Microsoft Buys Bethesda For $7.5 Billion

[tthurman]

Is this a move to create their own ecosystem, effectively removing themselves from future console wars?

https://www.theverge.com/21449178/microsoft-xbox-bethesda-zenimax-media-acquisition-xbox-game-pass

 

 

[Draco1962]

They will own a considerable amount of Sony projects past, present, and pending. Also some great franchises including Doom and Wolfenstein.

[RIP-Felix]

The Elder Scrolls monopoly?

[tthurman]

That and well......they can drop exclusives to their console and once everyone's done obsessing over them, let SONY have a PS release.  One that nobody will care about by then!

 

 

[RIP-Felix]

IDK, I'm not really buying new games on console as much as I used to. PC & Retro gaming has kinda taken over for me. So long as new games supports my wired 360 controller and can be had on PC, I'm probably going that route. For one, it's almost always cheaper. Second, I can put the money saved into PC hardware. Most importantly I'm not tied down to the hardware. This is more important now that modern consoles run hot and BGA chips have become the industry standard. YLOD PS3, RROD XB360, BLOD PS4, and so on. I'm tired of it! On PC at least I have options for hardware solutions that do not tie me to an engineering disaster. And my game library is backwards compatible so long as it can be patched or hacked to work. Hell, I can and do still play Descent and Descent II on my PC! Anything past the 6th generation of consoles are dying right any left and emulation, backwards compatibility, porting to newer consoles, remasters, and etc. are the only way "modern" games are living on.

Sooo...I will not be partaking in the XBSX or PS5. A Nintendo console is the only one I might consider ATM. As much as I hate Nintendo's marketing and pricing tactics, they do make solid games & consoles.

[tthurman]

I get what you're saying, but PC gaming has been an afterthought for MS for a long time now.  I believe it was intentionally killed it off for all the reasons your saying.

 

I don't play them (consoles) either, but the console market is where the money is currently, and that's their move here, IMO. 

We the PC base will always be treated to decent titles that come out on consoles, even if they are nothing but shit ports, which thankfully isn't often the case given how the development is done. 

Looks to me like MS is paving the way to ensure their success in the console market, seeing how they couldn't do it on their own, yeah, they just bought the largest market share!

 

SEGA needs to seriously return to the console market and MS needs a good ass kicking by a strong mainstream accepted version of Linux that rids the planet of their stupidity!

 

MS wants to be "it", but can't be because they're not innovators or original, and never will be again, at least not as far as I can see!  They just follow the leader and buy what they can't produce to keep up. 

They basically abandoned the one thing they were half way decent at, PC's.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Draco1962]

MS has had a  more noticeable convergience with its Xbox and PC OS archetectures starting in earnest with the introduction of the Xbox One. The Xbox Series X promises to continue that progression, but will not have the rumored "Windows Mode" that many have been clamoring for.

Xbox Series X: Pricing, release date, and everything else you need to know

[RIP-Felix]

On 9/26/2020 at 3:31 PM, Draco1962 said:

MS has had a  more noticeable convergience with its Xbox and PC OS archetectures starting in earnest with the introduction of the Xbox One. The Xbox Series X promises to continue that progression, but will not have the rumored "Windows Mode" that many have been clamoring for.

This is partly what makes me not want to spend $600 on a series X. Why would I when I could spend it on a graphics card and get a superior experience on PC? And with MS porting may of it's most popular IPs to the PC (Halo MCC and Halo infinite coming to game pass) it's like they're throwing in the towel. Or maybe that's not it at all.

Actually I think they see the future of gaming in subscription models and game pass is their end goal. It doesn't matter what hardware people are logging in on, as long as they're paying for access each month MS will be happy. Then they can finally get out of the expensive console market. They learned that lesson with the 360 - supporting the hardware can be REALLY expensive. Why do it, if you don't have to? SEGA made the jump long ago and has been doing fine as a publisher ever since. MS just wants to establish the platform and migrate users before fully committing.

