Yeah. If you already have a gaming PC then you'll be saving hundreds on not buying an XBox 1.

I never asked anyone to praise any of these things.

The former would yield a greater number of XBox titles than the latter and the more powerful hardware means better performance.

Here's to either Microsoft getting their shit together on the Windows 10 and store front or more of those games coming to Steam.

Here's the thing. I'm ALL FOR consumer friendly buisness models. And I can agree that what Microsoft is doing is to an extent good for the consumer. However there are so many problems. A ton of people bought Xbox's thinking they would get exclusive content. Now all that's left is Halo. For the first few years, there was obvious miscommunication. I remember thinking as late as December 2015 to early 2016 that Quantum Break and GOW4 would only be on Xbox.

You also have to realize that Microsofts more "consumer friendly" model is extremely limited. Games only on Windows Store. Its terrible.

It is a *good step* but it loses incemtive for people and it isnt as consumer friendly as it should be. It would be cool to see MS games on ps4(besides Minecraft), but i can understand why they wouldnt do that

Yes, let's praise microsoft for cashing out the xbox brand by essentially turning it into a steambox that only runs uwp games and pushes microsofts shitty online store only for pc gamers running windows 10 or higher and not releasing them jointly on better services like GOG or Steam.

All while smiling with a middle finger held up to the faces of every xbox one owner who already had a gaming pc, or upgraded from the launch console to Xbox one s, or who invested into the promise of kinect 2 only for it to become useless with even a bunch of ui features that made use of if being removed, reducing it to little more than an expensive xbl card scanner. 

.. No thanks

Would make a more compelling criticism to me then.

Would be swell but this business doesn't operate that way...

I have a gaming PC

I think it's great. I buy their games on Steam. No need for a Xbox.

Except when they try to force Windows Store. This will never work...

According to https://news.xbox.com/2016/09/15/everything-you-need-to-know-about-xbox-play-anywhere/ , "When you buy an Xbox Play Anywhere digital game through the Xbox Store or the Windows Store, it’s yours to play on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC at no additional cost ". Sounds to me like the XBox store is a valid alternative to the Windows store.

Well then hopefully Microsoft's attempts to bring what would otherwise be X1 exclusives to PC will ultimately either make them fix the Windows Store or bring the games to Steam. Ideally both.

Surely it depends on the context of the discussion as to whether it should be praised or criticised.

If you are talking about accessibility of games, then obviously the more platforms a game is on the better, so praise be to Microsoft.

If you are talking about the future success of Xbox hardware, then a lack of true Xbox exclusives is surely a point of criticism that puts the Xbox hardware brand on a less secure footing. So boo Microsoft, I guess.

If you are talking about what's best for Microsoft revenue and profits, it's likely that maximising the games available on Windows PC is better for MS. The increased access to 3rd party games on Linux and Mac (with Steam being on both OS's now) is a bigger threat to MS's future revenue and profits than PS or Nintendo hardware ever will be. MS has a substantial financial interest in putting games on Windows PC that are not available on Linux or Mac. So, if you are a MS shareholder then praise be MS here too.

I wonder how much it would screw with MS if Sony started making its library available exclusively on Linux PCs. I guess also look out for Apple being about to buy Sony if PS games start appearing on the MAC.

Because console warz