PS5 May Soon Be Unchallenged by Xbox in Some Regions

To be fair, PS5 is unchallenged in most areas that Microsoft sells Xbox aswell anyway. 😅

Xbox is certainly ceding the console space. Its next launch will be niche but may find some success in that niche. I honestly still think they purchased ABK for King more so than activision and blizzard. Their ideal outcome would be turning their platform into an accessible mobile style platform with gamepass as their more successful and streamlined Apple Arcade. That’s likely to generate substantial income and cut production cost but at the expense of quality and established Xbox fans. It’s a really interesting time to follow games as a business.

I'm not surprised, also it will change little since Sony has been basically unchallenged for at least a generation.

It's funny because I'm actually trading in my Series X today, and will just use my old One S for backwards compatible 360 games. I think this is their last gen

Jez Corden is continuing to play defense for his beloved Microsoft, I see.

There's just no reason to buy a Series console. Microsoft's games underwhelm. They're jacking up subscription prices and dropping acclaimed developers. And the system is an afterthought for numerous developers.

I agree they're largely ceding the home console space to Sony. More money to be made as a software publisher than competing with hardware. I think they'll keep a console option around, but I also think most of their games will go to rival platforms in the future.

PS5 May Soon Be Even More Unchallenged by Xbox in Some Regions

There, fixed it for you.

This is bad. I really hate how far Microsoft has fallen, because when Microsoft was a hitter in the gaming market, they MADE Sony adapt to keep players. More games, better pricing, and they tried NEW things. Ever since Xbox turned into a service, it slowly started killing the quality of the console market.

That reponse from Microsoft is funny

I'd be curious to hear from others with first-hand experience, but Xbox was non-existent in the lexicon of the many people on my Middle Eastern side of the family. If you bought anything game-related, it was a PlayStation or a handheld Nintendo device. Granted, this is just my limited experience, but I also currently know quite a few Middle Easterns that associate gaming purely with PlayStation.

With the next Xbox console rumored to hit market in 2026 and a ‘Nintendo Switch’ like hybrid device it’s possible Xbox could enjoy success like the NS and over take PlayStation. No one could’ve predicted the overwhelming popularity of the NS so in theory it could happen again. Granted Xbox’s first party IP isn’t as beloved as Nintendo’s, but only time will tell.

@Amppari It is amusing. It's typical Xbox corpo non-speak.

@BasedBear Agreed 100%. I play Nintendo more than I do anything else and own all three major consoles. I remember that Xbox 360 forced Sony to make more consumer-driven decisions just like PS4 forced Microsoft to abandon their always online DRM aspirations in 2012. Any company going unchallenged sucks for consumers.

Anyone who thinks this is a good thing is either a kid or doesn't understand how monopolies only mean higher prices and poorer service for customers

>Sony still has plenty of problems of its own to solve: hardware prices keep rising, which is preventing it from reaching the mainstream console audience PlayStation has always enjoyed in the past.

Not really. It's tracking very close in numbers to where the PS4 was at this point in its lifecycle (and that's even with the supply/manufacturing issues over with the first two years), is well ahead of PS3 and will probably sell at least as many as the PS1 did.

So the only Sony console it can't keep up with is the PS2, AKA (still) the most successful console of all time.

@EvilBear Ha, Evil"Bear"

Yes, Ps3/350 era was the best because both companies made hits and had to compete.

I haven't gotten into a main Nintendo console since the Gamecube. I kept updated on the hand-helds until they merged it with the home console, which forces you not to have a choice. Has Nintendo modernized their online infrastructure yet? Are they still tying games to the console instead of the account like they did in the Wii/Wii-U days? That's been keeping me from adding their main console. Well that and how they don't modernize their hardware. Though with how slow consoles have been going in terms of actual graphics (no AI upscaling), they might have a chance to catch up. Generally, I usually enjoy Nintendo I.Ps after taking a break a few gens then returning, because when compared to Sony/MS (Until as of late), they usually don't come out with many new I.Ps. Mainly Mario, Zelda, DK, Smash, Metriod, Kirby, and Pokemon with the new releases playing mostly the same even as earlier ones.

"We just can't sell em"

"Eh put em in that landfill with the Alf merchandise"

With all due respect, wtf is this article?

Yes, the rumor came up several weeks ago but Microsoft themselves have said it isn’t true and they’re not leaving any region at least right now, yet you chose to post this when it was already debunked.

