@ZeD @Dm9982 You are welcome. Yes, it's completely objective. I also expect GTA VI being patched but not on day one. The big first-party games should be patched in the next months. I can see Gears of War E-Day being one of the first to do so, if not the first.
Yes, games can be patched, that's the great thing about it, besides the hardware being capable of natively supporting AMD's AI upscaling. Over 400 PC games already support FSR4, and the clarity has been improved drastically compared to older versions.
Twitter/X replies are already anticipating patches for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Doom The Dark Ages and Gears of War E-Day on Series X|S. 😁
It's a hardware feature that Series X|S support natively. The game doesn't need to be built for supporting it, just patched. There is a video explaining how it works.
FSR 4.1.2 will prove very useful because Series X|S has full native support, so it's a new hardware feature implemented through a firmware update that has a low technical cost compared to PS5's QSSR. I wonder if Rockstar will apply it to GTA VI, and what existing games will be patched to make use of it. In any case, this will make the cross generation better for Series X|S.
@HonestHick Before having the use of reason, my family got a puppy and she (reciprocally) loved me the most, so I know what dogs can mean, but I doubled checked and indeed they have been used in wars across thousands of years, and Call of Duty games are about war. I don't like wars, but I play video games.
Many video games have changed history and have introduced things that were not like that at the time. When they don't, they are weirdly criticised with 21st century eyes, e.g., Eurogamer and Kingdom Come: Deliverance. There are so many examples.
I don't understand why everything has to be retconned now. It's utterly ridiculous. I would agree with those critical voices in the present day, but we all know that if we have lived back then, we would have a completely different perception and opinion about everything, because things were just different. To rewrite history with a 21st century mindset is madness.
I haven't played this yet. I've been playing Call of Duty campaigns backwards. So far, all good except Black Ops 7, which I define as remixed DLC. Modern Warfare II (2022) is quite interesting, because it's the opposite of trigger-happy and has a lot of varied gameplay and weird difficulty spikes. Still, the refined and consistent shooting makes them all worth playing if you have Game Pass and like the genre.
Unfortunately, dogs have been used frequently in wars across thousands of years. Shooting other people or dogs in video games is something that 99.9% of players wouldn't do in real life. I guess this would be a 9/10 game according to the last paragraph.
@Rimebreaker The flip-flopping narrative to always portray Xbox in a negative light, whatever the case is, is more comedy than journalism, and literally a joke when worded by certain people.
@somnambulance A family of devices is coming, that has been confirmed.
At this point, I expect Helix to be a proper console that supports Microsoft Store's library, but I'm not sure about third-party stores nor the PC-like approach teased previously, with Asha and Matthew looking for a core experience and smooth operating system, that would still be based on Windows like all Xbox consoles, obviously.
The Microsoft and Xbox stores will finally become the same, I'm sure, so no more Xbox ports or Play Anywhere next generation. Since all PC games are built for Windows, that would be the greatest benefit for Xbox. Of course, Helix will be backwards compatible with current Xbox games and Microsoft Store games, because Asha confirmed that bit after being confirmed by Phil before that: "backwards compatibility and PC games."
I don't expect a cheaper "Helix S", but since the most expensive part is memory now, I think that the wisest thing would be Helix alternatives with less storage memory, so the specs that matter would be the same. This way, they could have a $999 Helix on the shelves.
I also expect more third-party (Xbox branding) gaming handhelds, by Asus at the very least, and perhaps Xbox would release their own, according to a recent rumour which is just a rumour.
I'm not completely sure about cloud devices because of smartphones, tablets and TV apps, but maybe something like PS Portal that has its own screen and controller and only plays streaming would make sense.
Only Xbox knows the metrics that matter: how the game is selling on Xbox without Game Pass. Sales and player count on Steam and PS5 are not affected by the Game Pass change. Moreover, it would not surprise anyone on earth if the game ends up being one of the best-selling titles of the year across all platforms, as always. The intriguing part is its performance on Xbox not being included with Game Pass.
