Xbox gamers divided over end of Xbox as we currently know it

Xbox is making a big change via a new marketing push, and it is dividing the fanbase.

Microsoft Gaming recently unveiled a new advertising campaign promoting the brand as more of a service rather than just a hardware company.

The new Xbox advert turns everything into an Xbox.

Essentially, the company wants users to know they can access Xbox services across a wide range of hardware including third-party handheld PCs, laptops, mobile and smart TVs.

However, this is only stoking the fires fans have feared for some time - that Xbox doesn’t care about the console market any longer.

“So there it is. A proper mass marketing material to declare the fact that Xbox is no longer about its consoles anymore,” said Bolt_995 over on a Reddit discussion about the new campaign.

Other fans don’t see this as a concern, however, saying, “I know everyone is expecting Microsoft to stop making consoles, but I don't see that happening. Xbox sales are declining but they're still selling millions per gen.”

It’s true that Microsoft is focusing on Xbox being an ecosystem - it has always shared a lot with PCs - but there is a fear that Xbox as we know it is fading away.

As Leeysa says on Reddit, “Good Move, PC has been part of the Xbox brand for years now and most people still think it's just the consoles.”

It’s understandable to think on the future of this idea. As another Redditor ponders, “Actual consoles will be more of an accessory than the focus. Going to be interesting to see the financial implications.”

I can’t see Microsoft ever halting production on consoles until cloud gaming becomes the staple, but that’s a long time coming what with internet speeds being as scattered as they are.

However, other platforms need to keep up with this idea, as one user puts it, “A lot of those platforms need to be much better Xbox’s in a hurry, PC especially,” in order to produce a solid parity across devices.