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Asha: "We will continue to look at new business models...rather than just the most premium, high performance console in the world"

When will microsoft learn that the secret is to NOT talk!

Stop doing interviews, stop engaging with the worst of the worst green rats on twitter.

Take the sony and nintendo approach. Do your direct and shut the fuck up.

If they did that then they would be in a much better position imo.
 
Can anyone explain to me why is it "radically different" such goal? Xbox main console was always for the masses, somehow only Helix really tries a new business model though for the niche. There is nothing of radical different in a series S "kinda" of sku...

As far as we know, Helix was posed as a their main console, with the features and price of a super premium product. That's a crazy idea. XBOX needs a main console cheaper than PS (even if slightly less powerful) AND great exclusive games.
 
As far as we know, Helix was posed as a their main console, with the features and price of a super premium product. That's a crazy idea. XBOX needs a main console cheaper than PS (even if slightly less powerful) AND great exclusive games.
I doubt she referred to that for new business strategy knowing MS thoughts about it.
 
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The problem is that she is being invited to all these places to talk and she's giving the most vague-ist answers she can without going into specifics, likely because they haven't finalized the spec-locked specifics themselves.

Maybe we can also kinda ease up on taking individual quotes from interviews and push news articles from them.

Just a thought. 🤷‍♂️


aka leave the semi attractive multi millionare executive alone . jpeg
Just my 2 cents, we all hang out on a gaming forum and when these execs give these interviews we are going to dissect and discuss everything they say, I have no problem with that part

I also have no problem with us having civil talks about each other's opinions on what was said

But I do hate these interviews where they literally say nothing
 
Or it's AI related, as they pulled in a number of AI staff onto Xbox, inc. Asha.

I envision giving players access to an AI prompt UI, let them type in how they want to play a game, and then Xbox will stream the game and auto play it for them.

It's like gen-z who rather gather around a youtuber and watch them play the games.

With this new AI "gaming" players don't have to buy a controller or have high speed broadband
 
I'm going to push back on that, as some people associate cheaper with less value.

And you counter that perception by having great exclusive games and the revival of IPs like Fallout and TES, which still have millions of fans. By "revival" I mean making a S-tier quality type of game, a system seller. Then, price becomes even more attractive.
 
Just my 2 cents, we all hang out on a gaming forum and when these execs give these interviews we are going to dissect and discuss everything they say, I have no problem with that part

I also have no problem with us having civil talks about each other's opinions on what was said

But I do hate these interviews where they literally say nothing
I think she's too polished to take the bait, but a follow up question about the significance of the word "just" in her statement needs to be asked. Did she just announce a regular console and Helix effectively, or did she just torpedo Helix?
 
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If you care that much about graphics you are free to buy a $5000 PC or whatever this shit costs nowadays.
Consoles (and handhelds) were always about mass market affordability, ease of use and new gameplay ideas that work around technical limitations. The more they strayed away from that the shittier and more PC like the whole console business became. See PS5 and Xbox Series. The hardware is expensive and boring, the games are boring and any kind of innovation is basically gone. All there is left is the same ray traced U5 slop you got on PC.

Buy your Switch 2, PS5 and 6, I'll buy my 1.5K Helix. Thank you and get lost.
 
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The problem is that she is being invited to all these places to talk and she's giving the most vague-ist answers she can without going into specifics, likely because they haven't finalized the spec-locked specifics themselves.

Maybe we can also kinda ease up on taking individual quotes from interviews and push news articles from them.

Just a thought. 🤷‍♂️


aka leave the semi attractive multi millionare executive alone . jpeg

Long interviews generally create multiple threads due to the various subjects being covered. Trying to talk about everything said in an interview in a single thread makes little sense.
 
Curious to hear your thoughts as to why consumers didn't respond Xbox having a superior lineup and instead went with platform with the inferior line?
Well I mean I could write a book about Xbox management mishaps. But it all started with a silly CEO.

