It's a good thing there is a Revisited version of Haunted Castle because I certainly wouldn't consider the original version a selling point - the game is just ridiculously hard to the point of not being fun (though, I guess when actual quarters aren't at stake - no pun intended - there is a lot less to lose).
@Fiendish-Beaver Moreso replacing the Xbox as I still have PS5 games on the backlog from this past Christmas to play. Plus, I am currently playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and it isn't available on PC, yet.
I have zero plans to buy a game for Xbox console ever again. The only reason I haven't sold my Series X off is because I plan to get Shadow of the Erdtree (after I finish my PS5 backlog) -
I am not putting another 120 hours on a PC version when I have a perfectly good character ready for it on Xbox - and to play the remaining Alan Wake II DLC (since I already paid for it all).
The only new PS5 game I see getting is Astro Bot which I know will never come to PC (because it simply doesn't make sense on the platform being a giant advertisement/homage/museum for the PlayStation brand).
But I did cancel my PS5 pre-order of Silent Hill 2 and plan to get the PC version, instead.
The only console I plan buying in the foreseeable future is Switch 2. I don't plan to get either PlayStation 6 or NextBox when they come around.
The types of games Sony makes need to be released on more than just PlayStation to be profitable in the way Sony wants and I foresee the release window between PlayStation and PC being much shorter (if not day and date) and I think all Sony games going forward will get a PC release.
Gaming costs have ballooned too much for the exclusive route to be sustainable.
The only exception is Nintendo, which has figured out how to keep development costs low enough to the point of being profitable on one system (but Nintendo also doesn't sell consoles at a loss, which helps).
@Fiendish-Beaver My new PC that I got a couple weeks back.
And to answer the memory leak question - basically there is something that continues to slowly use up memory and can lead to an out of memory error. Usually in some kind of looping logic in the code that either doesn't deallocate memory or runs infinitely to the point of causing a crash.
Though, I would think if it was specific to the game, all platforms would have the problem, so my guess it something in Xbox specific APIs is the culprit.
@OldGamer999 I think it's going to continue to be a problem until developers start shipping games using Unreal 5.4
I remember Alex of at Digital Foundry showed off The Matrix demo using Unreal 5.4 and the performance gains were pretty significant (50 - 60% boost in performance) when CPU limited - which, is probably the case for a lot of UE5 games on consoles as it's very single-threaded right now.
@JON22 Something is very weird with the Xbox console these days.
HDMI-CEC used to work perfectly and for like the past 6 months or so, it hasn't worked at all. I even tried turning it off, rebooting the console, re-enabling it and rebooting the console and it still doesn't work.
I don't use the machine anymore since getting a PC. Only reason I turned it on recently was to get the list of digital games I own so I could compile an Excel spreadsheet of all the console games I own so I can eventually replace them with PC versions (when they are like a super discount).
If it wasn't for my 120 hours of Elden Ring (planning to get Shadow of the Erdtree at some point) and waiting for all the Alan Wake 2 DLC to come out, I would have just sold the system after I got the PC.
Also, the voice of Son Wukong in the intro sequence is incredibly annoying. Sounds like a cocky [expletive] and not a hero.
Though, maybe that's the point?
I am only vaguely familiar with Journey to the West.
Most PC players hate getting games through the Microsoft Store (which is probably another reason Game Pass isn't as popular on PC).
Sometimes they are missing features. Sometimes there are bugs and crashes that don't exist anywhere else. Sometimes performance is worse than Steam. And, of course, you can't use unofficial mods on Microsoft Store versions of games because the directory is read-only.
"It's definitely true inside of Microsoft that the bar is high for us in terms of the delivery that we have to give back to the company - we get a level of support from the company that's just amazing in what we're able to go and do."
To me, this is the key part of this statement. Xbox has a much bigger target on its back from Microsoft proper. It needs to appease the financial gods. Going multi-platform is the only way it can do that without some serious consequences to Xbox by corporate.
@NEStalgia I posted results over on Push Square from a "quick and dirty" test of the PC version on my new machine:
Ryzen 7800X3D, 32GB RAM, Nvidia 4070 Super, and running off a Samsung 990 Pro M.2 drive (up to 7.4GB/s Read speed)
Running Ultra settings (which the game defaulted) and Native 1440p/DLAA/Frame-gen Off I get anywhere from 58 - 75fps (sometimes 80fps and at one point dropped to 40s).
The game seems to do the exact same thing as the PS5 in Performance Mode where combat encounters perform higher and then drop when exploration kicks back in.
If I turn on Frame-Gen but still keep the game at native resolution with DLAA, it also seems to get into the 90 - 100+ fps range.
If I turn on DLSS Quality, it seems to be in the 90fps range.
Dynamic Resolution Scaling is also an option, but I had my framerate set to 165 and I think it was trying to scale to meet that framerate and the image got incredibly soft.
I am sure I could probably drop to 60 instead and get a much better image closer to 1440p and get a locked 60 - but I would have to play with settings a little more.
Cutscenes are locked to 30fps (and I had one that ran at 59fps for some reason).
Bottom line, the game is actually quite heavy on resources without looking any different from the PS5 version (will need Digital Foundry to point out any enhancements over the console version).
It does run better than the PS5 (with the right settings), but it certainly will require leveraging reconstruction to keep things 60+fps at all times (and rendering resolution doesn't end up being any better than the PS5 version in Performance Mode - at least when using a 4070 Super). Thankfully DLSS does a significantly better job of making the game look native resolution.
On topic: It's good to know that the director wants to have the game on Xbox!
