They can still have Exclusives to get people into their ecosystem and use their 'IP's' like Sony do. Sony have 'timed' exclusivity on some of their games - like Spider-Man, R&C, God of War etc. Once these games have been used to sell PS5's and the sales have dropped, they are released on PC to extract money from a different group of gamers.
If they port Starfield to PS5 after a year or two 'exclusivity', that game isn't bringing people to Xbox anymore, its whatever game(s) are out around that time - Fable, Perfect Dark etc. Its not bringing in Gamers and not making MS money. They only have 'Playstation' in reality, maybe Switch/Switch 2 IF they can run it well enough on that hardware to extract money from as the game is already on PC/Steam.
Sony has used 'timed' exclusivity to get people in - either with their 'own' games before releasing to another ecosystem (PC/Steam) or with 3rd Party games (Deathloop, Ghostwire, Final Fantasy, Forspoken). Yes you 'could' wait for those games to release elsewhere, but to play Day 1, you have to have a Playstation.
Another 'advantage' for MS and why people may 'choose' to buy Xbox over a Playstation is that those games will cost to play Day 1 - pay £70 to play CoD on PS5, but its 'Free' with Game Pass, pay £70 to play Starfield or £70 to play Doom, but can play 'free' on PC/Xbox with Game Pass...
I know that some may well choose to buy on PS rather than play 'free' on Game Pass or would rather 'wait' for whatever games MS choose to bring to PS eventually, but I still expect MS to have 'exclusives', even if they end up only being exclusive for a year or so.
@themightyant Ninja Theory have put a few video's out this week - meet the cast (4 videos), The Story so far and Senuas Psychosis Feature (23mins).
Its not a long game, but as its not really gearing up for 'sales' as the majority will likely play on Game Pass, its not a 'Physical' release with some 'limited edition Steelbook version' for example. It doesn't really need a 'long' marketing cycle to drum up Hype to maximise pre-orders to get an idea of how many copies to manufacture/distribute in time, its digital only.
They can also let their 'Game Pass' Community and Critical reviews to 'market' the game/game pass subscriptions. Those with Game Pass will no doubt use 'word of mouth' to get more people to try Hellblade or get Game Pass to play Hellblade if they enjoy it and if it reviews well, more may be tempted to try it 'free' on Game Pass or buy it...
I'm only interested in Immortals. It looked like a game of Style over Substance - with generic characters, plot and game-play - not something I wanted to buy at launch but maybe would have picked up in a Sale at some point.
@themightyant Another point about Sony is that the majority of their games are Single Player with little reason to replay. That may be a factor in Gamers purchasing as they may want to sell that game when they finish it - they can't do that with Digital.
Another aspect is that the PS5 Digital is not as popular as the Disc model. In other words, the 'majority' os PS5 gamers have access to a Disc drive for Physical media. With Xbox, their 'smallest' install base is the Series X, the ONLY system with a Disc drive. Series S and PC will buy Digitally.
On top of that, with Sony, the only way to play R&C, Spider-Man etc on Day 1 was to 'buy'. With Xbox, the vast majority will likely be playing 'Digitally' via Game Pass.
So when you look at the Gamers in each ecosystem, MS is only selling Physical to the 'few' on a Series X who 'prefer' to buy Physical AND don't/won't Subscribe to Game Pass - which is a very small percentage compared to Sony with their PS5 Disc model as the most popular (probably more than Series S/X has sold combined) and no 'free' digital option day 1 to disrupt 'Physical' sales.
I'm not going out to buy Starfield, Hellblade etc Day 1 when I can play 'free'. I may buy a Physical copy in a year or so on sale if available but just as likely to buy Digitally in a sale too. On Playstation, if I want to play day 1, then you have to buy and Physical is often cheaper because of retailer competition.
@Fishmasterflex96 Considering the ONLY gamers able to buy a 'Physical' release are those few on a Series X who prefer to buy Physical and don't/won't subscribe to Game Pass.
Series S and PC gamers, by far the largest two in terms of users as the Series S has outsold the Series X, are digital only platforms. They aren't buying Physical copies!
I would expect the vast majority of Series X owners will likely download and play this via Game Pass and/or buy it digitally anyway. Therefore, why spend money on manufacturing and distributing a game that very few will actually buy - its not 'stopping' them from buying and playing if they really wanted as its still available digitally. Its not as if you have to miss out because you can't buy it in your region or for your hardware.
I 'prefer' Physical myself as I like to have something I can 'hold' for my money, see my collection on the shelf grow etc but if a game I want is not available in that format, I'll buy digitally to play rather than 'miss out'.
Why make 1m Physical copies when it may not sell more than 10k because so 'few' people will 'choose' to buy it on Series X when most 'buy' digitally and/or will not 'buy' Hellblade because its on Game Pass anyway.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner Why would you by a console if you have a PC? Would be better off buying a Playstation/Switch for the games you can't play Day 1.
Why upgrade to a Series S/X? Most games are out on XB1S/X and some of the next gen games can be played on Cloud.
Why buy a Series S/X? Despite the 'Promise' of games from all these Acquisitions over the past 5yrs, we are still waiting for Fable, Perfect Dark etc. Redfall & Starfield over the past few years maybe aren't the 'killer' games to bring people in when up against Spider-Man, R&C, Horizon, God of War. Where are the Games that will bring in the Players?
It's all very well having one of the 'best' value hardware or services, but if the Content isn't really there 'yet', despite all that potential, Especially as the Console Hardware is not necessary to play the 'few' games you may want to play, its not going to tempt people in.
Not only that, if we look at the state of the world in many regions, its understandable why they aren't spending money on Gaming. Its not the 'dedicated' Hardcore gamers - they have the Hardware, they still buy games/content, but its an expensive leisure activity in a economically difficult time for many who would rather 'wait' for Sales, buy 'used' Games/Hardware etc or play the free/old games they have instead of spending money on 'new'.
Xbox and Sony are still selling Hardware, just not at the quantity they had predicted, expected and/or projected. Instead of selling 20m this year as 'predicted', they may only sell 10m. I can't really think of a 'big' game release in the last 6months or so for Microsoft - Sony had Helldivers 2 at least...
People not spending enough time and money whilst playing on their X360's through the 360 Store to keep the 360 store open. At least they have given people enough notification that the Store will be closing.
The 360 is NO longer in Production and no longer Actively supported by Microsoft. Those games ONLY run on an Xbox 360 - Hardware that's no longer for sale so MS receives 'nothing' from that to keep it open. Declining, if not practically non-existing (bar minor blips when sales are announced) money coming in from anything '360' related, to keep it open
Money better spent on the here and now, the future and the places where people are spending time/money...
If those games aren't playable 'today' on Hardware, blame publishers or devs. They 'own' them!! You can't buy Every game today on the PS3 store or Buy every game if own a PS2, a N64, a OG Xbox etc either - They had 'Physical' releases, but only made a certain number and don't make them anymore either so they're gone too.
The price of these, I bet that just covers any costs with nothing going to the publishers/devs....
Personally I have no interest in MMO's myself so have no interest in this or trying it. My Son on the other hand has spent hundreds of hours in it, often playing with his then Girlfriend. Its also continued to get supported on Playstation too so I'd imagine it has a large community across all platforms that play it to keep growing that with more and more content.
Same with Fallout 76 too as far as I am concerned - another game my Son enjoyed and spent Hundreds of hours playing but despite enjoying Fallout, I won't play.
@cragis0001 At the end of the day they are committed to their Series S/X customers and have Games coming, even if not at the 'speed' or 'quality' in the 'genre/style' they want to Console for them to play on Game Pass or if not, buy. Those games, if bought digitally may well be Play Anywhere (as in you get whichever version you play on - PC or Xbox) so that may help in 'transition'.
In other words, with Game Pass Ultimate for Consoles - just because it has Online included, and maybe checking which Xbox games are Play Anywhere when you buy, IF you decide to go for a Handheld PC Console - even though its a 'PC' its only useful as a 'PC' when docked with a K&M and bigger Screen - you've already got a Library of games, let alone 'free' games, old games etc that play superbly anywhere, anytime - it's not that much of a Risk in cost.
If Games run 'well' enough on a Series S - then Games run well enough on a handheld in general if you target the right settings/res for the power - reduce power for longer battery - lower settings or frame rate expectations.
For me, its 2 things that stop me using my RoG as much as I could is the 'Comfort' (too small for me) and the User Interface. If you have a PC, you know what windows is like but that's the OS layer that you could see 'briefly' as you Start up and then it 'loads' straight into Ally's Game UI which gives you access to your games (downloaded) and/or apps (Xbox/Steam) with Tabs to settings for the whole handset to your preferences as you'd expect from a console.
It's just not been the 'best' experience but designing, optimising and ensuring its working for their intended audience takes time and tweaks - Steam Deck wasn't great to start but Valve has refined that over years - much like XB1 was very different UI to where its at now. This looks like a big Overhaul of that 'interface' - the bit that crosses the bridge between really needing it to be a PC to get things working as you'd hope as its a bit fiddly without K&M, and the Simplicity of being a Console (and yes BOTH have to deal with updates!) Game and System Level updates.
MS are working on a 'Windows' Lite/Gaming mode for their OS - especially as low power PC's with decent built in GPU's can now play 'modern' games at reasonable spec (1080p for example or even 720p on a Handheld). Series S is 4TF GPU & 8/16 CPU on a chip with 10GB RAM, SSD too - targeting 1440p . These handhelds can have similar specs with 16GB RAM (min) and targeting quarter the res (720p) in a handheld...
Difference is 'Power' and Memory Bandwidth - something a Series S has in its advantage.
You don't have to decide today - you have the current hardware and it's 'Life' cycle to decide where to go 'next' based on what that landscape looks like. In a few years, you'll likely see even more 'powerful' Hand helds maybe even with RT/AI (apple chips can) too more powerful than a Series X and you realise you don't need the next Xbox because you have all your games on your Handheld PC....
Whilst I too am disappointed in Studio closures, there is a difference between buying an independent Studio and buying a Publisher with Multiple Studios in a 'bundle'.
MS could have bought Zenimax because they really wanted their Back Catalogue (Publishing rights), IP's like Fallout, Doom, Elder Scrolls etc, the tech (id tech Engine, Creation engine) and/or some of the Studios (id Software, Machine Games, Bethesda) but to get them, had to buy 'everything'.
Obsidian have probably been the most Productive too of the new Studios. We are still waiting for games from Compulsion, undead Labs etc, yet Obsidian have delivered Pentiment, Grounded and some Outer Worlds DLC, as well as working on Avowed and Outer Worlds 2.
Both Arkane Austin and Tango may not have had anything in development and requiring a lot of investment to get those Studio's up to full capacity to bring games to market in a reasonable time frame. Arkane Austin lost a lot of Staff because of Zenimax pushing them to make Redfall and Tango too lost the creator behind the Evil Within.
As I said, I'm disappointed with the news this week, but I don't think Obsidian are in the same situation with Avowed nearing completion and Outer Worlds 2 in development. Also MS bought Obsidian specifically.
@iplaygamesnstuff They can't preserve Games they don't own or have any publishing rights too. Preservation doesn't mean keeping a '360' store open forever when the '360' Hardware has long been out of production so therefore these games are 'useless' as they ONLY run on 360.
Preservation is about making games 'available' and most importantly, playable on any hardware in the future. Microsoft don't own the Software (game code), licences or even the Publishing rights to Third Party releases. Ubisoft own FarCry and its up to them to decide whether or not they want to preserve it - or maybe would rather get you to buy 'newer' Far Cry games or maybe even a remaster/port of old games.
MS can't 'preserve' Spider-Man games made by Treyarch for example and can't 'sell' that through their Store, make it Backwards Compatible to play on Series Hardware etc because that game was delisted as they no longer had the Marvel Licence. Its 'illegal' to sell without the Licence as you are profiting from their IP they had no rights to.
The ONLY games from the Past that Microsoft can 'Preserve' is the games that they 'owned' without any 'complicated' 3rd Party Licences - that includes Licenced Music, Brands (inc Cars in racing games) or IP's (like Marvel, James Bond or Star Wars) as they need 'permission' and/or renewed Licences from ALL 3rd Parties involved.
Other games, like Fifa, is it really worth preserving every annual release? Are you really going to go back and play Fifa 07 or Fifa 15 when you have Fifa 20, 21 etc or EA FC.
Anyway, I don't play on my 360 anymore so any game from that Era that I can't play elsewhere is too late to appeal. If I was that desperate to have played, I'd have bought them during the 360 era.
As far as I am concerned, I couldn't care less about this game and certainly wouldn't be inclined to buy it. I wouldn't go as far to say that its Dead on Arrival or definitely will fail (even if only on Xbox) without Game Pass but you can't expect people to 'try' it without providing some way to do that 'risk free' - either a Free Demo or via a Sub Service. If the Only way to 'try' is to buy and then you can't get your money back as its a Digital Only purchase if you don't think it's worth your time/money, then why 'try'.
As someone with Game Pass, I don't expect EVERY game to release Day/Date into that service. However, EVERY game is competing for my time with some games requiring a Financial expenditure before I can play. Why spend £20 to play something when I can play many 'similar' games at no cost, would rather spend my time in some other games I already have access to.
