Exclusives matter, third parties matter, indies matter, games in general matter. The fact that the writer of this article is using MS as an example is for pure click bait purposes. Whether this article will reach Phil or not, who knows. I can say MS has given us very good exclusives since the beginning of this generation. I am not one to bandwagon jump and and say MS does not have exclusives because I have seen the opposite. As a gamer, I am aware, of current 2017 quarter output, I look at things from a bigger picture, PS4 is having a great first quarter of 2017(can't recall the last time I seen such a great quarter). If Xbox One is letting third parties shine on It's console, while providing a trickle of exclusives, like Halo Wars 2, Voodoo Vince and Phantom Dust until Scorpio arrives, I respect that. We all know development time for games, and how long the process is to create games. Generally, Xbox has had a good track record with game output and this generation is going to be long. I don't count MS out. Especially, after that IGN podcast unlocked interview. I think MS will grow first party and have better upcoming years.

Exactly, and quality exclusives at that!

Halo could have been moving units but 343 decided to ruin the game.

Wouldn't be surprised if they bungle Crackdown too now.

What have you become Microsoft...

Exclusives were, are and will always matter, because every console is defined by it's exclusive content.

It's been a boring beginning for XBONE this year. Halo Wars 2 is the only thing I can remember sticking out. Sony literally drowned us with exclusives like Yakuza 0, Gravity Rush 2, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Nier.

It matters if they are good and worth the money. Ms has exclusives but the games are short and not very deep when it comes to their new ips. Also their old ips are fatigued as well.

Not a good combo

We already know that, except those fanboys at that green console, I cant wait to play WILD :)

No that's not why it's struggling. Some a$$hole made the call to drop the worst launch announcement in history. Ms lost a lot of fans on that. The games are here and still coming. Not as many exclusives as Sony but still good and solid gaming experiences. It's not like we need a new exclusive every month or a new game every month, but something solid with replay ability ever 2 or 3 months is nice... exclusive or not

It does matter. No doubt they are struggling to find a new franchise icon. Last generation they were so good at it.

Some fans think MS is doing a great job on focusing backwards compatibility and releasing Halo, Gears, and Forza annually so...

Multiplatform titles matter just as much, which is why Xbox and Xbox One outsold GameCube and Wii U respectively.

The title of this article makes it sound like it's Sony & Nintendo fault for making exclusive games. I thought that was the whole point of consoles?

This is just one element that makes a console successful. There are many more which the xb1 fails at miserably. Combine these with lack of exclusives and you just make it a very hard sell. I've been waiting for the day where I finally get one but now if just sooner get a Switch

It was no different last gen but 360 got way more support especially in this country. Guess a lot of people decided to finally take the goggles off

The Xbox One almost seems like a failed console in that it's going out with a whimper.

Still a lot of xbox fanboys would make comments like "PS4 exclusives suck anyways" "3rd party games are where it's at" "Scorpio will run better 3rd party games"

They need a new president for the Xbox.

They should hire Uncle Jack Tretton or Kevin Butler.

of course they do. you'd have to a be a complete moron to think otherwise lol that's the whole reason why different consoles exist in the first place.

Damn so much concern for Xbox on here.

Oh boy 😂

With XBOX having no exclusives anymore, it will matter a lot, and you will see this 2-to-1 sale dominance by Sony. Playstation delivers multiple stellar AAA exclusive titles per year, and we already know about the ones likely to come out in 2018. And we always get smaller exclusives too. And third party exclusives. It just doesn't stop.

Let's mention one thing no one wants to discuss software sales are a better indicator of company viability. Let's not forget it was just a few months back Microsoft had outsold Sony's console for almost six months and it's software, it's exclusives have held consistently high sales. Keep in mind that Microsoft did most of its sales in the US vs Sony's worldwide sales and that is a better indicator of popularity of its exclusives and install base versus this opinion piece. Nintendo's recent success with breath of the wild again demonstrates Sony's exclusives failed attempts at creating exclusives that stick. Sony's strong suit has always been third party jrpgs not first party exclusives look at kingdom hearts and the ff7 remake everyone has been waiting for two generations for. If anyone were to measure cumulative console software sales between PS and Microsoft the latter would win. Everyone forgets though Nintendo's exclusives and the success of the Wii dominated last generation all of these opinion pieces will not change that hate it if you like or look it and be informed consumers

That's one of many reasons and still probably the biggest one.

