It probably runs fine on current gen. Bugs supposedly plague Bethesda's open worlds, but they have rarely been a problem for me. It's normal for the last AAA games of a console generation to utilize its full power like never before and create an amazing experience. The bugs and performance issues CDPR are tackling might not be game-breaking.
The odd thing is that they submitted the game for certification before they were ready to publish it. That's bad management. What's worse is that their own team was surprised by the last minute delay. Crunch time is common in many industries, but you don't push your team to crunch for weeks and then suddenly move the goalposts.
I'm confident it will be a good game on all consoles. But this does make me more concerned that the Series X will sell out before I can get one.
Which games don't benefit from Quick Resume? Only multiplayer games like Destiny (which won't keep you logged into servers indefinitely) or also games like Hitman?
Which games benefit the most and the least from the SSD's improved loading times?
Halo: Infinite looked fun in the demo. It just lacked visual polish. Of course, we only saw a sliver of the game. Digital Foundry said lighting was a major reason it didn't look ready. Aside from that, I thought it just needed more details and fluff in the environment.
His departure isn't necessarily a bad sign. Most of a director's work is done, since they are presumably focused more on technical challenges than creative challenges now.
Like I said before, I'd like to know how many games are getting upgrades beyond framerate, resolution, and lighting/HDR. Draw distance in particular could be very significant.
So far, that includes No Man's Sky, ARK (minus the dinos), and Gears 5.
I asked Bethesda on Twitter if either they are planning a Series X upgrade for Skyrim (more likely after the Microsoft acquisition) or modders are free to change that sort of stuff. I think there already are mods affecting load distance in Skyrim, but I don't know how hard or easy that is to change.
On the other hand, we have seen Subnautica on the Series X and draw distance is still short.
This nonsense would happen less often if there were certain consequences. I hope CDPR coordinates with Twitter and email providers to report those threats to the relevant police departments.
@Nightcrawler71 They haven't mentioned a non-upgraded version, so yes.
@Bartig The game has a Creative mode free of the survival nonsense. It removes all other challenges too, unfortunately. But if you enjoy discovery and base-building you might still like the game. For me, the main problem is that the wildlife are so redundant.
I only recently uninstalled it. But I might reinstall if I can get a Series X.
If the bug is particular to a campaign mission, then it might be possible to focus on side activities and avoid the bug until the hotfix. I'll give it a try tomorrow.
Nearly all Series X coverage so far has focused on framerates. I'd like to know if any open world games have used the extra power to extend the draw distance. Subnautica apparently has the draw distance still locked to Xbox One standards. Is that the same for all games?
The pandemic restrictions explain a delay, not a delay announcement mere weeks before the advertised date. CDPR has had months to learn the rate of progress under restrictions and to adjust their milestones accordingly. Waiting until the last minute to delay was probably avoidable.
I'm not implying they are are idiots and fans should be up in arms. I'm just saying management saw this problem coming and decided on an optimistic gamble. That their official Twitter account "confirmed" the November release only a day ago means that CDPR management was not communicating well with the full dev team.
Release dates really mean spit in this industry. Less than a month to go and their PR team confirmed the November release date only yesterday on Twitter. I need to learn to ignore previews and focus on what's already out.
It sounds like the current-gen versions are ready and the next-gen versions are the hold-up. I'm not sure that's a smart decision since most gamers will play it on current-gen consoles and PC. More gamers now will buy another AAA game in November and put off Cyberpunk.
@Rjak No, I think the problem is just the particular game's settings. Digital Foundry has shown how some games are locked at 30fps so no amount of power can improve the framerate unless the game's developers update the code. I think Subnautica locks the draw distance. Maybe the devs will eventually make a Series X/S patch.
Not all games will benefit from Quick Resume either. Multiplayer games like Destiny won't remain logged in long after you exit them. The SSD will still load the games quicker, but a lot of games requiring an online connection will have to reestablish that connection. Even Hitman saves rely on a server connection.
