What Does Xbox Need To Do To Win Next-Gen? 

Sony and Nintendo to quit

Better Games. There you go, answer is simple.

Better games despite what Phill says.

a competitive base console…a strong first party showing …unique games

The solution is simple: make good exclusive games again. The 360 did well for that sole reason. The Halo 3 hype was gargantuan, Gears of War was a new concept that everyone loved, Forza was getting popular. We need massive innovative Microsoft games again.

"Xbox is not suddenly going to be successful just because we make great games." Phil Spencer

I dont think a super powerful console would be that good of a move. The people with that sort of money are likely just to build a PC.

Release good games like in the Xbox 360 era.

The Nintendo switch is a 720p console yet it's the third most sold console of all time, games matter, specs dont

100% agree with the Series X/S feeling like “More Xbox One” because of the same OS. Need that new console OS flair, or it feels like a scaled up last gen machine.

They lost all hope , when Phil said they don't need to make good games because good games don't matter, or something like that it's over all that matters is the games seriously

MS cant just rely on hardware - It needs amazing exclusive games - simple...

Imo its to late for Xbox to come back..They let Halo Die, They are horrible at communicating now all we get is a big corporation statements that says alot without saying anything important, Phil lost alot of credibility when he said "Great games dont matter anymore"

If suddenly everyone who works for PlayStation and Nintendo have a heart attack, I think it's possible for Xbox to win.

A miracle at this point

The success of a console is directly linked to how good the exclusives are. Microsoft is finding out the hard way with this "play everywhere" experiment.

Games. Buying studios does not give you great games. Encouraging your studios to make new IPs is risky, but it’s what the gamers wants. And that’s why Sony is dominating. Great single player games.

Two simple things: great exclusives and a lot of marketing. Apparently they’re going in the opposite direction.

One of the problems is the better backwards compatibility is, the less likely to jump ship to a different vendor.

Losers focus on winners. Winners focus on winning.

a miracle?

The same thing they always needed going into this generation. Excellent, high quality, exclusive (no PC version for 6 months/ 1 year) games.

It's games, games, games and games. They need to get the most out of what they have.

Rumours of Microsoft releasing their next gen XBOX console a little earlier tells me they don't actually have a plan. This feels like a desperate attempt to get a jump on the console sales.

Since Xbox is allergic to modernizing their controllers, (and now can't with Game Pass). They need to focus on good games. Halo Infinite came out in a state it just shouldn't have for their flagship series. All these acquisitions mean nothing if the games coming out are Starfield and Redfall. You can say what you want about Nintendo and Sony, but their output of games and controller innovation is just not comparable.

Thank god someone admits gamepass is not doing wat certain fans are claiming

Turn it into a "Steam Machine"

A fucking miracle

I do agree that the migration from Xbox One to Xbox Series was all too familiar. In many ways it was convenient that the controllers were the same and that the interface and console aesthetics were similar but altogether the similarities reduced the 'event' of purchasing and exploring a new console. It all honestly just felt like buying a new computer for work.

Es würde schon reichen, wenn ihr Sony nicht immer in den A... kriechen würdet ! Nintendo setzt auch nur auf Mario und Konsorten ! Mario hier, Mario da, Mario hier, Mario da !

Better games, better dev support (software tool, dev kits, and such), and for God's sake... a less confusing naming scheme.

Full backwards compatibility with previous consoles. Not make every thing related to internet downloads and cloud data

When I play my PS5 it feels like a New Experience (User Interface, Controller, PS VR 2, PS Portal.) When I play my Xbox Series X, NOTHING feels New (Same User Interface, Same Controller, ect.) as the last Generation had.

Have real GOOD exclusives

They need to make compelling unique games. And offer something you can only experience on the platform. Basically what Sony and Nintendo have been doing for decades and what they themselves did with the 360 generation.

So when Xbox supposedly had the most powerful console they were creaming their jeans. Now It's Sony and "Power just doesn't matter anymore". You can't make this up.

