Xbox ran an ad showing off everything that is now an Xbox, and while some fans are worried this means the company is abandoning the iconic hardware, Phil Spencer assures it will “definitely do more consoles.”
The new ad, “This is an Xbox,” shows off all the various pieces of tech you can use to play Xbox games. From PCs to smartphones to smart TVs – basically anything smart – you can play Halo on many devices these days.
The new ad follows a shift to cloud gaming over the recent years, making it easy for anyone with a good internet connection to play its games on any screen. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Spencer reaffirms this direction while trying to allay any fears that consoles would be abandoned. “We’ll definitely do more consoles in the future, and other devices”, he says.
He’s aware of the console’s legacy but also has a vision for its future. “It literally was a box when it first launched. It was the Direct X box,” Spencer remembers. “What it’s grown into now is more accessibility. Xbox isn’t just one device, Xbox is on your smart TV, Xbox is on your PC, Xbox is on your phone, and we’re in the middle of that transition.”
While you may just want to be able to buy a console and play cool games on it, Spencer notes that “today’s largest games are bigger than any of the individual platforms.” Microsoft owns Minecraft, The Elder Scrolls, and now Call of Duty, so naturally, it will want to have as many paying gamers playing them as possible.
Spencer also appears to have taken a swing at Sony, remarking “We think about hardware that can create unique value for our players or creators on our platform. We don’t need to do incremental hardware for our own benefit.” Shots fired at the PS5 Pro.
“Does a new device really give you a unique experience on screen in some way,” he asks. “[It’s] less like the old days, going from the original Xbox to 360; that was standard definition to high definition. Now, [it’s] harder to show the benefits.”
As a lifelong PlayStation fan, I have to admit the biggest difference I’ve noticed since the PS3 days is faster load times. Sure, the graphics are better, as is the DualSense, but the change from 720p, 1080p, and 4K isn’t nearly as noticeable to me as better frame rates or the absence of loading screens.
If you want to try out some other devices, why not have a look at the best Xbox games to play right now? Play them on an Xbox, PC, smartphone, you get the idea.