Xbox One is selling on par or even better than Xbox 360 at the same timeframe. I wouldn't classify that as struggling

The PS4 had barely any exclusives its first 3 years. They let 3rd party games dominate its lineup with a timed DLC. Now sony releases a good exclusive and now all of sudden exclusives are a big deal.

At the writer of the article/headline
No 💩 Sherlock
Exclusives always make the difference no matter what some may think otherwise

It isn't just because of exclusives. It all started with their reveal. Since then they have syruggled with the consumer and with developers alike. Microsoft ploughed so much money into marketing since the 360, they put an illusion out there that it was the main platform; but not now. People aren't daft and they chose the platform that was about gaming first.

Exclusives matter if they are good. Sony has brought their A game early this year. Plus there has been a wave of good multiplats as well. Since last fall my backlog has just blew up. I'm still really enjoying Ni Oh and Nier but since I got Hzd everything else has been on the backburner. Xbox needs to get past the old philosophy of games sell best around the holiday. Gaming isn't just for kids and nerds anymore. It's become the biggest form of entertainment in the world. A really good game will move units any time of the year. I hope devs keep bringing it because I'm loving all the quality games. I love games and will go where the best games are, just so happens my playstation has been working overtime lately. Here's hoping the competition steps their game up.

Since when did it not matter?

Imagine a console industry without Mario, Sonic, Halo or GT.

If there are no exclusives then there is no point for the market to have multiple consoles. It would really be just be the PC and that would be really bad for gaming.

One of the greatest errors ever made by Phil over at MS was getting rid of exclusives for the xbox..just plain insanity when it's been the ingredient for success for every console generation. It's only partly about the power of the system (It's important) but the Scorpio or whatever it's final name will suffer like it's younger brother by not having those games you just gotta have and can't play anywhere else.

For me personally it's all about Sony and Nintendo :) that's where the real games are, PS4 and SWITCH. To be honest it's very doubtful Microsoft will have anything that remotely comes close to BOTW, HORIZON ZD.

i wanna buy the xbox one but sony's exclusives are better so i don't have a reason to buy both. hopefully the scorpio changes my mind.

After the days of atari spectrum C64 AMIGA amstrad ect ect there were consoles SEGA And NINTENDO ever since then exclusives matters it sales consoles sega better than nintendo sega meaning (genisis) btw, Sonic vs mario mortal kombat vs streetfighter.
This will and should always be the case if thoes of you disagree and every platform had no exclusives then there only ever be one console. It never happen MS needs to put hands in pockets invest in more IPs that simple..

Xbox is struggling because Microsofts approach and focus is all wrong, and it has been since the Kinect 1 was announced.

Exclusive games is just a symptom of that.

At this point they have so few exclusives it would almost be foolish to buy an X1 unless you already had a PS4.

Darn right exclusives matter! BOTW is why My Wii U has been in use since Saturday! I decided to buy XB1 since I already have Wii U and there were really no games for Switch other than BOTW, and MK8 that were must haves for Switch and I have MK8 and the dlc!

This fall I will pick up Switch, in the meantime I am very happy with XB1 games with gold is great, and now this new Netflix type service is going to be GREAT!!!!

Yes exclusives matter but also a lot of multi platform titles also run at a lower resolution on the Xbox One as well which would also tip the scale in Sony's favor. Add to that multiplayer gamers usually like to game on the same platform their friends do and the odds are their friends would more likely be playing on PS4 than Xbox One looking at the sales figures too.

The problem is Xbox gamers didn't buy Quantum Break, Sunset OD, Dead Rising 4 or Recore, but they love Gears n Halo

of course they matter. The fact that I can pay every xbox exclusive on PC doesn't inspire me to get a xbox scorpio for example. Or any exclusive for that matter. I mean, why does MS spend so much money on PR and hype when they should be spending it on their own games and studios?!

PS4 is the best console this gen for both exclusives and multi platform.

Hey....xbox folks seem to be fine with all this. I don't get it, but whatever.

