BacklogBrad

@RiverGenie I have rennsport downloaded on steam. I will give it whirl before 1.0 releases to decide if there is any sort of foundation for a full price game. Based solely on user reviews it sounds a bit rough but we'll see. Multiple reviews call it mobile game quality.

-edit- my quick 15 minute impression was pretty low for early access version. Forced to create a profile (email, name, username and password) with an external website. No AI cars in singleplayer, just lap times. Pretty weak graphically for a sim racer. Playablility and graphically it is multiple tiers below forza/gran turismo. It has some Assetto Corsa vibes but seems inferior in every way. And AC is often on sale for $1.99.

The steam page says it will remain free to play after early access ends so that will be interesting to see if console versions are actually going to be $60. If that ends up being the case, it will be an easy pass since I already have the game on steam.

"Will the game be priced different during and after early access?

The game will remain free to play. The prices of in game content might be subject to change."

@RiverGenie rennsport is free to play (not sure if that will carry over to 1.0 release) while project motor sport is going to be $60. I usually dont like the free to play model but no harm in giving it a try.

Project motor sport looks good though. I wishlisted it but probably won't go full price on it, planning to wait for the $20-$30 range.

I have a soft spot for cheap racing games.

It's sad that people still flock to the console sales as the only metric of success when we know 2/3 of gamers buy 2 games or less per year.

It's wild that such a casual targeted game is dominating on pc. Everyone is going to PC these days.

Is the docked experience still a nightmare like with the OG Ally? I found that a mouse and keyboard were essential to even attempt docked mode. Some games were a real hassle to get it to recognize an actual bluetooth controller as the input instead of the handheld "controller". Then you get random pop-ups or the need to sign in to one of the launchers or publisher acct. Even though docked mode puts it into turbo mode, I was seeing worse performance in some games than undocked.

I dont think windows is that bad in handheld. It is totally usable with the touchscreen. Docked is a whole other story.

Im really excited for this one. I think a realistic Sim like iracing is perfect for nascar which has oddly always had arcade leaning racing games. I plan on buying the game at steam launch which is early November. That will make it easier to use my wheel rig. Hopefully this is the start of a long running and quality nascar franchise.

Iracing has pricing structures that worry me. This is supposedly a standalone experience so it shouldn't ever get a monthly sub like iracing but it does look like it will be riddled with cosmetic skins and other small nickle and dime dlc stuff. I wish that would mean legacy drivers like Richard petty, dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, etc. but it sounds like it is limited to alternate skins for current drivers.

This is what happens when we let the bluesky/twitter crowd control the narrative. We get false doom and gloom rumors designed to get traction on social media. Media sites get in on the click bait profits and the consumers are left wondering where the misinformation ends and truth begins.

All the time. I tend to play 3-4 games at a time and at least one of them is a replay. Im big into retro emulation so I end up doing full replays of a ton of really old games. I would guess something like 40% of my games are replays.

Some games I play yearly. Pumpkin Jack is downloaded and ready for its annual halloween week playthrough.

Im excited for nascar 25 by the iracing team. Hopefully nascar finally gets the realistic Sim it needs (without the iracing price structure). Probably going the steam route which doesn't release until november so I can use my wheel.

Keeper, Blood west and space elite force also have my attention but to a lesser extent.

I didnt care for it in the betas so I am probably passing. Maybe if I still have ultimate when it hits ea play but that's unlikely. If multiple friends buy it soon and want me to join their squad I might reconsider but that's looking unlikely.

I am curious if the campaign is as bad as it sounds. I typically enjoy "bad" military fps campaigns so I am intrigued.

Im leaning towards doom the dark ages or civ 7.

Sounds like the campaign is dreadful again.

They totally paid for or lobbied for that spot on Time's list. Most news/magazine awards or lists are bs.

Fingers crossed for a pc hybrid. It's probably the only thing that would draw me to another console from xbox or playstation.

I like the lobbies sticking but the skill based matchmaking should be improved upon instead of removed. This only rewards the best players.

I wish them the best but the odds are probably against them.

This game has been in my Steam wishlist since it launched. I will definately check it out on gamepass. Hopefully it will bring back more good memories than bad from when I was working at a grocery store in high-school and college.

Without knowing the figures we cant really draw any conclusion from this. We dont know if there were the same number of each device available or just how many devices sold out means.