I have been playing Lords of the Fallen - native 1440p/DLAA/Cinematic Quality settings/Frame-Gen Off - at around 70fps. Sometimes it dips below 60fps when things get a little too intense, but since my monitor has a 20Hz - 165Hz VRR range, those dips to like 58fps aren’t even noticeable.
I don’t keep the FPS monitor on all the time, though - I mostly use it to get settings right so I’m not stretching my GPU above RAM limits and ignore it.
Just for fun, I ran Alien Isolation without V-Sync and it ran about 500fps. 🤣
Heck even Immortals of Aveum I can run maxed out and get above 60fps.
@Kezelpaso Creative Assembly should use the Alien: Isolation engine. I swear that was the greatest horror game ever made - literally had me sweating by the end!
Most horror games are able to achieve the vibe of horror, but never actually end up "scary". Alien: Isolation is downright terrifying.
@Glassneedles I know Ultimate Doom had the Rerelease folder before it updated to this collection - but those WADs for Ultimate Doom had the edited Medical Kits with the Green Cross from the Unity version as opposed to the Red Cross of the DOS version.
I just like that my copy of Ultimate Doom on Steam updated to Doom 1 & 2.
I do need to see if the original DOS version of Doom II is included as I only had access to the original version of Ultimate Doom - especially since I can't just buy Doom 2 on Steam now with this being combined.
Now that I have a gaming PC - which is a freakin' beast, by the way - I should really dive back into the world of RTS games.
I used to really love the genre back in the day - especially Starcraft, Red Alert, and Rise of Nations (which is on PC Game Pass). I got a little bit into the "Age of" series, but not as much as the aforementioned games.
@Mustoe Prebuild comes tomorrow. I probably won't really get to give it a thorough testing until the weekend.
During the week will mostly for getting things setup proper and the weekend will be the stress test for gaming.
@NEStalgia "but why not just use the fan/rgb headers on the mobo anyway"
Not enough connectors on the mobo for all the extra fans the case had.
At the end of the day, I am better off as the Micro Center build only had a 4060 Ti 8GB due to initial budgeting reasons, but my wife felt bad for me for all the inconvenience so we upped the budget so I could get a machine with a 4070 Super (and a free copy of Black Myth Wukong to boot).
@NEStalgia I was so mad when the case fans didn't work at all! I spent a lot of time trying to be extra careful and reading instructions carefully to make sure I did this right the first time (P.S. I didn't as I used the wrong screws when I was assembling the water cooler to the CPU and had to redo it).
I had issues with Micro Center when I went to pick up the parts to build (they couldn't find my order) and spent 2 hours in the store essentially doing what I had done online the day before to avoid having to spend 2 hours in the store.
Frustration set in and I was just "done".
I am sure the prebuild won't have the storage I wanted (Samsung 990 Pro) or a PCIe 5.0 mobo, but I can reasonably expect everything to work out of the box - unfortunately Best Buy's website doesn't give the breakdown of the exact components used.
Using Micro Center has been less than ideal. I know the case failure wasn't their fault, but they operate like a store from 30 years ago - not great in an online world and limited brick & mortar locations.
@Ilyn The way I see it, the CPU/RAM combination will probably last for a long time as consoles continue to be the focus of developers and I just don't see even the PS6/Nextbox APUs being better than that.
So, when games stop run well (though I do feel like DLSS and Frame-gen will probably extend the life of GPUs going forward - even if you have to use more aggressive DLSS profiles in the future), it will probably just require a GPU upgrade (possibly motherboard) rather than fully replacing the whole PC.
@Mustoe My TV is actually a little too small for the room it's in, so I pull up a chair when I game with a controller (or sit on the floor). No "couch play" for me!
Plus, I still do plan to use an Xbox controller on PC for a lot of games (where it's supported). I'll probably slowly transition back to keyboard and mouse, but any third-person titles I play will probably be with a Gamepad.
But, honestly, I got a gaming PC because I am getting tired of the console ecosystems and I fear it's only going to get worse as the years go on.
I wanted a system that can do it all.
Microsoft's focus isn't really consoles anymore (even though it pledged a next console) and Sony's domination only makes it more likely to see how far it can go to bend its costumers over a barrel in years to come.
I am not going all "PC Master Race" on anyone.
For me, it makes the most sense. I like older games a lot as well as new games and PC covers that from both the official channels - GOG, etc. - and via emulation! I don't have to clutter my house with consoles!
@Mustoe Ryzen 7800X3D with 240mm liquid cooler, 32GB RAM, Nvidia 4070 Super, 2TB M.2, and a 27" LG Nano 1440p 165Hz HDR monitor.
It is a CyberPowePC prebuild from Best Buy and monitor was $150 off.
I WAS building one from Micro Center (which is an hour drive from me). I got it all in the case only to find out the PCB for the case fans and RGB was shot on the case - nothing I did got those case fans running or the RGB when hooked into that board.
I called Micro Center and was told that I needed to return the whole case. So, I had to take everything out and just decided to take everything back.
I didn't want the hassle of re-assembling everything again and bought Prebuilt - because, honestly, if something else is busted when I finally do get it hooked up, it will be another 1-hour drive back to Mico Center.
Best Buy is 10 minutes away.
I wanted the experience of building myself again, but that was shattered by faulty equipment and the cheapest route is a store 50 miles away!
@Ilyn I am going the desk-based route. I have a nice quiet room in my basement I can use (plus the ambient temperature down there is cool).