@somnambulance It's more of an added feature. Helix will be the expensive, native experience, but of course Cloud is becoming a huge thing in gaming, and with the Nano controller you could play Xbox games on a phone or on a TV app easily.
Still waiting for the Elite Series 3 announcement. Pre-ordering on day one.
@somnambulance Nah, it will be a proper controller with the same features as the Elite Series 3, but less premium and customisable.
Xbox Nano controller is brilliant as a more casual controller, and it even looks great for retro gaming because of the full-sized D-pad. The D-pad is the same as the Series X|S one, and I agree, it's excellent. I'd say it's one of the best I've used, and I've seen it rated #1 or #2 in some rankings.
The problem is not Game Pass. These games were ported to Nintendo and Switch 2 and they sold even less there. Compulsion, Double Fine, Ninja Theory, Arkane and Undead Labs were way too slow, bled money and didn't achieve a minimum level of success, with the exception being State of Decay 2, as I explained in another comment yesterday. I'm going to explain what I think Game Pass really is for Xbox and for its subscribers.
First of all, Game Pass' maths are not as simple as some people think. No subscriber plays all the catalogue on Game Pass. Some people play a few games for months or keep playing a single game for months, especially if it has online multiplayer, while also paying for the included online services. For example, if I have to pay for Essential, I don't mind paying extra for Ultimate, even if I don't make the most of it. I was addicted to the long Persona games on Game Pass until I fully completed them, and they don't even have online. Some people try many games, but that doesn't translate to cannibalisation, because they wouldn't have bought them without Game Pass. Some others play smaller games that are cheaper, anyway. I tried Kiln a few days ago. It's not as bad as I expected, but I wouldn't have bought it, and I've seen it for two pounds on sales.
We need to consider that Game Pass is massive revenue, but it also needs to be adjusted to optimise global revenue with behemoths like Call of Duty. So, at least for that game, day one is not good business, but that doesn't apply to every other case. Does it apply to huge first-party games like Forza Horizon 6, Gears of War E-Day and Fable? I'm sure that Asha and Matthew know, but they are honouring the announcements. It's likely that they consider that access to them is currently too cheap, but we still don't know the numbers, and Forza Horizon 6 was a massive success not just on Game Pass, but also on the Xbox store.
Asha announced adjustments and modular plans, and she also reduced the price of Ultimate. She removed day one Call of Duty and unlimited Cloud. Matthew and her want people to pay exactly for what they want, without making the subscription too expensive, and that's the best outcome, because it's better business for them, while players only pay for what they want, even if they are paying more for each thing, e.g., day one and Cloud. This is the way that I think Game Pass makes total sense.
In this long-term business context, day one inclusions should be a more expensive add-on, or games should arrive after one year, which is what Premium is. Thus, I think that "Ultimate" will become an expensive add-on, and Cloud already is beyond the included hours. I expect this change in 2027, because she has proven that her strategy is not to raise the general prices nor to try to get extra revenue from PS while alienating the Xbox ecosystem.
So, what Asha and Matthew are doing is to make Xbox (including Xbox on PC) a platform with exclusives, while making Game Pass more profitable, but also more flexible and accessible. Besides, reducing the bloated infrastructure and letting studios like The Compulsion go is the only way to protect that profitability.
@somnambulance Yes, I mean the graphics, most of all. Do you know the original PC version as well? I played it when I was a child, and in my head it's like a completely different game.
@somnambulance N64 games haven't aged as badly as PS ones. I know because I'm playing the original Final Fantasy VII on Series X right now. One thing that impresses me about Goldeneye 007, besides what has been mentioned already, is the focused campaign, with plenty of variety, strategy and fun, and the destructible elements, such as windows. Another N64 that still looks incredible today is Conker's Bad Fur Day on Rare Replay.
Nintendo 64's faces sure look ugly today, but the important parts remain impressive, and one of the best examples is Goldeneye 007.
@Grumblevolcano You need to consider two things if you want to see the big picture and not just the "evil" side of Xbox executives:
a) Layoffs come as a result of those studios becoming too big during Phil's tenure and bleeding money because their games are not successful, regardless of how "amazing" they are. Studios need to be proportionate. They can't grow massively and underperform. That just does not work for any publisher.
b) All the studios that Asha has decided to let go have not made successful games lately (lately = 8 years): Compulsion, Double Fine, Ninja Theory and Arkane.