I'd be much more inclined to try this if it was on Game Pass and much more likely to be able to play with friends as they too can access it via Game Pass instead of waiting until they get paid or trying to convince them to buy...
I would guess that they would be about ready to reveal whatever they have been working on since Doom Eternal. That released in 2020, 4 years after they released the rebooted 'Doom'.
Its been 4yrs - although Doom Eternal was still being supported with DLC and 'next-gen' upgrades into 2021 and with this being their 'first' new game since new Hardware came out, could take a bit longer, so maybe are now ready to reveal their follow-up to 2020's Doom.
With Indiana Jones and Starfield DLC expected, hopefully this will be Positive for these remaining Studios as Games become the focus...
On the subject of 'Hands-off' or 'Hands-on' from a Publisher, we have seen 'MANY' examples of Publishers pushing their developers to make certain games, make them a certain way (live Service), stifle creativity, release games too soon etc etc.
Arkane Austin came out and stated they never wanted to make a Live Service game, weren't set up for or had the experience to make their 'style' of games as a Live Service but Zenimax, as the Publisher, owner and funding that Studio insisted.
Do you really want 'MS' going to Ninja Theory and telling them they now have to make Hellblade 3 but now it needs some online Live Service element with Cosmetics sold as MTX or tell Bethesda to make a Starfield online game to go alongside F76/ESO instead of ES6/F5.
In a 'Hands-off' situation, you are letting the Studio Manager manage that Studio, decide what Game they as a Team will make next, manage that team and Deadlines, Seek help and/or support if/when problems arise, keep their 'Bosses' in the loop. It shouldn't be 'Phil', it should be the Studio manager if a Game fails, isn't ready on time etc - that was 'their' job to manage and to keep their Publisher in the 'loop', let them know if they need more help/support and/or if things aren't going to plan.
MS's role should be to help that Studio, get the Staff in if needed, facilitate training and/or a support network so Devs can create the games they want. Having an 'expert' in UE5 or Animations or networking etc to help Studios achieve their ambition.
That's why I think that Hands Off is not necessarily a BAD thing but Studio managers are not managing 'their' studio's or being honest with their bosses. You can't say 343i have 'managed' Halo or their Studio well - and that should be their 'responsibility'. 343i should be telling MS its not ready or they need help/time, not waiting until its nearly expecting to release and then the whole world sees how 'bad' it is. MS gave them 'more' time, more support to get it out at all.
In a Hands-Off system, the Managers of individual studios are 'responsible' for those. They may have to answer to a 'group' manager (maybe Head of Xbox Studios or Head of Zenimax) who has to report to 'head' of ALL gaming Studios. Phil is 'head' of Microsoft Gaming (not just Studios, but of Hardware, of Marketing/events).
I don't really want Phil telling Double Fine they have to make a Live Service game instead of facilitating the Game that Studio wants to create and if that flops, the Studio get thrown under the bus. I'd rather Double Fine make the game they want facilitated by MS and if that Flops, its a reflection of that Studio, the manager etc because they had the 'full' support of MS to 'deliver' and the Manager failed...
@Titntin The market is better and stronger with three key players, so I hope that situation remains.
They are ALL competing for your Time - along with ALL the other Publishers and 'leisure' services. Its competing with Netflix or whatever other way you choose to spend your 'time' doing.
That's why you see 'more and more' live services, Games designed to keep you coming back to spend 'time' in that ecosystem. A 10hr game is only keeping you 'engaged' for 10hrs and after, may go to another 'ecosystem' to spend your time - maybe your money elsewhere too...
Those '3' are not the only players, just the ones with some Hardware. Don't buy 'EA' or 'Square Enix' games and you could lose those Publishers competing for your time and money on ALL platforms. Those with Hardware at least have the added 'income' from 3rd Party Publishers and 'forced' Subscriptions and those releases fill in the gaps between 1st party releases.
Its obvious we care about Gaming but our time and money is limited and many are more casual - prefer to play Fortnite or Minecraft in their spare time than buy 'new' games, maybe pick up the odd game in a sale. So they aren't spending the money or supporting the industry, they are opting to watch Netflix or spend their 'limited' time on games they have instead of spending money...
WB lost millions on Suicide Squad and you have to fear that WB as a Game Publisher making the type of games that we want has gone and could disappear. Ubisoft seemed on course to crash with its NFT's and flops. Lose those, and that's 'less' competition for your time/money - fewer games to buy...
Hellblade isn't 'competing' with Sony or Nintendo - its competing with EVERY Game (new/old) for your time and/or money. If you prefer to spend your time playing Minecraft or watching Netflix, then its not competing for your time or money regardless of what Nintendo/Sony release.
Wasn't really a game designed for me. If it wasn't for the Mental Health and Audio, the basic Game-play loop wasn't that enjoyable. The Combat wasn't the best and puzzle areas rather dull/boring so I never finished the game. I've tried several times but still have yet to finish.
I am also in no rush to play HB2 - it looks stunning, but I've not seen anything that makes me believe the Game-play loop will be any better - an interactive 'movie'.
If it didn't have the 'praised' approach to the Mental Health aspect of this and the superb Audio, I doubt it would have got the Awards it did. It loses a LOT by not playing on a decent headset as a result, notice how 'average' the Game-play loop is.
Whilst 'no-one' wants to see Jobs lost and Studio's closing, when you buy a job lot, a bundle, you don't necessarily want 'everything' but you had to take everything - the trash with the treasures so to speak.
I have some Games, some accessories etc from buying 'Bundles' that I've never used or even opened. I didn't want or need them, but they came included with the Console I really wanted.
MS may have wanted the IP's, the Publishing Rights, the tech (id tech, creation engines), Some Studio's (like id Software, Bethesda, MachineGames) etc but had to take Everything as a Job Lot. With the state of the world and its impact on Gaming, Projections too are different than they were 2 or 3 yrs ago when Gaming boomed.
When times are tough, you may sell those 'extras' you got in Bundles but never really wanted/used, sell things Surplus to your requirements. MS didn't necessarily 'buy' Tango or Arkane Austin - not like they bought Obsidian, Ninja Theory or Double Fine for example, they bought Zenimax as a Bundle, a Job Lot.
@Kevw2006 @Kezelpaso Cherry picking certain criteria to suit the Narrative - best selling PS5 'only' game bought through PS Store - not including all the other games sold for other platforms (inc PS4/Xbox/PC/Switch) or by other retailers (Game, Amazon)
@cragis0001 with potentially better, more comfortable design. They thought people would prefer lightweight/thin - not bigger with more impressive Battery life but heavier. Also its Black this time.
I'm a bit disappointed the Specs haven't really improved, but with vastly improved 'Software', the RoG Ally in general could benefit. My biggest gripe is that it feels too small and awkward in my hands - nowhere near as comfortable or as easy to hit the face buttons as a controller.
A PC like RoG Ally is not that expensive and its not tied specifically to Microsoft or Game Pass. Not only that, you have 100's, if not 1000's of Free Games, emulation of old Console games etc as well as access to Steam, Xbox, Epic stores - as well as many other Store fronts selling games much cheaper than RRP because more competition. You aren't paying for Game Pass Core/PS+ Essential just to play Online too.
Of course if you really want to match or 'beat' what a Console can 'offer' in terms of Performance metrics (resolution, RT, Frame Rates etc) then yes it can get 'more' expensive - but for around the Price of a Series X or PS5, you can have a PC with significantly higher games library, ability to play EVERY Xbox game as well as most of Sony's (eventually), PC exclusives and many Old games lost to Console gamers today. Not tied to a screen, can play anywhere, any time...
Of course it may not be 4k/60 but you can play on ANY PC - whether you upgrade to newer generations of Handhelds, get a Desktop/Laptop etc. If Xbox 'disappears' for example, PC's won't.
I don't know that I'd buy another 'Xbox' console - it could be a pointless waste of Money for 'me' as it doesn't offer anything I can't do 'elsewhere' (like on a PC) and maybe not as well as my Hardware. I have a 4090 Dock for my RoG Ally for example so could dock that to my TV for '4k' with DLSS 3.0 and beat my Xbox Series X.
Console though is easier and certainly something I'd prefer to buy for kids than a 'PC' - especially younger kids. If they stop subsidising hardware though, will Consoles still be 'cheap' for the Performance they deliver and if you want '60fps', PC maybe the only 'realistic' choice...
However, PushSquare state that Fallout 4 was the best selling game of April (in the UK) - the top 10 was as follows:-
1. Fallout 4 2. EA Sports FC 24 3. Helldivers 2 4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 5. Grand Theft Auto V 6. Hogwarts Legacy 7. Red Dead Redemption 2 8. Fallout: New Vegas 9. Fallout 76 10. WWE 2K24
Which would make sense that a game released on the last day (although did have some 'Early Access' options too) wasn't the 'best' selling game over the whole month.
I know EU and UK are not the same, but it does seem odd. Maybe its 'cherry' picked info - the 'most' downloaded game on Playstation in April as Physical sales of other games reduced the need to download - and games like Fallout 4 are 'cheap' Physically or already downloaded in readiness for the Free update...
Taking games where ever you want to play, with the decline of Physical which are often 'locked' to a specific Hardware SKU, and of course Play Anywhere with Direct Storage with Digital enabling you to download the specific Software for your machine seems to be the plan.
That doesn't mean that if you bought Forza Horizon 5 on 'disc' that you can then use that on some future Playstation or PC hardware to keep playing. It probably means that if you bought Digitally through the MS store and sign into a Microsoft account, those games will still be playable - even if there is NO native version to 'download', you may have to Stream it.
If you buy Xbox games digitally, you get whatever version for your hardware - whether its a XB1S, XB1X, Series S, Series X or PC thanks to Play Anywhere/Direct Storage so I expect that it would ONLY be for their games bought through their Digital Stores only - so you'd need your MS account to keep playing your MS games on 'ANY' future devices.
@cragis0001 With AMD, nVidia etc making smaller and more powerful APU's for smaller, thinner PC's, I do wonder whether or not these will take over from 'locked' Consoles.
You can build a Handheld to play Series S Quality (albeit maybe a max 1080p instead of 1440p) and get similar performance. With it being a smaller screen, any visual issues are significantly reduced.
If MS can optimise Windows in a 'Gaming' mode with a great User Interface, then why buy a Console that limits when/where/what you can play. PC has Xbox & Sony games, and you can play many old Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox, Sega etc games via emulation too. They already come with the Xbox Store, Epic Store, Steam store etc anyway...
I'll be watching the RoG Ally 2 reveal with interest...
@shoeses Sony doesn't 'own' the Marvel licence as that is of course owned by Disney. What I mean is that they no longer hold the Licence and therefore cannot sell those games. They don't have the licence or rights to make money from another's 'IP'.
@K1LLEGAL I doubt we will see any Marvel games Activision made coming to Game Pass due to the fact that they don't have the Marvel licence anymore.
Treyarch's Spider-Man 2 was a Great game but Sony has the licence to Spider-Man now and why games like Ultimate Alliance, Deadpool & Spider-Man games were delisted.
I'd also like the Transformers Cybertron games but I think these to will not be on Game Pass or playable via Backwards Compatibility due to Licencing issues.
I think it could take a while for MS to re-organise and/or implement changes that ABK made under Koticks management.
Call of Duty was Infinity Wards creation to 'compete' with EA's Battlefield/Medal of Honor games. However, IW wanted more time to create CoD4 so Treyarch was shifted from their games (like Spider-Man, Quantum of Solace etc) so CoD wouldn't miss a year. By the XB1 era, games were taking longer so more and more Studio's were pulled from whatever IP's/Games they were making to work on supporting CoD. Studios (like Neversoft) were merged into other studios to support CoD.
Call of Duty was ABK's biggest IP and it seemed that Kotick would rather ensure CoD released every Oct/Nov time regardless for the Holiday season than have multiple games out in a year, put all their eggs into one basket. There was talk of another Crash after the success of 4, but CoD took priority.
Therefore you have all those Studios at Activision who were all working on Call of Duty. Blizzard too has many studios but in recent years haven't exactly been prolific.
Of course I'd like to see more Games from these Studios - not just more 'CoD', but a range of games. They had a LOT more Studios and Developers than the entire 'Xbox Game Studios' yet seem to release far fewer games.
If the rumours are true, then they should feel confident. Shattered Space (Starfield expansion) for September, CoD in October, Avowed and MSFS 24 in November with Indiana Jones in December (if rumours are true) would give MS a decent line-up for their Show.
That's their own games, but Stalker 2 and other partner games, as well as whatever games they want to show that are due in 2025 and beyond that will add to the overall impact.
That's without considering any 'older' games, inc ABK games that will come to Game Pass.
@cragis0001 I can't recommend the RoG Ally myself - its 'OK' but no substitute for a Console - not without at least a eGPU dock. But this is just first gen and no doubt, tech will advance too.
I can see MS maybe making Hardware - similar to them making Surface Hardware - maybe even a 'Surface Xbox Handheld' PC. Others like Asus, MSi, Alienware etc can make 'alternatives' to compete - like they do with Tablets/laptops that compete with MS's Surface line.
