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khamakazee

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,937
Elanarie doesn't work for Microsoft. EA...You popped your top over nothing. And EA is definitely NOT in great shape right now.

Them putting their content on everything including PS while still making their traditional box is not out of the question. They already submitted to Steam. They are clearly flirting with the idea internally and have already started putting games on Switch.

I was quoting someone who was referring to Game Pass and elaborating on the opening post which is talking about Nadella.

Think you missed something.

Didn't miss anything, we were talking about Game Pass and anyone who isn't subscribing are the ones missing something.
 

OneBadMutha

Member
Nov 2, 2017
6,059
I think people are misunderstanding the strategy. It's not about migrating to smart phone. It's about migrating everywhere. It's about getting mobile users to try AAA games and getting console users engaged when they're not at home. It's about turning cheap laptops or tablets into gaming PCs through 5G. There's a multiplication of mindshare effect when gaming enthusiasts are showing casual friends AAA games on their smartphones that their friends can try on the spot with a $1 trial to Game Pass.

It's why this console revenue stuff lately...it's not that it doesn't matter...it just doesn't mean a lot in the big picture.

Keep in mind that the feedback we're hearing about streaming today...it's running on a significantly inferior infrastructure than what streaming will be done on in the future. 5G is exponentially faster, much less latency, significantly higher data caps than 4G. The real thing could 5 years away from mass market implementation and adoption but 5 years goes quick. That's the dev cycle for some big AAA games.
 

SlipperyMoose

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
2,231
Terry Myerson. He lead Windows for a while when Xbox was thrown under the Windows software and hardware division. He despised Xbox and thought it was a waste of money.

Funny thing is, he left/was forced out, Windows was given a back seat and it's just another MS product now, not a major initiative anymore, and Xbox/Gaming was elevated to having its own executive on the board. Funny how having a fresh set of eyes and an open mind can really change the direction of a company/product.

Hey thanks for clarifying that.That all makes sense now with the faster pace of positive changes after Phil got the promotion and reported directly to the top. I think Microsoft had a lot of old school minds which we felt with the brand as a whole up until recently.
 

Expy

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,861
Didn't miss anything, we were talking about Game Pass and anyone who isn't subscribing are the ones missing something.
You completely missed it. You quoted me. I never quoted you in the first place, you quoted me and talked about CEO Nadella, when I was clearly pointing out the DICE developer's CEO.
 

OneBadMutha

Member
Nov 2, 2017
6,059
Terry Myerson. He lead Windows for a while when Xbox was thrown under the Windows software and hardware division. He despised Xbox and thought it was a waste of money.

Funny thing is, he left/was forced out, Windows was given a back seat and it's just another MS product now, not a major initiative anymore, and Xbox/Gaming was elevated to having its own executive on the board. Funny how having a fresh set of eyes and an open mind can really change the direction of a company/product.

I don't know if Terry despised gaming. He certainly didn't respect it or champion it. Nadella has championed gaming more in the past year than Myerson did combined in his tenure. Xbox was supposed to be something that helped Windows. Bill Gates signed off to prevent Sony from winning the battle of the living room which was thought to be a threat to Windows. When none of those things materialized, investors wanted Microsoft to dump gaming and Myerson stood by quietly while defunding the division and leaning it out. I was convinced they were either selling or becoming just a Minecraft, Halo, Gears, Forza multiplat publisher back in 2016-2017.
 

bsigg

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,543
Hey thanks for clarifying that.That all makes sense now with the faster pace of positive changes after Phil got the promotion and reported directly to the top. I think Microsoft had a lot of old school minds which we felt with the brand as a whole up until recently.

Absolutely. Some people mention Ballmer as being sort of a shortcoming for Xbox when he was leading MS but people need to remember he is the one that gave Xbox the blank check to fix RRoD to make sure the 360 was successful. He was very open to letting the Xbox team do what they wanted to do, it was some of the senior leadership under him that really hamstrung where Xbox was going for a while there.
 

CommodoreKong

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,695
Microsoft's strategy is super interesting and I'm very interested in seeing how it's going to work out for them and if it shakes up the industry at all. I'm personally looking forward to picking up The Master Chief Collection and some of their other games on Steam.
 

khamakazee

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,937
You completely missed it. You quoted me. I never quoted you in the first place, you quoted me and talked about CEO Nadella, when I was clearly pointing out the DICE developer's CEO.

