This intentionally vague video is just tickling us with more confusion about what the future of xbox looks like.
There are no solid statements anywhere saying the Next-Gen Xbox will NATIVELY play PC AND Xbox games, or that PC will NATIVELY play Xbox games, although this is exactly what the video seems to be hinting at.
^^^ This right here is what is causing the most anxiety and confusion amongst Xbox players/fans. Not only because it is difficult to fathom a device that is versatile enough to play PC games in all the ways that people play PC games (different launchers, mods, streaming setups, speedrunning, emulation etc.), but also because of how the restrictions on the xbox library will transfer to a device that is also a “PC”.
Will there be more DRM shoehorned into PC games on this new Xbox device(s)? Will this device only play games from specific storefronts or from specific eras of PC gaming? Will i be able to use this device as more than just a gaming console if it also plays PC games?
Are Streaming and Play Anywhere the only pitiful solutions you actually have to cross-compatibility between Xbox and PC???
The biggest question of all is of course about the money. Not about how much the device(s) will cost either, but…
How will subscriptions work?!?!
Is Xbox going to try to charge me money to play my multiplayer PC games online? Are they going to relinquish their death-grip on Xbox Live Gold(now Gamepass Core) and say goodbye to all of that subscription money? I wont hold my breath. Will they lock EVERYTHING behind a Gamepass Paywall?
I bet they learn alot of lessons and make alot of mistakes along this path, but I am very glad they are at least staring down the barrel and thinking about it.
Hopefully soon they can provide some more clarity about what this process will look like. We want to know how this will benefit us dedicated Xbox console fans, because right now it feels like we are getting the short end of the stick. Paying more and getting less.
Does anyone else have burning questions about the evolution of xbox?
What’s so hard to grasp about a prebuilt PC? It will be a literal pre built PC running windows. The Xbox is already this technically, but now it will be the same windows running in your gaming computer with an accessible desktop environment and everything.
As to how it will play Xbox games, there’s two possible ways in my mind:
- It will have an emulator
- It won’t play physical disks at all so you are stuck with only your digital Xbox library. Or maybe it does read discs but treats them as a key of sorts, in that when you play the game it won’t be using the contents of the disc at all, just the digital version of it. The way they pull this off is that the Xbox digital library is now a “platform” so there’s no such thing as an Xbox console version it’s just the xbox store version of the game, the games you own there you can play on any device that can run the Xbox app. I know this sounds confusing but it’s only confusing because I’m trying to explain it in the frame of reference of a console, but the Xbox will no longer be a console so in essence it will be a direct competitor to Steam and GOG not PlayStation. In practice this is Xbox making every title a play anywhere title essentially.
As to how they get the multiple storefront running, well for one I don’t think Steam, GOG, et all will be opposed to working with Microsoft to allow its storefront to be easily accessible through the Xbox app ui. I except there will be a lot of warnings that not all games will run well on this device, and I also imagine a lot of developers baking in prebuilt settings like the Steam deck settings that some games have now.
The main thing to understand is that Xbox is no longer a gaming console but rather a platform in the same vein as Steam. For convenience Microsoft will sell devices that are optimized to run their platform in much the same way that Steam tried to sell the SteamBox and is now doing with the SteamDeck.
I dont think you understood the focus of my post. I am asking HOW they plan on going about it. People want to ignore the fine details, but they will ultimately determine the players experience…
Example - Will this “PC” allow me to install the PC bedrock version, java version, xbox 360 version, xbox one version or XSX bedrock version of Minecraft simultaneously and manage PC files/mods as i do on windows 11?
More importantly is it going to charge me money to play multiplayer and even LAN like my Xbox currently does?!?!
There are so many details making this messy for microsoft that people arent considering. Yes we all want a PC/Xbox merge, but they will almost certainly misstep in ways that will creates headaches for users.
I am hoping they handle it well, but if Microsoft’s mistakes in the past are anything to go by, this is going to get ugly before it gets better for their users.
I think I kind of addressed it.
I think it is safe to assume that if you get out of the Xbox app yes, you’ll be able to treat the console as a regular PC. So you’ll be able to install every PC version of Minecraft, not so the Xbox version because in reality there won’t be an Xbox (meaning console only) version accessible. That’s how the Ally will work, I don’t see why they would sell a seemingly less flexible system as their flagship.
