Why don't people call for Microsoft to get out of hardware?

CastletonSnob

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I remember the dark days of the Wii U, when there were calls for Nintendo to stop making consoles and go software only, and people were pointing out every Nintendo console besides the Wii had sold less than the previous one.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has NEVER won a console gen in terms of sales, and Microsoft themselves have said that they have never made a profit off of Xbox. Nintendo has profited off of every console they've ever made besides the Wii U.

So, why have I never heard anyone call for Microsoft to get out of hardware?
 
Probably the biggest reason is Nintendo's software - first party titles are great, but can only be played legitimately on Nintendo hardware.

And as much as I love Nintendo hardware, it'd be hard to be a fan of video games and only own a Nintendo console (their 3rd party titles usually suffer compared to the competitions due to lower powered hardware).

Xbox doesn't really have all that much exclusive software, the games that are worth playing on the platform are usually available elsewhere (ie: PC).

And say what you will about Xbox's software library, their hardware has generally been high quality and well designed (with the exception being that first couple of rounds of 360 RRoD consoles).
 
I imagine people prefer for Sony to have some competition, even if it never challenges the number one spot and never made money from the Xbox endavours has a whole I would be surprised.
 
I remember the dark days of the Wii U, when there were calls for Nintendo to stop making consoles and go software only, and people were pointing out every Nintendo console besides the Wii had sold less than the previous one.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has NEVER won a console gen in terms of sales, and Microsoft themselves have said that they have never made a profit off of Xbox. Nintendo has profited off of every console they've ever made besides the Wii U.

So, why have I never heard anyone call for Microsoft to get out of hardware?
The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were essentially tied during console generation 7. In the end the PlayStation 3 only sold around 1.5 million more units than the Xbox 360 globally (87.4 million vs. 85.8 million).

Microsoft has combined their gaming umbrella into one division. If consoles were removed then it would be losing a large part of its revenue. There is a subsect of people who absolutely refuse to game on anything else, even seeming allergic at the possibility of playing games on a PC. Rabid fanboyism is still alive and well.
 
This meaningless. There are more and more stock of the Xbox by the day. You still can't easily get a PS5 and that's after it has nearly double the units of the Xbox so far.
Would it be only because of supply issues of the PS5, but if that is true:

https://www.thegamer.com/xbox-series-x-s-fastest-selling-consoles-microsoft/

Xbox Series X|S Are The Fastest-Selling Microsoft Consoles Ever Made


Combined with the recent acquisition(attempt of?, the vote went throught at 98% I think) of Activision and the 45% yearly grow on game pass, it is a particularly strange time to put pressure on Microsoft to get out of the Xbox hardware business.

That market in general seem to be doing strong:
https://www.thegamer.com/ps5-xbox-series-x-s-sales-january-2022-consumer-spendng/

Consumer Spending On Consoles Reaches 13 Year High, But Game Spending Is Down


The Xbox division generated its highest ever annual revenue of $16.28 billion during the 2021 calendar year. As noted by Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad, the figure beat the previous record, set by Microsoft's gaming division a year earlier, by 17.07%

Evolution

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If the low/no margin hardware help drive the high margin content &Services, it is perfect, specially how little R&D/challenge it seems to be.
 
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Generally speaking Microsoft makes FANTASTIC hardware (mice, keyboards, joysticks, controllers, music players, consoles, and even some computers). They tend to be well built and reliable (with a few notable exceptions). I still have a perfectly functional Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro 2, Zune, MS serial mouse, PS/2 Ergo keyboard, and a really nice headphone controller that allowed an "all players" mode, or a "private" mode for up to five players at a time - all controlled from a little button interface with it's own headphone volume control. Microsoft is not necessarily the best at actively supporting said hardware, though...
 
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Generally speaking Microsoft makes FANTASTIC hardware (mice, keyboards, joysticks, controllers, music players, consoles, and even some computers). They tend to be well built and reliable (with a few notable exceptions). I still have a perfectly functional Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro 2, Zune, MS serial mouse, PS/2 Ergo keyboard, and a really nice headphone controller that allowed an "all players" mode, or a "private" mode for up to five players at a time - all controlled from a little button interface with it's own headphone volume control. Microsoft is not necessarily the best at actively supporting said hardware, though...
I would say made. Nowadays not so much.
 
Yeah, software sales after the fact are huge as well, and should not be discounted. Along with their quite decent success in game console sales, I'd say there's not a good reason to stop, at least at the moment.
 
People were calling for Nintendo to get out of the hardware game before the WiiU. The main reason is because people want to see Nintendo franchises on more powerful hardware, they want to see Nintendo push their games beyond what their weaker hardware allows. There's really no reason for anyone to make that demand for Microsoft because they have stronger consoles (plus the option to play their games on PC now days). People have called for both MS and Sony to stop releasing exclusive titles and release games on each-other's platforms. Beyond that, MS doesn't exactly have the wealth of long beloved franchises that shaped not only the industry but many people's childhoods the way Nintendo does, at least prior to their studio buying spree.
 
