Let’s cut to the chase. Tomorrow is going to be a pivotal moment in gaming history for MS and the Xbox brand. Ever since Don Mattrick’s damning presentation, Resolution Gate, and innumerable UI updates, it has been an uphill battle for Phil Spencer and the team to lift Xbox from the mud and back on its feet. Thanks to their tenacity, they’ve done exactly that. The Xbox ecosystem is, without question, the most pro-consumer and best value dollar for dollar in gaming right now. There’s just one very important piece of the puzzle missing; Original, High quality, Game of the Year contender IPs. Tomorrow-July 23rd-We get to see if all the studio acquisitions (a whopping 15 so far), the consumer focused marketing and infrastructure changes, a focus on delivering the most powerful console platform to game on, and the wholly successful GamePass + xCloud service(s) can help deliver just that.
All it takes is a few minutes of scrolling through social media, youtube, and on a few journalist sites to feel how palpable the excitement and anticipation for Microsoft’s Xbox Showcase is. Even naysayers have their eyes on the Green Team to see if they are capable of changing minds and reasserting themselves as a thriving force in the industry. Generally, Xbox events have been preceded with ‘Tempered expectations’. That is not the case for tomorrow’s event. Many credible ‘Insiders’ and people in the know have said “Now is not the time to lower your expectations. Now is the time to be excited for what’s to come.”
I wholly agree with this sentiment. This is essentially poised to be the Magnum Opus to the Xbox brand’s redemption arc. This event can potentially make or break the Xbox division for the foreseeable future. Halo Infinite alone is commanding the attention and curiosity of nearly every gamer and media outlet there is, and for good reason. A lot is riding on 343i’s shoulders to deliver the Halo experience that fans have been clamoring for. Given numerous articles of how the team has taken feedback and really focused on what made the original trilogy as well their own entries successful, it’s clear that they plan to deliver an experience that is true-to-form, but also epic beyond our expectations.
Then, you have games like Hellblade: Senua’s Saga, Everwild, Ascent, Scorn, The Medium, and Second Extinction, among others, that are but a sampling that aim to put to rest the rhetoric that “Xbox has no games.”. The fact that this is but a very small bite of what is confirmed, coupled with predictions of a new Fable, and possible revivals of Ninja Gaiden and Perfect Dark is creating a palpable buzz in the industry. It is impossible to ignore Xbox’s presence right now. The cannons are loaded and the fuse has been lit.
Now, if you are someone who gave up on Xbox following the 2013 debacle and haven’t payed any attention to them since, you’re probably wondering why you should start caring now. Fair point. Here’s why:
- GamePass: When Phil Spencer took control of the XBX division he knew right away that the team needed to tackle the very infrastructure of XBX. The Ecosystem (a word you may or may not have seen being used plentifully these days). To do this, Phil made a bet that would end up paying huge dividends. That bet was GamePass. Reaching and surpassing more than 10 million subscribers earlier this year has proven that the service is more than a welcome addition to the Ecosystem. The big and important difference between GP and Sony’s comparable PS Now service, is that you download the games to your HDD rather than stream them. This means you are playing the full game as intended by the developer. No latency due to bandwidth issues, and no unfortunate disconnects mid-game. The quality of the GP library has also increased exponentially month after month with AAA Blockbusters like Red Dead Redemption 2, Devil May Cry 5, and Gears of War 5 headlining the selection.
- All Access: This is a program that I feel is not talked about enough, and absolutely needs to be at the forefront of Microsoft’s marketing going into the Holidays. Via a monthly payment you can choose between either an Xbox One X, One S, or One S All-digital that includes 24 months (Yes. 2 YEARS.) of GamePass Ultimate and an 18 month upgrade option if you wish to do so. The payments start as low as $19.99/mo to $24.99/mo for the One X model. No upfront payment. 0% APR. This is an absolutely phenomenal program considering the ongoing Global Pandemic and Economic hardships. The best part? If you decide you no longer want the box you simply pack it up and send it back. No penalties. No hassle. “It’s Free Real Estate.”