What I don’t think you’ll be able to do is play your Xbox 360 games as they are on the disc so to speak. I would bet that games that were not part of the backwards compatibility program won’t be playable either on the new console. Xbox One and Series X share the same architecture so what I believe will happen is that those games will now be Xbox Store games, and your discs will be keys to validate ownership of the Xbox Store game which will be in fact just the PC version of the game. The list of Xbox One or Series X games that do not have a PC version is minuscule enough that the effort to emulate them could be made or on the other hand, they could simply be shrugged off as “tough shit, keep the old console”.
I think the simplest way to describe what I think the course of action they will take is that you will be given access to the PC version of all Xbox games you own.
As for subs. Notice how it’s all Gamepass now, no such thing as gold anymore. They probably figure access to the games is enough to keep people subbed. Which is logical I think.
I also think the console won’t be subsidized very heavily, so it will be prized around $700 if not more. From their POV They don’t care to sell consoles and their games are now multi platforms so if you can’t stomach that you’ll go buy a PlayStation. Wouldn’t surprise me to see Gamepass on it in a few years too. I mean at this point it’s probably Sony holding it back.
Updated your post i see lol
Yeah they care mainly about gamepass, which is why im worried they dont have the motivation to thoroughly flesh out this push for cross compatibility. Why when they can make you pay more to stream everything?
Also, i believe the amount of money they get from players just paying for the privilege of playing online is bigger than most people think. Its also the gateway into gamepass… “Im already paying monthly for multiplayer, why not $5-10 more and get more games to play too?” They almost certainly will not abandon that revenue stream.
As for the price of this device, it can be anything as long as it has the right value, but we will see what that value actually becomes…
But the only thing that makes this new system exciting is the merger of Non-PC Xbox games onto a PC platform. Anything else is just what we already have… A PC.
The flexibility people want is to play the games they have already paid for within the Xbox ecosystem.
Losing your games with new gen hardware is a thing of the past. New hardware rarely has a killer app nowadays that would make losing playability of up to 4 generations of games worth it. Thats why all new consoles have backwards compatibility like PC.
Also the xbox-only library is NOT small. Forgetting disc games… I have 900 digital games on my series X spanning from the OG xbox. ~40 of those are currently apart of the Play Anywhere program. Sure alot of those games have PC ports but xbox isnt going to source that version of the software from a random source and add it to my library for free. Youre right they will have to emulate.
Giving a “Tough Shit” to current xbox players and their libraries is not going to bode well, and this product will just look like another PC with extra steps for current players.
Like I said they will likely emulate. But frankly I don’t think they give much of a rats ass of making some obscure game from the Og Xbox available. The majority of the market won’t care either. And you already bought the game so they don’t care either. What are you gonna do, not buy the consoles they won’t be making anymore? I think this is the mental block for a lot of Xbox hardcore fans, that Xbox is no longer a console platform. It’s a games publisher and storefront with a subscription service , who will happen to manufacture hardware that is preconfigured to offer a hassle free experience with their platform.
As to this being a PC with more steps. Have you seen the GPU market? Microsoft is positioning itself in a unique niche in which they can sell a gaming PC, that plays like a console, with no GPU pricing shenanigans. Your description is about as good as calling the SteamDeck a laptop with less keys.
Yeah it all makes sense from their business perspective, but from a current xbox users perspective, losing compatibility for new hardware isnt appealing.
The extra steps are for current pc/xbox users that already have hardware. Why upgrade without increased functionality? A streamlined experience could be enough for some, but definitely not for me at $700+.
I’m curious about what Xbox will be doing in order to keep the people who use their stuff and improve the hardware/software situation enough that more people will become interested in Xbox again.
Same here,
My concern is how their focus on increasing value for shareholders will get in the way of increasing value for their player base.
If we are lucky they will invest in the future of their brand by making a huge value proposition for the players, and it hopefully wont be centered around streaming or locked behind a subscription…
Microsoft is already doing that with AI, something they are actively hemorrhaging money on…I doubt they’d try doing something too extreme and risk alienating end users again! The reason why Sony has such a leg-up currently is due to Microsoft dropping the ball with that online library BS which seemed legit bad (despite how much they said it would be convenient). I feel like they are going to stay dedicated to providing a better experience than Sony with backwards compatibility and offering other form factors to engage with their ecosystem. In an effort to capture handheld and console enjoyers. Microsoft has seen the success of Steam Deck and SteamOS, I doubt they’ll get it right initially, though. As ironically, they couldn’t get Windows Phone right despite part of their core business being a major OS (I blame bad leadership and poor decision-making lower down the chain).