These posts only fuel console wars between the fanboys, just read at the comments, and may I remind you that MS getting out of the console market in whatever way just isn’t good for any PS users, a $699 console with no disc drive that has no direct competition should be indicative enough that we NEED more competition in the console space, and yet there’s people wishing that Xbox cease to exist, if y’all get your wish we’ll get even more expensive consoles, games, services, and more, but for some it doesn’t matter as long as Sony is on top…

I wonder if Xbox will just make games and not hardware in the future?

Google online game service folded just in 2-3 years. Google is as big as Microsoft and even they don't want to keep losing such a large amount of money. Yes GP is more successful but regardless what Microsoft says about revenue, the service is surely bleeding money.

@LowDefAl Competition doesn’t necessarily mean having to also come up with a Pro model and price it cheaper, if MS was more competent this generation and managed to shorten the gap between the Xbox Series and PS5 I would bet that the PS5 Pro wouldn’t have crossed that $699 line, but since Sony is outselling them 3:1 or even 5:1 in some regions they can absolutely price it however they want.

Lets say that in a somehow scenario in 2024 both consoles are neck-to-neck as in the PS360 generation, do you really think any of these companies would introduce a $699 console with no disc drive? What would the reaction to this be back on 2009 if Sony came up with a PS3 Pro?

And again, my criticism isn’t against Sony, but towards the fanboys that keep wishing Xbox is dead without even realizing how MS’ incompetence is already costing us (literally more money), and yet even the author of this post seems to fuel this wish with a rumor that at least right now has been debunked.

With all their money you'd think MS would just accept losses and sell the Series X at $300 or future consoles on the cheap, that would capture the masses worldwide. Then they can think of profit in the long run. Thought that was why 360 sold, an equally powerful console as the PS3 but cheaper.

@TheArt Microsoft didn't get where they are today by not being greedy.

In other breaking news, the Earth is round. Of course, this statement will also have its naysayers and deniers with heads buried in the sand.

@Ralizah “There's just no reason to buy a Series console” Well you can easily get game pass ultimate for free in most regions through rewards. And in a few weeks you’ll get at no extra cost the same game that millions will pay 80 on the ps5.
A lot of first party games are kinda disappointing, I agree, and yet looks like they sold pretty well on the ps5. Guess why? At least at Microsoft they’re developing and shipping new games, it’s not that they’re only focused on crappy gaas and remaster. Speaking of which, ever heard of backwards compatibility + fps boost + auto hdr? Perhaps it’s not the xbox series that is overestimated after all. Not to mention they’re offering an affordable platform with the series s instead of annoying the entire internet with their 900€ console. There are way other reasons but that’s more than enough.

I think outside of the USA and the UK, the only big European country that seems to buy Xbox, I don’t think they sell that many.

However it is a dam shame, if nothing else Xbox console competition helps keep Sony in check.
We all know what they can be like the Sony top dogs and they don’t need any superior being like moments.

@IOI
Totally agree with you, good competition is good for us gamers. This is not ideal for us if Xbox consoles go down.

You have to look at Microsoft’s overall strategy and realise the potential death of the Xbox console is totally down to them 100%.

If you actually paid someone to kill the Xbox console off, they probably could not have done a better job than Microsoft are doing.

I think the series x is a better base console than the PS5, better form factor and things like quick resume etc and slightly more powerful, but the power has never really been seen as Xbox development is for all devices and they don’t micro management their studios.

What was the point to sell CoD earlier then? I'm glad to hear that MS is struggling TBH, three times I tried to play on Xbox, every time sucked. This is a knife with two sides though. If Sony (I love Sony, don't get me wrong) gets the monopole, they're going to do whatever they want....

@IOI people like us that support the whole console industry both know MS already said they aren’t dong this 2 weeks ago. But this is the same site that has wrote more article about Halo coming to PS5 than they have about Ghost of Y, you know the only game Sony has announced in a year. The game that will be cross gen but i digress. PS sites and fan’s have wait at least 12 months for a big announcement from Sony and all Push Square hypes up is a for now fake idea that Halo is coming to PS5. We know it’s for clicks and to hype the console wars. The only true war’s there is between these brands is money and profit in which MS is set to clearly win. Hence Sony scrambled to find a live service game and over paid for Bungie. Let’s have a friendly bet we see another Halo article on this site before anything about Ghost of Y.

@IOI so what is Microsoft’s excuse for releasing a £550 series X?

Hopefully MS keep selling everywhere even if it is low numbers.

@HonestHick isn’t ghost 2 only ps5? So how cross gen? Or are you trying to claim pro is a new gen?

