themightyant

@smoreon It does sometimes happen and consoles don't always perform the same unit to unit, though they are meant to, but usually the margins of error are so small. Though Rich from DF even mentions a few cases in that very video where consoles didn't behave the same.

@Th3_Highlander I get it. DF make mountains out of molehills, they are the definition of pedants, though that is their job, pointing out the minutiae. The reality is in the VAST majority of games most players wouldn't be able to tell the difference between XSX & PS5 while playing even when DF say one or the other is marginally better.

I still follow them and watch some of their stuff but more for the banter, a few useful insights, and for the occasional game that does actually have a significant difference between PS5 and XSX which might impact which console I play the game on.

I'm most interested in seeing how each game develops over time with patches, or if Day 1 performance is acceptable, to know when might be a good time to play it than I am in head-to-heads.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner @NEStalgia Agreed. I just find it a bit off that Microsoft have owned ABK for almost 8 months now and we have seen almost no games on Game Pass. Without checking all I can think of is Diablo IV. Not a big return from $69 billion for Xbox fans so far.

Initially I thought there would be a big drop like Bethesda, but it now seems like they are going to drip feed the content. Which I understand better fits a subscription service, even if I don't prefer it.

Though there is some merit in giving each title some room to breathe.

I game more. Did the hard graft when young and played much less then, but have now set myself up with a more comfy life in middle age. Having experience means you can charge more and work less. Also better at time management than when I was young. Conviction to say NO, or wait, to clients means better control of my free time.

@Lup Fair enough. Just seemed a bit odd to me to delete it if it's releasing in a few days. "Again" also could have been worded better. Wasn't a criticism I just found it amusing. Happy gaming.

@Lup LOL. You must really be struggling for storage if you downloaded and then deleted it again as it wasn't out for a few days.

Lots of games i'm interested in and two coming to Game Pass in the coming weeks. WIN!

This is peak future. FOMO mods. Download them now before they are delisted

@Sol4ris Perhaps you are right. Or perhaps the simplest solution is the right one and the fact that so few games do run noticeably better on the Series X proves it ISN'T actually noticeably more powerful than the PS5 in real terms when everything is considered. On paper specs don't always translate to better performance across different architectures. All the current evidence of actual game performance seems to suggest they are very evenly matched, but perhaps this will change later in the gen.

@OldGamer999 Quick resume is absolutely brilliant... when it works. I just find it a bit unreliable and have had problems with it like achievements not unlocking or games behaving oddly. As I can't 100% rely on it I often fully close my games... if I remember. But everyone seems to have a different experience with this depending on the games they play.

A return to the style of the first 2 Dead Rising's but with modern tech. Focusing on fun. The last 2 weren't great especially #4 it was just mindless. Though I didn't like the timed aspects at first.

@awp69 Yes! Really strong month.

Nice! I wanted to try this, but not enough to buy.

@Romans12 The point is raw numbers are only comparable if all other parts are the same, but they are not. The system architectures and APIs are entirely different so comparing one number to another is mostly worthless. It's like saying a 1200hp car is faster and will get around a track quicker than a 1000hp one, but that isn't always the case, you have to look at the whole package.

It's true XSX is more powerful on paper in some areas like Teraflops, CUs, Memory bandwidth (though split pool isn't always better). It's also true PS5 is more powerful on paper in other areas like GPU frequency, I/O throughput etc. But specs don't tell the whole story.

Ultimately when ALL factors are counted including all the things raw numbers don't include then the real world performance between the two is mostly negligible across most games right now, though of course there are a few outliers. That's not just my belief but based on Digital Foundry and others' analysis.

@OldGamer999 I'm hoping Switch 2 at the very least is powerful enough to have some 'miracle ports' of top games like Switch 1 had with Witcher 3 etc. Skyrim on the go on Switch was a wonder too. I don't think there is a right or wrong idea here, as a cross platform player i'm just glad they are all branching out in their own directions and all finding their own form of success. I believe all 3 can co-exist, then we all win.

Is it really though? According to what? A few raw specs?

If this was a PC I would agree that on paper XSX is likely stronger as most other factors would be even. But crucially these AREN'T PC's there are huge differences in their architectures and API's so just stat matching isn't really all that relevant.

I think far too many people compared them as if they were PC parts, but they aren't, raw specs only tell a small part of the story when everything else is different, hence my car analogy above.

I agree and like the rest of your post... and Nintendo casually showing all how to just keep releasing great games and win

Performance difference is usually so minor that only a side by side video will point out the differences. Some games and engines PS5 is better, others XSX.

As for WHY? It's simple. Teraflops and Memory Speed are only two factors in the speed of a console which both have a LOT of other differences. I always like the analogy of a 1000hp f1 car and a 1200hp car. Which is faster? Likely depends on the track and the conditions.

