this post was submitted on 05 Nov 2025
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[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 21 points 13 hours ago

The last vestiges of the software company Microsoft died when they killed Windows Phone. What’s left is just Microsoft the IP holding company and hedge firm.

The Xbox lost money for its entire life, but the point was to make enough of a splash to guarantee the next consoles were a success. When the red ring debacle happened Microsoft spent billions to make it right in order to save the brand and the company’s reputation. Now they are content to kill Xbox in favor of licensed branding and a subscription.

Windows Phone represented an investment that went all the way back to Windows CE and Windows Mobile and devices like the Dreamcast and later the Zune with partnerships including Palm, Samsung, Motorola, Toshiba, and Sega as well as a merging of the Windows code base that allowed universal Windows/Xbox/Surface apps to be built. Then, literally weeks after HP announced a new Windows Phone device catalog with capabilities like docking stations and a desktop interface, they killed it off for that quarter’s profits.

It was clear to me then that the last bits of the culture that saved the Xbox and cared about software and longevity was gone.