BaldB3lper78

@Questionable_Duck The second best selling Xbox in Japan. Wow. That’s even worse!

@Fiendish-Beaver exactly

@BaldB3lper78 It’s all very well saying that it’s the fastest growing region, but just because more devs from the area are putting games on Xbox , doesn’t mean it’s growth. She’s putting very positive spin on something that isn’t that great.
Cloud cuckoo land again from Xbox. Xbox needs to be better at communication and marketing. And PR. They really do.

I was staggered by her comment tbh. I’ve heard of grasping at straws but this is right up there with one of the most ridiculous statements she has made.
If you go from selling 1k consoles to seeking 1k and 1 consoles; that’s growth if you choose to spin it that way. It’s also still rubbish.

She does love to tow the corporate line doesn’t she. I mean, wow, this is a claim right out of Disney.

@Feffster They will likely hike the price rather than anything else tbh. The success of FH5 has already shown just how much money Xbox can make from being multi-platform.

What was massively clear from today’s showcase, was that Play Anywhere is the future for Xbox. And they can make that a huge winner, IF they get their marketing and PR right.

Which is one thing they struggle with massively.

@JetmanUK Yeah I will get it Play Anywhere I would imagine initially.

Nintendo Switch 2……..? Would love Forza in any form on my Switch 2 tbh. Probably won’t happen though.
Will be having it anyway. Love the Forza games. Horizon 4 is my fave.

And what was that they said - Xbox is growing in Asia.
Well, I guess if you take things at their simplest level, maybe.

But if you are selling next to nothing and then start selling a few more than next to nothing, that is growth. But boy are they clutching at straws with that.
Big time.

It just feels like everything that comes out of Sarah Bond’s mouth in particular is utter drivel. She certainly tows the corporate line very well indeed.

@Vipor007 Yeah, I can’t quite believe that tbh. Although I can as it’s Xbox and when it comes to things like releases , marketing and PR, they really are awful. To be this close to release and having no price can’t be just about the tariffs. That’s a lame excuse. Really lame.
Yet they banged on about the existence of the device often enough , yet no one has time to save for one.

I really don’t get why Xbox seem so intent on grabbing a gun, and then an even bigger gun and shooting themselves in the foot time and time and time again.

I was really quite excited about Xbox Rog Ally X and thought, ah, here is a chance for Xbox to give us something thats worth having and will simplify the handheld PC interface. And whilst it may do that, it’s just frustrating and baffling that they are still holding off at this late stage.

It was pretty bland tbh. The cat did well though.

@PartyMarty whilst it’s just a streaming device, I also use it for retro gaming as well. Being able to dock it to the TV is also a bonus. It’s not the best, but it’s a good alternative for those who don’t mind cloud gaming.

@PartyMarty got mine second hand for 150. Been one of my most used pieces of tech for gaming for a long time tbh

People can try and dress it up as much as they like, but this is the end. I love Xbox in many ways, but hardware wise, it’s done. We will perhaps see one last dance but Xbox needs to just focus on Game Pass and Cloud and being available on a number of devices. That’s where their future is and they may as well crack on with it now.

Both will tank. PC handhelds will
Struggle to sell over a million. Steam Deck is the only viable option. Other than that, just buy a PC.

May as well buy a GCloud.

21 days then before release, Xbox will announce price of the Xbox Rog Ally X? Clearly not much faith in it. Or care.

I can’t believe that we are in a situation where the Ally X price ‘might’ be revealed on the 25th September!!!!
What are Xbox doing??

@Sir_Bobbins Yeah, announcing a price just, what will it be, 19 days before release? That in itself is madness but with the increased pricing for Xbox hardware that is hardly flying off sales at current prices , announcing a price of what could easily be £1000 here in the UK would just make more of a mockery of Xbox and what they seem to be doing.

When first announced, I was actually quite keen on the Ally X but as time has gone on, it just seems clear that it’s going to be another waste of time.

Xbox has to sort out its marketing and PR, it really does.

If we all recall, Sarah Bond said, around the time that Xbox said Indiana Jones would go to PS5 that this holiday season, Xbox would announce the biggest leap forward in a generation.

Now, it’s here is no way on earth that she would have been referring to the ASUS handhelds so is there still something yet to come …… or was that all back then just a ruse to cover up for their usual pile of lies to Xbox fans to keep them on board a little longer??

Cracking idea when sales are terrible anyway. I get that the tariffs are causing issues for everyone but surely Xbox would be better making the units appealing so that people actually buy them, rather than putting up costs which will just see the final nails drilled into the coffins of Series X and S.
And it’s such a shame because both are great consoles and deserved much better success.

But Xbox have become masters of poor PR and even worse marketing.

Xbox Rog Ally X - £1200 anyone? Nah.

@Millionski Yeah I was interested to have this alongside my Switch 2 but it’s a pass now. I’ll stick to my iPad Pro and GEForce Now when I get the Game Pass and PC itch.

When announced, I was pretty hyped about the Ally X Xbox, but tbh now, not sure I can be bothered. Neither Xbox nor ASUS seem bothered about the device.

What could well be a very good device is being handled badly. Where Xbox is concerned, Microsoft just give no care about marketing.
Another dud all of Xbox making.

Pure madness.

Series S is a superb little console. It’s had some bad and unfair press but for the money it’s the best money can buy.
Had it been marketed better it could and should have done really well for Xbox.
Still worth picking up for the right price

It makes sense as let’s be honest, Xbox is heading towards being a PC centric model from now on in, so this, in theory should work well.

Imagine if you have a launch coming for a product that you would think is a major focus of how Xbox are going to change going forwards, but having so little faith in it that you feel no pre order window or price is needed, even though the launch date is 6 week away.

