Microsoft: "Xbox" is a platform now, not just a console.. Console sales don't matter, Xbox Live activity matters..

"I don't want people to start painting a strategy onto us that everything we're doing is about selling you an Xbox console because that's not actually what we're trying to do." .. "I will say, fundamentally, how many people we can get on Xbox live [- ... -] having those people engaged on the service buying games is the fundamental part of the strategy, whether they're on Windows, Xbox, or, frankly, on other devices [iOS, Android]"- Phil Spenser, Head of Xbox

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-06-15-why-scorpio-and-xbox-one-s-sales-dont-actually-matter

There you have it in black and white.. If you're a person that already owns a gaming PC and/or prefers PC gaming, Xbox Live gaming is available for you on your preferred device.. If you're a console gamer that prefers the typical console experience of playing games on your living room couch, Xbox Live gaming is available for you on your preferred device.. If you're a person that enjoys the options of playing on a beast-level PC in your office, playing in a more social setting with a plug-and-play console in your living room, and playing on the go with a Windows 10 laptop, Xbox Play Anywhere is an added benefit for you with universal cross-buy, cross-save, and cross-play..

But long story short, Microsoft isn't concerned about the idea that you'd potentially rather buy a PS4 in addition to your gaming PC (the typical cow argument).. Microsoft views your Windows 10 gaming PC as your "Xbox" and appreciate the fact that you'll be buying Xbox/Win10 exclusives on that device.. the PS4 is nothing more than a secondary console at that point and quite frankly, who cares what you buy as your secondary console?.. As long as you're supporting Xbox/Win10 exclusives on your Windows 10 PC or Xbox console, that's Microsoft's primary concern.. If you want to buy an Xbox console in addition to your PC, great.. Xbox Play Anywhere is an added benefit for you.. if you want to buy a PS4 or a Wii U in addition to your PC, great.. Thanks for continuing to support Xbox from your PC..

Microsoft wants to broaden their ecosystem and announcing a bunch of exclusives that can only be played on console would go against that goal (the other cow argument of "no exclusives").. "Xbox One & Windows 10 exclusives" are essentially "Windows 10 exclusives" since the Xbox One and Xbox Scorpio are Windows 10 devices.. So as far as Microsoft is concerned, they have plenty of exclusives that can only be played on Windows 10 devices to include the Xbox console..

Anyway, for all you PC gamers (both old and suddenly new), seeya online via Xbox Live and welcome to the family.. :-)

Will they charge for PC Live?

Also, its safe to say that PS4 is now true excluive gen 8 console king

MS wont be in the picture anymore for excluvies.

Got it!

Yep. Any rational person understands this. I'm excited to see what MS does with all the new revenue.

Yup, just as we've both been saying. :)

Win10, XBL, PC, Upgradable 100% X1 BC Scorpio FTW. :P

Somebody needs to go get Phil and take him back to his room.

So that means I won't have to buy the next xbox. I'm still buying those sweet Xbox Lab controllers though.

This is the way to go. Microsoft is spot on with this move

as long as you have a PC , you don't need a bone

But UWP isn't selling software. Most software sales come from the Xbox console so i'd say console sales matter a lot if they care about people playing their games.

Sony is going to have to open up their system eventually. Those sales figures are going to pale in comparison.

yep, exactly.. if you already have a Windows 10 gaming PC, you'll be still supporting Xbox/Win10 exclusives when you buy games like Gears 4, Forza Horizon 3, Dead Rising 4, and Recore and I'll be playing right there along side you from my Xbox One via Xbox Live..

All these cows who claim to be PC gamers now, i'll see you on Xbox Live as well.. thanks for the support and welcome.. :-)

Xbox is just on a different level now, a beautiful transcendence. #XboxPlayAnywhere

@Antwan3K: that's fine by me. They say Forza is pretty good on PC and I just hope they fix the store and separate the shitty tablet games from regular pc/xbox games in the near future.

That's the essence of it they just need to improve windows store. For some us it really is time to just upgrade our gpus and scratch the xbox consoles off.

As long as you have a X1, X1S or Scorpio, you don't need a gaming Pee See. :P

@SecretPolice: MS biggest announcement: Steam support on The Bone!! Hermits gonna flock :P

You do if you want to play the best games.

@Kruiz_Bathory:

Lol, I can see it already, let the herm flocking begin in earnest. :P

@bobrossperm: a lot of their windows games are going to be first party so they will be getting money for that. Theno there is licencing, the fact that they also get paid for Windows sales, any boost in pc usage is a boost for Microsoft. If Sony follows and opens up their console to pc too guess who wins? Microsoft. They are providing an awesome feature and business model that would only increase their own revenue if their competitorsite tried to emulate. This is Microsoft swinging it's big d. Their dominance of the pc platform is their trump card and they are finally playing it. Would be interesting how Sony responds because like I said any attempt to emulate this would ultimately help Microsoft this doesn't mean Microsoft has won the war, no one will ever win the war, but the Xbox platform is being positioned to be the largest and most diverse platform with the most options for gaming. And the best thing about this is that all this is great for us the consumers

@PurpleMan5000:

I don't if I, me, myself, consider the games available for Xbox are the Best games.