PS5 likely also has the advantages of being the target platform due to market share, and developers having to specifically optimise for it and it's SDK as opposed to using DirectX for both console and PC.

Looked forward to this since the first trailer. Game Pass FTW.

They done Frank DIRTY!

@Fiendish-Beaver Of course anything is possible, and I understand your fear there may not be another Xbox home console but I just don’t think there is any evidence of that, it’s merely fearmongering. What evidence is there they are leaving consoles other than online worries. In fact Xbox have repeatedly said there is another console coming to try and quell these rumours which is far more than any other platform has done at a similar place in their consoles lifecycle.

If you agree that console sales numbers are not that important to Xbox, within reason, then surely you can see that it is beneficial for them to be spread as wide as possible. Console, PC, Handhled etc. ALL of them. And console is key to that, not least it is their primary delivery method for game pass.

I just don’t see the future you are predicting happening any time in the next 10 years. Beyond that who knows it’s too far away to speculate, Sony may be bankrupt and asteroids may have destroyed the earth, if we don’t beat them to it.

@Mustoe I agree, that’s precisely my point. Consoles sold is not that useful a metric for Xbox.

Still wakes the Deep but only because I’ve played both Steamworld Dig titles, they are better games all things considered.

@Fiendish-Beaver does anyone think Xbox is remotely competing with PlayStation in terms of units? I certainly don’t. But my whole point was that they don’t have to, they are playing a different game. Their console sales don’t have to match because they spread their players across Xbox, PC and now Cloud. Look at other metrics like revenue or profit and you will see they are competing.

As for N64 it was 33 million, Genesis 31 surely Series S|X will beat both those soon, though perhaps you are right SNES is step too far.

There may be “way more gamers” now but NOT on console, we’ve heard this repeatedly over the years from Shawn Layden, Phil Spencer and many more. The bar has hardly shifted in terms of console players, instead they have had to try and get more money out of each player to get the industry to grow. It’s one reason why Microsoft is so keen on spreading to other platforms, console player numbers have stagnated for decades.

Judging by other massive efforts like Skyblivion and Skywind I wouldn't expect this before 2035.

@Fiendish-Beaver You say console sales are poor but only really when measured against Sony and Nintendo. But those two currently need higher unit sales as they make almost all their money on their consoles, the same isn't true for Microsoft who are happy if you buy/play on Xbox but also happy if you buy/play on Windows.

I think we really need to re-evaluate what is success for Microsoft here and realise that it isn't necessary for them to come close to Sony or Nintendo in unit sales for them to also achieve their own success.

If we look more generally XSX|S is by all estimates about to overtake OG Xbox and will almost certainly by the time the generation is over have overtaken SNES, MegaDrive/Genesis, N64 etc. Were sales of those platforms also poor?

I think we need to look more holistically at what is success for Xbox and not measure up against others when they all have vastly different strategies.

I'm confident they are finally about to start releasing first party games at a decent tempo. But i'm less sure if they have the right people in place to make those games the industry defining games that Nintendo or Sony seem to make more frequently, which makes those platforms more desirable for more people.

While it makes a lot of business sense to bring many of the previous multiplatform series to other platforms (ABK is simply not worth what they paid if they only release on Xbox & PC) they will need to ALSO keep some as exclusives. They have enough studios to do BOTH, it doesn't have to be all or nothing, nor should it be.

Personally as a multi-platform player I am happy that the 3 main console manufacturers each have different strategies. There is room for all 3 to succeed in their own ways.

@Cherip-the-Ripper It's why I won't support all digital, adorable or not

@Ricky-Spanish It always comes down to personal preference. There are some things I prefer on Xbox controller other things on PlayStation or alternatives. There's an almost perfect controller if you take the best elements of each. Switch Pro Controller worth a shout too.

That's a shame. Thunderful's games are usually great.

Maybe, but ONLY if the stick's latency is good enough. But those Fire TV sticks are pretty cheap and many of us already have them, will be interesting to test it myself.

@RazputinAquato Completely agree. It's ridiculous that they are removing this from sale. It's still one of the best games on XSX!

They either need to negotiate better licenses OR have a backup plan in place, much like how some games with licensed music have a streamer mode that falls back on alternative non-licensed music.

I'd be perfectly happy for them to use AI for example to change all the models and names for an edition that can still be sold without changing the base game. Gameplay is what makes this game great, not the licenses.

They REALLY have to get better at negotiating these licenses. Delisting one of the best games of the generation 6 years after release is completely ridiculous. That's not even a whole console generation. Do better.

That said I appreciate that Microsoft is giving us a token for the game IF we bought DLC and still have a Game Pass subscription.