PC's will have 3rd Party support regardless and work on Windows. Therefore I think if MS sorted out 'Windows' or could build a better UI for gaming on Windows PC to make it easier for Console gamers to 'plug & play' essentially without worrying about PC centric issues that put them off, then why buy a Console?
£600 for a 'complete' solution - inc a Screen isn't that bad. Its also a lot cheaper than the £1000's some think they need to spend to get into PC gaming and a RoG Ally competes with Steam Deck on performance etc. A modern Console costs £500 and ideally needs a decent modern Screen with 4k HDR 120hz VRR capability to make the most of it - and they aren't exactly cheap. A console also requires a Subscription to play online - a PC doesn't. Swings and roundabouts of course and who knows what the future brings.
I wonder if people think its the 'best' because it was the first of the rebooted games and was quite different to its predecessors as we got a young Lara that had much more character depth and development as well as a change in its Game-play loop.
The Subsequent games built on that but maybe didn't feel quite as fresh/new as a result. Personally I really enjoyed the Trilogy of games and ALL the DLC. The first also tried to do a MP mode that I thought was really mediocre.
@Sol4ris LOL - I would say the exact same (and have done) over there too. I don't think it's quite as bad as saying an 'Xbox' game has more Game-play depth than those Sony games and can justify that with the more RPG like elements and non-linear structure.
That doesn't mean everyone will prefer TR to those of course, but I did...
Personally, I loved the reboot and the subsequent games in the trilogy. I actually prefer TR to games it inspired - like Uncharted or Last of Us as the Game-play had more depth. I'd highly recommend this and the other games in the Trilogy...
If Win 11 had an 'Xbox' UI built into it, then any PC handheld is essentially an 'Xbox' portable.
The problem is building their own for say £500 but 'locked' to only Xbox as a 'Series S' in portable form type Console would be putting it into 'direct' competition with Handheld PC's - all playing Xbox, but also open to ALL the other games too.
Not only that, these PC manufacturers will likely be upgrading to better specs on a far more frequent basis, potentially leaving Xbox 'behind'.
Another way to look at it is treat it similar to Surface line and again Sort out Win 11 to give a more 'Xbox' UI and experience when gaming to make it more accessible and 'easy'. Asus had to make their 'own' gaming UI but if they 'competed' (like they do with Surface Hardware), they could make it more Xbox Console user friendly but still a 'Windows 11 PC' - open...
I was sent that survey and completed it a couple of days ago. It seemed quite focused on the 'PC' side.
@PrinceOfPorgs98 You essentially have the ability to play Xbox games on the RoG Ally - some games are 'Play Anywhere' if you buy them Digitally. When you buy an Xbox Play Anywhere digital game through the Xbox Store or the Microsoft Store, it’s yours to play on Xbox and Windows 10/11 PC at no additional cost. It's that 'smart delivery' that means you get the version for the device(s) you play on so if you play on Series X, you get to download and play that version, play on a PC (inc a Handheld), you also get to download and play on PC too.
Steam Deck is different as its 'default' is not Windows and Xbox games, whilst available, are sold by 'Steam' - not MS so don't have 'Play Anywhere' options. The big advantage of RoG Ally is that its not locked to just Steam or just Xbox. You can play a LOT of old games using Emulation too - games from Playstation, Nintendo, Sega consoles - as well as play games like Sony's Spider-Man, God of War, Horizon, Helldivers 2 etc.
So not only can you play every Xbox game on PC, you can play Sony's PC releases as well as all the Steam, Epic etc exclusives and, if you buy Digitally from Xbox/MS store, can play your library on Console too...
@Kooky_Geezer Microsoft isn't responsible for the 'majority' of games on their 360 Store. The Majority are owned by other Publishers/Developers and its up to them to 'preserve' games if they had any desire to.
Games on the N64 for example aren't 'preserved' just because they were released Physically and didn't have a Digital store. The 'games' had limited numbers and no longer available to buy, neither is the Hardware. You are left with no option but to search for 'used' and hope they still work.
Just like the N64, if you 'bought' games, you can still play and/or redownload. You can still search used markets for Physical copies of games on disc too.
All MS can 'preserve' and bring forward to modern Hardware via BC is their OWN games as they 'own' the Licences, IP's, Publishing Rights etc. They can't 'preserve' Treyarchs Spider-Man for example and make that available to play on Series S/X.
The 360 is 'obsolete' as are ALL the games released for it - they are no longer being 'made'. You can't go and buy Halo 3 or Gears of War 'new' on Disc, can't go and buy a new 360. If you want to 'preserve' your 360 experience, you need to keep your 360 Hardware and rely on 'used/retro' game stores to try and find games...
@cragis0001 The point about PC's is that they offer the widest range of gaming choice to a consumer and, nowadays, don't need to spend 1000's on a Desktop set-up. You can buy a RoG Ally for about the cost of a Premium Console and have a much wider Library choice - IF Library size is most important to you.
Why buy a PS just because MS are releasing Some games, a few of those will be day/date too on PS, when a PC will get ALL MS games day/date as well as Sony's games? Instead of buying both a PS and Xbox, a PC would give you access to Halo, Gears, Spider-Man, Final Fantasy etc.
I know the Cloud is the weakest way to play, but its also by far the cheapest as it only requires a 'small' monthly fee and you can play on any Hardware, anywhere in theory.. But as we know, not everywhere has a decent wifi/5g network - but that is improving and could be far better in 5-10yrs time. With Cloud, you could play on a Student Laptop or even your last gen XB1S/X if you don't have the budget to spend on a Console and MS did make a £300 (or less) Console for a 'low cost' entry point.
MS may well keep making Consoles for the same reason - but they could also just allow Asus, Lenovo or any other 'PC' maker to build Handheld and/or Low Cost 'Console' format PC's with Xbox branding instead of making their own Hardware - especially because PC's are Open (not Locked), MS Windows based and can be as powerful as you can afford or whatever Form factor - Handheld, tablet, laptop, desktop or even 'Console'.
In the future, maybe it will be like Music/Movies where the majority access through Streaming with a few still buying Low Cost Consoles (like cheap record/CD players) or 'high end' PC separates (Like HiFi separates for the Audiophiles) for those that still want Hardware/Physical. But whether the Hardware relies on Streaming too as games get bigger, more complex, we will see. You can't fit MSFS on a disc - not the whole world in that detail so its streamed in from servers
@MrMagic Your Paid Subscription grants you 'Free' Access to ALL those games at NO extra charge regardless of whether its an indie or AAA, whether its 1st or 3rd Party, whether its a Day 1 release or not, whether you play 1 or 100 games a month. You never have to pay ANY additional cost to access whatever games are in that Sub service.
Of course the Service costs. I'm paying a 'small' monthly fee for Game Pass Ultimate - but it means that I am able to access games I don't own, have never paid any money for, as and when I want. Its like the 'Free' games with Gold/PS+, 'free' Demo Discs with Magazines etc. All it means is that there is NO additional costs to pay regardless - even when AAA Day 1 games arrive.
I can play Hellblade 2 the Day it releases without having to spend ANY money that day, finish the whole game at NO extra cost to me and know I can do the same with games like Fable, Avowed, Perfect Dark, Clockwork Revolution. Never have to spend additional money for something 'new' to play...
For me, it really is a Game by Game basis. I tend to start with whatever the Default option is and give that a try and after a while, will switch it over to try the other mode.
Some games, like Forza Horizon, I prefer the Quality mode as I think the visual downgrade is not worth it for the extra Frames. It really does depend on the game as I'd take a 'locked' 30fps over a 45-58fps performance mode or a '60fps' 720p FSR upscaled to 4k mode. The 'unstable' frame rate, artefacts and low res are far more of a distraction than playing at 30fps is.
It really does depend on the game as some are no 'better' at higher frame rates and the visual hit can be more distracting - whilst others can look almost as good and feel significantly more responsive at 60fps so I'd rather try both to see which I prefer.
As for 120 - or any Frame Rate above 60fps, I can't do that with my TV, but again I'd try both the 60fps and higher frame rate modes and decide which I feel is the 'best' from my perspective - it would come down to the way the game 'feels' to play and the difference in Visual Quality.
@GeeEssEff Assuming you dismiss EVERY game that doesn't score 9 or above. Games like Hades and Vampire Survivors were Award Winning games as well as games like Lies of P, Plague Tale: Requiem, MLB and Stalker 2 also are 'free' on Game Pass.
Game Pass isn't FREE, but it does allow me to play Hundreds of Games for 'Free' - as in I don't need to pay to Download ANY game, Pay to play on Cloud or PC. Netflix or Disney+ isn't Free either, but they do let you watch ANY TV/Film in their Service for 'Free' - you don't need to pay to watch the Mandalorian or the Witcher for example if you have a Subscription. If you subscribe to Disney+, you get to watch Marvel, Star Wars etc Movies 'Free' as many times as you want whilst they are in the service.
Stop paying your PS+ Essential or Game Pass Core 'Subscription' and you'll find those 'Online' games you bought/own are no longer playable. You are paying money to MS/Sony just to be able to play all the content in games you 'own'. Stop paying, and those games are not playable.
The 'content' inside a Subscription is Free to access - that is the point. Yes there is a 'fee' involved as the Subscription itself costs, but you then don't have to pay to download Starfield or Hellblade 2. Its 'Free' to play if you have Subscribed.
Its no different from the 'Free' games you get access to on PS+ or Game Pass Core (or the Games with Gold). Again, the service has a 'cost', but you get 'free' access to the Content.
Game Pass doesn't have EVERY game - but in my case, as someone with BOTH a PS5 and Xbox, I can save a LOT of money by playing Games on Game Pass instead of buying them on PS5. Xbox released 4 games on PS recently - all of which I can play Free with Game Pass, add in games like Stalker 2, Lies of P, MLB, Minecraft, Starfield, Forza, MSFS, AoE with games like Fable, Hellblade 2 etc coming and I get my moneys worth from a small subscription fee.
As for ownership, I can buy ANY game when it leaves Game Pass too when its so much cheaper and get an extra 20% discount as well. It's not like I have to keep subscribing otherwise I'll never be able to play these games. That's assuming that I'd want to return in a decade instead of playing the new games. I don't play games from over a decade ago today.
I had boxes of games and 'old' Computers/Consoles in the attic that I 'kept' from the early 80's - but when I downsized, I had to get rid of them and haven't missed owning them. I still have boxes of games from the OG Xbox/PS3 era that I never or likely to play again with 'new' games coming every week. I don't 'need' to own games indefinitely....
@Fiendish-Beaver The point I was trying to make was that a PC will have all Xbox games day/date as well as Sony's games so if the whole reason people are Concerned about the choice to buy hardware because of the Library of games, a PC is the best option.
This whole thread is arguing that MS releasing games on PS makes PS a more attractive prospect than Xbox - which will let you play those games for 'Free' with a Game Pass Subscription. In terms of cost, It becomes far more Expensive on Playstation.
4+ AAA Xbox games a year, let alone all the other 3rd Party releases into Game Pass - and you could save quite a LOT by playing these on Game Pass instead of buying them on Playstation. That money 'saved' could be used to buy 'better' hardware - like a PC. Spend the money on Hardware instead of Software to get the biggest Library - inc BOTH Sony/MS games as they both release on PC, all the emulation etc.
Now you can buy handheld PC's for around Console Prices. Its not much of a step for those 'PC' brands to build a 'dock' or even a more 'console' style PC (whether Licensed or affiliated with MS - like RoG Ally was - or not) that can offer a 'lower' cost entry - but also not 'lock' you into a single platform/store.
MS could make their own 'Console' too - like they make the Surface Pro despite other 'tablets' on the market. And in fact seem to still be planning on Hardware releases. But the point I am trying to make is that a PC has far more games than Playstation or Xbox will offer so complaining about MS releasing games on Playstation, and then not considering the Cost difference is ridiculous. The amount of money it would cost to play ALL the games on PS you could play 'Free' every year on Xbox Game Pass, you could buy a PC, still get those games 'free' and have access to even more Games, inc Sony's PC releases.
I know a PC is more expensive and not as 'simple' as the Plug and Play world of Consoles. But it could still be cheaper and better than buying a Playstation, subbing to PS+ and buying all the Games that you could play 'free' on PC or Xbox, maybe more 60fps+ games. Its not just 'MS' made games either but all the 'free' Day 1 releases that end up saving you money over Playing on Playstation that is the big incentive of buying an Xbox. Yes you may get CoD, Minecraft and whatever other games releasing Day 1 on PS, but you can play them 'free' on Xbox/PC via Game Pass.
I know a PC isn't for everyone, but if its about Library size, its the best, if its about Performance/Graphics, it can be the best. It also has Game Pass so you can save 'money' and still play new releases etc - which may make it 'cheaper' overall than playing on PS
@PsBoxSwitchOwner PS+ essential, like Game Pass Core, doesn't offer Day games that cost £70+ to play. You get a couple a month on PS+ that if you really wanted to play, would have bought.
