With A Dominant PS4 & Resurgent Nintendo, What Can Microsoft Do To Maintain Its Niche In The Market?

PS4's domination continues, and the Switch is far more successful than anyone imagined. Where does that leave Microsoft?

[Zero_Suit_Samus]

"With A Dominant PS4 & Resurgent Nintendo, What Can Microsoft Do To Maintain Its Niche In The Market?"

Nothing. Microsoft have no comparable games to what Sony and Nintendo have to offer. Nothing even close.

[Overload]

Microsoft will do what they have done pretty much all gen, sell hope and under deliver.

[XtraTrstrL]

Sums up Gears of War 4 pretty well.

[notachance]

I've had enough with MS last gen, the XB360 later years were pretty painful to remember... while PS3 was churning exclusives left and right the 360 was like dead or something, pretty much only supported by 3rd party multiplatform games...

XB1 is still getting by right now in NA/UK only because people have friends on XBL, rest of the world where the XBL is a barren wasteland and we pretty much have to decide which console based on games alone?
I'm sorry, even the most hardcore XB fanboys know it won't get any marketshare with that pathetic games library...
cry all you want, you know it won't get any decent sales here with those meager titles. graphic? eat sh*t

[SideNote]

Whee are all these down voters coming from. I think some salty xboxers have multiple accounts or something. Very strange.

[notachance]

it's the sequel of inappropriate army from before I guess

[Cap_Mush_FTW]

"Niche market" BAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA... oh wait you're serious... but i guess this type of title is spot on for this wretched hive of scum
clickbait harder pls. it's working

[Ceaser9857361]

salty xbox fangirl with multiple accounts... Jeez! they got time to do such stupidity ... :D Keep the down votes coming haha!!!

[pinkcrocodile75]

@MadPandaSkill

OK I've got to ask this., I need to be absolutely clear on the dominance of games.

Sony has some nice games, we even have a few in the house here.

HZD (silly title) was gorgeous and I know there is God of War 4, Some Detroit game that will be arrive at some point and of course there is a rehash of Crash Bandicoot and GT Sport.

Then there are Marketing deals on Destiny2, Call of Duty, and RDR2 and finally a bunch of Japanese game most of the western world don't buy or care about (If you hadn't guessed, I hate Japanese games with every fibre of my being).

OK, so my question is this.

What AAA game have Sony definitely, absolutely without any shadow of doubt announced and confirmed will be released by 31/12/2017 at this point in time.

Just want to know for sure.

[LexHazard79]

Just like the PS4 Pro is under delivering. Hows that Vita or PS Vue doing?

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Yet people still buy them. In fact 20-30 million people have.

Xbox Live is larger and more profitable than PSN.

I think they need to double down on what they are actually good at while taking more risks.

[UCForce]

Sure, MS have more money than Sony. But they are scared to take a risk.

[RosweeSon]

With half the amount of users I find that hard to believe the fact that my mate and he's blatantly not along game shares so him or his mate buy the digital version and they can share it. Sounds pretty cool but don't talk dribble they have well under half the amount of Paying users they used to last gen so how is that more profitable. Specially with digital games being shared.

[Aenea]

Go Google for the actual number of users of both and realise you're wrong...

[RAM0N]

I have it, it's just collecting dust btw

[_-EDMIX-_]

I completely agree with you but not a lot of people are really saying people don't buy them, simply that this company has performed better than this in the past this generation as a publisher this might be one of their worst performances.

Of course they are absolutely should not change what they do really well that is never really been there problem ,Microsoft's problem has been hesitation to actually take any risk this company has played it safe for a very very long time even when you look at last generation game series like Gears of War and Mass Effect are not even legally owned by Microsoft yet Microsoft had no problem publishing those games in making deals for something they didn't even own which there goes to show maybe they did not have that much of an interest to actually truly invest.

That is something I believe needs to change they cannot skate by and it's very clear that a large portion of the Gaming Community sorta has understood this.

Microsoft needs to build more Studios and they need to start making real firm commitments towards gaming cuz it sounds like this company does not feel that comfortable about their future if they're not ready to actually we really start making strong series for the future.

There is no reason why they're leaving Sony to create all these brand new series

If Microsoft has more money than Sony been clearly that can not be the issue this is deliberate in their essentially choosing but not invest in the industry it is something extremely questionable.

[LexHazard79]

@Aenea and Rosewee.

You guys have to take into account that Xbox 360 mp gamers are paying for Xbox Live. PS3 gamers dont need PS Plus to play online like PS4 users. Theres also apps not behind paywalls on PSN like Xbox Live so not all PS3 gamers are paying for Plus.

So you have the Xbox 360/Xbox One owners against primarily PS4 install base. Thats why MS Xbox Live is more profitable than PSN.

[rainslacker]

"Xbox Live is larger and more profitable than PSN."

I'd like to know your source for this claim.

MS has more subs due to being available on more platforms, but one can presume that those with PSN accounts, the paid ones, as well as the free ones which might buy digital, would out number MS in terms of active users who actually spend money. Considering Sony increased the price of the service to be on par, I think that PSN may actually be more profitable.

Unless you're adding in Windows store revenues, then maybe it's a different story.

Anyhow, I'm not sure how you came to your conclusion, because as far as I know, Sony has never disclosed how much they actually make off of PSN.

[XanderZane]

Nintendo Switch has about 25 games. XBox One has over 1100 + over 350 XBox 360 B/C games to play. So saying nothing comparable is pretty much a joke.

[Silly gameAr]

Why count BC games? Is that to pad the numbers?

