From a non-gamer is there any reason there isn't something like an Apple TV Pro that would be a 4K gaming console? I imagine they have hardware capable of this in their existing inventory. Would it be the major game studios are kept locked in to XBox or PS consoles?
Apple tried this, I forgot which year, there was a push to make the Apple TV a console. Arcade support, controller compatibility, it all shipped. You can plug in an Apple TV and pair an Xbox controller right now and play a surprisingly large number of AAA and indie games, from Resident Evil VIII to Slay the Spire. It was too little too late, though. Most games are played on phones, and the console market is falling apart. Microsoft seems to be pulling out, Sony is basically shipping locked-down gaming PCs with a couple of exclusive games. Nintendo is holding course more or less, but their main value propositions are simplicity and first-party exclusivity, and phones already ate the first half of that.
As someone who used to be into console gaming but has been out basically since the PS2, this is an interesting summation of the current state of things. Do you have any color you'd add with regard to the Steam Machine and its potential?
Video games are still video games. Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft are still the main platforms.
Microsoft is trying to reason about how gaming fits into their computer-centric empire. They've been using the Xbox brand for a new gamepad shell in Windows, for their cloud gaming subscription service, and for the gaming section of the Windows Store.
Steam has built the most popular computer game download service. They're renowned for having sales - you can get the Arkham Trilogy for $5 with some regularity when it would cost you $30 on Nintendo's eShop. It's a meme that most Steam users end up impulse-buying hundreds of cheap games and only playing dozens of them.
Microsoft and Sony have both bought a lot of previously-independent game studios. They've often let them continue publishing on other platforms. For instance, Sony's Spider-Man games are also available on Steam.
There are rumors that amid Microsoft's clusterfuck of an Xbox strategy, the next Xbox is going to share a lot of infrastructure with Windows, including the ability to play Windows games. This has spooked Sony into pulling its new titles from Steam - they don't want people buying an Xbox to play Spider-Man games.
> This has spooked Sony into pulling its new titles from Steam - they don't want people buying an Xbox to play Spider-Man games
That's not what happened, Sony's decision is more about the poor saels of its single player titles on Steam, they are now focusing their PC releases for online multiplayer games instead
Microsoft sells less consoles each month than the previous gen Nintendo Switch sells today
A lot of publishers are skipping Xbox, citing not enough players/sales
Yeah. Obvious MS the company is not in any danger and everything will be fine.
Xbox the division has been losing money and each generation has a smaller and smaller share of the install base. They’re arguably close to irrelevancy at this point. Knowing Microsoft, they won’t give up, but it might actually be smart to stop trying and not have another Xbox generation.
You forget that XBox is also the umbrella brand for Microsoft Game Studios, for Microsoft PC is also XBox, although the whole marketing around it is a mess.
This is fairly outdated, it was certainly true in 2013 but these days xbox is pretty much dead, playstation is stable but flat for a long time, PC has overtaken both, and mobile has shot to the moon.
The Steam Machine is a very niche product, but PC gaming is the main gaming platform outside of phone games.
XBox is PC as well, at least in what relates Windows being owned by Microsoft, and the of studios that are still owned by them.
Steam Machine also has the issue that they don't have any significant number of native games, they are dependent on Windows gaming ecosystem as source.
t1234s · · focus · HN ↗
idle_zealot · · focus · HN ↗
RankingMember · · focus · HN ↗
bsimpson · · focus · HN ↗
Microsoft is trying to reason about how gaming fits into their computer-centric empire. They've been using the Xbox brand for a new gamepad shell in Windows, for their cloud gaming subscription service, and for the gaming section of the Windows Store.
Steam has built the most popular computer game download service. They're renowned for having sales - you can get the Arkham Trilogy for $5 with some regularity when it would cost you $30 on Nintendo's eShop. It's a meme that most Steam users end up impulse-buying hundreds of cheap games and only playing dozens of them.
Microsoft and Sony have both bought a lot of previously-independent game studios. They've often let them continue publishing on other platforms. For instance, Sony's Spider-Man games are also available on Steam.
There are rumors that amid Microsoft's clusterfuck of an Xbox strategy, the next Xbox is going to share a lot of infrastructure with Windows, including the ability to play Windows games. This has spooked Sony into pulling its new titles from Steam - they don't want people buying an Xbox to play Spider-Man games.
WhereIsTheTruth · · focus · HN ↗
That's not what happened, Sony's decision is more about the poor saels of its single player titles on Steam, they are now focusing their PC releases for online multiplayer games instead
Microsoft sells less consoles each month than the previous gen Nintendo Switch sells today
A lot of publishers are skipping Xbox, citing not enough players/sales
They have nothing to worry about Xbox
<a href="https://i.imgur.com/TrI3q6e.png" rel="nofollow">https://i.imgur.com/TrI3q6e.png
MBCook · · focus · HN ↗
As you’ve said, Microsoft is basically toast. They’ve been sinking for multiple generations.
pjmlp · · focus · HN ↗
[deleted] · · focus · HN ↗
[deleted]
MBCook · · focus · HN ↗
Xbox the division has been losing money and each generation has a smaller and smaller share of the install base. They’re arguably close to irrelevancy at this point. Knowing Microsoft, they won’t give up, but it might actually be smart to stop trying and not have another Xbox generation.
bsimpson · · focus · HN ↗
1.5 years ago, the developer announced that SM2 had sold 10MM copies on PS5 and the franchise had sold 50MM copies overall:
<a href="https://x.com/insomniacgames/status/1757662718604013868" rel="nofollow">https://x.com/insomniacgames/status/1757662718604013868
<a href="https://steamdb.info/app/1817070/charts/" rel="nofollow">https://steamdb.info/app/1817070/charts/
<a href="https://steamdb.info/app/1817190/charts/" rel="nofollow">https://steamdb.info/app/1817190/charts/
<a href="https://steamdb.info/app/2651280/charts/" rel="nofollow">https://steamdb.info/app/2651280/charts/
pjmlp · · focus · HN ↗
SchemaLoad · · focus · HN ↗
The Steam Machine is a very niche product, but PC gaming is the main gaming platform outside of phone games.
pjmlp · · focus · HN ↗
Steam Machine also has the issue that they don't have any significant number of native games, they are dependent on Windows gaming ecosystem as source.