Do you care if a console exclusive goes to PC?

Then and Now.

 

Wow, that pretty much says Microsoft is giving up in the console space (at least until it bites them in the ass like GFWL did). The whole point of consoles is a single configuration. A large segment of gamers (and developers) like/need the consistency. Yes, PC will always be more bleeding edge and "advanced", but sometimes you just want to pop in a disk and start playing a game without worrying about whether or not your graphics card will play nicely with your game.

Make it easier to have games on both platforms, sure, but make sure that both platforms still exist...

 

Why hold back gaming because of hardware constraints in a box sold years ago?
I think they are giving up on the fixed console space that spans the average 7-10 years. (Xbox 360 stayed the same for a decade+, that's nuts.)
I think the Minimum PC requirements for current developed games will be comparable in specs of the current Xbox One that shipped in Nov 2013.

Why lose your library of games when buying a new console?
I think they would like the next "console" you buy to play all of today's games and all of the Xbox One games from Nov 2013 on up. And also any 360 titles that the publisher allows to be BC on the One.

They are trying to move us all forward.

 

Why try to treat PC and console as the same thing? Why not throw mobile gaming in there as well? I'm not even being facetious; this failed horribly when Microsoft tried it at the OS level and I don't see it even remotely working out at the gaming level. PC and console gaming are different. Yes, there are a lot of games on both and most people don't give a second thought to the fact that one uses keyboard and mouse, while the other uses a controller (sure, you can even swap them in some cases), but they are different. Longer lifespan for a console, cheaper, consistent experience, less tinkering to get it to work, plug and play (for the most part), etc., vs. shorter configuration lifespan for a PC, constantly evolving software/hardware ecosystem, more tinkering, higher performance, etc.

It comes down to simplicity: consoles are convenient commodities, while PC's are good for performance/bleeding edge upgrades.

 

Here's another thought process about it
http://www.theguardian.com/technolo...-fixed-console-hardware?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1

 

Yup, plenty of people will disagree, plenty will agree. I'm providing my perspective as a developer who loathes dealing with the PC. I can't afford to have dozens of different video cards, processors, hard drives, etc. just sitting around for testing. Hell, I'll be lucky if I get more than just a Rift and Vive for testing if I decide to port my PSVR game to PC (and I would only even consider doing that since I am using Unreal).

 

That's exactly why I never got into PC gaming as a kid. I think our PC had a Voodoo card (or a clone) and games either supported it and nothing else, or wouldn't run with it. There was little to no in between.

 

Yes I agree, I went from carrying PC's to LAN parties to the original Xbox and stayed console mostly since for gaming.

http://venturebeat.com/2016/02/13/microsoft-patents-a-modular-pc-with-stackable-components/

Edit: I already have stackable / modular PC's in my basement, they ran BTOS and CTOS. 80186 and 80286 I think, I would have to dig. But this patent has to be held by Burroughs or UNISYS or whoever owns Convergent Technologies these days.

Picture on top right.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergent_Technologies_Operating_System

 

I think this is a real game changer and might give Microsoft the opportunity to strike back to those massive PS4 sales. As long as all games keep on working on the 1st generation Xbox One everyone wins. E.g. you want 4K Xbox One games? Then buy the upgraded 4K model!

The only thing I'm "afraid" of is that once upgraded models out there, developers won't be likely to scrape the bottom of the old spec and get the most out of it. But only time will tell.

 

I think it's safe to say Microsoft is exiting the console market Although there is a rumor about making the XBONE more powerful through USB GPUs.

 

Play the above video and start at :51

Edit: Jump to 19:06 in the below video
http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/03...spencer-interview-and-xbox-showcase-reactions

 

It's the opposite: older models will always have higher market penetration, so developers will tend towards the lower end systems. For example, how many 3DS games require the newer snake model?

 

Best-case scenario: PC ports become much better, Xbox's audience jumps from 20 million to a projected 1 billion (by 2018, at least).
Worst-case scenario: The unified framework is still too premature, migration is slow, and the concept deals a major blow to the Xbox brand

I like it. It seems like they can pull it off this time. In a few years, it may really get somewhere.