Their subscription service Game Pass won’t go away, but, they’d probably keep it the same as now. Only Multiplayer and being able to play games that are on the service without additional charge.
Oh and as for the paid multiplayer experience… If microsoft recedes their subscription requirement for xbox games… They will be the heroes of gaming for years to come(even though they are the ones that started the trend in the first place lol)
However I do not see this happening. 12 million gold/core subscribers at ~$5-10/month each. They cant justify giving up that income just for “good PR”
I agree they are aware of what their position should be in the current gaming space, but i also agree they are going to fumble hard on some fronts because their intentions are ultimately motivated by profit.
Chasing immediate profits will distract from what their goal should be in order to succeed in the long run, which is optimizing user experience and value.
The reason Steam/Valve is so successful is because user experience is clearly their #1 focus. Hopefully Microsoft sees that clearly now with SteamOS biting at their heels.
On Multiplayer, I can’t foresee a world where Microsoft gives up on the income generated from this player base anytime soon. They don’t care about PR enough to cease receiving those injections of cash. Microsoft is certainly playing a short term game in most cases, so the lure of profit will get ahead of them and mess up any efforts to realistically succeed at first try. Their engineers likely understand why Valve is so successful, but the bigwigs can’t possibly understand it. As they likely don’t have any connection to the gaming scene. I can see Valve dominating in the handheld space because of their focus on user experience first and knowing that profits will follow after.
Microsoft might get lucky and have someone on that handheld OS team who is passionate and can translate their passion into terms those dollars seeking C-Suites can understand. I won’t hold my breath though, only seeing what happens next will and a postmortem assessment will tell us how successful or how big a fail this effort will be!
In the console space, with luck, they’ll do better as there is a body of experience to draw from in this space at Xbox. Hopefully, they’ll reduce the ads which currently plague Xbox’s home screen and get in the way of players reaching their games (if that is their style of interacting with Xbox). Backward Compatibility will be prioritized so that libraries across console gens are still highly accessible, making Xbox a strong contender for playing older games on modern hardware. It’s not exactly a game preservation dream, but making these older games accessible is a good move.
This is essentially my understanding of the state of things too. The caveat is that compatibility/preservation are stated to be at the forefront of Xbox’s strategy, but implementation and parity with PC system features is a deeeeep rabbit hole of engineering issues they might not be willing to confront in the long haul.
Yeah, time will tell. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
PC Parity would be a hard approach for Xbox, possible if they had been working on it for years to get this parity nailed way before launch of physical hardware…
If they truly believed in Xbox Anywhere, that would be their move; however, I doubt their ability to manifest such an integrated back and frontend. Making it so devs can easily optimize their games for available Xbox hardware. So that games wouldn’t need lengthy dev times on ports, and release riddled with performance problems.
Yeah my hopes arent high for full xbox/pc parity. Xbox Play anywhere would be their best investment youre correct.
What they should do is start integrating games retroactively into the program like they did with 360 backwards compatibility.
This would allow for almost no engineering debt and would increase value for people in the ecosystem just like they did before. Then users would be willing to more fluidly switch between Xbox and PC based hardware, regardless of game compatibility on either device.
I would still kill to play my OG xbox and 360 games on a PC one day though.
or locked behind a subscription
Dreaming the impossible dream
Thats what i dont get, if i end up having the option between an xbox/pc that charges me money to play multiplayer games that i can play for free on my SteamOS PC or windows PC… Why would I buy that xbox/pc system?
This is already the reason i began divesting in xbox consoles.
It sounds like to me that they’re building a new specification like they did with MSX. MSX was wildly successful in Japan.
I’m sure all Xbox Next approved devices will be able to access the Xbox store, along with Steam, GOG, etc. It will almost certainly be a digital device, since it also includes handhelds.
As for your existing physical collection, I can imagine Microsoft releasing an official disc drive accessory that works with any Xbox Next console. There’s no reason that wouldn’t include handhelds, but of course that would be super clunky.
It will really have to streamline alot of shit that i dont entirely have faith they can streamline to make the value proposition of subscription worth it imo.
We know they will attempt to maintain the current status quo of paying for multiplayer… So that will enshittify the PC gaming experience. My bigger fear is that we wont get true compatibility of all pc and xbox games so they will lean on streaming which will also require a subscription.