Monster Hunter has been gradually refining and polishing its own formula for decades, so the fact that this doesn't compare favorably to Rise doesn't especially bother me.
The monster design will be a big thing, though. It's arguably the biggest point of contention in any game that centers around collecting or battling fictional animals. Monster Hunter has built up an iconic bestiary over the years, and it'll be difficult go for something similar without it feeling like a mere imitation.
Less. Why would I buy a game I already have access to on PC Game Pass?
And if a new game launches on GP, I won't buy it at a non-discounted price on any platform, even if I don't intend to play the GP release. At that point, I'm waiting for a 50%+ discount at minimum before I try your game.
I don't think it's an accident that big AAA titles tend to avoid the service for a good while after launch, or that smaller publishers are often eager to have their games included.
I know some gamers decry the lack of AAA content on GP, but its most effective function really does seem to be to shine a spotlight on smaller content that might otherwise get lost amidst a busy release schedule of bigger third-party titles.
Basically, if your sales expectations are low, it's a pretty massive net positive to get both the payout from Daddy Warbucks and have attention called to your product. If you expect to sell hundreds of thousands or millions of units on Xbox, though? Ehh, maybe not so much.
I will say that there are at least a few games I haven't bought because they launched on Game Pass. I was gonna grab the console port of Omori at launch, but I couldn't stomach paying $29.99 when it was free on GP. The same will likely be true of Silksong.
Overall, though, I do see it as being beneficial to smaller devs and publishers.
@NEStalgia Just sounds like it's dropping to 50fps in spots. Not ideal, but still sort of an overblown problem, IMO. Honestly, framerate dips are practically an integral part of the Novigrad experience at this point.
Or, you know, go play Persona 5, which you've bought, like, three times now!
Starfield is the only one of these titles I'm interested in, although "excited" is a strong word. That last showcase sapped a lot of my enthusiasm for the title. We'll see what happens, though.
@Dezzy70 I know the showcase footage was a little choppy, but surely Starfield will have a 60fps option on Series X. It's such a powerful console. I know Bethesda games are poorly optimized, but it's difficult to imagine the game won't manage higher framerates on a 12TF system.
I'll be shocked if there's isn't at least an option for a lower-resolution performance mode.
@Dezzy70 Wait, which of their games only run at 30fps? I know Gotham Knights did, but that's a third-party game.
Nothing should be running at 30fps on modern power consoles. I put up with it on Switch because that's the price you pay for gaming on a glorified gaming tablet that was out of date half a decade ago.
Christ, he really lays it on thick with the schmaltz, doesn't he?
I also enjoy how he never misses an opportunity to boost Sony's releases in his statements. He's a better spokesman for the Playstation brand than Jim Ryan is. Who has, by the way, spent the last year jetting around the world trying to sabotage the future of the division you're running.
The pure "kill it with fire" attitude toward Halo Infinite is so funny after the initially super positive reception it enjoyed.
Is Halo Infinite really that bad? Like, speaking from a Nintendo fan perspective, I thought Splatoon 3 was kind of a mediocre sequel on the Switch, but it's still fun to pop into from time to time. I couldn't imagine retiring the series or something just because it wasn't a GOTY contender.
@Dezzy70 No interest in Starfield or... whatever else happens to be releasing this year, I take it?
@mousieone I'm guessing the big reason we never got a physical of Sunbreak is because of how expensive the bigger Switch carts tend to be. Which makes me wonder how physical games are going to work out on the successor, when they're pushing higher resolution textures and whatnot.
It's a real shame there's no cross-platform play here. Or at least cross-save.
@stvevan You realize access to Sunbreak requires beating MHR, right? So you're gonna beat the game on Xbox, then go back and beat the game again on PS5 so that you can play Sunbreak on there? Why not just play it on PS5, in that case?
Sounds like they're following the same path EA took with Dead Space, lol. Even that series didn't sell 5 million at its peak. Unless you're Capcom, 5+ million sales for a horror game is unrealistic.
Amazing these companies can secure so much funding for development and not really have manageable expectations for how the market will react.
