This is a very interesting development. Not too sure how I feel about it yet. I'll have to reserve judgement until I hear more

To say the Truth, in the end if Everyone go third party, Microsoft, still losing, Sony, and Nintendo, have better Franchises, also Sony, have the better potential to make Something new.

People want to play games on Consoles, each game took 2-3 Years to became Ready, so is pretty Ridiculos to have to change the Hardware every 1-2 Years.

Microsoft can change the rules of the game as much as they want but that doesn't mean consumers will approve of it ... 

@Bold They were at the very LEAST given options to upgrade their SKU much like obtaining an enhanced computer in the end. Both the SNES and the N64 had expansion ports meant for hardware acceleration chips in those specific games. On the original Xbox you could upgrade your CPU and RAM too! 

Yes we know that consumers are given extra options but how many of them actually succeed ? How will this help the Xbox brand ?

No,  Neither Sony, or Nintendo, will follow Microsoft, this is anti-console gamer, and people that play on Console know this, Microsoft, is killing Xbox One, to make more money on Software, because they don't see future on Hardware.

Release multiple versions of the same console will kill your console, release all your exclusives for PC, also will kill the console, Smart Phones, still a lot expensive, and will aways be more expensive than Consoles.

You say that People, don't like to deal with PC Gaming, because console gamers don't like PC Gaming, and will never like, They hate it and ETC.

But what Microsoft, is doing is destroying the Console Marketing, and making it nearly like the PC Market, only because they are losing the console War.

so basically as I said in a thread before, the Xbox is going to be a windows 10 box, just like valve steambox.

Wow this is absolutely HUGE. I think you guys fail to see the importance of this.

'Unifying PC and console platforms' is basically PR talk for 'leaving the console hardware business'.

Is this real or a rumor?

EDIT: To clarify. Since MS doesn't own the PC platform, there is only one way I can see MS unifying the platforms, and that is to release gaming PC's under the Xbox brand or soing a Steam like service. This could be HUGE for PC gamers who will go back to having the full support of Microsoft game studios and some new hardware to choose from.

Regular consoles could go back to a Nintendo/Sega style rivalry between Nintendo and Sony.

I'm so happy about this that it's unreal. Is the article really credible?

Ok so I've thought about it a little. This is what I've come up with. Feel free to argue with me as you see fit.

It's about Xbox vs Steam here. Xbox will become a brand for a gaming service like Steam is. This plays directly off of the Windows 10 integration where you could play games on PC through the Xbox app that you could not on Steam. Instead of working together with Steam they are directly opposing them to muscle in to the PC market, something I argue they have had the opportunity to do for 20+ years (I mean come on; how many chances has MS had to monopolize PC gaming?).. Trash knows what I am talking about because this is what I suggested might happen a few weeks ago.

Will Valve counter this by improving their own services, including SteamOS? Most definitely

Another thing. Does this mean you will only be able to buy Xbox brand parts to improve your XB1?

And one last, most important thing: seeing as there will be a gap in how far people update their Xbox, wouldn't the lowest common denominator theoretically hold the game's potential back, just like PC gamers complain that consoles hold back a game's potential?

That's the second console manufacturer that Sony has forced out of the industry.

User was moderated for this post.

~Ultrashroomz

So Microsoft is leaving consoles and going back to their roots in the PC space? That's what t sounds like to me anyway.

Guess that explains the recent ports of its big games to PC lately.

In other words, they'll make Xbox branded PC's and kind-of quit the console business.