The only exception is Undead Labs. State of Decay 2 was a success. They needed, however, external assistance despite also becoming much bigger, and State of Decay 3 was in development hell. This is the only studio I would personally have kept at least until they release State of Decay 3, to check if the game deserved the investment. I even predicted that the other studios were at risk, but not this.
@Schonks Right. The proof is that when a game is confirmed to have failed on the Xbox store, like South of Midnight or Keeper, it also failed at engaging players on Game Pass, and when a game is very successful on the Xbox store, like Forza Horizon 6, it's also very successful on Game Pass. This proves that many players buy Xbox games, while others just play them on Game Pass. There is some overlapping business there, but implying that it's 100%, which means cannibalisation, is utterly ridiculous. Besides, like you said, Game Pass is not free.
@somnambulance @ElkinFencer10 I remember that owners of the physical edition of Rare Replay didn't get Goldeneye 007. You could only get it for free with the digital version of Rare Replay, and you still can. Not for long, I assume, so get it before it's gone.
@fatpunkslim There is a game made on Unreal Engine 5 that I beat, Immortals of Aveum, and if you compare it with Gears of War E-Day, it's night and day. Hellblade II is very impressive but it cuts the screen to allow lower-res video and it's completely linear, with boss battles and camera scripted.
The Coalition is the only Xbox studio I would allow to use a third-party engine indefinitely, despite Xbox owning even better engines, because what they did with Gears of War E-Day is unbelievable. You only have to play the campaign to see how incredible it looks.
I'm sure that The Coalition is completely safe, that Xbox is proud of them, and that E-Day 2 has been greenlit. Months ago I said that it doesn't mean that there won't be layoffs, if Asha considers that the team has grown too much during Phil's tenure, regardless of the commercial performance of the game on Xbox —which we still don't know, same as its budget.
I don't know why some people believe unfounded rumours so quickly and why the same people don't believe official sources when they revoke them, e.g., "Xbox is on sale", and the behaviour only applies to Xbox, in a suspicious way, to make it look like it's always failing.
The fact that The Coalition has been working on multiple games, not just theirs, just confirms that they are one of the best assets that Xbox has. This is not a new thing, they have been doing that for many years. Id has been doing the same to a lesser extent, e.g., they helped Bethesda with Starfield.
This is why you can't just say that an Xbox cost $500M. You could say so about a third party whose budget was leaked and that was focused on a single game, but not about an Xbox studio.
Code Mystics made a very poor version here. Perhaps I'm being harsh, but I felt it was worse than emulating the N64 version. They also made an awful Killer Instinct music player that plays loud sound effects while the music is playing, with no option to turn them off.
Every gamer should try to play Rare's Xbox 360 version that was leaked in 2021. It shows why it's one of the best shooter campaigns ever made, despite being one of the first.
Game Pass is a massive revenue source. Otherwise, it would have been shut down by Asha. However, they might try to optimise revenue making more adjustments. Only Xbox has the numbers to know exactly what to do. We only know that $30 with Call of Duty on day one was not good business.
@strzelec Right, probably not performing well on Steam, but on PC the minimum specs are pretty demanding, and previous Gears of War and Halo games have performed better on Xbox than on Steam (and PS5).
The game is awesome. The campaign is really impressive, and I play multiplayer often. Let's hope they make a sequel and take into account the feedback regarding the story.
@strzelec I partly agree with you, and probably more games will skip day one or day one becomes a very expensive add-on. We don't know, but Asha teased adjustments including modular plans. That said, we really don't know how many copies Gears of War E-Day has sold on Xbox nor how many it will sell in the next months. At the very least, it has been consistently popular on the Xbox charts and also topping the Game Pass chart which also means indirect revenue.
