Skip to main content

Microsoft admits 'we've lost our way' on PC games (MSFT)


phil_spencer xbox 1Matt WeinbergerPhil Spencer, Microsoft’s Xbox chief.Microsoft’s Xbox boss admitted “we’ve lost our way” on PC gaming, but the company wants another chance.


At the Game Developers Conference on Wednesday, Phil Spencer took the stage and reaffirmed that the company sees Windows 10 as the company’s big chance to get back its shine and its market leadership.


He also committed to building games for HoloLens, the futuristic augmented reality goggles that Microsoft promised would be out in the Windows 10 time frame.


 “We see this as a full Windows 10 device,” Spencer said. 


Microsoft also announced it was giving game makers their first look at a toolkit for integrating Xbox Live into Windows 10 games.


PC gaming used to be synonymous with Windows — games were played on Windows, using the DirectX APIs for graphics, and often controlled with Microsoft mice, keyboard, and hardware.


Then, 15 years ago Microsoft rolled out the first Xbox and everything changed: Suddenly, all of Microsoft’s video gaming focus was on the new console. The Xbox franchise, along with games like Halo, became a decent business for the company. But in the meantime, competitors overtook the PC gaming market. For instance, Valve’s Steam platform captured the hearts of gamers with a successful app store and integrated social networking features.


Games for Windows Live, an early attempt by Microsoft to bring the social features (and copy-protection against piracy) of Xbox Live to the PC, was buggy, unreliable, and a laughing stock among people who play video games.


Spencer specifically called out the existing Windows 8 App Store, which he acknowledged wasn’t a huge revenue driver for any of the developers there, including Microsoft itself. 


The way forward, then, is in changing how Microsoft thinks about its customers: They’re not people who play games on Windows PCs, or tablets, or consoles. They’re customers of the Xbox Live service. That means that games can and should work across multiple devices, with the same friends list and the same high scores, and people should be able to play each other no matter what device they’re on.


“Xbox” no longer means consoles, said Spencer. It means “gaming with Microsoft.”


As for HoloLens, Spencer says that it’s a natural extension of Microsoft’s new philosophy towards Windows 10, and will receive the same level of support and multi-platform cohesion.


The takeaway for the developers at the conference: They can reach a broader audience (and make more money) without having to go through the hassle of developing for multiple screen sizes and operating systems. After all, every single Windows 10 device is going to have the built-in Xbox app.










Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Google Reader Replacement Feedly Passes 50,000 Pro Users

Feedly the awesome RSS reader service that has been developed to offer an alternative to the Google Reader service that shut down many months go. Has this week announced they have now passed the 50,000 Pro user milestone with a big thank you going out to its users and community. Feedly has also revealed what they have planned for the future explaining a little more about the short term projects which are going to benefit from Pro user funding : 1. We are going to continue to invest in the feedly Cloud so that the service remains reliable and fast despite the growing number of users and the growing number of stories we deliver each day. 2. We are working on a new version of feedly for Android which reflects some of the Material Design changes Arthur highlighted in his design review (thanks for all the awesome feedback!). 3. We are working on a new iteration of the collection sharing feature. Our goal is to integrate the great feedback we collected during the be...

HTC One M9 Gets Official With A Snapdragon 810

After months of leaks and speculations, HTC has finally unveiled their latest flagship device, the HTC One M9, at the Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona. The handset comes with a similar metallic design as its predecessor, but there are quite a few notable changes in the internals. “HTC has built its reputation on challenging expectations in the mobile industry,” said Cher Wang, Chairwoman, HTC. “The HTC One M9 accomplishes this once again with stunning elegance and design, combined with smart features that help bring your world to life, connecting you in a deeper way to the things you consider most important. So much more than just a phone, the HTC One M9 is an extension of who you are.” The handset features a 5-inch display sporting a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, which is a little surprising as most recent flagship devices are equipped with a QHD display, even the latest Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. But, there are some notable changes in the internals. The new HTC One M9 is powe...

Microsoft's new 'Project Spartan' web browser shown off in new video (MSFT)

AP Microsoft gave us a quick glimpse at its next web browser  —  codenamed Project Spartan  —   back in January , but a new video shows some of the web browser’s newest features in action. The folks over at WinBeta have managed to get their hands on an early copy of Project Spartan, according to The Verge , and their video walkthrough demonstrates how the browser will see close integration with Cortana, Microsoft’s own Siri-like virtual assistant. In an effort to make browsing the web more efficient, Cortana will be able to glean important information from websites like store hours, phone numbers, and addresses. Cortana lets you know if she’s been able to pull any helpful information by jumping up and down in your search bar. Click on Cortana’s circular symbol, and a side bar is brought up that presents what she found in a tidy format. WinBeta Cortana can also easily pull up directions without even leaving the current web page, which could end up being handy when you’re in a rush and d...