Starting to have real doubts that Xbox gaming will make it to Holiday '28.

PlumdBobStarting to have real doubts that Xbox gaming will make it to Holiday '28.

As I said it before: If M$ opens up the XBOX to be a Windows PC, they can not subsidize the price anymore. They will be just like the Steam Machine. Competing openly on the PC market. Which means they had to price it accordingly or even higher to dissuade people to buy an XBOX purely as a cheaper PC replacement.

Microsoft or Sony may have to go the way of Nintendo and just get out of the graphics race.

colossusrageblackMicrosoft or Sony may have to go the way of Nintendo and just get out of the graphics race.

You really think it's graphics that are the problem, as opposed to making atrocious games and pissing off their consumer base?

RIP XBOX o_O

TheinsanegamerNYou really think it's graphics that are the problem, as opposed to making atrocious games and pissing off their consumer base?

Nah, but if the price for an Xbox would be $1200-1800 they need to rethink the hardware they've chosen. Their market share would shrink even more than the already abysmal share they have now

Windows leaders reportedly wanted it to run a trimmed-down version of Windows Home, while Sharma's team wanted its own software for better gaming performance. It got heated enough that a senior Xbox executive reportedly threatened to scrap the handheld rather than ship the Windows build, though Xbox now seems to be steering the OS.

Love the drama around CoPilot, but the reality is that at those prices, it's very much DOA for the average consumer, i.e. still the expected Xbox Joe buyer.
Having it with a Windows base OS tells me two things:
- They're not expecting Xbox as an exclusive platform to last.
- Microsoft is sort of okay that this hardware runs whatever OS so as long as Game Pass is compatible.

Hahaha... $1,200 to $1,800. Hahaha...

PlumdBobStarting to have real doubts that Xbox gaming will make it to Holiday '28.

It won't. It will crumble, like everything else is.

are we going back in time when not everyone had the new console and friends reunited together in the basement and playing together? that was the best time

xBox manager: "How fast can I kill this American Legacy?"

Doesn't make sense. $1200 console isn't viable, consumers aren't going to drop that kind of cash.

I would expect $1,800 at minimum if MS doesn't want to subsidize the console and it runs some form of Windows.

Xbox is failing as it is, a console over $1,200 would be a failure even if MS made a pro-consumer decision like letting users have a OS that isn't locked down to gamepass games.

Console gaming is pretty much dead at those prices.

PC gaming as well or not long after that.

Fuck all these big companies.

colossusrageblackMicrosoft or Sony may have to go the way of Nintendo and just get out of the graphics race.

Many loyal Sony fans have lost faith in Sony, so they themselves have struggles to overcome. But Microsoft's $1,800 2028 console? That price sounds far too unrealistic. I do not trust this rumour. Then again, that is all. This is a rumour.

Hecate91I would expect $1,800 at minimum if MS doesn't want to subsidize the console and it runs some form of Windows.

Xbox is failing as it is, a console over $1,200 would be a failure even if MS made a pro-consumer decision like letting users have a OS that isn't locked down to gamepass games.

XBOX was failing due to the previous & reckless decision-making by Phil Spencer & Sarah Bond. The Game Pass craze they pushed was a huge mistake & cannibalized the traditional purchasing model that gave cash to game studios upfront for more game developments & upgrades like DLCs.

Honestly, it depends on the hardware and functionality. Here is where 1800$ works for me

-Has at least a 9070XT level graphics (by 2028 it should be higher tbh)
-Min 8 core CPU with Zen 5 or above
-Has min 24GB ram
-Runs Xbox, Steam AND Windows
-Has Blu-Ray drive
-Has min 2TB ssd space

If you give me that, I'd give you 1800$ in today's market.

petrojNah, but if the price for an Xbox would be $1200-1800 they need to rethink the hardware they've chosen. Their market share would shrink even more than the already abysmal share they have now

OR, maybe the hardware needs to show what its worth in decent content.

I mean if there is one reason I haven't really looked at anything console-ey for the last 2-3 gens is because quite simply, there's nothing I can't play elsewhere, in better quality and with better conditions for myself than on any of the consoles. What we USED TO HAVE is that consoles would just 'play' certain content better, and on top of that, brought unique content to said machine. Think of a simple thing like split screen gaming. Its just gone for god knows what reason. Instead, you get shitty matchmaking and yelling nerds over your comm, and you're supposed to like that.

The corpos have been steadily taking all that's good in a console away and now they're struggling for a unique selling point. Its hilarious. The price of the console isn't a game changer. PS3 sold at over 1k with much lower inflation than today, and in a relative sense, pretty powerful hardware too. The argument USED TO BE that the low entry price point would be recovered on the games, because for damn sure, you would be buying games, and they'd cost 50-60 bucks a pop. Even back then. The PS3 was considered state of the art - the cheapest/best blu ray player - and thus the 1k entry point was still perceived as low. Imagine that...

