Everyone always has a fighting chance. It's up to the company to ensure that the product has enough firepower to compete. Xbox seems to be turning a table, so perhaps they will have a lot more to offer for the next console in terms of 1st party support this time around. Then again... maybe not.

Time will tell.

Either one of the three has a fighting chance. Problem for MS has always been lack of investment and lack of risk. And to cover it up, they always lied, mislead, manipulated and misdirected. No one likes that kind of strategy.

Sony dominated MS this Gen because they pulled all their best resources from the company together. And financed it heavily. Best hardware designer Mark Cerny, best game engines and games created by GG,ND,SS,SP. And 2nd and 3rd parties of QD and Insomniac.

They added game specific features that mattered like the share button for picture and video taking. Broadcasting to show others what the games are like, Share play to allow friends to try your games. No more media outlets being used to discredit Sony like Game trailers with bad comparison videos. You could now see what games are like directly from the console by others. And VR to immerse gamers in a new experience of games.

MS can't use the same tactics from this Gen. Misleading PR,misleading exclusive announcements, lying about the cloud, lying about VR coming, misdirection with useless engagement numbers, manipulating gamers to buy the console then canceling the very things gamers bought the system for. They knew scalebound was canceled before Christmas. But announced the following year. They used VR as a selling point for Xbox one x. Then, canceled it. And all this after trying to control how you played,shared and traded your games with others. They are still shady as when they launched. That was Phil and crew. Don Matrick already left the company. That's all Phil,Larry and Aaron above. No one likes this behavior. Or trusts it.

And buying companies already making games for you and half of them exclusively already is not adding much. It only locks them in. Using cross play as a weapon about anti consumerism while locking F2P games behind a paywall is hypocritical. But since they control lots of media oulets with advertising and windows software, you won't see any articles on the matter. No outrage just like last Gen with Netflix behind a paywall. The supporters not raising one pitchfork.

MS needs to totally overhaul the Xbox team. Allow more freedom to create, take more risks, be more truthful and spend more money to back Xbox. If not, they'll be playing 2nd fiddle again. Or..is it 3rd? Because it's never been 1st.

It'll be a clean slate for MS next gen for sure.

I'm sure they will not make any of the mistakes they made in the beginning.

If they can keep the features from this gen with some added new bells and whistles plus with if their newly acquired studios announce some top shelf interesting titles then yes there is a fighting chance.

To beat Sony? No...

I think that they will at least compete. They’re better than Sony in every way other than exclusives in my opinion. I prefer Xbox one xontroller, ui, Xbox live, and game pass. IF and that’s a big if, they can hit with a few great exclusives things could get very interesting and by buying the studios it looks like that’s their aim. It’s a good time to be a gamer.

It really depends on how they handle it. They need to have a games-first mentality. They need power and ease of development. They need the right teams working on the right IP. They need the right games for launch, and then they need a consistent output of 2 or 3 good first party games per year.

I don't think MS wants a "chance." They just want to be relevant next gen.

Not really... if they dont make a HUGE improvement next gen its a wrap.

They will exist in some form or another, but without games they will suffer because gamers interest will fade.

If MS can make some headway in content with their new studios and I mean AAA quality first party mega-hits. And Xbox needs to be cheaper than PS5 on day one and I'm not talking about their stream box, the REAL Xbox. If they can do that then yeah, they have a chance.

I think that MS will be fine with the release of their next console. The truth is... we need them to do well. Sony has been great, but they're only great in response to competition. Because they announced project Scarlett, they need to release it as soon as possible, because the Xbox One is dead in the water at this point. Xbox One X (or S) is a hard sell knowing that something new is on the horizon. Regardless of which console you prefer, we should all be on the side of healthy competition.

SONY gave up cross play, so yes

They can, if they just invest more into exclusive games and fire and replace the wntire Xbox management team. And never hire anyone named Phil or Aaron ever again.

I can see a move where the Xbox one x runs all of the same games as Scarlett for the first few years of the next gen. Where MS just drops game support for earlier variations of the Xbox one over time. If they go this way it''d be interesting. I'm buying both PS5 and Xbox whatever next gen regardless tho.

It all depends on how E3 2019 plays out really.

No - the fish rots at the head, they need to purge a few old faces. And relaunch their brand, maybe even drop the name xbox completely - some people spew in their mouths just uttering the name.

Sony all the way, best 1st Parties in the business, best relationships with 2nd parties. They are seasoned veterans by now, they've seen and experienced it all.

Why not?
The Wiiu was a failure and it didn't stop Nintendo with the Switch.
Also, last I checked the Xbox1 wasn't a failure. The proof is the fact that 3rd parties games like Red Dead 2 will appear on the Xbox 1 and not on Switch and many Japanese games will also make a debut on Xbox.
If it was a failure why would companies invest money into developing a port?

