I'd put more money on Microsoft dropping out than Nintendo. Nintendo shits money hard enough to keep putting out flops for the next decade and still be financially stable because the moment they make a new mario or Zelda, all that red ink magically turns black again.
Microsoft meanwhile, has been somewhat iffy. the Xbone was a completely bungled launch, and it never really recovered after the initial poor showing. Not to mention the PS4 started cheaper.
Until Sony unveils PS5 or something, to counter the Xbone X, we cant say for sure, but my money is on Sony outdoing them again, because nobody really gives a [parasitic bomb] about having a "all in one multimedia device" they just want something that plays videogames and MAYBE browses the internet. and calling it "Xbox One X" is the same kind of stupid idea that messed with the Wii-U. Moms not understanding the difference and saying "but Billy, you already have an Xbox One"
That said, Atari is in a prime spot to position itself between Xbox/PS4 that one could argue have "lost sight" of their roots as VIDEOGAME consoles and gone too far up their own asses, and Nintendo, who let's face it, have become very niche.
I think there's definitely a spot they can fill there. The middle ground between the 2. A "AA" console, if you will.
or at the very least, actually foster some genuine competition, since there hasn't really been any actual competition since the Xbox first came out to replace the Dreamcast. these days, it's become like Mac and Windows. There's sort of some competition but not really like there used to be.
I would disagree with the notion that the Xbox One X will suffer from grandma not knowing the difference. Xbox makes their money on 15-35 looking for 15-35 targeted games. Nearly all of those demographics know exactly what to get, and the lower end of that bracket might even have their own money and goes to get it themselves or aids the parent in doing so. We have text messages that can be used as explicit notes now. Phone calls a click away. Facebook with link sharing. Or hell, just online ordering. Amazon wish lists to send to mom and dad. If grandma is going to write the check, mom will do the leg work.
The difference here with Nintendo and their WiiU flop is the target demographic. I had no problem going to pick up a WiiU but the average 10 year old loving Mario kid, well, it's up to grandma. He may not be able to accurately describe the console enough to a parent or grandparent. He won't be pointing them to amazon, and using Facebook to share links. He probably doesn't have a phone. Even if brought to the store, maybe he doesn't even know it exists? WiiU was barely on TV anyway. Uninformed consumers, with explicit barriers to buy, without their own purchase power... That's where marketing and knowing the steps to getting your product matter. Oh, and the hardcore crowd? That's probably all that propped up the console, honestly. That 13.56 million is probably at least 90% the hardcore audience.
And sure, Nintendo has bank but, it goes quicker than you think. Why would Iwata cut his pay to keep from cutting his staff? If you're cutting staff, you're hurting, period. They were in much deeper [parasitic bomb] than you may realize after the fall of the WiiU.
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At this point I don't see the Xbox One X taking much away from Sony's crowd. Most people at this point have picked their side for this generation. The PS4 Pro preceded it by a good measure and captured that upgrade crowd. Now that we understand the upgrade wasn't really worth it, well, I'm not sure how well the Xbox One X will do. They may have been better off calling it Xbox Scorpio and bank on people getting confused that its a new Xbox and not an upgrade, lol.
Either way, I think Xbox is being treated less as a profit making business but more as an attraction to Microsoft's core products. The shift to games also working on Windows 10 is a huge tell toward this in my opinion. The Xbox division of Microsoft has, as far as I am aware, never actually turned a profit. But they keep doing, why? Hopes and dreams? Or are they smart enough to make up the profits elsewhere? Well, this is Microsoft we're talking about. They've been a titan of the business world for decades. I'll let you decide.
Xbox is going nowhere.
P.S. The Switch is killing it and taking the "AA", "A", and indie spots. Atari is out of a home unless they see something else or think they can buck Nintendo. Won't happen this generation though.