It's officially the era of the handheld. There's going to be so many failures... nobody is going to buy all these different options, 1 or 2 will succeed, and the others will fade out once they realize the numbers will never be what they expected.
End, The console wars did.
Begun, the handheld wars have
Well yes, that’s typically how new markets work. This is not a bad thing.
I think MS took the right path here by just partnering with ASUS (okay... ASUS sucks but...). ASUS is already making a handheld every year and they are very well received (until anyone needs to RMA something). But ASUS also has their entire laptop and monitor and component divisions.
My worry is more the GPD and Aya Neos of the world. They kind of dragged handheld form factor laptops kicking and screaming... and then Valve ate their lunch. Rightfully so because the GPDs and Ayas were always horrible to use and full of bloat (and maybe spyware) but it still sucks.
But this specifically? MS are doing the same thing Valve are. The idea will be that you buy a handheld and then install the OS/ecosystem you want on there. Valve want SteamOS (or just not Microsoft) on everything. MS wants Windows+Game Mode on everything. And, because this is post 2010s MS, Valve wins either way because Steam also runs on Windows whereas gamepass is locked to only Windows.
I DO think the implication of needing an xbox button (which can also be the steam button) and adaptive triggers to get "xbox certified" is gonna suck and be a way to deprecate older devices. But I doubt those will be hard requirements for a few years.
Because... we are due for the next console generation in 2-3 years, right? We just got the refresh SKU for PS5 and that will line up for the usual 6-8 year cycle. And this positions MS to push their requirements controller wise.
I don't dislike what I saw. Personally, I just think they are already too late to enter the market and be a big success. We just saw the numbers that Linux is killing it in almost all categories on the Legion compared to a windows OS, which is pretty bad news to have less than a month before showcasing this. It's not like the Xbox brand is doing that wonderful these days, either. I think it will sell but not do as good as expected, and they will move on or completely give up. From what I hear, Xbox in general, is barely holding on these days. I love what gamepass did, but that may be all that remains if they can't sell more hardware.
If I had to pick any 1 device that's either out now or soon to be out, I am definitely not picking this one. I will also be sad if they fail since we all know the competition is what keeps things from getting stagnant and also keep prices down.
I just think they are already too late to enter the market and be a big success.
The handheld form factor laptop gaming market is still in its (perpetual) infancy.
We just saw the numbers that Linux is killing it in almost all categories on the Legion compared to a windows OS,
Yeah...
https://windowsforum.com/threads/lenovo-legion-go-s-how-steamos-outperforms-windows-in-portable-gaming.368233/ (apologies for blatant chatgpt bullshit but I needed data)
Battery life probably actually doesn't matter for the vast majority of users who would only be playing for an hour or two at a time, at most, between charges. And MS have acknowledged that with the focus on basically the same thing Valve sort of kind of does which is to have a gaming specific mode for the OS that disables a lot of background processes.
At which point we get to framerate and multiplayer gaming. The former basically being noise between the platforms and the latter still pretty much Windows only for Reasons.
It’s not like the Xbox brand is doing that wonderful these days, either.
I mean... this seems to be related to that. MS have already heavily hinted (outright said?) that the next XBOX is literally going to run (likely this version of) Windows and Gamepass and porting Halo to everything is already a sign. Like, think of this less as an "XBOX Handheld" and more as a "Windows gaming handheld"... which sounds worse to me but...
If I had to pick any 1 device that’s either out now or soon to be out, I am definitely not picking this one.
I mean... for the average user who does not have a visceral disdain for Windows at this point... why wouldn't you? This does gamepass AND Steam AND Fortnite. And most people don't realize that asus armory crate or whatever the fuck is worse than cancer.
Because ASUS was going to release this no matter what. The difference is they added another button (in a horrible location apparently) and let MS give them money to brand it as an XBOX. But the goal, at least from MS, is not to necessarily outsell and dominate the market. It is to make people think Windows is also for gaming (which it still very much is) and to further dilute the XBOX brand for whatever the hell is gonna happen in 2-4 years when the next console gen hits.
Very disappointing, with arguably misleading marketing and videos.
I was so hyped watching the reveal, then only realized from comments that this only plays Windows compatible Xbox games. I was hoping for a true Xbox handheld, where I can play all Xbox games natively.
If somebody is already deep into handhelds, this might be obvious to them, but I think many buyers will be disappointed when they realize this.
