Microsoft might legit publish more games on PS5 this year than Sony does." Gamers react to PlayStation State of Play, and the strange times Xbox f...

[Windows Central]

Sony had its semi-regular State of Play showcase yesterday, and PlayStation gamers hoping for a roadmap received a lot of third-party multiplatform titles instead. Did Xbox bow out too soon?

Microsoft might legit publish more games on PS5 this year than Sony does." Gamers react to PlayStation State of Play, and the strange times Xbox f... : Read more

 

[fatpunkslim]

It's more of a "State of Third Party" than a "State of Play" these days. It's been ages since we had a genuinely good State of Play event. They even managed to remake another game that didn't need it, which is unbelievable!

Xbox, on the other hand, has more multiplatform AND exclusive games than PlayStation, which is quite remarkable. This clearly shows that console sales are driven by marketing and media perception, rather than the games themselves.

As a result, PlayStation gamers end up buying very few games, making it a default console for casual gamers who stick to titles like FIFA, Fortnite, and Call of Duty. Just take a look at the poor sales of Astrobot , which, despite receiving a huge marketing campaign, still struggled in the market. Not to mention the sales of Final Fantasy and others.

Why invest in a console for just two exclusive games a year that end up on PC anyway? Xbox is a great console, thanks to Game Pass—the best service out there. With Play Anywhere and the best backward compatibility, Xbox provides more exclusive games than PlayStation, even if some are released on other consoles after a few years. I'm not willing to wait four years to play the next Forza Horizon.

Upcoming exclusives like Avowed, South of Midnight, and Mecha Break look amazing. It feels like they're the only ones creating exciting new games!

 

[Lurking_Lurker_Lurks]

None of this really seems like a negative in the gaming industry to me. Neither Playstation nor Xbox consoles are likely to go anywhere soon (you don't typically get rid of a consumer business pulling in 10 billion+ USD overnight), and now more games than ever are available to more gamers than ever. Sony's first party efforts don't prop up the industry (though I suspect we'll soon all benefit from the news of closer to day and date PC launches). We're still getting some of the best stream of games ever. I'm very happy as a gamer that everything interesting at the state of play is coming to Xbox. Just like I'm sure PS gamers were happy 3/4 interesting games were going to Playstation. PC gamers are happy to be getting everything. And Nintendo Switch owners will be... maybe happy to buy the Switch 2? Idk. Nintendo does NOT have the best historical track record with sequel consoles.

The industry feels like it's evolving. For PlayStation it feels like it's involving around them without their consent and yet they still have to watch as their reality changes. Their first party had dried up. Their third parties are supporting all platforms day one. And their "direct" competitor (not even really anymore because they are playing different games) is doing very well on the PS store (and they only keep 30% of that success). As a consumer there's nothing I really feel worrisome over. I mean, speaking of expensive PC hardware what about expensive console hardware? After the PS5 Pro, the PS6 price terrifies me. Xbox is the last one seemingly okay with subsidizing prices. I don't expect that to hold next generation. So we'll have the high performance PS6 and Next Xbox probably pushing $600 and Nintendo continuing to have console hardware a generation and half old for $300 to $400. I will gladly take more games than ever releasing on more hardware. You don't know how happy I am that a Digimon Story game is coming to Xbox day one.

 

[Papictu]

I have already had several conversations here and I think you already know my opinion, I am completely devastated by the state of Xbox.

Where I live, in Spain, here Xbox has disappeared, in all stores only Nintendo and Playstation systems are for sale, the only way to buy an Series S or X here is in Amazon.

In a move that seems to me a shame, it seems that Microsoft has abandoned the users who purchased an Xbox Series, I am angry and sad.

I don't know what the next Xbox will be like, but I hope it's really something good, or it's going to be hard to turn around the self-destructive inertia they've started on their own platform.

On the one hand, because they have broken the image and trust of users, will it be worth buying "Xbox Prime" if Xbox Series has ended so badly? I think it is an inevitable question that the few users who will consider buying it will ask themselves.

And on the other hand, if it evolves into a kind of PC, how will it work? if Steam or Epic are on "Xbox Prime" will we have separate libraries per store? if I unlock an achievement in a Steam game will it count in my Xbox profile? will the friends list be a mix of all the stores?