@NEStalgia It's a fair point. I am hesitant to go Intel due to both cost and it's recent instability issues (I know it's getting fixed, but it still worried me for the future). Plus, everywhere I have read, the AMD 7800X3D is like THE gaming CPU to have.
I don't care about multi-tasking and productivity. The only "multi-tasking" my PC would ever do is emulating Roland SoundCanvas and MT-32/CM-32L for DOSBox/SCUMMVM.
Perhaps I should just get while the getting is good (and I got a bunch of bonuses from work).
@Mustoe The only thing preventing me from pulling the trigger is that we are kind of reaching a transition point for PC hardware.
I priced out a DIY AMD 7800X3D, Nvidia 4070 Super, 32GB RAM, and a 2TB Samsung 990 Pro. With monitor, keyboard, case, liquid CPU cooler, cables, surge protector, etc., I have it priced under $2K.
Buuut, AMD's new CPUs are set to be released, and I want to see how they compare to the 7800X3D. Plus...I want to see if Nvidia's 50 series GPUs are close to release (Sept/Oct??).
I'd rather start with the "latest and greatest" CPU/GPU architecture right out of the gate if it makes sense to do so.
"The real goal here is to take a broad set of content to more users in more places, and build something that looks more like, to us, a software annuity and subscription business with enhanced transactions and the ownership of IP which is quite valuable long-term,"
And this, my friends, is the future of Xbox - straight from Amy Hood's mouth.
I'm not surprised, though. The writing has been on the wall. It's just "nice" to finally get "confirmation" from an executive.
Microsoft will still make consoles, but its console focus will be more like something akin to the Surface line of products.
I am already making moves for getting out of the "premium console market" and building a nice mid-range PC so I can get all the games (minus Nintendo - I'll still buy Nintendo consoles unless it, too, goes PC release route) in one place.
Sony's dominance will only continue to strengthen its ambition to bend its customers over a barrel with price hikes and remasters (and be defended for it because...Sony).
Microsoft clearly isn't focused on the hardware anymore.
Throw in the fact that the idea of a subsidized console might be coming to an end, I am just better off getting a good PC at the cost of convenience.
At least the developers are having a little fun with the delay.
It sucks, but I do get so tired of games releasing too early due to deadlines and needing patches along the way, so I'd much rather things get delayed a few months to ensure the game is in the most polished state it can be (before the masses get a hold of it and find the most random bugs that QA testers probably didn't even think could be possible).
If Microsoft continues to make Xbox consoles a closed system, it really needs to get back to achieving the original intention of Xbox: essentially merging PC and console development into a single workload stream.
There is absolutely no reason why a game that has a PC release (especially for these older titles) can't be a checkbox click away from being an Xbox release and completely eliminates this whole "Xbox isn't worth the time" mentality that developers are having with things like this.
And if there is some kind of red tape that Microsoft is internally creating that prevents games from releasing (e.g. requiring all new games to have native Series X|S versions rather than having the option to rely on the amazing backwards compatibility Microsoft worked so hard on creating), than Microsoft needs to rethink its release requirements.
Xbox needs games to thrive. Xbox isn't thriving so games aren't releasing.
@JonBoyJ For the last 14 years, I would agree with you - I ditched PC for console back in 2010 simply due to convenience, cost, and exclusive content.
However, with Microsoft seemingly slowly abandoning console as a priority for Xbox and my fears of what an unchecked Sony will look like in the premium console market one day (with basically Microsoft out of the way), I'm not so sure sticking around the console market is a great idea, either.
Unfortunately, another problem lies on the business side where console makers may not be able to subsidize hardware going forward. The $500 console might be dead next generation. If you are a multi-console gamer, one could be paying $1200 - $1500 for both consoles to begin with (and probably closer to $2K for all three consoles).
But I can't argue consoles convenience value. It's absolutely there and I don't blame anyone for sticking with them just to be able to "plug and play" for gaming. It's super easy and there is a reasonable expectation that every game just works. That guarantee isn't there on PC.
This is my personal choice. My only point to make is that $3000+ is extreme. If you can DIY your rig, then even $2K is high. But it all depends on what you want out of a PC.
@JonBoyJ @WhiteRabbit I have been pricing a DIY PC and honestly...$3K is ridiculous unless you absolutely need to use an Nvidia 4090.
AMD 7800X3D 32GB DDR5 6000 RAM Nvidia 4070 Super 12GB 2TB Samsung Pro M.2 drive (7450 MB/s Read speed)
Completely out-classes the Series X/PS5 and is $1576. Honestly, I don't see PS6/Nextbox beating that CPU/RAM combination.
Take into account PC doesn't require Game Pass or PS+ as well as games getting handed out for free left and right on top of regular sales and can last you well over 10 years without needing any component updated, I'd say PC gaming is the way to go if you want be able to experience Xbox and PlayStation games at their absolute best.
I am absolutely ditching consoles (except Nintendo Switch), but I am waiting to pull the trigger until I see what the Nvidia 50 series cards have to offer (as this is very close to Nvidia's timeframe for release new GPUs - Sept/Oct).
Does this mod also automatically bypass character dialog and just set Main Quest waypoints when you interact with the proper character? Or, better yet, just let you walk away when NPCs talk to you.
This should get followed up with a trailer for an Xbox exclusive Deadpool game (starring Ryan Reynolds) that makes fun of console wars and Spider-Man exclusivity on PlayStation.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (even though it lacks the FMV of the PlayStation version), Elden Ring, and...hmm...tough choice, not sure I could pick a 3rd without kicking myself that I should have chosen something else.