I always liked the idea of a Windows big picture mode with every pc game including Steam account libraries but with the minimalism of a console, that would be the ideal Xbox

They actually needs to make games that push the industry forward. I regret buying my Series X, it just collects dust. Only holding out for Senua 2 atm

I had the OG and the 360, I then moved to the PS4 due to the Xbox One pre-launch debacle and I am on PS5 now due to the lack of direction from Microsoft. You know what I liked during the OG and 360 era? A good lineup of games, most of them exclusives (even temporary) but more than that, real hard hitters. OG XBox: Halo 1 and 2, Jet Set Radio Future, Crimson Skies, Otogi 1 and 2, Riddick, KOTOR, Jade Empire, Fable 1, Steel Battalion, Splinter Cell, Top Spin, Ninja Gaiden, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Dead or Alive 3, Conker's Bad Fur Day. Xbox 360: Halo 3 and Reach, Gears of War, Ace Combat 6: Liberation of Gracemeria but also a lot of Japanese RPGs that were exclusive (at least temporary)! Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, Eternal Sonata, Tales of Vesperia, Infinite Undiscovery, Bayonetta really superior version etc... Do you realize the power of those lineups compared to the current Xbox Series lineup. Sure the market has evolved and since new engines like Unreal, most of games are going multi-platform. But still, the reason I also got happy with the PS4? FF7 Remake, Persona 5, Yakuza 0, Nier Automata, God of War, Horizon, Uncharted for example were true exclusives unavailable on Xbox and even PC at that time. For the PS5 it's less appealing again due to how the market evolves, but still, the Spiderman series, Horizon and God of War again, FF7 Rebirth, FF16, Stellar Blade, Gran Turismo 7 are still titles that make it worth getting the console. On Xbox Series, except maybe Halo Infinite, I don't have reasons to buy the console or games are also immediately on PC (like HiFi Rush)

I think fsr 3.1 really needs to be standard for console gaming so that performance is there

Solid exclusives that's it, they're literally too rich to lose why the heck aren't they investing massively in a vision of exclusivity where they make games that everyone wants to play? This works like magic for sony and nintendo, the fact that the one party with unlimited money incredible power can't make this happen is insane.

Pivot to snapdragon ARM and make handheld which you can dock into a bigger box, which has discrete gpu, extra storage and controllers. Maybe have a couple of different skus of gpus. Base dock with no gpu for the cheapest config and then a couple of higher skus.

Games, need a lot of (good) games. They own so many studios but the output has not been great. Had high expectations of Starfield but that was not fully met.

They need to do more than just say our box has best graphics. Ever since the kinect they havent innovated because they are scared to.

i think its clear as pointed out here, one is xbox need to move away from AMD. Xboxs next console moving to nvidia would likely have a tangable performance improvement over the next sony console, and dlss tech would be awsome. and two, a dedicated handheld, powerful with nvidia tech released alongside a new console would definetly get people excited again in xbox hardware.

Hey DF, I thought it was always about the Games and love of video games and the technology behind them and being that there's no partiality we ultimately want all platforms to win. Or these types of ongoing themes are just job security?

Lol, they have no chance. They just sent notice to devs that they, devs, should avoid sexy female characters. So when they are concerned about stuff like that I doubt they have capacity to focus on actually important part... making good, not DEI or other BS games.

I believe they can shift their position in the market if they put time on making a handheld that are as powerful as Series S. Series S Portable with a docking system.

Make good games and mint them on these cool, shiny little plastic circles I saw once

The Xbox hand held should have a seagate SDD port to put in your SDD drive into. You could the. Transfer your installed games on the console to the handheld with minimal effort

Why did Alex get frustrated and say "whatever" when rich was talking about ps5 outperforming series x. Why would he care lol

Did the investment in the better silicon on the SX that Rich mentioned not pay off because devs either couldn't/wouldn't develop/optimize for it?

Nothing. It's impossible. The Halo franchise is pretty much forgotten by casual players, Gears is in good hands but one good exclusive is not enough to be a system seller. What other exclusive does the Xbox brand has? Some fucking racing game? It's ogre and Microsoft already knows this, which is why they're planning on releasing a bunch of former exclusive games on PS5.