Don't forget that Nintendo is an skeleton company, considering the huge size of their business, so they tend to outsource a large part of the development tasks. This is much cheaper than keeping staff permanently hired, and also avoids the layoffs headlines that every other big publisher has suffered this generation. However, those third parties suffer layoffs and even crunch, according to some of its workers like Mercury Steam's.
@Fishmasterflex96 So you know how many copies have been sold on Xbox? Wow. You are the only person in the world besides Xbox themselves that have access to that information. You must be one of those that believe that Gears of War E-Day sold 62,000 copies on Xbox. What are your sources, really? Alinea?
Regarding the reviews and that the problem is the Xbox platform, as I said, Hellblade II, Keeper and South of Midnight received generally favourable reviews, and they underperformed on all platforms, not just Xbox. Why then, if the problem is the platform? And why some first and third-party games are very successful on that same platform?
Your theory is not just unfounded and not backed by any confirmed data, but don't make any sense either.
@Nakatomi_Uk Yes. Asha revealed in one of her first interviews that Xbox didn't have any components in stock, unlike "the other platforms" (PS and Switch 2). Currently, Series X|S is sold out in most European countries and sometimes in the UK. There are people buying pre-owned Series X consoles for the equivalent of $900 or more.
@Fishmasterflex96 Normally, we don't know how their games perform because they have stopped providing data and because they have the Xbox Store, Play Anywhere (PC) and Game Pass (console and PC) in the mix, before considering other platforms as Steam or PS5, where some Xbox games have reportedly underperformed, so it's not the Xbox image or platform to blame, e.g., South of Midnight, Hellblade II, Keeper, Kiln... All these games except Kiln received very positive reviews. The gaming landscape is highly competitive, and not all games reach the expected level of success, whether they are Microsoft's or Sony's.
I have always defended Turn 10, not only because they made Motorsport and the technology that Forza Horizon used, but because they also helped Playground with things like the audio, thus making the Forza Horizon games better. However, others and I predicted that the studios would be merged. Playground now has a lot of work with Forza Horizon, its expansions and Fable, so I don't think that Motorsport will be back. They could, however, keep the reboot alive and updated.
@Llamageddon That's why Nadella chose Asha as the CEO of Xbox. The previous strategy did not work, same as the live service games did not work for Sony. Mathew and her seem to share the same vision. They have already improved the revenue in a very short period of time. Let's wait a few years before assuming that they have failed. The numbers indicate that they won't, although I know that some people really wish it happened.
@nomither6 Not to mention that Nintendo also messed up against PS4 with the Wii U (that I love). PS4 was extremely lucky to have a more expensive rival (Xbox One was bigger and $100 more expensive than PS4) and Wii U, that was already struggling one year later, when PS4 and Xbox One released. All the while, Sony was still selling cheap revisions of PS3 with ports and features cut down.
PS succeeds by momentum. They have created a loyal and vocal fan base. They also attracted the casual crowd with PS4. PS4 became the "default" console. It's not about Sony's games. The best-selling PS5 games consistently include Fortnite, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto V, Roblox and Minecraft, which dominated the top charts in both 2024 and 2025.
@ItsAlwaysSunnyyy @VisitingComet1 @Vordus That's right. They already updated the engine for Starfield. There's nothing preventing them from improving their own engine for the next game. They must do it, and switching to a new engine is not the solution to their problems.
I played Starfield after the patches on Series X, and it was a smooth experience, much better than the updated Special version of Skyrim that somehow is still full of glitches. There are many technical aspects they could and should improve, but that's infinitely easier than starting from scratch, because theirs are not simple games.
@HonestHick I know. Generally speaking and regarding the unfounded negativity, the only thing I don't understand is that if someone really believes that Xbox is doomed, why spend so much time talking about it? It doesn't make any sense to me investing so much time and energy in something you either hate or think it's done for. I'm not including the love-hate relationships that some people show. I have one with Nintendo.
It's a huge update, a remarkable combination of quality of life features and nostalgic elements. Complaining would be irremediable nitpicking syndrome. I don't think we're going to see something like this very often on Xbox or any other platform.
Are they doing all these updates just to keep Series X|S owners happy or also because Helix will run this operating system (based on Windows), with the added feature of playing Microsoft Store's games?
