One of either Sony or Microsoft must exit the console space, argues analyst group DFC Intelligence. That’s because it believes there isn’t “room for more than two major console systems” and it doesn’t expect Nintendo to go anywhere.
“Sony or Microsoft will struggle mightily in a distant third place – largely depending on which of those companies can gain early momentum,” the report says of hypothetical new hardware, expected in 2028.
While anything is possible, and we understand analysis like this is based largely on forecasting and guesswork, we find it strange to present an apocalyptic scenario in which PlayStation could potentially exit the market. Ultimately, the PS5 is selling very well – it was the top-seller in the US yet again for November – and Sony’s gaming business is extremely healthy right now.
That’s not to say there aren’t challenges, of course: Nintendo will surely prove a very capable competitor when its new system launches, and the console market has stagnated while software budgets have exploded. But, when you consider just how poorly Xbox is performing globally, we don’t think Sony’s going anywhere.
DFC Intelligence does at least acknowledge this: “A new Sony system should have an advantage because of loyal base and strong Sony IP. Microsoft failed with Xbox Series X|S but has made major acquisitions to become world’s largest software publisher. Microsoft has the option of focusing on software and distribution models over hardware.”
While all of this sounds quite doom and gloom on the surface, there’s good news for the industry after years of slowing sales. DFC Intelligence believes that, buoyed by GTA 6 and the Nintendo Switch’s successor, the sector is well-placed to have a positive end to the decade.
CEO David Cole explained: “Over the past three decades, the video game industry has grown more than 20x, and after two years of slumping hardware and software sales, it’s poised to resume growing at a healthy rate through the end of the decade.”
[source dfcint.com, via videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 107
Sony is not leaving the console market any time soon if their hardware sales are any indication.
Microsoft however...
Agree to disagree, was way more consoles in the late 80s/ 90s , more like 4 with PC gaming etc. Healthy competition is needed to drive innovation
Ain’t saying it’ll happen with the Switch 2 but Nintendo have had disastrous generations after incredibly successful generations before… nothing is written in stone.
Microsoft however… will show us a new understanding of what a console can be: open like a PC, easy-to-use like a traditional console (when using the Xbox surface).
And even if Microsoft doesn’t go this route: I think there will be still enough market left for three console platforms. Let’s hope for a strong Xbox future, I don’t want Arrogant Sony to return.
Let's be honest, it's not exactly a close race between those two in terms of who is most likely to exit the console market. Microsoft is already pivoting away from traditional console business anyway.
Seems like Microsoft is close to leaving the console market already. All their games are playable on PC and a lot of them are now coming to PS5. Seems like only a matter of time before they drop out.
@colonelkilgore I think Nintendo need to name their next console Switch 2. One of the reasons the Wii U didn't sell was because a lot of the more casual audience didn't really understand what it was.
@Dragon83 The fact that non of those other consoles are around now is proof that there were to many back then.
@Max_the_German "Microsoft however… will show us a new understanding of what a console can be: open like a PC, easy-to-use like a traditional console (when using the Xbox surface)."
That's going to be very expensive. Consoles are subsidised because the market is controlled. There's no incentive to do that if people are just going to buy their software on Steam or Epic Games Store or whatever.
@colonelkilgore
Yeah yeah analysts.
My only thing to say is Switch 2 of course will sell well initially and if the release day games are right for me I will be there and the console is powerful enough for what it is a hybrid.
But I’m not totally sure long term.
It’s a different environment now and also there are millions and millions of Switch owners unlike hardly any Wii U owners and a lot of those switch owners mainly general public will keep using their original Switch.
Covid and lock down greatly improved Switch sales, never again please lock down wise.
We shall see but it’s not going to be as plain sailing for Switch 2 long term.
Why does push Square use capitals for the first letter of every word in a headline?
Funny how the Switch flipped the world upside down. 10 years ago Nintendo was being told they need to pull a Sega and just be a publisher and exit the console market.
Pretty sure MS will go fully Sega by the end of next gen.
@BeerMonster thats how headlines are supposed to be formatted
@BeerMonster Because it is a headline. That’s how they’re supposed to look.