@Kaloudz Several months back, a multiplatform remake of the Japan-only Wii entry, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, was announced during a Nintendo Direct.
@Kaloudz Let's hope people actually buy the Fatal Frame 4 remake when it releases in March. For anybody in the West who didn't play a translated ISO, it's effectively a new game.
@abe_hikura Sony is only really interested in the AAA stuff. Smaller releases almost all seem to be Switch-focused, with many of them being exclusive to the platform.
Most of the best experiences in any medium typically aren't the ultra-mainstream stuff that everyone fixates on. It always amuses me when "core gamers" brag about only playing AAA games. Which, to me, would be like someone claiming to be a cinephile who only watches The Fast and the Furious, Marvel blockbusters, Star Wars, etc.
There's absolutely room in my heart for big, loud, spectacle-driven experiences that cost a fortune to make and sell 10+ million copies. But there's so many richer experiences to be had if one should look just under the surface of what is offered up for mainstream consumption.
@Would_you_kindly I'm not bashing the PS1. It's one of my all-time favorite consoles. But Sony signed multiple exclusivity agreements back in the day, including with Square, which locked down several major players in the Japanese gaming market. It's just how they do things, and have done things, as long as they've been in the industry. It wasn't even until the PS3 that they started to develop first-party games that could compete with what Microsoft and Nintendo were putting out.
Paying publishers to starve rival platforms of software support has been Sony's go-to strategy for generations. Literally since the PS1. I don't know why the thought should alarm people now.
Sony only locks down the AAA stuff from S-E (FFXVI, FFVII Rebirth, and Forspoken currently). As for the smaller stuff (Octopath 2, Front Mission 2 + 3 remakes, FF Pixel Remasters, etc.), I'm willing to bet S-E doesn't bother with Xbox ports unless they can secure Game Pass distribution deals from Microsoft.
It was weird not seeing Octopath 2 be announced for release on Series S/X when the last one was ported to GP and Xbox, for sure. If I had to guess, engagement numbers for it probably weren't great when it went to GP. and Microsoft likely didn't bother offering a similar deal for the sequel. Would also explain why Triangle Strategy was a no-show for the platform.
Microsoft can push for having more JRPGs on the platform, but if people aren't playing them on GP, there's no incentive for them to pay out for future entries or similar games from the same publishers. You see this in reverse when engagement is high with the Yakuza games, for example, where Microsoft is clearly intent on keeping the series available on the service long-term.
@themightyant @J_Mo_Money Triangle Strategy is another good game if you don't want an insanely bloated campaign. If you want to see all of the endings, unlock all of the maps, extra characters, etc. it can easily last 100+ hours, but a single run of the game itself generally lasts 25 - 40 hours, depending on how much side content you engage with. I think that's probably the main reason I've already replayed it in order to get different endings.
If the leaked chipset turns out to be what's in the successor, there probably won't be that big of a difference in power between the next Switch and something like the Xbox Series S. It'll be a very potent hybrid platform capable of running the majority of third-party games reasonably well, so CoD ports would make a lot of sense. Especially consider how well third-party games have sold on Switch compared to previous Nintendo consoles.
@NEStalgia Goldeneye and Banjo-Kazooie on NSO as well. Microsoft and Nintendo have been on pretty friendly terms as of late.
Game looks and runs worse on a weaker console. Shocker.
A little disappointed there's no PS4 analysis, from the looks of it. That's the version I'm most curious about, considering how less capable it is than the others.
If you buy a multiplatform game on a weak console, you take what you get as long as it's playable. It should be common sense that if you buy a platform with a weaker GPU than the Xbox One X, some compromises will need to be made.
With that said, why not offer a performance mode with an adaptive resolution in order to keep performance locked?
@Dezzy70 Of course the Series S version of a game takes up some development time. Enough to significantly delay the release of most games? Probably not. You might not want to hear this, but despite being in third place, Microsoft has only remained as competitive as it has because of the Series S. Take away the Series S, and Microsoft would be selling only a fraction as many units as they are currently.
