Age Daily: Rise of the Tomb Raider and Game over for Xbox One?
Welcome back faithful reader today is a dark day for the Xbox, a day where even it’s most diehard of fans must surely see the end of the line fast approaching. We finally got confirmation that the brilliant Rise of the Tomb Raider will be hitting the PC at the end of January and also that it will support 4K and a bucket full of visual improvements. Although not unexpected it feels like a real kick in the teeth for the poor Xbox One. No longer can we simply cross our fingers and hope that somehow Microsoft can wave their magic wands and make the Xbox One competitive this latest disappointment should really spell the beginning of the end for this console. From Day One concerns over it’s capabilities were voiced and it feels like one compromise after another and we’re getting further behind the competition. The PS4 is dominating and that’s without anything worth playing so far Microsoft have had all the games but still not made a dent in that enormous lead and now we have to stomach seeing an Xbox Exclusive looking like the masterpiece it clearly is.
The Xbox One is selling very well but compared to the PS4 and the PC it’s a disaster and that is not going to change this generation. Time for Microsoft to admit defeat and go back to the drawing board and get a headstart on the next console generation. Let’s not settle for a low cost, low powered box instead let’s blow Sony out of the Water and get back out front early. When the Xbox 360 launched HD screens were only just hitting the living room and Microsoft gave them all the tools they need to enjoy them. The same is happening now with 4K screen hitting that magic price point making them affordable to buy without there being much content.
A home console priced well but delivering 4K gaming and streaming would put Microsoft back at the top of the pile and would be a tough act for a cash strapped Sony to compete with. Microsoft would no doubt have to absorb an initial loss on the hardware but by leveraging it’s content delivery platforms as well as it’s games that initial hit may not be that severe for a company with such deep pockets. If MS is serious about getting back into the console race it really needs to do something drastic and it’s clear that the Xbox One is simply not up to scratch, not powerful enough and not compelling enough for gamers.