The pop-in during their Subnautica gameplay is terrible. Objects pop in quickly, but the draw distance is still short. I hope the devs fix that because pop-in is distracting at any resolution.
I've been playing a lot of Fallout: Shelter recently. It's great for a free game.
Why, I don't really know, but I enjoyed Fallout 3 more than 4, despite the latter having mod support. Perhaps it was better paced without all the junk collecting to build a base.
Fallout: Vegas was released at the wrong time for me. I own it via Games With Gold, but didn't play it initially. Whatever its merits, I can't play it now without preferring to play Fallout 4 with all the advancements since then. Plus, I'm more of an action gamer than a story gamer, and from descriptions Vegas sounds like more of a story lover's game.
If there are any Series X available to buy next month, I'll be interested to see how For Honor looks. It's a beautiful game on the XB1 X. A shame there is no photo mode on Xbox.
Presumably, the main reason they delayed the game was because many people thought the visuals were incomplete or unpolished in the campaign demo. Graphics is a factor in all modes, so it makes sense to release them together. If they come up with any gameplay ideas or tweaks in the meantime, those also might show up in both modes.
If they only released one mode initially, it would still be impossible to ignore that the rest got delayed. It wouldn't completely satisfy players who enjoy both (or all) modes. They might as well wait.
I did a double-take when I didn't see Cyberpunk 2077, then remembered the full Series X upgrade will arrive later.
As an open world junky, Watch Dogs Legion and AC Valhalla both interest me. But between the two I'm prioritizing Legion because of the Play As Anyone feature. We'll see how much longevity it has.
That's helpful. But no game currently available comes close to pushing the console. Backward compatible games work with a lot of the power locked off by design. DIRT 5 is available on both generations, so is still just a glossed up Xbox One game. A more accurate comparison won't be possible for months yet, when an exclusively next-gen game taxes the Series X.
I'm not as concerned as I was and would preorder if I could. But Microsoft understood hardware when it designed the Xbox 360, so I wouldn't assume the new console is perfectly designed either. I plan to prop mine up a bit with something under the stand to ensure maximum airflow.
Like every Xbox 360 owner, I owned 3 due to the Red Ring of Death. And that's why Microsoft's own assurance that the Series X can handle the heat doesn't completely convince me. It's not like they were ignorant of hardware design when they made the 360. I hope Digital Foundry researches that risk.
Even so, I'll gamble on a preorder... if any become available.
It's very similar to Playstation's ad of a guy passing through a wall of water to end up in outer space with various ships and creatures. Is it a coincidence? I don't see the logic of competing with Sony's ad.
It's an okay trailer. Cool on its own, but doesn't offer a reason to buy a console. I'm looking forward to more Series X gameplay footage later this month.
Emails saying buyers might not receive their preordered consoles on launch day might indicate nothing more than that retailers are forbidden to ship the consoles before launch day and limited delivery resources will prevent one-day delivery. In other words, I bet most of those preorders will arrive within a day or two of November 10th.
Demand probably is higher than for previous consoles, partly because so many people are isolated by virus restrictions and partly because an ever greater portion of people are gamers.
I'm hopeful that I can get a Series X on launch day. But I wouldn't be surprised if retailers get hammered again and I can't get one before next year.
I'm hoping Amazon will have some more Series X consoles for a Prime Day sale (not at a discount). If so, they will sell out in a minutes again. Otherwise, I don't expect any to become available until another short-lived blitz on launch day.
@fenbops @krzzystuff Ryse is one of the most underrated games on Xbox One. I generally hate quicktime events, but they are done in a way that's fun in Ryse. The campaign is engaging. But what was more fun for me is the Gladiator mode. I've gone back to Ryse a couple times and enjoyed it.
I wasn't able to preorder one and don't expect there to be any available before launch day. So at this point I'm content to wait for reviews in case of 360-style hardware failures. I will be playing Cyberpunk 2077 on my XB1 X.
I'll be happy with my current USB external drive for a while. But how long depends how big future games are and how much bigger current games get with their Series X upgrades. I enjoy open world games most of all. Mix those with shooters like Gears 5 and CoD Warzone, and 800GB could disappear quick.