My head is a mess, I can't not be pessimistic with everything they are doing, which I really hope they have some plan and this makes sense at some point, and that it's not that they are killing the Xbox platform, which is what it looks like right now.

 

[fatpunkslim]

I have already had several conversations here and I think you already know my opinion, I am completely devastated by the state of Xbox.

Where I live, in Spain, here Xbox has disappeared, in all stores only Nintendo and Playstation systems are for sale, the only way to buy an Series S or X here is in Amazon.

In a move that seems to me a shame, it seems that Microsoft has abandoned the users who purchased an Xbox Series, I am angry and sad.

I don't know what the next Xbox will be like, but I hope it's really something good, or it's going to be hard to turn around the self-destructive inertia they've started on their own platform.

On the one hand, because they have broken the image and trust of users, will it be worth buying "Xbox Prime" if Xbox Series has ended so badly? I think it is an inevitable question that the few users who will consider buying it will ask themselves.

And on the other hand, if it evolves into a kind of PC, how will it work? if Steam or Epic are on "Xbox Prime" will we have separate libraries per store? if I unlock an achievement in a Steam game will it count in my Xbox profile? will the friends list be a mix of all the stores?

My head is a mess, I can't not be pessimistic with everything they are doing, which I really hope they have some plan and this makes sense at some point, and that it's not that they are killing the Xbox platform, which is what it looks like right now.

Stop trolling please ! We've all figured out that you're not an Xbox player, no need to pretend, you're wasting your time!

 

[fjtorres5591]

Consoles are edging towards the edge of their economic viability: their price/performance is overlapping with "last year's" gaming PCs.
This is often ignored in the media because they always focus on the latest and greatest (most expensive) hardware.

The real world, as STEAM's annual survey reveals, does not live at the bleeding edge. And that means that an $800 console, with its locked-in store, console exclusives and mandatory subscriptions, may end up pricier than a lower end gaming PC without the monthly fees and with access to most of the hyped console games.

This is reflected in the popularity of handheld gaming PCs and the constant pining for a STEAM OS living room box. And if the XBOX does indeed evolve Windows compatibility it will definitely remain relevant even if STEAM or somebody else produces a living room console. Otherwise... It isn't Sony that XBOX needs to beat, moving forward.

As to Sony, well, as I've said before; they zigged when they should've zagged and invested their limited funds in "less than optimal" ways. Which is leaving them, for the next 3-4 years, with one first party exclusive a year and forcing them to hype third party games they pretend aren't multiplatform to feed their fanboys' delusions. (yesterday's dog and pony show had exactly *one* first party game, a remake that is also coming to PC).

Back during the FTC trial, among the leaked goodies there was one particularly amusing email where one XBOX exec, obviously irritated by Sony's anticompetitive practices, wondered why MS didn't just spend Sony out of the market. The obvious answer being that in addition to being anticompetitive and anticonsumer it would bring in unwanted regulatory trouble. Plus, it was and is bad business. 4% profit margin versus 12% says it all.

And yet, MS is in fact spending Sony out of the business--the software and services side, where the money is. Instead of money hatting games away from Sony, MS simply put its money to work *creating games*. 100 studios that are only now starting to flood the market and GAME PASS in particular, with cost-controlled AA games, chasing engagement (and money) rather than pandering to the aging game media still clinging to the no longer workable economics of the old days.

Every day, more and more data comes out and it is becoming clear that high end, pixel pimping games are no longer viable on a single platform no matter how big. 70% of the spending might be on PC but PC alone is not enough for the highest end projects to subsist on, to say nothing of the living room consoles. And even then, it took ALAN WAKE 2 18 months to reach breakeven. At least they are still alive. Almost daily now we hear of studios shutting down, trimming staff, cancelling or delaying projects.

XBOX on the other hand is prospering. They went to PC 10 years ago.
They went LIVE SERVICE even earlier, depending on how you look at their online games. They spent big but they not only bought future games, they bought *current* cash cows and tons of IP. Just yesterday, I realized MS now owns PROJECT GOTHAM and the other IP from BIZZARE CREATIONS. Makes me wonder what Playground Games might do with PROJECT GOTHAM. Or maybe METROPOLIS STREET RACER (not sure if MS or Sega owns the ip.) MS now has a horde of ip and the studios to monetize them.