1 in a year? So forgetting Astro bot? And I guess concord?

Pretty sure EG also ran an article on the potential of Halo being in ps5 due to switch to unreal5.

FYI not disagreeing with you, there is a lot of console war click bait. But as with over on PX the only articles that get any REAL amount of comments are ones that are to do with PS.

I guess the one good thing if it totally happens is all Xbox studio games on PS5 as well as all PlayStation studio games and then of course third party games.
This means only having to buy one console and one eco system, which of course saves you about £500 console wise as an initial cost outlay.

Now we just need to get Nintendo on board. 🤣

@HonestHick
How you buddy, it’s all getting a bit heated on this article.
I say this, us gamers are better off with console competition so it keeps Sony in check as they are already getting a bit controlling as they have most of the console market to themselves.

It will be us that suffers in the long run.

Fake news Microsoft already said it's not true. Your a week or 2 late with this news btw🤣

Subscription and streaming is the only way for MS. Nobody is going to give up an existing PS library of games by not getting a PlayStation moving forwards. MS said it themselves.

Well, speaking as someone who just bought his first (and likely last) XBox in the form of a Series X about seven months ago…I’ve actually enjoyed the experience. Gamepass has led me to buy games (for my PS5, amusingly…looking at you, Hi-Fi Rush!) that I normally wouldn’t have, trying the Halo series for the first time ever has been a pleasant experience (I’ve even liked the later games, gasp!) and weirdly the FORZA HORIZON series has made me wish I’d have done this sooner.

And I usually HATE racing games.

It’s a good console. Genuinely. Also been enjoying the backward compatibility which lets me play FF13, Metal Gear Revengeance and the original Assassin’s Creed without needing another console.

That said…I could get rid of it today and be none the worse for wear. Once I play Starfield and beat the hell out of Sunset Overdrive, I’ll be good. Hell, I already let gamepass lapse so I can just play the XBox discs I’ve picked up now.

My PS and Switch are still my go-tos. The series X has been a valued addition, but definitely my third wheel as far as consoles go.

Xbox is pretty much not exist here in Indonesia. We got MS and their Windows but they never officially release / sell Xbox console and games. So, retailers only imported Xbox console and games with very limited quantity from Singapore or Malaysia.

It's just funny that MS has more money than Sony & Nintendo combine but they didn't bother to release their console in many countries.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner there are some rumors going around that Ghost will be on PS4, it stems from the video shown, there was a lot of assets being used from the first game on PS4. It isn’t conformed of course, just like Halo switching a game engine don’t mean it’s going to PS5. I think it’s safe to say most if not all all Bethesda and ABK games will make it to PS5, as they should. But we don’t know anything yet about Gears, Halo and Forza, Fable etc etc etc. i agree with the click bait comment and even on Pure Xbox i try and squash it there to, cause the Series consoles and the PS5 is really good and doing very good for those that want them. Same with the PC, it’s not about where you game just as long as you do game and this industry won’t get on board with that. It’s a consistent bashing of the other brands. Thats sad.

@OldGamer999 i agree but trying to tell that to anyone is just impossible. All they care to do is company bash each other. The good thing is the Big 3 ain’t going no where. We are getting games and more hardware in the future from all 3 even if all the fake info spreading internet cares to disagree.

Not like the PS5 was truly challenged this gen, in every region...
The only real competition was its own availability during the pandemics. Other than (end even in spite of) that, it outsold Xbox around the globe.

However, if Sony keeps ignoring the enrichment of it's first party portfolio the way they are, those laurels won't last for long...
"Fame is a capricious b....ch", don't keep her well entertained and it'll throw you to the wolves when you least expect it.

A website about PS telling how bad goes Xbox, nothing more needs to be said.

PS5 has been Sony's worst generation with games like Concord and it turns out that now is when they have no competition. 🤣

@HonestHick it says everywhere including the PlayStation blog its built for ps5.

So no idea where you heard these ‘rumours’ they don’t show up anywhere.

I enjoy my S and get my value from GPU, so I hope MS continue with consoles as I know for sure I won’t be streaming games until I have no choice!