Ok, if the Scorpio is a flop, what happens to the xbox brand? Not trolling, I wanna hear ppl's thoughts

Microsoft takes their Xbox brand for granted. Xbox has doesn't have amazing game franchises exclusives and history. Their not a powerhouse like Sony and Nintendo. Even when SEGA was in the console market they had great exclusives.

Wii u failed says hi 😢

Sony has had 6 AAA exclusives in the last 3yrs Xbox had that many release in the last 7months not counting prior to that! The delusion is strong with these fanboys and the sites that follow trends for clicks! Research some more you'll see who's actually losing! ;)

Consoles live and die by their exclusive games and anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves. And when you essentially remove real exclusivity from your console you of course are going to struggle, Microsoft only has themselves to blame, is it great to be able to "play anywhere" sure, is it the best thing for a consoles relevance, nope.

No offense to MS or xbox fans, but I think its fair to say that a world w/out Sony or Nintendo would suck, but the same couldn't be said about xbox at this point. xbox has a lot to prove, and its not going to change just because they flout a few big exclusives at the beginning of each hardware launch in front of our faces. They need to back it up to the end of each console generation, not just the beginning. Commit to making games damn it. Contribute!

Microsoft tried to play dirty by nabbing Sony's exclusives in the 7th generation. But Sony relied on its first and second parties to deliver exclusives on their own. Now look where they are. So yes Exclusives do matter!

PS4 is just on fire, especially this year to next. A lot of us dragged our heels with the expectation by sales this system would dominate this gen, and it has.

Exclusive titles, upcoming releases and the quality being pumped out by studios, it's all coming to fruition.

Xbox One is a more than competent piece of hardware, however Sony has seized market share and executed a vision to layout an active calendar of releases.

Microsoft have a tonne of work to do with Xbox One and the launch of Scorpio, as Sony is streaming fresh content to a staggering install base.

What you mean still? They will always provide unique experiences

true. i'd like to own a bone besides my ps4+pc but there is just no incentive to do so.

Sorry, but its not only exclusives games that matter, but system seller. Those are even harder to find. HZD is a system seller and new ip. and thats very rare.

Exclusives that sell millions on the first weeks are very rare and the xbox one just got one and its halo.

Just finished Horizon: Zero Dawn today and man was it epic! I want more!! Looking forward to future DLC's.

Have finished Gravity Rush 2 and loved it. Will jump into Raven's DLC soon.

Nioh, I have not finished, but I'm well into the story and will finish it very soon. Looking forward to future DLC's too.

Currently playing Nier: Automata and it is pure gameplay genius.

Yes: Exclusives matter a huge deal and why I've always stayed with Playstation.

And soon Sony will have the exclusivity of Chinese games as well. Fruit of the support it gives to new developers.

I think xbox just pissed off a lot of former loyal users with their insistence on sending people horrible refurb after refurb when dealing with RROD instead of a new console or having a no lemon policy, and when people finally gave up and bought ANOTHER new xbox, MS decided to stop caring about having the best exclusive game library and focus on kinect.

Now they somehow have gone from having by far, the best exclusive library, to having tired exclusives that are formulaic and unexciting.

It's a shame because there were Xbox "exclusives" that I really enjoyed in the past like Otogi: Myth of Demons and it's sequel, Breakdown, Jade Empire, original Fable, Pshchonaunts, Full Spectrum Warrior, Thief Deadly Shadows, Morrowind, Escape From Butcher Bay, Ninja Gaiden, Star Wars Knight's of the Old Republic, Halo 1 and 2(didn't care for the rest except for Reach) Stranger's Wraith, the Splinter Cell series and Alan Wake. It's so sad how Microsoft has so little studios and the games on offer just can't compare to what they used to have IMO.

If xb1 could handle games at more than 25fps I would enjoy the console but so many games run like crap on it. I just made the switch to ps4 pro last week and started playing Horizon Zero Dawn and cant get enough of that game!

true, but all things considered they are doing ok. That being said I think their biggest problem was the poor launch. They also start needing to take some big chances, Gears and Halo just arent knocking it out of the park anymore.

Personally, I think too much time is being spent developing and focusing on hardware. You need games for a game console. That's all there is to it.

@New Monday. Your 100% correct! !! Once MS lost me as a gamer. ......it's over! !!