Think of how other streaming subscriptions work. Sure, Netflix and Amazon have exclusive TV shows. But they also attract many people who prefer getting some of the movies and shows they want to watch every month to buying those movies and shows outright elsewhere.
Most Netflix content is available to purchase on Vudu, Amazon, or on DVD. But Netflix is still the video subscription king because people like having so many options for what to watch next. Likewise, Game Pass can attract gamers who want a whole bunch of games to choose from — including major titles — rather than only buying a big game occasionally.
Since mobile gaming was mentioned, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft took another shot at that by making mobile games a third branch of Game Pass Ultimate. What if that sub also got you a lot of dedicated phone and tablet games?
The extra power could help games that are sluggish even on my Xbox One X. But I would have said the same about the Xbox One X at one time. In reality, devs often increase the resolution, lighting effects, or other graphical features; so you end up with the same low framerate you had before. No Man's Sky and Subnautica are a couple examples.
It's disappointing that a whopping 200 gigs of memory are locked off for the operating system and default programs. That leaves 800GB when some games are over 100GB each. And next-gen games will presumably be bigger. The 800GB will be good enough for general use, though.
I'm eager to see the details of how each current game specifically uses the power. Ray tracing in Sea of Thieves?
Most Bethesda games will be on multiple consoles. At least the big Bethesda Game Studios ones (Starfield, Elder Scrolls, Fallout) will be. That's because there are already fans in both Xbox and Playstation communities. They can sell copies on both consoles and Game Pass will still be attractive for offering the games (plus DLC) cheaper, bundled with other games. Xbox will sweeten the pot with Xbox-exclusive add-ons or features.
Probably, games from the smaller Bethesda studios will sometimes be exclusive. But Xbox doesn't lose money by letting PS5 gamers play Elder Scrolls 6.
If you're starting Rocket League, first thing you should do is disable chat. If the quickchat starts to annoy, disable that too. You'll still encounter quitters and lag, but it's a thrilling game when your team clicks.
I'm doing that and No Man's Sky. I found a good planet and built a cool new base. Now to see if the update ruined the planets I already had bases on.
I will be surprised if they have sufficient stock by November. I'm still interested in buying one, but expect the same quick sellout on November 10th and whenever retailers get more before then. I'm not confident I can buy one this year.
I couldn't get a Series X from Microsoft or Amazon (industry leaders of server management) even though I refreshed their pages repeatedly from the moment preorders supposedly went live.
At first, I tried the Xbox Store itself on my Xbox simultaneous with the Amazon store app.
In over an hour of refreshing, searching, and navigating from Microsoft > Xbox > Consoles, Amazon never even showed me the product page. Eventually, I followed links to to page in my browser, but it still gave only an error.
The Xbox Store kept claiming it added it to my cart but then resulted in an error (not always the same error code) every time I tried to check out. I started refreshing the page in my 5G phone browser, but that never even showed the product page.
Screw it. I won't bother again until supplies are steady and the sites reliable.
It could be as fun as Arkham City, but we will see. Arkham Knight was not as fun.
From the 8 minutes of gameplay shown, I'd guess that it emphasizes co-op. For solo play, will it allow switching between heroes at any point between missions or will it choose the character for you?
I generally dislike dashboard redesigns. They are too frequent. But I've been using some variant of this new one in testing. Everything loads faster, which is great.
I'm tempted to say Halo: Infinite just because we know almost nothing about the others.
Avowed and Fable interest me most. Open world fantasy!
I prefer Bethesda's focus on an action playground to Obsidian's focus on narratives. But Skyrim and Oblivion are pretty much it for first-person fantasy open worlds, so I'm thrilled if anyone else wants to try. Playground's history is with action games, so Fable could be great in that respect too.
Everwild looks great, but we don't know what the gameplay will look like. It will probably arrive before Avowed or Fable. Holidays 2021?