And to top it all, MS is turning their competitor platforms into farm teams feeding cash to keep their 100 studios fully funded and producing.

"What's mine is mine, what's yours is...also mine."
(Negotiation is over.)

 

[Papictu]

Stop trolling please ! We've all figured out that you're not an Xbox player, no need to pretend, you're wasting your time!

I'm sorry you think that. I have been an Xbox gamer for 20 years, I have over 800,000G and over 2000 games played, 218 completed 100%.

Papictu's TrueAchievements Profile

See all of Papictu's Xbox achievements, what they've been playing, and their upcoming gaming sessions on trueachievements.com

www.trueachievements.com

I'm also a big Xbox fan, and maybe that's my problem, it's impossible for me not to complain about the current situation, it's pretty hard for the community that has been supporting the brand for so many years.

On the other hand I'm also old (40 years :') ), maybe just the industry is changing and I'm not able to understand it.

And maybe also the situation is very different depending on the country, in Spain the Xbox situation is horrible, in USA or UK maybe it's much better.

I'm not a troll, I really love Xbox and until not long ago I was very excited about its future, but with the recent “changes of plans” I think users should be making more noise, because I really think the platform needs to improve a lot to survive.

 

[fjtorres5591]

I'm sorry you think that. I have been an Xbox gamer for 20 years, I have over 800,000G and over 2000 games played, 218 completed 100%.

Papictu's TrueAchievements Profile

See all of Papictu's Xbox achievements, what they've been playing, and their upcoming gaming sessions on trueachievements.com

www.trueachievements.com

I'm also a big Xbox fan, and maybe that's my problem, it's impossible for me not to complain about the current situation, it's pretty hard for the community that has been supporting the brand for so many years.

On the other hand I'm also old (40 years :') ), maybe just the industry is changing and I'm not able to understand it.

And maybe also the situation is very different depending on the country, in Spain the Xbox situation is horrible, in USA or UK maybe it's much better.

I'm not a troll, I really love Xbox and until not long ago I was very excited about its future, but with the recent “changes of plans” I think users should be making more noise, because I really think the platform needs to improve a lot to survive.

If you truly think that you are following the wrong news sources.

XBOX *is* making changes and, unlike Sony, they are the right changes for the gaming world of 2025-30. In this case the chicken little handwringers are in the wrong, and XBOX management is demonstrably in the right.

They are ahead of the competition and the new rules. Instead of a rear guard action trying to protect a stagnant business model they are aggressively protecting their community and their *studios* to keep XBOX alive and thriving.

Without going too far, look to this week's financial news from Sony. In the fourth quarter they reached 75 million PlayStations *shipped*. Not all sold. Estimates are 15-20% are in warehouses. And they sold less games games than in 2023. They only sold 8Million of their oh-so-important exclusives for at most $600M down 3 million copies from 2023. 70% of their revenue came from 3rd party games. So they sold more boxes but they sold them to locked-in PS4 owners. They brag about having 123M active PlayStations, which is a lot but *less* than all the PS4's ever. And they are still making PS4's that are still selling despite all their new exclusives are PS5 only.

CALL OF DUTY alone brought XBOX more money than all of Sony's exclusives, combined. So is GAME PASS which is bringing in $1B per quarter. 50% more than all of Sony's exclusives combined. And that doesn't factor XBOX sales on console or PC.

You don't like where XBOX is going, fine.
But they are still doing better than Sony. They aren't cancelling games or closing studios. If anything, they are adding teams and studios, especially in eastern Europe.

So what do you prefer, bragging rights over selling profitless hunks of plastic or shipping more and better games continually, at better prices?

Because there is one thing Sony does better than XBOX and that is squeezing more money out of each individual customer. $800 consoles!

Unfortunately, they don't get to keep that extra money. They have to spend it on marketing to maintain the illusion of supremacy. 4% margin is not a healthy platform. And unlike the early days of PS3 the rest of SONY is in no shape to support a flagging PlayStation while it recovers.