[Gaming4Life1981]

Yea the switch sucks right now games wise and will probably continue to suck until Mario oddessye comes out. Hopefully MS has some new game announcements for e3 as well as release dates for games already shown. As for sony I'm not really worried, I'm sure they will have lots to show with ff7 remake coming out this year.

Either way I think Sony and MS e3 will be great but I am worried about what nintendo has to show. Nintendo will have a e3 showing this year right?

[arkard]

Nothing comparable in the exclusive department. If your one and only genre is dude bro shooters, Xbox is definitely for you. If you crave a little More variety, you should look elsewhere

[Goldby]

Did Xbox release over 120 games this last month? Or are you just seeing what moldy puts down and take it as fact.
Ms website states 979 games

[RosweeSon]

1450 games and barely 5-10 worth talking about and most are contained with Rare replay 👍🏻

[UCForce]

I seen you making pathetic excuses. That's not cool, buddy. It's about exclusive, not backward compatible.

[XanderZane]

@Silly gameAr
No one else seems to be able to count B/C number though. Even without B/C they is still have way more games then the Switch. So your point is pretty much pointless.

@arkard
Yes.. I do crave some variety, that's why I own multiple game consoles.

@UCForce
It's not just about exclusives. I think Nintendo can educate you on that fact. Wii U was nothing but exclusives.

[Bathyj]

Xbox Niche.

It's not a great game but it's accurate. And probably better than whatever stupid name they come up with.

[LexHazard79]

Well im including Xbox Niche in the stupid names list.

[Bathyj]

Stupider than Xbox One? I doubt it.

[GTgamer]

dang they say this site is filled with sony fans but them 300+ downvotes says otherwise

[LexHazard79]

Popular vote don't count.

[rainslacker]

On the plus side, making all those hotmail accounts to create new accounts here helps boosts MS engagement numbers because of all the active users it adds.

[3-4-5]

I own all 3. I've not played my XB1 much in the past 6 months. There just hasn't been much motivation to and not much to look forward to as well.

I still love the controller and smooth online so I'll still play a few games for it, but my PS4 & Switch will have so many more appealing exclusives to play that most of my time will be there.

* My one big decision for XB1 in the next few months is.....Do I play Destiny 2 on XB1 again, or do I switch over to my PS4 to play it this time.

I like the XB1 controller better for longer gaming sessions, but it would probably look a bit better on my PS4.

* Microsoft needs to stop catering to "mega douche" guy, and get back to the average gamer.

They catered to the "hardcore" FPS & Sports online gaming crowd and those contain some of the least liked people in all of existence. Tons of trash and trash talking....Some really good people though too a lot of the time...it's hit and miss.

But yea they pushed away Strategy & RPG gamers for sure and fans of Japanese developed games....of which there are a ton.

They just keep making bad short term and long term decisions as I don't think anybody at the top their aside from maybe Phil and one other person really has a clue about gaming as a whole.

They are too out of touch with what is actually "good". They kind of have poor taste....not just them....Sony gets a sprinkling of it here and there too.

[Eonjay]

With all due respect why is the Switch's success a surprise?
I thought it was blatantly obvious that Microsoft announced Scorpio early to try and upstage Nintendo. Microsoft is getting demoted to 3rd place like last gen. There is nothing there but false bravado and you can't play that on your Xbox. They need to make games the focus. Right now the focus is Phil Spencer and uncompressed pixels.

Surprised? Really?

[MrSec84]

To be fair Switch didn't have any major releases you can't get on Wii U before June, plus the system lacks any major AAA 3rd party games.
Switch is also not that much more capable from a technical perspective than Wii U, but it's also more expensive than PS4 or XB1, with considerably weaker specs. That didn't bode well for it's value prospects.

Seems that the on point marketing of Switch, along with being able to play the best versions of Zelda BoTW and MK8, along with future exclusives coming this year and tight indie support has kept momentum up in the run up to E3.

[Godmars290]

When were they ever 3rd place?

With the original Xbox they were a few million ahead of Nintendo, where the 360 became the contested leader of its gen while the Wii got discarded by the gaming community. Right around the time it came out and blew out sales numbers - go figure.

@MrSec84:
All the Switch really needs strong 1st and decent 2nd and 3rd party support. Activisin and EA my dominate 3rd representation because of the FPS crowd, but that's on the decline. A solid supply of casual titles should be all they need.

[The_Sage]

I'm not sure where you're getting your numbers. Last gen the Wii was well ahead, nevermind the fact that it was cheaper and fadtasic (patent pending) The PS3 came in 2nd despite a much larger price tag than the others, and the 360 having a year head start, and the Xbox was in last place. The original Xbox was trounced by the PS2 which led by an embarrassing margin.

[Godmars290]

@The_Sage:
Again, most dismissed - excluded - the Wii from the race between the PS3 and 360. The same kind of mentality that had the original Xbox trailing well over 100 million behind the PS2 yet kept calling it a solid #2 because lead the Gamecube by 2 million.

The 360 had over a year's lead, a price that between multiple SKUs and overpriced HDD should have been questioned, RROD and carpeting banning of systems messing up numbers, yet was called its gen leading system. Again nevermind that really only applied in the US or that it saw a shrinking gap in its lead.

Make no mistake: I am in no way defending Xbox - as many here will confirm I never do - just repeating what others have said and insisted are facts. And the fact is that if certain other facts are ignored, the Xbox has never been in 3rd place.

Likely would have properly crashed and burned after monumental mistakes happened with the original Xbox and MS hadn't eaten the costs where Nintendo ruled and had the 3DS to make up for the Gamecube, but Xbox has never been in third place.

