In other words, that Microsoft sees gaming as an important pillar for the company as a whole is not under question- even if they do see gaming as important for helping them further their other objectives as a corporation. It is also very clear that Microsoft sees the Xbox brand itself as important- after all, it is one of the few customer facing successful brands Microsoft has, and even though the Xbox One has taken a beating at the hands of the PS4 and the Switch, it’s a well loved brand, with history and cachet. So, as long as Microsoft continues to treat gaming as important – and it is clear they view gaming as an important long term goal, as specified already – they will keep the Xbox brand around.

But what is also becoming clearer as time passes by is that Microsoft no longer associates the brand Xbox with hardware exclusively. In fact, it is now clear that Microsoft views Xbox as an umbrella brand- essentially, it is the branding they are using for all their gaming initiatives and services, from Game Pass to Play Anywhere to Xbox Live, to, yes, consoles as well. What this means is that a commitment to gaming and Xbox doesn’t necessarily have to be equivalent to a commitment to consoles- in fact, all indications are that Microsoft are moving away from keeping their gaming initiatives married to their own hardware.

"It is now clear that Microsoft views Xbox as an umbrella brand- essentially, it is the branding they are using for all their gaming initiatives and services, from Game Pass to Play Anywhere to Xbox Live, to, yes, consoles as well."

The first reaction of many might be to dismiss what I said off hand and summarily, but I implore you to stop and consider what I am saying logically and rationally. Between initiatives such as Play Anywhere and cross platform play, as well as Microsoft’s open insistence that for it, users for its services are more important than hardware sales, as well as Microsoft’s bid to put products like Minecraft on every product under the sun, alongside Xbox Live, as well as recent statements by Microsoft personnel which have very explicitly specified that Microsoft is looking at a future beyond hardware for gaming, as well as their recent purchases of middleware such as Havok and Simplygon, which are cross platform development tools, it becomes abundantly clear that Microsoft is looking at going hardware agnostic eventually in the future.

It’s not even out of character for the company- under Satya Nadella, Microsoft has stopped trying to push its own proprietary products and platforms on its users, and has instead moved to provide its services and products to users on the platforms they like using the best. Where in the past, Microsoft kept its own offerings reserved for Windows, now Office, Skype, and OneDrive are available on every OS under the sun. Where in the past, Microsoft systematically sought to block out Linux, now they have embraced it, and are even sponsoring and developing for it. Where in the past, Microsoft pushed Windows Phone and Zune, now they will provide their own software offerings on iPhone and Android, so you can continue to use their products on whatever platforms you do feel comfortable with. Going platform agnostic has been a company-wide move- the gaming division is just going to follow in the rest of the company’s footsteps.

However, I must make it clear that by no means is this doomsdaying, nor does it spell the end of Xbox hardware in any capacity- as a matter of fact, even though Microsoft has moved away from pushing its proprietary products to users, it still has, for instance, the Surface line of tablets, laptops, and computers. Why does it sell those when you can pick up any other PC and get Windows and Microsoft software on it anyway? Because that’s Microsoft’s “premier” offering- if you want pure Windows, as Microsoft intends it, or if you just don’t want to have to go to Microsoft for software support, and their OEM partner for hardware support, or if you just want the convenience of an integrated experience, Microsoft has you covered with the Surface line. The existence of the Surface line doesn’t mean that third party OEM PCs don’t have Windows, just as their existence doesn’t rule out the existence of the Surface line.

"Where in the past, Microsoft pushed Windows Phone and Zune, now they will provide their own software offerings on iPhone and Android, so you can continue to use their products on whatever platforms you do feel comfortable with. Going platform agnostic has been a company-wide move- the gaming division is just going to follow in the rest of the company’s footsteps."

This is also something we see with Android- not only is Android, along with all Google services, available on third party hardware, but Google themselves put all their apps and services on iOS. That doesn’t stop them from having the Pixel line of laptops, tablets, and smartphones that they sell.