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"Radically different business models....later this year"

I hear you, Asha

This is so true.

Xbox Series X2 is such a shitty configured console. OMG.

Commodity bozo maxing strategy strikes again. If AMD influencers aren't crying that your console has too little memory, it has too much memory.

"Next Gen games require 500$+ of commodities"
"Consoles can start at 1,199$ with paid online"
Said the utterly deranged.

As a result of this Bozo Maxing, the next Xbox will have a total cost of ownership (console + online) of around 2,000$+.

#CancelHelixnNowAndStartOver.
 
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I think she's too polished to take the bait, but a follow up question about the significance of the word "just" in her statement needs to be asked. Did she just announce a regular console and Helix effectively, or did she just torpedo Helix?
These interviews are totally scripted and they are told what is off limits to ask because any real interviewer would have 100% had some follow up questions

Just my take but "Radically different business models....later this year" refers more to how they conduct business like maybe going to online orders only and no longer trying to stock store shelves which in Southern Indiana at least you see a lot of Xbox consoles sitting

To be fair, she is not backing away.

"We will continue to look at new business models NOT JUST the high end premium consoles."
Exactly how I read it as in also other options
 
I'm gonna echo a simplified version of the response I made in another thread. This "premium and very high end curated experience" horseshit that the other two were peddling sometime ago, is getting tossed out the window, to be replaced with a simpler approach for yield-maxxing and reaching as wide of an audience as possible.

She wasn't a part of the previous leaderships discussions. She's gonna gimp the specs of the current chipset and produce one with a more appealing sticker price and watered down specs to reach as far and wide of an audience as possible. I doubt we'll even get to see deep third party hybrid pc storefront integration, given that steam is a greater threat to them than they would even care to admit. I'd be surprised if that hybrid approach end up being nothing more than Windows Store integration in an attempt to bring Windows and Xbox closer together.
 
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To be fair, she is not backing away.

"We will continue to look at new business models NOT JUST the high end premium consoles."

She is pushing affordability far more than the "premium" experience that Sarah Bond was advocating. To me, that's backing away, but it is a matter of interpretation.

edit: this is the "backing away" I'm talking about

 
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She is pushing affordability far more than the "premium" experience that Sarah Bond was advocating. To me, that's backing away, but it is a matter of interpretation.

edit: this is the "backing away" I'm talking about



Yeah, I can imagine it tbh. That 1299 Xbox helix is probably looking at 1799 or something at today's prices.

I think it's a shame but it's just the state of the world I guess. I don't think I will be in for another Xbox console because of this. 😢
 
#CancelHelixnNowAndStartOver.

Personally I'd like to see an expensive ultra of a box that we haven't seen before.

The best decision for Microsoft's long term success on the market though would indeed be go back to the drawing board, learn what diminishing returns mean and design a box that hits 300 oder 400 price tag at a max. Bundle that with some cool exclusive game and look how people compare that value proposition to an 800 PS6 that comes without any games, feeds you purple slop and makes you pay for cloud saves.
 
Yeah, I can imagine it tbh. That 1299 Xbox helix is probably looking at 1799 or something at today's prices.

I think it's a shame but it's just the state of the world I guess. I don't think I will be in for another Xbox console because of this. 😢

Pretty common sentiment for PC centric gamers, I think
 
Yeah, I can imagine it tbh. That 1299 Xbox helix is probably looking at 1799 or something at today's prices.

I think it's a shame but it's just the state of the world I guess. I don't think I will be in for another Xbox console because of this. 😢
With todays prices how much would each company have to subsidize a $500 console and how compromised would that console be to even reach that price point?

I 100% know I am in the minority but I would love a $2000 high powered console if they can also get out a more mainstream priced console that isn't compromised
 
I think it's good that they are looking at other things than Helix. That thing will be cool but certainly not mass market.

I think they need a lower cost model as well.
 
With todays prices how much would each company have to subsidize a $500 console and how compromised would that console be to even reach that price point?

