Microsoft Wants Game Pass On PlayStation, Nintendo, And 'Every Screen' Possible 40
Microsoft wants to bring Xbox Game Pass to PlayStation and Nintendo. From a report: Xbox CFO Tim Stuart said during the Wells Fargo TMT Summit this week that the goal is to make first-party games and Game Pass available on "every screen that can play games," and this includes rival consoles. "It's a bit of a change of strategy. Not announcing anything broadly here, but our mission is to bring our first-party experiences [and] our subscription services to every screen that can play games," Stuart said. "That means smart TVs, that means mobile devices, that means what we would have thought of as competitors in the past like PlayStation and Nintendo."
Stuart said Game Pass is a "high margin" business for Microsoft, along with first-party games and advertising. These are all areas that Microsoft plans to expand into significantly in the time ahead, Stuart said. The executive added that buying Activision Blizzard helps Microsoft get there faster than it might have been able to on its own. For the advertising part specifically, the Candy Crush mobile game series from King -- which is now owned by Microsoft -- is deeply embedded with ads and microtransactions.
Stuart said Game Pass is a "high margin" business for Microsoft, along with first-party games and advertising. These are all areas that Microsoft plans to expand into significantly in the time ahead, Stuart said. The executive added that buying Activision Blizzard helps Microsoft get there faster than it might have been able to on its own. For the advertising part specifically, the Candy Crush mobile game series from King -- which is now owned by Microsoft -- is deeply embedded with ads and microtransactions.
Microsoft (Score:3)
Oh, you mean that NOW you want a cross-platform, device-agnostic, independent service that anyone can sign up to and play their games from any device?
Why didn't you just do that in the first place?
And what's for us to trust that you won't change your mind later?
Commit to it being available for 10+ years minimum, and I might have a look.
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Commit to it being available for 10+ years minimum, and I might have a look.
Commit how? Because unless every Microsoft board member has to wear an exploding collar rigged to the service's cross-platform availability, I'm not going to trust any Microsoft "commitment".
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"We guarantee it or we'll give you a complete refund of all games purchased through the service."
Literally how some online platforms that later closed already have operated.
For example, Google Stadia.
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I like the exploding collar idea much better.
Re:Microsoft (Score:4, Insightful)
Commit, like to Windows Phone? Or mobile before that?
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Commit, like to Windows Phone? Or mobile before that?
Don't confuse markets. Microsoft's xbox division has not only withstood the test of time, they've been proponents of cross play and cross platform gaming for longer than any of their mobile devices have been around. This is only the latest push in something that they have objectively done very well.
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I wouldn't be so sure. The first xbox is 2001 while the first windows ce is 1996, which became mobile in 2003 then windows phone, and the mobile version was abandoned in 2020 and CE itself in 2023. I'd say a couple years ago you might have assumed that Windows CE "stood the test of time" but no, they threw it out. Think of how many devices were built on that platform and have to re-base on a new OS now, from industrial handhelds to random appliance interfaces. Xbox will have been around as long as CE in 5 y
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Uh, that's exactly what GamePass has been for the past three years or so.
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Oh, you mean that NOW you want a cross-platform, device-agnostic, independent service that anyone can sign up to and play their games from any device?
WTF are you talking about? MS has been at the forefront of pushing cross platform gaming since the second generation xbox came out.
I’d buy it (Score:4, Interesting)
I don’t currently subscribe to GamePass, but if they brought it to the Switch I would very seriously consider it. Again, the service was good, but the Switch is my main game machine.
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If the Steam Deck came out a tiny bit earlier I might have gone with that, but the Switch is now good enough.
I donâ(TM)t currently subscribe to GamePass, but if they brought it to the Switch I would very seriously consider it. Again, the service was good, but the Switch is my main game machine.
They might well bring it to Steam first. It would be easier than bringing it to any other non-windows platform, they can use winelib and it can run under Proton.
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probably too much effort to optimize for the Switch
You cant optimize something that cant run on the underpowered hardware.
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Since GamePass is a streaming service
Gamepass is not a streaming service. You are thinking of Xbox Cloud Gaming, totally separate thing.
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They cant even get away from significant technical retardation on the series S vs x. Their own system holds back the likes of Balder gate 3. I would LOVE to see them try and support the switch.