You mean the same person who also called you out for your intentions that you've yet to respond to?

Wow, we're touchy tonight aren't we?

If a customer brings the same value via a sub versus via a one time purchase, how much do you think companies care about the purchases?

People really need to stop thinking about copies sold.

Like I said, I didn't miss anything.

Microsoft's strategy is super interesting and I'm very interested in seeing how it's going to work out for them and if it shakes up the industry at all. I'm personally looking forward to picking up The Master Chief Collection and some of their other games on Steam.

Any news yet on when we will see it available on Game Pass?
 

OneBadMutha

Member
Nov 2, 2017
6,059
Absolutely. Some people mention Ballmer as being sort of a shortcoming for Xbox when he was leading MS but people need to remember he is the one that gave Xbox the blank check to fix RRoD to make sure the 360 was successful. He was very open to letting the Xbox team do what they wanted to do, it was some of the senior leadership under him that really hamstrung where Xbox was going for a while there.

I don't think Ballmer intentionally damaged Xbox. He could've let Xbox die when the RROD fiasco hit. He spent a couple billion to bail them out. Ballmer just struggled to adapt to the changing market across the board. He was still trying to run Microsoft like the old tech bully from the 90's when nobody was afraid of them anymore. They were on a losing streak and Xbox One was just part of that.

People were really low on Nadella initially and thought his strategy to open up their ecosystem was crazy but along with Hood they've turned out to be corporate executives of the decade in investing circles.
 

bsigg

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,543
I don't think Ballmer intentionally damaged Xbox. He could've let Xbox die when the RROD fiasco hit. He spent a couple billion to bail them out. Ballmer just struggled to adapt to the changing market across the board. He was still trying to run Microsoft like the old tech bully from the 90's when nobody was afraid of them anymore. They were on a losing streak and Xbox One was just part of that.

People were really low on Nadella initially and thought his strategy to open up their ecosystem was crazy but along with Hood they've turned out to be corporate executives of the decade in investing circles.

Yea it's been a really wild ride seeing MS sorta in the shadows becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world. They did it not through flashy consumer facing products but really strategic and incredibly smart long term plays based on where they saw things heading. It's that sort of planning and forward thinking that has me excited for where Xbox will be in 5 years.
 

wapplew

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,163
Google don't have the contents, Sony don't have the tech or the capital for users acquisition.
Only MS have all the ingredients to succeed in cloud and subscription future.
 

bear force one

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
4,305
Orlando
It's more PS Fanboys refusing to accept that this is the direction that the gaming industry is going and that Sony will inevitably be forced to follow, we already see this happening with PS Now with their increased focus, but yet fanboys continue to deny it and say that people will still have to buy consoles.

And with that you're on ignore. Bizarre.
 
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12Danny123

12Danny123

Member
Jan 31, 2018
1,722
Google don't have the contents, Sony don't have the tech or the capital for users acquisition.
Only MS have all the ingredients to succeed in cloud and subscription future.

I think there's an important point to be made. Netflix has to spend a lot to acquire a lot of content. Disney did with Fox, AT&T did with Warnermedia with HBO Max. The gaming industry will not be any different, they will need to constantly churn out content to retain subscribers while also invest in new IPs via In-house or Acquisitions.

This is a very difficult business model to get into especially for smaller companies/publishers.
 

Deleted member 20284

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
2,889
Now I'd like them to clean up the licensing of "owning" a movie or tv show or music asset. Put that into your gaming philosophy of play anywhere on any device with anyone. I'd like to watch or listen to the digital goods I own within that same network/device agnostic framework.
 

khamakazee

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,937
I think there's an important point to be made. Netflix has to spend a lot to acquire a lot of content. Disney did with Fox, AT&T did with Warnermedia with HBO Max. The gaming industry will not be any different, they will need to constantly churn out content to retain subscribers while also invest in new IPs via In-house or Acquisitions.

This is a very difficult business model to get into especially for smaller companies/publishers.

