Microsoft's Xbox 360 dominated the video game industry, alongside Sony's PlayStation 3, but over the years, the company's grasp has been waning.
In a lengthy article by The Verge, the Xbox 360 established Microsoft as a powerhouse in the video game console department while also being one of the best options for streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu and Pandora.
And as the trend in entertainment went away from physical media and cable subscriptions, the company's second console seemed like a test run for Microsoft's future plans of dominating America's living rooms.
Obviously, the Xbox One is an improvement on many things that critics and fans loved about the 360 like a better Kinect, faster and better specs and new hardware that merges your console to your cable box.
However, with lack of talks regarding games, the Xbox One fell flat and even almost 2 years after its release, it's still trailing behind its main competition — the Sony PlayStation 4.
But still, fans should not worry because Microsoft has not abandoned the Xbox, because, actually, it's more committed than ever to the console.
According to the International Business Times, gaming consoles remain a big part of Microsoft's upcoming plans and strategy. Moreover, the company will continue to invest in consoles even in the foreseeable future.
Currently, Microsoft offers its users the option to play several Xbox One games on Windows 10 PCs, raising speculations that the console was being "diluted" and the Xbox could one day morph into an app or a storefront or a brand.
Although the company continues to reiterate its support for the console, it's not hard to see why speculations about its future continue to bother analysts.
Many gamers were angered by the Xbox One's focus on television and its rather expensive price — a full hundred dollars more than the PlayStation 4.
The company's gaming boss Phil Spencer insisted that Microsoft learned from its past mistakes and again reiterated that they are "100 percent committed" to its ever expanding console experience.
Spencer said, "I love that console experience. It's obviously the core of what Xbox is about, and Xbox One is our most important gaming device inside the company. There's no doubt about that."
In fact, to show its support, Geek reported that Microsoft repeated its $299 Xbox One bundle offer for this year's Christmas.
All Xbox One bundles will receive a $50 discount and will be available until Dec. 26.
Among the included bundles are "The Lego Movie Videogame Bundle," the "Special Edition Gears of War Bundle" and the Xbox One 1TB Holiday Bundle among many other options.
