That could be compelling. I think they would want to design the OS in a way that strongly incentivises you to buy games through the Microsoft store, like SteamOS with the steam store. If they make it too flexible, they’ve just sold hardware at a loss to be someone’s steam machine as well as making the OS potentially too complicated for a normal person to figure out.
If they can make a windows machine that can play all of the old Xbox games, run other storefronts, and do quick resume/hibernate properly, I’m interested. I was kind of waiting out for SteamOS on desktop to get a console like experience on a PC.
Yeah, all they need to rake in direct profits from the MS store and especially gamepass lock-in is to make it easier to do that than install software through other means. Don’t forget though, even if it’s possible to buy this WinXbox and completely remove Windows from it for SteamOS or Bazzite (unlikely), MS still gets to sell controllers and accessories for the thing. And also, just like installing Linux on a laptop or ad-ridden Smart TV homepages, most users are going to use it out of the box. Anything that’ll require plugging in a keyboard will immediately gate out any chance of a majority of users not using xbox storefront/gamepass/etc on this thing.
It’s also Microsoft. Their video games division is tiny compared to their business sector and other arms. Taking losses in video games just to push the concept of “windows is good and open!” harder to normies (you and i on fucking lemmy know that “more open than a nintendo switch” is a low bar to clear and Windows is far from “freedom”) might be worth it to the shareholders. After all, they spend how many billions on advertising every year and that’s a direct loss in exchange for more consumer awareness of their products. It could also be a targeted tactic to just obliterate Sony as a competitor in the console space. Sell something cheaper and stronger, with more games including your already-paid-for Steam games on it and compare that to vendor lock-in for the PS6? Where the PS6 only has timed exclusivity on most first-party games and the occasional Astro Bot style exclusive? Can’t even be open to anti-trust if they do nuke Sony, because they can just point at Nintendo selling a donkey kongillion Switch 2s in the same exact market space.
That all sounds true to me.
I’ve been with Sony for PS1, 2, 4 and 5 but had an Xbox OG/360.
I’ve got to say I’m surprised that M$ hasn’t with all their trillions been able to create a platform yet that makes them dominate in either the PC or console space.
That said, I mustn’t be the only one who thinks that the PS5 generation has been such a bad sign for the future of Sony. In 5 years I’ve played 3 good exclusive games on the system, the console has frankly been a waste of money.
And they’ve had 12 live service games in development.
12 great single player or couch coop exclusives would have been fucking great, but instead they’re chasing the live service dragon.
That could be compelling. I think they would want to design the OS in a way that strongly incentivises you to buy games through the Microsoft store, like SteamOS with the steam store. If they make it too flexible, they’ve just sold hardware at a loss to be someone’s steam machine as well as making the OS potentially too complicated for a normal person to figure out.
If they can make a windows machine that can play all of the old Xbox games, run other storefronts, and do quick resume/hibernate properly, I’m interested. I was kind of waiting out for SteamOS on desktop to get a console like experience on a PC.
Yeah, all they need to rake in direct profits from the MS store and especially gamepass lock-in is to make it easier to do that than install software through other means. Don’t forget though, even if it’s possible to buy this WinXbox and completely remove Windows from it for SteamOS or Bazzite (unlikely), MS still gets to sell controllers and accessories for the thing. And also, just like installing Linux on a laptop or ad-ridden Smart TV homepages, most users are going to use it out of the box. Anything that’ll require plugging in a keyboard will immediately gate out any chance of a majority of users not using xbox storefront/gamepass/etc on this thing.
It’s also Microsoft. Their video games division is tiny compared to their business sector and other arms. Taking losses in video games just to push the concept of “windows is good and open!” harder to normies (you and i on fucking lemmy know that “more open than a nintendo switch” is a low bar to clear and Windows is far from “freedom”) might be worth it to the shareholders. After all, they spend how many billions on advertising every year and that’s a direct loss in exchange for more consumer awareness of their products. It could also be a targeted tactic to just obliterate Sony as a competitor in the console space. Sell something cheaper and stronger, with more games including your already-paid-for Steam games on it and compare that to vendor lock-in for the PS6? Where the PS6 only has timed exclusivity on most first-party games and the occasional Astro Bot style exclusive? Can’t even be open to anti-trust if they do nuke Sony, because they can just point at Nintendo selling a donkey kongillion Switch 2s in the same exact market space.
That all sounds true to me. I’ve been with Sony for PS1, 2, 4 and 5 but had an Xbox OG/360. I’ve got to say I’m surprised that M$ hasn’t with all their trillions been able to create a platform yet that makes them dominate in either the PC or console space. That said, I mustn’t be the only one who thinks that the PS5 generation has been such a bad sign for the future of Sony. In 5 years I’ve played 3 good exclusive games on the system, the console has frankly been a waste of money.
And they’ve had 12 live service games in development. 12 great single player or couch coop exclusives would have been fucking great, but instead they’re chasing the live service dragon.