blinx01

Sounds like a sensible choice.
Two different mediums. Two different ways to tell a story and keep people engaged.
My only concern is the production quality of the show, as it's obviously ALOT more expensive to do Halo justice than it is to adapt something that's more grounded like The Last of Us on HBO.

So first the devs have a nice amount of funding for being a timed Xbox exclusive and in Game Pass, but that isn't enough, now they want to jump on the NFT nonsense?
No thanks. Stuff like this needs to stay away from gaming fullstop!

Can't see a sequel unless it is treated as a reboot.
The other scenario is it's a remaster of the original game, which I think is more believable knowing how lazy Rockstar are these days...

Big loss in terms of Cloud gaming, especially for Japan with the Yakuza games leaving.
Xbox needs to keep these types of games in the service for as long as possible.

I also like the Xbox version of this showing us how we upgrade our last gen games for free.

Sometimes you have to make mistakes to learn valuable lessons and that's exactly what happened here.
If you have a studio that is great at something or has a passion for something, you let them lean into that.

@uptownsoul
I think Epic themselves optimized for PS5 since they have experience with the console after doing that 'Lumen in the the land of nanite' tech demo for Sony.
The only Sony 1st party studio to actually use Unreal Engine has been 'Bend Studio' with Days Gone, so none of them would have any real expertise.

MS on the other hand already have various games in development using UE5.

Goes to show the untapped potential for these next-gen consoles.
Still ALOT of work to do to optimize UE5 for consoles though. The performance across PS5 and Series X/S ranges from 20-30FPS, which obviously isn't acceptable.
Based on the DF interview, Epic know this and are still working on further optimizations, so things should improve.

It's a D from me.
Xbox only had Hellblade 2 gameplay, which looked graphically superb, but they showed nothing else.
Nothing from Nintendo and nothing from Sony.
A few nice confirmations of rumours such as Alan Wake 2, but just mostly 'meh'.
I think everyone is saving the big reveals for E3 and poor Geoff gets all the left overs!

Just shows again how great VRS is for Series X/S, and how PS5 should have waited for full RDNA2.
Especially says a lot when you see how demanding the game is on PC and Alex from DF is begging for VRS implementation for the PC version.

I'm on just under 1GB/s download here in the UK, so it's not the end of the world, but you know full well the servers will get hammered come 6PM.

Can't wait for the Digital Foundry breakdown with 400% zoom, 50% speed reduction and load time comparisons!
I've marked my calendar!

I've been using the 120FPS mode for the Halo Infinite multiplayer and it's been super responsive.
However, for campaign, I'll be sticking to 60FPS as I don't think you need higher than that for non-competitive play.

So let me get this right...
The guy signs a publishing deal with a platform holder in order to get his indie game off the ground.
He then cries that it's tied to one platform, even though available on Xbox consoles, PC and Cloud.
He then gets a Switch port greenlit.
Still not happy, because he wants the game to be fully multiformat, even though the publishing deal is with a platform holder.
Then wants Xbox to scrap being a platform holder and simply become a publisher.

Sounds like a very intelligent fellow...LOL

I'd like to know how the poor chap deals with gaming on PC.
Must be a real nightmare for him LOL

I think the problem is this is a mainline Halo multiplayer game going F2P. A complete departure for long term fans and a completely different method of actually trying to make a profit.

I don't personally mind, as customization for skins is not something I'm interested in and a larger player base is more than welcome.
What I do find ruins the game though is the stupid challenges that force people to not play the objective of the game, which ruins it for people like me just playing for competitive fun.

So yes, the Battle Pass and challenges need serious work and we do need a wider selection of playlists.
What people do need to realize is this is an evolving game that hasn't officially even launched yet, so considering how good the actual gameplay is, I will give them the benefit of the doubt, especially when you look at the state the competition has launched in this year.

Normally about 6-8 months before a game hits EA Play.
This came out in May, so it should hit the service by January.

As someone who also owns a PS5, this is potentially great news.
I just hope it's more than just combining PS+ and PS Now and calling it something else.
I'm not expecting day one exclusives, but if they launch this with the likes of Spiderman MM, Demon's Souls, Returnal, Sackboy etc, and set a foundation to add exclusives 6-12 months after launch, then I'd happy sub and make my PS5 more relevant to me.

I just think Battlefield needs to be modernised.
In this day and age, you can't ship a multiplayer-only game and charge £70 for it.
It either needs to be part of a service, ie EA Play, or needs to have F2P elements or modes.
The competition is now Warzone, Halo Infinite, Fortnite, Apex etc.

I'd guess 87-88.
Can't see it getting any higher than that in all honesty, but then again, we've seen very little to make a judgement.

The whole point of cloud gaming is you can use the devices you already have available, removing the barrier for gaming. No need to buy a separate device.
So I just don't understand the thinking around a dedicated device.

Still remember when this game came out and it was pretty popular.
Those days are long gone and I think it's WAY too late for any Switch or Xbox ports unless they switch over to being a F2P game.

Perfect addition for Game Pass.
These type of multiplayer games are ideal for the service and I think publishers are starting to realize this.

From a business point of view, it would make more sense to release the next-gen version first and capitalize on additional game sales based on the buzz.
Then whenever they start releasing the paid DLC story stuff, add the game into Game Pass to maximise DLC sales.
That would be my play if I was CDPR.

I thought the game was time-locked for release?
Or does that only apply to the digital version?

Considering Xbox is partnered with LG for TV's, it wouldn't be a shock to see a native xCloud app to hit those TVs first, followed by Android TV's.
You can actually already side-load the xCloud app on Android TV's, but it's limited to 720p.

