Converging Xbone and PC kills the console... or does it?

[hershel_layton]

Scisca said:

So we all know MS is converging Xbone and PC, Xbone exclusives are coming over to PC, Xbone gets mouse and keyboard support, etc. Everyone sees this as the end of the Bone. But are they right? I think MS is onto something.

The way I see it, MS is changing its business model, they no longer want to play on equal grounds with Sony. They know Xbone will never win in EU and Japan and they have to fight hard even for US - that's not a fight they want to take, so they switch the rules. Traditional console is a typical 0/1, closed experience, you have to buy the console and games for that console or we have nothing for you. MS is changing that and the key is the incoming cross-buy!

Everyone has a PC. Every console gamer has a PC and nowadays even average laptops (top tablets soon as well) are close to Xbone in performance, since the hardware race has slowed down the last couple years, we're hitting dimishing returns and manufacturers are more focused on power efficiency than raw power of the hardware. Many gamers do have OP OC OMG PC Master Race PCs. But we have them next to our desks where we work, not many people hook it up to the TV next to the couch in the living room. We can get a second PC for that (the famous Steambox idea), but it's a big box, OS is not optimized for couch experience, it costs more than a console - you know the drill, all the reasons, why we buy consoles in the first place. So, how about MS turns Xbone into the ultimate Steambox?

Just think, you get the ultimate gaming experience from your rig, but when you actually wanna play on a massive screen, on the couch, in the bedroom, give a console to your kids, etc. all you have to do is put a cheap $250 (soon to be) Xbone Slim and you can play all your PC games there for no additional cost, since you share your library! How about that? Isn't that a massive gamechanger in favour of the Bone? PS4/NX can't offer that, cause you still need to buy their platform-specific games, while MS can offer you cross-buy Xbone/PC games. Obviously, they have to tackle Steam to do it, since I can't see them sharing profits with Valve and giving up Xbone games' sales at the same time, but that is a great incentive for people to switch over from Steam. Why buy a game on Steam for PC only, if you can pay the same price and have the PC and Xbone (and tablet?) version? After all, nowadays we have multiple screens at home in multiple rooms and this Xbone/PC experience would be an answer to that. And as the second step, they would extend this service to Windows tablets/phones and take on Apple/Google in the mobile market by making their products the go-to gamers' choice - just hook up the Xbone controller to your Windows tablet and you can play your whole library anywhere you are! That would be massive and would make picking up a Windows tablet over an Adroid one a no-brainer for me.

What do you think? Is this the direction in which MS is going? Isn't this a great way for expanding their business and turning the cursed to be 2nd/3rd console into a Steambox killer and the most reasonable and complete choice for household entertainment? Console gamers still get the same experience if they just want to go with Xbone, but at the same time they get PC/tablet versions as a free premium. PC Master Race guys will be tempted to get the console for other rooms even just as a cheap gaming hub.

Obviously, I can see this multi-device support as a part of the Live subscription to keep the subscriptions money flowing.

I think MS is onto something potentially very big here, despite so many nay-sayers.

I really wish All-in-One PC's get a huge miracle boost. I chose to get an All-in-one for the first time ever. Love how wires are nonexist, but it bothers me by how weak the GPU is.