Microsoft seems to be happy with the Xbox for a few reasons. People generally like the Xbox brand. How many Microsoft brands do people actually like? Not many. Second, it works as a platform to sell services. And services are where the money is made.

Finally, Microsoft has made some aggressive acquisitions as of late. The PS5 started selling better this gen because the PS4 sold much better. However, if Fallout 6 doesn't some to the PS5 you can get a game like that will make a lot of people buy an Xbox. Microsoft may finally have some very high profile AAA games that are system sellers. Starfield will be an exclusive to the Xbox.
 
Microsoft themselves have said that they have never made a profit off of Xbox.

That right there is wrong. And that is why they'll continue to sell them. They make billions from "Xbox".

They have said before that they don't make a profit from console sales themselves, maybe that is how you came to that conclusion, or some out of context article quoting some other out of context article sorry excuse for journalism they have these days.

But that's all part of their strategy as well as Sony's. They lose a bit of money on the base hardware so they can sell more peripheals, games, and services, all which have high profit margins. It's like investing $5 to make $50.
 
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At this point, the PS5 and Xbox Series X hardware are so similar. Its really stupid to have to buy nearly the same hardware twice, to be able to play all of the games. I wish MS and Sony would have struck a deal to make one hardware and let us buy all the games for it. The hardware would be even better, due to combined R&D money. And we would only have to buy one.
 
At this point, the PS5 and Xbox Series X hardware are so similar. Its really stupid to have to buy nearly the same hardware twice, to be able to play all of the games. I wish MS and Sony would have struck a deal to make one hardware and let us buy all the games for it. The hardware would be even better, due to combined R&D money. And we would only have to buy one.
That kind of deal might come under anti-trust scrutiny. Besides, while they are very similar, there are some distinct differences. We would not be able to determine the advantages of these approaches if it were just Sony alone.
 
At this point, the PS5 and Xbox Series X hardware are so similar. Its really stupid to have to buy nearly the same hardware twice, to be able to play all of the games. I wish MS and Sony would have struck a deal to make one hardware and let us buy all the games for it. The hardware would be even better, due to combined R&D money. And we would only have to buy one.
Yes, because no competition is always good for the consumer...
 
Yes, because no competition is always good for the consumer...

I disagree. Competition makes companies try harder to make better products.
Remember when Intel CPUs maxed out at quad core consumer CPUs for a whole decade because of a lack of competition?
 
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It was sarcasm. He agrees with you, unless you think competition is bad?

IMHO it can be good for the businesses on top. It's not as black and white as being good or bad in a general sense.
 
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IMHO it can be bad for the businesses on top. It's not as black and white as being good or bad in a general sense.
It's good and bad. But imho not being able to buy certain games for my console isn't as big a deal as not being able to buy a console because there's only one that plays any AAA games and it has no competition, so A) everyone who plays AAA games on console is buying it, and B) they get to jack up the price due to both supply and demand plus no competition.
 
As long as Microsoft keeps releasing all of their exclusive games on the PC, they can release all the console hardware they want. The reason I want Nintendo to get away from hardware is because that's the only way to play their games. Well, that and their hardware has been gimped and gimmicky for the few decades.
 
As long as Microsoft keeps releasing all of their exclusive games on the PC, they can release all the console hardware they want. The reason I want Nintendo to get away from hardware is because that's the only way to play their games. Well, that and their hardware has been gimped and gimmicky for the few decades.
The only Nintendo emulation I know of that doesn't work well these days is the DS, and even that has been making progress lately. Even the Switch emulators are playing commercial games when they release. Of course, it would be nice if Nintendo would make official release of their games. I'd pay good money to get access on my PC to the complete library of every game ever released on a Nintendo console/handheld. Instead of fighting fervently against the emulation hobby, Nintendo should embrace it.
 
Yes, because no competition is always good for the consumer...
It doesn't matter anymore for consoles. Sony and MS get their hardware from the same place----AMD. And indeed, the PS4 and Xbox One and now the PS5 and Xbox Series X, were/are extremely similar. That's like 8 years of forcing consumers to buy two separate sets of very nearly the same hardware. For no good reason.
 
The only Nintendo emulation I know of that doesn't work well these days is the DS, and even that has been making progress lately. Even the Switch emulators are playing commercial games when they release. Of course, it would be nice if Nintendo would make official release of their games. I'd pay good money to get access on my PC to the complete library of every game ever released on a Nintendo console/handheld. Instead of fighting fervently against the emulation hobby, Nintendo should embrace it.
Switch Emulation is only great for maybe a handful of games or less.
 
