600°

The DeanBeat: For Microsoft, it’s time to worry about the console war

The evidence is piling up. Sony’s grip on the console business with the PlayStation 4 is starting to look unbreakable. Microsoft has to start worrying about whether it must accept and acknowledge its fate of being permanently stuck at No. 2 in this generation = Venturebeat

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venturebeat.com
3479d ago Replies(17)
sammarshall1023479d ago

2018 or 2019 Microsoft will probably release a very powerful new Xbox

And Xbox One is still selling good

Fatdrinkofwater3479d ago

Xb1 sells 1.3 million consoles in november vs ps4 selling 1.5 million.

Ps4 is selling more so all the more to sony but xb1 is selling great too and its not far behind ps4 sales at all.

Someone has to come second in sales it doesnt mean they are losing. This fanboy war is for fanboys. To MS its just business and its a rather successful one at that.

MasterCornholio3479d ago

"its not far behind ps4 sales at all. "

You mean the US right? Because world wide its a different story.

FlipSwitch3479d ago

"its not far behind ps4 sales at all"

I know you guys like to ignore worldwide but Xbone is consistently getting outsold 2 to 1. November was no different

Fatdrinkofwater3479d ago (Edited 3479d ago )

I actually dont care tbh both consoles are selling better than last gen both are a success ps4 is selling tons and thats great just sick of concern trolling like xbox is hardly selling at all and ms need to be worried. Its not true and its fanboy bs trying to downplay xboxs success.

I live in New Zealand the xbox one is VERY popular down here and in australia.

jb2273478d ago

I honestly think MS has an eye on the software market. I wouldn't be surprised if they do one more console in order to keep some mindshare but the way this gen has been going it tells a bit of a story. MS loses the sales war in the early going, so they snatch up the Gears license, they acquire Minecraft, they buy the Havok engine, and I think they had designs on buying the Tomb Raider franchise outright & this timed exclusivity was their testing ground. Phil said they wanted an Uncharted competitor, so if they are buying up the other licenses they want, chances are good they would want to buy that one as well. On top of this they have moved to owning any IP produced on their box like QB, Scalebound, ReCore, etc.

MS has always mainly been a software company, and software is where all of the profits are...all of these acquisitions sound to me like a company w/ an eye on switching to software only. I think optimistically the brass may give Xbox one more generation to turn a big profit and if that doesn't work well, they already have a huge portfolio in Halo, Gears, Forza, Fable, Minecraft, Havok engine, and any of the new IPs that are successful. I'm sure I'll get a boatload of disagrees for even suggesting the writing that's clearly on the wall, but you'd have to be dense or ignorant of the history of gaming platforms to flat out refuse it as a potentiality.

Herbalistic3479d ago (Edited 3479d ago )

I think MS accepts that Xbox One doesn't have a chance to make things close in terms of market share with PS4..The only thing MS could do is focus on creating exclusives to please owners of the machine and hope what they offer brings in enough new buyers..MS doesn't have anyone to blame but themselves for how things are going for the console.

andibandit3479d ago

Yeah I think that when Phil Spencer said something about "beating the competition, wasnt his priority", it was obvious.

XanderZane3478d ago

Microsoft and Sony said the same thing last generation as well. Neither cared about beating the Wii. No big deal really. Just keep the games coming.

YinYangGaming3479d ago

All doom & gloom even though the XBO is selling well (better than 360 & OG Xbox at same time in their cycles) 2nd place DOESN'T equal failure so stop with the clickbait

BitbyDeath3479d ago (Edited 3479d ago )

Nope, after the year is over it will officially be behind the 360.
XB1 had a good start but has been lacking ever since.

Fatdrinkofwater3479d ago

Bitbydeath stop spreading lies please.

Thnx

FlipSwitch3479d ago

Actually he isn't lying. By 2007 X360 had sold over 17million consoles. The only reason Xbone is tracking higher is because of it's strong launch.

Xbone will soon be tracking lower than x360 in the same time frame

Fatdrinkofwater3479d ago (Edited 3479d ago )

Right.. So MS saying its been a record year for xbox sales and its up over last year means sales are declining to you?