Exclusives are what prompt some people to pick up consoles. Of course they still matter, and they always will.

buu buu buu Backward compatibility that meant nothing last gen is so important now! !!
and teh streaming on pc !!!! Tv Tv tV

They only care about the imaginary cloud.

The Xbox One already lost long before this generation started long before even 1 game was released on any of this consoles and games had nothing to do with the reasons why it lost. It was more a story of a company that thought they could force full digital only at a console, consumers and a market that were and is absolutley not ready for it and the inclusion of a useless stupid gimmick that made the console to expensive and another company that used this mistakes for a smart advertisement of their own alternative product.

Such a misleading title. The Xbox brand is not struggling one single bit. It's just that the PS4 has set the bar really high. Microsoft and Xbox is not a failing business and your an idiot to think so.
PS4 is a beautiful console with lots of exclusives and it is definitely something to be proud of but saying another console is struggling because it's XX million copies sold doesn't equal the competition...HA

When have exclusives not mattered? MS is not as appealing because it's lacking interesting new ip's.

They do and DON'T matter;

If third part devs/publishers are putting out AMAZING content in a variety of genres and in droves, then maybe you don't need reliance on exclusives, but with the nature of the industry and money-hungry companies like EA pooping out lack-luster sequels in many cases and fewer than ever NEW IPs, then no, it would be unwise to rely on third-party games alone. Battlefield, at least in my opinion, is great. Battlefront, not so much. You get a few GREAT ones like The Witcher. But then where do you go?

Companies need to embrace devs like Kojima and even the Scale dragon game people, support your innovators! Games that fail because they just don't jibe is one thing, albeit still not profitable possibly, but shipping out broken supposed "AAA" games and losing your profits, you do the math you greedy corporations!

Now the nature of "exclusivity" in and of itself is another matter entirely. If every game were available on every platform it would likely work to everyone's advantage, hardware and software producers (gamers), it is entirely symbiotic. Yes there are nuances one must consider, optimization, demographics and so on, but overall it is LESS the platform and more about nurturing those creating the content, which, as we have seen more than once, can very well influence the FUTURE hardware when there is a good degree of dialogue between all parties involved, i.e. memory in X360, PS4 and Switch for examples.

Of course they still matter. It's the only reason to buy a console.

Exclusives do matter again if all games where on PC,PS4,Switch,Xbox then what would be the point of owning anything other than a PC?

It's why I still to this day can't wrap my head around why MS allowed there exclusives to go to PC. I mean sure it might be a bit extra money for Microsoft in general. On one hand I hate it because I have no reason to dust of my XB1 and play it. Other than to play the odd 360 game and to watch a 4K blu-ray.

On the other hand I love it. I don't have to pay for Xbox live to play these games online. I can play them at a higher framerate ect. It's why I have zero interest in the Scorpio. Why would I want one when I pretty much have a scorpio next to my TV. It's called my PC. Now if MS was to come out and say yer the scorpio will have some exclusive games that is only available on the scorpio. Then sure it will gain my interest depending what these exclusives are like.

And people wounder why sony doin so great

Of course they matter!!! Exclusives are what sets platforms apart from the competition!

Because one system is doing better than another does not equate to a system struggling. If that was the case then Sony and MS both struggled as the Wii took the stage.

The only struggle I see is for finding reasons to hate on each other's played systems as much as people do. N4G has became a joke.

MS's issue is that online gaming, the paid sub BS, has always influenced what they've wanted from the Xbox. Everything had to be online, SP titles don't justify online options, so just about every new IP they've tried to come up with has been online multi.

The x1 has had great sales so how is it struggling, no it has not out sold ps4 but that doesn't equal struggling.

The Xbox One has been my one and only regret when it comes to purchasing a console. I have never ever hated a video game platform until the Xbox One.

All consoles have their year where they were light on exclusives, 2016 ps4 diddnt have much exclusives, more then half of the announcements were delayed to 2017.

Exclusives matter. Being a Nintendo fan for decades I can confirm that.

However Sony's exclusives matter too little for me to care. Have a nice day.

When your hardware is inferior and you have shit exclusives, you struggle. It's expected. Bump up the power to run 60 FPS 1080p in all games then the struggle will cease.