Think he's just implying Microsoft has the IP strength for a big turnaround next generation. Especially if cocky PlayStation fumbles next time.
That does kinda ignore the very observable trends currently — namely 'Everything is an Xbox' Microsoft and PlayStation being fairly cemented as THE console for what used to be Xbox's primary market. But, ya know, anything can still happen.
Nintendo is in its own bubble. If Sony has no competition in its space then the PS5 Pro and the current game prices will seem cheap compared to the future this character predicts.
Analysts don't know anything because they can only predict the future from a present perspective. No one knows what the world will be like 3-4 years from now, especially considering how fast the world moves today. That's why I don't make predictions, and why I don't take any predictions seriously.
Let's get a new Sega console Kickstarter up and running, who's with me?
Xbox would be out of here soon good riddance.
@OldGamer999 been saying this for years. Switch is an outlier. It’s the exception not the rule
It’s a terrible report at the end of the day.
There’s no information.
The graphics don’t match the words.
These are the same industry analysts who said that we’d all be playing on Mobiles and not consoles by 2020 😭😭😭
@dskatter @Daleaf Not on any other news website I've ever seen, but ok then.
I wouldn't just assume Nintendo will automatically do just fine next gen either. Let us not forget the Wii U was only a generation ago. They depend heavily on the casual market to pick up their systems because they are usually the cheapest. If that market deems Switch 2 not worth it's likely more expensive asking price...
The Switch was indeed a massive success but let's not pretend Nintendo is untouchable here.
@BeerMonster This is how newspapers and such have written their headlines since printed news articles were a thing. If other sites aren’t doing it, it just shows how far standards have fallen in current day, sadly.
I think Microsoft already has, in a way.
They are clear that their console is just one of possible "xbox"platforms and anything having Microsoft games is considered an Xbox.
I mean... whatever floats their boat. But it seems to be a needless spending of money to keep making their own boxes.
But, i've been saying... Sony and Nintendo will start competing eventually cause they will be the only two left. Which is a good thing. If Microsoft exits the market, there will be less pressure to go into a tech race with high prices.
Nobody is going anywhere anytime soon. The big issue will be the next generation consoles, all the consoles developer need to gain market share. Ultimately it will come down to profitability vs consoles sold, and any big loss can have a huge impact.
Dfc intelligence is on drugs we need all 3 console make.come on dog🤔.that was a stupid statement by dfc intelligence.word up son
@Korgon I agree. It's hard to sell a power upgrade to people who largely don't care about power.
Interesting that this is something said prior to entry into every new console generation. Competition grows the market.
Geez it's like they forget ninty has had flops just as bad as MS or Sony with the ps3 with their gamecube and wii u. And the only reason they were able to keep chugging on is because of their handheld side. Now that they've merged both. If their future consoles were to flop, theyd no longer have a successful handheld line to fall back on. And their handhelds are not immune either considering the 3ds went thru similar controversies and levels of success that the ps3 did
Anyway between ps and xbox I think it's obvious who's the one staying for now. And as much as I largely prefer ps and will likely never game on Xbox ever again. I wouldn't want to see it go. I just wish ms would stop buying up companies lol
@Bentleyma I don't think the real issue with the Wii U was the name, it was that the kind of people who bought a Wii weren't the kind of people who are interested in a Wii 2. More pixels on Wii bowling (with a less intuitive controller)?
The Switch 2 will do better because the Switch has a way more mainstream fanbase. But also my prediction is it's not going to hit Switch figures in the end because an interactive novel doesn't exactly need a beefy GPU. There will be plenty of Switch 2 games that still release on Switch, and for people in that niche they won't need to upgrade.
You can see this with other Nintendo handhelds. The GBA didn't outsell the Gameboy, and the 3DS didn't outsell the DS. If new games still work on the old console, some people won't switch over (see also sizeable base of PS4 users today)
@Unit_DTH trouble is, there hasn’t been any competition from Xbox since two-thirds of the way through the seventh generation 🤷♂️… almost 15 years ago.
If anything, we need more players in the market using more open hardware standards. Eventually well get to a point where consoles are just PCs and run the same games from the same media(ie. buy once and play on any console or pc), then the console makers will have to compete on quality of hardware, accessories, OS, and Storefronts.