What's new today is that your console is more and more just a terminal to log on to, so the ownership part is eroding. The games aren't unique. The performance isn't something else, and even the controllers can just be connected over USB to anything else. Heck if you get the wrong version, you can't even put your old discs in it.

At the same time, Steam has told the market you can definitely sell an open, self owned device and make buck on it, and now Microsoft is trying that cue. Forget the fact Steam has built a community and business on that community, I'm sure that's not important... :D This Helix thing may well be the end of the brand lol. Its doomed to fail. Everyone with two brain cells will just buy or build a PC, or one of the inevitable spinoffs that offer the same thing in a different case and less branding, meaning it'll be cheaper.

I suppose it depends in one's current situation. I have a 4090, helix isn't going to be better. I will hold till a x070ti beats my 4090 by at least 50%.

DimitrimanHonestly, it depends on the hardware and functionality. Here is where 1800$ works for me

-Has at least a 9070XT level graphics (by 2028 it should be higher tbh)
-Min 8 core CPU with Zen 5 or above
-Has min 24GB ram
-Runs Xbox, Steam AND Windows
-Has Blu-Ray drive
-Has min 2TB ssd space

If you give me that, I'd give you 1800$ in today's market.

We can dream, can't we. But even that, at 1800 ,graphics wise, considering what you actually have at that point, isn't going to be mighty competitive. MS is so far away from offering something compelling here, its unreal :D I mean for real, who in their right mind is happy paying >500 bucks on RAM alone? You would not do that. An Xbox logo isn't going to change that rationale, especially given the state the brand is in. Its not like you can't get around Xbox to have some awesome gaming times...

Vayra86The PS3 was considered state of the art - the cheapest/best blu ray player - and thus the 1k entry point was still perceived as low. Imagine that...

I strongly believe that was SONY's knockout blow against Toshiba to win the Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD format war.

Inverted PolarityConsole gaming is pretty much dead at those prices.

PC gaming as well or not long after that.

Fuck all these big companies.

PC gaming is flexible. If there is little (progress(!!!)) in hardware, we buy second hand. If its too expensive, we get a slightly less powerful part.

There is still hardware produced, on shelves and available, so its not like we're stuck with that. The price is just too high so we don't buy. That's a luxury problem. Rest assured though if you are gamer, you're gaming. Motivation always finds a way and since you're not in a corporate walled garden, there is always a way.

Keep in mind you're looking at a several dozen 100+ billion dollar market here that simply keeps reporting YoY growth no matter what. Its too big to fail. I frankly don't think AI is important or big enough to kill gaming at all. Where is this AI revenue stream they speak so highly of? All I see is that gaming does this

instreamly.com/posts/video-game-industry-revenue-in-2026-3-6-billion-players-and-a-188-billion-market/

'3.6 billion players'... let that sink in for a moment. Even grandpa is gaming today.

This figure is also interesting:



Note how PC is by far the 'cheapest platform to game on', compared to the console. And those 936 million players are no longer all the moms playing Candy Crush. They do that on mobile now. These are actual gamers doing actual games here. 39,9b spent, across nearly a billion players (napkin math says we bought two indies or a single AAA title on discount I guess?). Are we such cheapskates... or is the PC actually truly cheaper, like many enthusiasts keep pointing out? ;) This also reflects the variety in gaming PCs and demands, its flexibility.

Now let's take one console out of the equation. Do you think they'll all flock to mobile now? I don't think so.

Vayra86Are we such cheapskates... or is the PC actually truly cheaper, like many enthusiasts keep pointing out? ;) This also reflects the variety in gaming PCs and demands, its flexibility.

I suspect some amount of sailors are being counted there, alongside the free-to-pay free-to-play games and long-running liveservice games that have been around for a long time.

Vayra86Now let's take one console out of the equation. Do you think they'll all flock to mobile now? I don't think so.

With how powerful modern devices are... that's not as outlandish of a possibility as it used to be, especially for the big, major free-to-play stuff like league, valorant, CS etc.

ZeDestructorI suspect some amount of sailors are being counted there, alongside the free-to-pay free-to-play games and long-running liveservice games that have been around for a long time.

With how powerful modern devices are... that's not as outlandish of a possibility as it used to be, especially for the big, major free-to-play stuff like league, valorant, CS etc.

Sailors dont show up in yearly revenue...

And... gaming on mobile competitively? Or for immersion qualities? Good luck with that :)

Vayra86Sailors dont show up in yearly revenue...

And... gaming on mobile competitively? Or for immersion qualities? Good luck with that :)

Between phones with DP out for use with docks and TVs and handhelds, not that much luck required. Just people knowing it can be done and actually doing it.