8 Bold Predictions For PS4, Xbox One & Nintendo Switch In 2018

2. Microsoft Bow Out Of The Console Race

As I wrote about in a piece detailing the further flung future of video games, Microsoft are already looking into bowing out of the console race in terms of physical hardware, and shifting to a fully streamable model instead.

Essentially going one step further than what is already established with the Xbox Game Pass, there's every chance that by year's end, "Xbox" will be a Netflix-style app you connect a controller to, where games are streamed in. According to Phil Spencer's comments when talking to Bloomberg, the company already tested this model inside their own walls, yet it was both too costly, and using Azure cloud services, not dependable enough.

Still, you can bet your bottom dollar that Xbox's number crunchers are analysing just how much money is being put into R&D and consoles in general, when shipping a controller and app combo could be a possibility. It'll simply be a matter of "when" if their internal tests start lining quality up with cost.

Going this route would essentially roll together all their backwards compatibility technology, and it makes sense of why the "Play Anywhere" mandate was ushered in with all their console exclusives (it allows Windows and PC gaming to remain strong).

Could Microsoft literally become the "Netflix of games", and would that be a healthier place for them, considering the competition?