[Kribwalker]

@thesage
Based off the last official numbers given by both Sony and MS, the PS3 was third place. Official numbers have the PS3 in 3rd place. Ms hit 80 million before the PS3 did, and ms announced 84million in June 2014 while Sony combined the vita, PS4 and PS3 numbers to 100 million in July 2014. Neither company has given numbers since then. So please, as everytime this comes up, provide me with official numbers (the statista site is VGchartz,it states it at the end of the picture). No one has ever been able to

[AmUnRa]

Disturbing the way of your thinking is.

1. The xbox was third in the first generation
2. The Xbox360 was third the second generation
3. The Xbox One is to be last third generation.

And i'am talking about WW not only the USA

[Kribwalker]

Amurna
The OG Xbox sold more then the GameCube and dreamcast
There is nothing official that puts the PS3 ahead last gen
The wiiu is way behind the Xbox this gen.

[XanderZane]

Switch is 9th gen and is actually beating everyone right now in that generation. The Wii U finished in 3rd place in the 8th gen.

@AmUnRa
XBox can't be last in 8th gen as the Wii U is already last and is no longer being sold.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Its third place because the lack of revelant, diverse portfolio maded with their own two hands.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Could it just be the Switch is new and that people are waiting on Scorpio. Your theory doesn't make sense when most of the top 10 NPD are multiplats.

[UCForce]

How about Persona 5 ? That game was 2nd list on NPD.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

I said most of the top 10. In fact #10 is XBOX BC.

I guess you can't read.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

You're right most of the games on the list were multiplats. However, two of the top ten games were PS4 exclusives and most of those multiplats sold more on the PlayStation 4.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Persona 5 was number 2 and MLB the show was number 4 this past month and looking at just the PS4 platform almost half the list was exclusives with four of the top ten being persona 5 at 1,MLB the show at 2,horizon zero dawn at 4 and the kingdom hearts collection at 6. So what point were you trying to make exactly?

[PhoenixUp]

When did NS sell more than 30 million

[Eonjay]

When did Xbox One? The last official word was 3.1 million in January 2014. There is no evidence that Xbox ever made it to 20 million. We only have assumptions and 30 million is at the high end of that.

[PhoenixUp]

We've already had reports that put it above 20 million so let's not even pretend it hasn't crossed that threshold yet. VGC estimates will have XO closing in on 30 million by the end of May 2017.

That aside there's still no reason to say XO is somehow in third when it's still sold more than NS

[Kribwalker]

@eonjay
Exactly. Just like the assumption people have that the PS3 sold more then the 360. As the last official numbers from either camp had ms hitting 80 million before the PS3 and 84 million before Sony gave a PS3 vita PS4 combined 100 million. So officially, the 360 was ahead of the PS3. Finally someone is admitting to assumptions not being truth.

[XanderZane]

When did Nintendo Switch become 8th gen? lol!! It's not, yet fanboys keep thinking this.

[kickerz]

How the hell is xbox in third place? even if xbox only has sold 20million its still alot more then switch. Ohh i forgot your only 10yrs old. You havnt learnt basic maths yet. Aswell as the 16 kids that agreed with u.

[chrisx]

Ps4 and Switch the best combo. With those you are good to go

[Patriot4Life]

Other than Zelda and now MineCraft what other great games have you played on the Switch?

[Overload]

They're all playing Mario Kart.

[Ashlen]

Switch released a month ago and it has already had more exclusives than Microsoft has had all year. And by the end of the year I bet Switch will have still had more exclusives than Microsoft.

[notachance]

still better than MS tho

[jznrpg]

Xbox1 been out for years and nothing has been coming out for it all year. Nintendo has more games and launch is usually barren , what is Xb1 excuse for no games the past 5 months

[Gaming4Life1981]

The switch only has zelda that is saving it's life, people counting old ass games for a brand new system really hurts my soul. I can't believe that people think that nintendo is doing better than MS and I'm fan of Nintendo's Wii u exclusives and zelda on both systems.

I'm not shocked to see die hard nintendo fans backing them cause they have been doing that since 64 but to see Sony fans backing them is funny but they would rather love nintendo than admit that MS is doing anything good.

Let MS launch a system with 3 games and then come out with slightly upgraded last gen games and 1 game a month. The internet would explode........

[Sono421]

Translation for everyone not drinking the Nintendo Koolaid: After Nintendo Switch owners beat the one good exclusive game it hasso they bought a 4 year old game at full price just so they have something to play on their new system. Whats funny is Nintendo fans will happily mock Xbox owners for playing these backwards compatible games because "they have nothing else to play" but don't see the irony when they buy a 4 year old game and then play that. It's the exact same thing.. playing old games, but at least with backwards compatibility you don't have to pay full price for it again.

[deafdani]

Fast RMX in my case. :D

[freshslicepizza]

@chrisx
"Ps4 and Switch the best combo. With those you are good to go"

The PC and Switch are probably the best combo actually. Most of the games on the PS4 can be played on better hardware with no online fees, along with the best option for VR, and Switch offers a unique way of playing games on the go. But again since this site is mostly driven by Sony fans they will continue to promote them far above anyone else at the expense of Sony's true competitor, the Xbox.

[tyasia0]

Well then I guess Scorpio is utterly pointless since every game for it will also be on PC and with the best VR option.

Your delusional, as a PC gamer I own my PS4 specifically for the exclusives and the shelf next to me that's filled with dozens of PS4 only games lets me know I made the right choice when it comes to consoles.

[XabiDaChosenOne]

If we are counting the 1000+ multiplats than your point is moot because the majority of those games are shovelware. As opposed to the majority of in house/third party exclusives which are not shovelware because of stricter quality control. Your argument is weak. Give it a rest.