I 100% know I am in the minority but I would love a $2000 high powered console if they can also get out a more mainstream priced console that isn't compromised

I am with you 100% - I was excited at the idea of a console / hybrid. I would happily have paid up to 2k for something that delivered an experience close to a PC that would be hundreds of dollars / GBP more. I get that we are in a minority. :)
 
I don't think there's any path forward for the next Xbox console that doesn't involve a significant subsidy from MS. They have to be $200 cheaper than the PS6 and offer six months of GPU with every console if they want to move the needle.
 
Topher Topher I finally listened to her interview and found this statement interesting

Asha Sharma has now offered a little more clarity on the matter, in a response to this statement: "One of the things that I think is really interesting about the business moment you're in is through the prism of something like Project Helix. It's expected to be a top-tier premium offering. There is definitely interest in it…"


Sharma replies, "I'm excited about it. It's a console that's also going to allow you to play your PC games. It's going to have backward compatibility. It's going to have leading-end performance, but there's material work to do to make sure that it is available to the people that want to play."

 


"Radically different business models....later this year"

I hear you, Asha

Welp, that sounds dangerously close to lowspec peasantbox instead of pr0 top of the line BiS magnus we were promised before :messenger_astonished:
I inderstand financial realities that microsofts next console gotta appeal to the masses pricepoint wise, still, for once it was cool to dream of brandnew console being up there maybe not at the very top but trading blows with highend pc hardware :unsure:
 
Topher Topher I finally listened to her interview and found this statement interesting

Asha Sharma has now offered a little more clarity on the matter, in a response to this statement: "One of the things that I think is really interesting about the business moment you're in is through the prism of something like Project Helix. It's expected to be a top-tier premium offering. There is definitely interest in it…"


Sharma replies, "I'm excited about it. It's a console that's also going to allow you to play your PC games. It's going to have backward compatibility. It's going to have leading-end performance, but there's material work to do to make sure that it is available to the people that want to play."



That is more in line with what has been said before. She seriously needs to just stop talking because she is only making things more confusing
 
It's a console that's also going to allow you to play your PC games
That, did not make things any better with regards to transparency. What does it even mean? A system that has instant access to steam's entire catalogue, Epic's watered down catalogue, a combination of the two, neither one and it's just integration with the Windows Store on pc? I mean what is she even implying here, I can't even tell. Every time they speak, it's literally like a new can of worms being opened.
 
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That, did not make things any better with regards to transparency. What does it even mean? A system that has instant access to steam's entire catalogue, Epic's watered down catalogue, a combination of the two, neither one and it's just integration with the Windows Store on pc? I mean what is she even implying here, I can't even tell. Every time they speak, it's literally like a new can of worms being opened.
100% its not super clear how they will handle it

Pretty clear though Helix is still coming

Just scroll through the X account that made the GG Helix Tweet and you see what that account is all about
 
In theory MSFT could sell you a box for $200 with an obnoxious level of ads. And then, like Amazon does with the Kindle, let you pay $$$ to remove the ads. They could go a step further and have tiers of obnoxiousness to the ads. And let you move up to a less obnoxious tier with every $50 paid back. Eventually you're ad free or as ad free as today's console is.

And it's all up to your discretion. You can stay with the full complement of ads if you so choose.
 
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Topher Topher I finally listened to her interview and found this statement interesting

Asha Sharma has now offered a little more clarity on the matter, in a response to this statement: "One of the things that I think is really interesting about the business moment you're in is through the prism of something like Project Helix. It's expected to be a top-tier premium offering. There is definitely interest in it…"


Sharma replies, "I'm excited about it. It's a console that's also going to allow you to play your PC games. It's going to have backward compatibility. It's going to have leading-end performance, but there's material work to do to make sure that it is available to the people that want to play."


So PC games isn't off the table, I do wonder about Steam and EGS support. And leading end performance sounds to me like it will still be "premium" enough.
 
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