Xbox head Phil Spencer said this in an interview with Protocol: Is it me, or are the console manufacturers acting like a couple that just had a breakup? They have this weird detente going on. Sony wants to know on the sly what price Microsoft is putting on its new console. Microsoft is insisting it’s over Sony and all about its new rivalry with the cool kids. [Read: The Nintendo Switch has probably outsold the Xbox One] Regardless, Spencer’s not wrong, but I don’t think he needed to throw shade at Sony or Nintendo to make his point. It’s true that Microsoft’s had to vary its strategy with regards to the future console market, if only because its hardware sales aren’t doing so well compared with the other console makers. It’s also true that cloud gaming is going to be a big part of gaming’s future, if only because so many big tech companies seem ready to brute-force that future. Microsoft has a leg up there, with regards to its cloud infrastructure. Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation aren’t going anywhere — but their relationship with each other might change. Personally, I want a gaming future where there’s space for everyone and a market that has enough options to fulfill the needs of all gamers. Hopefully that’s what we get.
