The future of Xbox might seem bleak in terms of exclusives, but it's a long play that will pay dividends in the end.
When we think of the future of Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo we think about the consoles they will ultimately develop. Perhaps the exclusives come to mind and the potential for new franchises to emerge. But the future of gaming is more than just hardware, it's more involved than the latest graphics and processors- it's a network of gaming that stems and flows through every portion of your life like social media.
“The future of gaming is more than just hardware...”
The Future Is Mobile
Xbox is already hinting at a Netflix-style on-demand service for games with the Xbox Game Pass. If you haven't heard by now, Xbox has a Game Pass, similar to PlayStation Now- but vastly superior. Xbox Game Pass bolsters a huge library of Xbox games throughout the years and first-party titles like Forza, Gears of War, and Halo arrive on the service (at no extra cost) on day one. With the recent addition of EA Play games, that's right, every EA Play game is available for free on the Game Pass as well; it's clear that Xbox's service is the winner at this stage of the game.
You can even access the Game Pass via mobile and play games right from your Android phone (Note: at this time, iOS is rumored to receive the Game Pass app later this year, 2021). This means you can hook up your Xbox controller to your phone and game on the go. Sure, it's not the smoothest experience but this is early in the life span of this service. You can bet that as time progresses, the streaming will become more fluid with less latency and lag.
“It's clear that Xbox's service is the winner at this stage of the game.”
Eventually, we'll see the Xbox Game Pass coming to Smart TV's meaning- you won't need an actual Xbox console to play Xbox, you'll just need an Xbox controller (and who knows, they might not even require a proprietary controller for their service, but that's not likely). Just turn on your TV and Voila! Instant gaming with minimal download times...so, somewhat instant. We'll always be bound to the limitations of our internet connection and network, however, with this development emerging in a time of streaming dominance, improvements will come incrementally and exponentially.
A Clear Path To Gaming Dominance
While Xbox may not boast an extensive library of exclusive games or IPs, it will nonetheless, be synonymous with gaming in the future if it keeps on this path. Gaming is about accessibility and while Nintendo and PlayStation continue to nickel and dime customers with peripherals and accessories that arguably, no one needs, Xbox, on the other hand, has shown interest in creating handicap accessible controllers for those with which a traditional controller might not work. And to address the haters regarding first-party exclusives: Xbox has been investing in studios rather than actual titles, which in the long run, will be more financially beneficial. Why license a single title from a company when you can control the release platform of every game because you own the studio?
“The gamers are the true winners here, regardless of your fan boy affiliation."
Xbox is playing the long game here and it might seem underwhelming at this stage of the next-gen console release, it's no doubt going to change over the lifespan of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. This isn't to say that PlayStation isn't already killing out of the gate, but there is a lot to be desired when it comes to the history of PlayStation and its handling of first-party exclusive titles. Not all have been gems worthy of the hype, but that's a topic for a different time... Either way, I'm excited for this next generation of consoles and games. With more bandwidth, better graphics, and more memory and processing, the gamers are the true winners here, regardless of your fanboy affiliation.