[Why o why]

Definitely a Microsoft employee, either that or sponsored by...... This guys is sooo easy to trigger. You could state the ps4 is the best console with the most games and he'll find an argument to refute it.

He doesn't understand or hasn't accepted the Xbox lost 'some' of its relevance the moment MS decided to dilute its exclusives with its more powerful older brother the PC. Sony on the other hand has continued to value the worth of exclusives and are reaping the benefits. Yes, some console exclusives are on pc but sony has a good balance of true exclusives and console exclusives as not to devalue the console itself.

Don't change moldy...you bring character and entertainment to N4G

[Goldby]

I didn't know you could download, install and play Last of us, uncharted, blood borne all in their native resolution of 1080p

Best combo is a ps4,switch and pc for gaming experiences.

[Bathyj]

Well not everyone wants or cares about PC gaming. I recently acquired quite a decent PC for work purposes as I need good graphic output, but i don't intend to game on it at all. I just doesn't interest me. Not knocking it, it's just I, like many gamers prefer to get my game on consoles and its kind of pathetic that you need to resort to big noting PC in your futile attempt to downplay PS4. Give it up.

And aren't you sick of playing the this place is full of Sony fanboys card? Gaming in general is dominated by Sony fans in case you haven't noticed from the sales. Get over it. I guess when you only game on Xbox playing the victim is all you have to play for the first half of the year. Sorry to other genuine fans of Xbox for resorting to that, but this clown drags it out of you.

[Razzer]

Bathyj...he lives to whine about that shit.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

I'm sorry I would take the PS4 exclusives any day of the week over the steam green light garbage on pc. It's no surprise you would say that because you're ms biggest cheerleader on here but it's time to come back to reality and deal with the Xbox having no games to play and nobody but diehards really caring about it anymore. hell I have an x1 and couldn't care less about it it's an expensive paperweight collecting dust. I understand people choosing the switch to combo with PS4 because of the portability and knowing that it will have plenty of high quality exclusives in the future unlike Xbox but besides you being a ms cheerleader there's no reason to choose pc over PS4 games wise. Oh and it's funny how you try to call out people and say their lying about gaming on pc when taking about playing ms exclusives yet here you are trying to cheerlead pc because you see nobody talking about pairing switch with Xbox or PS4 with Xbox or pc with Xbox which that last option would be redundant and it kills you. Quit being a slave to a piece of plastic and I promise you'll start to love gaming again.

[ninsigma]

And miss out on the PS4 exclusives not found anywhere else?? No thanks! Ps4 and PC is the best combo and once Switch gets more games it'll make a trio.

True competitor, lol
Xbox has competed since the beginning of the gen.

[DigitalRaptor]

@ Why o why

"You could state the ps4 is the best console with the most games and he'll find an argument to refute it. "

Or... you could state your excitement about the PS4's upcoming lineup of games, and have him come into the topic and attack you for saying something so monumentally egregious (which is what happened). And look at this clown being triggered here by somebody stating their opinion and having to refer Sony fans as enemies and Xbox as some kind of victim.
-----

@ bathyj

"And aren't you sick of playing the this place is full of Sony fanboys card? Gaming in general is dominated by Sony fans in case you haven't noticed from the sales. Get over it."

Exactly - what community that isn't platform-centric is not Sony dominated these days? He just has an axe to grind, despite hating the console wars, so he won't get over it.

[Kribwalker]

I disagree. How you would you be able to play great classics like the witcher 2 with those 2? What about the best arcade/sim racing game this gen in Forza Horizon 3? The best combo would be all three, but if not, I would go Xbox and switch, then use my crappy old laptop to stream PS4 games through PSnow

[AmUnRa]

Do you really mean that?? Than my dear xboxfanboy, your lost.

I can play 3 year old games on PS Now...
I can play THE NEWEST Xbox one games on the PC.

So what now?🙄

[LexHazard79]

Oh no, you cant have Xbox in the equation with these fanboys!! They run the site. They'll stuff Playstation down your throat til you pop!

[rainslacker]

After all the crap you've said about streaming games, you're now OK with it just to play the PS4 games?

Kind of ironic that you'd still stream the games just to get a chance to experience but think the PS4 isn't worth it. Paying more for the game to play it to completion as opposed to just buying the system.

I say if one can own them all, sure, go for it if they have the desire. After buying the X1 though, I've come to the conclusion that just owning a console to have the chance to play a game once in a while isn't worth it. Maybe in the future when it becomes a retro console, and I can pick up all the good stuff at once, but my days of buying almost every console on day one are over. At least when it comes to MS, because I can't trust them to continuously provide content. They have some good stuff in there, but 2-3 compelling games doesn't make it worth buying a console over. This is why I don't have a Switch now. Not because I don't trust Nintendo, but because I want to make sure that it will have content for the long term...something they dropped the ball on on the WiiU IMO. Then we have the Vita which I have a lot of games I want to play on, but I was sorely disappointed in Sony's support of the system.

[LexHazard79]

PS4 Pro and Scorpio for me...

[XanderZane]

That's all I'll need for at least the next year or two. You'll be able to play all the best PC games on both of those without having to shell out $1000+ for a proper gaming PC. Once the Switch gets about 15+ exclusives it'll probably be worth a purchase then. Don't need anything else.

[Bigpappy]

Release The most powerful and advance console ever?

[Ashlen]

Without a software lineup to back it up?

[hahaha]

Back up with bc xbox360 games.

[tyasia0]

@hahaha

Back up with bc xbox360 games.

I assume you forgot the /s...

