xbox President Sarah Bond made it clear that hardware will remain important to the brand even as it moves away from platform exclusivity. Microsoft's gaming division has made several significant moves over the past few months, some of which have left fans uncertain about what will happen in the next console generation and beyond. It's not yet clear what Xbox is doing, but the captain confirmed that hardware still makes up a significant portion of its business.
In recent years, Xbox has seemed to be slowly moving towards a software focus. This is especially true with the launch of services like Xbox Game Pass amidst declining console sales. When Microsoft Confirmed halo With it being released on PlayStation consoles starting now, it felt like the final nail in the coffin of Xbox exclusives. Despite these changes, the company still believes hardware is core to its identity.
Xbox boss says console exclusive idea is 'outdated'
Xbox president Sarah Bond said making games exclusive to one platform is an “old-fashioned” idea as the company releases more games on other consoles.
‘The Xbox experience starts with the console,’ said Sarah Bond, President of Xbox.
In an interview with Fortune Magazine, Bond doubled down on Xbox's console plans, saying “Hardware is absolutely core to everything we do on Xbox.” Even though Xbox hardware revenue fell sharply last quarter, the company remains committed to its console. According to Bond, Xbox's most valuable players start within the Xbox ecosystem, even if they branch out to play on PC, mobile or other platforms. Microsoft wants to support a “play anywhere” future, but believes that creating its own systems is key to success in that environment. The company has found success with the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally
Bond explained Xbox's stance on hardware while also providing insight into the next console. She described the next-gen Xbox as a “powerful” console that “will allow people to take their libraries with them,” showing how this will tie into the brand's larger belief in the flexibility of gaming. Players “taking their libraries with them” could imply some degree of portability, but it's likely a nod to cloud support and cross-platform saving and progression. Previous reports have already suggested that the next Xbox will be a PC/console hybrid, and existing in this unique middle ground may be what Microsoft believes can differentiate it from other hardware enough to justify the investment.
It's yet to be seen how future Xbox hardware will have flexibility and choice, but at least fans know for sure that Microsoft will continue to make consoles without exclusives to draw in an audience. It's worth noting that there could be major changes to the console market as a whole, as PlayStation exclusives are now being released more frequently on other platforms as well.
- brand
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microsoft
- original release date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$499
- operating system
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Proprietary (Windows-based)
- processor
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Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 3.8GHz
- solve
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720p – 4K UHD