I had hoped two or three 3rd-party games might be included, but it was all 1st-party. And incredibly Microsoft said they are still holding some things back for later announcements. This attempt to stretch E3 marketing out through the year will not help them. Still holding back the Series X price is frustrating.
But I give the showcase a B grade. Fable, Avowed, and Everwild look promising, if distant (2022 maybe). Showing a lot of B titles and Destiny 2 DLC for Game Pass was smart. The Ascent, Grounded, and some others look fun. Most don't interest me.
Halo: Infinite looks great. It's exactly what it needs to be — the original Halo remade with modern gameplay expectations.
Will MS Flight Simulator get a release date on Xbox this year?
I think a lot of the disapointment is caused by the diluted marketing strategy. I miss the E3 blitz. Some 3rd-party anmouncements will come later, like Warner Brothers games.
Bethesda demos Starfield gameplay and announces its release before summer 2021.
Microsoft buys WB's studios along with the LOTR license. Rocksteady's new game comes to Game Pass. A multi-studio effort begins on a Skyrim-style open world game set in Middle Earth.
EA announces a Skyrim-style open world in the Star Wars universe. Single-player, design your own character, explore.
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Re: Blame Cyberpunk 2077's Delay On The Current-Gen Console Versions
It probably runs fine on current gen. Bugs supposedly plague Bethesda's open worlds, but they have rarely been a problem for me. It's normal for the last AAA games of a console generation to utilize its full power like never before and create an amazing experience. The bugs and performance issues CDPR are tackling might not be game-breaking.
The odd thing is that they submitted the game for certification before they were ready to publish it. That's bad management. What's worse is that their own team was surprised by the last minute delay. Crunch time is common in many industries, but you don't push your team to crunch for weeks and then suddenly move the goalposts.
I'm confident it will be a good game on all consoles. But this does make me more concerned that the Series X will sell out before I can get one.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Still Want To Know About The Xbox Series X|S?
Which games don't benefit from Quick Resume? Only multiplayer games like Destiny (which won't keep you logged into servers indefinitely) or also games like Hitman?
Which games benefit the most and the least from the SSD's improved loading times?
Re: Halo Infinite Director Chris Lee Departs The Project
Halo: Infinite looked fun in the demo. It just lacked visual polish. Of course, we only saw a sliver of the game. Digital Foundry said lighting was a major reason it didn't look ready. Aside from that, I thought it just needed more details and fluff in the environment.
Re: Halo Infinite Director Chris Lee Departs The Project
His departure isn't necessarily a bad sign. Most of a director's work is done, since they are presumably focused more on technical challenges than creative challenges now.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Still Want To Know About The Xbox Series X|S?
Like I said before, I'd like to know how many games are getting upgrades beyond framerate, resolution, and lighting/HDR. Draw distance in particular could be very significant.
So far, that includes No Man's Sky, ARK (minus the dinos), and Gears 5.
I asked Bethesda on Twitter if either they are planning a Series X upgrade for Skyrim (more likely after the Microsoft acquisition) or modders are free to change that sort of stuff. I think there already are mods affecting load distance in Skyrim, but I don't know how hard or easy that is to change.
On the other hand, we have seen Subnautica on the Series X and draw distance is still short.
Re: CDPR Devs Receive 'Death Threats' After Delaying Cyberpunk 2077
This nonsense would happen less often if there were certain consequences. I hope CDPR coordinates with Twitter and email providers to report those threats to the relevant police departments.
Re: Ark: Survival Evolved Adds Xbox Series X Enhancement Update
The trailer shows only empty environments and no dinosaurs. That doesn't seem like an oversight.
Re: Watch Dogs: Legion Suffering From Overheating Bug On Xbox One X
It might be better to wait for the hotfix. The bug bricked this reviewer's console for hours, presumably until it cooled.
https://mobile.twitter.com/kezamacdonald/status/1321407057875116032
Re: No Man's Sky Joins The Xbox Series X|S Launch Lineup With Huge Update
@Nightcrawler71 They haven't mentioned a non-upgraded version, so yes.