Neither will exit. Sony’s console business is healthy, and Microsoft have the money to burn to stay in the game. Plus they’d lose all of their current console audience if they abandoned the market, if only because current customers would rightly lose their minds if they didn’t have a machine to play their games on in the next generation.
Come and love my big log!
this analyst just woke up after a long slumber i assume. xbox has gotten trounced by its competition for 3 of its 4 console cycles and yet here they are, doing their thing. nintendo got trounced 2 of its last 4 console cycles (not including its dedicated handhelds) and surprise, surprise, they are still around and perfoming amazingly well with the switch. would it surprise me if microsoft didn't make a console next gen and focused entirely on software? of course not. that seems like the right decision. but after more than 20 years of 3 direct competitors fluctuating all over the place in the console space, it is absurd to say that there was only room for two players. if that was the case, nintendo would have exited the console space after the gamecube or wii u, right? or microsoft would have dropped out after the x1 generation. sony has been the only console maker with consistent hardware sales 4 console cycles in a row... but even if you are a distant third in sales, you can still carve out a niche and be successful enough to keep things going. if we ever get to a point where nintendo is in a distant 3rd place and only selling 20m units of its latest console, i have no doubt that would be more than enough for nintendo to continue its venture.
sony has dominated console sales the last 2 years up 15% year over year..
@BeerMonster that's how a headline is supposed to be formatted. It's a title! I'm even more impressed that Push doesn't capitalize the words that shouldn't be capilalized. Words such as "or", "to", and "the". Although, in some cases "the" should be stated as "The". Real nerd stuff ova hea!
@BeerMonster ''Not on any other news website I've ever seen, but ok then.''
That's because editorial standards nowadays range from lazy to amateurish. Capitalising every word besides the connecting words such as to, if, of etc. is how it has been done for hundreds of years. I'm curious as to why you were not taught this at school, unless educational standards have also dropped that far.
@colonelkilgore That's kind of what has happened in the last 4 console generations tbh!
N64 - moderate success
NGC - moderate flop
Wii - big success
Wii U - big flop, so much so that Nintendo had to make the unprecedented move to release a second home console during the same generation, in the Switch...
If the Switch 2 is too similar to the OG Switch, there is no guarantee of it being a success..
Uh…huh. It’s making me type more, but this was the entirety of my thought reading that person’s speculation. Uh…huh.
3 is a crowd? Pretty sure Nintendo is a completely different offering
What's the argument? Xbox already has one foot outside the market...
@get2sammyb This model of subsidised hardware, is it still fully intact? I‘d argue that both the Switch and the PS5 Pro are not subsidised, and the base PS5 only a bit if that.
Regarding picking a different store, I guess most people out there would rather buy on Steam at a higher price than going to Epic. It’s the supreme experience. If Microsoft can offer such a supreme (fully integrated) solution, chances are that they will find success.
And if that doesn’t work out: Microsoft can still remove all of its publishers‘ games from Steam etc. and make them Xbox Store exclusive, simple and brutal.
I could see ms going full cloud gaming / game pass system with no disc drive. The crowd that Sony and Nintendo aims for are different enough to both exist as is.
Microsoft's Xbox divison will go the way of Sega but they also have Game Pass which is solid. Lots of people use GP instead of owning a Playstation.
Nah I doubt it
The perfect situation to use the term
bet.
@Jayslow they did exit the console market though, the switch is a handheld & several games still skip their platform
I think Microsoft will exit the hardware market but also think console like boxes running Steam OS are gonna enter the market and become Playstation 's primary competition
Who's this analyst, is it the infamous Michael Pachter who keeps saying home console will be dead like every year?
Man, I wish i work as analyst. Just throw some bs predictions and got paid.
I don’t think Microsoft has said its last word. They own the AI space and it is certainly going to define the next generation of gaming. Not just for graphics and super resolution stuff, but also to create interactive environments that feel alive. AMD and Sony are lagging behind, on hardware and software respectively. Sophie AI in GT7 was a first stone, but I’m sure that next generation games will be all AI driven.
@Max_the_German Yes, Microsoft has been moving in that direction, but I don't think it can work for the following reasons:
1) Windows sucks, plain and simple, and its heavy legacy makes it impossible to fix.
