Microsoft has come out with a bizarre new Xbox marketing campaign which is becoming very popular. The advertisement which has the title ‘How to turn (almost) anything into an Xbox’ is the new marketing gimmick by Microsoft to eliminate the old ideas of gaming on Xbox. This is while the company is still working on making Xbox a complete platform and not a mere hardware console.
By itself, the ad is quite basic but it really shows how by using the Xbox app and cloud gaming people can transform all sorts of gadgets and devices into Xbox-like ones. Yet online reactions of the people were very different compared to the ad’s simplicity. Gamers are extremely vociferous on this whole matter and really are being very noisy about it.
The perplexity has gone to a level such that some users are saying they do not see the point in Microsoft still making new console hardware since they can already turn every device into an Xbox. For instance, one of the users @kaibaman87 puts it very correctly when he asks, ‘If everything is Xbox, why even bother making next console HW, at this point. The question is quite fair in fact. Who is going to still buy the expensive new Xbox when your smartphone or tablet or even smart fridge could be turned into a gaming device through xCloud?
Moreover, the situation is complicated by the fact that what really constitutes an Xbox is still not clearly defined. @dodgykebaab argued that if having the Xbox app makes one an owner of an Xbox then every device with the PlayStation app should also be recognized as a PlayStation device. This would lead to an approximate number of 300 million PlayStations existing around the world. Crazy, isn’t it?
The comments section became a battle ground of different gaming factions. There are some who are all in on Microsoft’s vision. @PatManJones62 was very excited about the prospect of being able to use both Xbox Store and Steam, calling it ‘gaming heaven’, especially since Game Pass is there. On the other hand, @SNinja127 has just outright declared ‘Xbox is Trash’ with a crying emoji. The drama is so real, folks.
However, what is really intriguing is that the Xbox community is divided on the issue of this turn of events. Some players are ecstatic about the liberty of being able to play on different devices and having more options while others mourn the good old days of easy ‘plug and play’ with traditional consoles. @XboxSeriousX expressed that old-time feeling so well when they said they want ‘a game console, not a hybrid PC which is just PC or browser gaming.’
There also were users sharing their random thoughts which were unconnected to gaming. A user @Aashraa1 said that the man in the advertisement resembled Jeffrey Epstein at a first glance. Wait, what were we discussing? Oh yes, Xbox.
Microsoft’s strategy is quite clear – they are making a bold bet on the idea that gaming should not be limited to a dedicated console in your living room but should be available anywhere. With the Game Pass Ultimate and cloud gaming combination, you can very well play Forza Horizon 5 on your phone during your lunch hour or continue your Halo Infinite campaign on a tablet while someone else is watching a movie on the TV.
Still, this strategy leads to the question of the fate of the Xbox console hardware in the long run. If Microsoft goes on with this ‘everything is Xbox’ approach, will there even be an Xbox Series Z or whatever the next console is supposed to be? User @16thHarmony is of the opinion that this is just preparing the Xbox users for the time when Microsoft completely stops making consoles and only becomes an app on a PC that the users access.
The advertisement in a way is clever marketing but at the same time it’s revealing about the path that Microsoft is willing to take for the gaming industry. They are not only competing against PlayStation anymore – they are actually starting a fight with every screen in your house, every gadget in your pocket, and every gaming platform for that matter.
This is such a situation that it seems very personal to gamers. The issue is not only about the corporate strategies but also about the players’ identities. Are you still an ‘Xbox gamer’ if you are playing on a Samsung mobile using xCloud? Does the game count for your Gamerscore? These kinds of questions keep gamers awake at nights.
On the other hand, probably Sony is watching the whole thing very closely just like that meme posted by @a_space_alien where someone is sitting calmly munching popcorn. The console wars have indeed gone beyond which plastic box under your TV is better; it has become a lot more complex.
To conclude, Microsoft is testing the waters and trying to change the meaning of console gaming. It is hard to say if this strategy will be successful in the long run, however, one thing is certain – they have everyone talking about it. In the gaming industry, that is already half the