MS doesnt even release sales numbers so how would you even know anyway?

They were over 10 million this time last year so if this year has been even better then xbox sales have to at least at 20 million by now.

FlipSwitch3479d ago (Edited 3479d ago )

Xbone is no where near 20million consoles. They have posted record sales but that is just for this month. Or black Friday. You always have to look past Microsofts spin

After the holidays the sales will return back to normal.

No it wasn't 10 million sales this time last year. It was 10 million "nearly shipped". Which could mean anywhere from 7 to 8 million actually sold through consoles.

Xbone is most likely around 15 million consoles now.

boodi3479d ago

I'd like to know wtf are you talking about ....
if not i presume you are a zombie...or a troll..

Fatdrinkofwater3479d ago (Edited 3479d ago )

Wait so xbox was at 14 mil back when sony were at 22 million and people were predicting the gap would be over 10 mil between the two consoles worldwide by the end of the year.

Now sony are over 30 mil sold and you wanna tell me ms only only sold 1 million consoles in that time?

BitbyDeath3479d ago (Edited 3479d ago )

360 came out on November 22, 2005
In January 2008 it managed to sell 17.7M consoles.

http://www.engadget.com/200...

------------------

Meaning XB1 will need to reach 17.7M sold by Jan 2016 which is very very unlikely.

@Fatdrinkofwater, read this post for an idea of where the sales figure is at - http://n4g.com/news/1827868...

This however excludes November.

DigitalRaptor3478d ago (Edited 3478d ago )

@ Fatdrinkofwater

Nope. You need to stop lying. At this time last year, Microsoft still hadn't released their overall shipped numbers. They had said that they were "approaching" 10 million shipped, which isn't solid and could be anywhere from 7-9 million shipped (we know how MS lurves to spin). The likely number of Xbone consoles sold is around 16-17 million at this point. Not sure where you're getting that 20 million information from. For THAT to be reasonable, the worldwide sales gap would have to have been decreasing and it's not.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 3478d ago
Thatguy-3103479d ago

I mean the Xbox isn't outselling the beast of the ps4 but it is selling better than the 360 which shows improvement from a business perspective.

3479d ago Replies(3)
CaptainObvious8783479d ago

Actually we don't know it's selling more than the 360. MS has refused to give proper numbers for over a year now.

XanderZane3478d ago

We know it's selling better then the Xbox 360 because Microsoft told us it was in their report. I guess you missed that article.

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260°

AMD CEO Shares Vision Behind Xbox Partnership and Next-Gen Chip Roadmap

AMD CEO Lisa Su talks about the Xbox AMD partnership, next-gen Ryzen + Radeon chips, and AI rendering tech coming to all Xbox devices.

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clouddosage.com
Obscure_Observer1d 15h ago

AMD is really building hype around their unique partnership with Microsoft to help and build an advanced and seamless Xbox ecosystem across all Xbox consoles and devices.

I wonder what she meant by "full roadmap of gaming optimized chips" though? Seems ambitious.

Next year´s Xbox Showcase already looks promising and exciting. Here´s hoping they deliver.

InUrFoxHole1d 9h ago

They had best show 3yrs in a row. Heading for another

VenomUK1d 3h ago

Obscure_Observer said “I wonder what she meant by "full roadmap of gaming optimised chips" though? Seems ambitious.” To me, I interpret this to mean rather than having a couple of X/S products for launch and a handheld there is a longer term plan to release new products with higher specs at timed intervals. I’m speculating of course, but this could mean a spec bump every year or two, so that even if the PS6 or Steam Deck Home is released a year after ‘Xbox’ Microsoft can release an updated model that has a higher spec.

Agent7516h ago

But Microsoft forgot the games.

KwietStorm_BLM22h ago

It's X3D chips for console. Everyone knows this. And it's been rumored in the PS6 forever.

Ganif20h ago

Correct.