@NEStalgia Maybe there is something to getting a desktop with a more mid-range GPU at $300 (which is more capable than a Series X or PS5 at the moment - assuming you go with a higher end CPU and RAM out of the gate) and then 4 - 5 years, getting another mid-range GPU at $300 and maybe some extra RAM.
It will cost less than buying a Microsoft console, a PlayStation console, and will still probably be more powerful and can still run all the games at a minimum of console settings.
I know PC gamers tend to want to go beyond console settings, but I am more looking at this from a cost of ownership/convenience of having one platform perspective.
I feel like, for gaming, CPUs and motherboards are the one thing where PCs have a gigantic advantage and could last 2 or 3 console generations. RAM and GPU are where the upgrades need to happen more often - but if you keep the RAM and GPU in check, you end up spending less in a 14 year period than owning a bunch of consoles at $500 - $600 per console.
Plus, you still have access to a massive back catalog of games (even if some of those games need community patches to work on the latest OS/DirectX versions).
@QuoVadis I loved PC gaming back in the day - and things were a heck of a lot more complicated back then as there really weren't that many games that had Graphical Presets like they do now. Drivers were incredibly finicky - updating them sometimes cause major problems. Plus, there was still very much "console games" and "PC games" back then.
Game Pad support also wasn't common either and made third-person action games a pain to play sometimes.
My work laptop can do light gaming (basically limited to about 720p and Low settings for anything modern - if it works at all). But, man, PC gaming is so much "easier" now than it was before.
Plus, there is no need for any of these stupid services.
Comments 2,062
Re: 'Castlevania Dominus Collection' Just Got Shadow Dropped On Xbox Series X|S
It's a good thing there is a Revisited version of Haunted Castle because I certainly wouldn't consider the original version a selling point - the game is just ridiculously hard to the point of not being fun (though, I guess when actual quarters aren't at stake - no pun intended - there is a lot less to lose).
Re: Rumour: Black Myth: Wukong 'Memory Leak' Has Caused Xbox Series X|S Delay
@Fiendish-Beaver Moreso replacing the Xbox as I still have PS5 games on the backlog from this past Christmas to play. Plus, I am currently playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and it isn't available on PC, yet.
I have zero plans to buy a game for Xbox console ever again. The only reason I haven't sold my Series X off is because I plan to get Shadow of the Erdtree (after I finish my PS5 backlog) -
I am not putting another 120 hours on a PC version when I have a perfectly good character ready for it on Xbox - and to play the remaining Alan Wake II DLC (since I already paid for it all).
The only new PS5 game I see getting is Astro Bot which I know will never come to PC (because it simply doesn't make sense on the platform being a giant advertisement/homage/museum for the PlayStation brand).
But I did cancel my PS5 pre-order of Silent Hill 2 and plan to get the PC version, instead.
The only console I plan buying in the foreseeable future is Switch 2. I don't plan to get either PlayStation 6 or NextBox when they come around.
The types of games Sony makes need to be released on more than just PlayStation to be profitable in the way Sony wants and I foresee the release window between PlayStation and PC being much shorter (if not day and date) and I think all Sony games going forward will get a PC release.
Gaming costs have ballooned too much for the exclusive route to be sustainable.
The only exception is Nintendo, which has figured out how to keep development costs low enough to the point of being profitable on one system (but Nintendo also doesn't sell consoles at a loss, which helps).
Re: Rumour: Black Myth: Wukong 'Memory Leak' Has Caused Xbox Series X|S Delay
@Fiendish-Beaver My new PC that I got a couple weeks back.
And to answer the memory leak question - basically there is something that continues to slowly use up memory and can lead to an out of memory error. Usually in some kind of looping logic in the code that either doesn't deallocate memory or runs infinitely to the point of causing a crash.
Though, I would think if it was specific to the game, all platforms would have the problem, so my guess it something in Xbox specific APIs is the culprit.
Re: Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake Tech Specs & Frame Rate Revealed For Xbox
@OldGamer999 I mean...I don't disagree...but honestly, multi-threading has been underutilized since the day multi-core processors were created.
Re: Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake Tech Specs & Frame Rate Revealed For Xbox
@OldGamer999 I think it's going to continue to be a problem until developers start shipping games using Unreal 5.4
I remember Alex of at Digital Foundry showed off The Matrix demo using Unreal 5.4 and the performance gains were pretty significant (50 - 60% boost in performance) when CPU limited - which, is probably the case for a lot of UE5 games on consoles as it's very single-threaded right now.
Re: Rumour: Black Myth: Wukong 'Memory Leak' Has Caused Xbox Series X|S Delay
@JON22 Something is very weird with the Xbox console these days.
HDMI-CEC used to work perfectly and for like the past 6 months or so, it hasn't worked at all. I even tried turning it off, rebooting the console, re-enabling it and rebooting the console and it still doesn't work.
I don't use the machine anymore since getting a PC. Only reason I turned it on recently was to get the list of digital games I own so I could compile an Excel spreadsheet of all the console games I own so I can eventually replace them with PC versions (when they are like a super discount).
If it wasn't for my 120 hours of Elden Ring (planning to get Shadow of the Erdtree at some point) and waiting for all the Alan Wake 2 DLC to come out, I would have just sold the system after I got the PC.
Also, the voice of Son Wukong in the intro sequence is incredibly annoying. Sounds like a cocky [expletive] and not a hero.
Though, maybe that's the point?
I am only vaguely familiar with Journey to the West.
Re: Rumour: Black Myth: Wukong 'Memory Leak' Has Caused Xbox Series X|S Delay
I guess this can put all the "it's because of Series S" comments to bed.
