copebot
Learned
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2020
- Messages
- 387
MS belatedly realized that because of DirectX, the PC is a Microsoft console, and they shouldn't cannibalize one of their consoles for the benefit of another one of their consoles. Linux doesn't exist as a gaming platform. The only thing that sucks from Microsoft's perspective is that for legacy antitrust reasons, there is no monopoly app store for Windows. They can get around that and antitrust concerns with Gamepass, which makes their app store so cheap that any prospective antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft has a steep hill to climb because Gamepass is cheap, and the primary test of antitrust harm is that it is results in higher prices for consumers.
Steam, Epic, and GOG are just competing storefronts for the mixed PC hardware platform that runs on Microsoft software. The complexity of the PC hardware ecosystem has made it perpetually annoying for app store companies to try to create competitive offerings on (see failure of Steam Machine, the relative failure of the Nvidia boxes, Stadia, etc.).
With Gamepass, Microsoft can severely undermine the competing app stores without running into antitrust concerns. In the future, you will launch most of your stuff from Xbox, your software updates will be synced to your Bill Gates vaccine chips, and the storefronts will seriously struggle to compete. Also, none of them can afford to alienate MS too badly because most of the products developed, published, and, and sold are reliant on proprietary technology exclusively available from Microsoft.
Steam, Epic, and GOG are just competing storefronts for the mixed PC hardware platform that runs on Microsoft software. The complexity of the PC hardware ecosystem has made it perpetually annoying for app store companies to try to create competitive offerings on (see failure of Steam Machine, the relative failure of the Nvidia boxes, Stadia, etc.).
With Gamepass, Microsoft can severely undermine the competing app stores without running into antitrust concerns. In the future, you will launch most of your stuff from Xbox, your software updates will be synced to your Bill Gates vaccine chips, and the storefronts will seriously struggle to compete. Also, none of them can afford to alienate MS too badly because most of the products developed, published, and, and sold are reliant on proprietary technology exclusively available from Microsoft.