I saw a 10 min video of MS and ASUS team explaining the device, and they intentionally dance around the issue, diluting the original meaning of words like “Xbox”, which is a video game console. Not a PC, not a launcher in Windows, and not a meaningless branding for MS published games.
There is a reason Nintendo and Sony is killing it in their focus segments: they make a console and sell video games you can play on it. Sony might release PS games on PC for extra revenue, while MS is trying to do that as a main focus, because they didn’t sell enough consoles. MS really shit the bed with Xbox this gen (again). Gamepass is not going to save them, they were first to the market, but Sony is also selling subscription, but in addition (and not instead) of console sales.
You’re clearly not understanding Microsoft’s strategy. They are no longer interested in the hardware market that had been losing them money since forever. In fact Microsoft has been wanting to kill Xbox since like the second year it existed, so this is how they more or less managed to do it while making money instead of just losing all market share. Xbox is now a software platform, and the next Xbox in all likelihood will simply be a prebuilt PC running the Xbox app that they developed for this handheld. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise to be honest.
There’s not many Xbox (console) only games either. And none come to mind that are from this generation. All of them are also on PC.
I think this will play out well for them. What would you prefer, the locked down platform that also sells their games on PC (PlayStation) or the more open platform that lets you play anything anywhere?
I understand their strategy, I just don’t like it as a console player. I also don’t think it is a very good one from business perspective. For me it seems like they failed in the console (hardware) market, so they pivoted to the cross-platform software focus.
I know like/dislike is subjective, so I understand if others have different opinion. And business-wise, these strategic decisions will show their true impact over many years, so there would be no point in comparing current numbers, let’s see if what they plan pays off in the future.
I have a PS5 and a Series S, so I’m not partial to either of them, just to consoles as a hardware platform. I don’t like this Windows-ification of Xbox, as I moved from PC gaming to consoles around 2 decades ago, and I like my choice. I also switched to iPhone from Android, and happy to have lost all the headaches that came from the more open platform.
Again, these are personal preferences. Maybe I’m the “old” man (gen Y) screaming angrily at the clouds, or maybe the Microsoft MBAs are wrong. Manufacturers are going back on large touchscreens in cars, which was also celebrated as the FUTURE^TM^ years ago, yet it’s just cost saving that sacrifices the safety of the driver.
I think tech is far along now that there’s a space for something that is “best of both worlds”. Something that Valve has been trying for a while yet was only successful with the Steam Deck because tech just wasn’t there yet.
Think about it like this: instead of making a whole Xbox based build, devs simply make the PC version of their game and within that PC version they make a series of graphical presets that are the Xbox version, and another one that is the handheld version. This would lower costs for them while Microsoft focuses on building a windows OS that is gaming focused and suspends all the crap that hogs performance. For you the Xbox would work pretty much the same as it always has except you can now also play Steam, GOG or Epic store games if you want (with the risk of jank). The downside of this is that the next Xbox will 100% not be subsidized if it uses this model, so be ready to pay $700 for it.
Microsoft’s track record is not great at this type of “fork” but I think for them as a company this path makes more sense than selling subsidized hardware that doesn’t move software because it doesn’t sell well. They can now sell software everywhere and if you want a more optimized experience you can buy their box.
You might be getting your wish about Xbox games
Reports are saying that console games that were never on Xbox PC app like Prototype and The Darkness are showing up on the app....
Ehhhh?
MS have generally gotten increasingly good at making sure all of their games have a PC (is it still UWP or whatever?) "version" and most of the major third party studios do the same. It gets really annoying with corner cases (was it Total Warhammer 3 that was straight up broken?) but you are really buying into game pass at that point.
And I have no idea what your last paragraph is (outside of weird Sony fanboyism?). But you can still play all the Sony/Steam games (and the Steam/Steam games).
I dunno. If I hadn't have said "fuck windows" (years ago at this point) this would be a no brainer. But I am all for competition and this is a good indicator of what the neXtBOX will be since MS have already hinted at (outright said?) that the next XBOX will just run windows.
Sad to see.
It makes sense though. Xbox games don't have the bult-in configurability to run at lower settings and resolutions. So to run all the Xbox games, they'd all have needed an update to add a "handheld mode".
It's not like the backwards compatibility, where you are running previous games on more powerful hardware.
ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) is proud to announce an all-new series of Ally handhelds built from the ground up with improved ergonomics and a seamless player-first user experience.
Developed in partnership with the incredible team at Xbox, the new ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X offer best-in-class ergonomics and a full-screen Xbox experience that marries the best of Xbox and PC gaming in one cohesive package.
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