The only Nintendo emulation I know of that doesn't work well these days is the DS, and even that has been making progress lately. Even the Switch emulators are playing commercial games when they release. Of course, it would be nice if Nintendo would make official release of their games. I'd pay good money to get access on my PC to the complete library of every game ever released on a Nintendo console/handheld. Instead of fighting fervently against the emulation hobby, Nintendo should embrace it.

That's fine and dandy for older games...or in Nintendo's case even their newer games because they're running on old hardware. I know it'll never* happen, but I want Nintendo titles without the caveat of them running on underpowered/gimmicky hardware. I want a Mario Kart, Zelda, Smash, 3D Mario, Pokemon, etc. designed for and running on high-end hardware. 4K/120Hz with massive details, real online play, etc. on day 1. Emulation is nice, but it's still emulation, and it's still janky and making the best of a bad situation. I know Nintendo prints money off nostalgic 80's kids, but I still hold out hope for Nintendo titles that aren't "good...but..."

*Based upon how things look right now. I'm sure we're all aware that things can change quickly.
 
It doesn't matter anymore for consoles. Sony and MS get their hardware from the same place----AMD. And indeed, the PS4 and Xbox One and now the PS5 and Xbox Series X, were/are extremely similar. That's like 8 years of forcing consumers to buy two separate sets of very nearly the same hardware. For no good reason.

Consoles are more than just the hardware though. They're as much a service (even if you have to pay again for it annually) as they are a box of hardware.
 
Consoles are more than just the hardware though. They're as much a service (even if you have to pay again for it annually) as they are a box of hardware.
Uh huh. MS and Sony could have one set of hardware, on which both their services and software could run.
 
I remember the dark days of the Wii U, when there were calls for Nintendo to stop making consoles and go software only, and people were pointing out every Nintendo console besides the Wii had sold less than the previous one.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has NEVER won a console gen in terms of sales, and Microsoft themselves have said that they have never made a profit off of Xbox. Nintendo has profited off of every console they've ever made besides the Wii U.

So, why have I never heard anyone call for Microsoft to get out of hardware?

People rage on Nintendo because they want the company to commit suicide so they can get their titles on PC. Which won't happen because Nintendo isn't utterly fucking stupid and only someone who's brain dead would actually do what is being demanded. Since most of what MS has comes out on all platforms, ditto for PS5 there are no calls for them.
The only Nintendo emulation I know of that doesn't work well these days is the DS, and even that has been making progress lately. Even the Switch emulators are playing commercial games when they release. Of course, it would be nice if Nintendo would make official release of their games. I'd pay good money to get access on my PC to the complete library of every game ever released on a Nintendo console/handheld. Instead of fighting fervently against the emulation hobby, Nintendo should embrace it.

Nintendo would be idiotic to release on the PC and anybody at the company who proposed that should be boiled alive for their stupidity. Nintendo really doesn't fight emulation that hard either. And it's not as if many of the games released aren't on PC already. Capcom, Konami, SquareEnix, all of them have ported their games to the PC and they are high quality. The only things you can't get are Nintendo's own IPs and other side things that Nintendo couldn't port anyways because the IPs are third parties. I'd like the Ninja Gaidens from the NES on the PC, but that's out of Nintendos control. Keep in mind though that many "remakes" (Bionic Commando is a good example) did release on the PC. And many other games that are Nintendo style (8bit style Double Dragon, 8bit style Mega Man, 8 bit style River City Rampage) all went multiplayer.

The only thing Nintendo truly controls is their own IPs, and it would be the end of the company if they made them multiplatform and they aren't suicidal.
 
People rage on Nintendo because they want the company to commit suicide so they can get their titles on PC. Which won't happen because Nintendo isn't utterly fucking stupid and only someone who's brain dead would actually do what is being demanded. Since most of what MS has comes out on all platforms, ditto for PS5 there are no calls for them.


Nintendo would be idiotic to release on the PC and anybody at the company who proposed that should be boiled alive for their stupidity. Nintendo really doesn't fight emulation that hard either. And it's not as if many of the games released aren't on PC already. Capcom, Konami, SquareEnix, all of them have ported their games to the PC and they are high quality. The only things you can't get are Nintendo's own IPs and other side things that Nintendo couldn't port anyways because the IPs are third parties. I'd like the Ninja Gaidens from the NES on the PC, but that's out of Nintendos control. Keep in mind though that many "remakes" (Bionic Commando is a good example) did release on the PC. And many other games that are Nintendo style (8bit style Double Dragon, 8bit style Mega Man, 8 bit style River City Rampage) all went multiplayer.

The only thing Nintendo truly controls is their own IPs, and it would be the end of the company if they made them multiplatform and they aren't suicidal.

Double Dragon didn't "go multiplayer". It was already multiplayer in the first place. That's where the "Double"comes in.
 
I for one would prefer Microsoft to remain in the console game. Hardware is relatively similar. But Microsoft gamepass IMO is much better than what Sony has to offer. I just prefer Microsoft game eco system than Sony's. It's the sole reason I don't buy Sony consoles.
 
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