"Sony's PlayStation 6 reportedly will feature an AMD semi-custom APU with a Zen 5 CPU and UDNA GPU, capable of 4K 120FPS and 8K 60FPS gaming. The console will include X3D cache and advanced AI upscaling technology."

https://www.tweaktown.com/n...

Obscure_Observer16h ago

"It's X3D chips for console. Everyone knows this. And it's been rumored in the PS6 forever."

I doubt that AMD´s CEO would waste her time making this huge and important partnership announcement over a tech that will be 7 years old by the those next gen consoles will be released.

Notellin16h ago

You should have just lead this comment with the fact that you have zero understanding of technology in the consoles and instead have a Toms Hardware online forum level of education.

Agent7516h ago

But Microsoft forgot the games

Obscure_Observer16h ago

@VenomUK

"I’m speculating of course, but this could mean a spec bump every year or two, so that even if the PS6 or Steam Deck Home is released a year after ‘Xbox’ Microsoft can release an updated model that has a higher spec."

Very interesting theory. Still not sure how MS would actually make it work.

KwietStorm_BLM12h ago

"I doubt that AMD´s CEO would waste her time making this huge and important partnership announcement over a tech that will be 7 years old by the those next gen consoles will be released."

How old is the tech in consoles? It's not a huge announcement. It's marketing and you know it is.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 12h ago
Fishy Fingers1d 15h ago (Edited 1d 15h ago )

Some odd, deliberate wording, no branding, not 'Xbox consoles, Xbox handhelds' specifically, feels and sounds like they're building towards hardware that anyone can be used or licensed to/by themselves and other manufacturers.

Multiplatform software and hardware 'Xbox/AMD APU'.

Obscure_Observer1d 14h ago

I guess you missed Sarah Bond´s next generation Xbox announcement this week, were she clearly states:

"I´m thrilled to share that we´ve established a strategic multi-year partnership with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices, including, *our* next generation *Xbox consoles*."

But hey, I don´t think you´re entirely wrong, maybe MS will build their own Xbox consoles while licencing other manufactures to build and sell their own Xbox branded consoles. Who knows

BeHunted1d 10h ago (Edited 1d 10h ago )

I think you watched the wrong video. It's below the description, or you can watch it directly on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/kprpRvsOua...

PRIMORDUS1d 14h ago Show
HyperMoused1d 14h ago

Shares vision....we provide chips for money, this deal will sell many chips, we will make lots of money...good vision

Christopher1d 14h ago

The marketing behind this is so heavy that I worry about the actual outcome. Why are they just not showing us the product, why all this talking in market speak?

Lightning771d 10h ago

Probably because the next xbox isn't ready to release yet?

The marketing and rumors seem to be heavy out of no where. The rumor was a 27 release but it maybe it could be 26 new console launch instead.

Who knows.

Eonjay21h ago

There PR is alrways super heavy handed. No one is acutally buying an Xbox as is.
Also it is very early to be talking so much about a next gen console.

Obscure_Observer16h ago

There´s a lot of people interested on Xbox Next and its ability to run games from major stores like Steam.

We know that the PS6 is just around the corner as well, but so far, no news on what it might improve over the PS5 or PS5 Pro.

However, Sony already made public that their priority and actual focus is the PS6. So its not "very early" to talk about next gen when the very console manufactures are talking about it.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 16h ago
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210°

Activision Forces Adverts into Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Warzone Loadouts

With the launch of Call of Duty Season 4, Activision quietly put adverts inside loadouts for Black Ops 6 and Warzone, sparking a backlash in the process.

20d ago
20d ago
lukasmain20d ago

Putting Ads in a pay-to-play Premium title? Well done Microsoft. Well done /s This is really scummy.

jjb198119d ago

This game will never change because these sweatlords love buying up all the skins and bundles that become obsolete the following year. They're the ones perpetuating Activision's greed.

VenomUK19d ago

If Microsoft introduces adverts into its other games I hope it can do them without disrupting the immersion of the game world. So for example in the new Fable game it would look out of place if there was a billboard advertising Cadillacs.