@Bartig The game has a Creative mode free of the survival nonsense. It removes all other challenges too, unfortunately. But if you enjoy discovery and base-building you might still like the game. For me, the main problem is that the wildlife are so redundant.
I only recently uninstalled it. But I might reinstall if I can get a Series X.
Re: Watch Dogs: Legion Suffering From Overheating Bug On Xbox One X
According to Eurogamer: "The issue appears to be triggered around 6-8 hours into the main campaign (during a mission called - I kid you not - 404)."
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-10-28-watch-dogs-legions-has-a-game-breaking-bug-on-xbox-one-x
If the bug is particular to a campaign mission, then it might be possible to focus on side activities and avoid the bug until the hotfix. I'll give it a try tomorrow.
Re: Site News: We Have An Xbox Series X
Nearly all Series X coverage so far has focused on framerates. I'd like to know if any open world games have used the extra power to extend the draw distance. Subnautica apparently has the draw distance still locked to Xbox One standards. Is that the same for all games?
Does Skyrim SE benefit noticeably?
Re: Watch Dogs: Legion Suffering From Overheating Bug On Xbox One X
Wow. Both games I preordered effectively delayed in the same week! I need to stop preordering.
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Delayed Again, Now Releases In December
The pandemic restrictions explain a delay, not a delay announcement mere weeks before the advertised date. CDPR has had months to learn the rate of progress under restrictions and to adjust their milestones accordingly. Waiting until the last minute to delay was probably avoidable.
I'm not implying they are are idiots and fans should be up in arms. I'm just saying management saw this problem coming and decided on an optimistic gamble. That their official Twitter account "confirmed" the November release only a day ago means that CDPR management was not communicating well with the full dev team.
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Delayed Again, Now Releases In December
Release dates really mean spit in this industry. Less than a month to go and their PR team confirmed the November release date only yesterday on Twitter. I need to learn to ignore previews and focus on what's already out.
It sounds like the current-gen versions are ready and the next-gen versions are the hold-up. I'm not sure that's a smart decision since most gamers will play it on current-gen consoles and PC. More gamers now will buy another AAA game in November and put off Cyberpunk.
Re: Video: Here's The Official Xbox Series X|S Walkthrough
@Rjak No, I think the problem is just the particular game's settings. Digital Foundry has shown how some games are locked at 30fps so no amount of power can improve the framerate unless the game's developers update the code. I think Subnautica locks the draw distance. Maybe the devs will eventually make a Series X/S patch.
Not all games will benefit from Quick Resume either. Multiplayer games like Destiny won't remain logged in long after you exit them. The SSD will still load the games quicker, but a lot of games requiring an online connection will have to reestablish that connection. Even Hitman saves rely on a server connection.
Re: Video: Here's The Official Xbox Series X|S Walkthrough
The pop-in during their Subnautica gameplay is terrible. Objects pop in quickly, but the draw distance is still short. I hope the devs fix that because pop-in is distracting at any resolution.
Re: Pick One: Which Of These Xbox Fallout Games Is Your Favourite?
I've been playing a lot of Fallout: Shelter recently. It's great for a free game.
Why, I don't really know, but I enjoyed Fallout 3 more than 4, despite the latter having mod support. Perhaps it was better paced without all the junk collecting to build a base.
Fallout: Vegas was released at the wrong time for me. I own it via Games With Gold, but didn't play it initially. Whatever its merits, I can't play it now without preferring to play Fallout 4 with all the advancements since then. Plus, I'm more of an action gamer than a story gamer, and from descriptions Vegas sounds like more of a story lover's game.
Re: Xbox Boss Teases Potential Of xCloud TV Streaming Sticks
The guaranteed access to new Xbox hardware is a joke, seeing how they can't guarantee access to the Series X now.
Re: Deals: 15+ Ubisoft Games Heavily Discounted In New Xbox Sale
If there are any Series X available to buy next month, I'll be interested to see how For Honor looks. It's a beautiful game on the XB1 X. A shame there is no photo mode on Xbox.