@PsBoxSwitchOwner built for PS5 doesn’t mean not cross gen. That means using tech not in PS4. I only heard it twice. I think from a business sense it makes sense to be cross gen. But it would be much better if it was PS5 only. Tho i will say a few on this site alone said it looked like a PS4 game. So clearly some have an eye to see it was using assets from the original. Tho that wasn’t meant to be the big take away from what i said, what i said was you would think a PS site would talk more about that than a 50/50 at best chance Halo will be on PS5 or a rumor that MS was pulling Xbox from a region when they came out 3 hours after the rumor started and said not true, we have no plans to do that. Yet here we are with an article on it. Like you can see that is just wrong right? Like there is some thing bad for the industry with these types of journalists. Thats the take away from what i was saying or trying to say. Now if it was true and they wrote the article so be it. It be a fact at that point. I mean there is a rumor out there that Sony has been in talks with Apple for Apple to fund the dev cost and marketing for Sony to bring some of its first party games to the Mac. No one is writing about that, cause why? Cause it is a small rumor at the moment that nothing may come of it. Until it’s confirmed or at least leaked more we won’t hear about that. As it should be, but someone with a X (twitter) account say’s someting about MS and half the internet writes about it EVEN after the fact of MS saying no that’s not happening. It’s just ugly towards the industry. It show’s zero respect for the industry and shows many many of people on this site would like a Sony console monopoly which is next level stupid talk. But may i ask, since you asked me more about Ghost being cross gen, would you be a bit disappointed if it was?

@MrPeanutbutterz Agreed. Sony’s brand is likely at an all time high with the average consumer since they are tracking close enough to PS4 after launching during a pandemic and mass economic downturn after. Lots of people forget enthusiasts who visit sites like this are a small part of the consumer base. Most consumers don’t even realize there has been a drought in the first party, they still see top selling big games with “PlayStation console exclusive” on them.

@IOI im fairly positive that the pro would be the same price if xbox had sold more. at the end of the day , you can still own a normal ps5 and play the same games some one is playing on the pro. its the same as buying a pc with a 2080gpu vs a 4080gpu. you can play the same games , but the performance will be better with the better hardware right ?

@IamJT Yeah I found it such an odd statement, as anyone can glance at the sales numbers and see that the price isn't off-putting to the vast majority of consumers.

And yeah, most consumers won't have a clue about first party stuff. They will however know from their Xbox buddies that Stellar Blade, Rise of the Ronin, Helldivers 2, and FF7 Rebirth aren't on their box this year, so it feels more like backing the winner.

As a related aside, I once worked in GameStop (ugh), and had to argue black and blue with a customer one day that no, he can't have Uncharted 2 for the Xbox because it doesn't exist. That's how uniformed some consumers are lol.

@HonestHick
I think these articles get published and pounced upon because a good few rumours have come true when Xbox is concerned.
And I think nothing would surprise me that Microsoft would do with Xbox.

It’s Microsoft’s approach and every month changing strategy that stoked these articles and rumours.

I mean look at Phil not long ago INDY game is not coming to PlayStation, then we all know what happened a few months later.
This is why these rumours get some credibility, right or wrong, because of Microsoft with Xbox.

@Zemo55 nice try

Let’s all cheer for Microsoft’s demise and celebrate the almighty Sony PlayStation as they move ever closer to achieving the monopoly status wished for by the most fervent of fanboys.

All hail higher pricing, smaller innovation and reduced consumer welfare!

I bought a Series S, mainly for BC of previous gen games. Great value. The thing that stops me from investing more money in their ecosystem is that to me it seems like they are aiming for cloud gaming. I live in rural Norway, there's no way I'll get the bandwidth speed needed for acceptable streaming speed any time soon.

But if the rumored handheld they're working on is an actual console that plays most xbox games, that would win me over for sure.

I 100% agree with everyone saying the industry would become generally worse for all consumers if Microsoft exited the market. More choices = better.

Go-go Microsoft! 😁

Already been unchallenged everywhere for over a decade.

I choose PS5 Fat over than XBOX Series X because I can play tons of 3rd party kids games in physical and Ratchet & Clank games on PS5 + my PS4 games to get better performance. Also, I prefer PS5 Fat machine design with curvy body & White and Black color.

I think it's about time to look at Nintendo as Sony's competitors and not Microsoft.
But i am sure Nintendo is fine to continue to be underestimated as they rake in the money.

This is exactly why I got myself a PC this year.

Microsoft is doing whatever it’s doing and Sony will be going unchecked and will probably bend its customers way over a barrel because it can.

It’s already 3x faster than the PS5 in raw specs alone (not even considering the AI capabilities of an Nvidia 40 series) and will probably still be slightly more powerful than any next-gen console (but at least on-par with them).

The premium console market just sounds like it’s going to be a nightmare next gen. I’d rather just be out of it!

