r/xbox • u/Bi0_B1lly • 1d ago
Discussion With the current state of Xbox, would you be interested in Microsoft pivoting the brand into gaming PCs?
In general, I'm surprised that Xbox and Playstation haven't made parts for gaming PCs… While I get that this could be seen as "feeding the opposition" to some, those who want PC are going to get it either way, so why not double dip and release rig cases, RAM sticks, graphics cards, motherboards and SSDs for PC gamers to use in their builds?
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u/Legitimate-Relief915 1d ago
It’s not worth it. They make their money off the store and gamepass. There’s no upside to branded gaming pc’s.
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u/Bi0_B1lly 1d ago
Microsoft's desire to exit the gaming sphere would surely leave a hole in their revenue nevertheless. Although I doubt it'd compare to console sales of years past, selling parts under the Xbox brand would certainly help fill the hole, it'd also make their exit far less painful if the brand still exists to some capacity, even if not involving gaming consoles.
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u/Exorcist-138 1d ago
What desire to exit the gaming sphere?
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u/Bi0_B1lly 1d ago
There were rumors in February that they wanted to exit, which was further perceived by fans from the amount of Xbox exclusives going completely 3rd party (hell, Halo's reportedly coming to Playstation soon). They had to make a press release stating that they're staying for the time being because of how much hullabaloo it sparked.
I wasn't trying to say they're quitting outright, but it definitely seems as though they're struggling atm and aren't focused too hard on a new console. My bad for the phrasing earlier, should've worded myself differently.
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u/Devil_Arms 1d ago
How does it seem like they’re not focused on now hardware when Sarah Bond said it in the beginning of the year, Phil has said it, and even Satya has said it? ALL of the big names IN THE COMPANY, and yet you’re putting stock into unsubstantiated rumors from social media?
And there’s no “reports” Halo is coming. Just a bunch of miserable fanboys gaslighting over an engine change.
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u/brokenmessiah 22h ago
Sega openly denied getting out of hardware the same week they later confirmed it. Not saying this is happening again but understand they'll openly and proudly lie to the media and public for as long as they can because even hinting a exit would be stupid and brand damaging.
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u/segagamer Day One - 2013 15h ago
Sega of America denied it because they were actually doing okay and thought they could hold on.
Sega of Japan were the ones that suddenly pulled out and shat on Sega of America.
You cannot compare that to Microsoft - Sega had a lot of in-fighting and terrible communication between their Japan and America headquarters. It's the entire reason why the 32X was shat out too - Sega of America had no idea thr Saturn was in development.
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u/brokenmessiah 14h ago
Sega of America: Things are good
Sega of Japan: Things are not good
Narrator: Things were not good
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u/Devil_Arms 22h ago
“Hey this happened 25 years ago in a completely different time with a completely different company, therefore the obviously biased online discourse holds more weight.”
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u/brokenmessiah 22h ago
Companies have a interest in appearing to maintain status quo.
Your failure to understand this isn't my problem anymore I'm no longer on my bathroom break 👍
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u/segagamer Day One - 2013 15h ago edited 15h ago
There were rumors in February that they wanted to exit
I started that rumour as a joke, and I pulled it out of my ass.
Glad you enjoyed it x
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1d ago
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u/Bi0_B1lly 1d ago
It'd be a rough start forsure to get into another sect of the market, but so long as their parts are quality/performance is comparable to competitors and the price is fair, I don't see why they couldn't make a dent in the market
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1d ago
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u/Bi0_B1lly 1d ago
Very fair point. After all, they aren't really too interested in the hardware as you pointed out, so why jump from one hardware to another?
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u/24BitEraMan 1d ago
This ia a niche inside a niche inside a niche. There are very very few people that are PC gamers that then want to buy a pre built PC that then would want to buy a pre built Xbox branded PC. Why not just build your own or buy from a good pre-built company like Alienware, Razor or Cyberpower.