Hopefully this gets fixed soon so people on the Xbox side of things can enjoy the game.
I am really enjoying it. I wouldn't call it GOTY material (though that opening sequence it pretty epic), but it's fun!
Re: Towerborne Dev Explains Why Early Access Is Debuting On Steam Rather Than Xbox
Most PC players hate getting games through the Microsoft Store (which is probably another reason Game Pass isn't as popular on PC).
Sometimes they are missing features. Sometimes there are bugs and crashes that don't exist anywhere else. Sometimes performance is worse than Steam. And, of course, you can't use unofficial mods on Microsoft Store versions of games because the directory is read-only.
So, this the most sense on the PC side of things.
Re: Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Comments On Indiana Jones PS5, And Microsoft's Plan Moving Forward
"It's definitely true inside of Microsoft that the bar is high for us in terms of the delivery that we have to give back to the company - we get a level of support from the company that's just amazing in what we're able to go and do."
To me, this is the key part of this statement. Xbox has a much bigger target on its back from Microsoft proper. It needs to appease the financial gods. Going multi-platform is the only way it can do that without some serious consequences to Xbox by corporate.
Re: Directive 8020: A Dark Pictures Game Promises 'Edge Of Your Seat' Horror On Xbox In 2025
Yay! The Dark Pictures Anthology "Season 2"!
I can't wait!
Re: Nvidia Comparison Shows How PC Ray Tracing Will Look In Xbox's Avowed
So glad I decided to move to PC! I love playing games using Nvidia's tech.
Re: Final Fantasy 16 Director Says He'd Like To See The Game On Xbox
@NEStalgia I posted results over on Push Square from a "quick and dirty" test of the PC version on my new machine:
Ryzen 7800X3D, 32GB RAM, Nvidia 4070 Super, and running off a Samsung 990 Pro M.2 drive (up to 7.4GB/s Read speed)
Running Ultra settings (which the game defaulted) and Native 1440p/DLAA/Frame-gen Off I get anywhere from 58 - 75fps (sometimes 80fps and at one point dropped to 40s).
The game seems to do the exact same thing as the PS5 in Performance Mode where combat encounters perform higher and then drop when exploration kicks back in.
If I turn on Frame-Gen but still keep the game at native resolution with DLAA, it also seems to get into the 90 - 100+ fps range.
If I turn on DLSS Quality, it seems to be in the 90fps range.
Dynamic Resolution Scaling is also an option, but I had my framerate set to 165 and I think it was trying to scale to meet that framerate and the image got incredibly soft.
I am sure I could probably drop to 60 instead and get a much better image closer to 1440p and get a locked 60 - but I would have to play with settings a little more.
Cutscenes are locked to 30fps (and I had one that ran at 59fps for some reason).
Bottom line, the game is actually quite heavy on resources without looking any different from the PS5 version (will need Digital Foundry to point out any enhancements over the console version).
It does run better than the PS5 (with the right settings), but it certainly will require leveraging reconstruction to keep things 60+fps at all times (and rendering resolution doesn't end up being any better than the PS5 version in Performance Mode - at least when using a 4070 Super). Thankfully DLSS does a significantly better job of making the game look native resolution.
On topic: It's good to know that the director wants to have the game on Xbox!
Re: Black Myth: Wukong Debuts To Impressive Reviews Ahead Of Delayed Xbox Launch
@Mustoe I plan to slowly replace my PlayStation and Xbox library over time. But it will be when I see games on deep discount first.
I still have my Xbox and PS5, but I rarely use them now.
Any new games I want I will get on PC.
Re: Black Myth: Wukong Debuts To Impressive Reviews Ahead Of Delayed Xbox Launch
@Mustoe Oh yeah! The thing is a total beast!
I have been playing Lords of the Fallen - native 1440p/DLAA/Cinematic Quality settings/Frame-Gen Off - at around 70fps. Sometimes it dips below 60fps when things get a little too intense, but since my monitor has a 20Hz - 165Hz VRR range, those dips to like 58fps aren’t even noticeable.
I don’t keep the FPS monitor on all the time, though - I mostly use it to get settings right so I’m not stretching my GPU above RAM limits and ignore it.
Just for fun, I ran Alien Isolation without V-Sync and it ran about 500fps. 🤣
Heck even Immortals of Aveum I can run maxed out and get above 60fps.
Re: Black Myth: Wukong Debuts To Impressive Reviews Ahead Of Delayed Xbox Launch
I got this game for "free" since the gaming PC I bought last week had an Nvidia 4070 Super.
I can't wait to give it a go!
Re: Blizzard's Overwatch 2 Is Integrating With Xbox Game Pass Next Month
In other words, Overwatch 2 bonuses will get integrated into the Game Pass Perk system just like other Live Service games.
Re: The Mortuary Assistant Dev 'Unbearably Upset' As Game Suffers Xbox-Exclusive Delay
Stupid clerical errors messing things up for Xbox fans!
I am going to check out the demo on Steam later today.
Re: Two 'Halloween' Games Are In The Works, One In Development Using Unreal Engine 5
@Kezelpaso Creative Assembly should use the Alien: Isolation engine. I swear that was the greatest horror game ever made - literally had me sweating by the end!
Most horror games are able to achieve the vibe of horror, but never actually end up "scary". Alien: Isolation is downright terrifying.
Re: Despite Xbox Woes, Capcom Wants More Classic Fighting Games On 'Modern Consoles'
Why couldn't Capcom just release its entire arcade library on the Arcade Stadium over time?!