2) Valve is doing the same, but way better.
3) The Xbox PC will either be too weak or too expensive (or somewhat weak and somewhat expensive).
All in all, it sounds like an idea that is as bad as Game Pass. It's the typical death spiral: a weak market position that leads to a bad idea that leads to a weaker position that leads to an even worse idea and so on and so forth.
@Jay767 Why would you want that? Competition is better for the industry.
This analysis is based on what exactly? Its certainly not based on the last TWENTY-FOUR years of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft all competing in the same market. Does this analyst even believe their own analysis - because I do not think they do. This seems like headline making to just stir a pot.
@cburg Xbox isn’t competition anymore dude. Microsoft putting they’re exclusive games on PlayStation now because nobody really buying Xbox consoles anymore.
Goodbye Microsoft! 🫡
XBOX is a dead brand in Indonesia and very irrelevant. Microsoft better turn into 3rd party like SEGA and completely discontinued all their XBOX machines.
PlayStation vs Nintendo is the real competition.
@Korgon Not market just marketing !
Microsoft want to but they are going to go full publisher at some point they've already shown what they want to do that everything is an Xbox.
Get out of the console building market were they make a loss, do Gamepass across everything it can let others build the hardware for you. But the issue they have is they need the industry to be digital for that to happen and that's not happening anytime soon
I know a lot of online warriors have a hate boner for Sony, but PS5 sales show that they are the vocal minority.
People may not agree with this admittedly vague analysis. But why does anyone disagree with its outcome?
Even though anything can happen, this outcome seems pretty reasonable to me. “A third conole will struggle mightily in third place.” I mean, is that really so far fetched? That is basically whats happening right now.
If Xbox doesnt do something radically different and just competes with Playstation in the high end console market head on, i can definitey see the scenario of them “struggling mightily in a distant third place” becoming a reality. Again, assuming Xbox competes in the same way with Playstation.
Most people that have build up their software with Playstation will stay in the Playstation eco system, and some Xbox users will go to Playstation next gen because Xbox is going 3rd party. So yes, this analysis seems pretty accurate as far as i can see right now. Ofcourse we can never know what other moves and surprises the future hold for us.
@Korgon
History has shown that Nintendo has been able to reinvent themselves and have major success time and time again. The WIIU was by no means their only low point at least in terms of popularity. The N64 was incredibly niche compared to the PS1 and the Gamecube compared to PS2 even more so until the WII made them dominate hardware sales again. Even if the Switch 2 doesn't enjoy the level of popularity as the Switch I think they will still find some way to put their tried and true (use cheap and established hardware in unique ways) design philosophy to good use.
@BeerMonster you’re asking the important questions.
@Foxhound That is a simplistic take. Nintendo had portable consoles as well and they have merged their markets.
The Switch 2 will likely continue the portability trend and will undoubtedly be a success just like every other Nintendo portable before, with the added bonus that it doubles as a home console.
I don't know what copium is going on here that the next switch will be anything but a success.
Nintendo would have to do something really dumb like not making it portable for it to even be a risk. But they obviously will not cause they care about the japanese market.
@colonelkilgore
Maybe. But Nintendo can afford it 🤷♀️
I think console gaming has grown up with its gamers. At 5 we had fun Mario, at 15 we had sexy Tomb Raider, 25 violent Call Of Duty, 35 graphic Witcher 3, 45 a bunch of monthly charges for something that doesn’t work properly.
But that’s the problem. Although consoles are for everyone no matter how old they are, they should also be for everyone no matter how young they are. Aside from Astro Bot, Sony hasn’t really convinced families little Timmy needs a PS5 when the games he likes are on the iPad. Xbox hasn’t anything for this demographic. Add this to the fact consoles will be more expensive and you alienate the audience consoles were originally for. This will continue to shrink the market and force someone out.
Game developers need to make games for the audience that is there, not the audience it wants to exist.
What a load of nonsense. I never think much of those "analysts". 12 years ago they said that Gaikai would push Sony and Microsoft out of the console market......Then Sony took over Gaikai. This is just a bit of bravado in the hope that as many news sites as possible will write about it. And that works quite well.
