Xbox has been the talk of the town these past few days after reports claimed first-party games like Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle might be coming to PlayStation. In a response to the reports, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said the company would have more to say in a “business update event” next week, which is a fun way of not confirming or denying the situation. In the time since, pockets of the Xbox community have not been coping well with what some are considering a personal betrayal of their loyalty in the imaginary console war. Some big influencers in the space are basically dropping the brand.
But how have Kotaku readers been feeling about it? That’s what we’re here to talk about. We asked for your insights, and there were a lot of strong feelings on the matter. Let’s dive in.
Is this a harbinger of the end of Xbox hardware?
“I think Xbox will cease to exist as a console within 5 years.
“Honestly, why would MS waste the time and energy making physical consoles when others can do it for them in the form of PCs and Playstations? Their future is studios and Game Pass, which would be hard to bring to Playstation, but not impossible.” – Segador
“I don’t think xbox as a console is going away within the next two generations (15 years) but I do think the focus is going to shift to cloud streaming instead for 1st world markets. you put a cloud streaming app on android tv and suddenly most modern smart tvs can now play next gen titles without any console connected.” – Bigburito
“This is clearly its last generation” – Nilus
“I really don’t see them getting out of hardware altogether. But I guess I wouldn’t mind as long as Game Pass on PS wasn’t limited to cloud streaming. And I say that as a primarily PC/Xbox player who also owns everything else and always has. The biggest concern would be Sony practically having a monopoly on the high-end gaming console market. Sony is a company that needs the competition, whether they or their fans want to admit it.” – Connor Dickless
If the Xbox brand continues but all its games are on PlayStation, why buy an Xbox?
“I enjoy game pass and I have enjoyed my Xbox console, but PS has always been my favorite. And if major Xbox exclusives are going to be on Playstation, I don’t really see a big need to buy another Xbox console ever again. I think lots of people will feel the same way. This screams to me that Xbox is not confident at all that it has a future in the console market, although I have seen different takes on it.” – Westernwolf4
“For me it’s all about ecosystem. Spencer hit the nail on the head when he was frustrated with Redfall’s dogshit launch and complained that the Xbox One gen was the worst to lose because that’s when people built their digital libraries. I did that with Xbox so I’m sticking around, and as long as Xbox sticks around and I still do my dumb little achievement hunting thing I couldn’t care less that PS5 owners to get access to these games.” – Evil Bilbo
If, hypothetically, the Xbox Series was the end, some are not thrilled about the idea of making the switch
“…everything about the Xbox ecosystem is miles better than the PlayStation one. If they didn’t have Spider-Man as exclusive I wouldn’t own a PS5.
GamePass is leagues beyond PS+The UI is functional and fastQuick Resume is a literal game changer
The console itself is elegant and understated vs whatever bullshit Sony Style™ they’re trying to pull with the PS5
Speaking of console lights: no always on giant ring light surrounding my Series X
The Xbox controller is way more comfortable. Also I can just hot swap the batteries whenever the controller dies. (I do really like the new triggers on the PS5 controller. That touch plate that never works right can go straight into the garbage though.)
Other random stuff: my TV cannot recognize my PS5 unless the PS5 is fully booted up (white lights on console) before I turn my TV on. It will bounce around every possible resolution for eternity trying to make it work if the TV is on before the PS5. Yes, this means I have to shut my TV off to switch to PS if I’m already watching/playing something else. “ – Brizian23
“…the Playstation controller sucks, its UI sucks, its console design sucks, and if Microsoft pulled out of the console business altogether I’d probably just swap to PC rather than play on Playstation. I stick with Xbox because I like it better, not because of exclusive games.” – staindgrey
“The biggest completely anecdotal and selfish reason for me to be against that happening though is I’d be forced to play Microsoft titles with a PlayStation controller and I would hate that as I can’t stand their controllers. So I’d probably just stick to PC for their games.” – Connor Dickless
Some think we should do away with exclusives altogether
“I’m always a fan of more people playing games. Exclusivity is an anti-consumer practice and I’d love Playstation fans to get the games I play on the console they want.” – staindgrey
“This is great. Relying on arbitrary exclusivity to sell hardware has always been dumb. People should buy hardware because the hardware itself provides benefits they find appealing, not because buying that hardware is the only way to play specific games.” – Jerykk
“I think games on more platformers is great for gamers, so I like it. I want people to be able to play what they want without worrying what plastic box they have. In fact, I don’t really have a dog in this fight because I own all the major consoles because I don’t want to worry about missing out on games. I think more choice for all is better.” – Westernwolf4
“Exclusivity has produced some of my favorite gaming franchises, but I think it needs to die. I’m fine with limited exclusivity, though. Only being able to play Sony’s new game on an actual Playstation for a couple months or a year then getting it on PC and other consoles would be a fine trade-off, I think. As long as the games are optimized for the other platforms and not just janky ports, of course (looking at you, Sony).” – RedEyedJedi410
Others think exclusives are a vital part of what makes a console worth buying
“Software should always be a way to differentiate platforms. Content drives platform sales. That’s why Netflix has content that Hulu doesn’t have. It’s why amusement parks purchase rides. It’s why restaurants have specials. If you eliminate exclusive content, then you will almost certainly shrink the market further.” – Tanzel
“if this is what happens we’re losing hardware options. A trade-off is being made. I use my XBox for pretty much every game that isn’t exclusive to PS/Nintendo because I like the hardware and online services better. So while I undertand the sentiment that more games being available for more people is better it feels like the notion of losing options on the hardware/ecosystem side is being ignored.” – Vidikron7
“I have a PS5, so obviously, ‘yay,’ but I see the benefits to exclusives. If you didn’t have console exclusives, why would you pick one console over the other? Yeah, the PS5’s gamepad is pretty awesome, but I’m sure the Xbox has things the PS5 doesn’t.