It's a joke to ask people to spend $500+ on the "the most powerful console" to play games that run on a nearly 15 year old console.

[BIGBOSS08]

360 games in 4k!

[nineby9]

It's a chap pc firewalled behind xblive. Enjoy it lol. You're welcome.

[rainslacker]

@BIGBoss

Yeah, but it's that fake Chinese 4K that Xbox owners despise. MS is about to really piss off their user base when they start upscaling 360 games into 4K. Upscaling is the devil!!!

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

I don't think Microsoft or the author have been paying attention for the past 5 months. Microsoft needs to offer a wider variety of GAMES!!!! Not just multiplats and 2 or 3 exclusive games during the holidays.

[demonddel]

Microsoft will deliver at E3

[Majin-vegeta]

If I had a dollar for every time someone said "Wait for E3"...i would have that many dollars🙄🙄.

[ILostMyMind]

How do you know? Because Phil Spencer promised on Twitter?

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

What do you think they will deliver? I'm guessing some exclusives that they announced in 2014, marketing deals, Scorpio, vr, and nothing new in terms of IP's.

[notachance]

man I'm tired hearing that phrase every single year

[Araragifeels]

Maybe show new games that is coming out in a couple of years and probably delay some

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Fanboys say that before every e3 just to leave disappointed after e3

[trooper_]

Wait for E3!

N o games are shown.

Wait for next E3!

[rainslacker]

Release dates finally I guess. Maybe they can deliver the games they've been showing off since before the launch. SoT has been shown for three years now. Hmmm....not sure what else MS has going on. Oh yeah, cuphead, shown before the gen started. Maybe this is the year that MS finally delivers the games they've been marketing for a while now....sans the two that they were marketing up until a few months ago.

Showing something new would be nice too. I'm sure they'll have some new AAA game to show. Not sure it'll be something that they made though, and have a strong feeling that whatever it is they're hyping up is just something they got a marketing deal for.

We'll see I guess. After 3 years of hearing how they were going to deliver, and them failing to really do so, I'll keep my expectations in check.

@trooper

No, they wait a bit to say that.

After E3, they say how MS had the best show and won E3.

[Automatic79]

Keep the steady flow of games, fantastic online and offer the best gaming system. Xbox has it all.

[DarkZane]

I hope that was sarcasm, otherwise everything you just said is wrong.

[Elda]

What flow of games?

[Why o why]

Multiplats, he ain't lying 😎

[DreadGara]

Forza, Gears and Halo.

[tyasia0]

An old man with two kidney stones and a swollen prostate has a stronger flow than Microsoft.

[Stogz]

Bahahahahaha

[synistatha1]

Lmmfao

[DigitalRaptor]

LMFAO!

[Phill-Spencer]

"Steady flow" lol good one!

[UCForce]

Well, online gaming I agreed on that, but the rest are not.

[AmUnRa]

NO, onlinegaming is NOT beter than on PSN.
That is also something that is not true.
The rest is also far from the true.

[Relientk77]

The flow of games part really made me laugh lol

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Except they don't have a steady flow of games more like a drought, I'll give you online and best gaming system lol thanks for the laugh

[AmUnRa]

Are you really believe that ore ar you stealth trolling??

Looking at your history you are xboxfanboy like Deep Troath, so
delusional. Are you so far gone that you believe that crap what you are saying?
Oke, your lost.....🙄🙄

[XXanderXX]

Go all in hard with Scorpio while returning to the ways of when Bill Gates was there
bring back cut throat mentality.

[tyasia0]

That's only going to further drive away the international audience that already doesn't like how Microsoft does business.

[XXanderXX]

So making the console the best at everything and offering everything drives buieness away . That the first I have ever heard of such.

[Bathyj]

Yeah, it's not the best at everything. It's just going to be more powerful. Same unappealing games line up (to me personally but also to a lot of others obviously given the sales) but at least they'll be native 4k. Woohoo.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

Scorpio is going to be the best at everything except having a library of games that people want to play.

[UCForce]

There one thing I know MS will never control is that the arrogance. Sure, Sony are arrogant but not that way arrogance like MS are.

[XXanderXX]

worked well for MS in the beginning and so we'll that it give birth to the former prick at apple .

[Goldby]

@xxanderxx

Except they (bill gates) completely disrespected Japanese developers when they showed off the of Xbox at the Tokyo game show. Instead of running their section respectfully with the speech about gaming in industry as a whole and the importance of Japan to that industry he used an in vetted speech that was essentially a sales pitch for Japanese people to buy an Xbox.

That was when ms lost any chance of gaining traction in Japan. And that was in 2001

[UCForce]

Arrogance will never work. No matter how good you are and how tough you are, you going to lose because you not always perfect in the end. Arrogance isn't a positive trait.

[DarkZane]

There is nothing they can do. Microsoft are just third place material in the console industry.

I am certain that they will never beat Sony ever, even in future generations.

[Phill-Spencer]

You never know. But if ms would manage to beat sony in the console business, i'm 100% sure it would not be because of ms actions but of a major fu€kup from sony. Not sure what this could be though. Maybe a console with even more severe technical problems than the infamous rrod? Or not release a new console for a whole gen for some reason, allowing the niche console xbox to get a foothold?

In Fact something really devastating would have to occur when you think about that last gen 360 released with an 1 1/2 headstart and a major rrod sales boost and ps3 still outsold 360 only on a monthly basis and even surpassed the ms console in the end.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

They beat them last gen. Sold more consoles, sold more software, made much more money. They beat Sony at their own game last gen. Sony came back at the end of the generation but how many millions did they lose? They flat out lost in the grand scheme of things.

