Indeed, Microsoft’s “Greatest games line-up in Xbox history” marketing slogan was the basis for its entire campaign over the holiday period and the transition into 2016. In fact, the consoles list of exclusive titles was its major hold over PlayStation 4, and for many people the appeal of Microsoft’s pledged support for the Xbox One may well have been decisive factor in their decision to purchase the console. But now the console’s saving grace is being removed from the equation, and while a shared eco system might be good for Microsoft as a company, it isn’t necessarily good for the Xbox One as a product, the value of which is now feels increasingly degraded.
The reality is that not a single Sony first party exclusive has ever been ported to PC, and it’s something that is unlikely to ever occur. The inescapable truth for Xbox One owners is that Microsoft, unlike Sony, has a vested interest in pushing the concept of merged content with PC. For lack of better term, Microsoft has a horse in the race in regards to PC gaming, and the extent to which their Windows 10 and Direct X products are central to their philosophy necessitates a synergy with Xbox One. But is that really the direction that they should be taking Xbox One in?
It’s strange to think that although both PS4 and Xbox One are now destined for hardware upgrades, as a result of Microsoft’s intention to amalgamate Windows 10 and Xbox One software, the future direction of each console has never felt so starkly contrasted. One gets the sense that where the PlayStation 4 will always remain a purpose built gaming console with specifically developed content, the Xbox One will represent more of a “Microsoft gaming platform.”
There are those that will argue the importance of that sentiment, that a console still represents a budget plug and play alternative to high end PC gaming and therefore remains valuable regardless of whether its games are multi-platform. Yet, exclusive content is a central pillar that has kept the console gaming at the forefront of the industry since its inception. Exclusive first party software does make a console feel special, it differentiates a console from a rival platform, and the quality of those games generally pushes the performance of the particular console it was designed for. Without tailor made software for the Xbox One, never before has a console felt more like a poor sibling to PC gaming.
A shared ecosystem between Xbox and PC might garner a wider audience for Microsoft published titles and add some fancy applications to the system, but does it really do much to convince new buyers, and the current pool of users, that the future of the Xbox One is a more supported choice over PS4 as a pure games device? It’s hard to see value in a console that isn’t respected as a specific division by the company that produces it.
Indeed, especially in light of the fact that Sony is scheduled to launch several games over the next 12 months entirely exclusive to PS4, a pertinent question to ask would be: what’s the point in owning an Xbox One? The extent to which Microsoft now intends to cross pollinate Xbox with their Windows 10 operating system almost certainly comes at the expense of Xbox One’s appeal as a go-to console for compelling future games.
Of course, this isn’t necessarily the messaging that Xbox One gamers want to hear. After all, these are customers who have bought the Xbox One under the pretence that the console would be supported with purpose built software long into the future. Scorpio’s release then comes as a double edged sword in that despite its significant rumoured power spike, it may well represent the point at which truly exclusive content for Xbox One comes to an end.
Unfortunately, Microsoft’s vested interest in Windows 10 does devalue Xbox One, and the more the company insists on implementing that prerogative, the more muddled the consoles message becomes. Ironically, just as the Xbox One was beginning to find its feet under Phil Spencer, Microsoft are now in danger of confusing its identity and moving further away from what had seemingly begun to steady its course.
The further Microsoft push the Xbox One toward a shared habitat with PC gaming, the less parity the console seems to have with PlayStation. As it stands, Sony’s philosophy still revolves around building a solid games platform through first party exclusive content, and its own iteration of VR that will undoubtedly also facilitate PS4-only software. Xbox’s sales figures might continue to impress, but Microsoft needs to be careful that their own corporate interests do not spoil the console’s future.