Microsoft keeps making this Xbox mistake: Pushing the platform, and not the games - wakefieldthedis1939

Microsoft is committing the unvaried sin today that it did with the launch of the Xbox One: The focus of a game console shouldn't be about the platform, but thegames.

Equate the freshman images shown off at Microsoft's news conference, and so at Sony's. Microsoft launched its new Xbox Same S console in the first some seconds, while Sony (following a prospicient intromission by an in-house orchestra) light-emitting diode off with an extended snip from the newGod of War game.

To its deferred payment, I don't think Microsoft necessarily part to make the Xbox One the sharpen of its E3 introduction. Just by the end of IT, we weren't talking approximately games like the creepily dystopianWe Happy Some, only whether or non gamers should buy a slimmer Xbox One S or wait for the vastly more powerful Figure Scorpio. Just check forbidden our slideshow of what Microsoft announced at E3, and see how much we ended up talk about everythingbesides the games.

Microsoft announced two new Xbox consoles—and there's nada wrong with that. But there were also new controllers, the launch of Xbox Free rein Anyplace's cross-platform play mode, clubs, a Looking Group option along Xbox Live, an arena mode, Cortana, language domain independence, and so on. Platform references even snuck into the games discussion: Minecraft Realms is really clean a closed, ill-natured-platform server for cooperative play. Even the E3 news recap on Microsoft's website leads off with each the political program improvements, while pushy the games down to the very bottom.

Sony could have casually mentioned that IT plans a new, more powerful console, too. But it didn't, and it came away stronger for it.

we happy few — *We Well-chosen Few* was ane of the standout games in Microsoft's offerings, even though it had aBioShock vibe that we'd seen before.

What story teaches us: Scorn gamers, pay the Mary Leontyne Pric

We altogether remember what happened the last time Microsoft priortized the platform, and non the games itself. When Microsoft launched the Xbox One, we power saw people happening TV playing "The Price is Right." Microsoft showed dispatch TV, and the science behind the Kinect, and some partnership with EA Sports that really didn't seem to be about games. The One broke compatibility with the Xbox 360, it cost $100 many than the PS4, and (at the time) information technology charged $60 for Xbox Go Gold to access Netflix. Microsoft's Don Mattrick used phrases like "harmonizing your experiences" rather than "games," and for his sins ended up at Zynga. Meanwhile, gamers revolted.

microsoft don mattrick xbox one launch sad — Gamers wore their possess sad faces when confronted with the original vision of the Xbox One.

Today, enthusiasts induce added upward Sony's PlayStation 4 sales figures and arrived at a total of over 40 one thousand thousand. But Microsoft is reportedly Interahamw, farther behind, with some estimates putting sales at about 21 million units more or less. (Microsoft has not inveterate this.)

Still, compare Microsoft's E3 announcements to the wealth of new, original titles Sony announced:Divinity of War, Horizon Nought Dawn(which seems to improve on Microsoft's own machines-A-beasties rubric, ReCore),Detroit Become Human, and more. Even theWanderer-Man open public game looked fantastic. Titles alike Call of Tariff: Infinite Warfare, the sort of top-tier shooter that usually helps trade consoles by the millions, paled by comparing. And again, Sony left the games to speak for themselves.

sony horizon demo 2 — A scene from Sony's *Sensible horizon Zero Dawn*.

The only elision that Sony made to this strategy was jumping on the realistic reality bandwagon with PlayStation VR, a headset that taps into the power of the existing PS4 to power titles like Batman VR andStar Wars Battlefront: X-Flank VR Mission. If gamers decide that "pretending sickness" is a thing and hold off purchasing Sony's VR hardware, that whole concept could chop-chop crash and burn. But Sony's still taking the correct approach: Lease the games, rather than the specs, sell the hardware.

Sequels still sell consoles, too

Microsoft hasn't dug itself a hole that it can't escape. Stunning games likeThe Witcher 3 prove that Microsoft continues to lure top talent to its weapons platform. Microsoft still dominates the racing writing style with theForza series, and Scorpius's horsepower implies that eventually hybridizing-platform games equivalent the Call of Duty series bequeath shine on Microsoft's consoles, non the PS4. Halo corpse popular, though the many sequels are starting to look the said.

Maybe IT's my proximity to the Microsoft ecosystem, but Microsoft still seems to be prioritizing mechanism over fun. I persuasion a reader, "Jake," however, aforesaid it best:

@pcworld @markhachman you know, Xbox has better hardware, Oculus sinister, they secrete much updates. Only Playstation exclusives just spits happening all that.
— Jake (@Limpusx) June 14, 2022