I had assumed that they were working very hard on Xbox Mode and using Rog Xbox Ally X as a beta builder so the experience is smoother on Helix, but the rumour about Asha demanding a proper console operating system on Helix showed up recently. It's intriguing, isn't it?
@HonestHick It's the best looking game I've seen on consoles, too. Once the first cutscene ended, I could not believe that what I was seeing on the TV (LG G4) was gameplay, so I did not immediately pressed the stick forward.
Microsoft is not willing to subsidise Xbox, which is exactly why would have happened if the 3% margin kept decreasing. However, as long as Asha's reset makes Xbox stand on its own feet, Microsoft will be happy about it because of the added value which is not strictly economic.
Remember that they also have a Surface lineup that it's not their main business either, and way smaller than the 4% you mentioned. Owning the most popular operating system, hardware, game studios and Azure makes the overall Microsoft bigger than the sum of its parts. This is why they are resetting Xbox instead of shutting it down or selling it. No reason to.
The crisis is not just because the biggest tech companies in the world are competing in the AI race, but also because the manufacturers are lowering the production of standard memory, with one of them stopping production completely, as it's not longer the main revenue.
Even if they want to, Microsoft can't help Xbox to get the required hardware to keep going ordinarily, even if Microsoft is one of those big tech companies that changed the global scenario. I assume that everything will go back to normal, but consoles will still be expensive, because it's the only hardware that has been traditionally subsidised, or sold without making a profit.
@VisitingComet1 I played it after some patches on Series X and it was mostly fine, felt like 60fps most of the time bar New Atlantis, playing on TV supporting VRR. I agree, the game is great. It's not perfect, but I had a lot of fun with it. What you can do in these games is amazing, even though Creation Engine should be updated and polished.
Bethesda needs a shakeup, rather than an engine replacement. Someone rightfully said that Asha should light a fire under Todd Howard's a**e.
@ItsAlwaysSunnyyy I completely agree. The only studio I'd leave using Unreal Engine is The Coalition because they really are skilled at making the best of it. The rest of them should use any of the in-house excellent engines. No need to pay a third party when Id Tech and IW can do the same and better. Look at the latest Call of Duty games, or Indiana Jones and the Great Circle that runs on a now dated Id Tech fork.
@Coletrain Maybe a version of Windows somewhere between Series X|S and Xbox Mode? Could they just make Series X|S operating system that is based on Windows play Windows games? 😁
Heiix will definitely play PC games, at least Microsoft Store's games. I also think they want the console to use optimised settings automatically.
@HonestHick Sensible, accurate and providing necessary context, as always. This is a long term strategy. Games don't need to sell 1 million copies in the first week, not to mention that Gears of War E-Day doesn't belong to this quarter. It's not like when games were only on the stores' shelves. She doesn't discuss Call of Duty sales either because it just released. She only acknowledges its positive reviews. She had previously listed Gears of War E-Day as "enjoying a strong start", probably on Xbox.
Great point about PC hardware requirements that affected Doom The Dark Ages, Gears of War E-Day and even the latest Lego game. This is just another chance to mention that the first act of the campaign will blow anyone's mind on Series X|S.
@GoldenPants Microsoft is a gigantic company that has given Xbox a chance to survive on its own through a new CEO. They use different hardware and components. If the current Xbox team (or Microsoft) didn't want to support consoles, why would they give it more meaningful updates than never before? They really want to reset Xbox, even if that means sacrificing Phil's ambitious plans. The problem that Microsoft had with Xbox was not Xbox itself, but that it was bleeding money despite massive revenue, and that they didn't want to subsidise it. There are finance experts that argue that Xbox gives Microsoft a lot of value that Microsoft on its own doesn't have despite being much more profitable.
The problem with Xbox hardware is that the previous management prioritised other platforms (even phones!) rather than consoles, and now they are trying to make Xbox leaner, more focused and more profitable, but just can't get enough of the components that consoles use. Nintendo and Sony have been focused on their hardware the whole generation, and they had enough stock to keep things going with some price hikes, but with stock almost unaffected by the shortage.