You don't have to buy the latest console to get access to Xbox Game Pass and/or the latest Xbox games. You could play on devices you already own - whether that's a Mobile phone, any PC (whether it has the 'Spec' to run the game natively or not) and who knows what other devices may come out.
The point is that you can play the latest games ANYWHERE for a 'small' monthly fee - so can play on the go (mobile or handheld PC), Play on High-end PC's to get the 'best' version or play on Console for a more affordable option.
Why buy a Playstation in the future? You are better off with a PC as most Sony games will be on PC and the majority of their 3rd Party exclusives release on PC day/date. All Xbox games are on PC anyway and playable free with a GP subscription - and you get access to all those 'PC' exclusives, emulation and the largest Library of games anywhere - far more than on Playstation.
Yes you may get to play some Xbox games eventually on Playstation, some day and date, but its still cheaper on Xbox with Game Pass - especially if they do get their 4+ a year schedule. You can wait in hope that they may come to PS eventually, but you may also miss out on 'some' games (Starfield, Indiana Jones, Forza, Halo, Gears etc) and wait years until MS decides to release them for Playstation.
Sony are selling games on PC now so why buy a Console at all - get locked to that 1 Store, forced to pay for online access and the vast majority of games on PC the same day for less. Let alone ALL the games from history you can play so the largest gaming library with the 'best' performance and/or Graphics. Able to play anywhere, anytime on any hardware you have to me is much more important than being locked to one Platform that will be 'obsolete' in a few years or so...
Whilst MS may not have released 'many' games you'd want to play Day/Date, other games like Lies of P, Stalker 2, High on Life, Hades, etc also add to that value - If you wanted to play Day/Date on PS - even without adding PS+, it would cost you a LOT more for a year of gaming on Playstation vs Xbox...
@cragis0001 Of course Console may well be where the 'bulk' of Games Pass Subscribers may well be at the moment - but that doesn't mean it's the ONLY option.
PS+ for example is limited to Console so if you have 100m consoles, the most you can get into that Sub service is 100m. MS can sell Game Pass to far more than 100m with only 50m Series consoles sold. Those on XB1S/X can buy it, those on PC or have a Cloud enabled device can buy into it. With Handheld PC's becoming more accessible too - those buying a RoG Ally, Lenovo Go or any other 'Windows 11' device for example can buy Game Pass. It has a much larger potential - like selling games on more than just one Platform, selling a Sub service too will benefit...
As I said, I bought GPU because I got a Gaming PC and then bought a Gaming Handheld so I can play games like Starfield, Forza, Indiana Jones etc ANYWHERE - not tethered to a Console/TV. Its enabling me to play those games whenever I want on whatever Hardware I want/have access to.
If you can't afford to upgrade to a Series S/X from XB1, you don't need to or if you have some other 'Hardware' (PC or Win 11 handheld 'console') you play on, then you can still benefit from Game Pass.
In the future, Game Pass maybe on Nintendo/Sony Hardware - like Ubisoft+ or EA Access. It may not offer games like Starfield or Indiana Jones as they may not have Native ports to offer - but they could also allow Cloud Streaming to play those, where Xbox owners can actually play Native ports. In theory, you have the 'best' way to play on the latest Xbox hardware with Sony, Nintendo and/or last gen Console owners still able to play over cloud.
Starfield only released on PC and Series S/X hardware - yet is still playable on Last gen XB1 hardware, Samsung TV's, SteamDeck and other Handheld consoles....
seems many can't remember or weren't old enough to understand why MS got into the Hardware market in the first place, what their original reason for making the xbox was.
That was to bring out a 'PC in a Console' format to bring PC games to the more ''casual' and affordable market. Back then, RPG's (like Fallout, Elder Scrolls etc), RTS and FPS Games were not really ported to Consoles - so MS saw a gap in the market and filled it.
Now they could get Asus, Lenovo or HP to make a Licenced Xbox PC in a Console format if they choose. They don't need to be 'Licenced' either - they make Handheld Console PC's now anyway. They don't 'need' to be in the Hardware sector and weren't when they started making GAMES long before they had a Console to ship them on - MSFS is OLDER than the Console...
@cragis0001 Game Pass is available outside of the Console - PC and Mobile - maybe they'll find a way to bring Game Pass to Playstation - with a Curated list of games specific to PS - ie can get CoD, Minecraft, etc as these are on PS. Games 'not' sold on Playstation (Starfield, Indiana Jones) may only be playable over the Cloud on PS hardware (no Native version to Download) but downloadable on Xbox/PC so another 'incentive' to buy Xbox.
I bought GPU because I have a PC and then bought a RoG Ally too - in other words, it enables me to play Xbox 'anywhere' (except Switch/Playstation) at NO extra cost. I am NOT limited/restricted to playing Xbox Games on a Xbox Console. PC gamers can buy Game Pass too - its not 'just' for those on Console Hardware...
@PsBoxSwitchOwner Its essentially 'free' with a Subscription - you are not spending £12 a month for any 'specific' game but access to 'hundreds' of games. Yes there is a fee involved - but there is a Fee involved in just playing games you've already spent £70 on just to play them 'online'.
If you want to play CoD or Battlefield for example, its not just £70 for the game, its another £60 or so for a year of Game Pass Core/PS+ Essential - but you don't add that on to the Cost because you 'buy' the Subscription to access more than just CoD. Same with Game Pass - you aren't Paying £150 a year to play a Single Game, its access to hundreds of games £1000's worth of Software, inc 'EA Access' titles too.
£150 a year to access HUNDREDS of games including at least 2 or 3 'new' £70 releases and you are already significantly better off financially. £500 for a Console + £60 a year for Online access or £150 a year to play ANYWHERE on ANY Device you have - inc High End PC's that offer far better Performance and/or Visual Quality.
Over 5yrs - GPU would cost £750 and have access to a LOT of Games, many Day 1 releases - yet you'd need £800 (5 x £60 + £500) before you even consider Games on Playstation/Xbox without Game Pass for example. If you think about it, it's only £7 a month extra for GPU, as you need Game Pass Core on Xbox to play all the content in Games you buy. EA Access is £5 too, so only £2 extra for Xbox 1st Party games day and date....
So Getting games first and 'free' with Game Pass isn't an incentive? You'd rather buy a Playstation and 'wait' for MS to sell their Games that you could have played for 'Free' on ANY MS Platform (PC, Cloud or Xbox Console) months, if not years before?
MS will still likely keep some IP's and Single Player AAA games 'Exclusive' to get people into their Ecosystem but some games will benefit more by releasing on Sony's hardware day/date too - Minecraft has been doing that for years and we know CoD for sure will as well.
Personally, I'd still 'buy' an Xbox so I can still download and play Xbox games for 'free' with Game Pass rather than buy a PS to pay £70+ to play them. Not only that, with Game Pass, I can also play on PC or 'on the go' on Handheld PC's or even my Mobile - not just limited to playing on Playstation.
Point is, there will still be 'incentives' to buy an Xbox over a Playstation. Releasing 'more' games a year - even if some are now on PS too, but access is free on Xbox would be quite a financial incentive to buy.
Xbox is Bigger than the Console - Its the entire MS gaming brand. Its not 'just' about console exclusives - but getting Gamers into Xbox IP's and Xbox ecosystem. If you are a fan of Minecraft or CoD, you are a fan of an MS IP, you are spending money on MS products...
@OldGamer999 AAA development issues are more down to the Publisher and their 'greed'. We see many Publishers pushing their developers into creating Live Service games, force them to wrap their IP skin around a Live Service Template to 'cash-in' on the low effort/high reward of MTX cosmetics.
Another aspect of Publishers 'greed' is their obvious push to get games out at the earliest opportunity - whether the Game is actually ready and optimised for release or increasingly 'not'. Why? Because it costs money to keep the Devs working on the game until its ready but releasing it will bring in 'Money' - enough to cover ongoing costs of patches/fixes, missing features/content etc.
As for Hardware, Console market hasn't really grown in decades. The 360 did well but PS3 and Wii U weren't as popular as their Predecessors. Now you don't need a 'Series' Xbox as you can be in the Xbox ecosystem, playing all the latest 'Xbox' games via multiple methods. You don't 'need' to upgrade from an XB1 to play - not the 'best' way to play, but it is the cheapest...
Reach is important too - if you only have a £500+ hardware entry price point, you immediately limit your reach to all those who can't or 'unwilling' to spend that much on a 'leisure' item. being able to 'reach' every gamer - even if its on mobiles or platforms you don't own, its getting people into your 'store' where they'll spend time and money on your services, software etc.
If you can sell to 10% of your Audience, 100m Consoles mean about 10m game sales, 50m is only 5m game sales - so only 5-10m to buy MTX, DLC etc. Get 30m+ in the Game across Cloud, Console, PC, that's 30m potential buyers of extras - as well as all the Subscription fees and income from 'outside' your Console Platform.
One of ABK's biggest income makers is Candy Crush and of course WoW is another, neither of which is on 'Console' (yet). Gaming is 'bigger' than just the Consoles and 'Xbox' is too...
I still think a Marcus Fenix Trilogy will come and potentially before Gears 6. Gears 2 & 3 never had an Official PC port so I think it makes sense to release a UE5 remake of these so that you have the complete Gears on all their Platforms.
To be honest, I would prefer that to a 'new' Gears 6. Gears 4 & 5 were 'good', but missing some of the Horror, the emotional impact etc the Trilogy gave us.
From my perspective, they are NOT associated with Bethesda so Bethesda has NO OBLIGATION to be in touch with the Developers. They are using Bethesdas Engine and IP to create something they 'wanted' to make.
As soon as Bethesda mentioned an update was coming to 'update' Fallout 4 for Next Gen Consoles, the onus should be on them to reach out to Bethesda.
I know it looks promising and Fans are looking forward to it - but its still 'unofficial' and a 'mod' of Bethesdas IP using Bethesda's Engine. It should be on them to contact Bethesda and 'respect' Bethesdas choice to focus on their Official IP for their Fans and time it well enough to coincide with the TV show.
To me this is them trying to drum up some more publicity for their 'Mod' and why it won't arrive as soon as they had planned/hoped/promised to have it ready for.
40fps is exactly half-way between 30fps and 60fps in terms of Frame Time - 30fps is 33.3ms per frame, 40fps is 25ms per frame and 60fps is 16.6ms.
It also fits perfectly in a 120hz container like 30 and 60fps. You get 4x Refreshes per Frame at 30fps, 3x Refreshes per Frame at 40fps and 2x refreshes per frame at 60fps.
Part of the reason 40fps isn't and hasn't been common on Consoles comes down to Displays. Until recently, we didn't have TV's with 120hz panels or VRR. 40fps doesn't fit nicely in a 60hz container so 30fps (2x refreshes per frame) became the 'minimum'. With the majority of TV's still unlikely to offer 120hz, there has been 'little' reason to optimise for the 'few' that can use that mode. Those with 60hz TV's though will have to settle for 30fps or 60fps modes.
I would expect it to become more Common as more and more TV's have at least 120hz Panels with more and more people upgrading from their existing 60hz TV's. These TV's are also becoming cheaper too.
Nice to see more Devs adding this feature and I hope to see more do so in the future - Especially on Xbox!
Comments 3,145
Re: Rumour: Xbox Planning To Bring More Games To PS5, Despite Some 'Unease' At Microsoft
They can still have Exclusives to get people into their ecosystem and use their 'IP's' like Sony do. Sony have 'timed' exclusivity on some of their games - like Spider-Man, R&C, God of War etc. Once these games have been used to sell PS5's and the sales have dropped, they are released on PC to extract money from a different group of gamers.
If they port Starfield to PS5 after a year or two 'exclusivity', that game isn't bringing people to Xbox anymore, its whatever game(s) are out around that time - Fable, Perfect Dark etc. Its not bringing in Gamers and not making MS money. They only have 'Playstation' in reality, maybe Switch/Switch 2 IF they can run it well enough on that hardware to extract money from as the game is already on PC/Steam.
Sony has used 'timed' exclusivity to get people in - either with their 'own' games before releasing to another ecosystem (PC/Steam) or with 3rd Party games (Deathloop, Ghostwire, Final Fantasy, Forspoken). Yes you 'could' wait for those games to release elsewhere, but to play Day 1, you have to have a Playstation.
Another 'advantage' for MS and why people may 'choose' to buy Xbox over a Playstation is that those games will cost to play Day 1 - pay £70 to play CoD on PS5, but its 'Free' with Game Pass, pay £70 to play Starfield or £70 to play Doom, but can play 'free' on PC/Xbox with Game Pass...
I know that some may well choose to buy on PS rather than play 'free' on Game Pass or would rather 'wait' for whatever games MS choose to bring to PS eventually, but I still expect MS to have 'exclusives', even if they end up only being exclusive for a year or so.
Re: Hellblade 2: Release Date, Release Times & Preload Details On Xbox Game Pass
@themightyant Ninja Theory have put a few video's out this week - meet the cast (4 videos), The Story so far and Senuas Psychosis Feature (23mins).