This is why I think the most likely scenario is Microsoft continues to lead with its own studios to drive the new content and constantly remind third party that adding older catalog can have its own benefits. Such as putting out Beyond Good and Evil prior to the new release (if it ever comes out). I continue to have my reservations that third party will put new content on it.
 

melodiousmowl

Member
Jan 14, 2018
3,774
CT
What's a non-gamer? If you have a phone and play a game on it you are a person playing a game. I don't think 2B is that outlandish with Consoles, PC and Phones out there.
just look at the absolutely gigantic number of millions of phones sold each year, and the utter crapper state of phone gaming.

that's just a gigantic market that can not just buy xcloud, but might convert them into pc/console buyers
 

melodiousmowl

Member
Jan 14, 2018
3,774
CT
You guys realize that Sony is partnering with Microsoft for Azure game streaming and Nintendo is rumored to be doing the same right?

Every single Xbox thread turns into shit like this, can you few posters just let it go for a bit?
i suspect it's more than that. i am guessing, but i think the increase in quality and number of people in ps voice parties is the first use of azure.

it should let psn grow and offer better services as it has been stagnant forever
 

melodiousmowl

Member
Jan 14, 2018
3,774
CT
You didn't hear? They tripled their studio count and doubled their employee count in some studios to sell off the business! Rock solid logic!

People need to get over platform X is dead and will go away forever. This desire to see the industry shrink is bizarre as hell to me.
"company is not #1, must be trash going out of business "

facepalm
 

Cipherr

Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,425
They aren't wrong about there being a chance to expand gaming to more people.

I no longer fear it though. Lived through too many of them.

From Arcades, to expanding to the consoles "casuals"; then from the SNES/Genesis to the Playstation "casuals", then to the Wii "casuals". Its all the same shit. And everytime, the "core gamers" of the day fear and dread it, and gaming ends up better and larger because of it.
 

melodiousmowl

Member
Jan 14, 2018
3,774
CT
I think people are misunderstanding the strategy. It's not about migrating to smart phone. It's about migrating everywhere. It's about getting mobile users to try AAA games and getting console users engaged when they're not at home. It's about turning cheap laptops or tablets into gaming PCs through 5G. There's a multiplication of mindshare effect when gaming enthusiasts are showing casual friends AAA games on their smartphones that their friends can try on the spot with a $1 trial to Game Pass.

It's why this console revenue stuff lately...it's not that it doesn't matter...it just doesn't mean a lot in the big picture.

Keep in mind that the feedback we're hearing about streaming today...it's running on a significantly inferior infrastructure than what streaming will be done on in the future. 5G is exponentially faster, much less latency, significantly higher data caps than 4G. The real thing could 5 years away from mass market implementation and adoption but 5 years goes quick. That's the dev cycle for some big AAA games.

apple sells more phones in a year than the total consoles sold this gen(actually this was math i did a while ago, so may be off).

but your right on point - it's about capturing all kinds of consumers in untapped underserved markets
 

Garrett 2U

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,511
If this takes off the way that it seems it could, it's going to be incredible for the gaming industry.
We're talking about expanding the gaming market 10x from 200-300 million to 2+ billion.
 

Deleted member 426

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,273
Perhaps it is Mario Kart, but FH4 is amongst the top. Number available was PG numbers around ~9 mill, we've not had numbers from its closest competitor (GT) which FH4 has routinely beaten. Still no doubt it's one of the best racers (ever) that won GOTY awards, which goes against the point the original poster made that there's no game from MS that has made a mark. He's been banned, which is not a surprise (and deserved, thanks Mods).
Can't disagree there!
 

Deleted member 20284

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
2,889
If this takes off the way that it seems it could, it's going to be incredible for the gaming industry.
We're talking about expanding the gaming market 10x from 200-300 million to 2+ billion.

I'd like to thing that translates to cheaper games and more diversity of content.

I'll also happily cross play with streamers, while remaining on a local hardware console/PC, for the donging victories due to latency.
 
Oct 25, 2017
3,595
giphy.gif
 

rokkerkory

Banned
Jun 14, 2018
14,128
Full steam ahead for MS next gen. They have all the backing, resources and foundation laid. Now it's time to execute. Exciting times ahead.
 

Deleted member 11173

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
609
Anytime Microsoft has an opportunity to let a product line mature over the course of a decade, they hit it out of the park. It is a non stop grind to constantly get it right in that organization, and it has become more so since they have moved a majority of their product lines to SaaS/Subscription offerings.

I am excited for next gen, I sat this one out mostly because I felt there was really nothing new to push the experience. PSVR is alright, the Switch is a great handheld, but Microsoft really goofed the messaging, and understanding the core needs at the beginning. Mattrick sucks, and single-handledly wasted an Xbox generation, 50% of it was Marketing/PR disaster, and the last 50% was rebranding and building the goodwill again.
 

