(Business Perspective) Does MS really need Xbox Hardware?

[Azzanation]

Conina said:

Azzanation said:

The casual gamer and average parent who cannot afford consoles make up a large audience. Kids at school play Fortnite on their phones, they wont care of a little lag. I've played WoW since 2005 where I average 1000ms playing on a US server, i still played and enjoyed the game. 

Casual gamer and average parent who cannot afford consoles?
A $300 console like the Series S can be used for ~7 years, that's $3.60 per month... and still has better image quality that most streaming solutions.
A $500 console can be used for ~7 years, that's $6 per month. 

But tens of millions of them (who aren't already in the Xbox eco system) will pay GamePass Ultimate to get xCloud access for $15 per month?

For a worse gaming experience?

Plenty of parents and kids simply cant afford a console. If the option is already built into your TV or smart devices, they will chose to accept the free access.

When was the last time you brought a high end camera? Knowing your Smart phone has one built in.

Majority of casuals dont care about superior experiences. Look at the average gaming PCs, Majority are not running 3080s. They are probably already playing games on ancient tech which will be causing issues.

For the hardcore audience or gamers like yourself, sure, buy the hardware but the majority of the gaming market is dictated by the casuals.