The solution is to advertise disney does it, netflix does it, and so does hulu. If MS put out ads saying what's new on gamepass people would subscribe. Right now all people that don't follow Xbox know is that MS has another subscription service and not what's in it. I would go as far as some people not knowing there's a subscription service. Plus MS needs to change the naming some people right now think it is still the Xbox one series X and S. The interface being the same doesn't help either.

If MS goes with Nvidia what happens to backwards compatibility?

Could Xbox make a modular console that could use a hybrid of specific console but also some PC parts? Then the handheld could have some of that to a way lesser extent but would also be the more budget friendly console.

Get Outrun Coast to Coast sorted to play on back compat…

Honestly I have no issues with Xbox and had one for a long time as my main platform to play on but I really and truthfully doubt that Xbox will ever “beat” Sony in anything anymore. Sony just has such a massive lead and so many loyal customers that they’ll always have it. Xbox could be the superior console in every way and still probably under sell compared to Sony.

Right at the end there it sounded like you were suggesting the 3DO.

Replace Phil Spencer

They need to just be a 3rd party developer.

It's difficult if not impossible for series X to jump ahead while tethered to series S. Series S was a stupid idea.

Start with the getting rid of the batteries in the controls.

It's about the games.

The worst Sony console has sold better than the best Microsoft console. 👋

How about making expandable storage without there being proprietary nonsense. Thats the only reason u can't catch a break with the price on storage cards for xb. I got a WD 2tb nvme last year for my PS5 for $125. That cant ever happen with my XBox.

Minisforum 790 just a Steam Box which has 32 Gb RAM and 7840H with 780M wich outperform GTX1060 and costs around 500usd and you get whole PC library and torrents) with a joystick it feels like Xbox PC)

Microsoft needs to get rid of us, the ones who still remember E3 2013. Forcing things on your loyal customers that way, it's not an easy pill to swallow. Sony PSN increased the price which made it hard for people to connect with friends and stay engaged.

Fun games, that's it.

When are you going to cover Brotato? You need to let us know how it can run at 4k 60fps.

There’s not been a single game exclusive on Series X after 5 years that’s made me glad to have bought one. They have entirely admitted defeat by slowly trickling their first party games on their biggest competitors platform as well. Will people just buy a PS6 knowing Xbox games will launch eventually on it too and just skip the next revision?

Very simple, more good games.

apply FSR 3.1 to all games

Idk if there’s really any chance anymore. I think they need to be comfortable operating in third place, and branch out to strategies that’ll keep increasing profit from a business standpoint. There is one chance though. If they made the Xbox consoles run windows 11 and had the Xbox interface as a Steam Big Picture mode sort of option, I think they would really jump up. They would be the most affordable gaming pcs on the market, keep the Xbox name, keep the Xbox store, but allow full pc capabilities.

Xbox OS on PC platform would be great - Even if it only accessed Game Pass to avoid copy protection issues with physical media. Low level operating system experience for gaming is very interesting.

Make a good AAA game, HI FI Rush doesn't count. Halo used to respected and liked and Starfield was hyped to be the game of all time and they messed both up

Unique and different exclusives. Halo and Gears are great but we need more variety like Hi Fi Rush, besides I never seem a company spend so much money and delivery almost nothing in 4 years of a generation :(

The 360 is looking like a one off fluke, much like how SEGA fumbled the ball after the mega drive, I don't think that version of MS is ever coming back.

Probably don't give over some of their best exclusives to Sony would be a start. Seeing Hi Fi Rush and SoT on the PS Store is weird as fuck

Actual exclusives. And interesting ones at that.

Idk if this year MS has better exclusives than Sony is right. Just like a quarter into the year Sony already has 2 exclusives that are GOTY contenders in FF7Rebirth and Helldivers 2 and still has Rise of Ronin and Stellblade coming out in the near future while Xbox has Palworld and nothing else until like May or June when Hellblade 2 comes out

I believe that cloud gaming is more next gen vs the box under the tv. So phone cloud and PC is the future! But i do think the partnership with Nvidia is what Xbox will use in the next-gen hardware / server blades

As someone living in Uk , Xbox need up there advertising , maybe have time delay on 1st party games going onto game pass might drive sales . Or make good mid tier console at 200-300 price point as lower price = better sales with game catalog.