Indeed.. at last count, there are other 300 million active Windows 10 devices out there.. if only 20% of those are used for gaming (and that's conservative), that's still 60 million potential consumers for Xbox gaming versus 40 million for PS4..

There's no denying those numbers and Windows 10 as a whole is going to exponentially grow faster in comparison to the PS4 console.. This is only the beginning..

Xbox Scorpio eliminates the "power argument".. The unification of Windows 10 gaming devices eliminates the "install base and sales argument".. what's next cows?.. "b bu but I have a 10 teraflop PC!!1, I don't need an Xbone!1!!".. again, welcome to Xbox Live.. seeya online :-)

Ah come on... we've all worked out by now that the sting in Scorpio's tail is full PC compatibility. It's a Windows machine after all.

;P

This is terrible news for the future of PC gaming.

Quantum Break was a test for Xbox Play Anywhere, it must have been a great success.

@pelvist: It's great news actually

@NFJSupreme: I disagree.

While I don't personally agree with this strategy. I think Xbox should have it's own exclusives. I do understand that MS is a company, and it makes the most money by getting it's games to the most consumers. So I get where they are headed.

Still it makes less and less sense for me to buy the next Xbox if everything is going to be on Windows anyway. I mean I understand that the entry point for a $300 console is way cheaper than the entry point for a $1000 PC. Still since I'm a PC gamer at heart I will just put the money into beefing up my PC from now on.

Still no matter how you look at it. If you want to play those games, you are supporting MS and Xbox Live...so...

Not invest in exclusives if history is any indicator. Quash your excitement man.

@pelvist: more games to play on pc. Any issues that arise at first with the platform will be ironed out because Microsoft knows how to handle software. What are the negatives?

@LJS9502_basic: Why would I quash ( whatever that means) my excitement? They're coming out with quality games not on PS4 or Wii U. And I don't have a gaming PC, so yeah,

Microsoft is very smart to get out of the arbitrary "console wars" with Sony and Nintendo and making it entirely irrelevant (at least to themselves).

As a PC gamer (mainly), this benefits me by expanding my library by an entire platform without me even needing to buy another console.

@LJS9502_basic: couldn't they argue they have greater incentive since they have more exclusive users?

Cows will be talking about attach rate lol. In a serious note though sony's interest is still to sell console hardware. They still want pc gamers and everyone to pick up ps4s. Its still big successful business for them and might even grow some more. They might put psnow on pc though lol.

I think you kind of have to wait until games are out and played to call them quality.

beginning to look like Microsoft's master plan is to charge for services on PC then.

Your theory works both ways...

Sales matter and MS has none that matter.

This and cheaper/free console online play would be astronomically huge.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Sony open up PS Now to stream PS4 games and put in on PC and other devices in order to broaden their reach in the face of this Windows 10 device unification.. I will be curious to see what cow's definition of "exclusive" will change to then though lol..

I have no doubt that this will increase revenue for Microsoft. At the start of this Gen I went with the X1, I eventually realized the only exclusive franchise I really enjoyed was Halo. This lead me to switching over to the PS4 so I could enjoy Tales of Zestiria, Uncharted, and a couple others. I am pretty happy to know that I can now pick up Halo on my PC, Microsoft will definitely be earning some more money from me.

Hmm. Perhaps Scorpio will be the last Xbox.

@ten_pints: that would be my only concern. But pc consumers do a way better job checking companies than console players. Would be hard to get that to fly when there are alternatives on pc including pirating the games

Is this good for PC gaming? I honestly don't know.

I think that might be a logical conclusion. They did start the console charges.

and how you can say no to Halo Wars 2 , heard it's really great with a controller ;)

Lets forget everything Microsoft have done in the past that is detrimental to PC gaming, killing off PC centric studios and their franchises. Now they want to sell you some XBOX ports on a "universal" platform with their own store where its the only place you can buy and play their games. Games they will be holding to ransom for anyone on the fence about the store which they undoubtedly have planned for a subscription system when they have enough content that their new younger generation/ex console gamers will be happy to pay for - Games with no mod support to make DLC more appealing. Microsoft do not care about PC gamers they want to line their own pockets at the PC gamers expense by using people like you who are easily suckered in with a few over-hyped XBOX games.

A few years from now, Microsoft will have made a mockery of everything that PC gaming stands for with their second attempt at GFWL.

I guess from now it's is Microsoft exclusive and not xbox then. You still have to give MS your money if you want to play the games so it really doesn't matter to them, just more choices to play their games on.

@battlestreak: over all I think it is unless you are one of those anti windows 10 weirdos

So they threw the towel and gave up? LOLOLOLOLO Sony wins, flawless victory, king 4eva, no one could beat them, go home Microsofties!!

If they charge for live on PC, then even less people will support their crappy Wn10 marketplace.

Halo Wars was great even with a controller but me thinks X1 KB & Mouse support coming soon. Actually, I may be mistaken but I think MS may have already let that cat out of the bag. :)