It feels like something has changed.

It only takes a brief trip to the comments on one of the big publisher's tweets to see the vitriol that is still slung between Xbox and PlayStation devout.

That being said, Sony's laser focus on its PlayStation hardware felt like it was all about winning in the present, within the current set of rules.

On the other side of the coin, it's felt like Xbox has been building for the future. Game Pass has become bigger and bigger.

Before this week, Microsoft felt like it was building for a future.

This acquisition feels like a big shift between the two approaches.

That future that Microsoft was building feels like the now.

The conversation feels increasingly like it's moving further and further away from who is selling the most hardware, to who has the most market share and members in their ecosystem.

It feels less like the competition is a battle of brands, and one more of mega-corporations.

Increasingly it feels less like the competition is a battle of brands, and one more of mega-corporations.

It's not Xbox Series X/S taking on the PS5 and Nintendo Switch.

It's a sentiment that Xbox boss Phil Spencer echoed in a recent interview with Washington Post?

Spencer took over the Xbox brand when it was battered after a direct conflict with Sony in the hardware space.

It's very possible Microsoft, Nintendo, Valve, and Sony may find themselves more often on the same side than not in future struggles for the space. 

At this point though, it feels like any lingering 'console wars' discussion is archaic on top of being as silly as it always was

It's always been asinine, but now it feels outdated, especially as the companies it focused on will more likely find themselves on the same side of future industry shifts than not