 

[fatpunkslim]

I'm sorry you think that. I have been an Xbox gamer for 20 years, I have over 800,000G and over 2000 games played, 218 completed 100%.

Papictu's TrueAchievements Profile

See all of Papictu's Xbox achievements, what they've been playing, and their upcoming gaming sessions on trueachievements.com

www.trueachievements.com

I'm also a big Xbox fan, and maybe that's my problem, it's impossible for me not to complain about the current situation, it's pretty hard for the community that has been supporting the brand for so many years.

On the other hand I'm also old (40 years :') ), maybe just the industry is changing and I'm not able to understand it.

And maybe also the situation is very different depending on the country, in Spain the Xbox situation is horrible, in USA or UK maybe it's much better.

I'm not a troll, I really love Xbox and until not long ago I was very excited about its future, but with the recent “changes of plans” I think users should be making more noise, because I really think the platform needs to improve a lot to survive.

Speak for yourself and not on behalf of a so-called community that is supposedly like you. That's not the case at all. If you're not a PS ****** troll, as it seems, then you have a serious problem analyzing the situation. Xbox is doing very well, don't join Jez's sect and his eternal defeatism based solely on console sales. As our friend above @fjtorres5591 said, what matters most is selling games, supporting development studios, financing Game Pass with an ever-increasing library of games, and diversifying their strategy with multiplatform (PC, cloud, mobile, and some ports to other consoles). And in all these areas, Xbox is far ahead. - Their profit margins are great,
- and the number of Game Pass subscribers is also growing, even if we don't know the exact number, we know they've had double-digit percentage growth in recent months.
- Xbox has 500 million active users (vs 100 millions for PS) and a higher level of player engagement compared to PlayStation, which is much more casual.

But this hybrid strategy doesn't mean they favor one lever over another; they continue to create exclusive games like we can see (Despite Jez's fabrications.), with upcoming titles being Avowed, South of Midnight, Mecha Break, and many others, even if some are temporary. They are maintaining a balance until proven otherwise. The next console is indeed planned and will be completely disruptive compared to what we know today.

Xbox has never created so many games:

• They create more first-party games than PlayStation.
• They create more multiplatform games than PlayStation.
• They create more exclusive games than PlayStation.

With over 30 studios, Xbox is cooking like never before, with a noticeable improvement in quality.

Unfortunately, it's not by reading Jez's speculative laments that you'll realize it, but by reading serious comments like those from fjtorres5591 or Lurking_Lurker_Lurks, GraniteStateColin, and others, or by visiting some Reddit groups or other specialized sites. I assure you there's not this widespread defeatism that you seem to believe is generalized. It's clear that pro-S trolls fuel this negative vision to reassure themselves in the face of the emptiness of their cherished console.

And even regarding console sales, they remain quite stable in reality and comparable to the last generation, considering that we don't have a mid-gen this generation, it's not comparable (But the media generally doesn't mention that.)
. What drags down sales are people like Jez or you, or the media who base the success of an ecosystem solely on console sales, especially when we know that the competitor artificially inflates its numbers. (Here too, media generally doesn't mention that.)

What do we ask from Nintendo, Xbox, or PlayStation? Do we just want plastic boxes? Or do we want games? Well, in that regard, we are spoiled—Xbox creates games. On PlayStation's side, however, we wonder what they are doing besides remakes. They dared to release another remake with Until Dawn, which shows two things:

• The financial distress they're in, seeking easy money with minimal effort.
• And above all, the lack of respect they have for their players, but that's not new.

Personally, I prefer a video game manufacturer/publisher that makes video games, not a plastic box vendor with "8K" written on it! An ecosystem that allows you to buy a game once and play it on multiple platforms (PC and cloud), an ecosystem that offers true backward compatibility and doesn't charge for next-gen upgrades, an ecosystem that offers a variety of games and respects the culture of video games without being limited to the same style of game. A sleek, quiet, and powerful console with unique features like quick resume, not a poorly ventilated and noisy aircraft carrier.

That's what Xbox is all about. If you haven't understood that, I hope I've opened your eyes a bit because many are being misled by certain media.