Xbox and Microsoft are currently running a big marketing campaign for ROG Xbox Ally X – their latest handheld console, in partnership with Asus.
For that reason lot the chairman of Xbox, Sarah Bond, was recently interviewed by Pertain for Mashable.
Here we heard a bit about how Xbox and Microsoft envision the future of the game market, and specifically how they view the practice of platform-exclusive titles.
In recent years, we’ve seen a huge push to make games available on as many platforms as possible.
In particular, Xbox has been a driving force in breaking down the barriers, while Sony and especially Nintendo have kept well behind their own walls – although this too has turned around recently (for Sony at least), after Microsoft bought Call of Duty-publisher Activision.
But Bond is clear about her and Xbox’s stance on exclusive titles.
The chairman of Xbox, Sarah Bond, was recently interviewed by Timothy Bech Werth for Mashable.
– We really see that people have developed far beyond that. The biggest games in the world are available everywhere.
This was Bond’s immediate response, and it fits well with what we’ve been hearing from Xbox/Microsoft for years.
– You can watch Call of Duty, you can watch Minecraft, you can watch Fortnite, you can watch Roblox… This is actually what drives communities in games. It is where people gather – they get experiences…
— And the idea of locking it down to one store or one device is old fashioned for most people. You want to be able to play with your friends anywhere, regardless of what kind of machine they use.
The problem with hardware and performance is also mentioned in the interview. In the past, the performance of the Xbox’s Series S has caused problems for developers trying to adapt games to the Xbox – both Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dune: Awakening could feel this on the body.
The next generation of consoles, on the other hand, must be significantly more adapted for this.
— […] it just opens up another way for you to play. So do cloud services, so do PCs, so do the consoles we all own and have in the living room.
Our machine tester here at Gamer.no has also had a closer look at the new machine for Xbox and described it as “piggy fun” – comfortable, powerful, but far too expensive.
THE SEAS: Test: ROG Xbox Ally X »
