Xbox is already doing some good things, but it's all backward facing: GWG, backward compatibility, Game Pass, etc.
It also needs to look forward, past securing the same AAA third parties games available on PC and PS4. That means exclusives, exclusives, exclusives, from within and without. Gears and Forza seem fine, so stay the course. Halo needs a complete shakeup. 343 is chasing its own tail with this dumb-as-a-sack-of-doorknobs Forerunner story and pushing online multiplayer at the expense of a substantial single-player campaign. Bring back Fable or create some other homegrown RPG series. Stop indulging Rare. Stop slapping microstransactions on everything. Recruit more indie game makers and forge long-lasting relationships with Japanese publishers.
The problem is that this is all a dream. Microsoft doesn't NEED to do any of that. It seems to be making money from Xbox LIVE and other fees and royalties. It doesn't care if it's second or third place in the video game industry when it's number one is a space far more important and profitable.
So I think those of us who yearn for a return to the 360 days should get used to disappointment, and I think those who want Microsoft to fail should stop twisting the knife. Moving forward Xbox will be decentralized across PCs and living room units like Scorpio. There will be fewer high-profile, homegrown releases, and those that remain will probably be part of a subscription service, or sold episodically, and/or saddled with microtransactions and DLC.