The real question should be what does MS need to do to regain market share and change the evil greedy corporate image that seems to stick to them.

Not a chance, they were able to fool gamers one gen with the 360 which in the end was little more than marketing schemes. Gamers won't be fooled twice.

Yes but then again it also has a high chance to remain where it is.

no ps5 already won before it even start xbox will never beat ps worlwide basis

The next gen will likely be 'won' based on who has the superior business model. No way Microsoft matches Sony's first party output anytime soon. But they might not have to to gain ground.

All evidence points to Microsoft releasing a family of devices vs. a traditional single console. The next x-box will likely be service based with a range of devices allowing access to the content including a dedicated streaming box, a dedicated high end box, and whatever the hell else they can get their services delivered through. I wouldn't be surprised to see them offer their games through pc with new streaming options, phones, tablets, etc. etc. X-box will no longer be a single box. It will be a service in as many boxes as possible.

And from a content perspective they will follow some variation of the netflix model; snatching up and creating a ton of content to entice players to their services. They have already started with the recent acquisition of 5 more dev studios. I expect as these services gain traction a rush of third party and indis being devoured or contracted to create exclusive content.

The only problem with Microsoft's plan is Sony will likely go the same/similar route but they will be doing so with a much higher day one buy in from existing gamers (presuming all of our content is playable on the next machine), superior world wide branding/mind share, etc.

I also wouldn't count out google (browser based streaming and services) and apple (streaming through 5g) finally pushing a bit further into what was previously the tradition games market.

Next gen is going to be a ride, that's for sure.

For me it’s a no. Forget the whole Xbox one reveal debacle. It’s what came after that really got to me. Nothing of worth. It’s only been in the last year we’ve seen Xbox invest in actual studios, services and put their name to a few new games and this just feels like a response to the amazing work Sony has done with games. I can’t help but ask what in hell did Microsoft actually have planned for this Gen from the start. I feel a company like this doesn’t deserve my time or money. So this Gen was the first time I didn’t buy a Xbox as my second console and I don’t see Scarlet or MS changing that next gen either.

Yes they do.
Make a good console.

I don't believe that Xbox has a chance in hell of beating Playstation next gen. They may do well for the company, but in regards to beating Playstation worldwide. Not. A. Chance.

Xbox is going to kill it next gen, that’s my guess. This gen was a learning experience but their more recent actions seem to point to a much more “traditional” direction. I can see their plan but the execution is uncertain of course.

Who knows what can happen. Nintendo was a joke until like a year and a half ago. Nobody though the 360 would be a success. No one though nintendo would piss away everything they had with the wii u. No one knows what can happen. Especially on this sight. If they can get some big games from their new studios then hopefully they can get back to 360 levels of success. Probably will not beat sony though.

Let’s be clear..Pc/PS4/Xbox

Not for me. This gen shows me that the XBox brand is dead. But someone, for some reason, will buy it.

Only if sony messes up and doesnt respond right away. They already fixed crossplay for those that were going crazy about it. The last thing is backwards compat, which must be available at the start of next gen. They can't give xbox that whole market. It would go a long way if they built ps5 with ps3 emulation in mind as well. There are a ton of games that wont run on 3rd party emulators for at least a decade.

But on it's own Xbox cant beat playstation. They had 3 chances and at best they tied one due to sonys mistakes. The other 2 they were wooped.

If there were any generation to win that would be the most important to a companies future, it would be this generation.

Last gen, we had online connectivity and digital games but digital games weren't nearly as popular as they are now. The services as a whole, with PS Plus and Live Gold, have a lot to do with what system people will select next gen. Especially with the fact that Backwards Compatability will be a thing with both consoles next gen, I'd find it hard for someone who owns a PS4 to want to switch over to Xbox when they have a bunch of digital goods purchased on PSN.

Xbox will still have their core group of loyal fans and they'll do just fine....but Playstation having a much larger install base means that there's a higher probability that those consumers have bought a few digital games here and there. Depending on the libray that some people have in digital goods will depend on if they're willing to jump ship.

Fighting chance? Yes. But Sony's 1st party teams are just too advance in numbers. Sony's dev teams have used this gen to learn and improve, and prove to the world that they are now veterans at making quality games, so next gen their teams will advance even further. Had MS stayed their course of continuing to improve and maintain their dev teams last gen instead of switching to Kinect project, MS would have been a very competitive this gen and next. Instead, that whole change with the Kinect and the screw up really set MS back by a console gen. Those teams MS just bought are going to take them years to become good learning from the projects they release and improve upon.