Its not a long game, but as its not really gearing up for 'sales' as the majority will likely play on Game Pass, its not a 'Physical' release with some 'limited edition Steelbook version' for example. It doesn't really need a 'long' marketing cycle to drum up Hype to maximise pre-orders to get an idea of how many copies to manufacture/distribute in time, its digital only.
They can also let their 'Game Pass' Community and Critical reviews to 'market' the game/game pass subscriptions. Those with Game Pass will no doubt use 'word of mouth' to get more people to try Hellblade or get Game Pass to play Hellblade if they enjoy it and if it reviews well, more may be tempted to try it 'free' on Game Pass or buy it...
Re: Two New EA Play Additions Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (May 16)
I'm only interested in Immortals. It looked like a game of Style over Substance - with generic characters, plot and game-play - not something I wanted to buy at launch but maybe would have picked up in a Sale at some point.
Re: Starfield Comparison Shows Differences Between 30FPS & 60FPS Modes On Xbox Series X
well they did say VRR would be required for anything over 30fps as in the 'big' cities, it won't hold the 40/60 fps line...
But at least they give us options and also shows what PC gamers and DF rightly assessed, its more CPU limited in a 16.67ms frame window...
Re: Xbox Launches Hellblade 2 Merch Line Ahead Of Next Week's Release
@themightyant Another point about Sony is that the majority of their games are Single Player with little reason to replay. That may be a factor in Gamers purchasing as they may want to sell that game when they finish it - they can't do that with Digital.
Another aspect is that the PS5 Digital is not as popular as the Disc model. In other words, the 'majority' os PS5 gamers have access to a Disc drive for Physical media. With Xbox, their 'smallest' install base is the Series X, the ONLY system with a Disc drive. Series S and PC will buy Digitally.
On top of that, with Sony, the only way to play R&C, Spider-Man etc on Day 1 was to 'buy'. With Xbox, the vast majority will likely be playing 'Digitally' via Game Pass.
So when you look at the Gamers in each ecosystem, MS is only selling Physical to the 'few' on a Series X who 'prefer' to buy Physical AND don't/won't Subscribe to Game Pass - which is a very small percentage compared to Sony with their PS5 Disc model as the most popular (probably more than Series S/X has sold combined) and no 'free' digital option day 1 to disrupt 'Physical' sales.
I'm not going out to buy Starfield, Hellblade etc Day 1 when I can play 'free'. I may buy a Physical copy in a year or so on sale if available but just as likely to buy Digitally in a sale too. On Playstation, if I want to play day 1, then you have to buy and Physical is often cheaper because of retailer competition.
Re: Xbox Launches Hellblade 2 Merch Line Ahead Of Next Week's Release
@Fishmasterflex96 Considering the ONLY gamers able to buy a 'Physical' release are those few on a Series X who prefer to buy Physical and don't/won't subscribe to Game Pass.
Series S and PC gamers, by far the largest two in terms of users as the Series S has outsold the Series X, are digital only platforms. They aren't buying Physical copies!
I would expect the vast majority of Series X owners will likely download and play this via Game Pass and/or buy it digitally anyway. Therefore, why spend money on manufacturing and distributing a game that very few will actually buy - its not 'stopping' them from buying and playing if they really wanted as its still available digitally. Its not as if you have to miss out because you can't buy it in your region or for your hardware.
I 'prefer' Physical myself as I like to have something I can 'hold' for my money, see my collection on the shelf grow etc but if a game I want is not available in that format, I'll buy digitally to play rather than 'miss out'.
Why make 1m Physical copies when it may not sell more than 10k because so 'few' people will 'choose' to buy it on Series X when most 'buy' digitally and/or will not 'buy' Hellblade because its on Game Pass anyway.
Re: Analyst Claims PS5 Outsold Xbox Series X|S Almost 5:1 Last Quarter
@PsBoxSwitchOwner Why would you by a console if you have a PC? Would be better off buying a Playstation/Switch for the games you can't play Day 1.
Why upgrade to a Series S/X? Most games are out on XB1S/X and some of the next gen games can be played on Cloud.
Why buy a Series S/X? Despite the 'Promise' of games from all these Acquisitions over the past 5yrs, we are still waiting for Fable, Perfect Dark etc. Redfall & Starfield over the past few years maybe aren't the 'killer' games to bring people in when up against Spider-Man, R&C, Horizon, God of War. Where are the Games that will bring in the Players?
It's all very well having one of the 'best' value hardware or services, but if the Content isn't really there 'yet', despite all that potential, Especially as the Console Hardware is not necessary to play the 'few' games you may want to play, its not going to tempt people in.
Not only that, if we look at the state of the world in many regions, its understandable why they aren't spending money on Gaming. Its not the 'dedicated' Hardcore gamers - they have the Hardware, they still buy games/content, but its an expensive leisure activity in a economically difficult time for many who would rather 'wait' for Sales, buy 'used' Games/Hardware etc or play the free/old games they have instead of spending money on 'new'.
Xbox and Sony are still selling Hardware, just not at the quantity they had predicted, expected and/or projected. Instead of selling 20m this year as 'predicted', they may only sell 10m. I can't really think of a 'big' game release in the last 6months or so for Microsoft - Sony had Helldivers 2 at least...
Re: Microsoft Announces Dates For The Final Two Xbox 360 Store Sales
People not spending enough time and money whilst playing on their X360's through the 360 Store to keep the 360 store open. At least they have given people enough notification that the Store will be closing.
The 360 is NO longer in Production and no longer Actively supported by Microsoft. Those games ONLY run on an Xbox 360 - Hardware that's no longer for sale so MS receives 'nothing' from that to keep it open. Declining, if not practically non-existing (bar minor blips when sales are announced) money coming in from anything '360' related, to keep it open
Money better spent on the here and now, the future and the places where people are spending time/money...
If those games aren't playable 'today' on Hardware, blame publishers or devs. They 'own' them!! You can't buy Every game today on the PS3 store or Buy every game if own a PS2, a N64, a OG Xbox etc either - They had 'Physical' releases, but only made a certain number and don't make them anymore either so they're gone too.
The price of these, I bet that just covers any costs with nothing going to the publishers/devs....
Re: Talking Point: 10 Years On, Have You Ever Played The Elder Scrolls Online?
Personally I have no interest in MMO's myself so have no interest in this or trying it. My Son on the other hand has spent hundreds of hours in it, often playing with his then Girlfriend. Its also continued to get supported on Playstation too so I'd imagine it has a large community across all platforms that play it to keep growing that with more and more content.
Same with Fallout 76 too as far as I am concerned - another game my Son enjoyed and spent Hundreds of hours playing but despite enjoying Fallout, I won't play.
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
@cragis0001 At the end of the day they are committed to their Series S/X customers and have Games coming, even if not at the 'speed' or 'quality' in the 'genre/style' they want to Console for them to play on Game Pass or if not, buy. Those games, if bought digitally may well be Play Anywhere (as in you get whichever version you play on - PC or Xbox) so that may help in 'transition'.
In other words, with Game Pass Ultimate for Consoles - just because it has Online included, and maybe checking which Xbox games are Play Anywhere when you buy, IF you decide to go for a Handheld PC Console - even though its a 'PC' its only useful as a 'PC' when docked with a K&M and bigger Screen - you've already got a Library of games, let alone 'free' games, old games etc that play superbly anywhere, anytime - it's not that much of a Risk in cost.
If Games run 'well' enough on a Series S - then Games run well enough on a handheld in general if you target the right settings/res for the power - reduce power for longer battery - lower settings or frame rate expectations.
For me, its 2 things that stop me using my RoG as much as I could is the 'Comfort' (too small for me) and the User Interface. If you have a PC, you know what windows is like but that's the OS layer that you could see 'briefly' as you Start up and then it 'loads' straight into Ally's Game UI which gives you access to your games (downloaded) and/or apps (Xbox/Steam) with Tabs to settings for the whole handset to your preferences as you'd expect from a console.
It's just not been the 'best' experience but designing, optimising and ensuring its working for their intended audience takes time and tweaks - Steam Deck wasn't great to start but Valve has refined that over years - much like XB1 was very different UI to where its at now. This looks like a big Overhaul of that 'interface' - the bit that crosses the bridge between really needing it to be a PC to get things working as you'd hope as its a bit fiddly without K&M, and the Simplicity of being a Console (and yes BOTH have to deal with updates!) Game and System Level updates.
MS are working on a 'Windows' Lite/Gaming mode for their OS - especially as low power PC's with decent built in GPU's can now play 'modern' games at reasonable spec (1080p for example or even 720p on a Handheld). Series S is 4TF GPU & 8/16 CPU on a chip with 10GB RAM, SSD too - targeting 1440p . These handhelds can have similar specs with 16GB RAM (min) and targeting quarter the res (720p) in a handheld...
Difference is 'Power' and Memory Bandwidth - something a Series S has in its advantage.
You don't have to decide today - you have the current hardware and it's 'Life' cycle to decide where to go 'next' based on what that landscape looks like. In a few years, you'll likely see even more 'powerful' Hand helds maybe even with RT/AI (apple chips can) too more powerful than a Series X and you realise you don't need the next Xbox because you have all your games on your Handheld PC....
Re: Obsidian 'Thrilled' As Xbox First-Party Game Pentiment Wins Award
Whilst I too am disappointed in Studio closures, there is a difference between buying an independent Studio and buying a Publisher with Multiple Studios in a 'bundle'.
MS could have bought Zenimax because they really wanted their Back Catalogue (Publishing rights), IP's like Fallout, Doom, Elder Scrolls etc, the tech (id tech Engine, Creation engine) and/or some of the Studios (id Software, Machine Games, Bethesda) but to get them, had to buy 'everything'.
Obsidian have probably been the most Productive too of the new Studios. We are still waiting for games from Compulsion, undead Labs etc, yet Obsidian have delivered Pentiment, Grounded and some Outer Worlds DLC, as well as working on Avowed and Outer Worlds 2.
Both Arkane Austin and Tango may not have had anything in development and requiring a lot of investment to get those Studio's up to full capacity to bring games to market in a reasonable time frame. Arkane Austin lost a lot of Staff because of Zenimax pushing them to make Redfall and Tango too lost the creator behind the Evil Within.
As I said, I'm disappointed with the news this week, but I don't think Obsidian are in the same situation with Avowed nearing completion and Outer Worlds 2 in development. Also MS bought Obsidian specifically.
Re: Xbox Begins Discounting Lots Of 360 Games Ahead Of July Store Closure
@iplaygamesnstuff They can't preserve Games they don't own or have any publishing rights too. Preservation doesn't mean keeping a '360' store open forever when the '360' Hardware has long been out of production so therefore these games are 'useless' as they ONLY run on 360.
Preservation is about making games 'available' and most importantly, playable on any hardware in the future. Microsoft don't own the Software (game code), licences or even the Publishing rights to Third Party releases. Ubisoft own FarCry and its up to them to decide whether or not they want to preserve it - or maybe would rather get you to buy 'newer' Far Cry games or maybe even a remaster/port of old games.
MS can't 'preserve' Spider-Man games made by Treyarch for example and can't 'sell' that through their Store, make it Backwards Compatible to play on Series Hardware etc because that game was delisted as they no longer had the Marvel Licence. Its 'illegal' to sell without the Licence as you are profiting from their IP they had no rights to.
The ONLY games from the Past that Microsoft can 'Preserve' is the games that they 'owned' without any 'complicated' 3rd Party Licences - that includes Licenced Music, Brands (inc Cars in racing games) or IP's (like Marvel, James Bond or Star Wars) as they need 'permission' and/or renewed Licences from ALL 3rd Parties involved.
Other games, like Fifa, is it really worth preserving every annual release? Are you really going to go back and play Fifa 07 or Fifa 15 when you have Fifa 20, 21 etc or EA FC.
Anyway, I don't play on my 360 anymore so any game from that Era that I can't play elsewhere is too late to appeal. If I was that desperate to have played, I'd have bought them during the 360 era.
Re: Hypercharge Unboxed Dev Saddened By Claims It'll Be 'Dead' Without Xbox Game Pass
As far as I am concerned, I couldn't care less about this game and certainly wouldn't be inclined to buy it. I wouldn't go as far to say that its Dead on Arrival or definitely will fail (even if only on Xbox) without Game Pass but you can't expect people to 'try' it without providing some way to do that 'risk free' - either a Free Demo or via a Sub Service. If the Only way to 'try' is to buy and then you can't get your money back as its a Digital Only purchase if you don't think it's worth your time/money, then why 'try'.
As someone with Game Pass, I don't expect EVERY game to release Day/Date into that service. However, EVERY game is competing for my time with some games requiring a Financial expenditure before I can play. Why spend £20 to play something when I can play many 'similar' games at no cost, would rather spend my time in some other games I already have access to.
I'd be much more inclined to try this if it was on Game Pass and much more likely to be able to play with friends as they too can access it via Game Pass instead of waiting until they get paid or trying to convince them to buy...
Re: Bethesda Trademark Hints At New DOOM Announcement For Xbox Games Showcase
I would guess that they would be about ready to reveal whatever they have been working on since Doom Eternal. That released in 2020, 4 years after they released the rebooted 'Doom'.