Microsoft's focus on GamePass and inability to turn out a consistent stream of excellent AAA first-party exclusives is not the fault of the Series S.
It's fine if the Series S isn't for you and you don't mind paying more for a more powerful console, but that's simply not going to be true for everyone. It's fundamentally smart for companies to keep budget consoles out there on the market, especially around the holidays. It's important to remember that not every product needs to be targeted at you to be relevant.
@bpomber Well, to be fair, at present neither modern Xbox console is the one that most people really want. PS5 has consistently outsold it, and Switch continues to be an unstoppable sales juggernaut. Maybe that'll change when Microsoft finally starts releasing games this gen. We'll see.
"Yeah my point is 100% unfalsifiable but so is yours." Which part? That Series X probably would have sold better initially without the supply constraints? I agree, that's unknowable. What we do know is that the Series S saved Microsoft at retail. How it continues to fare now that Series X is much more available remains to be seen, but I'd be shocked if it doesn't constitute at least half of the total Xbox console sales this gen, given it'll be heavily flogged on holidays and will likely appeal more to casual gamers who buy all of their games digitally regardless and don't notice or care about the technical aspects that enthusiasts tend to obsess over.
@bpomber That's fair, but also unfalsifiable at present.
IMO, without supply constraints, Series X would have sold better initially (since early adopters tend to be enthusiasts), but you'd likely see sales of the Series S pick up steam over the course of the generation as Xbox caught on more with casual gamers and/or people who only want one to play a couple of games not available on PS5/Switch.
There's a place on the market for the device, even if isn't something that makes enthusiasts weak in the knees. Aside from people who bought SS early on because of SX unavailability, they're broadly targeting different demographics.
It may not be your device of choice, but it is both a very good deal for the price as well as a legitimate option for modern gen gaming in its own right.
I'd grab one if it had a disc drive, or if I didn't already have a somewhat comparable PC build. $250 is an insane value for the hardware.
@bpomber "it's what people (such as the parent with multiple children, in your example) settle for when they can't afford what they really want."
I mean... yeah. It's a budget console. Of course people would go for the Series X if they were close in price. But they're not, and a lot of people will find it easier to justify investing in new gaming hardware if it's hundreds of dollars cheaper.
It's pretty rich to say "nobody cares" about this console when it constitutes roughly half of the current gen Xbox consoles on the market and almost single-handedly helped Microsoft remain viable at retail during the worst stretches of the pandemic-era supply shortages.
I'd love to see something as atmospheric as the original Gears of War again. Even as someone who isn't a big shooter fan, I enjoyed that game's campaign quite a bit.
The sequel really disappointed me, though, and I never got around to 3 - 5.
They need to revise the design of the Series X, then. Switch consoles have never sold at a loss, and Sony has revised the design of the PS5 so that the disc-based $500 model isn't selling at a loss now, either.
It has seemed fairly obvious to me that Microsoft will jack up prices on GP once they're done aggressively gaining market share in the home console space (as well as gaining ground in the PC marketplace).
I don't see hardware prices increasing any time in the near future. I don't think the Series S would even exist if they cared that much about profiting off the hardware.
Although the original PS1 game is, far and away, my favorite. Such a raw and scary game. Utterly without peer that gen in that regard.
@Dr_Luigi The original trilogy is up there with some of the greatest games ever made, but the franchise has been abused and/or neglected ever since. We'll see how these new games fare, although I'm not confident about Bloober Team's ability to do justice to the second game.
The dual launch requirements for the two modern Xbox consoles might make more work for developers, but it's still far better than the alternative scenario, where some modern Xbox games don't work on a modern Xbox console. What a mess that would be! And especially disastrous considering the Series S is probably largely responsible for Microsoft remaining competitive in the home console scene this generation.
@SplooshDmg Elden Ring is weird. My GPU sits just under minimum requirements (have a 970, but it wants a 1060; I think the 1060 is just ever so slightly more capable), but I was able to run the game on high settings at 50+ fps without issue the majority of the time.
But then you hear horror stories about vastly more powerful cards struggling to run the game, lol.
