New Microsoft Xbox Series X Announcements

New Microsoft Xbox Series X Announcements

On February 24, Xbox head Phil Spencer released a blog post with the latest on the Xbox Series X.  This was the latest in a trickle of new information about the upcoming game system.  Once again, this is line with what DFC believes is a solid strategy of slowly leaking information to an eager audience. The official Microsoft blog post contained little in the way of new information.....
When Will We Officially See the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X?

When Will We Officially See the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X?

The year is young, but we are already looking towards the upcoming holiday season. There has been a continuing drought in terms of new big-ticket games being released. Right now, it looks that the launch of new console systems this fall may not see much in the way of new product. This begs the question, do the new console systems even need games to be successful? Of course, that is a rhetorical question and the answer is of course the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X need games. However.....

Minecraft Popularity Continues to Soar

Throughout 2019, DFC Intelligence has noted how Minecraft was making a major comeback among the school-age audience.  This was after a slow period of general decline with the Microsoft purchase and rise of Fortnite.  Over the summer, Minecraft saw a continued increase in usage.  The Minecraft ecosystem is poised to be a major driver of future video game industry trends. In May, we wrote about how M.....
Microsoft Announces New Project Scarlett Game Console

Microsoft Announces New Project Scarlett Game Console

On June 9, 2019, Microsoft held its annual E3 press conference.  The company announced some new product plans and confirmed the launch of a new console system in late 2020.  This new console is currently code-named Project Scarlett. DFC Intelligence is releasing its latest forecasts for all Microsoft systems including Project Scarlett.  Overall there were no major surprises with this s.....
Will it be Sony and Microsoft versus Google and Amazon?

Will it be Sony and Microsoft versus Google and Amazon?

Last week many industry observers were surprised when Sony and Microsoft announced a deal to work together on cloud games/AI and other technology.  This deal was done at the highest level of both companies.  The big question of many observers is whether Sony and Microsoft are teaming up to fight a perceived challenge from newcomers like Google and Amazon? The deal basically has Sony using some of Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform technology to develop game and content streaming serv.....

Minecraft Village and Pillage Expansion is Big for Microsoft

Minecraft is one of the most popular video games of all time. However, since developer Mojang was acquired by Microsoft in 2014 the game has seemed to stagnate. This seems to be changing. In 2019, DFC Intelligence has seen a major resurgence in Minecraft usage and interest.  The launch of Minecraft Village and Pillage has been a major success. In other words, Minecraft is cool again. DFC has written numerous reports on Minecraft over the years. In many ways, Minecraft is the Lego of t.....

At E3 2018 Microsoft Looks to the Future

News For several years, the major console manufacturers have nicely staggered their big press conferences.  Traditionally, Microsoft goes first on the Sunday before the show starts.  So Sunday June 10 the Microsoft press conference launched the start of E3 2018 (assuming one does not consider Saturday’s EA Play event an official part of E3).  Going into E3 2018 Microsoft faced a difficult task.  The company has very few exclusives for 2018 and sales have not been strong for the.....
Microsoft Partners for $299 Virtual Reality Headsets

Microsoft Partners for $299 Virtual Reality Headsets

At a Windows 10 and Surface press conference in New York City, Microsoft Corp. announced it was partnering with Acer, Asus, Dell, Hewlett Packard and Lenovo to bring Windows 10 virtual reality headsets to market at prices that will start at $299 retail. The OEMs will take advantage of VR and augmented reality support built into Microsoft’s Edge browser. .....