Its been 4yrs - although Doom Eternal was still being supported with DLC and 'next-gen' upgrades into 2021 and with this being their 'first' new game since new Hardware came out, could take a bit longer, so maybe are now ready to reveal their follow-up to 2020's Doom.
With Indiana Jones and Starfield DLC expected, hopefully this will be Positive for these remaining Studios as Games become the focus...
Re: Ex-Blizzard President On Xbox's Future: 'Xbox Can Find A Path To Great Success'
On the subject of 'Hands-off' or 'Hands-on' from a Publisher, we have seen 'MANY' examples of Publishers pushing their developers to make certain games, make them a certain way (live Service), stifle creativity, release games too soon etc etc.
Arkane Austin came out and stated they never wanted to make a Live Service game, weren't set up for or had the experience to make their 'style' of games as a Live Service but Zenimax, as the Publisher, owner and funding that Studio insisted.
Do you really want 'MS' going to Ninja Theory and telling them they now have to make Hellblade 3 but now it needs some online Live Service element with Cosmetics sold as MTX or tell Bethesda to make a Starfield online game to go alongside F76/ESO instead of ES6/F5.
In a 'Hands-off' situation, you are letting the Studio Manager manage that Studio, decide what Game they as a Team will make next, manage that team and Deadlines, Seek help and/or support if/when problems arise, keep their 'Bosses' in the loop. It shouldn't be 'Phil', it should be the Studio manager if a Game fails, isn't ready on time etc - that was 'their' job to manage and to keep their Publisher in the 'loop', let them know if they need more help/support and/or if things aren't going to plan.
MS's role should be to help that Studio, get the Staff in if needed, facilitate training and/or a support network so Devs can create the games they want. Having an 'expert' in UE5 or Animations or networking etc to help Studios achieve their ambition.
That's why I think that Hands Off is not necessarily a BAD thing but Studio managers are not managing 'their' studio's or being honest with their bosses. You can't say 343i have 'managed' Halo or their Studio well - and that should be their 'responsibility'. 343i should be telling MS its not ready or they need help/time, not waiting until its nearly expecting to release and then the whole world sees how 'bad' it is. MS gave them 'more' time, more support to get it out at all.
In a Hands-Off system, the Managers of individual studios are 'responsible' for those. They may have to answer to a 'group' manager (maybe Head of Xbox Studios or Head of Zenimax) who has to report to 'head' of ALL gaming Studios. Phil is 'head' of Microsoft Gaming (not just Studios, but of Hardware, of Marketing/events).
I don't really want Phil telling Double Fine they have to make a Live Service game instead of facilitating the Game that Studio wants to create and if that flops, the Studio get thrown under the bus. I'd rather Double Fine make the game they want facilitated by MS and if that Flops, its a reflection of that Studio, the manager etc because they had the 'full' support of MS to 'deliver' and the Manager failed...
Re: Ex-Blizzard President On Xbox's Future: 'Xbox Can Find A Path To Great Success'
@Titntin The market is better and stronger with three key players, so I hope that situation remains.
They are ALL competing for your Time - along with ALL the other Publishers and 'leisure' services. Its competing with Netflix or whatever other way you choose to spend your 'time' doing.
That's why you see 'more and more' live services, Games designed to keep you coming back to spend 'time' in that ecosystem. A 10hr game is only keeping you 'engaged' for 10hrs and after, may go to another 'ecosystem' to spend your time - maybe your money elsewhere too...
Those '3' are not the only players, just the ones with some Hardware. Don't buy 'EA' or 'Square Enix' games and you could lose those Publishers competing for your time and money on ALL platforms. Those with Hardware at least have the added 'income' from 3rd Party Publishers and 'forced' Subscriptions and those releases fill in the gaps between 1st party releases.
Its obvious we care about Gaming but our time and money is limited and many are more casual - prefer to play Fortnite or Minecraft in their spare time than buy 'new' games, maybe pick up the odd game in a sale. So they aren't spending the money or supporting the industry, they are opting to watch Netflix or spend their 'limited' time on games they have instead of spending money...
WB lost millions on Suicide Squad and you have to fear that WB as a Game Publisher making the type of games that we want has gone and could disappear. Ubisoft seemed on course to crash with its NFT's and flops. Lose those, and that's 'less' competition for your time/money - fewer games to buy...
Hellblade isn't 'competing' with Sony or Nintendo - its competing with EVERY Game (new/old) for your time and/or money. If you prefer to spend your time playing Minecraft or watching Netflix, then its not competing for your time or money regardless of what Nintendo/Sony release.
Re: Poll: As Hellblade 2 Draws Near, What Do You Think Of The First Game?
Wasn't really a game designed for me. If it wasn't for the Mental Health and Audio, the basic Game-play loop wasn't that enjoyable. The Combat wasn't the best and puzzle areas rather dull/boring so I never finished the game. I've tried several times but still have yet to finish.
I am also in no rush to play HB2 - it looks stunning, but I've not seen anything that makes me believe the Game-play loop will be any better - an interactive 'movie'.
If it didn't have the 'praised' approach to the Mental Health aspect of this and the superb Audio, I doubt it would have got the Awards it did. It loses a LOT by not playing on a decent headset as a result, notice how 'average' the Game-play loop is.
Re: OG Xbox Creator: I Believe In Xbox, Despite This Week's 'Tragic' Job Losses
Whilst 'no-one' wants to see Jobs lost and Studio's closing, when you buy a job lot, a bundle, you don't necessarily want 'everything' but you had to take everything - the trash with the treasures so to speak.
I have some Games, some accessories etc from buying 'Bundles' that I've never used or even opened. I didn't want or need them, but they came included with the Console I really wanted.
MS may have wanted the IP's, the Publishing Rights, the tech (id tech, creation engines), Some Studio's (like id Software, Bethesda, MachineGames) etc but had to take Everything as a Job Lot. With the state of the world and its impact on Gaming, Projections too are different than they were 2 or 3 yrs ago when Gaming boomed.
When times are tough, you may sell those 'extras' you got in Bundles but never really wanted/used, sell things Surplus to your requirements. MS didn't necessarily 'buy' Tango or Arkane Austin - not like they bought Obsidian, Ninja Theory or Double Fine for example, they bought Zenimax as a Bundle, a Job Lot.
Re: Xbox's Sea Of Thieves Plunders PS5 Charts, Becoming Europe's Best-Selling Game In April
@Kevw2006 @Kezelpaso Cherry picking certain criteria to suit the Narrative - best selling PS5 'only' game bought through PS Store - not including all the other games sold for other platforms (inc PS4/Xbox/PC/Switch) or by other retailers (Game, Amazon)
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
@cragis0001 with potentially better, more comfortable design. They thought people would prefer lightweight/thin - not bigger with more impressive Battery life but heavier. Also its Black this time.
I'm a bit disappointed the Specs haven't really improved, but with vastly improved 'Software', the RoG Ally in general could benefit. My biggest gripe is that it feels too small and awkward in my hands - nowhere near as comfortable or as easy to hit the face buttons as a controller.
A PC like RoG Ally is not that expensive and its not tied specifically to Microsoft or Game Pass. Not only that, you have 100's, if not 1000's of Free Games, emulation of old Console games etc as well as access to Steam, Xbox, Epic stores - as well as many other Store fronts selling games much cheaper than RRP because more competition. You aren't paying for Game Pass Core/PS+ Essential just to play Online too.
Of course if you really want to match or 'beat' what a Console can 'offer' in terms of Performance metrics (resolution, RT, Frame Rates etc) then yes it can get 'more' expensive - but for around the Price of a Series X or PS5, you can have a PC with significantly higher games library, ability to play EVERY Xbox game as well as most of Sony's (eventually), PC exclusives and many Old games lost to Console gamers today. Not tied to a screen, can play anywhere, any time...
Of course it may not be 4k/60 but you can play on ANY PC - whether you upgrade to newer generations of Handhelds, get a Desktop/Laptop etc. If Xbox 'disappears' for example, PC's won't.
I don't know that I'd buy another 'Xbox' console - it could be a pointless waste of Money for 'me' as it doesn't offer anything I can't do 'elsewhere' (like on a PC) and maybe not as well as my Hardware. I have a 4090 Dock for my RoG Ally for example so could dock that to my TV for '4k' with DLSS 3.0 and beat my Xbox Series X.
Console though is easier and certainly something I'd prefer to buy for kids than a 'PC' - especially younger kids. If they stop subsidising hardware though, will Consoles still be 'cheap' for the Performance they deliver and if you want '60fps', PC maybe the only 'realistic' choice...
Re: Xbox's Sea Of Thieves Plunders PS5 Charts, Becoming Europe's Best-Selling Game In April
However, PushSquare state that Fallout 4 was the best selling game of April (in the UK) - the top 10 was as follows:-
1. Fallout 4
2. EA Sports FC 24
3. Helldivers 2
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
5. Grand Theft Auto V
6. Hogwarts Legacy
7. Red Dead Redemption 2
8. Fallout: New Vegas
9. Fallout 76
10. WWE 2K24
Which would make sense that a game released on the last day (although did have some 'Early Access' options too) wasn't the 'best' selling game over the whole month.
I know EU and UK are not the same, but it does seem odd. Maybe its 'cherry' picked info - the 'most' downloaded game on Playstation in April as Physical sales of other games reduced the need to download - and games like Fallout 4 are 'cheap' Physically or already downloaded in readiness for the Free update...
Re: Talking Point: Is Sarah Bond Hinting At Eventually Moving Away From Xbox Hardware?
Taking games where ever you want to play, with the decline of Physical which are often 'locked' to a specific Hardware SKU, and of course Play Anywhere with Direct Storage with Digital enabling you to download the specific Software for your machine seems to be the plan.
That doesn't mean that if you bought Forza Horizon 5 on 'disc' that you can then use that on some future Playstation or PC hardware to keep playing. It probably means that if you bought Digitally through the MS store and sign into a Microsoft account, those games will still be playable - even if there is NO native version to 'download', you may have to Stream it.
If you buy Xbox games digitally, you get whatever version for your hardware - whether its a XB1S, XB1X, Series S, Series X or PC thanks to Play Anywhere/Direct Storage so I expect that it would ONLY be for their games bought through their Digital Stores only - so you'd need your MS account to keep playing your MS games on 'ANY' future devices.
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
@cragis0001 With AMD, nVidia etc making smaller and more powerful APU's for smaller, thinner PC's, I do wonder whether or not these will take over from 'locked' Consoles.
You can build a Handheld to play Series S Quality (albeit maybe a max 1080p instead of 1440p) and get similar performance. With it being a smaller screen, any visual issues are significantly reduced.
If MS can optimise Windows in a 'Gaming' mode with a great User Interface, then why buy a Console that limits when/where/what you can play. PC has Xbox & Sony games, and you can play many old Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox, Sega etc games via emulation too. They already come with the Xbox Store, Epic Store, Steam store etc anyway...
I'll be watching the RoG Ally 2 reveal with interest...
Re: Xbox Appears To Be Getting Ready For Crash Bandicoot On Game Pass
@shoeses Sony doesn't 'own' the Marvel licence as that is of course owned by Disney. What I mean is that they no longer hold the Licence and therefore cannot sell those games. They don't have the licence or rights to make money from another's 'IP'.
Re: Xbox Appears To Be Getting Ready For Crash Bandicoot On Game Pass
@K1LLEGAL I doubt we will see any Marvel games Activision made coming to Game Pass due to the fact that they don't have the Marvel licence anymore.
Treyarch's Spider-Man 2 was a Great game but Sony has the licence to Spider-Man now and why games like Ultimate Alliance, Deadpool & Spider-Man games were delisted.
I'd also like the Transformers Cybertron games but I think these to will not be on Game Pass or playable via Backwards Compatibility due to Licencing issues.
Re: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 Remake Was Pitched To Activision, Confirms Former Dev
I think it could take a while for MS to re-organise and/or implement changes that ABK made under Koticks management.
Call of Duty was Infinity Wards creation to 'compete' with EA's Battlefield/Medal of Honor games. However, IW wanted more time to create CoD4 so Treyarch was shifted from their games (like Spider-Man, Quantum of Solace etc) so CoD wouldn't miss a year. By the XB1 era, games were taking longer so more and more Studio's were pulled from whatever IP's/Games they were making to work on supporting CoD. Studios (like Neversoft) were merged into other studios to support CoD.
Call of Duty was ABK's biggest IP and it seemed that Kotick would rather ensure CoD released every Oct/Nov time regardless for the Holiday season than have multiple games out in a year, put all their eggs into one basket. There was talk of another Crash after the success of 4, but CoD took priority.
Therefore you have all those Studios at Activision who were all working on Call of Duty. Blizzard too has many studios but in recent years haven't exactly been prolific.
Of course I'd like to see more Games from these Studios - not just more 'CoD', but a range of games. They had a LOT more Studios and Developers than the entire 'Xbox Game Studios' yet seem to release far fewer games.
Re: Xbox Is Apparently 'Very Confident' In Its 2024 Summer Showcase Lineup
If the rumours are true, then they should feel confident. Shattered Space (Starfield expansion) for September, CoD in October, Avowed and MSFS 24 in November with Indiana Jones in December (if rumours are true) would give MS a decent line-up for their Show.