In the future, that is what Xbox might become- for those who prefer the integrated experience that the Xbox ecosystem provides, Microsoft will still offer Xbox consoles, and they will probably continue investing in making them premium, aspirational products, like the Xbox One X is. However, that won’t stop Microsoft from spreading the love as much as they can. Xbox Live and Game Pass are already available on PC; Minecraft and associated Xbox Live functionality is available on PC, as well as on Nintendo Switch. Xbox Live itself is available further on iOS and Android, as well as on PCs. Who knows? In the future, Microsoft might let Game Pass stream to smartphones, tablets, and- assuming they are allowed to- even rival platforms like Switch and PS4. For Microsoft, it’s a win anyway as long as you are engaging with their games and services- they don’t care where you are doing it, just that you are doing it.

For the gaming industry, which has traditionally relied on siloed an insular incompatible platforms, this might come as a bit of a culture shock- but that is presumably why Microsoft’s steps towards this goal are baby steps for now. But, looking at everything they are doing, both within the gaming sphere, and as a company overall, the conclusion of what end they are moving towards is inevitable and inescapable- truly, gaming beyond and without boundaries. And for fans of Xbox consoles? Don’t worry, they’ll still have those around as well.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to GamingBolt as an organization.

Microsoft’s financial report for the previous quarter is now out, and… it’s not exactly good news, really.

Xbox is doing okay overall, with 1.6 million units shipped over the three months covered in this period. That number might seem to be low, but it’s lower still- it combines the sales of Xbox 360 and Xbox One. This probably means that, realistically speaking, neither console sold a million units worldwide in this period, which is shockingly poor performance.

“Xbox Platform revenue decreased $306 million or 24%, driven by a 20% decline in console volume and lower prices of Xbox One consoles compared to the prior year. We sold 1.6 million Xbox consoles during the third quarter of fiscal year 2015 compared with 2.0 million consoles during the third quarter of fiscal year 2014,” Microsoft said.

It wasn’t all bad news, however- while the Xbox may be struggling, the Surface line of tablets is finally a hit, thanks to the Surface Pro 3 consistently posting strong numbers. With the recent announcement of the Surface 3, and the strong word of mouth that it is generating, Microsoft should see its performance in that segment of the market go only up.

However, from a gaming perspective, it’s hard to deny that as of right now, they are in a very bad place. Even considering the best case scenario – all consoles sold were Xbox One units – and adding it to Microsoft’s 10 million shipped announcement from last December only brings the Xbox One’s lifetime shipments at 11.6 million units. That is still nowhere close to the 20 million sold that the PS4 had managed as of more than a month ago.

Hopefully, Microsoft is able to turn the tide on this console around, and turn it around soon.

Like a lot of other tech companies, Microsoft has gone ahead and revealed its workforce diversity statistics too, and while the overall outcome is pretty predictable (70% male, 60% white), the overall breakdown is still interesting to consider.

As of September 30, Microsoft’s global staff is 71 percent male and 29 percent female. 60.6 percent of employees are Caucasian, 28.9 percent Asian (this includes Indians), 5.1 percent Hispanic/Latino, 3.5 percent African American/Black, 1.2 percent multi-racial, .5 percent Native American/Alaska Native, and .3 percent Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander. Interestingly enough, since this is the breakdown for the global workforce (remember, Microsoft operates in a multitude of countries throughout the world), the breakdown in specific territories- such as North America, or Europe, for example- may be (and probably is) different.

Microsoft for its part is not happy with what it perceives to be a lack of diversity in the workforce.

“Diversity and inclusion are a business imperative. Diversity needs to be a source of strength and competitive advantage for us,” Microsoft’s head of human resources Lisa Bummel said in an email that you can read on Zdnet.

From a new report by the IDC, Samsung has had a 263 percent year-on-year sales growth for Android and Windows 8 tablets and their market share grew to 15.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012. This is more than double of Q4 2011’s market share of 7.3 percent.

Apple also had a major victory with its iPad range shipping 22.9 million units. The competition however meant that the market share was down from 52 per cent in the same quarter the year before to 44 percent in 2012’s fourth quarter.

Microsoft’s Surface tablet didn’t perform so well however, shiping 900,000 units. IDC’s Ryan Reith stated that “We believe that Microsoft and its partners need to quickly adjust to the market realities of smaller screens and lower prices.

“In the long run, consumers may grow to believe that high-end computing tablets with desktop operating systems are worth a higher premium than other tablets, but until then ASPs on Windows 8 and Windows RT devices need to come down to drive higher volumes.”