I'm a Nintendo fan. I play 30fps games all the time. They're fine.
It's more that the current-gen home consoles are clearly capable of running these games at higher framerates. Going by the Steam requirements page, you can play this at 60fps on PC with fairly old hardware. If you can play this at 1080p/60 with a 1660 Ti, you're not going to convince me the PS5 and XSX aren't up to the task. Even if the Series S is the weak link here, just target a lower resolution for that particular platform.
@Notoriousmakavel Me too, actually. 40fps is catching on with gamers on Steam Deck. Why only there? The only console game I recall seeing that as an option for was the recent Ratchet and Clank game.
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Re: Video: Digital Foundry Analyses All Performance Modes For Hogwarts Legacy On Xbox
@Total_Weirdo No real interest in this game, but I won't lie, I'm deeply interested in seeing how the Switch version fares.
Re: Review: Wild Hearts - Koei Tecmo & EA's New Monster Hunter-Like Arrives On Xbox
Monster Hunter has been gradually refining and polishing its own formula for decades, so the fact that this doesn't compare favorably to Rise doesn't especially bother me.
The monster design will be a big thing, though. It's arguably the biggest point of contention in any game that centers around collecting or battling fictional animals. Monster Hunter has built up an iconic bestiary over the years, and it'll be difficult go for something similar without it feeling like a mere imitation.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Buy Less Third-Party Titles Because Of Xbox Game Pass?
Less. Why would I buy a game I already have access to on PC Game Pass?
And if a new game launches on GP, I won't buy it at a non-discounted price on any platform, even if I don't intend to play the GP release. At that point, I'm waiting for a 50%+ discount at minimum before I try your game.
Re: Xbox Game Pass Launches Enable 'Secure Success', Says Indie Publisher
I don't think it's an accident that big AAA titles tend to avoid the service for a good while after launch, or that smaller publishers are often eager to have their games included.
I know some gamers decry the lack of AAA content on GP, but its most effective function really does seem to be to shine a spotlight on smaller content that might otherwise get lost amidst a busy release schedule of bigger third-party titles.
Basically, if your sales expectations are low, it's a pretty massive net positive to get both the payout from Daddy Warbucks and have attention called to your product. If you expect to sell hundreds of thousands or millions of units on Xbox, though? Ehh, maybe not so much.
I will say that there are at least a few games I haven't bought because they launched on Game Pass. I was gonna grab the console port of Omori at launch, but I couldn't stomach paying $29.99 when it was free on GP. The same will likely be true of Silksong.
Overall, though, I do see it as being beneficial to smaller devs and publishers.
Re: The Witcher 3 Update 4.01 Is 'Baffling', Worsens Performance Mode On Xbox Series X
@NEStalgia Just sounds like it's dropping to 50fps in spots. Not ideal, but still sort of an overblown problem, IMO. Honestly, framerate dips are practically an integral part of the Novigrad experience at this point.
Or, you know, go play Persona 5, which you've bought, like, three times now!
Re: The Witcher 3 Update 4.01 Is 'Baffling', Worsens Performance Mode On Xbox Series X
@NEStalgia The game has been perfectly playable since 2015.
Re: Fatal Frame: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse Unveils Story Trailer As Xbox Pre-Orders Go Live
Really hope this sells decently. I at least want remasters of the first three games and a sixth mainline entry before the series goes dark again.
Since I tend not to like emulating games, I have no experience with this entry, so it's as good as a brand new game to me.
Re: 2023 Has Already Treated Us To Multiple GOTY Candidates On Xbox
On Xbox? Almost certainly Monster Hunter Rise. It's an awesome game.
Overall? Fire Emblem Engage. 63 hours deep in just two weeks. I can't stop playing it.
Re: Despite A Quiet 2022, Phil Spencer Says He's 'Incredibly Confident' In Xbox's Future
He's not very well going to come out and say that the future of Xbox is bleak and that he has no faith in the future of the brand, now is he?
Re: Microsoft's Acquisition Of Bethesda Is Starting To Add Amazing Value To Xbox Game Pass
Starfield is the only one of these titles I'm interested in, although "excited" is a strong word. That last showcase sapped a lot of my enthusiasm for the title. We'll see what happens, though.
