What would happen if Microsoft Xbox left the console market? - editorial

Over the past few years, a particular mantra has begun to resonate in the fabric of the living room hardware market, frightening some users and making many others happy. We are talking about the now very inflated phrase: "Microsoft doesn't care about consoles, they care about services". But how much truth is there in this particular interpretation of the strategy of the Redmond company?

Our reflection wants to start from an obligatory observation: Microsoft Xbox has been, for some years now, the service that provides the best user and at times also developer experience in the entirety of the video game industry. Phil Spencer's management led to the livelihood of ID @ Xbox, introduced Game Pass, invested in the inclusiveness of disabled players, is preparing to walk a pioneering path through xCloud.

But then why, digging into the layers deeper than the so-called "sentiment" of the public, Xbox is constantly being attacked or worse, belittled? The answer lies in the age-old confrontation with competing platform owners. And while it is true that the division aims to transform itself into an ecosystem of products and services, it is even more true that that black box attached to the TV is proving to be a hotbed of problems.

Very few publishers in the world they could compete with the variety and quality offered by Game Studios. The reason is very simple: the very idea of ​​producing hardware that aims at excellence, and the consequent attempt to sell it to the public, inevitably come into conflict with the universal philosophy that is characterizing the company's choices. The result? Well, they range from the simplest "if they also come out on PC they are not exclusive" to the much more complex "why should I buy the new console on day one?".