Microsoft price hikes Xbox dev kits.

[yankii]

It's almost like they want this brand to die.

Source

 

[Ondrashek06]

At this point I genuinely think that Microsoft just wants to axe Xbox completely, and instead of just doing it all at once, they do it by progressively introducing dogshit changes.

Why else would they be hostile to BOTH the end users AND the developers that provide more content to the platform?

 

[Robert Newbie]

It's been a sad decline. Microsoft really built up the brand through the 6th and 7th gens. They went from being the overdog muscling into an industry of juggernauts to a real contender. Microsoft even helped make the Xbox controller layout standard for PC games, which cleaned up a real mess. I'm sort of numb to all, watching Sony waste away and Microsoft purchasing a ton of studios only to shutter them. Even from the outside, it's been tough to watch.

 

[Exnor]

Sadly its more than obvious that MS wants the Xbox brand to either die or de-valuate enough to be sold to another company.

I jump onboard of the Xbox brand after SEGA left the home hardware business because of Halo, and since their console was the most powerful at the time with some good IP's like PGR, Halo (huge fan of the game and extended universe), Forza i stayed with them up to the current gen.

Now i'm going to fully migrate to either Sony or Nintendo. Maybe Nintendo because, after all they still have some sort of physical support for the near future, unlike Sony.

Its sad to see this happening. Even more sad than having to let go of SEGA back in the day.

F*ck you Microsoft !!!

 

[Marc_LFD]

OG Xbox was very promising, the Xbox 360 was their best console, and after that they almost destroyed the brand with Xbox One. Now, they seem very keen to bury it.

This dumb video didn't make matters any better:



She managed to say a whole lot of nothing for 1m18s.

Just merge with PlayStation (they're releasing Xbox games on it anyway). They're killing the brand, anyway.

 

[Robert Newbie]

Its sad to see this happening. Even more sad than having to let go of SEGA back in the day.

Yes, Sega going third party was surreal. The PS2's success and the rise of Xbox were nice distractions, but the industry was distinctly different.

Unfortunately, poor business decisions for about three years really tanked Sega's brand. What was it, Sega CD in 1993, 32X in 1994, and the Saturn in 1995? That's a lot of hardware to develop and sell.

If I had to guess, it seems like Sega executives wanted to be first to market for every advancement. Nintendo put their newer tech, such as the Super FX chip, into the cartridges to sidestep the issue.

The Genesis was a success because it focused on software. Sega carved out marketshare against Nintendo when Nintendo was Nintendo (Super Mario World, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Star Fox, Donkey Kong Country, etc.). Sega merely had to follow up the Genesis with another "Genesis," a single console that focused on the games.

Eventually, Sega realized what they needed to do, and the Dreamcast was seen as a return to form. Unfortunately, the PS2's release was right around the corner.

 

[Ambers_Crimson_8K]

They are 100% tanking the company!
This will make 3rd party companies, not want to create games for them!
They know what they are doing!
It's all part of a bigger plan!

 

[Marc_LFD]

They are 100% tanking the company!
This will make 3rd party companies, not want to create games for them!
They know what they are doing!
It's all part of a bigger plan!

They're effectively killing Xbox in every way they can. Don't know how anyone can defend them at this point.

 

[Exnor]

Yes, Sega going third party was surreal. The PS2's success and the rise of Xbox were nice distractions, but the industry was distinctly different.

Unfortunately, poor business decisions for about three years really tanked Sega's brand. What was it, Sega CD in 1993, 32X in 1994, and the Saturn in 1995? That's a lot of hardware to develop and sell.

If I had to guess, it seems like Sega executives wanted to be first to market for every advancement. Nintendo put their newer tech, such as the Super FX chip, into the cartridges to sidestep the issue.

The Genesis was a success because it focused on software. Sega carved out marketshare against Nintendo when Nintendo was Nintendo (Super Mario World, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Star Fox, Donkey Kong Country, etc.). Sega merely had to follow up the Genesis with another "Genesis," a single console that focused on the games.

Eventually, Sega realized what they needed to do, and the Dreamcast was seen as a return to form. Unfortunately, the PS2's release was right around the corner.

Yep. Bad economic decisions during the Saturn era were the culprit of SEGA demise.

Xbox is a very very different case. We are talking about a Trillion+ multinational giant that has a gaming brand.
IF they wanted they could very well stay on the market for 10+ years making small losses on hardware sales, and still have gigantic profits.
BUT we live in the era of Stupidity. So of course some greed stupid higher up (probably more than one) just wants his paycheck and move on to the next business.

I'm worried about the console market. Having just 2 players is not good for the consumer.

 

[Robert Newbie]

Yep. Bad economic decisions during the Saturn era were the culprit of SEGA demise.

Xbox is a very very different case. We are talking about a Trillion+ multinational giant that has a gaming brand.
IF they wanted they could very well stay on the market for 10+ years making small losses on hardware sales, and still have gigantic profits.
BUT we live in the era of Stupidity. So of course some greed stupid higher up (probably more than one) just wants his paycheck and move on to the next business.

I'm worried about the console market. Having just 2 players is not good for the consumer.

Yeah, it was a wild ride, back when I was a kid. I liked Sega's output on the Genesis, but there was no way I'd be able to get a Sega CD, 32X, or Saturn. I imagine many kids felt the same way. Just too much hardware at once.