Capcom had the perfect avenue to release everything in one place using a DLC pack structure.
I always thought that Arcade Stadium 2 was odd as Capcom could have just continued adding games to the first one.
Oh wait...money.
Re: Two 'Halloween' Games Are In The Works, One In Development Using Unreal Engine 5
"and series creator John Carpenter will be "intimately involved" with the project"
He needs to be "intimately involved" in getting a 4K release of In the Mouth of Madness!
Will this be another asynchronous horror title that won't be able to beat Dead by Daylight's popularity and die within a year?
Re: Xbox's Hi-Fi Rush Studio Tango Gameworks Revived, Acquired By PUBG Publisher
I am glad this all worked out in the end for Tango and I can't wait to see what else it makes!
Re: Surprise! Bethesda Has 'Enhanced' The First Two DOOM Games On Xbox Game Pass
@Glassneedles I did confirm, both DOS versions of DOOM and DOOM II are available.
Though the DOOM 1 & 2 version is amazing in its own right. Played it at 165 FPS (only because I forgot to turn VSync off on my computer).
Re: Surprise! Bethesda Has 'Enhanced' The First Two DOOM Games On Xbox Game Pass
@Glassneedles I know Ultimate Doom had the Rerelease folder before it updated to this collection - but those WADs for Ultimate Doom had the edited Medical Kits with the Green Cross from the Unity version as opposed to the Red Cross of the DOS version.
Re: Surprise! Bethesda Has 'Enhanced' The First Two DOOM Games On Xbox Game Pass
I just like that my copy of Ultimate Doom on Steam updated to Doom 1 & 2.
I do need to see if the original DOS version of Doom II is included as I only had access to the original version of Ultimate Doom - especially since I can't just buy Doom 2 on Steam now with this being combined.
Why does this matter?!
To use the original WADs for other Source Ports!
Re: Talking Point: How Excited Are You For Xbox's Next First-Party Release?
Now that I have a gaming PC - which is a freakin' beast, by the way - I should really dive back into the world of RTS games.
I used to really love the genre back in the day - especially Starcraft, Red Alert, and Rise of Nations (which is on PC Game Pass). I got a little bit into the "Age of" series, but not as much as the aforementioned games.
Re: Game Informer's Sudden Closure Is Also Bad News For Dragon Age: The Veilguard
@PartyMarty @Markatron84 That is so [expletive] up!
Re: Game Informer's Sudden Closure Is Also Bad News For Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Holy cow. I had no idea Game Informer was getting shut down.
Re: Next Month, It'll Be Four Years Since Xbox Acquired Bethesda
Wow, has it really been that long?!
Re: Xbox Shares Updated Release Schedule For Major Upcoming Games
@Mustoe Prebuild comes tomorrow. I probably won't really get to give it a thorough testing until the weekend.
During the week will mostly for getting things setup proper and the weekend will be the stress test for gaming.
@NEStalgia "but why not just use the fan/rgb headers on the mobo anyway"
Not enough connectors on the mobo for all the extra fans the case had.
At the end of the day, I am better off as the Micro Center build only had a 4060 Ti 8GB due to initial budgeting reasons, but my wife felt bad for me for all the inconvenience so we upped the budget so I could get a machine with a 4070 Super (and a free copy of Black Myth Wukong to boot).
Re: Xbox Shares Updated Release Schedule For Major Upcoming Games
@NEStalgia I was so mad when the case fans didn't work at all! I spent a lot of time trying to be extra careful and reading instructions carefully to make sure I did this right the first time (P.S. I didn't as I used the wrong screws when I was assembling the water cooler to the CPU and had to redo it).
I had issues with Micro Center when I went to pick up the parts to build (they couldn't find my order) and spent 2 hours in the store essentially doing what I had done online the day before to avoid having to spend 2 hours in the store.
Frustration set in and I was just "done".
I am sure the prebuild won't have the storage I wanted (Samsung 990 Pro) or a PCIe 5.0 mobo, but I can reasonably expect everything to work out of the box - unfortunately Best Buy's website doesn't give the breakdown of the exact components used.
Using Micro Center has been less than ideal. I know the case failure wasn't their fault, but they operate like a store from 30 years ago - not great in an online world and limited brick & mortar locations.
Re: Xbox Shares Updated Release Schedule For Major Upcoming Games
@Ilyn The way I see it, the CPU/RAM combination will probably last for a long time as consoles continue to be the focus of developers and I just don't see even the PS6/Nextbox APUs being better than that.
So, when games stop run well (though I do feel like DLSS and Frame-gen will probably extend the life of GPUs going forward - even if you have to use more aggressive DLSS profiles in the future), it will probably just require a GPU upgrade (possibly motherboard) rather than fully replacing the whole PC.
Re: Xbox Shares Updated Release Schedule For Major Upcoming Games
@Mustoe My TV is actually a little too small for the room it's in, so I pull up a chair when I game with a controller (or sit on the floor). No "couch play" for me!
Plus, I still do plan to use an Xbox controller on PC for a lot of games (where it's supported). I'll probably slowly transition back to keyboard and mouse, but any third-person titles I play will probably be with a Gamepad.
But, honestly, I got a gaming PC because I am getting tired of the console ecosystems and I fear it's only going to get worse as the years go on.
I wanted a system that can do it all.
Microsoft's focus isn't really consoles anymore (even though it pledged a next console) and Sony's domination only makes it more likely to see how far it can go to bend its costumers over a barrel in years to come.
I am not going all "PC Master Race" on anyone.