With Xbox hardware sales being so low - okay, so this an ASUS product - there’s an opportunity to create a buzz for Xbox PC and Game Pass here - it feels like Xbox don’t want to push this at all.

Xbox have dropped the ball so often this generation - more than Andre Onana - and this was a real chance to get something right. And maybe it will be great. But with each passing day with no pre order or price point, they are just making selling the things less and less manageable.

Bizarre. Truly bizarre.

With them still not announcing a price yet, you start to wonder whether they have concerns about this product.
With nearly just a month to release, to have no pre orders available or a price is just weird.

I wonder if this is when the ASUS Rog All Xbox prices will be announced. Would seem to be a very late time to do it though.

At those prices, handheld PC’s are always going to be a very niche product with sales unlikely to ever into double digit millions. Steam Deck is at what, nearly 5 million life-time sales.

For me, its Ninja Gaiden 4….oh, and lets have the prices for the ROG Ally Xbox’s FFS Microsoft. Then my Switch 2 can collect even more dust.

@FraserG oops my bad! I missed that bit lol. Genuinely excited for it. Less than impressed with my switch 2 so far and this looks like it’s for me for many game. Slowly falling back in love with Xbox. Game Pass still amazing in my view.

@FraserG Do we know why the price is still not known? Seems odd with it being released so soon - just over a month away and no idea of cost at all.

I believe that one of the key things that people miss , is that whatever suits you and your budget is most important. For some, that could be a phone to play games on - and I play a variety of games on my iPhone that are good quality. - for others , it might need to be a high end PC.

When I look at the Rog Ally Xbox X, it ticks a lot of boxes for me. User interface , Xbox anywhere is a big thing for me personally , and I will get one:

So many times , people will say , “why would you buy that? It’s not this and it’s not that.”

As a consumer and gamer of over 36 years, what’s important is to that you know what you want and enjoy.

Handheld PC’s are not going to sell 10 million, 20 million etc. Steam Deck has sold 4 million which is impressive.

But when feels like it’s suits your gaming needs and you can afford it, go get it and be happy.

Next Xbox will be backward compatible but will be 2 SKU’s. One console and one handheld. Thats the way the market is going

@BAMozzy Cheers for all that: much appreciated. I think for what I want and will likely need, I’ll go for the Ally X as it does seem to tick the boxes for me.

Thanks again - always good to get help from others on @purexbox

Would those who know more about handheld PC’s than I do, recommend wearing for the Ally or is the Lenovo Go S worth jumping on?

I’m all in. I think

@FraserG If the Ally Comes in at $899 as rumoured , which is £666 (lol) I believe, then I think for me, it’s a done deal.

@FraserG Some awesome pictures there! It feels like rather than dying a death, team green is changing and giving gamers so many more chances to play brilliant games. I don’t agree with all of their ways of going about things , but I do now really feel I can get excited to be an Xbox gamer again.

@FraserG Good to get a sense of the feeling among those testing the devices. I said, I think it was in reply to your good self a little while ago that I had stopped gaming on Xbox due to a lot of reasons, but not long after I found I really missed Game Pass.
Whilst I know there are other handheld PC’s out there, I do like the idea of the Xbox branding and also the user interface - I’m not into fiddly stuff, that’s just me.

Whilst I know the price is expensive (or is it) and I was going to get a Legion GO S, I think I will wait for the Ally X and that will be my Xbox, gaming PC and happy days are ahead!

@WildConcept6 cheers for the advice!

I’ve toyed with the idea of a handheld PC for a couple of years now and tbh have never quite felt compelled enough to pull the trigger and get one.

But I’m already looking at my savings and overtime at work to get the Ally X. Everything looks really user friendly and I’m hyped for it now.

Think I’m going to get one. Will become my main
Console as I play maky handheld these days anyway.

@Kezelpaso Cheers for clearing that up. Makes sense. Much appreciated. Must admit I’m very tempted.

@Kezelpaso sorry if I’m being dumb, but is this only a streaming device then? Can you not download games to it?

@kmtrain83 Exactly that. People want power and miss the point about gaming.
Of course certain games benefit from better visuals - I’m not naive - but many modern gamers have become obsessed with power.

Indiana Jones is a great game on Xbox. It’s looks better on PS5 but it still plays the same. It’s a good game. End of.

Gamers need to realise that if they keep being obsessed with power over gameplay, they will cause damage to the industry as well.

What Xbox are doing is basically a fire sale

@Neither_scene the issue that games on Xbox don’t sell very well already so waiting for sales to plateau wouldn’t take long at all. I guess if they publish all on all platforms then fair enough - and they will soon enough - so that could work I guess.

@PushButtons More Power doesn’t always mean better though. Back in the day we had ‘next generation’ from 8 bit to 16 etc but that just doesn’t exist anymore. The very term ‘next generation’ means nothing. Consoles are becoming more PC like with upgrades and ‘pro’ editions. Nintendo runs its own path and they provide what Nintendo fans want. Other gamers want photo realism at every turn but that doesn’t always mean better games - gameplay is king and always will be. Thats what matters most and always will.

The modern fanboys spend more time talking about ‘power’ and less time talking about gaming. That’s a huge concern that I have had for a long time now. If people think power is most important, they are either not gamers in the first place, or have totally lost sight of what really matters in this industry.

The reality is that Xbox now has totally lost any trust it had left and that was already eroded bound belief. The push for AI will see more devs lost and ultimately Xbox will become a digital platform in every single way. Games made by AI and an ultimate loss on any connection to the very heartbeat of gaming - gamers.

Each passing day brings more bad news and those that do enjoy Game Pass should enjoy whilst it last because I suspect it will be gone very soon.