In the history of video games, like most things, we often ascribe progress to big, flashy events. This perspective certainly has its merits. I mean, where would we be as an industry had the NES never launched with Super Mario Bros. or if id Software never put out the shareware for Doom? But just as often, big changes are not appreciated in their time and are often realized in hindsight. For instance, Sony’s outright copying of the SNES controller (and later the N64 controller) to create the Dualshock was the realization of unsexy iterative design that led to an input paradigm that has lasted for over 20 years. Now in 2016, we’re on the cusp of two major industry changes. One is the showstopping introduction of VR, which has been hyped for years and will finally be available for average consumers. The other change is not nearly as heralded, but has the potential to rock the very foundations of the games industry. I’m of course referring to the impending merger of the Xbox and PC ecosystems.
To get you up to speed, last week Microsoft had their Spring Showcase, and event that in the past was used to exhibit upcoming Xbox titles for the press. This year’s version for the most part was not all that different, save for a few announcements made by Xbox chief Phil Spencer. To save some time, I’ll quote Austin Walker’s piece as to what was said:
“At the heart of Spencer's plan for the Xbox One is an effort to unify the console platform with Windows 10, both literally and figuratively. Games created on the recently debuted Universal Windows Platform will work across Xbox One, Windows 10, and Windows-based smartphones and tablets--that means that the developers should have a much easier time porting Xbox One games directly to PC. These games could more easily take advantage of features like cross-play and cross-save, too.”
Later in the piece, Austin mentions the following:
“Beyond just releasing games on both platforms, Spencer also indicated interest in taking a PC-like approach to the hardware side of the Xbox platform. During his statement to the press, he spoke about wanting to bring the the tech-driven innovation seen in the PC and mobile markets back to the consoles.”
On the surface this all seems a bit like corporate puffery and vague promises. Indeed, Microsoft has in the past attempted to leverage their Xbox brand on the PC ecosystem and even a generous critique of their track record would have to use the word “disastrous”. Further to that, gaming’s past is littered with failed attempts to improve a console’s performance through add-ons or hardware revamps. So why on Earth would I be in any way optimistic about this news? First, it’s because the potential upside to consumers and developers would be massive, and second, I think this time Microsoft has a good chance to actually pull it off.
I suppose I should take a step back and analyze what exactly Microsoft intends to do here. First, they wish for all games that are released for the Xbox One, be it third or first party, will also have a day and date version on the PC and there will be some amount of integration between the two versions, including cross-platform multiplayer support. Further to that, consumers who purchase a game on one of the platforms will also be granted a copy of the game on the other platform. Finally, the Xbox One itself will no longer have static specifications, with improvements to the hardware similar to what we see with Apple’s iPad or Valve’s Steam Box. Now given that this is Microsoft, many people are imagining the worst case scenario where your Xbox One becomes obsolete within a year or two and the ecosystem dies out because of the PC cannibalizing sales. While this certainly could come to pass, I feel that we are looking at a future where the Xbox and PC platforms are both strengthened by this integration.
Let’s break out and examine these claims individually. First, the cross-buy and simultaneous release of Xbox and PC games going forward. Currently and in the coming months we are going to see previously slated Xbox One exclusives such as Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, Quantum Break, Forza 6, and Halo Wars 2 released on PC. While there has been some cries from the Xbox faithful that they no longer have a compelling reason to keep their Xbox Ones, they technically lose nothing. They can still purchase these games on their current systems and will presumably gain an additional copy to play on their computers. This is directly cribbing from Sony’s playbook, where in recent years they have released cross-buy titles for PS3, Vita, and PS4 to much appreciation from their customers. Indeed, one of the reasons I purchased a Vita and continue to use the platform is because of the wealth of titles I incidentally collected for it over the years. I can see this effect be used to great effect in getting Xbox players to get a gaming PC and PC players to purchase an Xbox One. In addition, the implementation of cross-play could make it easier for players to switch platforms but still game with their friends. How great would it be to finally build your own gaming PC but still be able to play online with your friends still on Xbox?
