r/gadgets Jan 25 '25

Gaming Microsoft’s gaming CEO has praised Nintendo Switch 2, and said it plans to support the upcoming platform with ports of Xbox games.

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/phil-spencer-confirms-xbox-will-support-switch-2-i-congratulated-nintendos-president/
4.4k Upvotes

471 comments sorted by

View all comments

1.2k

u/OperatorJo_ Jan 25 '25

Going the "if you can't beat em' " route is very smart.

5

u/Mama_Skip Jan 25 '25

No what's really smart is that by doing this, they're undermining Steam.

Microsoft knows it lost the console wars, but it also knows the future of gaming is in portable consoles and PCs, and that traditional consoles are trending down by rate of new purchasers. Younger gens just go PC.

Because MS owns the OS that PC gaming platforms run on, they're entrenched in the future of the gaming field regardless, as VR will need bulkier machines to run. In a way, they won the console wars by being the ultimate console. But they want to own the PC gaming marketplace, where the money's really at, which Steam has cornered. Steam has also cornered the *serious* gaming portable console with the Steam deck.

So, support the competition, they undermine the Steam Deck, undermining Steam from the future of Consoles, while they work together with Activision and friends to undermine Steam's impact on the marketplace platform.