Re: Microsoft Adds Touch Controls To 10 More Xbox Game Pass Titles
Dead Cells and Undermine are great games for mobile. xCloud is starting to look interesting to people like me who won't buy a dedicated peripheral.
Re: Talking Point: In Three Words, How Would You Sum Up The Xbox One Generation?
Hitman was here.
Re: Poll: Would You Release Halo Infinite's Campaign & Multiplayer Separately?
Presumably, the main reason they delayed the game was because many people thought the visuals were incomplete or unpolished in the campaign demo. Graphics is a factor in all modes, so it makes sense to release them together. If they come up with any gameplay ideas or tweaks in the meantime, those also might show up in both modes.
If they only released one mode initially, it would still be impossible to ignore that the rest got delayed. It wouldn't completely satisfy players who enjoy both (or all) modes. They might as well wait.
Re: Talking Point: What Is The Worst Xbox Game You've Ever Played?
Most buggy: Wasteland 3
Worst optimization: Subnautica
Most underdeveloped: Anthem (effectively released in alpha)
Re: Pick One: Which Xbox Series Launch Game Are You Most Excited For?
I did a double-take when I didn't see Cyberpunk 2077, then remembered the full Series X upgrade will arrive later.
As an open world junky, Watch Dogs Legion and AC Valhalla both interest me. But between the two I'm prioritizing Legion because of the Play As Anyone feature. We'll see how much longevity it has.
Re: Xbox Series X Temperature Test Extinguishes Overheating Rumours
That's helpful. But no game currently available comes close to pushing the console. Backward compatible games work with a lot of the power locked off by design. DIRT 5 is available on both generations, so is still just a glossed up Xbox One game. A more accurate comparison won't be possible for months yet, when an exclusively next-gen game taxes the Series X.
I'm not as concerned as I was and would preorder if I could. But Microsoft understood hardware when it designed the Xbox 360, so I wouldn't assume the new console is perfectly designed either. I plan to prop mine up a bit with something under the stand to ensure maximum airflow.
Re: Poll: How Many Xbox Consoles Have You Owned In Total?
Like every Xbox 360 owner, I owned 3 due to the Red Ring of Death. And that's why Microsoft's own assurance that the Series X can handle the heat doesn't completely convince me. It's not like they were ignorant of hardware design when they made the 360. I hope Digital Foundry researches that risk.
Even so, I'll gamble on a preorder... if any become available.
Re: Pick One: Which Was Your Favourite Xbox One Launch Title?
Honestly, I played Black Flag first and more often. But it was a 360 game with some visual improvements. Ryse was the best truly next-gen game.
Re: Xbox Kicks Off Series X|S Marketing Campaign With Spectacular Trailer
It's very similar to Playstation's ad of a guy passing through a wall of water to end up in outer space with various ships and creatures. Is it a coincidence? I don't see the logic of competing with Sony's ad.
It's an okay trailer. Cool on its own, but doesn't offer a reason to buy a console. I'm looking forward to more Series X gameplay footage later this month.
Re: Xbox Series X|S Consoles Will Be Available On Launch Day
Emails saying buyers might not receive their preordered consoles on launch day might indicate nothing more than that retailers are forbidden to ship the consoles before launch day and limited delivery resources will prevent one-day delivery. In other words, I bet most of those preorders will arrive within a day or two of November 10th.
Demand probably is higher than for previous consoles, partly because so many people are isolated by virus restrictions and partly because an ever greater portion of people are gamers.
I'm hopeful that I can get a Series X on launch day. But I wouldn't be surprised if retailers get hammered again and I can't get one before next year.
Re: Xbox Exec: Series X Pre-Orders Broke Records Within Seconds
I'm hoping Amazon will have some more Series X consoles for a Prime Day sale (not at a discount). If so, they will sell out in a minutes again. Otherwise, I don't expect any to become available until another short-lived blitz on launch day.
Re: Talking Point: What Are Your Xbox Series X|S Launch Day Plans?