@Fallingshadow I had the same problem with Forza Horizon 3 where the brilliant Hot Wheels DLC was not part of the Ultimate Edition and the ONLY way to get it was to grossly overpay around $200 for a code online, which I obviously wasn't' going to do. This wasn't just cars it was a whole expansion now just gone. A shame.

Just waiting for Aaron Greenburg to come out and say "it was a hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations. We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks Ninja Theory" 💀

Probably the console itself a solid A
Or Game Pass which has mostly been great, I’d give it a B++.
But as for game highlights they haven’t quite hit the highest heights yet, especially first party, Hi-Fi Rush probably my favourite 1st party. But my favourite 2 xbox games this gen both also run on last gen Death’s Door and Chained Echoes… but I haven’t played some of the biggest AAA releases yet.

Need to play the first one. On my list of shame that I bought but haven't played.

If it's both good and true to it's origins then YES ABSOLUTELY. If it's another tired Ubi-world overflowing with map marker busywork then NO don't do it!

Bonkers that these 10-15 year old games are sold normally at £15 - £20 each. The sale price is nearer what it should be permanently.

Really enjoyed both 'Cybergron' games. I never realised Rise of the Dark Spark was related to these two games, I assumed it was a bad movie tie in of an equally bad movie. Despite the awful reviews (43 on Metacritc) i'm kinda intrigued.

Tell that to Zelda & Link... game name doesn't have to match the content.

End of the day Dreadwolf was a cooler name and what we knew it as, should have stuck with that imho, but I suspect this isn't the full story, only the PR version.

@TheSimulator The combat IS stiff, but the story, the characters, the world were all WAY ahead of their time for games.

Tough to pick just one. Most hopeful for Fable, but haven't seen enough gameplay to know if i'm truly excited for it yet. Still I'll vote for that. Doom looked absolutely incredible though.

@HelloCraigo Were there any games that you played but can't talk about yet due to terms? Obviously you can't say which if so, but can indicated that there were some. I ask this as several channels I follow said some of their biggest surprises from the show were shown behind closed doors and they couldn't talk about yet.

I did say it might not be due to the Series S but seemed everyone was willing to jump on that bandwagon with no evidence. We still don't know either way, but just like that we shouldn't make assumptions.

@BAMozzy By that same logic all my travel is 'FREE' despite paying thousands a year for annual travel cards.

Yes the games are included with Game Pass but they certainly aren't free, it's really not complicated.

It's was a really strong showing. My only real concern is wondering when some of these will actually release. i.e. We are finally getting the games that Microsoft showcased 2, 3 or 4 years ago, hopefully we won't have to wait as long this time around.

Agree with anyone that said Shivering Isles, it’s #1. Though Blood & Wine was close. Sprawling Open world RPGs like these usually do expansions best. Fallout etc.

But outside that genre I have a soft spot for Dishonored The Knive of Dunwall & Brigmore Witches, the pair effortlessly elevate the main games story.

Prey Mooncrash was also a game changer, turning the mechanics of progression on their head.

Far Cry Blood Dragon was more of a standalone, but still the best Far Cry. Less was more, plus 80s vibes.

Red Dead: Undead Nightmare, Mass Effect Citadel & GTA ballad of Gay Tony also strong

@NEStalgia Ultimately I think having good PR to let us know about games is a nice to have bonus, but really it's always about the games, PR doesn't matter much. Currently ALL the platforms have great games here or coming, as a gamer this is fantastic. Not sure I relate to "our kind", it's just about great games for me.

@OldGamer999 I think Sony realises that most gamers don't watch 'E3' or read websites, they just play games, and they've had them.

I said they have had the best year so far, but don't just take my word for it. Look at Opencritic's Top 10 releases of the year... 9 are on PlayStation, 6 on Xbox, 3 on Switch. I didn't count top 50 but it looked like similar dominance. (Edit: it's 27/18/18) Obviously Xbox has a potentially banger second half of the year, if they deliver, but PlayStation have quite quietly just been releasing games. And being the target platform for many devs, in part due to market share, means more games come there. Despite their relative silence their players are eating well.

Point is I don't think they really have to do much right now to keep dominating. I have no doubt they will have plenty to show when it comes to selling consoles once more... maybe even for PS5 Pro.

I agree with others that Xbox had the best showing. Also that it would be nice to see what Sony is up to. Yet at the same time Sony have quietly had the best year of the three so far in terms of actual releases imo. FF7 Rebirth, Helldivers 2, Stellar Blade, Animal Well, Rise of the Ronin and many more. Plus some previous Xbox exclusives coming over, Destiny 2: The Final Shape succeeding and more. It's going to be hard to convince them to change and open up when it's still going so well for them.