Games being on more platforms is better for consumers, so I’m not complaining.
Competing on interoperability is a good space for platforms to compete as opposed to “who can pay for more exclusives”. Being able to multiplayer with people on Xbox, PlayStation, PC or switch is a selling point for Xbox.I was well chuffed when the STALKER trilogy was added to the PS store. Best 30 quid I’ve ever spent.
As a lifelong fallout and elder scrolls player i lost my shit when they said they were going Xbox exclusive. Way to tell half your fan base to eat shit. And what you don’t want my money idiot?
Think of it this way, how many people got an Xbox because it wasn’t coming to PS? That was the real motivation factor.
Why sell a $60 game once, when you can sell a $600 console and a $60 game.
Way more people can afford to pay $60 over $500. I’m as big a bathesda guy as you can get but I won’t get an Xbox no matter what
The stated goal of DirectX was always displacing consoles. Alex St. John was talking about it in 1994.
They’re doing this now because it worked.
What’s the difference, otherwise? Consoles are PCs. Nintendo’s about to release a second jumped-up Android tablet. The only games that are for one system are the ones the manufactures made themselves, or bribed into existence. The charade that’s all propping up is not worth maintaining. It’s not the 1990s, the console war is over, and software has won.
There’s a little bit more than trivial differences, but they’re just in the realm where it actually makes sense for platforms to compete. Backend services like interoperability with other platforms, storefronts, data backups and similar. Also hardware configuration, price and setup difficulties. PC has become way simpler, but it’s still not as easy as a console, and the portability of a steam Deck, laptop or switch meaningfully distinguish them from a PS5. I wouldn’t take my PS5 on an airplane trip, for example.
I think this story is Microsoft moving in that direction to differentiate themselves, at least for the time being. “You should get an Xbox so you can play with your friends, regardless of what they have, and if you won’t get an Xbox you can still buy our games.”. $560 is better than $60, but $60 is better than $0. Probably realized that exclusivity wasn’t making people buy Xboxes, it was making them either wait for a PC release or just skip the game.