Home Gaming It is “Absolutely not true” that Microsoft is stepping away from console gaming

It is “Absolutely not true” that Microsoft is stepping away from console gaming

2 min read
20

Windows-Box

Lately, “exclusive to Xbox One” has been a phrase that should be accompanied by some fine text at the bottom that reads “and PC as well”. Quantum Break, originally one of these Xbox One exclusives, announced that it would hit PC on launch, a move expected for various other Xbox One games in the future. And that’s great! More people playing more games can only be a good thing.

Naturally, the side of the internet that usually wears tinfoil hats and blames the all-female Ghostbusters reboot for various calamities, sees a vaguely negative conspiracy theory in all of this. A theory that suggests that Microsoft is slowly moving away from the Xbox One, as if it were some errant father figure that was quickly popping outside to go grab some smokes and never be seen again.

That is of course, completely rubbish says Xbox head cheese Phil Spencer. “The fundamental concern that people have is, ‘Are we losing focus on the console?’ ‘Is Microsoft somehow going to back away from our console focus and have us only focus on Windows?’ Absolutely not true,” Spencer said in IGN.

We are more committed to our console and the future of that console than we have ever been.

When asked if Microsoft expected any negative feedback around the Quantum Break PC announcement, Spencer said “Expected is too high of a word, but I know there is a lot of passion around Xbox.” This all ties back to comments that marketing executive Aaron Greenberg made on the timey-wimey Quantum Break announcement, who also stressed that Microsoft is nowhere near the point where it wants to throw in the towel on the Xbox One.

“People should know: Xbox is a big priority and a huge commitment,” Greenberg said in a Major Nelson podcast.

Please do not let the fact that we are also launching a game on the same day on Windows 10 change your perspective on the importance of the console business [or] our commitment to innovating on console.

I’m still amazed at how people will find a way to complain about anything these days, with that hopefully vocal minority getting upset that PC gamers can also bend time with bullets. Listen, have you even tried playing games on a PC lately? This is a platform which has problems with hardware specifically designed for it, let alone the amount of patches and graphical upgrades needed to do anything. Giving PC gamers more games is great, and also unbearably cruel.

It’s like being handed the greatest sandwich in the world, except it’s wrapped in several layers of unbreakable plastic. But jokes aside, the future still looks rosy for the Xbox One. Three years ago, that platform pledged more first-party games and an even heavier focus away from its disastrous TV!TV! TV! TV! TV! TV!  focus that had defined it.

And that focus has paid off, as the Xbox One is a much better console as of late.

Last Updated: March 4, 2016

20 Comments

  1. So, who wants to join my Division?

    Reply

    • VampyreSquirrel

      March 4, 2016 at 15:42

      Is it by zero?

      Reply

      • Pariah

        March 4, 2016 at 15:53

        Making your comment Jeoff friendly, nice! I approve!

        Reply

    • HvR

      March 4, 2016 at 15:45

      So if you only won a few minutes ago how is the game already downloaded and ready to play #tinfoil_hat

      Reply

    • VampyreSquirrel

      March 4, 2016 at 15:50

      Otto, FJ (His Cousin), Barry (His friend) and I will be online on Tuesday.

      Reply

      • Commander Admiral Chief

        March 4, 2016 at 16:31

        Nice. Sorted

        Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      March 4, 2016 at 16:00

  2. VampyreSquirrel

    March 4, 2016 at 15:42

    This is actually a good thing.

    Reply

  3. HvR

    March 4, 2016 at 15:43

    In unrelated news Xbox One name changed to Xbox One-O

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      March 4, 2016 at 16:02

      Hey kids, so your dad just bought you a new XBOX ONE, well sucks to be you, because in a few weeks the Super Xbox One-R is going to be released and all future games will run perfectly on it, but utterly shit on your vanilla Xbone.

      What’s that? You just bought a Super Xbox One-R? Well sucks to be you, because in the next 5 months, Microsoft will be releasing the Hyper Super Xbox-One-T Maximum Balls….

      Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      March 4, 2016 at 17:01

      Haha

      Reply

  4. HvR

    March 4, 2016 at 15:48

  5. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    March 4, 2016 at 15:59

    lol, since they’re going the “xbox as a service” route, why yes… they are… lol!

    Reply

  6. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    March 4, 2016 at 16:05

    Dear Nintendo and Sony… SAVE US FROM THIS NONSENSE!

    Reply

  7. iusedtobe(a)regular

    March 4, 2016 at 16:07

    So games that are supposed to be Xbox exclusives will now be available on PC at a much lower price? Sure, this is a really good thing. I dont think MS thought this through.

    “We are more committed to our console and the future of that console than we have ever been.”

    This line is very significant, because it basically says that there wont be a new Xbox.

    Reply

  8. Fox1 - Retro

    March 4, 2016 at 16:51

    The general consensus from the tinfoil hat crowd is then followed by you should go buy a PS4 instead.

    Like how does that make it better???

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      March 4, 2016 at 17:01

      It doesn’t

      Reply

  9. Alien Emperor Trevor

    March 4, 2016 at 17:45

    Saying your bone is better now is like saying your cancer is in remission, sure it’s better, but you still have cancer.

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      March 4, 2016 at 19:40

      That’s so.. beautiful.. so poetic! Hold me Trevor!

      Reply

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