Bitch Pudding

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,202
My take from this is: Revenues from providing Azure for competitors in the gaming industry also account for their gaming market share.
 

MrKlaw

Member
Oct 25, 2017
33,038
I'm still not sure. They're certainly investing to take advantage of possible increases in users via streaming - but that isn't the same as driving the market, or dealing with infrastructure issues (limited speeds, data caps) which they are reliant on ISPs for
 

MrKlaw

Member
Oct 25, 2017
33,038
I think people are misunderstanding the strategy. It's not about migrating to smart phone. It's about migrating everywhere. It's about getting mobile users to try AAA games and getting console users engaged when they're not at home. It's about turning cheap laptops or tablets into gaming PCs through 5G. There's a multiplication of mindshare effect when gaming enthusiasts are showing casual friends AAA games on their smartphones that their friends can try on the spot with a $1 trial to Game Pass.

It's why this console revenue stuff lately...it's not that it doesn't matter...it just doesn't mean a lot in the big picture.

Keep in mind that the feedback we're hearing about streaming today...it's running on a significantly inferior infrastructure than what streaming will be done on in the future. 5G is exponentially faster, much less latency, significantly higher data caps than 4G. The real thing could 5 years away from mass market implementation and adoption but 5 years goes quick. That's the dev cycle for some big AAA games.

The risk is - if MS and Nadella are saying console revenue doesn't matter as much in the big picture - then that means they have expectations on revenue in the medium/long term to justify the investment they're making right now. It's almost saying 'console revenues aren't enough'. was the promise/ potential of cloud users what was needed to expand first party? What happens if the streaming market doesn't explode and expand the addressable market a lot?
 

Golvellius

Banned
Dec 3, 2017
1,304
Natellas point is nonsense, and it's obvious because people are justifying it via success vectors. Whatever the hell that means.

Satya Nadella never talks nonsense. If you firmly believe otherwise, the chances are high that something he said hurt your feelings. And why did it hurt your feelings? Because it is the harsh truth and subconciously you're afraid he might be right.
 

RoninStrife

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,002
"We cant reach a hundred million sales in our pancake business, but we are poised to sell 2 Billion pancakes in the future"
 

RoninStrife

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,002
Pancakes, now with the power of the cloud
Im no analyst, but surely Nadella sees the difference between a vision, goal and a proximate objective. I cant understand pie in the sky thinking and actual strategy that gambles results, yet at Microsoft's insistence, it isnt a gamble, or a theory but absolute conviction in what they say. Any other company would be laughed at... especially after they've essentially lost 3 generations in sales.. yet this is somehow their 'iphone", "ipod", "Android","Google" "SpaceX" moment to revolutionize the industry when what they have only had in the past is... Windows Mobile, Zune and the disaster that has been Xbox One sales the last 5 years. Makes. No. Business. Sense. To believe MS... lets just say it must surely be by faith on a religious level, because in the games business, I wont take a single thing they say seriously in this regard.

The rest of MS does great... but the thinking in their gaming division... like a rich kid thats not business savvy trying to make it big.. but no common sense. But hey... it's daddys money being spent, so.
 
Oct 26, 2017
2,541
This is obviously a very risky bet:

If they win, they could be one of the first companies to have a product that targets a market of "2 billion gamers".

If they lose, they will have wasted a gigantic amount of resources, while Sony was very likely laser-focused on their own strengths.

Personally, I think they are too optimistic. There are too many technical challenges and it's unclear if consumers are open to this new business model. But I can see how management at Microsoft thinks it's worth to take that risk.
 

Streets of Rage

Alt account
Banned
Jun 26, 2019
51
Game streaming is DOA, companies will find out soon enough. My prediction is that Microsoft will fail miserably with their strategy for the upcoming gen, and that the Xbox brand will become quite irrelevant in the years to come. Which is unfortunate, because strong competition is the innovation-driver. At least we will still have at least some competition between Nintendo and Sony.
 
