"Five years ago today, the Xbox Series X sought to reimagine what the term Xbox even was. Back then, the big, black, boxy console promised players they could get peak performance for couch-based gaming for the low price of $500. In 2025, that console with the optical drive now costs $150 more than it did in 2020, and it has been eclipsed by the latest gaming-ready PC chips many times over."
"Microsoft's Game Pass model, which rose along with the Series X to become the best deal in gaming, now costs more than ever if you want the best features. It all seems like grim tidings, but there's more at stake than a brand. Xbox is trying to drag the entire games industry industry into a new identity, where exclusivity and first-party hardware like the Series X matter less than the games themselves."
"With the move toward a subscription-based gaming landscape, we own less and grow more dependent on digital platforms. We suffer at the whims of the platform holders, unable to do anything but roll our eyes at the inevitable process of enshittification. Then there's the recent drama from Bloomberg's report claiming Microsoft has placed a 30% profit margin mandate across its Xbox brand, which is way above the industry standard."
Five years ago the Xbox Series X aimed to redefine Xbox by offering peak couch-based performance for $500. By 2025 the model with an optical drive costs $150 more than in 2020 and has been surpassed repeatedly by modern gaming PC chips. Game Pass grew alongside Series X into a major subscription offering but now costs more for top features. Xbox is shifting emphasis from console exclusivity and first-party hardware toward making games platform-agnostic, releasing titles on other consoles. Subscription dependence raises concerns about ownership and platform control, and reports claim Microsoft imposed a 30% profit-margin mandate on Xbox.
Read at gizmodo.com
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