That's kind of interesting, if true - but Xbox can be a little random and difficult to read at times, so I wouldn't give too much importance to this alleged decision...
While there are surely aspects of Nintendo's and Sony's vision that I don't like, I think I have a general an idea of their direction. With Microsoft it just seems they don't have any direction at all or that said direction is changing every other week.

As much as I hate MS, decreased competition is no good for anyone.

PS5 is still unchallenged in the regions Xbox is staying put. But in all seriousness, I've been predicting this exact thing for some time now. There is not going to be a successor to the Series consoles.

Less competition is not a good thing. Somebody (Sega come on, make the comeback everyone wants) needs to step into the ring with Sony and Nintendo.

If Xbox wants to survive they are going to have to be more than just the same as PlayStation but with less exclusives. They should do what Nintendo does and use a blue ocean strategy. I would like to buy Xbox consoles again but I have no reason to because my PlayStation does everything it can do with better games. Offer me something Nintendo and PlayStation don't.

@OldGamer999 keep in mind Phil was asked if Indy or Starfield was one of the 4 games coming, and he said no. Which was true. Then once the game got a release date it got a release date for PS5. I know what you mean about some rumors coming true. That goes for all of the big 3. But when they come out and debunk that claim weeks ago i might add, why is a PS site writing an article on it. That just seems like poor taste. Sorry not trying to defend Xbox or MS they do some STUIPD stuff. But this here is just a bad look to write it in my opinion.

@HonestHick
I think I take it a bit less to heart nowadays.
You know me, I have written some dam harsh things on here and Pure Xbox about Microsoft and Sony but it wasn’t doing me any good.

I was especially so passionate about Xbox, you know I have been with them since day one original Xbox and what Microsoft have done with Xbox now really did get to me.
I wanted and still do Xbox to be Xbox and all its studio games to be Xbox console exclusive, even COD and take the fight to Sony and become an equal to Sony console sales wise.
Both keeping each other at the top of their game.

But now I just think it is what it is because Microsoft doesn’t care about it so why should I, if they want to slowly kill off the Xbox console there is nothing I can do about.
Being honest though, it still hurts me.

@xxk7xx

Some good points about the positives of an XBOX console. Xbox is also getting remote play streamed from the user's own console, finally catching up with SONY.

If I didn't have my library on Playstation and if VR was available on XBOX I might have surfed the same wave as many others getting game pass virtually for free on a cheap entry point with Series S.

Microsoft have basically bankrolled their customers' gaming for years, and yet their market share is too small. That, I think, is why their declineis inevitable and also why it is smart to pivot into the publisher role.

Sony needs more competition.
After the PS3/360 generation, Sony got really humbled, in the early PS4 era. Now they are more arrogant, than ever before...

They never recovered after the disastrous Xbox One reveal and the TV TV TV BS

Then on top of that Don Mattrick don't like X1 buy a 360 also didn't help! But then again this was a man who actually hated the Xbox division and wanted it gone. Microsoft will do one more console and then it will become what it's always been a software company but with added publisher at the end

Gamepass will be on every device it can be on and they'll improve XCloud for anywhere gaming. They want to become the biggest games streamer like netflix to TV shows and content in the next decade I think.

Thus it will be bad for competition in the console industry just look how Sony have turned out to be, another PS3 type attitude with remasteres and remakes to games that no one wants. PS5 really hasn't been that fantastic it's been held back by PS4 and PS6 will or may suffer the same.

It means exactly what MS said. Saudi Arabia isn't going to be getting anymore Xbox consoles right now or in the immediate future. MS will likely support all existing users but they won't ship anymore consoles to the area. My guess is MS is running low on available consoles so they choose an area to drop new consoles delivery to.

@IOI Oh yeah, cause Xbox are just launching the exact same console they've been selling all gen, but no disk drive, no way to add one, and only a 2tb drive being a difference for $600. Fantastic competition. Based on what MS are offering, Sony could put the price up.
Xbox being the 'saver of the consumer' is a tired old drum to beat, and demonstrably untrue.

@Titntin Right? The narrative that Microsoft are some plucky upstart bringing games to as many people as possible is mind-boggling.

If they had their way, discs would have been useless over a decade ago, the console would have always-online DRM, and there'd be an always on camera facing into your living room that the console (which again is permanently connected to the internet) wouldn't work without.

I'm also blue saying that if they had their way, you bet that the likes of The Elder Scrolls 6 would only be available via an 18 month GamePass Super Turbo Champion Edition subscription. Ditto for the likes of CoD.