But also, if Sony said, “we’re bringing Last of Us to Xbox,” I wouldn’t be upset.” – David Leblond
A lot of these companies were third-party before, so making them exclusive feels counterproductive
“I don’t think this is much of a shock. Bethesda, and Zenimax at large, was a business founded on a multiplatform market. Suddenly pulling the rug out from under them might really hurt their long-term prospects. Ditto Activision-Blizzard — and indeed, Microsoft agreed to keep Call of Duty multiplatform, in part because they’re just not going to recoup those costs by going exclusive immediately. It would be leaving money on the table.” – Ovy
Some just want the Xbox brand to continue, and if PlayStation ports mean that happens, they don’t care
“Does it affect me and my Xbox? if not, then I don’t care. If it means a game is less likely to be on game pass then I care negatively. If it means a game is more likely to be on game pass then I care positively. Seems like the people who make these games get more money and so stay in business so that’s a plus.” – Framlo
“If the alternative is Xbox and MS’s gaming division dies…then those franchises and that library of exclusives die with it.” – TRT-X
Some Xbox fans are looking to make a deal
“Trade offer:
PS peeps get Indiana Jones/Starfield
Xbox folks get God of War series” – ThePancakeLord
“I own both.
That’s a very unfair trade” – Tanzel
Is a hypothetical hardware pivot surprising after Xbox’s focus on Game Pass?
“Even though I have all 3 consoles and a PC, the Xbox brand is what got me into gaming so I’ll always have a soft spot for it.
That being said, I’m not surprised in the slightest, especially after their pivot towards subscription services over the past generation. Unless Sony somehow ended up massively fumbling things console generation, there was no practical way for MS to catch up to the way Playstation has captured sales and mindshare in the public discourse.
My ideal scenario is that MS keeps making cheaper Series S style hardware and just sell them as small form factor living room PC’s that run full windows, but I see them exiting the hardware space entirely. Though I’d really prefer them [to] keep making hardware peripherals like controllers since I’ve never gotten used to the PS controller layout.” – archronos
“If Xbox wants to get out of the physical console business and get back into their more natural lane as a software company it’s fine by me if games (at least the big boppers) will be multiplatform as rumored. That means not just on PC, other consoles, something that always seems to get glossed over – “oh, it’s not exclusive, it’s on Xbox and PC!” – which is like saying you’ve got both kinds of music, country and western; it’s still exclusive to Microsoft-centric platforms, Xbox and (mostly) Windows-based computers.
If Sony doesn’t want to allow GamePass on PlayStation to try to bludgeon people into using their (IMO) grossly inferior alternative, at least being able to buy games outright on that platform is good enough for me.” – Mr. Furious
If Xbox devs can develop for PlayStation hardware, that presents an opportunity
“I really, really, *really* fucking hope that this opens up the possibility for some of these MS-owned devs to work on PSVR2 games/ports. Come the fuck on, Bethesda, get me a Skyrim VR and Doom 3 VR upgrade. Bring FO4VR to the system. The headset is so goddam amazing and every AAA game helps underline that point.” – necgray
Some just feel like Xbox has fumbled the bag, and this is the next step
“How do I feel? Shocked and surprised, mostly. But MS has no one to blame, but themselves. They had the console world in their hands during the 360/PS3 era and threw it all away chasing trends and ignoring the simple fact that games sell gaming consoles. Not TV. Not sports. Not gimmick motion controls. Not your user interface. Games. They bled all their talented studios dry. They let all their intellectual properties sit around. And when they finally realized they were in trouble, their response, as MS always does, was to go around trying to buy everybody else out. They are a giant soulless conglomerate who have no idea how to innovate or create, so they have to force people into monopolies to survive. I hate the idea that Sony is about to not have any competition, because that’s going to lead to arrogant Sony, but when MS was fucking everything up so royally for so fucking long, this was bound to happen.” – MALprac
Broadly, folks are sick of the console war
“Console tribalism is extremely silly, so there’s an argument for it when you’re like in elementary school where somebody’s uncle working at Nintendo clearly seems plausible, but at some [point] games enthusiasts need to grow up.” – PossibleCabbage
“Generally, I consider the console wars to be kind of dumb. Either you have the interest and disposable income to get both, or you’re going with the one that best fits your income and gaming interests. But there’s not really a reason to fight over it. Both are fine – they wouldn’t be competitors if there was a clear winner.” – Belaam
“Fanboys who feel butthurt because their precious exclusives get to be enjoyed by “The Opposing Faction a few months down the line need to fucking grow up.” – Inzoum
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