Hopefully the product is an overwhelming success but it still seems like a niche product that is even more niche with the price tag.

Im glad I wasn't the only one to vote for massive chalice. It's probably not my favorite one but its a hidden gem and deserves more attention.

Microsoft confirms the email is real and only applies to a few countries. Us and UK not included. The price will temporarily stay what it was for current subs in those countries. They need to provide notice according to laws and that is delaying the eventual price increase. Once that notice period ends they will also see the higher prices.

“Our recent Game Pass update remains unchanged. Current subscribers in certain countries will continue renewing at their existing price for now, in line with local requirements. We’ll provide advance notice before price adjustments take effect in these countries,”

https://www.theverge.com/news/794032/microsoft-xbox-game-pass-ultimate-price-changes-countries

@ozkrmz expecting any company to release a product that is superior "in every way" than the competing products and is cheaper is never going to end well. You are setting impossible standards and will be disappointed.

Personally speaking, I thought xbox knocked it out of the park with the two different series consoles. Letting us choose if we want cheap or quality hardware was a win. It's looking like even more choices could be on the horizon. But if you want the high spec hardware expect to pay top dollar. Fingers crossed that its under a grand.

@ozkrmz its quite the paradox to expect their next console to be superior to ps6 in every way and also to be cheaper. It sounds like the ps6 is scaling back to avoid being outrageously priced so higher spec for xbox seems very possible.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have a lower spec and a higher spec again though. Might even be a few more 2nd party xbox consoles too besides Asus Ally.

I got the email saying the price will increase on next billing cycle so US is definitely getting the increase for exisisting customers.

I already downgraded but I'm back on the fence for Ultimate. I might end up going back to ultimate.

Buy it on GOG and play it on the xbox ally.

I've never been a fan of the high end controllers, the value just isn't there with the price.

The standard xbox controller is great and budget controllers are surprisingly capable. Then I have the trusty mouse and keyboard for shooters.

He is probably the best guy to have in the role. In a way he has been too successful in his role and now has microsoft executives fully invested in gaming to the point where their bleed every penny mentality has taken over. Ideally xbox would have been able to just live as a profitable part of the business. Now the accountants got the let's take these users for all their worth model and it doesn't seem like Phil has any choice.

Probably for the best that they went to Gears. They made some great Gears games.

Wouldn't an Uncharted rival just be a Tomb Raider rival which is just an Indiana Jones rival which xbox ended up making?

Hopefully Konami felt the mistake of taking the exclusivity deal and will strive for a multiplat only future.

What will the messaging be when this call of duty does much worse than last years? It will likely fail to reach the sales numbers that 6 did on all platforms, including xbox. Battlefield 6 will be a convenient excuse but I agree with Matt P and think gamepass helped call of duty. I had numerous friends that did not sub to gamepass for call of duty but bought it because a few of us were having fun getting back into COD for the first time in years with gamepass.

I dont expect to hear too many of the "player count" announcements from xbox now that many people said forget it to the outrageous price for day 1 games. It sucks for keeper and the outer worlds 2 but those games are going to get hurt by the lack of gamepass users playing them day 1.

It was always a bad take to suggest xbox would not be making a new console when it is so clearly part of their plan.

They are right to not put all their eggs in the hardware basket but it is clearly still going to be a part of the future for xbox.

It's fascinating that fortnite and a bunch of old ubisoft games ended up being the difference between "best deal in gaming" and bloated rip-off (for me at least).

If you haven't played any of them before, they are some of the best games of all time. But pretty much every one of these games is on sale for $5 or less regularly. I bet every one of them in the current steam sale would cost nearly the same as a couple months of Ultimate. Most gamers have played the ones they want already.

For me this does not add any value to the service. I would rather it not be included. It's inclusion and the price reflection is a major reason why I am no longer an Ultimate subscriber.

It's not a remake or a remaster, its a playstation/switch port. Im sure they will have some sort of visual improvements on top of the visual improvements they already did but this is bottom line just a port to other consoles.

Hopefully the recent track record of these ports holds and the improvements will be free to those who own master chief collection.

Can't really say too much until they actually announce it (if they announce it). I wouldn't mind if it turns out to be watch 2 minutes of ads at the start and every hour. It's very hard to see 5 hours per month as the cutoff if there would actually be a limit to how many hours per month.