My bet will be at the end of next gen that MS's new teams will show their true talent.

Well, Microsoft needs first party games. That's it. That is the only thing. Sony can f up in different ways: not bringing PS4 games on ps5 is the obvious one. PS now is the second with ps3 games. UltraHD blurays is the third. Hdd-size is the fourth. VR bundle or built in feature of some sort is fifth. New controllers with VR and standard - gimmicks, is another one. Ps store cross buy..its there but not sorted out. Vita games? what happens to them when they stop Vita production. Cross buy with ps4-ps5?-they can f that one.

Microsoft is now like: We need a new console( again) stronger, faster, more productive...not thinking too much (ref. Rossman group) Consumer: Why? Microsoft: To play new Assassins game, Fifa game, Bethesda game, Activision game, Epic game? Consumer: Epic game? Tell me more!

They need to actually market their games after they launch, haven't seen anything about FH4 lately and I'm pretty sure that's why sunset overdrive didn't sell that great even being a solid game

Will buy it but do not care how it does .

Xbox will never outsell PlayStation. However, they can do better with a gamer focused powerful box with more exclusives. They can increase their market share, but Sony is more worldwide.

It's always a brand new race and it's pretty even ground next gen sony has consistently been making better games since the end of the ps3 cycle but Microsoft's new focus on graphics and dev studio buyouts could change everything

No

Well Sony will have cross play launch titles from out the gate especially the big hitters like death stranding, gow, spiderman, detroit, ghost of thusami, tlou pt2 dreams etc plus I believe hzd 2 will be a launch title, bc out the gate. Imagine if Sony did a 1st party collection which came free with every system ie spiderman, gow, dreams and detroit would have all but finished with its sales by the time ps5 comes out and just offer them free on ps plus day 1.
That's gonna be a big advantage straight away for Sony imo,
I think spec wise they'll be simlar both amd based with navi/ryzen based custom chips, same ram etc.
The advantages will come from the software side, ui hub etc.
For MS it all comes down to how much trust have they lost from the hardcore fans from this gen as I can't see the ones who left for ps4 going bk to MS especially not after they've experienced gow, spiderman, detroit tlou etc

As long as MS doesn’t try to implement all the shady business BS they were doing at the beginning of last gen, or try to buy out developers they’re going to let rot, then the answer is a big maybe at best.

I can still see MS messing it up somehow, likely with their greed, the console will be too expensive on launch possibly.
And Halo Infinite will be a "live service" filled with microtransactions and shallow and repetitive gameplay. It will be a Destiny clone, the writing's already on the wall from what little information we've heard so far.
Let us not forget that at the start of this gen MS were pushing microtransactions in their games from the off, the economy of Forza 5 was ruined because of it, they were even shoehorned into Ryse. What will MS try at the start of next gen to maximise profits?
MS just can't help themselves, they need to try and squeeze every last available buck out of everything, it's the way big companies with shareholders behave, it's in their nature, their blood, it's how they increase the value of the business.
It would be nice if MS did learn from their mistakes but I wouldn't bet on it.

well, if they continue to not have proper exclusives, the console exclusives are mostly shit or good at their best, let F2P games being behind a paywall (and i want to see articles about this every single day, you stupid journalists), aiming to the power when PC will be more powerful no matter what and has the same games... i think xbox doesn't have a chance even against nintendo, the company with the shittiest console in the market and with only 2 or 3 good exclusives (nintendo at least has them).
i think microsoft should be focusing on the game pass formula, going a la netflix, with the next console being hopefully the last.

No.

There's just two things you PS fanboys will NEVER get...
1. Backwards Compatability
2. MASTER-FU**ING-CHIEF

The mob if fickle, everything could change if a platform holder doesn't make a smart decision. I'm not sure why this question is even asked.

With cross play I would wager not. If they drop cross play mabey then

Has Xbox *forwards compatibility* ever been confirmed, or was that myth dreamt up by fanboys?

For example: XB1 playing XB4 games but in a downscaled capacity.

I have an XB1 and a PS4, yet I'm utterly uninterested in the next Xbox. I'll be at the midnight launch of the PS5 though (as I was for the PS2/3/4).

That said, I will most likely pine for Ninja Theory's next game. That was the only thing MS have done this gen that I'd say was a genuine wound in Sony's side.

Comes down to games if they want a fighting chance. Acquiring new studios is not enough, they need to prove it.

I don't see it, Sony is too deep in the market rn and next gen. Unless they make A PS3 2.0

Of course they have a chance why wouldn't they?. But it's what they do with that chance which will be the diference.

if they suddenly wake up and start making a lot of great games (like PS) - i'd buy one.
edit: right now, i'd buy a PS5 on day1 just because of their history of great content. the nextbox will have to show me something before i purchase.