The downsides to this are overblown in my opinion. The common refrain of mouse and keyboard players versus controller players in first person shooters have been shouted for years, but is becoming more and more irrelevant as time goes on. I recall playing Titanfall on PC with a controller almost exclusively and still ranking at the top of my matches consistently. That game was built to emphasize movement and positioning, not accuracy. I will readily admit that for PC shooters like Counter-Strike there’s no way to compete with a controller, but for console-based shooters like Halo or Gears of War, the gap between the two inputs has never been smaller. Also, in the worst case, developers can separate out players in matchmaking based on their input settings.
The other major complaint I hear is that Xbox players will abandon the platform in droves for the obviously “superior” PC. For games enthusiasts (such as those who would read a blog like this), that’s certainly a concern, but what about the countless more “casual” players? These players, the ones that play only a few games a year, are going to be less interested in buying or building a bulky desktop just for better performance. This could certainly be a factor of me being a downtown apartment dweller and having friends in similar living situations, but it seems that outside of gaming “nerds” and a few other groups, the vast majority prefer to use a laptop as their primary computer. For them, it’s simply more practical to have their laptop for general computing and a console for gaming, as the price and inconvenience of getting a cutting edge gaming laptop is simply too much to bear. This new Xbox-PC strategy allows them to continue using their consoles without fear of being left out by their friends that choose to move on to PC, which is a win-win for everyone involved.
Now let’s consider the other major announcement from Microsoft, that the Xbox One itself will now be iterated and improved upon regularly. On the surface this is indeed alarming, and as someone who recently got an Xbox One it does leave me a bit nervous. That being said, if Microsoft approaches this carefully it could greatly extend the life of the platform and give greater value to even early adopters. Let’s consider the iPad model. Despite the hyperbole spouted by anti-Apple critics, most iPad owners don’t upgrade every year and are not particularly bothered by the regular improvements Apple puts out. Your previous year’s iPad still works fine when its successor is released and runs almost entirely the same software as the newer version. Granted, there will eventually come a time where your iPad becomes too old to keep up with the latest apps, but the interval between upgrades have been increasing with each passing year. I know people with iPad 2’s from 2011 that only purchased a new one last year, a full four years between upgrades. Microsoft would be incredibly incompetent to stop supporting the original revision of the Xbox One for anything less than 4 years. Given that developers would likely still need to make games for the Playstation 4 for years to come, I suspect that owners of the first revision Xbox One will enjoy support for even longer than that. Granted, games will eventually start to look not all that great, similar to cross-platform titles in the Xbox 360’s twilight, but they will be playable. This will also have the knock-on effect of the Xbox One maintaining resale value similar to Apple products, so when you’re ready to upgrade some of the cost may be offset by selling the console to someone more willing to put up with shaky framerates and lower resolutions.
Now of course, all of this could end up being smoke and mirrors and never truly materialize. I’ve been wrong in the past, as I was the guy that thought that PS4 Remote Play would turn around the flagging Vita single-handedly. But I like the vision that Phil Spencer is promising, and his track record since taking over the Xbox division indicates that there is a chance that his team could actually pull it off. Many people are rightfully wary of a Microsoft controlled PC gaming platform, but I don’t see that actually happening. Services like Steam, GOG, and Origin are too far entrenched for any sort of monopoly to form, and Microsoft’s Windows/Xbox store will simply be another competitor in that landscape. But what it would do is further cement the PC as the central place to play video games on, and would likely force Sony and (longshot) Nintendo to embrace the platform to keep up with the competition. We’re quickly entering an era where individual platforms no longer matter and consumers are able to play most games on whichever device they prefer. Microsoft’s plan is a savvy embrace of this trend. I don’t doubt the decision to go this route was borne out of opportunism, as the Xbox One is quickly becoming the also-ran console compared to the Playstation 4’s dominant sales numbers. But whatever the reasons for it, this could still be a big win for consumers. We may be hearing about VR now, but my guess is that 2016 will be remembered as the year that platforms became irrelevant.
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