With the recent no curvy female character in video games policy development, Microsoft is going to win nothing but gamer's middle fingers.

Microsoft have fluffed it up majorly, losing the Xbox one gen by such a margin has sullied any type of revival. Awful marketing and a generation of uninspiring titles lead to a poor console player base leading to further poor sales on exclusives. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Microsoft pull a ‘Steam machine’ in the future. Microsoft are simply their own worst enemy.

Or perhaps they should leave the console space altogether? It's not that I want them to go, but I often get the feeling Microsoft only cares about selling us high tech hardware and Gamepass (a carrier). But the software itself, the games on it? I just don't feel it. We're a long way off from 360's heydey. EDIT: Microsoft mimicking the SteamDeck handheld (seamless UI included), of course combined with Gamepass and maybe even Steam? Now that is a proposition I could get behind.

I'm mostly about vr gaming now. Hardly play flat screen games

The thing that made me buy a Series X wasn't Microsoft games it was it's backwards compatibility all the way back to some OG xbox games and upscaling some of them to 4K and even adding HDR and 60fps. I use it to mostly as a retro game machine to play tings like Sonic Generations, FEAR, Ninja Gaiden etc. If MS were to focus more on that, because they seem to have given up, I would continue to buy their consoles as they were the only ones really doing anything about back compat.

Unfortunately, the wonderful weirdness of the console market that existed in the 1990s is gone and that wild west feel will never come back. What I really want is more companies entering the console market (Samsung? Apple?) but that’s an absurdity at this point. We are stuck with two uncreative mega-corporations literally getting parts from the same source and Nintendo playing in its own sandbox making them look foolish.

They're not going to. The Playstation brand is just too culturally entrenched outside the US. The only way they could really win is if Sony or Nintendo make some major, irreversible misstep.

If Microsoft releases an "Xbox OS" that conso-ifies PC's for people who want that. They'll win. Then all they have to do is maintain the Xbox hardware as lower spec entry point, the console war will be effectively over. The steam deck showed that there's a market that wants a console experience with PC capabilities and Microsoft is poised to do that better than valve ever could.

1) Games more than just Halo Forza and Gears. 2) Exclusivity. They just can't sell any Xbox to any PC gamer at this point. Guys, make some games exclusive for your console... At least for a limited time.

It’s not possible Microsoft is going to leave the gaming industry halfway through next generation (The writing is on the wall anybody could see it)

Probably more virtue signaling and awesome policies like diversity, equity and inclusion will get them there in no time I'm sure.

Why hasnt microsoft done the valve thing where you can boot xbox mode or windows mode. The stean deck is awesome in that regard

Why not let Steam stream to Xbox consoles like with a Steam Link app on the Xbox?

ACTUAL exclusives. Games not on PC until later. Keeping people from leaving your platform should not be a science...

At this point, it's hard to say, so many gamers from last gen have all their account history and digital purchases tied to whatever consoles they bought that generation. If I wasn't at risk of losing my games that I bought from last gen going to the new gen, then I wouldn't care that much, but I knew that Sony would continue their exclusive games and hopefully try something new, so that's why I bought a ps5. I wanted an Xbox series X when I saw the reveal, I thought it looked great, but I knew Microsoft had a bad track record with exclusive games and I already owned a PC, it made no sense for me to buy one, even then, I don't play what little exclusives they have.

It is just *NOT* about Raw Specs anymore... It is about HOW MUCH are You/Developers willing to Invest(Time&Money) to squeeze as much out of the Hardware as Possible! And with rising Development Costs true Triple A Games will be lesser and lesser... Also the UI of the Next Xbox REALLY has to be really Different.... I am getting SICK of the more than 10! Years old X1 UI essentially

Sorry, Pc Xbox sounds horrible, and the uncertainty that PC players have "will it work with my config", "is it steam deck compatible" issue all over again. Keep it as a console and improve the software output.