Microsoft Xbox: Phil Spencer talks about bringing the console to TVs as an app, console wars, more

Microsoft recently launched its much-awaited gaming console lineup including the Xbox Series X and Series S. The company managed to ensure that the console reached most if not all countries across the globe on the launch date. In addition, we also noted that e-commerce platforms in India also managed to ship the console before the launch to lucky buyers. Days after the launch, Microsoft also admitted that it is facing a shortage of stock and this may extend to 2021. Now, weeks after the launch, Microsoft Xbox head Phil Spencer shared some more details around the Xbox Series X, Series S, the future, and more. Let’s check out all the added details that Spencer shared around Xbox here.

Microsoft Xbox may turn into a Smart TV app, details

Spencer shared several things regarding Xbox, the future of gaming, and more in an interview with The Verge. The highlight of the interview is likely the take that xCloud, the cloud gaming service from Microsoft may move to TVs. The company is currently testing the service on smartphones with plans to expand later. In fact, some early reports stated that the company was looking at xCloud streaming sticks for Smart TVs. It is also interesting to note that this is not the first time that Microsoft has toyed with the idea of a compact streaming device. It even canceled streaming devices for Smart TVs under the codename Hobart.

However, in this interview, Spencer stated that users will likely see the Xbox app on smart TVs in the “next 12 months”. In fact, we went on to stated that it may reduce the entire console to just an app on a Smart TV in the coming years. Spencer also noted that Xbox Series X and Series S will likely not “be the last big pieces of hardware” that the company ships. In fact, the future will likely be a hybrid of local as well as cloud hardware. The company also has plans to integrate xCloud into Facebook Gaming and possible Samsung hardware in the future.

Microsoft Xbox vs Sony PlayStation is ‘one of the worst things’

Beyond Xbox on Smart TVs, Spencer also talked about the conversation of “console wars” in the gaming industry. He stated that he finds these console wars and toxic behavior in the name of brand loyalty distasteful. This sense of “tribalism” is likely the one thing that could push him out of the gaming industry. He goes on to state that “its one of the worst things about our industry”. Instead of these wars, he wants to focus on better things like the healthy state of the gaming industry.

The idea behind Xbox Series S, details about Xbox Game Pass

The interview also touched upon the reason for the launch of the Xbox Series S. Spencer stated that the reason Microsoft launched this console is that Sony was not focusing on this segment of the market. Series S is its attempt to broaden its target audience. Spencer also admitted that Microsoft was behind Sony when it came to manufacturing the consoles. This was likely due to “some specific AMD technology” that Microsoft wanted to put in its chip. The result of delaying to implement the complete set of RDNA 2 technologies in Xbox Series X and Series S is not immediate. However, it could be significant in the future when it comes to games in the coming months or years. We also got to know that Microsoft is building more Series X consoles than Series S for the first two years.

Finally, we also got some insight into how the Xbox Game Pass works for game developers. Digging deeper, we noted that the company does not follow one single template for all game developers. Instead, Microsoft tries to ensure that developers have the flexibility to choose the option that suits their needs the best. This includes being safe in terms of finances including clear monetary transactions, complete funding of the total production cost, and others focus on usage and monetization. For some context, the Game Pass service has about 15 million subscribers now.