MS move into consoles didn't stop the rise of the all in one device replacing the PC it simply wasn't going to happen in that form it was a combination of Bill's crystal ball gazing being off and him believing Kens hyperbolic statements about the PS2 and it's multimedia capabilities while the public didn't follow on till it received a more compelling case and that arrived with smart phones.

Yes they supplied software, but from a hardware standpoint it was Bills fear of the one machine to rule them an all in every home that opened the door but those at MS at the time advocating for MS owned hardware Xbox, not to dissimilar to those early advocates at Sony would have helped it gain impetus.

We need to remember this was a scenario that held sway among many in the tech industry at that time where smart devices were still a fair way from being realised.

What the ? Hideo kojima first game ever Metal gear solid was first created on Microsoft first console MSX2 in 1987 I didn't know that? I have many questions? Why did Microsoft abadonned their MSX consoles? Also Why is Microsoft ignoring the MSX exsistance? and say Xbox was their first console ? MSX sold 7 million in japan alone it outsold N64 in Japan and xbox 360 and Xbox original and Xbox One combined  all in japan? Maybe Microsoft should call the Xbox in japan MSX3?

Yes they supplied software, but from a hardware standpoint it was Bills fear of the one machine to rule them an all in every home that opened the door but those at MS at the time advocating for MS owned hardware Xbox, not to dissimilar to those early advocates at Sony would have helped it gain impetus.

We need to remember this was a scenario that held sway among many in the tech industry at that time where smart devices were still a fair way from being realised.

The MSX was a very popular computer and had many variants, even making a MSX2 and MSX3. It all changed when the C64 released and made the MSX obsolete. MS never made the hardware, they supplied the software to these MSX machines and hired manufactures like Panasonic, Daewoo and Sony to create the computers. The Xbox console was the first time MS actually created the hardware internally instead of outsourcing to another brand like they did with Sega with the Dreamcast running Windows CE. MS and Bills vision was always about the software and supplying as many devices as possible. Xbox changed that.

I am sure Bill had fears but i don't believe it was solely on Sony. I believe they were more worried about companies abandoning the Windows tools and they needed a way to compete for the 3rd parties by offering an alternate option. Direct X was being left behind while Nintendo and Sony were using their own tools and moving the industry away from Windows Gaming. MS supply software and DX is part of their business model. This is where MS got the name from. Xbox exists to push MS tools. Without Xbox, companies would continue to further themselves from the Windows architecture.

It was true that while companies were worried about others dominating the living room, they completely turned a blind eye on Smart phones and Apple hit everyone by surprise and credit to where credit is due. Apple were right. The Smart Phone was the way to go and become the next step in human evolution. Imagine the world without Smart Phones today. 

I’m definitely going to watch this. Looking amazing.

It’s really funny how MS thought Sony was the rival for personal computing dominance when in fact, Sony is still a media format company. 20 years later, does anyone use PS for computer stuff? Meanwhile, Apple finally took back the personal computing space right in your pocket.

Yes, Ballmer was so busy trying to crush Sony he didn't see either iOS or Android coming, and poof! Mobile market was lost, and years later the big Mac comeback in the PC market too, not to mention the Chromebook niche for PC users that don't need PC games or MS Office.

I’m not sure I would characterize Apple’s presence in desktop as a “big comeback”. macOS has about a 15% global market share on consumer desktops, compared to about 75% for Windows. It’s still very much a boutique luxury brand and likely always will be 

I still have yet to watch this documentary, but did it say that Ballmer was obsessed with crushing Sony? It was my understanding that there was never serious company wide buy-in from Microsoft to try and become a dominant force in the console space until about 2018 or so when Phil Spencer was promoted to Microsoft’s executive leadership circle. Not that they weren’t trying to sell consoles, but their investment into first party software for example was paltry compared to their competitors and I think it was the decisive reason Xbox couldn’t pull away from PS3 in gen 7, despite having what In my opinion was the better designed piece of hardware 

Yes, Ballmer was so busy trying to crush Sony he didn't see either iOS or Android coming, and poof! Mobile market was lost, and years later the big Mac comeback in the PC market too, not to mention the Chromebook niche for PC users that don't need PC games or MS Office.

I’m not sure I would characterize Apple’s presence in desktop as a “big comeback”. macOS has about a 15% global market share on consumer desktops, compared to about 75% for Windows. It’s still very much a boutique luxury brand and likely always will be 

I still have yet to watch this documentary, but did it say that Ballmer was obsessed with crushing Sony? It was my understanding that there was never serious company wide buy-in from Microsoft to try and become a dominant force in the console space until about 2018 or so when Phil Spencer was promoted to Microsoft’s executive leadership circle. Not that they weren’t trying to sell consoles, but their investment into first party software for example was paltry compared to their competitors and I think it was the decisive reason Xbox couldn’t pull away from PS3 in gen 7, despite having what In my opinion was the better designed piece of hardware