Source: GIBiz

It’s a very weird time for someone at a high post at Microsoft to leave, no less someone who is the head of the Windows division and oversaw the launch of the Surface RT tablet.

Steven Sinofsky has left Microsoft, and he did give a reason as to why he did that. However, people are going to speculate, and they are probably going to blame the divisive Windows 8 OS and the average sales of Surface.

AllthingsD reports that there have been tensions at the company between him and other Microsoft executives, and considering Scott Forstall just left Apple, you kind of know what will happen now.

“Julie Larson-Green will head up the engineering side of Windows, while Tami Reller, who has had headed marketing and served as the unit’s CFO, will have responsibility for the business side of things,” says the report at AllthingsD.

Sinofsky was at the company for two decades now and such a decision must have been a big one.

Here is his open letter to Microsoft:

From: Steven Sinofsky
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2012 6:42 PM
To: Microsoft – All Employees (QBDG)
Subject: RE: Windows Leadership Changes

With the general availability of Windows 8/RT and Surface, I have decided it is time for me to take a step back from my responsibilities at Microsoft. I’ve always advocated using the break between product cycles as an opportunity to reflect and to look ahead, and that applies to me too.

After more than 23 years working on a wide range of Microsoft products, I have decided to leave the company to seek new opportunities that build on these experiences. My passion for building products is as strong as ever and I look forward focusing my energy and creativity along similar lines.

The Windows team, in partnerships across all of Microsoft and our industry, just completed products and services introducing a new era of Windows computing. It is an incredible experience to be part of a generational change in a unique product like Windows, one accomplished with an undeniable elegance. Building on Windows, Surface excels in design and utility for a new era of PCs. With the Store, Internet Explorer, Outlook.com, SkyDrive and more, each of which lead the way, this experience is connected to amazing cloud services.

It is inspiring to think of these efforts making their way into the hands of Microsoft’s next billion customers. We can reflect on this project as a remarkable achievement for each of us and for the team. Our work is not done, such is the world of technology, and so much more is in store for customers.

It is impossible to count the blessings I have received over my years at Microsoft. I am humbled by the professionalism and generosity of everyone I have had the good fortune to work with at this awesome company. I am beyond grateful.

I have always promised myself when the right time came for me to change course, I would be brief, unlike one of my infamous short blog posts, and strive to be less memorable than the products and teams with which I have been proudly and humbly associated. The brevity of this announcement is simply a feature.

Some might notice a bit of chatter speculating about this decision or timing. I can assure you that none could be true as this was a personal and private choice that in no way reflects any speculation or theories one might read—about me, opportunity, the company or its leadership.

As I’ve always believed in making space for new leaders as quickly as possible, this announcement is effective immediately and I will assist however needed with the transition.

I am super excited for what the future holds for the team and Microsoft.

With my deepest appreciation,

Steven Sinofsky

Sent from Surface RT

Microsoft has announced the prices for their upcoming tablet, Surface, for both, the regions of Europe and the US. And they’re actually pretty reasonable.

In the US, the 32 GB model can be bought for $599, which is $100 cheaper than the 32 GB Wi-Fi version of the iPad 3.

The 32 GB version that comes with the touch keyboard/cover… thingie costs is a little costlier, at $599. The 64 GB model, which also comes with the touch keyboard/cover costs $699.

In Europe, the 32 GB base unit is priced at £399, while the 32 GB model with the Touch Cover Keyboard costs £479. The 64 GB version with the Touch Cover Keyboard costs £559.

Microsoft has pegged October 26th as the release date for Surface, which is actually just 9 days away from now. Will you be buying it? Tell us in the comments section below.

Microsoft has announced the release date for its Surface tablets, and just like they’ve hinted before, the RT version will be released on October 26th along with Windows 8.

“The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012. At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices,” Microsoft said (via Cnet).

The Surface Pro tablets will be released 90 days after the release of Windows 8, and it will be Intel based.

Their pricing strategy for the Intel based tablet is not yet decided but this is what Microsoft had to say.

“Suggested retail pricing will be announced closer to availability and is expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook-class PC,” Microsoft said in a statement.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.