Accidentally posted before finishing my point. But I think where MS can succeed is building a platform that allows you to purchase a game once and play it anywhereâ"on console, âoeiPadâ/phone, handheld or any regular PC.

I think Microsoft has a decision to make about the future direction of Xbox hardware and Game Pass. On one hand, Sony is outselling them 2:1 and shows no signs of slowing down. Nintendo is launching a new console next year. Things arenâ(TM)t looking good when it comes to hardware. But on the other hand, the Steam Deckâ(TM)s success has inspired a flood of Windows-powered clones, and even the Steam Deck supports Windows now. These devices provide a whole new market for Game Pass and legacy Xbox games. But, they also open the playing field to Steam, GOG, Epic Store and a whole host of competitors. At some point, I wonder if some OEM will attempt building a mini-PC âoeconsoleâ that brings open platform gaming to the big screen, now that APUs are getting more powerful. In my opinion, Microsoft can forget about the hardware and license out the Xbox/Game Pass platform to OEMs. They need to focus their attention on competing with Steam and other game marketplaces, and focus on providing the best experience for purchasing and playing your digital games, regardless of device/form factor. They should eliminate any distinction between Xbox vs. PC Game Pass and provide a translation layer for Xbox games (either client side where supported or cloud-based).

I would imagine a lot of tickets were pre-sold for U2 but yes, capex + opex costs prior to opening are likely huge (plus hiring/training the staff theyâ(TM)ll need to operate.) I think their bigger issue going forward is that they still donâ(TM)t have a full calendar of performances for 2024. They were lucky to get U2 to extend their engagement. But I imagine a number of artists and performers still havenâ(TM)t figured out how to incorporate the unique multimedia experience into a showâ"these things take months if not years to prepare and rehearse. The early sale U2 tickets were generally in the $300-$500 range. My wife and I decided to look into it after friends raved about it, but at that point post open the only tickets available were $1200 âoeexperienceâ packages. Thatâ(TM)s a bit muchâ"even for a top tier show in Vegas.

They helped Russia (or perhaps even Rudy Giuliani) track former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch prior to her recall and Trumpâ(TM)s pressure campaign on Zelensky.