That's their own games, but Stalker 2 and other partner games, as well as whatever games they want to show that are due in 2025 and beyond that will add to the overall impact.
That's without considering any 'older' games, inc ABK games that will come to Game Pass.
I'm sure they feel positive and optimistic...
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
@cragis0001 I can't recommend the RoG Ally myself - its 'OK' but no substitute for a Console - not without at least a eGPU dock. But this is just first gen and no doubt, tech will advance too.
I can see MS maybe making Hardware - similar to them making Surface Hardware - maybe even a 'Surface Xbox Handheld' PC. Others like Asus, MSi, Alienware etc can make 'alternatives' to compete - like they do with Tablets/laptops that compete with MS's Surface line.
PC's will have 3rd Party support regardless and work on Windows. Therefore I think if MS sorted out 'Windows' or could build a better UI for gaming on Windows PC to make it easier for Console gamers to 'plug & play' essentially without worrying about PC centric issues that put them off, then why buy a Console?
£600 for a 'complete' solution - inc a Screen isn't that bad. Its also a lot cheaper than the £1000's some think they need to spend to get into PC gaming and a RoG Ally competes with Steam Deck on performance etc. A modern Console costs £500 and ideally needs a decent modern Screen with 4k HDR 120hz VRR capability to make the most of it - and they aren't exactly cheap. A console also requires a Subscription to play online - a PC doesn't. Swings and roundabouts of course and who knows what the future brings.
Re: Soapbox: The Best Modern Tomb Raider Is Well Worth Your Time On Xbox Game Pass
I wonder if people think its the 'best' because it was the first of the rebooted games and was quite different to its predecessors as we got a young Lara that had much more character depth and development as well as a change in its Game-play loop.
The Subsequent games built on that but maybe didn't feel quite as fresh/new as a result. Personally I really enjoyed the Trilogy of games and ALL the DLC. The first also tried to do a MP mode that I thought was really mediocre.
Re: Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (May 2)
@Sol4ris LOL - I would say the exact same (and have done) over there too. I don't think it's quite as bad as saying an 'Xbox' game has more Game-play depth than those Sony games and can justify that with the more RPG like elements and non-linear structure.
That doesn't mean everyone will prefer TR to those of course, but I did...
Re: Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (May 2)
Personally, I loved the reboot and the subsequent games in the trilogy. I actually prefer TR to games it inspired - like Uncharted or Last of Us as the Game-play had more depth. I'd highly recommend this and the other games in the Trilogy...
Re: Microsoft Gauges Interest In 'Handheld Gaming' Devices With New Survey
If Win 11 had an 'Xbox' UI built into it, then any PC handheld is essentially an 'Xbox' portable.
The problem is building their own for say £500 but 'locked' to only Xbox as a 'Series S' in portable form type Console would be putting it into 'direct' competition with Handheld PC's - all playing Xbox, but also open to ALL the other games too.
Not only that, these PC manufacturers will likely be upgrading to better specs on a far more frequent basis, potentially leaving Xbox 'behind'.
Another way to look at it is treat it similar to Surface line and again Sort out Win 11 to give a more 'Xbox' UI and experience when gaming to make it more accessible and 'easy'. Asus had to make their 'own' gaming UI but if they 'competed' (like they do with Surface Hardware), they could make it more Xbox Console user friendly but still a 'Windows 11 PC' - open...
Re: Starfield's Biggest Update Yet Is Bringing Major New Features To Xbox This Month
QoL - there first 'land' vehicle coming....
I wonder how it runs and what sacrifices we have to accept for 40/60fps as they do mention VRR displays in relation to higher frame rate modes
Re: Microsoft Gauges Interest In 'Handheld Gaming' Devices With New Survey
I was sent that survey and completed it a couple of days ago. It seemed quite focused on the 'PC' side.
@PrinceOfPorgs98 You essentially have the ability to play Xbox games on the RoG Ally - some games are 'Play Anywhere' if you buy them Digitally. When you buy an Xbox Play Anywhere digital game through the Xbox Store or the Microsoft Store, it’s yours to play on Xbox and Windows 10/11 PC at no additional cost. It's that 'smart delivery' that means you get the version for the device(s) you play on so if you play on Series X, you get to download and play that version, play on a PC (inc a Handheld), you also get to download and play on PC too.
Steam Deck is different as its 'default' is not Windows and Xbox games, whilst available, are sold by 'Steam' - not MS so don't have 'Play Anywhere' options. The big advantage of RoG Ally is that its not locked to just Steam or just Xbox. You can play a LOT of old games using Emulation too - games from Playstation, Nintendo, Sega consoles - as well as play games like Sony's Spider-Man, God of War, Horizon, Helldivers 2 etc.
So not only can you play every Xbox game on PC, you can play Sony's PC releases as well as all the Steam, Epic etc exclusives and, if you buy Digitally from Xbox/MS store, can play your library on Console too...
Re: Xbox Confirms Exactly How The 360 Store Closure Will Affect Players This July
@Kooky_Geezer Microsoft isn't responsible for the 'majority' of games on their 360 Store. The Majority are owned by other Publishers/Developers and its up to them to 'preserve' games if they had any desire to.
Games on the N64 for example aren't 'preserved' just because they were released Physically and didn't have a Digital store. The 'games' had limited numbers and no longer available to buy, neither is the Hardware. You are left with no option but to search for 'used' and hope they still work.
Just like the N64, if you 'bought' games, you can still play and/or redownload. You can still search used markets for Physical copies of games on disc too.
All MS can 'preserve' and bring forward to modern Hardware via BC is their OWN games as they 'own' the Licences, IP's, Publishing Rights etc. They can't 'preserve' Treyarchs Spider-Man for example and make that available to play on Series S/X.
The 360 is 'obsolete' as are ALL the games released for it - they are no longer being 'made'. You can't go and buy Halo 3 or Gears of War 'new' on Disc, can't go and buy a new 360. If you want to 'preserve' your 360 experience, you need to keep your 360 Hardware and rely on 'used/retro' game stores to try and find games...
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
@cragis0001 The point about PC's is that they offer the widest range of gaming choice to a consumer and, nowadays, don't need to spend 1000's on a Desktop set-up. You can buy a RoG Ally for about the cost of a Premium Console and have a much wider Library choice - IF Library size is most important to you.
Why buy a PS just because MS are releasing Some games, a few of those will be day/date too on PS, when a PC will get ALL MS games day/date as well as Sony's games? Instead of buying both a PS and Xbox, a PC would give you access to Halo, Gears, Spider-Man, Final Fantasy etc.
I know the Cloud is the weakest way to play, but its also by far the cheapest as it only requires a 'small' monthly fee and you can play on any Hardware, anywhere in theory.. But as we know, not everywhere has a decent wifi/5g network - but that is improving and could be far better in 5-10yrs time. With Cloud, you could play on a Student Laptop or even your last gen XB1S/X if you don't have the budget to spend on a Console and MS did make a £300 (or less) Console for a 'low cost' entry point.
MS may well keep making Consoles for the same reason - but they could also just allow Asus, Lenovo or any other 'PC' maker to build Handheld and/or Low Cost 'Console' format PC's with Xbox branding instead of making their own Hardware - especially because PC's are Open (not Locked), MS Windows based and can be as powerful as you can afford or whatever Form factor - Handheld, tablet, laptop, desktop or even 'Console'.
In the future, maybe it will be like Music/Movies where the majority access through Streaming with a few still buying Low Cost Consoles (like cheap record/CD players) or 'high end' PC separates (Like HiFi separates for the Audiophiles) for those that still want Hardware/Physical. But whether the Hardware relies on Streaming too as games get bigger, more complex, we will see. You can't fit MSFS on a disc - not the whole world in that detail so its streamed in from servers
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
@MrMagic Your Paid Subscription grants you 'Free' Access to ALL those games at NO extra charge regardless of whether its an indie or AAA, whether its 1st or 3rd Party, whether its a Day 1 release or not, whether you play 1 or 100 games a month. You never have to pay ANY additional cost to access whatever games are in that Sub service.
Of course the Service costs. I'm paying a 'small' monthly fee for Game Pass Ultimate - but it means that I am able to access games I don't own, have never paid any money for, as and when I want. Its like the 'Free' games with Gold/PS+, 'free' Demo Discs with Magazines etc. All it means is that there is NO additional costs to pay regardless - even when AAA Day 1 games arrive.
I can play Hellblade 2 the Day it releases without having to spend ANY money that day, finish the whole game at NO extra cost to me and know I can do the same with games like Fable, Avowed, Perfect Dark, Clockwork Revolution. Never have to spend additional money for something 'new' to play...
Re: Talking Point: How Often Do You Pick 'Quality' Over 'Performance' Modes On Xbox Series X|S?
For me, it really is a Game by Game basis. I tend to start with whatever the Default option is and give that a try and after a while, will switch it over to try the other mode.
Some games, like Forza Horizon, I prefer the Quality mode as I think the visual downgrade is not worth it for the extra Frames. It really does depend on the game as I'd take a 'locked' 30fps over a 45-58fps performance mode or a '60fps' 720p FSR upscaled to 4k mode. The 'unstable' frame rate, artefacts and low res are far more of a distraction than playing at 30fps is.
It really does depend on the game as some are no 'better' at higher frame rates and the visual hit can be more distracting - whilst others can look almost as good and feel significantly more responsive at 60fps so I'd rather try both to see which I prefer.
As for 120 - or any Frame Rate above 60fps, I can't do that with my TV, but again I'd try both the 60fps and higher frame rate modes and decide which I feel is the 'best' from my perspective - it would come down to the way the game 'feels' to play and the difference in Visual Quality.
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
@GeeEssEff Assuming you dismiss EVERY game that doesn't score 9 or above. Games like Hades and Vampire Survivors were Award Winning games as well as games like Lies of P, Plague Tale: Requiem, MLB and Stalker 2 also are 'free' on Game Pass.
Game Pass isn't FREE, but it does allow me to play Hundreds of Games for 'Free' - as in I don't need to pay to Download ANY game, Pay to play on Cloud or PC. Netflix or Disney+ isn't Free either, but they do let you watch ANY TV/Film in their Service for 'Free' - you don't need to pay to watch the Mandalorian or the Witcher for example if you have a Subscription. If you subscribe to Disney+, you get to watch Marvel, Star Wars etc Movies 'Free' as many times as you want whilst they are in the service.
Stop paying your PS+ Essential or Game Pass Core 'Subscription' and you'll find those 'Online' games you bought/own are no longer playable. You are paying money to MS/Sony just to be able to play all the content in games you 'own'. Stop paying, and those games are not playable.
The 'content' inside a Subscription is Free to access - that is the point. Yes there is a 'fee' involved as the Subscription itself costs, but you then don't have to pay to download Starfield or Hellblade 2. Its 'Free' to play if you have Subscribed.
Its no different from the 'Free' games you get access to on PS+ or Game Pass Core (or the Games with Gold). Again, the service has a 'cost', but you get 'free' access to the Content.
Game Pass doesn't have EVERY game - but in my case, as someone with BOTH a PS5 and Xbox, I can save a LOT of money by playing Games on Game Pass instead of buying them on PS5. Xbox released 4 games on PS recently - all of which I can play Free with Game Pass, add in games like Stalker 2, Lies of P, MLB, Minecraft, Starfield, Forza, MSFS, AoE with games like Fable, Hellblade 2 etc coming and I get my moneys worth from a small subscription fee.
As for ownership, I can buy ANY game when it leaves Game Pass too when its so much cheaper and get an extra 20% discount as well. It's not like I have to keep subscribing otherwise I'll never be able to play these games. That's assuming that I'd want to return in a decade instead of playing the new games. I don't play games from over a decade ago today.
I had boxes of games and 'old' Computers/Consoles in the attic that I 'kept' from the early 80's - but when I downsized, I had to get rid of them and haven't missed owning them. I still have boxes of games from the OG Xbox/PS3 era that I never or likely to play again with 'new' games coming every week. I don't 'need' to own games indefinitely....
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
@Fiendish-Beaver The point I was trying to make was that a PC will have all Xbox games day/date as well as Sony's games so if the whole reason people are Concerned about the choice to buy hardware because of the Library of games, a PC is the best option.
This whole thread is arguing that MS releasing games on PS makes PS a more attractive prospect than Xbox - which will let you play those games for 'Free' with a Game Pass Subscription. In terms of cost, It becomes far more Expensive on Playstation.
4+ AAA Xbox games a year, let alone all the other 3rd Party releases into Game Pass - and you could save quite a LOT by playing these on Game Pass instead of buying them on Playstation. That money 'saved' could be used to buy 'better' hardware - like a PC. Spend the money on Hardware instead of Software to get the biggest Library - inc BOTH Sony/MS games as they both release on PC, all the emulation etc.
Now you can buy handheld PC's for around Console Prices. Its not much of a step for those 'PC' brands to build a 'dock' or even a more 'console' style PC (whether Licensed or affiliated with MS - like RoG Ally was - or not) that can offer a 'lower' cost entry - but also not 'lock' you into a single platform/store.