Makes sense.
Here in the UK, it was either Series S or the Switch bundle with Mario Kart over the Black Friday period.
Zero stock of Series X or either PS5 models.

I'd also imagine a few PS4/5 owners might be getting a Series S as a secondary console due to the low price and Game Pass appeal. And maybe even people that want a Series X but have grown impatient waiting for stock.

I think the next realistic step for the program is probably ML Upscaling.
I think actual FPS Boost is out the window now without touching source code of games, which is down to developers and not Xbox.

I got Tales of Arise on Series X and got Deathloop on PS5.
Those will be added to the growing back log of games I have...LOL

Played the game at launch on Series X in Quality Mode.
There's a superb game hidden behind all those bugs, but there's also system level issues that need sorting.
The AI is terrible and the police system feels tacked on last minute.
I haven't played it since March, so I don't know what they've improved, but I just hope they can deliver a proper custom next-gen version and not just a watered down PC version.

I never played the original, so I didn't know what to expect going in and had only just finished R&C: Rift Apart on PS5 a few months prior, so the bar was already high.

I was blown away.
Probably the best platformer I've played since Mario Odyssey. The only thing that let it down was the combat was a bit weak compared to Rift Apart. Other than that, I couldn't fault it.
I hope they are able to make a sequel, as there's still plenty more story to be told with Raz.

@Hippy_Pirate_89
It got a patch for 60FPS

Xbox owners will be in RPG heaven for many years to come it seems!

I have no idea how PS5 has won 'Best Hardware'.
And this is from someone who has owned a Series X and PS5 from day one launch...LOL

You have to laugh.
£70 for the next gen version (digitally without EA Play discount).
No campaign.
Game still releases in a terrible state.

Think I'll be waiting 3-6 months and pick it up discounted...

Having gamed on both systems, PlayStation literally took the Xbox Achievement idea and improved it in my opinion.

I like the idea of Platinum Trophies for 100% competition, even though I don't personally hunt them myself due to limited free time.
It's just a case of how do they implement it in a way that isn't just a complete rip off, even though Xbox actually did achievements first. LOL

@xMightyMatt14x
Apparently Digital Foundry was shown a new resolution upscaling technique, using Gears Ultimate as an example, way back when they visited MS HQ to get hands on with Series X.
Either that has been scrapped, or maybe now this team can focus on that.
Who knows...

At least the Xbox marketing are on point so far this gen.
They know the casuals are the Series S crowd.

We had the bundle in October with FIFA 22 for free, now a Christmas bundle with Fortnite and Rocket League stuff.

Probably explains why here in the UK, the split between Series S and X is around 50/50 according to analysts. Well, the poor availability of Series X also contributes to that...

Needs another 3-6 months in the oven.
I played about 8 hours through the trial, and that was enough to tell me to save my money for now.
The potential for an amazing game is there, but you can tell that EA did not want to miss the holiday season sales.
I'll be back to check the state of the game maybe in March.

Xbox taking memes and flying with them!
You love to see it!

As a gamer of the original Halo games, cosmetic items mean little to me. I play the multiplayer for fun and to do my best to win and have a blast with friends.
The fact it is F2P means more players due to no cost barrier, so that's a plus in my eyes.

However, I do understand a lot of younger games have grown up on Fortnite and the like, so I do think 343 still need to do more work to make XP gain more accessible.
Thankfully, the multiplayer is still in BETA and these things evolve over time, so things can still change.

Grabbed Tales of Arise for £30 after saving £5 using MS Rewards.
Not bad at all.

Absolutely HATE it when they do these weird launch times.
6PM in the UK...
Does that mean someone who gets the game on disc can play before that while digital owners have to wait?

@UltimateOtaku91
@Would_you_kindly
That's a good point.
I've not played an Xbox game on Steam, but I'd assume you'd just get the Steam achievements rather than actual Xbox achievements?

There were no Game Pass plans for Scarlett Nexus when the dev was asked, and 3 months later it was on Game Pass.

Cyberpunk will no doubt hit Game Pass at some point. It depends if the devs need the cash injection now since they've delayed the next-gen patches, or do they wait until they release and then maybe hit Game Pass to try and restore the games reputation?

@UltimateOtaku91
10M is the number of people that have completed the opening segment, who then are registered as part of the player count for the Hall of Fame.
You can check the real-time total player count through that in game.

To put the 10M into perspective;
Forza Horizon 3 took 2 years to reach 10m players
Forza Horizon 4 took 9 months to reach 10m players
Forza Horizon 5 took 1 week to reach 10m players

The power of a high quality game and increased accessibility through Game Pass for console, PC and Cloud.

That's a shame, but not a major issue for me.
I'd always play campaign solo first to properly experience it, then normally do Legendary difficulty in co-op with my brother.
That can wait, as I imagine it's a lot more difficult to implement now they've gone semi-open-world.

Sonic Generations looks and plays superb at 4K 60FPS.
Sonic Unleashed finally doesn't run like crap and feels like a brand new game at 60FPS.

Well, here in the UK, Series S is readily available, whereas Series X is like gold-dust.
They also had a great bundle last month where you essentially got FIFA 22 included for free for a short while.

Lots of my mates that were PS4-only last gen have jumped onto Series S due to the low cost and lure of Game Pass.

So I'd say it's off to a nice start for MS.
If they can eventually get Series X available to at least the extent that PS5 is available, then they could do even better, especially now they have finished upgrading the cloud server blades to Series X.

I wonder what the resolution is with RT?
I'm currently on Chapter 11 using 4K 30FPS mode but might switch if RT mode hits 1440p.