Microsoft tried to crush the competition by outspending them as they have done in other industries - as that's all they know how to do - but for once it's blown up in their faces. Sony running unchecked in the premium console space isn't a great prospect, but it's still far more palatable than Microsoft getting their way.

Nobody will be laughing when Sony takes full advantage and creates a monopoly of inflated hardware and software prices. We need completion to keep Sony in check. With the console price increases, PS5 Pros high RRP and the controller price increase, we are already seeing the effects.

MS will ultimately will always make more money than SIE with it's strategy as It attracts the more lucrative PC and mobile market. It's console gamers who will suffer with anti consumer polices.

As soon as console prices get in line with PC gaming and cloud/mobile gaming get more advanced, SIE will be in deep trouble. Console gaming is meant to be the affordable alternative to PC gaming.

@Mikey856 yup

@IOI

Well said. Xbox leaving the console space is horrible news for us all.

PS Plus Premium/Extra happened as a direct result of Gamepass.

If Sony is left unchecked, you get the PS3 launch all over again. PS6 at $699 starting price etc

This is actually false news you know. Already been proven and announcement. Quite surprise pushsquare publishing news after it was proven false.

@EfYI Yeah the lack of VR is bad. Platting Wipeout omega and astrobot in vr were my favorite moments from last gen.

“That, I think, is why their decline is inevitable”
If the estimates of around 30 million units sold are correct, that doesn’t look like a disaster, considering especially in Europe there is virtually no marketing. But I agree, this is the image they’re projecting, a company that doesn’t even know what it wants and that tentatively does this or that without a clear strategy.

But when you think that around Christmas/black friday there are probably going to be series s at 250 and lower, that’s the price of three games many are going to buy in the next few months, ie black ops 6, stalker 2 and indiana jones, and they are all free through gpu. I think for those who don’t have unlimited budget series consoles offer great value.

PS and Ninty are the game darlings of the world. And Sony can even afford of bringing a very low amount of first party titles and people still buy the console, even a PS5 Pro where people can play most of Remake/Remasters on. They were the first ones with the 70$/€80 base game price and making their subs a lot more expensive ...

MS Xbox could never afford to do that and when they do, they get a lot of slack, as they should but PS shouldn't get a free pass either. Since the day & date with PC they left the core console space but people like to compare console sales.

With the older PS generations the console had a DVD and Blu-Ray player so they got a big advantage on that but, today as brand they seem to be unbeatable with a head on competition.

For every gamers sake, I hope MS does something special next gen because, if not, we are going to need bigger wallets!

MS needs to do a "Ninty" ...

@GamingFan4Lyf Same. The uncertainty and slow burn release of exclusives this generation prompted me to take the plunge and build a PC for the first time in 15 years. It's now my most played device as I've cancelled subs on PS5 and Series X. Multiplayer gaming is free. Steam, Epic stores etc have insane sales. It's simply a better eco system with more variety and choice for gamers - if you can make that initial investment. Upgrading won't be cheap but I'm glad I'm in, especially with the big console games eventually finding their way to PC. Saying all that, I'd still get a console next gen for physical convenience and single player games if the price is right.

@Pusher2021 What alternative timeline is this? 2K had 80 bucks games first. Sony's subs cost less than Microsoft's (and Premium gives you significantly more content for that lower price). Sony have more first party games this gen than Microsoft (Microsoft had a grand total of zero for the Series X at launch). And I'd much rather play remasters of GoT or Death Stranding than listen to Microsoft say "it'll be out year next year!" for the tenth year in a row.

Microsoft have never really cared about gaming, about what it means culturally, about anything to do with it really. They only ever cared about data mining and trapping people into an ecosystem they can milk for profit.
They had some measure of success during the 360 era, even though the PS3 still managed to outsell it by the end, but that was purely down to Sony screwing up with the PS3 design and launch.
It seems, sometimes, that their only real contribution to gaming has been bringing toxicity into the gaming world.
When they, finally, realised that just throwing boxes into the market wasn't going to work they created Gamepass in an attempt to destroy the traditional gaming market by controlling what gamers had access to and ensuring that they could never own their games so they were subservient to the subscription model.
But even that didn't work so the final genius idea to ooze out of Xbox was to buy all the biggest publishers so they could try and starve any competition. But that didn't work out either. Yet. They're still working on that one.
The ideal world for Xbox and MS is one where no ones owns a console, all publishers are forced onto Gamepass, and they control all the streaming rights to games and players are forced to pay them a fee if they want to play anything.
But that world hasn't arrived, as much as they have tried to make it happen, and now they are doing the sensible thing and retreating from the hardware market, why lose more money on that? The best outcome is that they spin Xbox off as a stand alone company and Xbox becomes a publisher-developer. Leaving the market open for some real competition to rise against Nintendo and Sony.

