WI:Microsoft entered the Video game business earlier in the 90s?

Er, hey there.
I was wondering what would happened if SEGA exited the console market business after Sony entered in the console market but instead Microsoft joined in the video game business earlier in the 90s along with Nintendo and Sony.

I wonder what microsoft would made an console earlier in the 90s rather than the 2000s, What would the video game lineup would be like if Microsoft entered in the video game business not long after SEGA exited the console market in the 90s.
 
Sakura_F did a timeline on a Sega/MS combo. That's probably the most realistic way to get MS into the video game business early. Sega bowing out pre-Dreamcast is unlikely, for all kinds of reasons including irrational ones like pride.

MS did also consider buying Nintendo, but that's like 2000 IIRC.


The line-up? Sega Dreamcast plus some games from MS first party studios and third party publishing I suppose. A longer streak of crazy Sega games plus PSO pushed like crazy, if Lionhead and Bungie are still MS studios ITTL that's a few games.

Edit: I also agree with Nivek below me, MS money pumping Dreamcast would work well. Or MS launching on their own in 1997, but I'm unsure if they'd gain much traction that year.
 
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The place is where, mos pausable would be 1996-1997 with 3D accelerators being in rage and common plus DirectX fully functional as graphic accelerator and developer tools, as sega was relative weak even after poor show, a 1998 dreamcast who is backward compatible and with financial and tech muscle would be strong.
 
Could Microsoft have ever done something like a 3DO or a CD-i? Because that's half what I imagine a Microsoft console (at least a pre-95 one) would end up like.
 
Isn't the game console a dead end, big in the 1990s, but by today most non-hardcore basement gamers are casually gaming on their phones and tablets? That's where Microsoft needed to lead, tablets with mobile gaming.
 
Isn't the game console a dead end, big in the 1990s, but by today most non-hardcore basement gamers are casually gaming on their phones and tablets? That's where Microsoft needed to lead, tablets with mobile gaming.
Yeah, but I think at that time (mid 90s) people had never really considered that. At most you might get some more Game Boy / Game Gear type project trying to get the niche that the DS eventually got in OTL (before it got overtaken by phones / tablets).
 
Could Microsoft have ever done something like a 3DO or a CD-i? Because that's half what I imagine a Microsoft console (at least a pre-95 one) would end up like.
Agreed, that would be the obvious way for MS to go in terms of consoles.

Well they did that already, albeit more focused on computing, with the MSX. Problem is that's a very much 1980s thing and never really moved outside Japan. But a console box MSX2 kinda thing could fit the bill in the early 1990s. Japanese third parties were on board, American third parties would prefer MS over Sega, Europe will I dunno throw everything into supporting the Amiga :).

(Depending on how smart MS is—in the early 90s they were evil and ruthless and randomly smart—they could supplant Sega and beat Nintendo, although Sony could prove tougher.)
 
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