If you are talking about a shell that is Xbox branded, sure, no harm and could be fun.
If you are talking about a pre-built PC that can only run Xbox OS, that is a huge no.
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u/BostonParlay 1d ago
I’m thinking this goes in the opposite direction. Microsoft will make zero hardware, but instead provide specs to third-party manufacturers who will construct the hardware. Kind of like how it works for graphics cards now.
In my ideal future-state these operate as full-fledged PCs, capable of running Windows alongside a console-specific Xbox OS.
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u/VampEngr 22h ago
I agree, there’s already manufacturers making elite series alternatives.
I would imagine they would make custom consoles running XboxOS
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u/VampEngr 1d ago
Most I’d see is a branded gaming case, peripherals and maybe cooling fans.
Intel/AMD dominate the CPU market share. NVIDIA/AMD/Intel dominate the GPU market share.
There’s reputable manufacturers for what I listed above that sell at a good price, if Xbox can design something as efficient and affordable I don’t see this as profitable.
It would appeal to die hard fans though.
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u/brokenmessiah 22h ago
There's nothing stopping me(or anyone) from just buying a pc and throwing a Xbox sticker on it.
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u/SpectrumSense 21h ago
I think the problem is that Microsoft is stuck between a rock and a hard place with Xbox and doesn't really know what the best course of action is.
Discontinue the brand and concede to Sony and Nintendo? That's a bad look and a good way to lose customers.
Dive all in and make exclusive games just for Xbox? Lose money and investors because Xbox hasn't been selling anywhere near as much as the other two.
Microsoft shareholders probably hate Xbox as a console since they're loss leaders (sold at a loss and money is made back through software sales), that's why they're pivoting towards Game Pass subscriptions, cloud, PC sales, and even putting games on PlayStation and Nintendo. Especially since that $70B ActBlizz hole, and corporate greed becoming more prevalent than ever, Xbox has basically become that really easy way to get into video games without much identity of its own, like mobile games.
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u/nizerifin 17h ago
You are right about that.
Perhaps they go the Netflix/Disney/streaming service route and put Gamepass on everything and gate their content behind Gamepass. If everything (except a PlayStation) is an Xbox then their install base just went from 30m to a far larger number. I think exclusivity has to be a part of their strategy otherwise the brand will wilt over time. Oh and they need to have compelling content to attract and retain subscribers. I guess Call of Duty checks that box.
We’ll see what happens!
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u/SpectrumSense 16h ago edited 16h ago
Well, yeah, but even then, they're porting games over to PlayStation directly. No need for Game Pass, and Sony takes a 30% cut.
I genuinely don't get their strategy here. Unless the goal is to make the Xbox consoles even cheaper and say "yeah, you could buy a $500 PS5 and play our games and theirs too, but you could pay $100 for an Xbox Series S and get full access to our games too." Even then, that would exacerbate the "loss leader" concept that the shareholders despise.
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u/nizerifin 5h ago
I assume putting games on PlayStation is a mere stop gap until their strategy is in place.
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u/Millard10 1d ago
If Microsoft take xbox where it looks like they are taking it (variety of third party hardware with xbox brand) then I'm going to be going to PS.
I just want to buy a box that I can plug in and play and developers can try to maximise to their advantage and squeeze out every drop of power from. I don't want multiple machines of varying power levels. At that point I might as well buy a PC.
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u/Monkey-Honker 1d ago
No, consoles hsvr thr benefit of plug and play, most games don't require tweaking. Xbox would lose its identity if they made a PC. Now a handheld would be nice
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u/groovynermal 1d ago
Exactly. If I wanted to upgrade ram or grfx cards to play a new game, I would already play PC.
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u/gearofwar1802 Founder 1d ago
Im planing on making the switch when the 5090 releases. Xbox hardware goes in an absolute wrong direction and I want to get a smooth transition.
I wouldn’t buy anything branded/prebuild though because you always pay extra on that.