It brings up an interesting situation if you are in a multiplayer game. Do you get kicked right at the moment its ad time? Does it pause the game for everyone or just you while you have the ad break? Etc.

But we need to keep in mind that the only constant with xbox is change. Whatever they decide with this will likely evolve over time or change drastically one day.

It's one of the best games of the last few years. An absolute gem.

Won't be playing it on gamepass tho.

The GP ultimate price hike took the wind out of the sails for me. Looks like I won't be able to play it thru a lower gamepass tier and probably not buying it.

Call of duty is no longer on my radar for games coming out this year.

I will wait and see. If these are ID at xbox titles or small indie titles then it won't move the needle much for me.

Ultimate is bloated now in an attempt to justify the price. Im still weighing premium and pc gamepass as the only real options for me right now.

I picked up 10 games to own forever in the Steam Autumn Sale for the same $30 it would cost for 1 month of Ultimate.

I would rather continue to build my Steam library of nearly 1500 games in the seasonal sales than pay monthly for gamepass.

They should let us build our own tier. They bloated ultimate with so much needless stuff. Make each petk an add on to a base subscription.

Steam seasonal sales are the official "best deal in gaming." Key retailers are the unofficial "best deal in gaming." Xbox can no longer lay claim to this.

I have already preemptively switched to Premium ahead of my ultimate expiring late this month. I am still considering switching to just PC gamepass so i can keep playing day 1 releases. I mostly play on pc but it was nice to be able to pickup the same save in the living room on the Series x or on the floating series s with xscreen.

Gamepass Ultimate at $20 was the thing keeping xbox consoles appealing as my number 2 choice of platform.

The theory seems to be to stuff Ultimate with as many perks as possible so they can charge a lot for it. On paper, adding roughly $20 worth of subscriptions and "only" increasing the price $10 seems like a deal. I just dont see who would want all of the ultimate perks or enough of them to pay $360 per year for them.

Hopefully they get to the point where the add-ons are optional increases instead of lumped into tiers. Base amount $9.99, day 1 xbox games +$4.99, Cloud gaming +$2.99, fornite +$2.99, ea play +$2.99, etc. Give us a checklist to build our own tiers.

Ultimate seems like a good value on paper but there has to be very few people that would want every one of the included perks. I dont know who ultimate is for anymore. Don't people who play fortnite enough to want the subscription only play fortnite, why would they want the rest of ultimate?

Ultimate was perfect for me at $20 but they added two services I dont want and it pushed the price to something I no longer want to pay. Im switching to premium for now but might just go with pc gamepass and say bon voyage to console life all together. At least with pc gamepass I can get day 1 releases.

This has to be the most unappealing all 3 consoles have ever been for me and all for very different reasons.

Guitar hero seems like an obvious choice for an Xbox owned comeback. They could have that controller team go wild with limited edition guitars. Go wild with dlc song packs.

Seems like a slam dunk evergreen title. Avoid the new game every year that wrecked the franchise and just have the one forever title on all platforms.

Menace and whiskerwood look promising. I will be checking those out.

I want to see more optimization settings for steering wheels.

I wouldn't be surprised if they pushed it out a month to see if there is more clarity on if tariffs will remain. The supreme court will hear arguments on Nov 5th so a decision would probably be shortly after. Seems like a weird time to release a product, might as well see what happens with that decision first.

Delaying a month would be cutting it close to holidays and they probably already felt tariffs on the already built units but longterm waiting for a resolution on that might benefit them.

One thing that will probably never leak is extended gameplay because they were never able to get to that point in development.

I will look for the bullet point list of reveals afterwards. Might watch the trailer for any that interest me. Im kind of over the whole showcase thing.

@BAMozzy let's be honest, Steam is much more of a threat to take away their hardware sales than xbox and sony is more than happy to send 30% their way for every single game they release.

The idea of them turning down $49 because xbox would make the other $21 does not make sense. Going back to the shareholders, why would anyone invest in a company if this was their thinking?

I do think its only a matter of time especially with spiderman where 'count every penny' Disney holds the IP. I fully expect the big single player games to come to switch and xbox. Those are the ones that would sell the best.

We know playstation publicly complained about the profit margin on their AAA games and we now have evidence that more revenue is right there for the taking. I think the decision has been made for them. Sony execs and shareholders will likely be pressing for more if they haven't already put wheels in motion for whatever games are next.