Microsoft's latest Xbox marketing push reinforces the sales pitch that Xbox is a broad platform and ecosystem, not a console destination.
In it, the company argues that basically every device you own is an Xbox. This is another marketing beat for the pile, but it's also a high-profile, carefully worded crystallization of what Xbox has been pursuing for years. "Whether you have an Xbox console, PC, Samsung Smart TV, handheld, mobile phone, Amazon FireTV Stick, or even a Meta Quest, you have an Xbox," reads the description of a new YouTube video titled "This Is an Xbox." This line boils it down: "In fact, you're probably reading this right now from an Xbox." A short, jokey quiz attached to the campaign doubles down, highlighting the access and advantage of each of these platforms. "The ASUS ROG Ally X and other gaming handhelds offer a portable way to stream games with Game Pass Ultimate," for instance.
Likewise, "the Xbox app on Windows PC can magically transform personal computers into Xboxes." Even "your favorite mobile devices can become convenient, pocket-sized Xboxes." And on and on.
This isn't a dramatic shift in messaging for Xbox, but it does feel like an especially loud rejection of the traditional console model.
Earlier this year, with the reveal of that Fire TV Game Pass partnership, Xbox proudly claimed "no console needed." Very literally redefining what qualifies as an Xbox feels like the next logical step in that process, even if some longtime fans of the platform may be disappointed to see the console presence diluted as an inevitable consequence.