@MrPeanutbutterz "What alternative timeline is this? 2K had 80 bucks games first. Sony's subs cost less than Microsoft's (and Premium gives you significantly more content for that lower price). Sony have more first party games this gen than Microsoft (Microsoft had a grand total of zero for the Series X at launch). And I'd much rather play remasters of GoT or Death Stranding than listen to Microsoft say "it'll be out year next year!" for the tenth year in a row." END

-No alternative timeline. Digital PS store had €80 long before MS and they even waited for longer to do the same. 2K is a publisher, not a platform holder.

-PSPlus had an + 35% increase! And I do disagree on the Premium content compared to GPU, at least until the end of the year (probably due to owning a large first party collection on PS).

-Not talking about this gen, talking about this year where little amount of first party titles came out (worse couple of SOP's) and the console still sold like candy.

-And if you like to play the same game over and over again with an unnecessary upgrade, more power to you. I don't mind some but that should be a side note to a lot more new IP's!

PSPlus has become better for customers because of Game Pass, you do realize that?

Competition forces better products. Maybe you like to sight of MS failing, I for one, don't have one bit of "Schadenfreude" for any of the gaming companies (since I own every one of them since the eighties = bought for good games). The failing of Concord (probably biggest failure in gaming history) will have consequences for devs and gamers on PS.

And MS not knowing what path to follow lately isn't very encouraging either.

@Pusher2021 "2K is a publisher not a platform holder" is shifting the goalposts.

PS Plus had an increase, sure, but you seem to be ignoring that GamePass did as well, and GamePass is still more expensive. The fact that you have already gone out and bought a chunk of the games on PS Plus says you think the content offered is quality.

Here's the thing, I didn't play the same game over and over again. Never played Death Stranding, never played Ghost of Tsushima. So which one am I gonna choose - the PS4 versions, or the much more performant PS5 versions (that also have more content)? Just because you've played the games before doesn't mean we all have. But if you want to stick with the potato graphics of PS3 Demon's Souls instead of the PS5 version then more power to you.

Doesn't matter that there wasn't many first party games this year. We still got Helldivers 2. We sill got Rise of the Ronin. We still got Stellar Blade. We still got FF7 Rebirth. There's still Lego Horizon to come. Using the same logic of "it doesn't count if it's a bought exclusive" then the Xbox 360 never got Gears of War. Or Forza Horizon. Or Halo.

Consoles are still selling like candy because people jumping into the ecosystem in year four have the first three years of games to catch up on.

I don't like subscriptions, so I think PS Plus is garbage regardless. I buy the games I want, and that's that. GamePass is an absolute pox on the industry. It's bred an entire generation of players to not expect to have to buy games. And it devalues the brand in doing so.

Competition does indeed force better products, but Microsoft haven't been competitors in the console space since 2011. The last decade plus they've just been there.

Surely the failing of Concord (when coupled to the success of Astro Bot) will mean the consequences are Sony realise what they're good at?

@OldGamer999 i take the whole industry to heart. I want all 3 to do well inside their own business approach. That means more games for us and competition to keep them all honest. Well maybe not Nintendo. They get to do whatever they want. I do think Sony and MS will continue to leverage PC and bring their games to more and more places. Consoles no matter how many sold just can’t make enough money for the cost of development.

@MrPeanutbutterz "2K is a publisher not a platform holder" is shifting the goalposts.

We were talking about MS & Sony platforms so the only one who was moving goalposts was you mentioning 2K trying to prove a point. If you don't see the difference between a publisher or a platform holder hiking prices, I can't help you.

I came with facts (objectively) and experience (mine and others). I ended one service because I owned most games I wanted to play/liked.

I'm not only talking about me but about the overall consensus about Remakes/Remasters from last gen and the lack of first party titles this year on PS. But sure try to argue about that 🙄

And what are you even on about/or trying to argue about? Oh, that question was rhetoric!

The Series X console is a fine console, S is underpowered. I just prefer Playstation.

Highly praise xbox for back compatibility which i frequently use. Sadly their news games are unappealing and or extremely underwhelming on release.

Ive had plenty of reward points saved up and really havent spent anything on software on xbox for years with my OG/360/one game in place. Sure there are many like me as well and the low spend of players on xbox definitely making it harder and harder for games to launch there

Well if they stopped focusing on the US so much or actually focused on other regions Xbox would have a chance but no they want the audiences to just jump on cloud or PC or other things and seem to forget oh we hit audience ceilings and go eh but expanding to other regions is too hard.

