Microsoft Xbox: The end of the console was predictable 25 years ago, according to its co-founder

"Xbox consoles are dead," said Laura Fryer last year, and this founding member of the team that created the very first Xbox recently added fuel to the fire, following in the footsteps of another former company member, who is also pessimistic about the machine's future. "The Windows PC, the obvious choice ignored 25 years ago," Fryer explains in her latest video. At the time, I thought Windows was already the dominant gaming platform, with over 90% of PCs using it… I felt like we were abandoning the world's most popular gaming platform for a risky bet we weren't ready for.” “Xbox, a business model contrary to Microsoft's DNA.” He then went on to discuss Microsoft's difficulties integrating into an ecosystem of established manufacturers, each with their own supply chain, capable of absorbing losses through game sales and licensing. Microsoft's interests are now too diversified for its ultimately limited budget, and the popularity of Windows PCs is somewhat cannibalizing Xbox's success. “Saving Microsoft's presence in the living room by transforming the PC into a console?” “Many people like having a dedicated box under the TV that just works,” Fryer continued. Microsoft knows they can't abandon the console show, even if the numbers aren't favorable. That's why they're working on a way to bring the console experience to PC. And conversely, we might add, given the direction Microsoft has been taking lately (see our article "PC Console ROG Xbox Alliance X: What's the verdict?").