For me, it makes the most sense. I like older games a lot as well as new games and PC covers that from both the official channels - GOG, etc. - and via emulation! I don't have to clutter my house with consoles!
Re: Xbox Shares Updated Release Schedule For Major Upcoming Games
@Mustoe Ryzen 7800X3D with 240mm liquid cooler, 32GB RAM, Nvidia 4070 Super, 2TB M.2, and a 27" LG Nano 1440p 165Hz HDR monitor.
It is a CyberPowePC prebuild from Best Buy and monitor was $150 off.
I WAS building one from Micro Center (which is an hour drive from me). I got it all in the case only to find out the PCB for the case fans and RGB was shot on the case - nothing I did got those case fans running or the RGB when hooked into that board.
I called Micro Center and was told that I needed to return the whole case. So, I had to take everything out and just decided to take everything back.
I didn't want the hassle of re-assembling everything again and bought Prebuilt - because, honestly, if something else is busted when I finally do get it hooked up, it will be another 1-hour drive back to Mico Center.
Best Buy is 10 minutes away.
I wanted the experience of building myself again, but that was shattered by faulty equipment and the cheapest route is a store 50 miles away!
@Ilyn I am going the desk-based route. I have a nice quiet room in my basement I can use (plus the ambient temperature down there is cool).
Re: Xbox Shares Updated Release Schedule For Major Upcoming Games
Can't wait to play all of these on PC when it arrives on Tuesday!
Farewell Series X (and PS5)!
Re: Activision Blizzard Continues To Drive Massive Uptick In Revenue For Xbox
@NEStalgia It's a fair point. I am hesitant to go Intel due to both cost and it's recent instability issues (I know it's getting fixed, but it still worried me for the future). Plus, everywhere I have read, the AMD 7800X3D is like THE gaming CPU to have.
I don't care about multi-tasking and productivity. The only "multi-tasking" my PC would ever do is emulating Roland SoundCanvas and MT-32/CM-32L for DOSBox/SCUMMVM.
Perhaps I should just get while the getting is good (and I got a bunch of bonuses from work).
Re: Activision Blizzard Continues To Drive Massive Uptick In Revenue For Xbox
@Mustoe The only thing preventing me from pulling the trigger is that we are kind of reaching a transition point for PC hardware.
I priced out a DIY AMD 7800X3D, Nvidia 4070 Super, 32GB RAM, and a 2TB Samsung 990 Pro. With monitor, keyboard, case, liquid CPU cooler, cables, surge protector, etc., I have it priced under $2K.
Buuut, AMD's new CPUs are set to be released, and I want to see how they compare to the 7800X3D. Plus...I want to see if Nvidia's 50 series GPUs are close to release (Sept/Oct??).
I'd rather start with the "latest and greatest" CPU/GPU architecture right out of the gate if it makes sense to do so.
Re: Activision Blizzard Continues To Drive Massive Uptick In Revenue For Xbox
"The real goal here is to take a broad set of content to more users in more places, and build something that looks more like, to us, a software annuity and subscription business with enhanced transactions and the ownership of IP which is quite valuable long-term,"
And this, my friends, is the future of Xbox - straight from Amy Hood's mouth.
I'm not surprised, though. The writing has been on the wall. It's just "nice" to finally get "confirmation" from an executive.
Microsoft will still make consoles, but its console focus will be more like something akin to the Surface line of products.
I am already making moves for getting out of the "premium console market" and building a nice mid-range PC so I can get all the games (minus Nintendo - I'll still buy Nintendo consoles unless it, too, goes PC release route) in one place.
Sony's dominance will only continue to strengthen its ambition to bend its customers over a barrel with price hikes and remasters (and be defended for it because...Sony).
Microsoft clearly isn't focused on the hardware anymore.
Throw in the fact that the idea of a subsidized console might be coming to an end, I am just better off getting a good PC at the cost of convenience.
Re: Stalker 2 Officially Delayed, Launching On Xbox Game Pass This November
At least the developers are having a little fun with the delay.
It sucks, but I do get so tired of games releasing too early due to deadlines and needing patches along the way, so I'd much rather things get delayed a few months to ensure the game is in the most polished state it can be (before the masses get a hold of it and find the most random bugs that QA testers probably didn't even think could be possible).
Re: Four Years Later, People Are Still Getting Confused By Xbox's 'Horrible' Console Names
When Microsoft first announced the names, I had a feeling people would be confused - especially if they are not completely on the up-and-up on gaming.
Re: Tomba! Special Edition 'Not Planned' For Xbox Despite Recent ESRB Rating
If Microsoft continues to make Xbox consoles a closed system, it really needs to get back to achieving the original intention of Xbox: essentially merging PC and console development into a single workload stream.
There is absolutely no reason why a game that has a PC release (especially for these older titles) can't be a checkbox click away from being an Xbox release and completely eliminates this whole "Xbox isn't worth the time" mentality that developers are having with things like this.
And if there is some kind of red tape that Microsoft is internally creating that prevents games from releasing (e.g. requiring all new games to have native Series X|S versions rather than having the option to rely on the amazing backwards compatibility Microsoft worked so hard on creating), than Microsoft needs to rethink its release requirements.
Xbox needs games to thrive. Xbox isn't thriving so games aren't releasing.
Re: Microsoft Says FTC Is Being 'Misleading' In Response To Xbox Game Pass Criticisms
I just wonder at what point Microsoft will see that Game Pass is becoming more of a headache than it's worth. Especially with such little growth.
