Microsoft Has Nuked the Console War – Here’s How

• Microsoft has claimed that they don’t want to fight the console wars anymore.
• Game Pass has made the company less reliant on hardware sales alone.
• While its competitors keep fighting on old battlefronts, Xbox is changing the way people game.

The console war no longer interests Microsoft. The company has proven that it’s committed to taking an untraditional route.

Game Pass shows that gaming subscription services are viable. The next-gen consoles will soon put Game Pass to the test.

The joke’s on Sony because it doesn’t matter how many consoles Xbox sells anymore.

Microsoft Was Losing the Game, So They Moved the Goalposts

It’s no secret that Microsoft has struggled in the current gaming generation. Sony’s PS4 has sold double the amount of Xbox One’s. Sony is taking its confidence into the next generation with a high-end machine and games coming in at $70.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is reinventing the way people buy and play games. Rather than a $70 game that can be completed in a few days or weeks, a monthly fee of $14.99 gives the player access to 100s of games on Xbox and PC that can be played whenever the user chooses.

That doesn’t even begin to cover the added benefits of Game Pass. Project xCloud is now free to any Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, allowing live game streaming to android phones. All Xbox Game Studios game will also be released straight to the service, which now includes all ZeniMax Media games.

You see can how much ‘Project xCloud’ benefits Game Pass in the video below.

It’s No Longer Just About Console Sales

For Microsoft, console sales are a secondary factor. They’d be happy to outsell the PS5 at launch, but it won’t be a failure if they don’t.

Microsoft mainly wants to bring people into the Xbox infrastructure. If someone is buying a console, they’re not just buying a console. There’s a good chance they’ll also be getting Game Pass as well, and right now, Game Pass is Xbox’s most significant success.

The service has jumped 50% in subscribers in less than six months.

So Sony can sell as many consoles as they like, but if Xbox keeps its current streak alive, it won’t matter one iota. With an approximate $149,850,000-a-month coming in from Game Pass, it’s hard to see why console sales would bother them that much.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.