Phil Spencer on why Microsoft is joining the PC Gaming Show

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csbin

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Feb 4, 2013
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http://www.pcgamer.com/interview-phil-spencer-on-why-microsoft-is-joining-the-pc-gaming-show/

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When we began hatching plans for a PC gaming event during E3, I wouldn’t have believed you if you’d told me that Microsoft would be a part of it. Sure, Windows is our OS of choice, the foundation for almost every PC gamer. I have warm memories of growing up with the games Microsoft was involved in: Age of Empires, Freelancer, MechWarrior, even smaller stuff like Chip’s Challenge and SkiFree.

But for too long, that history has been unacknowledged by Microsoft itself. Games for Windows Live burdened some excellent games with cumbersome middleware. Ensemble Studios was closed. Microsoft purchased Minecraft, a phenomenon that started on PC. Over the release of the Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, PC gaming had begun to feel like a child that Microsoft had grown estranged from.

Earlier this year, Microsoft’s strategy shifted. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, outlined a plan to make Xbox a multi-platform gaming brand that extended across many devices, including PC. Xbox would be integrated into Windows 10. Fable Legends was coming to PC. Gigantic would be a cross-platform game between Windows and Xbox One.

We’re still wrapping our heads around what this means for the platform, but I’m excited we’re able to help create a stage from which Microsoft can share its vision for the future of PC gaming.To shed further light on those plans right now, I spoke with Spencer about Microsoft’s plan to bring Xbox to PC, what it means for us, and what we can expect from them on stage at E3. Watch our Twitch channel the evening of June 16 and we’ll find out together.



It’s Coming.....:D

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M

MeldarthX

Golden Member
May 8, 2010
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with MS and PC gaming its a wait and see if they actually mean it this time. I think they kinda do as the push from other platforms is bigger than ever.
 
SMOGZINN

SMOGZINN

Lifer
Jun 17, 2005
14,286
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Doesn't matter. The focus will still be be the XBone, that means that games will be developed for that and then ported to the PC. Some, perhaps most, will be hack jobs that make it playable but do nothing to use the medium's unique attributes.
 
CPA

CPA

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
30,322
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SMOGZINN said:
Doesn't matter. The focus will still be be the XBone, that means that games will be developed for that and then ported to the PC. Some, perhaps most, will be hack jobs that make it playable but do nothing to use the medium's unique attributes.
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Thinking the same, and watch for competitive FPS's to require Xbox controllers so that console users aren't at a disadvantage.
 
SMOGZINN

SMOGZINN

Lifer
Jun 17, 2005
14,286
4,548
136
CPA said:
Thinking the same, and watch for competitive FPS's to require Xbox controllers so that console users aren't at a disadvantage.
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I doubt they will require controllers. You are just going to see them apply the same sort of aim-snapping, mouse acceleration, and mushy controls to the KB+mouse. Basically taking away the fine control of the mouse.
 
Fanatical Meat

Fanatical Meat

Lifer
Feb 4, 2009
35,797
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I think PC Gamers are feeling like an abused spouse. MS is saying come on back this time it will be different I promise.
 
Fenixgoon

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
32,886
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SMOGZINN said:
Doesn't matter. The focus will still be be the XBone, that means that games will be developed for that and then ported to the PC. Some, perhaps most, will be hack jobs that make it playable but do nothing to use the medium's unique attributes.
Click to expand...

the gears of war port wasn't horrible, though some features were lacking in multiplayer.

i would have bought plenty of xbox titles had they been available for PC. but i don't have an xbox, so i have 0.
 
T

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
Too late.

I don't upgrade that often, but I finally hit my breaking point and went all in with Intel and nVidia.
 
cmdrdredd

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
SMOGZINN said:
Doesn't matter. The focus will still be be the XBone, that means that games will be developed for that and then ported to the PC. Some, perhaps most, will be hack jobs that make it playable but do nothing to use the medium's unique attributes.
Click to expand...

Not true. DirectX12 is compatible with both PC and XBox One. So all a developer has to do is tune the settings for the Xbox One and give options for the PC. Ports will be much easier than they have been and a higher quality as a result.
 