Re: 343 Industries Unveils Official Statement On The Future Of Halo
@Xiovanni Xbox 360 was my main console during the seventh gen, and I've still never touched a Halo game, lol
Re: Talking Point: Should Microsoft & 343 Carry On With Halo Infinite?
@Dezzy70 I know the showcase footage was a little choppy, but surely Starfield will have a 60fps option on Series X. It's such a powerful console. I know Bethesda games are poorly optimized, but it's difficult to imagine the game won't manage higher framerates on a 12TF system.
I'll be shocked if there's isn't at least an option for a lower-resolution performance mode.
Re: Xbox's Phil Spencer Wants To 'Inspire Joy' Amid 'Culture Of Criticism And Cancellation'
@NEStalgia I guess Craig memes are going to end up being the only enduring positive legacy this game left behind.
Re: Talking Point: Should Microsoft & 343 Carry On With Halo Infinite?
@Dezzy70 Wait, which of their games only run at 30fps? I know Gotham Knights did, but that's a third-party game.
Nothing should be running at 30fps on modern power consoles. I put up with it on Switch because that's the price you pay for gaming on a glorified gaming tablet that was out of date half a decade ago.
Re: Xbox's Phil Spencer Wants To 'Inspire Joy' Amid 'Culture Of Criticism And Cancellation'
@NEStalgia I'd like to think the big man has confidence in his own product.
Re: Xbox's Phil Spencer Wants To 'Inspire Joy' Amid 'Culture Of Criticism And Cancellation'
Christ, he really lays it on thick with the schmaltz, doesn't he?
I also enjoy how he never misses an opportunity to boost Sony's releases in his statements. He's a better spokesman for the Playstation brand than Jim Ryan is. Who has, by the way, spent the last year jetting around the world trying to sabotage the future of the division you're running.
Re: Talking Point: Should Microsoft & 343 Carry On With Halo Infinite?
The pure "kill it with fire" attitude toward Halo Infinite is so funny after the initially super positive reception it enjoyed.
Is Halo Infinite really that bad? Like, speaking from a Nintendo fan perspective, I thought Splatoon 3 was kind of a mediocre sequel on the Switch, but it's still fun to pop into from time to time. I couldn't imagine retiring the series or something just because it wasn't a GOTY contender.
@Dezzy70 No interest in Starfield or... whatever else happens to be releasing this year, I take it?
Re: Review: Monster Hunter Rise - The Next-Gen Version Is The Definitive Edition
@mousieone I'm guessing the big reason we never got a physical of Sunbreak is because of how expensive the bigger Switch carts tend to be. Which makes me wonder how physical games are going to work out on the successor, when they're pushing higher resolution textures and whatnot.
Re: Review: Monster Hunter Rise - The Next-Gen Version Is The Definitive Edition
@stvevan I think Rise is digital only on everything other than Switch.
Re: Review: Monster Hunter Rise - The Next-Gen Version Is The Definitive Edition
It's a real shame there's no cross-platform play here. Or at least cross-save.
@stvevan You realize access to Sunbreak requires beating MHR, right? So you're gonna beat the game on Xbox, then go back and beat the game again on PS5 so that you can play Sunbreak on there? Why not just play it on PS5, in that case?
I'm not criticizing, but I am curious.
Re: 'The Callisto Protocol' Sales Expectations Lowered By Analysts
Sounds like they're following the same path EA took with Dead Space, lol. Even that series didn't sell 5 million at its peak. Unless you're Capcom, 5+ million sales for a horror game is unrealistic.
Amazing these companies can secure so much funding for development and not really have manageable expectations for how the market will react.
Re: Ubisoft Still 'Hard At Work' On Beyond Good & Evil 2, New Statement Reads
That pig in the header image is pure nightmare fuel.
