this has yet to be confirmed (though by all accounts it seems to be happening), Microsoft is bringing Fable back to life by tasking Forza Horizon studio Playground with making Fable 4.
According to sources, Microsoft is going down this road because it was inspired by the success of Guerilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn. That was a longtime Sony studio known for one thing (Killzone), but was given the freedom to do something new, and they instantly created a new, iconic PlayStation series, and one of the best games of the year.
I’m not quite clear on why Microsoft is just catching on to this now. Sony has attracted a large fanbase on the back of many impressive single player games over the years, not just Horizon, most recently, but the Uncharted series, The Last of Us, God of War, and Bloodborne and Nioh, among others. Microsoft has been trying to split the difference, forcing series like Halo and Gears to live on with new studios running them, yet not really evolving them in meaningful ways, trying to capture old magic instead. For Fable, they butchered that series to try and suit their new misguided purposes, first making an on-rails Kinect game, then trying to make some sort of hero arena title with Fable Legends, a game that was ultimately cancelled and Lionshead was shut down. Yet here they are now reportedly making a huge, AAA RPG once again.
To me, it seems very clear that Microsoft’s new directive going forward is “be PlayStation.” I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Something has been very off with the Xbox brand for years now. The Xbox One X has fixed its hardware issues, as it’s about as perfect a console as you can make currently, but now Microsoft seems intensely interested in solving the other half of the problem, must-have exclusive software. The only issue is that this new philosophy may take several years to realize (Fable 4 is in early stages, for one), so we might actually end up being in a new console generation when Microsoft’s new exclusives start to land. Until then we have the likes of Sea of Thieves, Crackdown 3 and State of Decay 2 coming, while Sony has arguably heavier hitters like The Last of Us 2 and God of War 4 on deck.
This has been a slow, painful process for Microsoft to get to this point, but we are starting to see real results. The Xbox One X is a great system and where I’m automatically playing most third party titles now. Xbox One backward capability is the best in the business, as is Xbox Live and its features. If they can get that third pillar up, must-have games, they could very well out-Sony Sony, though it may be a while until we see this final phase realized.
---------------------------------------------------
I do agree with this opinion piece for the most part, which is a surprise considering it's Forbes. It has taken Microsoft quite awhile to grasp the idea that gamers want fresh new exclusive games DIRECTLY from Microsoft or at least 2nd/3rd party, giving them a reason to own an Xbox over any other console.
I remember Phil Spencer stating he wanted to fix this poor impression of their game offerings. He did say that he was going to do that AFTER he fixed the hardware issues. He wanted hardware working before software. He wanted to remove the Kinect gimmick, bring the consoles near the performance of the competition by removing resources being used up by the no longer used Kinect. Then supply the gamers with a poweful console. He said once he was happy with that, then the games would start coming.
I am a patient man, at times. I am happy with the consoles and games I have now. If the turns MS first party studios into HALF of what Sony's first party studios, it's a good start. What do you guys think?