Xbox is already on their way out with the multiplatform approach.
@Nem Nintendo handhelds are successful for sure, but there has historically been a big drop off between each them. The biggest being the loss of over 50% of users between DS & 3DS. While 76 mill is a great number. That's a huge drop off in customers.
Game Boy/GBC: 118 million
Game Boy Advance: 82 million
DS: 154 million
3DS: 76 million
It'll be interesting to see if the new Switch will break this trend.
Another nothing of substance article.@Max_the_German "arrogant Sony?" When I read comments like this I have to ask myself why do gamers still support Sony by purchasing their products and subscribing to a PS centric Web site when they are so down on Sony? It literally makes little sense to me.
At this point you’re knee deep in an ecosystem. Sony customers won’t budge to Xbox because they want to keep access to all their old titles.
Microsoft lost the console war the minute Sony posted that game swapping meme. It’s easier for Xbox players to jump this way than the other.
@dskatter They haven't done it like that, at least not much. Look, here's a BBC article on their site:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgnj7e8028o
And I just googled various newspapers from the 80s and headlines are either ALL IN CAPS WHICH WE ALL KNOW IS ANNOYING TO READ, or written like that BBC headline above.
This analysis simply doesn't understand that Nintendo isn't really a direct competitor to Sony and Microsoft anymore - the Switch exists in its own, separate bubble that doesn't attempt to be the most powerful console in the world. As such, while I might agree that there isn't room for three high-powered consoles, there IS room for two of these plus the Switch. Like many households I would guess, I own one of the two 'big boys' (a PS5) AND a Switch, and see them as very different machines.
Even with the more powerful Switch 2, I don't think the badic equation will change - the next Playstation and Xbox will still be more powerful and cater to different use cases and types of games.
This said, it's not impossible that Microsoft will exit the console manufacturing space in the next 5-10 years (after the next, possibly last Xbox). But if it does, I wonder if some other company might come into fill the gap?
@BrettAwesome you seem to have taken my observation that absolutely nothing in business is guaranteed to be a success, as me attacking Nintendo… I wasn’t.
As an aside though… you know that Nintendo have the least net worth of all three companies right… I mean everyone knows that though right? 🤷♂️
@colonelkilgore And? Nintendo have bounced back before. I can't see the Switch 2 flopping in the first place not when it has years of hype behind it. Wii U never had that.
On the other hand, a PS6 I could see flopping seeing as, like with Xbox, it's becoming redundant to own a Playstation as its exclusives are also available on PC.
@TruestoryYep reading comprehension seems to be in scant supply these days. As I mentioned I wasn’t attacking Nintendo, only pointing out that we shouldn’t just assume that the Switch 2 will dominate as the Switch has. It might but there is no guarantee.
Then my retort about net worth is in regards to @BrettAwesome stating unequivocally that Nintendo can afford a flop… as if its competitors wouldn’t be able to. Well, I’m not so sure that he… and probably you for that matter understand the full financial picture. The actual picture being that… only Microsoft could really afford a flop in the current industry. A flop would hit both Sony and Nintendo real hard these days!
I think Microsoft should probably leave coz I think they aren't doing a good job. But I don't think 3 is a crowd. I think more competition is better. I would like to see a return from Sega. If not Sega, then maybe Valve get in on making consoles. And if they let you play your games you already own on steam, I think would help with sales. But would depend on how good they can make a console.
@colonelkilgore
No, I didn't. I just thought you were wrong. But I might be wrong instead. I just remember reading what a gigantic financial reserve Nintendo was sitting on, so I maybe falsely assumed that Nintendo could afford a few missteps here and there. So can Microsoft, obviously. They just don't seem too focused on remaining competitive in the console hardware market.
Industry analyst…. Hmmmm…. Bold prediction… reminds me of the political analysts in the US that assured the public Kamala would be the next US president…LMAO
@BrettAwesome as it currently stands, Ninty is at about $68bil, Sony at about $130bil and MS at $3.3tril
Wish someone would pay me to make random guesses. If anything MS are the most likely to pull out of the console market. As they're moving more into publishing and getting GP on everything. Saying it's been between Sony and MS makes no sense.