[tyasia0]

Your mistaking Sony as a whole with the Playstation Brand. Sony lost money, Playstation did not.

P.S. In aligned sales and at the end of the generation PS3 outsold 360 fyi.

[Why o why]

People still cling to that myth. . You really think the 360 outsold the ps3. . . . Worst thing is as mentioned above, the 360 needed a head start of around 9 million and still got overtaken.

If you think that makes no difference explain the disparity in sales this gen when they started at the same time. . . No head start . . . . Totally different outcome even after the launch debacle became a thing of the past and the Xbox was cheaper, the numbers were still strongly in Sony's favour. It got so bad Microsoft quit announcing numbers. . Quit. .

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Yeah when you move goalposts to suit your own opinion that works but in the real world that's not true

[DigitalRaptor]

Nope, nope and triple nope.

[rainslacker]

You mean when they had tons of games and compelling content?

Maybe they should try to replicate their success that gen by doing what they did that gen. Release games which people are excited for.

[XanderZane]

The are stuck in 2nd place this gen. The Wii U will never pass the XBox One is sales. Maybe in the 9th gen they will be in 3rd place again.

[rainslacker]

They gave Sony a good run for their money last gen.

They did it by releasing games, and having lots of compelling content. It was hard to ignore the 360 as a gamer back then.

Now though....for all the hardware....there is nothing to catch people's attention.

[showtimefolks]

Ms are in 3rd place as far as I am concerned. Nintendo with switch has gotten the 2nd place.

By announcing Scorpio early they
gave ample opportunity for both Sony and Nintendo to make an impact

Scorpio will be a premium console with a premium price$499-549 is my guess

You can't ask people to buy a Scorpio over pro and pay $150-200 more

Price matters to most

Ms will sell hope for a brighter future

If Phil Spencer knows what's good for xbox brand than price it $399 and show games. Buy some timed exclusives make sure Scorpio is a must have console

[PhoenixUp]

An established console could never drop behind a newly released console

[Elda]

Nothing.

[hahaha]

MS would need to focus on what they are good at - not releasing any games.

[ocelot07]

Take more risks like they did with Recore, Quantum Break and don't give up on them at the first attempt. Bring more single player story driven games to the table.

[Last_Boss]

+1 from me. I don't even own an X1, but I want them to step out of their own shell.

[UCForce]

Those are their attempts to try but they need to push even further.

[nineby9]

Currently far too weak. E3 may announce new studios theyve purchased which is something (until they drop them lol, at least there's hope, right?)

[rainslacker]

This exactly. I'll throw in SSoD as well.

It's not like every game will light a fire under the consumer base. Particularly when that user base isn't really into the games that they are taking risks on.

Sony once said that they lost money on something like 9 out of 10 games they make. Given that number, it means they hit it really big on that 1 in 10. The thing about risks though, is that sometimes, you can never tell what is going to hit it big. Looking back, could we say that we expected LittleBigPlanet to become the success that it did? Will Dreams replicate that success? Never know. But one thing is for sure, if you don't try, you will certainly fail.

For all the games that don't make money though, they still attract customers to the PS brand, and give something very important to the brand, which is respect and a feeling that the brand will always have a good diverse library of games to play....even if not all of them would appeal to a larger user base.

When MS figures that out, and starts to invest more in those games that don't make money, instead of spending god awful ammounts of money marketing Gears, Halo, or Forza, then maybe they can manage to start moving ahead in market share. It's like they forgot what made the 360 successful in the first place, and now think that power is the answer, and that games designed to focus groups and maximizing profits from long term engagement aren't what everyone is looking for. MS is so narrowed in on the business side of it, they forget that the user only cares about having games to play.

[hahaha]

By not releasing any games.

[TheColbertinator]

Make Live cheaper or free

[ILostMyMind]

Gostaria one! But why throw away that one thing that gives them money in the console market?

[Goldby]

That'll never happen. Their entire business model revolves around recurring subscriptions.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Best thing for gamers;)

[PhoenixUp]

Last time I checked selling 30+ million wasn't niche

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Except they haven't crossed 30 million yet. When ea released combined console sales a week or so ago people were able to put two and two together with what we know from Sony and it showed ms is still a little shy of 30 million is pathetic almost four years into these consoles life cycles

[PhoenixUp]

@ rico

Last time I checked VGC had XO estimate sales at 29.2 million during the beginning of April, and their estimates have been very close to the mark.

Either way XO has still sold too much to be considered a niche product like Wii U or Vita.

@ Dark

Except they're very damn close to doing so. Fact is that XO still isn't niche by any stretch of the definition.

[merciless]

Release good games that are exclusive to XBOX, simple.

[SaveFerris]

Throw moneyhats. Lots and lots of moneyhats.

[Godmars290]

Do what they've been doing: set themselves up as a median between consoles and PCs.

[jznrpg]

DLC, Microtransactions 3rd party paid exclusivity . Its what they have done best

[trooper_]

Exclusivity that always backfires, lol.

[The_Sage]

More shooters?

[hahaha]

MS doesn't need to do anything. A powerful console with no games is already unique and niche enough.

[_LarZen_]

Market the hell out of Scorpio as the best play to play third party games. In other words the games that tops the software sales list month after month. The games console gamers buys and plays the most. That and keep on with their backwards compatibility program giving access to loads og great games you cant play on PlayStation.

Fill up Xbox Game Pass with so many great titles that will make newcomers as veterans occupied with new and old games for a long long time.

A special Xbox Live Gold+ subscription should be something Microsoft should consider. A subscription with Live,EA Access and Game Pass.

Xbox is going to be just fine.

[tyasia0]

Did you see last months NPD that was lead by exclusives?

