If I do not buy the Xbox Series X, Microsoft will laugh all the way to the bank

Microsoft has convinced me thoroughly: I do not want to buy Xbox Series X. The games do not look “next-gen” enough. There are not enough titles I really want to play. Yesterday, the company announced its flagship game, Halo infinite, will not even arrive until 2021. In addition, almost all major Microsoft games will also be available for Windows PCs, and some may even be available for the PS5. And while I have a snooping suspicion that Microsoft is breaking a big promise by not bringing some Xbox Series X games to the Xbox One, another possibility is that many of the biggest reasons to buy a new Xbox are not available until long after its November launch.

But intriguingly, I do not think Microsoft will make me think I’m skipping the Xbox this gen. The company will be too busy to laugh all the way to the bank.

Of the 18 full games that appeared in Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase on July 23, all but one – CrossfireX – are intended to run on Windows PCs. Unfortunately, this PC game includes Microsoft’s ultimate killer app: Hello. It’s the game that probably sold the world on the original Xbox, a franchise that has long been a mainstay for Xbox, and one of the biggest middle fingers that Microsoft ever gave Apple’s Steve Jobs. (Remember when Jobs introduced Hello?)

Now, Halo infinite comes to Windows PCs, and it sounds like it will become a first class citizen. “A dedicated team at 343 focuses on guaranteeing Halo infinite offers a best-in-class experience optimized for the PC platform, “writes developer 343 Industries, adding that” special PC features “are on the way – perhaps including ray tracing. Microsoft will not make you agree to download it from the Windows Store ; you will be able to buy it on Steam.After living through the mess that was games for Windows Live and the repeated unsuccessful attempts by Microsoft to hit the Windows Store, I still can not believe I can really write those words.

And while an early look at Halo infinite do not blow us away with his graphic fidelity (hey there, Craig), it’s a must-buy for people like me. i adored the original Halo: Combat Evolution. I played it on Xbox. I bought it on PC. I beat it on Legendary. It is de reason I do not agree that The Duke was a terrible gamepad: the flashing lights and grenade buttons were in just the right places.

This tweet does a good job of getting my feelings across the Halo infinite reveal:

All this is to say that I will pay Microsoft almost $ 60 to play this game – if not more. After all, Halo infinite is stored as a Lot-sque game that will evolve over time, one that will represent ‘the next ten years Hello,”Instead of continuing with numbered pursuits. And you would best believe that Microsoft hopes this means a continuous revenue stream.

Okay, so I’m buying Halo infinite. Let’s say it costs $ 60, yes? Let’s now compare $ 60 with how much I’ve spent on Microsoft games in the last six plus years since the Xbox One was released.

Oh, that’s right, I did not buy an Xbox One. The last Microsoft game I bought was for the Xbox 360; When Sony started with must-play exclusives and Microsoft was unable to compete with them, I bought a PS4 instead. I spent $ 0 on Xbox this past console generation – which means that if I bought a single “Xbox Series X” game, I would have immediately given Microsoft more money than I have in many years.

And Microsoft does not even have to sell me a box to earn those dollars, which is handy when you consider that brand new game consoles are often sold with very slim margins. They do this because they know you’re more likely to buy games for that box al made a hole in your sleeve and filled a hole in your entertainment center. But if enough people already have gaming PCs like previous Xbox Ones – especially in an era where real console exclusives were once rare – why not easily make money from these people?

(I would envy if Sony does the same. It’s already taken the first step with a PC port of Horizon Zero Dawn, one of the most stunning exclusives for PS4, and other previously PS4-exclusive games have also made their way to Steam.)

Besides, Microsoft has other ways to achieve gamer lock-in now. Instead of spending $ 60 on a single copy of Halo infinite, I might choose to pay $ 15 a month for Microsoft’s Game Pass Ultimate, which looks like a better deal all the time. Yes, as a PC gamer there was no way I would pay for the old Xbox Live Gold to get online multiplayer which I’m free to play. But now that a subscription has access to more than 100 PC games purchased – not just catalog back, but new first-party Microsoft games on launch day – and let me play them on my Android phone with xCloud as well, i also sure give it a look.

Heck, Microsoft is even experimenting with PC-first games like this Gears Tactics en Microsoft Flight Simulator now. Flight Simulator has typically been a Windows franchise, but this one is coming to Xbox. And yet the PC is still first. Both will also be part of Game Pass.

As my colleague Tom Warren says, Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft’s true next-gen Xbox. It was the one clear message that Microsoft sent during the same 57-minute presentation that convinced me not to buy the actual Xbox.

And if I even spend one dollar on the one month trial of Xbox Game Pass just to play Hello at launch, which is one dollar more than I have spent in years in Microsoft games. I wonder how many other Microsoft gamers can say the same thing.