@NintenGuy We will see. But even if that were to happen, it would still be successful since the switch has outsold previous gens except the DS one. The switch is at an eye watering 146m. Even if the switch 2 was a 3DS it would still be about 80m. It will be a success. It would be unthinkable to expect otherwise.
@dskatter Nothing to do with standards. There's different styles depending on who you're writing for (as in, reputable publishing entities, not just entertainment websites).
@LifeGirl
Ironic, because there's different styles that follow different rules and there's no one true correct way to do it.
I'm curious as to why you weren't thought this in school...
This is coming from the same "industry analysts" that got everything else wrong.
@Max_the_German "I don’t want Arrogant Sony to return". I'm afraid they're already here.
That said, M$ seem to have lost all direction in terms of what an Xbox is and all Joe Public is seeing is Xbox floundering and PS5 becoming the dominant console (if the PS4 vs XBone sales figures weren't enough)
Just hope Nintendo come out kicking bottom...
@ThomasHL this is an excellent synopsis about Nintendo’s near future
Whether these analysts are wrong or not, they are being very kind by not just saying Microsoft.
@Nem For sure. We agree about it being successful. While 146 million Switch's sold is really good. Remember during the DS generation Nintendo also had this little thing called the Wii on the market. Wii & DS sold over 260 million units. Even though Nintendo consolidated their handheld & home divisions. The very successful Switch never got close to their peak numbers.
@NintenGuy Well, yeah, but i think the Nintendo home console crowd reduced significantly with the WiiU. So i do think the Switch audience is mainly the portable audience and a chunk of leftover of the home console crowd.
Either way, yes, i still say it's unthinkable the switch 2 will be anything but a success as the portable console market kind of merged with the home console one. The portable side of the market alone will make it a success. If it manages to hit the casual home console consumer like the switch did, then it may rival it.
Actually, looking at it that way, Nintendo did manage to capture it much better than competitors. Sony is only now noticing there is a merged market there and completely gave up the portable side of it until now. They erroneously thought there was a 3D headset side market of significance.
As for Microsoft, no one can really tell what they are thinking. Their console market is crashing. The series models have sold 30m and YoY are on sharp decline. They seem to think their game pass service is the new platform or anything that has a microsoft studios game. I call that third party though.
@colonelkilgore
Yes. I saw that. I just think Nintendo are less at risk, because they focus on so few products. SONY make receivers, TVs, speakers and such. Of course I don't think either company have any intentions of leaving the console market. But Nintendo won't be anywhere near bankruptcy because one console fails. Even by the time of the N64, they didn't do too hot. Neither did the gamecube. They've always been a bit hit and miss, but always recoup their losses in the end. Same with Ninty stock. They always bounce back.
@BrettAwesome yes but the industry is way different now… hence all the lay-offs these past two years. The industry really is on a knife-edge atm, with no margin for error. I’m not saying that the Switch 2 won’t be a success… I’m sure that it will. All I was saying was, is that nothing is guaranteed but any perceived negativity (perceived being the operative word as I wasn’t actually being negative) towards Nintendo causes people who struggle to comprehend the written-word to activate.
@Max_the_German From what I gather, Mocrosoft brass aren't super pleased with the gaming division's spending with such a long time until they see any ROI.
I think we are already seeing Microsoft's strategy be put in place piece by piece. They are improving the infrastructure needed (up and down the stack) to support putting their games on any device with wifi.
They are going to put far more capital into those investments over hardware development. They will not truly exit the hardware space, but they will adopt Microsoft's broader strategy of producing halo devices for their tech and not expecting a massive place in the market (see: Surface). Any real share is just bonus. The goal is to show other hardware manufacturing partners how to fully utilize their software at a baseline level.
They'll create "Xbox by Microsoft" hardware as we know it. But they'll ALSO let partners create "Xbox by [enter manufacturer]" devices. It'll be more like what Valve tried with the Steambox years back (and where they seem to be going with SteamOS on handhelds).
They can then just focus on making better game UI software than Valve (or trying, at least) so it can go on numerous device types, and improving their support for third party publishing. It's the only way they can REMOTELY hope to make their money back from their spending spree.