And the thing is while Scorpio may be the most powerful console but it's not the only console to play 3'rd party games. What your asking is for people to shell out $500 to play games they can already play on the console they already own. People who are buying 3'rd party games want cheap not expensive, if they wanted the best quality they would own a PC. With the money they save by not spending $500 they could buy 10+ games for the console they already own.

[_LarZen_]

There is as you mention a few months where exclusives have had a strong place on the NPD in the US and in the lists in the UK. But it's third party games that dominate the sales month after month.

The costumer group that have a interest and buys a PS4Pro and/or Scorpio are if I was to guess typical early adopters and money strong consumers. Who want a better gaming experience either it be on a 1080p or 2160p TV. PC is always an alternative but is something many just dont want to use for gaming. Especially since many use it for work 8-10+ hours a day using one.

[tyasia0]

First off there have been exclusives in the top five nearly every month this year with the top three games being exclusives last month.

Second, the point I am making isn't that Scorpio won't have people that buy it but that the group is not the majority. Is Scorpio going to matter if it only sells a million units in the first year?

[_LarZen_]

But it's still third party games that dominate. This year has been great with so many exclusives to PlayStation. But it's not what selling month after month... It's not what the average gamer buys and plays the most. Something sales numbers clearly shows.

You are completely right that the majority wont buy Scorpio. Just as the majority wont buy PS4Pro. It's for early adopters who dont want to wait for the next generation of consoles. If it was not for the industry shifting over from 1080p to 4K then we would probably not have gotten PS4Pro or Scorpio.

[trooper_]

Average Joe wants exclusive games. Not games they can play everywhere else.

[_LarZen_]

Yes the average gamer. But just as high-end PC gaming is not for the average Joe. So is not PS4Pro or Scorpio. It's for those who want the best. Be it console or PC.

[Max-Zorin]

I don't even think they can do anything. All they been doing, is damage control. Shady Apple would probably do a better job, at running the brand. And everyone know how extremely shady Apple been, since Steve Jobs died.

[Gunstar75]

So much wrong with so many comments on here.

[Gunstar75]

LOL.... the fanboys are out in force today. It's so embarrassing

[UCForce]

Same goes with your.

[Gunstar75]

My what???

[RosweeSon]

Not a lot Sony are gonna be able to show off tip top games like Gran Turismo in its near complete form as it really can't be that far off... just add stuff post launch like Gran turismo 6 got vision cars etc, God of war is no doubt gonna get a major showing, last of us 2, new red dead... Horizon 2... at the very least some form of DLC. Some really great games all due really soon.

Nintendo have got the 3ds which is no doubt gonna get phased out pretty much sure they've got the new 2ds XL coming out but we had micros etc before and they were end of the road releases. Mainly for Nintendo it'll be all about switch, with the help of Wii U and VC.
They'll drop VC and no doubt all the other Big Wii U games we'd expect a port of... Smash Bros no doubt maybe another 1-2 top games and then that little gaming nugget of gold a Brand spanning new Mario that looks incredible with the morsels they've given us so far... been waiting for this since Mario Galaxy 1.
To think that'll be it for Nintendo and switch even is foolish. The Wii u games and mario will be all out for this holiday season, Switch games may make end of of the year otherwise 2018 they'll be coming left right and centre. If they get VC out that'll help Massively (Gamecube Games 🤞🏻🙌
27995;🙏🏻) and now it's fully handheld as well I'll happily purchase GBA games (refused to on Wii u as wanted them on 3ds... like my ambassador games) switch is home console but fully able to go out so GBA games and DS games even would be a winner....
SNES Mini....
All new Amiibos?
Pokemon Switch?

Microsoft meanwhile seem to only have Scorpio and Crackdown 3 all announced last years E3 and all still pretty much MIA. Scorpio is happening of course but until E3 and more importantly a vast influx of games Microsoft ain't doing nothing gaming wise that I'm in to or want anything to do with. ✌🏻🕹🤓

[gamer7804]

nintendo switch is selling better than wiiu, but it isn't MS competition, nintendo is still basically for its first party games and thats it.

[StormSailor]

Sell ​​the Xbox brand

[zuul9018]

Why even bother trying to make a title for these articles? I seriously doubt many of these commenters read the actual article.
Why not just "Come here to bash microsoft"?

[Bobafret]

Unbelievable amount of hate for MS, bordering on derangement. Seriously people, look at your comments.

[starchild]

It's embarrassing. I will admit that currently I only own Sony consoles and I've owned every Sony console, while I've only owned some of Nintendo and Microsoft's consoles. But I just don't understand the behavior of a lot of people that frequent this site. I honestly think some of them have mental issues. The amount of hate they are filled with is just insane.

[trooper_]

Hate?

So criticism is hate?

Aslong as Sony is relevant, Microsoft will get criticized. They need strong 1st party exclusives.

[Bobafret]

Yes, hate. Do you possess reading comprehension? These comments are far from mere criticism.

[ASBO-5]

Exactly 2 things, suck and die

[Gemmol]

so beautiful sony and switch fans together on this website

#SwitchPs4Team

[Nu]

Microsoft should bow out

[Bobafret]

And that would make you feel good, huh? You people are fucking insane.

[Nu]

Don't fret Microsoft won't be bowing out anytime soon.

[kevnb]

I'm assuming they are talking about Xbox, Xbox is in a weird position because pc is starting to get games that aren't on Xbox as well as most Xbox exclusives.

[rainslacker]

PC has always gotten games that aren't on consoles.

But now MS is actively promoting PC gaming, something they left behind last gen to push the Xbox brand.