A true bold move is to get rid of all paid services on a console. No charge for multiplayer. No charge for subscriptions. None of it.
Just have a strong console with great games with a digital storefront that has amazing sales throughout the year.
Done.
Imagine being the console maker that has no other strings attached outside of buying the machine and playing the games.
Re: Xbox Series X|S Console Sales Down A Third In Europe With 'Weaker Software Lineup' In 2024
@JonBoyJ For the last 14 years, I would agree with you - I ditched PC for console back in 2010 simply due to convenience, cost, and exclusive content.
However, with Microsoft seemingly slowly abandoning console as a priority for Xbox and my fears of what an unchecked Sony will look like in the premium console market one day (with basically Microsoft out of the way), I'm not so sure sticking around the console market is a great idea, either.
Unfortunately, another problem lies on the business side where console makers may not be able to subsidize hardware going forward. The $500 console might be dead next generation. If you are a multi-console gamer, one could be paying $1200 - $1500 for both consoles to begin with (and probably closer to $2K for all three consoles).
But I can't argue consoles convenience value. It's absolutely there and I don't blame anyone for sticking with them just to be able to "plug and play" for gaming. It's super easy and there is a reasonable expectation that every game just works. That guarantee isn't there on PC.
This is my personal choice. My only point to make is that $3000+ is extreme. If you can DIY your rig, then even $2K is high. But it all depends on what you want out of a PC.
Re: Xbox Series X|S Console Sales Down A Third In Europe With 'Weaker Software Lineup' In 2024
@JonBoyJ I mean, if you are a one console person, then gaming PC might not make as much sense.
But if you want the "best of all worlds", it's better to get a PC and you don't need to spend over $3K to achieve it.
Re: Xbox Series X|S Console Sales Down A Third In Europe With 'Weaker Software Lineup' In 2024
@JonBoyJ @WhiteRabbit I have been pricing a DIY PC and honestly...$3K is ridiculous unless you absolutely need to use an Nvidia 4090.
AMD 7800X3D
32GB DDR5 6000 RAM
Nvidia 4070 Super 12GB
2TB Samsung Pro M.2 drive (7450 MB/s Read speed)
Completely out-classes the Series X/PS5 and is $1576. Honestly, I don't see PS6/Nextbox beating that CPU/RAM combination.
Take into account PC doesn't require Game Pass or PS+ as well as games getting handed out for free left and right on top of regular sales and can last you well over 10 years without needing any component updated, I'd say PC gaming is the way to go if you want be able to experience Xbox and PlayStation games at their absolute best.
I am absolutely ditching consoles (except Nintendo Switch), but I am waiting to pull the trigger until I see what the Nvidia 50 series cards have to offer (as this is very close to Nvidia's timeframe for release new GPUs - Sept/Oct).
Re: DOOM Spacesuit & Super Shotgun Mods Hit Starfield On Xbox
Does this mod also automatically bypass character dialog and just set Main Quest waypoints when you interact with the proper character? Or, better yet, just let you walk away when NPCs talk to you.
😂
Re: Yes, Xbox Has Made A New Controller With Deadpool's Booty On The Back
This should get followed up with a trailer for an Xbox exclusive Deadpool game (starring Ryan Reynolds) that makes fun of console wars and Spider-Man exclusivity on PlayStation.
Re: College Football 25 Seemingly Leads To Huge Spike In Xbox Console Sales
That's surprising, actually. I guess for those who just want to play the game at the lowest price, the Series S is the perfect purchase.
Re: Talking Point: If You Had To Limit Yourself To Three Xbox Games, What Would They Be?
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (even though it lacks the FMV of the PlayStation version), Elden Ring, and...hmm...tough choice, not sure I could pick a 3rd without kicking myself that I should have chosen something else.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Ever Pre-Order Xbox Games Anymore?
Truly depends on the game and whether or not it gets a day 1Game Pass release. The only recent example for Xbox is when I pre-ordered Alan Wake 2.
Re: Reaction: Microsoft's Constant Tweaking Of Xbox Game Pass Is Becoming Exhausting
@NEStalgia Maybe there is something to getting a desktop with a more mid-range GPU at $300 (which is more capable than a Series X or PS5 at the moment - assuming you go with a higher end CPU and RAM out of the gate) and then 4 - 5 years, getting another mid-range GPU at $300 and maybe some extra RAM.
It will cost less than buying a Microsoft console, a PlayStation console, and will still probably be more powerful and can still run all the games at a minimum of console settings.
I know PC gamers tend to want to go beyond console settings, but I am more looking at this from a cost of ownership/convenience of having one platform perspective.
I feel like, for gaming, CPUs and motherboards are the one thing where PCs have a gigantic advantage and could last 2 or 3 console generations. RAM and GPU are where the upgrades need to happen more often - but if you keep the RAM and GPU in check, you end up spending less in a 14 year period than owning a bunch of consoles at $500 - $600 per console.
Plus, you still have access to a massive back catalog of games (even if some of those games need community patches to work on the latest OS/DirectX versions).
@QuoVadis I loved PC gaming back in the day - and things were a heck of a lot more complicated back then as there really weren't that many games that had Graphical Presets like they do now. Drivers were incredibly finicky - updating them sometimes cause major problems. Plus, there was still very much "console games" and "PC games" back then.
Game Pad support also wasn't common either and made third-person action games a pain to play sometimes.
My work laptop can do light gaming (basically limited to about 720p and Low settings for anything modern - if it works at all). But, man, PC gaming is so much "easier" now than it was before.
Plus, there is no need for any of these stupid services.