It's naive for a market analyst to predict Nintendo's future success as given. That was not the case before Switch. That will inevitable change again.
Having said that, as long as making consoles profitable, no one has to exit the market. Not everyone wants to become a monopoly platform. And speaking of market share, one could predict that console market is done for, thanks to mobile.
@get2sammyb I think the counter to the subsidized software vs other storefront arguments is that MS don't actually care that much about ala carte purchases (on their own eco-system). Because their going to suck dry the PS base (at full-price). Microsoft's entire business strategy is dominance, subscription - and own nothing.
The difference from Microsoft's other core businesses, at the moment, is that for third party, you can buy the same game elsewhere. That's why MS has been buying up software devs/publishers - so eventually, the dictate as much of the market as possible (eventually). Though I personally think it's a very different situation to pumping out no-different MS Office variants.... but time will tell.
I also think there's a significant misunderstanding of the market... GTA6 isn't going to raise spending on other games necessarily... it will tend to suppress spending (once GTA online kicks in). Thankfully there's a lot of quality games that are coming out in 2025... then again, GTA digital sales will definitely help Sony and MS storefront revenue.
@colonelkilgore
Right. Thanks for the clarification. Yes. The paradigm shifts are evident. Astro bot winning goty is symptomatic.
Hopefully MS leave the hardware market, it's obvious they know they can't compete with either Nintendo or Sony. They look more interested in the software side which is good. The way things are going Xbox exclusives will be coming to PlayStation eventually.
3 is not a crowd in a free market. Just sounds like bs and pushing someone interest for two console companies.
We as gamers should have as many choices as possible and also competition is important.
I think the console makes sense, expensive but a more limited production device not just because of the smaller audience
But for the audience/features that dedicated audience wants it's still there, if an audience doesn't care for the games, back compat, Microsoft store, quick resume and otherwise they can access things any other way.
The others open up possibilities to offer software like Office does, put it on anything, access games through an app/screen/internet or a web browser.
Put Windows for ARM or in any other hardware format possible as well.
There are no rules saying it can't be done just because Sega did PC/Saturn doesn't mean it can't be done it's just Sega couldn't hold on to do it.
As if Microsoft games weren't on the Gameboy Color/GBA, of course they were anyone that's done their research knows those PC entertainment packs to 360 games on GBA/DS by Rare.
Microsoft can and puts software on anything so people use it, if can't have Java well MSJava, if can't have Netscape Navigator, offer Internet Explorer, always finding a way, so why not 1 audience for consoles, other audiences for phones, TVs, anything with a screen/internet and an app. It's not that hard. In a world with many companies devices, put the software app on any of them. It's really easy for them to do it.
The problem is their games/marketing, the games lack appeal and want to play, the marketing is too service focused and no one really wants to play the games enough, they can go to PlayStation sure and Sea of Thieves did it but not ALL really did much because of the types of games offered and what they offer of a social/gaming/MTX and so on experience. Blame audiences stupidity of manipulation and of want for the new norms and lack of aware/game quality levels are so low.
They don't have old game reference like many of us do so they suck it up.
If enough theme/artstyle or social appeal then people are stupid enough to crowd follow because they don't think.
Moving games to other platforms is fine but at the same time doesn't change much if the want isn't there.
They make more money with a console game sale or cloud because they don't have to give a cut to Steam/Sony/Nintendo/elsewhere (obviously on other platforms even the cut isn't enough but the percentage part not the 'actual' for the sake of clarity yes other platforms besides the cut they do sell better in audience access), while with Android/iPhone of course the storefront options then the Apple/Google cuts or a app/store to be treated differently.
The competition/cut of sales fight it is.
Well we all know how that's ending.
@Jayslow Nintendo had a a terrible console before the Switch and Nintendo if they stop making consoles then there would be no more Nintendo. I dont own a Nintendo console since the SNES but if one company needs to stay its Nintendo.
@Bentleyma To be fair it was a terrible confusing name and the controller gimmick was not that great.
Microsoft has all but left the console market already. Xbox Series consoles were DOA.
While I am glad MS is going console agnostic, they already said there will be a new xbox. As long as they make their controller ad BC content, they can have my money. I just want Sony to stay invested in PC.
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...