Re: Konami Is Open To More 'Silent Hill' Pitches After Announcing PS5-Exclusive Remake
@Kaloudz Several months back, a multiplatform remake of the Japan-only Wii entry, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, was announced during a Nintendo Direct.
https://youtu.be/5CwTfLlGMug
Re: Konami Is Open To More 'Silent Hill' Pitches After Announcing PS5-Exclusive Remake
@Kaloudz Let's hope people actually buy the Fatal Frame 4 remake when it releases in March. For anybody in the West who didn't play a translated ISO, it's effectively a new game.
@abe_hikura Sony is only really interested in the AAA stuff. Smaller releases almost all seem to be Switch-focused, with many of them being exclusive to the platform.
Re: Starfield Is Getting Its Own Xbox Showcase After January's 'Developer_Direct'
I feel like a lot of excellent games this year are going to fall victim to their own hype cycles, Tears of the Kingdom and Starfield included.
Can't wait to see how my 2015 GPU chokes on this game!
Re: Soapbox: Elden Ring Is My GOTY, But It Was Incredible Indie Games That Kept Me Playing In 2022
Most of the best experiences in any medium typically aren't the ultra-mainstream stuff that everyone fixates on. It always amuses me when "core gamers" brag about only playing AAA games. Which, to me, would be like someone claiming to be a cinephile who only watches The Fast and the Furious, Marvel blockbusters, Star Wars, etc.
There's absolutely room in my heart for big, loud, spectacle-driven experiences that cost a fortune to make and sell 10+ million copies. But there's so many richer experiences to be had if one should look just under the surface of what is offered up for mainstream consumption.
Re: Microsoft Causes Confusion With Statement About Sony 'Excluding' Games From Xbox
@Would_you_kindly I'm not bashing the PS1. It's one of my all-time favorite consoles. But Sony signed multiple exclusivity agreements back in the day, including with Square, which locked down several major players in the Japanese gaming market. It's just how they do things, and have done things, as long as they've been in the industry. It wasn't even until the PS3 that they started to develop first-party games that could compete with what Microsoft and Nintendo were putting out.
Re: Poll: What Were The Best Xbox Game Pass Additions In 2022?
P5R, Omori, Signalis, and Ninja Turtles are the only releases this year that really caught my attention.
Re: Microsoft Causes Confusion With Statement About Sony 'Excluding' Games From Xbox
Paying publishers to starve rival platforms of software support has been Sony's go-to strategy for generations. Literally since the PS1. I don't know why the thought should alarm people now.
Re: Xbox Fans Want To Know What's Going On With Square Enix In 2023
Sony only locks down the AAA stuff from S-E (FFXVI, FFVII Rebirth, and Forspoken currently). As for the smaller stuff (Octopath 2, Front Mission 2 + 3 remakes, FF Pixel Remasters, etc.), I'm willing to bet S-E doesn't bother with Xbox ports unless they can secure Game Pass distribution deals from Microsoft.
It was weird not seeing Octopath 2 be announced for release on Series S/X when the last one was ported to GP and Xbox, for sure. If I had to guess, engagement numbers for it probably weren't great when it went to GP. and Microsoft likely didn't bother offering a similar deal for the sequel. Would also explain why Triangle Strategy was a no-show for the platform.
Microsoft can push for having more JRPGs on the platform, but if people aren't playing them on GP, there's no incentive for them to pay out for future entries or similar games from the same publishers. You see this in reverse when engagement is high with the Yakuza games, for example, where Microsoft is clearly intent on keeping the series available on the service long-term.
Re: Hey Microsoft, Could We Please Get Our Xbox 'Year In Review' Stats For 2022?
Apparently I played on my PS4 a grand total of 47 hours this year. Oof!
Re: Chained Echoes On Xbox Game Pass Is Getting Incredible Reviews So Far
@themightyant @J_Mo_Money Triangle Strategy is another good game if you don't want an insanely bloated campaign. If you want to see all of the endings, unlock all of the maps, extra characters, etc. it can easily last 100+ hours, but a single run of the game itself generally lasts 25 - 40 hours, depending on how much side content you engage with. I think that's probably the main reason I've already replayed it in order to get different endings.