@fenbops @krzzystuff Ryse is one of the most underrated games on Xbox One. I generally hate quicktime events, but they are done in a way that's fun in Ryse. The campaign is engaging. But what was more fun for me is the Gladiator mode. I've gone back to Ryse a couple times and enjoyed it.
Re: Talking Point: What Are Your Xbox Series X|S Launch Day Plans?
I wasn't able to preorder one and don't expect there to be any available before launch day. So at this point I'm content to wait for reviews in case of 360-style hardware failures. I will be playing Cyberpunk 2077 on my XB1 X.
Re: Guide: This Is What You'll Get With EA Play On Xbox Game Pass
Anyone who hasn't played Peggle is in for a treat.
Re: You'll Get 802GB Of Usable Storage Space With Your Xbox Series X
I'll be happy with my current USB external drive for a while. But how long depends how big future games are and how much bigger current games get with their Series X upgrades. I enjoy open world games most of all. Mix those with shooters like Gears 5 and CoD Warzone, and 800GB could disappear quick.
Re: Talking Point: How Many Of Bethesda's Future Games Will Be Xbox Exclusives?
Think of how other streaming subscriptions work. Sure, Netflix and Amazon have exclusive TV shows. But they also attract many people who prefer getting some of the movies and shows they want to watch every month to buying those movies and shows outright elsewhere.
Most Netflix content is available to purchase on Vudu, Amazon, or on DVD. But Netflix is still the video subscription king because people like having so many options for what to watch next. Likewise, Game Pass can attract gamers who want a whole bunch of games to choose from — including major titles — rather than only buying a big game occasionally.
Since mobile gaming was mentioned, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft took another shot at that by making mobile games a third branch of Game Pass Ultimate. What if that sub also got you a lot of dedicated phone and tablet games?
Re: Roundup: First Hands-On Impressions Of The Xbox Series X
Improved loading times will be a huge difference.
The extra power could help games that are sluggish even on my Xbox One X. But I would have said the same about the Xbox One X at one time. In reality, devs often increase the resolution, lighting effects, or other graphical features; so you end up with the same low framerate you had before. No Man's Sky and Subnautica are a couple examples.
It's disappointing that a whopping 200 gigs of memory are locked off for the operating system and default programs. That leaves 800GB when some games are over 100GB each. And next-gen games will presumably be bigger. The 800GB will be good enough for general use, though.
I'm eager to see the details of how each current game specifically uses the power. Ray tracing in Sea of Thieves?
Re: Talking Point: How Many Of Bethesda's Future Games Will Be Xbox Exclusives?
Most Bethesda games will be on multiple consoles. At least the big Bethesda Game Studios ones (Starfield, Elder Scrolls, Fallout) will be. That's because there are already fans in both Xbox and Playstation communities. They can sell copies on both consoles and Game Pass will still be attractive for offering the games (plus DLC) cheaper, bundled with other games. Xbox will sweeten the pot with Xbox-exclusive add-ons or features.
Probably, games from the smaller Bethesda studios will sometimes be exclusive. But Xbox doesn't lose money by letting PS5 gamers play Elder Scrolls 6.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (Sep 26th)
If you're starting Rocket League, first thing you should do is disable chat. If the quickchat starts to annoy, disable that too. You'll still encounter quitters and lag, but it's a thrilling game when your team clicks.
I'm doing that and No Man's Sky. I found a good planet and built a cool new base. Now to see if the update ruined the planets I already had bases on.
Re: Xbox Series Pre-Orders Boast 'Record-Breaking Demand', More Stock To Arrive At Launch
I will be surprised if they have sufficient stock by November. I'm still interested in buying one, but expect the same quick sellout on November 10th and whenever retailers get more before then. I'm not confident I can buy one this year.
Re: Talking Point: Have You Been Able To Pre-Order An Xbox Series X|S?
I couldn't get a Series X from Microsoft or Amazon (industry leaders of server management) even though I refreshed their pages repeatedly from the moment preorders supposedly went live.
