This idea only makes sense if all the games are backwards compatible and you don't need a live subscription to access them in future consoles. So like Steam basically.
Curious thought on all this - Would MS be better creating a Surface laptop that can fit under the TV with Xbox games as a service, same as Office 365 is a service etc? I'm not talking a high end priced surface but basically using it as a bit of rebranding.
The key difference would be that the machine could have a dual boot mode - boot to either a normal desktop mode (control it with a blue tooth mouse and keyboard) or boot to an xbox dashboard for ease of gaming. The idea appeals to me but would it appeal to others (and would that mean MS conceding control of games on the system because you could still run steam on a machine like that)
Not strictly related to disc-less consoles but the talk of steam made me think of the steam machines and all those small PCs from alienware.
There are hints that Microsoft may be attempting to get Xbox games running natively on PC anyway, plus they are looking into a streaming service for all types of devices.
I suspect that you’ll pretty much be able to do what you suggest with any Surface laptop or indeed any other Windows 10 device soon, absent the dual-boot mode.
I'm only thinking dual boot for people who really just want the games machine (similar to how windows 8 launched in tablet mode effectively as default) but it really seems like MS are just looking at the machines as a portal so I wonder if they should rebrand. Surface seems to have been a decent result for making high end laptops, and Xbox was originally about conquering the TV space. Maybe its time to merge the two.
I don’t think they are just looking at machines as a portal. That’s definitely one part of their strategy, but they will still be competing in the hardware space for the foreseeable future, plus keeping the branding Xbox for all their gaming-focused products and services makes sense. They’ve just rebranded Microsoft Studios to Xbox Game Studios too.
A streaming console from MS is in keeping with the MS rumours of a family of nextboxes. There will be a powerhouse disc based console to rival the ps5 whenever it emerges.
The rumours for the next gen are more about there being consoles akin to the S and X now, neither purely for streaming, but with a power and price difference between the two.
There were rumours of a streaming only box, but I think that this was possibly mixed signals in relation to this discless console.
Yeah, I heard those rumours a while back too, but they do seem to have gone quiet despite the Lockhart and Anaconda ones persisting, hence my thought that they could have been related to this.