Re: Microsoft Enters '10-Year Commitment' To Bring Call Of Duty To Nintendo Platforms
If the leaked chipset turns out to be what's in the successor, there probably won't be that big of a difference in power between the next Switch and something like the Xbox Series S. It'll be a very potent hybrid platform capable of running the majority of third-party games reasonably well, so CoD ports would make a lot of sense. Especially consider how well third-party games have sold on Switch compared to previous Nintendo consoles.
@NEStalgia Goldeneye and Banjo-Kazooie on NSO as well. Microsoft and Nintendo have been on pretty friendly terms as of late.
Re: The Callisto Protocol Performance Analysis Shows 'Disappointing' Issues On Xbox Series X|S
Game looks and runs worse on a weaker console. Shocker.
A little disappointed there's no PS4 analysis, from the looks of it. That's the version I'm most curious about, considering how less capable it is than the others.
Re: 2023 Could End Up Being The Biggest Year In Xbox Game Pass History
Just Starfield for me, although that depends on how well it manages to run on my aged GPU.
I might play Silksong someday... on my Switch. Not the sort of game I want to sit down in front of my monitor to play, unfortunately.
Re: Evil West Dev 'Couldn't Guarantee' 60FPS On Xbox Series S, Opted For 30
If you buy a multiplatform game on a weak console, you take what you get as long as it's playable. It should be common sense that if you buy a platform with a weaker GPU than the Xbox One X, some compromises will need to be made.
With that said, why not offer a performance mode with an adaptive resolution in order to keep performance locked?
@Dezzy70 Of course the Series S version of a game takes up some development time. Enough to significantly delay the release of most games? Probably not. You might not want to hear this, but despite being in third place, Microsoft has only remained as competitive as it has because of the Series S. Take away the Series S, and Microsoft would be selling only a fraction as many units as they are currently.
Microsoft's focus on GamePass and inability to turn out a consistent stream of excellent AAA first-party exclusives is not the fault of the Series S.
It's fine if the Series S isn't for you and you don't mind paying more for a more powerful console, but that's simply not going to be true for everyone. It's fundamentally smart for companies to keep budget consoles out there on the market, especially around the holidays. It's important to remember that not every product needs to be targeted at you to be relevant.
Re: Microsoft Is Dropping The Price Of Xbox Series S For Black Friday 2022
@bpomber Well, to be fair, at present neither modern Xbox console is the one that most people really want. PS5 has consistently outsold it, and Switch continues to be an unstoppable sales juggernaut. Maybe that'll change when Microsoft finally starts releasing games this gen. We'll see.
"Yeah my point is 100% unfalsifiable but so is yours." Which part? That Series X probably would have sold better initially without the supply constraints? I agree, that's unknowable. What we do know is that the Series S saved Microsoft at retail. How it continues to fare now that Series X is much more available remains to be seen, but I'd be shocked if it doesn't constitute at least half of the total Xbox console sales this gen, given it'll be heavily flogged on holidays and will likely appeal more to casual gamers who buy all of their games digitally regardless and don't notice or care about the technical aspects that enthusiasts tend to obsess over.
Re: Microsoft Is Dropping The Price Of Xbox Series S For Black Friday 2022
@bpomber That's fair, but also unfalsifiable at present.
IMO, without supply constraints, Series X would have sold better initially (since early adopters tend to be enthusiasts), but you'd likely see sales of the Series S pick up steam over the course of the generation as Xbox caught on more with casual gamers and/or people who only want one to play a couple of games not available on PS5/Switch.
There's a place on the market for the device, even if isn't something that makes enthusiasts weak in the knees. Aside from people who bought SS early on because of SX unavailability, they're broadly targeting different demographics.
It may not be your device of choice, but it is both a very good deal for the price as well as a legitimate option for modern gen gaming in its own right.
Re: Microsoft Is Dropping The Price Of Xbox Series S For Black Friday 2022
I'd grab one if it had a disc drive, or if I didn't already have a somewhat comparable PC build. $250 is an insane value for the hardware.
@bpomber "it's what people (such as the parent with multiple children, in your example) settle for when they can't afford what they really want."