At first, I tried the Xbox Store itself on my Xbox simultaneous with the Amazon store app.
In over an hour of refreshing, searching, and navigating from Microsoft > Xbox > Consoles, Amazon never even showed me the product page. Eventually, I followed links to to page in my browser, but it still gave only an error.
The Xbox Store kept claiming it added it to my cart but then resulted in an error (not always the same error code) every time I tried to check out. I started refreshing the page in my 5G phone browser, but that never even showed the product page.
Screw it. I won't bother again until supplies are steady and the sites reliable.
Re: Poll: How Are You Getting On With Xbox Cloud Gaming On Android?
I will wait for more games to get touchscreen support. Turn-based games could be fun on mobile.
Re: Batman Is Dead In Gotham Knights, Arriving Next Year
It could be as fun as Arkham City, but we will see. Arkham Knight was not as fun.
From the 8 minutes of gameplay shown, I'd guess that it emphasizes co-op. For solo play, will it allow switching between heroes at any point between missions or will it choose the character for you?
Re: Poll: What Do You Think Of The New Xbox Series X Dashboard?
I generally dislike dashboard redesigns. They are too frequent. But I've been using some variant of this new one in testing. Everything loads faster, which is great.
Re: Pick One: Which Of These August Xbox Game Pass Games Are You Most Excited For?
Wasteland 3, but only because MS Flight Simulator isn't even dated for Xbox.
Re: Talking Point: What August 2020 Xbox Games With Gold Do You Want?
Dungeons 3 would be nice.
Maneater is very unlikely. But maybe Microsoft wants to make a big splash in August?
Re: Pick One: Which Of These Xbox Series X Games Are You Most Excited For?
I'm tempted to say Halo: Infinite just because we know almost nothing about the others.
Avowed and Fable interest me most. Open world fantasy!
I prefer Bethesda's focus on an action playground to Obsidian's focus on narratives. But Skyrim and Oblivion are pretty much it for first-person fantasy open worlds, so I'm thrilled if anyone else wants to try. Playground's history is with action games, so Fable could be great in that respect too.
Everwild looks great, but we don't know what the gameplay will look like. It will probably arrive before Avowed or Fable. Holidays 2021?
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade July's Xbox Games Showcase?
I had hoped two or three 3rd-party games might be included, but it was all 1st-party. And incredibly Microsoft said they are still holding some things back for later announcements. This attempt to stretch E3 marketing out through the year will not help them. Still holding back the Series X price is frustrating.
But I give the showcase a B grade. Fable, Avowed, and Everwild look promising, if distant (2022 maybe). Showing a lot of B titles and Destiny 2 DLC for Game Pass was smart. The Ascent, Grounded, and some others look fun. Most don't interest me.
Halo: Infinite looks great. It's exactly what it needs to be — the original Halo remade with modern gameplay expectations.
Will MS Flight Simulator get a release date on Xbox this year?
I think a lot of the disapointment is caused by the diluted marketing strategy. I miss the E3 blitz. Some 3rd-party anmouncements will come later, like Warner Brothers games.
Re: Talking Point: Which Free Demos Are You Enjoying This Week On Xbox?
Tesla Force is best for action gamers.
Knight Squad 2 is good for co-op. You can play it solo.
Re: Talking Point: Give Us Your Wildest Hopes For This Week's Xbox Showcase
Finally, Microsoft announces that it will allow 3rd-party VR headsets and games on Xbox.
Finally, Xbox empowers Xbox games to multiply control options by facilitating in-game voice commands via any headset microphone.
Re: Talking Point: Give Us Your Wildest Hopes For This Week's Xbox Showcase
Bethesda demos Starfield gameplay and announces its release before summer 2021.
Microsoft buys WB's studios along with the LOTR license. Rocksteady's new game comes to Game Pass. A multi-studio effort begins on a Skyrim-style open world game set in Middle Earth.
EA announces a Skyrim-style open world in the Star Wars universe. Single-player, design your own character, explore.
Microsoft sells me a Series X for a buck.