I'm happy on my Xbox One VCR/One X, I mean BC, CD app/Blu-ray app, Soundcloud than forced to use Spotify. Like the console is fine. Web browser. PS4 has a fair one still, Wii U's isn't good enough anymore nor Vita's.

So Xbox has the apps and things but those aren't enough reason for people to get an Xbox unless they already enjoy having an Xbox or seeking new games not old games. Phones have what people need already then the apps the Xbox has I guess unless CDs or other odd things I haven't' come across yet. So unless first party or some deals with third parties or something else then an awful OS on both Xbox One/Series they share now and wish they didn't then yeah the Xbox is a niche for those that still enjoy the ecosystem.

Else cloud/PC/whatever via mobile. King was the right call for money, whether they have more IPs for them sure but otherwise they have what works so they don't need a Forza/Halo/Gears or other IPs for mobile even though Forza mobile is a really lazy reskin.

I keep forgetting Project Gotham Racing had a cellphone and Android game. So many just pass us by.

Do they want more then Steam, Epic or other percentages? Whatever the business practices, is it too much for them to keep Xbox's in some countries? So they are pulling out, won't bother with more stock? I mean do they want to push to digital/cloud that much more in those countries? Is it even viable or a good idea?

I mean you have PC but don't they want Xbox app users to increase as well? Not just oh people play on PC so oh Steam or others? Like do they actually care or not?

Games with better impact or actually fun game design then just whatever values or boring ideas they have.

The Xbox console is fair it's not that exciting over Xbox One's still fine ways of doing things, I mean what quick resume and a share button......... impulse triggers were more exciting, or worse OS for both One/Series in the history of Xbox I hate it. PS5/Switch just had to have groups then folders because why take from Xbox that you idiots.

But if they want to at least make it a worthwhile experience try harder in the software, make an impact. Reaching audiences is one thing but make the software exciting or actually reach out to other consoles with a product/software solution with cloud/phones/PC or whatever else. It may cost a fair amount but at least make the most of it not sit around waiting for audiences to just not bother joining. Like these companies just don't want to branch out enough it seems.

The 360 was a massive fluke (helped massively by releasing way before PS3), and MS tried to ruin that by changing the menus to be Kinect-forward. MS only joined the console market to be a thorn in Sony’s side and it’s clearly not working out for them. Definitely feels like the beginning of the end for Xbox, leaving console gaming to Sony and Nintendo. MS need to rethink their strategy carefully. If they get their next system out before the PS6 they might have a chance, but only if it’s ready. I doubt making a handheld will work - Steam Deck hasn’t sold a huge number of systems, and the Switch successor will hold the vast majority of that market.

@cuttlefishjones "Microsoft have never really cared about gaming, about what it means culturally, about anything to do with it really. They only ever cared about data mining and trapping people into an ecosystem they can milk for profit."

You nailed it in the head 🤝

Fun fact. Back in 2000, MS tried to buy Nintendo, EA, and Square and all of them said no with Nintendo guys laughed at MS proposal.
https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-wanted-to-buy-nintendo-145746874.html

And yeah i also agreed about what MS trying to do with GamePass is pretty much destroying traditional video game: owning a console and game. I'm glad it doesn't work right now but MS already made two big negative impact for gaming industry: they popularized paid DLC and pay for online play

Its a shame really. It was the OG Xbox back in 2001 that got me back in to gaming - I was in New York that Christmas and would play it to my then girlfriend's grimace as we enjoyed our Christmas getaway - to a U.S. games store.

The 360 was ace too, but they really messed it up with the One, the whole connected all time debacle, the mixed platform of the One, the S, the X. Whereas PS kept it beautifully simple with the 1/2/3/4.

Then the Series X and Series S. Again just the worst names. Bob dad walks in to a game shop and doesn't know what Xbox to buy - go for the Playstation and you just buy the highest number! I know its a lot more nuanced than that; but it just goes to show how they got even the very basics of a name wrong.

PS. If you dont recognise the importance of a name then speak to Nintendo. The otherwise brilliant Wii U absolutely tanked for no other reason than that stupid name - hence 90% of its great games being ported to the Switch and being received very favourably as if it was their first outing in the wild.

I don't think this is any good news.

Without any competition, Sony will keep with their anti consumer business.

But everything is fine until the console stop being king, dies, and everyone goes to PC.