Jul 15, 2019
248
As someone who used to own an Xbox one I don't see any reason to go back into the Xbox ecosystem when all they seem to be trying to do is appeal to the casuals. That's just not for me. I think personally once again people are overhyping next generation and overestimating the supposed impact streaming and services are supposed to have.
Let me add that studies have shown that EU gamers have no interest in streaming games, as well as mobile games don't want to spend money to play games. These are massively different audiences Microsoft seems to be trying to appeal to, similar to stadia and it's just way too much overcompensation. I don't think the article and a lot of people are being realistic.

I also would like to add how it's strange and funny that gamers were outraged about the always online DRM thing from 2013.. yet Xbox is going back into this direction with streaming and services and yet they're getting optimistic praise. I am sorry but I guess Microsoft is really good at being sneaky and reforming things. It's just strange and kinda polarizing to me. But once again I think this is all being overblown.

my prediction is that Microsoft gives up Xbox hardware halfway into next gen and focus on just digital stuff and probably become 3rd party.
 
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12Danny123

12Danny123

Member
Jan 31, 2018
1,722
Game streaming is DOA, companies will find out soon enough. My prediction is that Microsoft will fail miserably with their strategy for the upcoming gen, and that the Xbox brand will become quite irrelevant in the years to come. Which is unfortunate, because strong competition is the innovation-driver. At least we will still have at least some competition between Nintendo and Sony.

There's nothing innovative with a traditional console. what Microsoft is doing is very forward-thinking and ambitious. Outside Nintendo when was the last time there was something innovative?

Where does that leave Sony? Sony did request to have MS lend a hand on their Cloud Streaming service while also signalling to improve PS Now, heck even Nintendo is rumoured to be working with Microsoft for Streaming.
 
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MCD

Honest Work
Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,759
MS is still offering the traditional console experience.

Did I miss a streaming only Xbox next gen? What's with all the doom and gloom? Lol

I'm not worried one bit about MS since this gen alone they did things the competition didn't even bother (4k blu ray, backwards compatibility, PC stuff among some other small things).

The only thing I'm worried about are the games since they take years to make.
 

ItsBobbyDarin

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,905
Egyptian residing in Denmark
As someone who used to own an Xbox one I don't see any reason to go back into the Xbox ecosystem when all they seem to be trying to do is appeal to the casuals. That's just not for me. I think personally once again people are overhyping next generation and overestimating the supposed impact streaming and services are supposed to have.
Let me add that studies have shown that EU gamers have no interest in streaming games, as well as mobile games don't want to spend money to play games. These are massively different audiences Microsoft seems to be trying to appeal to, similar to stadia and it's just way too much overcompensation. I don't think the article and a lot of people are being realistic.

I also would like to add how it's strange and funny that gamers were outraged about the always online DRM thing from 2013.. yet Xbox is going back into this direction with streaming and services and yet they're getting optimistic praise. I am sorry but I guess Microsoft is really good at being sneaky and reforming things. It's just strange and kinda polarizing to me. But once again I think this is all being overblown.

my prediction is that Microsoft gives up Xbox hardware halfway into next gen and focus on just digital stuff and probably become 3rd party.
No way. It really depends on the success of xCloud, and even if it is a success, they would never leave the "home market" which is console. Who wants to play Halo 7 exclusively on a phone or iPad, with a latency dump?
 
Jul 15, 2019
248
No way. It really depends on the success of xCloud, and even if it is a success, they would never leave the "home market" which is console. Who wants to play Halo 7 exclusively on a phone or iPad, with a latency dump?
Well yeah.. that's why streaming will fail. But, like I said, if they went 3rd party, you would be able to play halo on any platform.
 
Oct 26, 2017
6,151
United Kingdom
Color me really, really skeptical about the potential market penetration of game streaming with the more casual gaming share that makes up most of those 2 billion people he mentioned.

This... if any of these phantom missing gamers were interested in console games, they would have bought a console.

The real wider market that has since been inaccessible to console gaming companies is in the developing ROTW, i.e. territories where internet infrastructure for game streaming is a non-starter.
 
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12Danny123

12Danny123

Member
Jan 31, 2018
1,722
Well yeah.. that's why streaming will fail. But, like I said, if they went 3rd party, you would be able to play halo on any platform.

TBH, people have said that Netflix will fail, Xbox Live won't work, it won't work until it works. But regarding 70% not wanting Streaming, the remaining 30% of Europeans is a pretty big market alone. Also MS unlike Stadia likely won't force people to buy games to stream, most likely implementation is via Game Pass and stream those Game Pass games via XCloud.
 
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