Of course. Just like the Baltimore Orioles have a chance to win the world series next year.

A chance to be a success yes and I think it will. But to be the number 1 gaming platform for most people? No sorry unless Sony mess up massively (which I very much doubt).

Sure it does. I think next gen Microsoft is gonna start throwing that financial muscle around and start buying 3rd party exclusives. It's clear that having a power advantage isn't working and even their flagship titles (halo gears forza) dont have the same impact they used to.

And they definitely want to launch around the same time and if able the same price

Of course!

Yes they do if they change things up. If the keep up with what they are doing, they will be in trouble.

New Gens are always a clean slate for the companies. This gen was VERY weird as I feel like it has been short lived. It could also be that this gen was the first where there is actually an over saturation of video games and the dreaded Micro-transactions.

I am not as optimistic, from a business standpoint, gaming will continue to decline in quality and rise in big bucks, the casual gamer is winning and for their ignorance, us avid gamers get screwed over, I get it, its just business.

From a creative standpoint, this too will be in decline in terms of triple AAA games (which seem to be few and far in between) will always get the resources necessary cause its a money maker and not necessarily a good game (here is looking at you COD) but other games will just not be able to compete because of how expensive games are to make these days....

So does Xbox have a chance, yes, but I believe that they just do not have the 1st party studios that can tackle the likes of SONY, Nintendo, Ubisoft or there I say EA (that burns to even give them ANY credit). They will do the same kind of games (Halo, Gears, Banjo Kazooie (w/e) and then purchase a timed exclusive for a game that some folks like and others are like meeeh (here is looking at you Rise of Tomb Raider)....

Some sort of millennial Sony collective talking utter rubbish on this article.

Xbox has still sold a decent amount of hardware and will continue to do so, just because someone is behind or second in gamers choice does not mean they cannot potentially take over or progess as normal.

Next gen I'll hold off. If it's anything like this gen. I'll go for the Xbox side. Games fall in prices quicker and that's better for me as I don't really do day one.
Also Xbox live prices online have been £20/year at one point.

The one X looks the part and ticks all the boxes for me. But I had a PS4 pro for a while that I didn't buy the 2nd console (PS4 pro is a poor upgrade over PS4 original).

LOl no..unless sony messes up.

They have a chance, they just have to do well by customers. Deliver a good product at a decent price and let them know you're going to support them if they support you. Double down on exclusive gaming experiences and make Gold more enticing. Continue with BC and make sure it's AT LEAST just as powerful as Sony's offering. Microsoft messed up so bad with the vision of the Xbox One in general. At launch, there was DRM, less power and higher price. Many people got the message of "More power/better graphics for less money." That was the nail in the coffin right there.

I have the answer guys! AHEM!

no

Why not? Every generation is basically a reset. While the hardcore fans will buy the system they are loyal to, the general gamer will go with what system has the best price and exclusives.

It wont sell more than Ps5, but hopefuly it will put up more of a competition!

Ofc they've had a fighting chance this gen. Surpass in sells? Or have a good chunk of the market? Cause 40 million+ consoles, 60 million gold subs is already a good chunk. Idkw ppl have a if your not first your last mantality when it comes to game consoles. Xbox already has an established fanbase and ofc a shot lat gamers open to either or both. So the answer is an obvious yes they do. If Google enter the market that question would be better served for them a newcomer.

Hello no!

Just the "insert word of your choice" who live in the US will buy this, but we know bad consumer practices are far too common here.

Tell me again how the multiplatform strategy was supposed to fix everything. Look at your results and compare them to Nintendo, which keeps thriving with exclusives. Your loyal fans are gone. And let’s not forget the pile of IPs you purchased only to let them rot.

The worst thing is this is down from last years numbers/expectations which was down from the previous years numbers/expectations. You think about how long “down” has been a consistent part of the communication and you realize those subscriptions are what’s holding that boat together. The price cut of gamespass is still a price raise in a string of price raises. They are trying to use players to offset the missing revenue. Now call of duty is out of gamespass, which is literally WHY they bought the company. To draw people to the subscription. They realized they missed a boatload of money and that wasn’t sustainable. Now you pay for it like you would have if they never bought the company… so why buy the company? Mind you those billions still need to be paid back. Yeah it gives you a chance to say we make the biggest FPS… but the internal conversations must be brutal at high level on topics that really matter. Like revenue. Profitability. And ROI for the shopping spree.

Is this like the 10th quarter in a row they're down 33% on hardware how is that even mathematically possible. You would think their mediocrity would Plateau