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Just an FYI: GamePass is cloud-based. You can play anything available on it via phone, tablet, smart TV, etc. It's entirely dependent on internet speed, not hardware.
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Gamepass was always first and foremost an unlimited game library DOWNLOAD service, and has only recently dabbled in some streaming. But you are probably right and that would be the way they would do it.
It would still be a horrible experience for most games, especially Call of duty etc. Even the youtube app on switch cant even do above 30FPS. Cloud gaming latency and then the input lag. I cant stand streaming compression artifacts. It feels like every year, every "innovation" the gaming experience gets wors
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For about three years, sure.
Anyway, I use it on my $100 motorola all the time, it should be fine on a Switch.
if this kills the store lock in on the devices the (Score:3)
if this kills the store lock in on the devices then this may be an good thing.
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The problem is only that there is only one of them. Not that these stores are generally filled with garbage.
It won't (Score:2)
It's not going to kill store lock-in because it's not competing for the same thing.
The store lock-in is about who can deliver local apps to your devices, not who can deliver streaming content to them.
And since they have their own app store lock-in on their console, they're not going to join Epic in trying to defeat app store lock-in.
Sounds like a monopoly (Score:3)
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Sounds like you don't understand what a monopoly is. Right now the only game service on Playstation is Sony's, if Microsoft gives you a second choice that's the opposite of a monopoly.
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How is this any different than Netflix being available on every single device that you can attach a screen and a network connection to? This is literally the opposite of a monopolistic behavior. They are saying "we want our product available to everyone" vs you have to buy our product to have access to it (I'm looking at you Apple...). This is no different than EA Play, Ubisoft Plus, and others. If Gamepass is available on PS5 and Switch then it actually is functioning to give consumers MORE choice.
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Even if it were a monopoly, monopolies aren't illegal. If you want to regulate something then by all means raise a specific concern you have here and we can look into that action (only actions are illegal).
Customers do not demand this (Score:1)
Re:Customers do not demand this (Score:4, Insightful)
So that you can play Xbox-exclusive titles on your Playstation, or bring over your already-purchased Xbox games library to your new console that's not an Xbox.
Did common sense take a day off today?
Microsoft wants to make more money? (Score:2)
Noooo.... You don't say.
So Linux then? (Score:5, Funny)
They day they put Xbox as a Smart-TV function... (Score:3)
...is the day they win the entire market.
You know the scenario:
You've bought the familys new Smart TV, and you discover that it has functions slower than a turtle on speed.
And that the games are worse than Nokia Snake game (modern edition) and ofc. sucks.
Then you implement your entire X-box (or even the power of a smartphone) in every smart tv ever produced after that, and you
will RULE the market.
But they're too stupid to "get it".
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...is the day they win the entire market.
Err game over man? https://www.xbox.com/en-AU/app... [xbox.com]
They've been pushing down this path for a while.
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That's by far not the same thing. Steam has had their Steam app on select Samsung sets for a long time, not the same.
There's an un-tapped audience out there, those who can't afford an powerful gaming PC, Xbox or Playstation.
I can tell you, if they even put as simple stuff as an Playstation 1 compatible store inside those smart-tv's. they would have millions of extra customers.
There are families out there with no X-box or Playstations, and 99 percent of all smart TV's are so weak you can't run anything 3D re
Hmm (Score:2)
They can say no to the app.
Then proceed to fuck their web browsers to not allow the site to load.
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The problem they face is that Microsoft just bought Activision. Now they'll say, "we're abiding by our agreement with the government agencies not to make these games exclusives, but our competitors apparently just don't want them on their consoles." Since it's games, not hardware, that makes the money in the console wars, they can technically fulfill their promise while undercutting any profits competitors would make from the games.
will happen when Steam is on XboX (Score:2)
Microsoft, bend-over (Score:2)
Why would Sony and Nintendo relinquish their monopoly over their hardware? While Xbox is a quality product it's important to remember that Microsoft is a dog under the table in online-games market. Microsoft isn't getting anything until they drop their panties and touch their toes. Microsoft may have to create an emulator for (older) PlayStation/Nintendo products to work on the Xbox.
For the advertising part ...
It will be interesting to see how the market moves: People are used to paying for big games but Android OS has proven that
DirectX (Score:2)