The Xbox One S’s launch has been a major success, and the console has gone on to sell out, appearing for ridiculously inflated prices on auction sites like eBay, as scalpers try to make a quick buck. This actually comes as a shock to a lot of people, as many would argue that the Xbox One S had everything stacked against it from the beginning- it was announced, and shortly afterwards, arguably made obsolete by the announcement of an even more powerful, better Xbox, the Scorpio, which is coming next year, at the same conference. It is the revision to a console that has not managed to sell a whole lot so far. And many would argue that Microsoft’s Xbox Anywhere initiative, also announced at E3, robs customers of any incentive to invest in Xbox hardware, since there are no true Xbox exclusives left any more.
However, none of those arguments apparently hold water- the Xbox one S is out, and it is doing very well. Speaking on Twitter, Spencer thanked everyone who had made it a success, adding that he views it as a vindication of Microsoft’s decision to be open about their plans for upcoming hardware, and letting customers make an informed choice either way.
Spencer also took the opportunity to answer some other questions regarding Xbox and the UWP platform that many have had- for instance, he noted that while the Xbox 360 may now have been discontinued, servers for its games will continue to stay up for years, especially since backwards compatibility on Xbox One continues to keep the Xbox 360 relevant. He also noted that he would love to see iTunes music play on Xbox One, but that that was contingent on Apple getting it to work.
Finally, he noted that Microsoft were working on keeping Xbox One S and Xbox One Scorpio compatible with all TV brands, which is significant because as of right now, there don’t seem to be any universal standards for the formats- it’s early days for them, which means they sort of resemble the wild west for now. Microsoft’s aim is to have their consoles work on all TVs. He also noted that opening up the UWP platform to developers has worked, and contributes to the Xbox community.
On the whole, I think Spencer has reason to be happy now- his gambit and his strategies finally appear to be paying off, and the success of the Xbox One S is something he can point at to rove to naysayers and detractors that he knows what he is doing. Here’s hoping for many more victories for and from him, going forward.