A far better way to do it would be to have a wizard conjure a 'dream cloud' in front of your character and then in the cloud you can see the Cadillac car and see the text with price and availability and hear a booming sales voice promoting the car. That would work so well as it wouldn't be a billboard and completely, 100%, fit in with your character's adventuring in Albion. Doesn't that sound so much better?!

crazyCoconuts18d ago

@venom, or how about our of 100 farts in Albion, 1 of them has a Cadillac pop out

VenomUK18d ago

@crazyCoconuts That’s undeniably off-beat - but it could really work!

19d ago
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410°

Xbox's first-party handheld has been sidelined

Xbox's handheld ambitions continue unabated, but the focus is shifting towards improving Windows 11 for third-party handhelds — for now. The Xbox Series X 'Melrose' successor is safe, with development continuing at full pace.

Read Full Story >>
windowscentral.com
22d ago
22d ago
22d ago
shadowT22d ago

Is there really a market for handhelds next to mobile?

Vits21d ago

If they run the same games as the main home console, then yeah, sure.
But if they need specially tailored games just for them? Probably not, unless there isn't a home console for comparison (see Switch).

RaidenBlack21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

I am kinda low-key happy this happened.
Dont want another Series S situation (games to be designed from 4 to 12TF scale and not 10 to 12TF).
Hope PS follows suit as well. Tablet SKU sharing with console for 10th gen, will just continue the cross gen -esque development/design phase/nature.
Want a proper 20+ only TF rasterized next-gen plz (+ frame-gen and the lot).
If anybody wants to continue the cross-gen, the Series S|X, PS5 will remain for that. And Switch 2, if you gotta go even lower in the TF range.

ABizzel121d ago

Yes and No. All of the PC handhelds combined have struggled to sell 7 million units, which would be a flop for any “console”. So the market is extremely niche because of price and target market (the informed hardcore gamer / casuals aren’t picking these up).

These handheld PCs are $500 or more, and offer at best Xbox Series S performance levels, so it’s best for MS specifically to just partner with ASUS, instead of investing millions if not billions.

Sony can make their own with custom AMD hardware due to their partnership, and stronger global brand for hardware. But even then it brings the question, of being a lower resolution PS5, and what does that mean for PS6 cross-gen (likely another generation where the first 3 - 4 years are just upgraded last-gen games).

Kosic21d ago

Imagine a Wii U style console, where the tablet doesn't rely on the console it's self, you download the game on the console under the TV and play in 4k glory, then you can remote play, get some unique game features if using both console and handheld in tandem. Then you can download the games in 720-1080p to play on the go, continue your progress, and continue on the TV when you get back.

Sony could get away with this due to exclusives, and that would be a reason for sales. Look at the portal.

I can picture seeing new hardware having some sort of GPU dock, where the handheld runs 1080p, and the dock has additional hardware to bring in 4k/60 specs.

I do think handheld gaming is going to be a strong future, imagine Nintendo release a new upgraded GPU dock for the Switch 3, every 2 years. More frames, sharper graphics on the same game for an extra £150 for a dock with a built in GPU chip. Console cycles doesn't have to be renewed, just the hardware can be improved by them reselling docks to us again and again with small/yearly upgrades like mobile phones.

GamerRN21d ago

Did you just imply that Sony can make a better stronger handheld than Microsoft? You do realize we are talking about Microsoft, the tech giant, right? If Microsoft can't make one that's cost effective, Sony definitely can't...

Brand and market share means nothing when you are a trillion dollar company

ABizzel120d ago

@GamerRN

It has nothing to do with what company can do it, or what company can spend.

For anyone taking a basic business class there is a term called ROI, and Xbox home consoles are selling at an all time low, meaning their ROI on a handheld is a risk that doesn’t make sense, even if they can afford it. Businesses are there to make money and it doesn’t make sene for MS to invest in a handheld that’s a companion device when their current home consoles they’ve spent 20 years working on are at an all time-low, when they can invest with little risk with what ASUS already has to offer.

This is why Sony can build a better device, because they have less risk involved, meaning they can invest more in their own product, and they already have an exclusive partnership with AMD on creating features and hardware. So in this specific case, YES Sony can built a better handheld, due to custom hardware, customer tools, low level APIs, compared to an off the shelf product running Windows or a Window Xbox kernel =.