I agree, this situation is entirely different. Sega fought, even if their decision-making processes were misguided. Microsoft is buying up studios and not making exclusives. They're essentially phasing out their console, despite it being on the market for about five years. For Microsoft, the future may just be Windows, the ROG Xbox Ally, and the Xbox Game Pass. It'll be an interesting shift to watch, but the execution of their plan still baffles me.

 

[Exnor]

Yeah, it was a wild ride, back when I was a kid. I liked Sega's output on the Genesis, but there was no way I'd be able to get a Sega CD, 32X, or Saturn. I imagine many kids felt the same way. Just too much hardware at once.

I agree, this situation is entirely different. Sega fought, even if their decision-making processes were misguided. Microsoft is buying up studios and not making exclusives. They're essentially phasing out their console, despite it being on the market for about five years. For Microsoft, the future may just be Windows, the ROG Xbox Ally, and the Xbox Game Pass. It'll be an interesting shift to watch, but the execution of their plan still baffles me.

Jokes on them. I'm not going back to windows. I use consoles to play because i want the simplicity of just working and not bother with drivers, compatibility, drm abusive programs on my pc, etc.

SteamOS is the future for me IF i want to go the pc way ( unless Valve decides to give that up).
But I doubt i will ever come back to pc gaming.

 

[Robert Newbie]

Jokes on them. I'm not going back to windows. I use consoles to play because i want the simplicity of just working and not bother with drivers, compatibility, drm abusive programs on my pc, etc.

SteamOS is the future for me IF i want to go the pc way ( unless Valve decides to give that up).
But I doubt i will ever come back to pc gaming.

Several people feel that way, let me tell you. I don't fault anyone for going console to avoid all the PC headaches. If you can battle through the troubleshooting, you can get a really varied experience on PC. You may even enjoy the additional agency, since you can use XPadder to add controller input to games that don't normally support it, install mods, etc.

When I finish my studies, I should make a note to install a dual-boot of SteamOS. It would absolutely be worth it to see how WINE/Proton functions with my Steam library.

 

[K3Nv4]

Xbox is trying to be the Louis vuitton of gaming. They know more people are switching to PC as a cheaper option which Xbox knows this and trying to charge extra for people not educated enough in the pc market or may get overwhelmed by it. At this point you're just charging for the luxury of not building it yourself and just being able to press a button to install a game. We're limited to the big 3 and companies know this. People keep buying so it's a win win for them. You'd be surprised the amount of neighbors I got asking to get into PC now that they're learning pc is now a cheaper option. Microsoft sees others upcharging so why not follow if people keep purchasing. It's really the gaming community empowering this behavior as well as the corporations consumers only option will be to buy if they really want said devices.

 

[tech3475]

It feels like they've given up and just want to exploit the people who want to buy it anyway, as oppose to actually try and compete against Sony.

 

[Marc_LFD]

It feels like they've given up and just want to exploit the people who want to buy it anyway, as oppose to actually try and compete against Sony.

PS/Xbox feels like the same these days...





Why bother continuing to make Xbox consoles.

 

[tech3475]

PS/Xbox feels like the same these days...





Why bother continuing to make Xbox consoles.

Just reminded me of some Youtube videos describing the OG Xbox as the 'Dreamcast 2'....I guess MS does what Sega does?

 

[Marc_LFD]

Just reminded me of some Youtube videos describing the OG Xbox as the 'Dreamcast 2'....I guess MS does what Sega does?

It's official:



Hell yeah!!

 

[tech3475]

It's official:



Hell yeah!!

Well there goes my Youtube feed for the next few days, this is like Sonic first appearing on Nintendo systems back in the day.

 

[Exnor]

Several people feel that way, let me tell you. I don't fault anyone for going console to avoid all the PC headaches. If you can battle through the troubleshooting, you can get a really varied experience on PC. You may even enjoy the additional agency, since you can use XPadder to add controller input to games that don't normally support it, install mods, etc.

When I finish my studies, I should make a note to install a dual-boot of SteamOS. It would absolutely be worth it to see how WINE/Proton functions with my Steam library.

Oh but i used PC's for emulation . i quitted mainstream gaming on PC circa 2001. Even back then was too expensive compared to Console and of course having to deal with Windows crap (Linux gaming still a dream back then).

I will only come back to PC if SteamOS becomes a de-facto player in the space. Then i will consider it (if i have the money )

 

[Robert Newbie]

Oh but i used PC's for emulation . i quitted mainstream gaming on PC circa 2001. Even back then was too expensive compared to Console and of course having to deal with Windows crap (Linux gaming still a dream back then).

I will only come back to PC if SteamOS becomes a de-facto player in the space. Then i will consider it (if i have the money )

Ah, I remember the olden days of PC games. First, you had to have a capable computer. You may have even needed a serial port for an attachment. Upgrades required you to know every detail about your PC's hardware. Otherwise, your part would likely be incompatible. There were plenty of complicated sims, demanding adventure games, etc. that varied considerably from the "run, jump, and s*oot" console experience of the time.

Everything feels so interwoven now. I think the 7th gen and industry trends made everything fuse together overnight. Microsoft encouraging devs to make the 360 controller the default gamepad really helped simply things.

TL;DR: What a nice trip down memory lane.