Xbox Series X: 10 Worries Microsoft NEED To Address
If Xbox wants to come back, they need to fix these issues asap.
Following a breakdown of Sony's strategy, it's now Microsoft's turn under the microscope. The company is set to launch the Xbox Series X later this year, touted as the most powerful console on the market.
For a full decade now, Microsoft has been lagging behind in terms of both their identity in the gaming market and their approach to making top tier games. They've diluted their brand and squandered many an opportunity to bring the gaming community back on-board with their exclusive games falling by the wayside. Fans have been waiting a long time for Microsoft to make a full comeback in the gaming market.
That's not to say it's all bad. Since taking a battering between 2013 and 2015, Xbox has taken on a passionate boss with Phil Spencer, thrown out the gimmicks that held them back and created stronger value through backwards compatibility and Xbox Game Pass.
In response to their publicised Xbox Games Showcase, here are various concerns Microsoft need to address in the run-up to launch. If nothing else, they're sure to deliver some pointers for the brand to stay relevant in the ninth generation.
10. What's The Longterm Plan For The Console Business?
When they first entered the gaming business nearly two decades ago, Halo: Combat Evolved became Microsoft's killer app that immediately stamped them onto the scene. For a time, the company was good at creating experiences that could only be found on their platform. From 2010 to today however, a new question has been raised.
With both Halo and Xbox Game Pass arriving on PC, could the Series X be Microsoft's last console? The incentives to buy an Xbox console have slowly been trickling away in recent years. Most notably, there are now no exclusive games that require owning the console and while Microsoft is looking to move away from that focus, a key selling point for the Xbox Series X is now non-existent.
It's true that those who aren't fans of the PC platform will go down the console route for a more accessible experience, but Microsoft is still gambling with its place in that market. Will they release multiple iterations of the Series X over time to improve its power? Or will they end up bowing out of the hardware market completely and stick to providing a service? It will all come down to early adoption of the Series X.