They might have the dustbin of Microsoft innovations in their sights actually.

Didn't they just announce last week that the entire project is on pause?

I mean they just announced the Xbox Ally today at a presentation, so it certainly doesn't seem like it

Xbox anything is DOA at this point.

Microsoft has tried and failed a few times with mobile devices. I doubt this will be any different.

Hardware, yes. Software? idk. Game Pass is pretty awesome value atm

Isn't this a bit like saying that NASA has Mars in its sights, not New Jersey? Sure there are more people in NJ, but arriving in NJ isn't really an accomplishment. Likewise, being able to beat a piece of hardware that was out of date when it was first announced over a year ago (switch 2) obviously isn't their goal. Additionally, Valve already has superior hardware and distribution, so they are clearly the competitor to beat.

I think i speak for most gamers when i say i have a steam game library, but would not touch the Microsoft PC game store with a 10ft pole. I am an xbox user, i have a vast digital(and physical) xbox library that can almost drink alcohol. This is the library and store i want on an Xbox handheld. Xbox not pursuing compatibility with that library is what will kill the brand IMO. Xbox Play Anywhere was a nice program that gave people some double purchases on the MS game store for no extra cost... But it was too sparse to make the barebones MS game store seem worthwhile compared to steam. If people bother to buy this generic PC handheld with an Xbox sticker on it, they might be slightly more inclined to buy games on the MS same store, but im certain the majority will just use Steam and Gamepass. They can already do this on all other PC handhelds though, so why would anyone buy this one?!?

Nintendo aren't in the console war anymore and have't been since the gamecube. Nintendo consoles sell on the strength of Nintendo's first party titles, of which they have many. Nobody else can use their IPs, so that's their USP and as a result they don't need to compete with anyone on graphical capability or processing power.

Game pass is obviously the first stage of classic enshittification. They're trying to be good to users to get them into the ecosystem. Abuse comes later. Don't let them change games into a subscription service where you have to keep paying forever. Think longer term.

Nintendo made a very smart business move that is extremely anti-consumer: They removed themselves from competing with Sony and Microsoft. People don't think "Should I buy Xbox, Nintendo, or PlayStation?" They think "Should I buy Xbox or PlayStation, in addition to Nintendo?" Great business move, because consumers are buying Nintendo up more than before. Extremely bad for consumers because now we are seeing how Sony acts when they have only one real competitor: keeping console exclusives, raising prices, and enforcing PS Accounta for offlline singleplayer games. If Microsoft drops Xbox hardware, PlayStation will have zero competition and gain a monopoly on the console hardware market. Then they can raise the prices to be whatever they want. What are you gonna do, buy an Xbox that doesn't exist?

Microsoft sucks and I don't want their shit. They'll probably cram AI into it or otherwise shit it up.

I can’t say I’m excited at all about somebody else’s curated rotating library I pay a premium for. I could easily just go to the library and check out the game there for free.

No thanks lmao

Valve, is it time to launch the HL3 bomb?

Microsoft designed handheld is on pause (and probably cancelled because AMD is not going to provide Series S level performance anytime soon and ARM+Nvidia is no go after whole W11 ARM fiasco). They’re pivoting to what Valve is doing with specialised gaming OS for OEMs.

That makes absolutely no sense. Nintendo does enough shit that you don't need to invent some. Console wars have never been about doing the exact same shit. Game boy Vs Game Gear? N64 Vs Playstation Vs Saturn? Even SNES and Megadrive/Genesis had very different designs, and that's enough to be noticeable in the games if you are familiar enough with them. They sell video game systems and games, they're competitors. So is Valve. So was freaking Ouya. The fact they're doing thing differently enough that they're not completely interchangeable *is* the competition.

This is their pattern. Way Kate to the market with some half baked ideas that has all these aspirations but never does everything right. Plus required Microsoft account, Cortana/copilot/gimmick of the week forced in there. - windows phone - surface - hololens (didn't even make it to market) - mixed reality ... Many more

They're not competing for the same slice of the pie, though. Microsoft isn't trying to take Nintendo's customers because Nintendo's customers want very specific things that Microsoft isn't really offering. For example, Nintendo caters extensively to parents who want a safe space for their kids to play online. The Switch doesn't even SUPPORT voice chat without the aid of a separate smartphone. Xbox Live is notoriously the opposite of that, because they focus on teens and young adults, who Sony are also targeting. Basically Nintendo sells to a very specific market, and the other platforms sell to "everybody else".