The state of Microsoft and its gaming brand, Xbox, is something that will be talked about for a long while until things “clear up.” You see, going into this latest gaming generation, Microsoft took some big swings with the systems known as the Xbox Series X/S. The goal was to make the “most powerful gaming machines” that would run just as good as they looked, game-wise, and blow the competition away. While they may have succeeded on a technological level, they never achieved any true measure of success, and it shows with recent events like layoffs, canceled games, and an overall stagnation of the Xbox brand.
Yet, as noted by Windows Central, the architect behind the Xbox Series X/S, Carl Ledbetter, decided to make some posts that put things in a more positive light, stating:
“As we wrap up this journey with the Xbox Series X and Series S, the mission behind these consoles echoes everything I’ve learned over 30 years — to create technology that’s powerful, purposeful, and beautifully integrated into people’s lives. Xbox is about fun and playing games.”
Many would argue with that last one, especially since a lot of games that were “meant for Xbox” can be played elsewhere, and even its exclusives have been going multiplatform at an alarming rate. Just look at the last year with titles going to the PS5 and selling millions pretty much instantly for proof of this.
Yet, Ledbetter felt that when you look at the consoles themselves, they exude something that can’t be denied:
“When we began designing the Xbox Series X, the mission was clear: build a console that delivers unprecedented power while seamlessly integrating into the modern living room. The design was inspired by the machine itself — an engineering marvel of thermal cooling and efficiency — which naturally led to the console’s iconic vertical tower form. It’s not just a gaming device; it’s a statement piece, sleek and monolithic, designed to quietly command presence without shouting for attention.”
Again, on certain levels, you can say that the team achieved their goals, and many do feel that the X/S look cool and run like they were promised to…for the most part. However, over the years, there have been multiple publishers who have had issues getting their games onto the current Xbox line, forcing key delays that definitely meant losing sales on the Xbox platform.
Just as frustrating is that the next generation is likely to be even more expensive than this one, especially with the rumored handheld pricing for the ROG Ally collaborations. So, again, beauty and engineering only go so far if no one buys it or uses it.