RampantAndroid

RampantAndroid

Diamond Member
Jun 27, 2004
6,591
3
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cmdrdredd said:
Not true. DirectX12 is compatible with both PC and XBox One. So all a developer has to do is tune the settings for the Xbox One and give options for the PC. Ports will be much easier than they have been and a higher quality as a result.
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From Phil Spencer:

On the DX12 question, I was asked early on by people if DX12 is gonna dramatically change the graphics capabilities of Xbox One and I said it wouldn’t. I’m not trying to rain on anybody’s parade, but the CPU, GPU and memory that are on Xbox One don’t change when you go to DX12. DX12 makes it easier to do some of the things that Xbox One’s good at, which will be nice and you’ll see improvement in games that use DX12, but people ask me if it’s gonna be dramatic and I think I answered no at the time and I’ll say the same thing.

Read more: http://wccftech.com/phil-spencer-directx-1-xbox-one-hardware-graphics/#ixzz3c8G46c9M
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Not sure why people are saying "You burned me already..." - OK, you're still gaming on Windows, right? DX12 is showing huge perf gains thus far...so those things alone should be great things to look forward to. Whether MS does anything beyond that, things are getting better.
 
cmdrdredd

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
RampantAndroid said:
From Phil Spencer:



Not sure why people are saying "You burned me already..." - OK, you're still gaming on Windows, right? DX12 is showing huge perf gains thus far...so those things alone should be great things to look forward to. Whether MS does anything beyond that, things are getting better.
Click to expand...

Yep, the overhead reduction is good enough in itself to me. My point was that if MS was going to treat the PC platform badly (it really never has because DX has kept improving) then we would not be getting DX12, and fable would be xbox one exclusive. Since we are getting DX12, and it works with the XB1 and PC, ports between the two will be easier and better quality.

Lots of people on this thread seem to be woefully misinformed, behind the curve, or just flat out wrong about MS and PC gaming. I'm sick of the tired argument that consoles ruin the PC games. That's just not true in the least. Look at GTA5, look at The Witcher 3, look at Battlefield 4(even with it's server problems). Those games are on both consoles and PC but the PC platform is the superior choice and the games look and run lots better because the developer actually cared. It's easy to blame Microsoft or Sony when they have absolutely nothing to do with the game in question(Assassin's Creed Unity for example). It's lazy developers not the consoles. With DX12 developers have an easier time than ever before to make their games work across platforms.
 
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Blitzvogel

Blitzvogel

Platinum Member
Oct 17, 2010
2,012
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Fanatical Meat said:
I think PC Gamers are feeling like an abused spouse. MS is saying come on back this time it will be different I promise.
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Breddy gud

I'm surprised they haven't gone with a one disc - both platforms sort of deal. Actually I know why they haven't, so they can pirate protect their console software as well as protect their games from "PC elitists". Also so few PC gamers have blu-ray readers these days......

If it wasn't for the Xbone's eSRAM, one piece of software for both Xbone and PC could've been a reality. Windows based, x86, DX11/12.........only thing would've been dynamic threading to suit PC processor threading and possibly dealing with low PC video and system memory amounts. The unified memory systems of the Xbone and PS4 do allow for rather large graphical world loading that might chug current video cards with 2 GB of VRAM in the future because of SRAM to VRAM memory transfers that the consoles don't really deal with. Of course in that case the VRAM requirements will be reflected in the GPU requirements, but you get my point. The same thing happened with the past generation.
 
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UberNeuman

UberNeuman

Lifer
Nov 4, 1999
16,937
3,087
126
Fanatical Meat said:
I think PC Gamers are feeling like an abused spouse. MS is saying come on back this time it will be different I promise.
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:D

I only pushed you down the stairs because I love you...

\gave up long ago on Microsoft being positive toward the PC market...
 
werepossum

werepossum

Elite Member
Jul 10, 2006
29,873
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RampantAndroid said:
From Phil Spencer:



Not sure why people are saying "You burned me already..." - OK, you're still gaming on Windows, right? DX12 is showing huge perf gains thus far...so those things alone should be great things to look forward to. Whether MS does anything beyond that, things are getting better.
Click to expand...
Agreed, as long as Microsoft keeps up DirectX development I'm happy. I was hoping though that since this generation of consoles are so PC-like, they would also be more powerful. But XBone & PS4 ports still can be pretty decent on PC if the developers put in the effort.
 
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