MS could make their own 'Console' too - like they make the Surface Pro despite other 'tablets' on the market. And in fact seem to still be planning on Hardware releases. But the point I am trying to make is that a PC has far more games than Playstation or Xbox will offer so complaining about MS releasing games on Playstation, and then not considering the Cost difference is ridiculous. The amount of money it would cost to play ALL the games on PS you could play 'Free' every year on Xbox Game Pass, you could buy a PC, still get those games 'free' and have access to even more Games, inc Sony's PC releases.
I know a PC is more expensive and not as 'simple' as the Plug and Play world of Consoles. But it could still be cheaper and better than buying a Playstation, subbing to PS+ and buying all the Games that you could play 'free' on PC or Xbox, maybe more 60fps+ games. Its not just 'MS' made games either but all the 'free' Day 1 releases that end up saving you money over Playing on Playstation that is the big incentive of buying an Xbox. Yes you may get CoD, Minecraft and whatever other games releasing Day 1 on PS, but you can play them 'free' on Xbox/PC via Game Pass.
I know a PC isn't for everyone, but if its about Library size, its the best, if its about Performance/Graphics, it can be the best. It also has Game Pass so you can save 'money' and still play new releases etc - which may make it 'cheaper' overall than playing on PS
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
@PsBoxSwitchOwner PS+ essential, like Game Pass Core, doesn't offer Day games that cost £70+ to play. You get a couple a month on PS+ that if you really wanted to play, would have bought.
You don't have to buy the latest console to get access to Xbox Game Pass and/or the latest Xbox games. You could play on devices you already own - whether that's a Mobile phone, any PC (whether it has the 'Spec' to run the game natively or not) and who knows what other devices may come out.
The point is that you can play the latest games ANYWHERE for a 'small' monthly fee - so can play on the go (mobile or handheld PC), Play on High-end PC's to get the 'best' version or play on Console for a more affordable option.
Why buy a Playstation in the future? You are better off with a PC as most Sony games will be on PC and the majority of their 3rd Party exclusives release on PC day/date. All Xbox games are on PC anyway and playable free with a GP subscription - and you get access to all those 'PC' exclusives, emulation and the largest Library of games anywhere - far more than on Playstation.
Yes you may get to play some Xbox games eventually on Playstation, some day and date, but its still cheaper on Xbox with Game Pass - especially if they do get their 4+ a year schedule. You can wait in hope that they may come to PS eventually, but you may also miss out on 'some' games (Starfield, Indiana Jones, Forza, Halo, Gears etc) and wait years until MS decides to release them for Playstation.
Sony are selling games on PC now so why buy a Console at all - get locked to that 1 Store, forced to pay for online access and the vast majority of games on PC the same day for less. Let alone ALL the games from history you can play so the largest gaming library with the 'best' performance and/or Graphics. Able to play anywhere, anytime on any hardware you have to me is much more important than being locked to one Platform that will be 'obsolete' in a few years or so...
Whilst MS may not have released 'many' games you'd want to play Day/Date, other games like Lies of P, Stalker 2, High on Life, Hades, etc also add to that value - If you wanted to play Day/Date on PS - even without adding PS+, it would cost you a LOT more for a year of gaming on Playstation vs Xbox...
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
@cragis0001 Of course Console may well be where the 'bulk' of Games Pass Subscribers may well be at the moment - but that doesn't mean it's the ONLY option.
PS+ for example is limited to Console so if you have 100m consoles, the most you can get into that Sub service is 100m. MS can sell Game Pass to far more than 100m with only 50m Series consoles sold. Those on XB1S/X can buy it, those on PC or have a Cloud enabled device can buy into it. With Handheld PC's becoming more accessible too - those buying a RoG Ally, Lenovo Go or any other 'Windows 11' device for example can buy Game Pass. It has a much larger potential - like selling games on more than just one Platform, selling a Sub service too will benefit...
As I said, I bought GPU because I got a Gaming PC and then bought a Gaming Handheld so I can play games like Starfield, Forza, Indiana Jones etc ANYWHERE - not tethered to a Console/TV. Its enabling me to play those games whenever I want on whatever Hardware I want/have access to.
If you can't afford to upgrade to a Series S/X from XB1, you don't need to or if you have some other 'Hardware' (PC or Win 11 handheld 'console') you play on, then you can still benefit from Game Pass.
In the future, Game Pass maybe on Nintendo/Sony Hardware - like Ubisoft+ or EA Access. It may not offer games like Starfield or Indiana Jones as they may not have Native ports to offer - but they could also allow Cloud Streaming to play those, where Xbox owners can actually play Native ports. In theory, you have the 'best' way to play on the latest Xbox hardware with Sony, Nintendo and/or last gen Console owners still able to play over cloud.
Starfield only released on PC and Series S/X hardware - yet is still playable on Last gen XB1 hardware, Samsung TV's, SteamDeck and other Handheld consoles....
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
seems many can't remember or weren't old enough to understand why MS got into the Hardware market in the first place, what their original reason for making the xbox was.
That was to bring out a 'PC in a Console' format to bring PC games to the more ''casual' and affordable market. Back then, RPG's (like Fallout, Elder Scrolls etc), RTS and FPS Games were not really ported to Consoles - so MS saw a gap in the market and filled it.
Now they could get Asus, Lenovo or HP to make a Licenced Xbox PC in a Console format if they choose. They don't need to be 'Licenced' either - they make Handheld Console PC's now anyway. They don't 'need' to be in the Hardware sector and weren't when they started making GAMES long before they had a Console to ship them on - MSFS is OLDER than the Console...
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
@cragis0001 Game Pass is available outside of the Console - PC and Mobile - maybe they'll find a way to bring Game Pass to Playstation - with a Curated list of games specific to PS - ie can get CoD, Minecraft, etc as these are on PS. Games 'not' sold on Playstation (Starfield, Indiana Jones) may only be playable over the Cloud on PS hardware (no Native version to Download) but downloadable on Xbox/PC so another 'incentive' to buy Xbox.
I bought GPU because I have a PC and then bought a RoG Ally too - in other words, it enables me to play Xbox 'anywhere' (except Switch/Playstation) at NO extra cost. I am NOT limited/restricted to playing Xbox Games on a Xbox Console. PC gamers can buy Game Pass too - its not 'just' for those on Console Hardware...
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
@PsBoxSwitchOwner Its essentially 'free' with a Subscription - you are not spending £12 a month for any 'specific' game but access to 'hundreds' of games. Yes there is a fee involved - but there is a Fee involved in just playing games you've already spent £70 on just to play them 'online'.
If you want to play CoD or Battlefield for example, its not just £70 for the game, its another £60 or so for a year of Game Pass Core/PS+ Essential - but you don't add that on to the Cost because you 'buy' the Subscription to access more than just CoD. Same with Game Pass - you aren't Paying £150 a year to play a Single Game, its access to hundreds of games £1000's worth of Software, inc 'EA Access' titles too.
£150 a year to access HUNDREDS of games including at least 2 or 3 'new' £70 releases and you are already significantly better off financially. £500 for a Console + £60 a year for Online access or £150 a year to play ANYWHERE on ANY Device you have - inc High End PC's that offer far better Performance and/or Visual Quality.
Over 5yrs - GPU would cost £750 and have access to a LOT of Games, many Day 1 releases - yet you'd need £800 (5 x £60 + £500) before you even consider Games on Playstation/Xbox without Game Pass for example. If you think about it, it's only £7 a month extra for GPU, as you need Game Pass Core on Xbox to play all the content in Games you buy. EA Access is £5 too, so only £2 extra for Xbox 1st Party games day and date....
Re: Microsoft CEO Comments On Xbox's New PlayStation Store Success
So Getting games first and 'free' with Game Pass isn't an incentive? You'd rather buy a Playstation and 'wait' for MS to sell their Games that you could have played for 'Free' on ANY MS Platform (PC, Cloud or Xbox Console) months, if not years before?
MS will still likely keep some IP's and Single Player AAA games 'Exclusive' to get people into their Ecosystem but some games will benefit more by releasing on Sony's hardware day/date too - Minecraft has been doing that for years and we know CoD for sure will as well.
Personally, I'd still 'buy' an Xbox so I can still download and play Xbox games for 'free' with Game Pass rather than buy a PS to pay £70+ to play them. Not only that, with Game Pass, I can also play on PC or 'on the go' on Handheld PC's or even my Mobile - not just limited to playing on Playstation.
Point is, there will still be 'incentives' to buy an Xbox over a Playstation. Releasing 'more' games a year - even if some are now on PS too, but access is free on Xbox would be quite a financial incentive to buy.
Xbox is Bigger than the Console - Its the entire MS gaming brand. Its not 'just' about console exclusives - but getting Gamers into Xbox IP's and Xbox ecosystem. If you are a fan of Minecraft or CoD, you are a fan of an MS IP, you are spending money on MS products...
Re: Xbox's Gaming Revenue Is Up 51% YoY Following Activision Blizzard Acquisition
@OldGamer999 AAA development issues are more down to the Publisher and their 'greed'. We see many Publishers pushing their developers into creating Live Service games, force them to wrap their IP skin around a Live Service Template to 'cash-in' on the low effort/high reward of MTX cosmetics.
Another aspect of Publishers 'greed' is their obvious push to get games out at the earliest opportunity - whether the Game is actually ready and optimised for release or increasingly 'not'. Why? Because it costs money to keep the Devs working on the game until its ready but releasing it will bring in 'Money' - enough to cover ongoing costs of patches/fixes, missing features/content etc.
As for Hardware, Console market hasn't really grown in decades. The 360 did well but PS3 and Wii U weren't as popular as their Predecessors. Now you don't need a 'Series' Xbox as you can be in the Xbox ecosystem, playing all the latest 'Xbox' games via multiple methods. You don't 'need' to upgrade from an XB1 to play - not the 'best' way to play, but it is the cheapest...
Reach is important too - if you only have a £500+ hardware entry price point, you immediately limit your reach to all those who can't or 'unwilling' to spend that much on a 'leisure' item. being able to 'reach' every gamer - even if its on mobiles or platforms you don't own, its getting people into your 'store' where they'll spend time and money on your services, software etc.
If you can sell to 10% of your Audience, 100m Consoles mean about 10m game sales, 50m is only 5m game sales - so only 5-10m to buy MTX, DLC etc. Get 30m+ in the Game across Cloud, Console, PC, that's 30m potential buyers of extras - as well as all the Subscription fees and income from 'outside' your Console Platform.
One of ABK's biggest income makers is Candy Crush and of course WoW is another, neither of which is on 'Console' (yet). Gaming is 'bigger' than just the Consoles and 'Xbox' is too...
Re: Gears Of War Voice Actor Reckons We're Due A 'Gears 6' Announcement In June
I still think a Marcus Fenix Trilogy will come and potentially before Gears 6. Gears 2 & 3 never had an Official PC port so I think it makes sense to release a UE5 remake of these so that you have the complete Gears on all their Platforms.
To be honest, I would prefer that to a 'new' Gears 6. Gears 4 & 5 were 'good', but missing some of the Horror, the emotional impact etc the Trilogy gave us.
Re: Fallout: London Suffers Delay, Dev Wasn't Told About Fallout 4 Update
From my perspective, they are NOT associated with Bethesda so Bethesda has NO OBLIGATION to be in touch with the Developers. They are using Bethesdas Engine and IP to create something they 'wanted' to make.
As soon as Bethesda mentioned an update was coming to 'update' Fallout 4 for Next Gen Consoles, the onus should be on them to reach out to Bethesda.
I know it looks promising and Fans are looking forward to it - but its still 'unofficial' and a 'mod' of Bethesdas IP using Bethesda's Engine. It should be on them to contact Bethesda and 'respect' Bethesdas choice to focus on their Official IP for their Fans and time it well enough to coincide with the TV show.
To me this is them trying to drum up some more publicity for their 'Mod' and why it won't arrive as soon as they had planned/hoped/promised to have it ready for.
Re: Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora Update Adds 40FPS Mode On Xbox Series X
40fps is exactly half-way between 30fps and 60fps in terms of Frame Time - 30fps is 33.3ms per frame, 40fps is 25ms per frame and 60fps is 16.6ms.
It also fits perfectly in a 120hz container like 30 and 60fps. You get 4x Refreshes per Frame at 30fps, 3x Refreshes per Frame at 40fps and 2x refreshes per frame at 60fps.
Part of the reason 40fps isn't and hasn't been common on Consoles comes down to Displays. Until recently, we didn't have TV's with 120hz panels or VRR. 40fps doesn't fit nicely in a 60hz container so 30fps (2x refreshes per frame) became the 'minimum'. With the majority of TV's still unlikely to offer 120hz, there has been 'little' reason to optimise for the 'few' that can use that mode. Those with 60hz TV's though will have to settle for 30fps or 60fps modes.
I would expect it to become more Common as more and more TV's have at least 120hz Panels with more and more people upgrading from their existing 60hz TV's. These TV's are also becoming cheaper too.
Nice to see more Devs adding this feature and I hope to see more do so in the future - Especially on Xbox!