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u/dadleftuslol 1d ago
With the fumbling of the last two generations, I no longer have interest in another Xbox branded product. My Series X is collecting dust waiting for GTA6
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u/who_likes_chicken XBOX 1d ago
$500 is the hard max I'd probably fork over for any gaming device. If they can get me a console for that or less then I don't care what gimmicks it has
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u/SquareConstruction79 1d ago
Absolutely not. But I could see an Xbox Certified branding of some sort with OEMs they partner with.
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u/themal86 1d ago
Pretty sure that jez Corden who seems to be in the know with a lot of things, for example the Xbox handheld that he mentioned then a week later Phil Spencer confirmed they were looking at. Well he mentioned that it's looking like Xbox are going the os route. Think steam but Xbox OS. Then licence out the rights to make the console/small form factor pc. I would think minimum spec requirements. Manufactured by various company's. Like say asus, lenovo, razer, Samsung.
This strategy does a few things that benefit Microsoft. As follows, they don't have to make the hardware themselves meaning they don't manufacture a console that they then have to sell at a loss for the entire generation. Then the consumer can also say have say steam on there. (Also the ability to play playstation games that have gone to pc) Then on top of all that they can expand in the territories they have struggled to sell Xbox in by ways of the various manufacturers selling th units in those places. It's a win win for Microsoft and a win win for the consumer. It will also trump playstation. What you going to buy first a machine that does practically everything or the Sony iteration that only plays playstation games. But nobody knows for sure what Sony will offer or if Microsoft will go that route but if they are smart and want to win next "generation" this is the way they will go.
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u/despitegirls XBOX Series X 1d ago
No, especially given they can allow marketplaces like Steam without turning the Xbox into a branded PC.
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u/console5891 23h ago
Too many cheats on PC, console or cloud gaming, not PC.
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u/Bi0_B1lly 23h ago
That's a playerbase issue that games should/do account for with anticheat and moderation. It's not really fair to say they can't because of bad actors.
That'd be like stopping production on cars because some people drink drive.
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u/baladreams 8h ago
Xbox is irrelevant on PCs, steam is good enough . PC game pass is not worth it when compared to steam
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u/EffectiveEngine7 1d ago
Oh hell no. They’d kill the Gaming PC industry too.
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1d ago
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u/EffectiveEngine7 19h ago
Yeah, that’s the best case scenario, where it’s just another Windows Phone. Worst case scenario, they form an oligopoly or become competitive enough to force Gaming PC makers to stoop to their level and the consumer will always lose big in these situations.
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u/RoyKites Outage Survivor '24 1d ago
No, why would Microsoft make Xbox computers when they are the biggest computer manufacturer already? Moronic.
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u/kaysn Outage Survivor '24 1d ago
The PC gaming space already have reliable manufacturers. And the problem with Sony, MS and Nintendo. The moment they slap on their branding on peripherals. They jack up the price. No PC gamer is going to be interested. No self respecting PC gamer buys pre-built PCs.
MS is just going to alienate their core fanbase. And fail to appeal to an audience who are used to freedom of choice. MS missed that window (heh) when they decided to not cater to their ready made audience who uses their OS. Valve was still up and coming at the time and had no real competition. But MS decided, Sony was easier to take on. (Games for Windows Live was godawful.)
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u/LostSoulNo1981 Outage Survivor '24 1d ago
Hell no.
I’ve never been interested in PC gaming.
Consoles are more convenient due to their still mostly plug and play nature.
Obviously not as plug and play as they were up until the 7th gen when profiles and updates began to become the norm.
Old man waffle incoming.
When I was a kid consoles were truly plug and play. All you needed to do was plug them into the TV, power and the controller, pop the game in turn it on and play. No installing, no updates, no need for any kind of online connection. Split screen, couch co-op or 1v1 was the norm.
It’s why I still go back and play older consoles like the original PlayStation, or when I really get the urge, the MegaDrive.
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u/jhallen2260 Outage Survivor '24 1d ago
No