- xCloud: This service is still in its budding phase (slated to officially roll out to all customers this September) but is already making huge strides in the game streaming market. You simply load up the app on your mobile device, it checks your profile and subscription, then boom; You’re playing your Xbox library on the go. The service is available in the U.S. , Canada, the U.K. , South Korea (where it is absolutely booming), and other European countries. I guarantee that once xCloud hits more Eastern regions such as Japan where the mobile market wholly supersedes consoles, it will have a massive influx of subscribers.
- Dedication to Quality: Phil Spencer and the teams of hardware and software engineers at Microsoft have crafted a beast with the Xbox Series X. It is unprecedented for any console hardware to match, let alone surpass the power and performance of modern PCs outfitted with the latest components. I could go on in detail about how the Velocity Architecture combined with Machine Learning and optimized CPU to GPU pipelines can potentially nullify the PS5’s speedy SSD and Kraken architecture; Instead I’ll say this: The Form Factor, software, components, and custom technology powering the Series X is fully optimized to give us the highest quality gaming experience ever on a console. The key word here is ‘optimization’. Brute forcing a massive packet of textures through the pipeline via over clocking and tuning down performance in specific areas to do so is not as effective as having that same packet stored in immediately accessible memory that can be pulled from at a moment’s notice. Eyes open, people.
- Xbox & PC Parity: Thanks to the utilization of x86 architecture developers can more easily than ever before develop their games on their respective kits and jump from the console environment to PC with little to no discrepancies. This makes development faster and more efficient than ever before. It also ties into Microsoft’s stance on delivering their 1st Party titles to console AND PC. Speaking frankly, it just makes sense when you consider that the majority of PC players are already operating within the Windows OS, which is a standard requirement for most PC games. This also means that they reach two huge communities at once. They are a business after all. The whole point is to get your product to as many consumers as possible. This is just one area that facilitates that mantra.
- Games: This is by far the BIGGEST sticking point for people to speak ill of the Xbox brand. Where are the big budget exclusives, the Game of the Year contenders, the multi-million dollar Bangers? They’re there, just not in the abundance they should be. I’ll be 100% honest; Sony and Nintendo both have Microsoft beat in this department. Where in the 360 era there was no end to original and big budget IPs, the Xbox One generation has seen a paltry offering. Games like Gears of War 5, Forza Horizon 4, Ryse: Son of Rome, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and Halo 5: Guardians are all big standouts, but with the exception of Ori all feel like ‘more of the same’. I get that completely. I want the days where we got the likes of Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, Ninja Gaiden II, and Mass Effect back. After 15 studio acquisitions, an insurmountable confidence in their product, a May event that solidified their support and dedication to 3rd party developers, and plenty of Insider details of upcoming titles circulation; Microsoft is poised to deliver exactly that.
“But Seph! I can just play their games on my PC. Why would I buy an Xbox?? Lol!!”
Cool! Go right ahead. In fact, as a mulitplatform (Always have been. Always will be.) gamer I support this decision. You see, it’s no longer just about the box. No, as previously stated the whole point of the business model is to get the product into the homes of as many consumers as possible. The means of doing so is a mutable point thanks to making that product available across nearly every possible platform. You get it? No matter ‘where’ you play, you’re a customer. You’re in the ecosystem. Welcome to the community.
Too often I see people using the PC argument as some sort of Virtue Signaling to coax others into an inane discussion centered around ‘convincing’ them to get an Xbox. There’s no need. Play on your PC. Play on your phone. There’s nothing simpler.
If you couldn’t already tell, I’m extremely excited for tomorrow. Not just for what Xbox is going to show, but because it’s going to be a celebration of gaming. That’s the whole point really; To celebrate this hobby that we’re all so passionate about and share our experiences with others. It doesn’t matter where you prefer to play, just that you enjoy doing that. So game on ladies and gentlemen, and I’ll see you on the front lines.