During the holiday season, I found myself gazing at the vast expanse of my gaming library, struggling to decide which game to play next. The holidays are often a time for unwinding and reminiscing as we grow older. Therefore, it seemed fitting to immerse myself in none other than the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection.
This year, I decided I wouldn’t do any work during the holiday season, but I ended up being quite busy despite my initial plans. Holidays can sometimes be more hectic than work due to family visits, children dropping by, and visits to in-laws and extended family. Lately, for me, it’s not just about playing games, but also the mode of play that matters, and Xbox excels in this area.
As more Xbox games become available across multiple platforms in the upcoming years, some are questioning the rationale for continuing to use Xbox. If the PlayStation 5 or the next version of Nintendo Switch end up hosting all Xbox games, what’s the advantage of staying with Xbox? You could opt for those systems instead and enjoy their exclusive titles as well.
For my part, I barely find the opportunity to engage in the Xbox games I desire, whether exclusive or not. What I truly lack isn’t more games, it’s more time. It’s in the area of time management that I feel Xbox stands out. More and more, I can play Xbox games anywhere, anytime, and in any way I choose, which is a feature I’m reluctant to let go of.
Xbox Play Anywhere is Xbox’s greatest exclusive
Prior to the vacation, I had been investing numerous hours into Dragon Age: The Veilguard in search of enjoyment, but despite my efforts, it didn’t deliver. In the end, I chose to uninstall it and not return. You could say I have a habit of sticking with games for too long even when they don’t bring me joy, which is perhaps due to the sunk cost fallacy. I’m working on overcoming this, and as my free time becomes more limited due to life’s demands, it seems like I’ve been forced to let go of this game.
I’ve been really enjoying diving into the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection, not because of any work or reviews, but purely for my own pleasure. So far, I’ve invested around 40 hours into playing Final Fantasy 1, 2, and 3, and I’m looking forward to tackling Final Fantasy 4 next. If it weren’t for the Xbox Play Anywhere feature, I wouldn’t have been able to put in that many hours of gameplay.
During the festive period, things can get quite hectic with relatives’ visits and social gatherings. This year was no exception in that regard. However, what made this holiday season stand out was my significantly increased capacity to enjoy Xbox games I desired. In other words, I hardly used my own Xbox for gaming over Christmas, although as the slogan goes, there were numerous “Xboxes” available for me to play on instead.
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection offers the Xbox Play Anywhere feature, allowing you to purchase the game once and play it on your PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One console, or any other device where you have internet access via a web browser at Xbox.com/play. What’s more, this collection is one of the rare games that not only supports playing via touch controls but also offers Xbox Cloud gaming, making it a truly “Xbox Play Anywhere” experience. The game’s turn-based JRPG format and 2D pixel graphics help reduce any potential lag associated with cloud gaming.
Whenever my partner claimed the TV, I’d move to my laptop instead. At bedtime, I’d switch to my phone, which was attached to the bed and linked via USB-C to an Xbox controller. In case I had to (dreadful thought) step outside, I could play it without an Xbox controller, using touch controls either over 4G or Wi-Fi connection.
This is the dream I have for Xbox’s future, where they consistently improve and bring their vision to life. No exclusive game on PlayStation, Nintendo, or any other platform could make me abandon this experience, as I yearn for a future where my games are portable, accessible whenever I want, and adjustable to fit my lifestyle at any given time. This is the ultimate goal that a platform holder should aim for, in my opinion. However, is it practical long-term? Can Microsoft realistically make this happen? Is it even feasible to mainstream? Additionally, is Steam OS making more progress toward achieving this than Microsoft is?
I want Xbox to keep innovating and realizing their vision. No game on any other platform could persuade me to give up this experience because I want my games to be portable, accessible whenever I want, and customizable to suit my lifestyle at any moment. This is the ideal goal for a platform holder, in my opinion. But is it possible long-term? Can Microsoft make this happen? Is it even feasible to become mainstream? Furthermore, is Steam OS advancing more quickly than Microsoft in this area?
Xbox Play Anywhere has a content problem, can Microsoft fix it?
At present, there are more than 650 games labeled as “Xbox Play Anywhere” available through the Xbox app for Windows 10 and 11. While some of these games may be considered ‘shovelware’ by a critical perspective, many others are mobile or tablet-focused. It’s disappointing to note that many of Microsoft’s own properties do not support Xbox Play Anywhere, as per the current filter. Games like Fallout 4, the latest DOOM series, and The Elder Scrolls are examples. If Microsoft appears uninterested in investing in experiences like these, it raises questions about their commitment to third-party developers.
As a tech enthusiast, I can’t help but notice the obvious: Steam OS is moving in the direction I’ve been dreaming about. Instead of focusing on platform policies, they’re leading with their operating system. Today, developers must choose to participate and design games for Xbox Play Anywhere. But That means any device compatible with Steam can play these games, with cloud saves included. Add NVIDIA GeForce Now cloud gaming into the mix, and you’ve got an offering that rivals Xbox’s, but with a significantly larger library of games.
Microsoft benefits significantly from its extensive library of content, but it appears they aren’t actively working on a large-scale migration of older games to their platform. Moreover, Xbox Play Anywhere, a feature with impressive capabilities, isn’t heavily promoted. Instead, it seems that the potential of this feature is subtly mentioned in the game listings filters rather than being prominently displayed for easy access.
As an analyst, I believe there is significant potential for Microsoft to amplify the promotion of their feature, such as Xbox Play Anywhere. This could be achieved through various strategies like integrating it more visibly in games, enhancing its iconography, and curating content on their apps. Additionally, providing incentives like subsidies to developers supporting this program would be beneficial.
Given the emergence of Steam OS and a shift away from Xbox console-exclusive games, it seems prudent for Microsoft to highlight Xbox Play Anywhere as a unique selling point, instead of allowing it to remain under the radar. I strongly encourage them to invest more in this area.
(And by more of this, I specifically mean Monster Hunter Stories.)
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2025-01-14 20:42