MS obviously has something to gain from this due to Windows, and the potential that people will purchase from the Windows Store, so it actually makes sense.

In the past, PC gaming was just kind of it's own thing. A huge market for sure, but outside the occassional PCMR fan boy coming in to console forums to try and be obnoxious, the console and PC market were mostly just seperate entities within the greater gaming market. Kind of like mobile and PC are separate.

Now though, MS is pushing that PC gaming and Xbox gaming, are both Xbox products, and thus, PC gaming is MS gaming. MS is using gaming as a way to make themselves seem absolutely vital to PC gaming. MS likes to use gaming to meet their own agenda when it comes to their overall company goals, instead of trying to actually make games which bolster the industry and medium as a whole.

[RAM0N]

In this Microsoft E3 conference I will make the decision too keep the xbone or not.

[rlow1]

This article was very short on ideas and gives no new insight.

[KakashiHotake]

It honestly depends on the end product and the price. If Microsoft's plan is simply to release a more powerful version of Xbox One at a higher price tag then it's DOA. They would actually benefit from taking a page out of Nintendo's book. One thing Nintendo has going for them is they know their place in the market. They simply can't compete on a graphical level but they can offer something different and unique. The only hope i see of Microsoft is their augmented reality project would have to be an instant hit, but i just don't see how that's possible once you factor in the price of it all. Hopeful Xbox has some megaton tricks up it's sleeve that's yet to be revealed, and if not then they may have to settle for 3rd place in the market.

[Tross]

Maybe they can consider releasing another one of their flagship titles before too long...pity this happens to be the year when they're between such releases. They don't really have much else to fall back on either, so maybe it's time Ninty took back the second spot.

[Petebloodyonion]

An illogical question to a problem that doesn't exist.
1) Since when did Nintendo's target audience be the Ps4 or Xbox owners?
Last I checked, Wii sold more consoles compare to Ps3 and Xbox360 and were they a torn to MS and Sony?

2) The author also provide the answer to his own question
"Microsoft itself has probably foreseen this series of developments, and it has already started to make moves to a gaming market that isn’t bound by hardware or hardware cycles. Making a continuous ecosystem across Windows 10 PCs and Xbox One is one way that Microsoft is consolidating its place in the gaming market – a gaming market in which it doesn’t need a console to sell well, or even at all, and any sales that it gets are only welcome cherries on a cake that spans an ecosystem of games across several hardware devices."

3) The author talks about the Xbox1 new tough spot for a potential customer when he already answers himself that MS goal isn't to sell you a Xbox1 but Xboxlive service via X1, Pc, Scorpio, tablets or any output of your choice ...

So see in the end all try to differ and offer a different solution :)

[Einhander1971]

Not a lot sit back and cry, as Sony and Nintendo dominate.

[Mr_Luke]

Nothing.
And getting downvotes from Xbox fanboys won't change that fact.

[Bobafret]

What Xbox fanboys? All I see here are Sony cultists.

[Goldby]

Go look at epic buffets comments.

Apparently in his eyes Xbox is releasing 5 AAA games and Sony and Nintendo have no other game to release this year.

There's delusion on both sides bobafret. Not just one sided

[zuul9018]

You gotta stop trying to see reason in here sir. If anything you post could even remotely seem pro-MS you're gonna get somebody like ^ this guy going crazy.
Sometimes i wonder if its because people want to be a part of a majority/winning team?(go to nfl.com and see the amount of PATS fans compared to every other team, or nba.com and see the WARRIORS fans #) either way it baffles me.

[EyeAmTJ]

Nintendo Resurgent? I must've missed the memo because I don't hear nothing about a Switch ever LOL

[spoonard]

Nintendo isn't "resurgent" lol! Their sales are as laughable as ever.

[BLKxSEPTEMBER]

Until I see AT LEAST a year or more of good games from nintendo I don't even consider them competition for MS or Sony. Just because the switch had a good couple of months means nothing to me. Don't get me wrong I like my switch but already it's turning into a indie machine. It hasn't gotten any of the major AAA games and it's still a generation behind in terms of graphics. MS has nothing to worry about when it comes to Nintendo.

[craig2web]

Lower prices of its consoles. If they lower the X1 to $199, I might consider getting one.

[zerocarnage]

I don't care about all this nonsense. Respect the hard work that is poured into all this by each and every developer. Not one of you could do any better or remotely close who keep slagging off one brand in favour of the one you own. Your fanboybuttz wouldn't be sitting behind a screen constantly trying to trash talk either what you don't own or what you have not even played, all because the hate has gotten into you which is complete and utter dumb as hell.

doesn't matter the side you on, respect it all but I guess only the ones who relize this are the ones that started at the beginning of gaming with the first consoles and pc's. I honestly can't ever remember any stupid idiotic fanboy comments coming out of the mouths of the ones who have been lucky enough to be through it all and play most, own most if not all consoles down the decade's.

It's saddening in a way that this is how people have become in gaming, it's much worse than the good old days where it was just banter between Nintendo and sega, Sony and Xbox just been blown up way out the water, and what gets me is neither side is rite or wrong.

[JokerDem]

This site has to be by far the most delusional Sony fanboy site on the internet.

MS literally owns the PC ecosystem, soon there won't even be console generations.

The only thing Sony does better is single player games.

MS wins on software, online service, features, and soon graphical power.

This site has been going downhill for YEARS with the retarded fan boys who devote their life to a company who doesn't even give a shit about them, just their money.

[Bobafret]

Pretty much any gaming site since 1999 has been a cesspool of Sony zealots. I just will never understand it.

[KryptonKronos]

Throw itself into a bonfire.