I guarantee you that If I averaged the amount of money I spent on games and consoles as a kid over the years, I spent WAY Less per month then they'll charge for a subscription. But you'll have access to more games and that might be worth it. It just kills me inside, because that is the death of personal ownership and the birth of video game slavery. Pay to play - that's the dystopian future MS and everyone else is feverishly working towards.

[Draco1962]

15 minutes ago, RIP-Felix said:

It just kills me inside, because that is the death of personal ownership and the birth of video game slavery. Pay to play - that's the dystopian future MS and everyone else is feverishly working towards.

In a way, isn’t Steam, Origin, Epic, and others just a whisper away from the same future? Eventually all media will be streamed with ownership being as ephemeral as our mortality. At least with no more physical media we remove the wrestling with guilt of our heirs over whether or not they should yard sale Dad's blu-ray of "Men Who Stare at Goats."

[RIP-Felix]

On 9/28/2020 at 6:27 PM, Draco1962 said:

In a way, isn’t Steam, Origin, Epic, and others just a whisper away from the same future? Eventually all media will be streamed with ownership being as ephemeral as our mortality. At least with no more physical media we remove the wrestling with guilt of our heirs over whether or not they should yard sale Dad's blu-ray of "Men Who Stare at Goats."

The point is that they will not be able to sell your "Men Who Stare at Goats" bluray. No one will be able to buy/sale games, movie, and music in a garage sale. This is an assault on middle class wealth that never gets attention. For example, my video games collection is probably worth about $10,000 if I took the time to sell it all off. "Property" is very well defined and protected under law. There have been many legal precedents that form the property rights we enjoy. If something bad happened and I needed money, I could convert my property into money. Your kids are free to sell off your "Men Who Stare at Goats" bluray for food money. That's why it's better to buy a house and pay a mortgage than rent for $100/mo less. The asset is an investment that can appreciate and build wealth. Some property depreciates in value (cars) others appreciate (home), but if you rent either of those, any appreciation or depreciation only matters to the owner (which isn't you).

In the dystopian future we're headed toward anyone who wants music, games, or movies will have no option but to "rent" it. Used media represents "loss" in the minds of those who stand to make billions more in profits by eliminating personal ownership. When you sell a physical anything, you are also creating a "used" market that you'll have to compete with. So don't sell ownership in the form of property at all. Imagine if you sold a house and the person who buys it has to pay you a cut when they sell it...and the next owner...and the next...in perpetuity! CHA-CHANGE $$$  But, that's not reasonable, nor is it legal. If however, you "rent" the house, then your tenants pay off the mortgage for you and you retain the ownership. All you have to worry about is collecting the $$$, and all those pesky landlord laws, and tax laws, and squatters, and dirty rotten middle class lowlifes that complain about not being able to afford rent this month because they lost their jobs due to the pandemic. "Tough luck, we all have to pay. I have a mortgage to pay off you know. It's not like the bank isn't going to collect this month!" - says the parasite ringing wealth out of the earners beneath them.

You see kids, when the wealthy are happy they spend money. When they spend money, it supports small businesses. Small businesses employ mommy and daddy. And being employed made your parents so happy they had you! When the rich are happy, Everyone's happy! That's trickle down economics!

Meanwhile, little Richie Rich overhears what's going on in his wealthy parents bedroom:

"You have to pay me! How can I make it trickle down if you don't pay me?"

"Oh I've been a bad boy, I've been evading the trickle tax."

"I'm calling the IRS! You can't have the trickle, until you pay for the trickle."

"Okay! Here, take your tax you trickle monster...just don't call the IRS! Anything but the IRS!"

"Transaction complete. NOW DRINK MY TRICKLE! Yeah, you like it when it trickles down, don't you?"

"Oh yeah, I like it when it trickles down. All the way down!"

 

***************

 

I...um...may have been watching too much Voultar recently.