TheEroica21d ago

I play steam deck primarily... Don't play consoles or mobile. The deck covers it all.

badz14921d ago

@shadowT

The Switch is a handheld, so will the Switch 2. what are you on about?

Cacabunga21d ago

To run native games offline? Anytime

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 20d ago
CrashMania22d ago

Funny to see the alt already damage controlling and having a meltdown with multiple accounts in the comments already.

Sad for MS if true, a dedicated handheld would go down a lot better than a rog ally 2 with an Xbox sticker on it I think.

crazyCoconuts21d ago

It couldn't have succeeded for a number of reasons. Now they've retreated to the Windows front and trying to keep that relevant for gaming. How long before Windows Central realizes there won't be a real console successor to Series X either?

Lightning7721d ago

Except there is. That project is reportedly full speed ahead.

Outside_ofthe_Box21d ago

@Lighting77

So was the handheld until today...

Lightning7721d ago

@outside obviously not since they sidelined it and they wanna see how the Asus does. Are you saying they're gonna cancel the next console?

crazyCoconuts21d ago

@lightning - I'm admittedly trying to box you in here - Do you think the next Xbox console will have Steam on it?

Outside_ofthe_Box21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

@Lightning

Here we go with having to spell everything out.

If I told you yesterday that Xbox was going to sideline the handheld console what would your response have been? Probably something along the lines of "I doubt that since Phil has been talking about it for some time now"

My point is just because they are "full speed" ahead now does not mean that will not change in future. As we have seen with the handheld. Do you understand what I'm trying to say now?

Lightning7721d ago (Edited 21d ago )

Box me in? No you said the same thing you've always been saying for years now. Those are the rumors to have Steam integration.

What about it

If you told me they were gonna cancel it tomorrow it would nothing more than fanboy talking points. I only wait for credible sources not what someone else says.

Also this is the handheld not a full blown new console. The Asus is yet to release and they're waiting to see how that thing does. Critical thinking is my strong suit you should try it some time if you can. But Ok cool well you hang your hat on that I guess. Main New console is gonna get cancelled even though the handheld is a different marketing device than the main the console itself.

__y2jb21d ago

I think there is a 75% chance there will not be another Xbox. There is zero reason to buy one now. No way it can possibly sell more than 10m units after Xbox went third party.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 21d ago
BLow21d ago

That's what they do. Goalposts shift like the wind.

I'm really confused on why they are making a "first party" device and also have a Rog Ally with their sticker on it. Make this make sense. How is their own device going to be any different?

Your console doesn't sell and they expect a handheld to?

RaidenBlack21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

The Rog Ally one is gen agnostic ... as you deciphered, it was to be the updated Rog Ally but just with Xbox branding. PC handheld with some Xbox features.
The handheld Xbox is/was supposed to be sharing the same gen/ecosystem with the next-gen (10th gen) Xbox. Think Series S but handheld ... it'll run the Xbox OS or whatever the next Xbox will run.
...
As for anybody wondering/confused why MS is doing another Xbox console ... coz mainly its the 10th gen of home consoles next, which started wayy back in 1972 for the 1st gen. And MS wanna be part in it, in the 10th anniversary gen of consoles. If they gotta bow out, they can't do that at 9th i.e just before 10th. They wanna stick around till the 10th or the X-th gen and check what the fuss happens.

Outside_ofthe_Box21d ago

Curious as to what excuses the spam was saying. Because prior to this news, the Xbox handheld was used as proof that Xbox is still committed to the hardware space. This handheld being scraped is not a good sign...

21d ago
Outside_ofthe_Box21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

@Spam
You can replace scrapped with pushed back if you like. It's not a good sign either way.

21d ago
1Victor21d ago

asq3= obscured: “ What’s your source on the handheld being scrapped? “
Read the article from Microsoft own website and one of your favorite quotations site when it’s something bad about Sony.
Oh BTW good luck with your next SPAM account.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 21d ago
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