I mean... yeah. It's a budget console. Of course people would go for the Series X if they were close in price. But they're not, and a lot of people will find it easier to justify investing in new gaming hardware if it's hundreds of dollars cheaper.
It's pretty rich to say "nobody cares" about this console when it constitutes roughly half of the current gen Xbox consoles on the market and almost single-handedly helped Microsoft remain viable at retail during the worst stretches of the pandemic-era supply shortages.
Re: Gears Of War Creator On Sale To Xbox: 'Epic Didn't Really Know What To Do With The Franchise'
I'd love to see something as atmospheric as the original Gears of War again. Even as someone who isn't a big shooter fan, I enjoyed that game's campaign quite a bit.
The sequel really disappointed me, though, and I never got around to 3 - 5.
Re: Microsoft Takes A Big Loss On Xbox Series X|S Consoles, Reveals Phil Spencer
They need to revise the design of the Series X, then. Switch consoles have never sold at a loss, and Sony has revised the design of the PS5 so that the disc-based $500 model isn't selling at a loss now, either.
Re: Xbox Users Left Irritated By Excessive MW2 Ads On The Dashboard
Why are people seeing ANY ads on their console's home screen? That honestly seems pretty insane to me.
Re: The Callisto Protocol Has Been Cancelled In Japan After Clash With Ratings Board
@Gamingforlife "Hentai games" aren't being sold on consoles in Japan, either.
Re: Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Hints At Plans To 'Raise Prices' In The Future
It has seemed fairly obvious to me that Microsoft will jack up prices on GP once they're done aggressively gaining market share in the home console space (as well as gaining ground in the PC marketplace).
I don't see hardware prices increasing any time in the near future. I don't think the Series S would even exist if they cared that much about profiting off the hardware.
Re: Pick One: Which Of These Silent Hill Xbox Games Is Your Favourite?
Silent Hill 2, obvs.
Although the original PS1 game is, far and away, my favorite. Such a raw and scary game. Utterly without peer that gen in that regard.
@Dr_Luigi The original trilogy is up there with some of the greatest games ever made, but the franchise has been abused and/or neglected ever since. We'll see how these new games fare, although I'm not confident about Bloober Team's ability to do justice to the second game.
Re: Hands On: Resident Evil Village 3rd Person Mode Is Great, With A Slight Catch
Really wish something like had been patched into RE7.
Re: Many Studios Are Struggling With Xbox Series S Requirements, Claims Developer
The dual launch requirements for the two modern Xbox consoles might make more work for developers, but it's still far better than the alternative scenario, where some modern Xbox games don't work on a modern Xbox console. What a mess that would be! And especially disastrous considering the Series S is probably largely responsible for Microsoft remaining competitive in the home console scene this generation.
Re: Many Studios Are Struggling With Xbox Series S Requirements, Claims Developer
@SplooshDmg Elden Ring is weird. My GPU sits just under minimum requirements (have a 970, but it wants a 1060; I think the 1060 is just ever so slightly more capable), but I was able to run the game on high settings at 50+ fps without issue the majority of the time.
But then you hear horror stories about vastly more powerful cards struggling to run the game, lol.
Re: A Plague Tale: Requiem Offers Up New 40FPS Option On Xbox Series X|S
@BBB If you only game on consoles and framerates lower than 60 make you feel sick, you must have had a miserable time these last few generations, lol.
Re: Reaction: Is 30FPS Good Enough For An Xbox Series X|S Game?
I'm a Nintendo fan. I play 30fps games all the time. They're fine.
It's more that the current-gen home consoles are clearly capable of running these games at higher framerates. Going by the Steam requirements page, you can play this at 60fps on PC with fairly old hardware. If you can play this at 1080p/60 with a 1660 Ti, you're not going to convince me the PS5 and XSX aren't up to the task. Even if the Series S is the weak link here, just target a lower resolution for that particular platform.
@Notoriousmakavel Me too, actually. 40fps is catching on with gamers on Steam Deck. Why only there? The only console game I recall seeing that as an option for was the recent Ratchet and Clank game.