Just remember Sarah Bond's "This is an Xbox" on a smartphone screen...
Positive note: Series X|S will get better thanks to FSR 4.1.
Comments 9,124
Re: AMD FSR Upscaling 4.1 Has Officially Arrived For Xbox Series X|S
@ZeD @Dm9982 You are welcome. Yes, it's completely objective. I also expect GTA VI being patched but not on day one. The big first-party games should be patched in the next months. I can see Gears of War E-Day being one of the first to do so, if not the first.
Re: AMD FSR Upscaling 4.1 Has Officially Arrived For Xbox Series X|S
@RiverGenie
I added the link.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNSRhoMeOqQ
Yes, games can be patched, that's the great thing about it, besides the hardware being capable of natively supporting AMD's AI upscaling. Over 400 PC games already support FSR4, and the clarity has been improved drastically compared to older versions.
Twitter/X replies are already anticipating patches for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Doom The Dark Ages and Gears of War E-Day on Series X|S. 😁
Re: AMD FSR Upscaling 4.1 Has Officially Arrived For Xbox Series X|S
@RiverGenie
It's a hardware feature that Series X|S support natively. The game doesn't need to be built for supporting it, just patched. There is a video explaining how it works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNSRhoMeOqQ
Re: AMD FSR Upscaling 4.1 Has Officially Arrived For Xbox Series X|S
FSR 4.1.2 will prove very useful because Series X|S has full native support, so it's a new hardware feature implemented through a firmware update that has a low technical cost compared to PS5's QSSR. I wonder if Rockstar will apply it to GTA VI, and what existing games will be patched to make use of it. In any case, this will make the cross generation better for Series X|S.
Re: Review: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 - The First COD I've Cared About In Ages
@HonestHick Before having the use of reason, my family got a puppy and she (reciprocally) loved me the most, so I know what dogs can mean, but I doubled checked and indeed they have been used in wars across thousands of years, and Call of Duty games are about war. I don't like wars, but I play video games.
Many video games have changed history and have introduced things that were not like that at the time. When they don't, they are weirdly criticised with 21st century eyes, e.g., Eurogamer and Kingdom Come: Deliverance. There are so many examples.
I don't understand why everything has to be retconned now. It's utterly ridiculous. I would agree with those critical voices in the present day, but we all know that if we have lived back then, we would have a completely different perception and opinion about everything, because things were just different. To rewrite history with a 21st century mindset is madness.
Sorry for the ranting and enjoy!
Re: Review: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 - The First COD I've Cared About In Ages
I haven't played this yet. I've been playing Call of Duty campaigns backwards. So far, all good except Black Ops 7, which I define as remixed DLC. Modern Warfare II (2022) is quite interesting, because it's the opposite of trigger-happy and has a lot of varied gameplay and weird difficulty spikes. Still, the refined and consistent shooting makes them all worth playing if you have Game Pass and like the genre.
Re: Review: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 - The First COD I've Cared About In Ages
Unfortunately, dogs have been used frequently in wars across thousands of years. Shooting other people or dogs in video games is something that 99.9% of players wouldn't do in real life. I guess this would be a 9/10 game according to the last paragraph.
Re: Modern Warfare 4 Boosts Call Of Duty Players On Xbox, But Falls Short Of Black Ops 7 Impact
@Rimebreaker The flip-flopping narrative to always portray Xbox in a negative light, whatever the case is, is more comedy than journalism, and literally a joke when worded by certain people.
Re: Xbox Nano Controller Gets Its First Reviews, And A Secret Hidden Feature Is Revealed
@somnambulance A family of devices is coming, that has been confirmed.
At this point, I expect Helix to be a proper console that supports Microsoft Store's library, but I'm not sure about third-party stores nor the PC-like approach teased previously, with Asha and Matthew looking for a core experience and smooth operating system, that would still be based on Windows like all Xbox consoles, obviously.
The Microsoft and Xbox stores will finally become the same, I'm sure, so no more Xbox ports or Play Anywhere next generation. Since all PC games are built for Windows, that would be the greatest benefit for Xbox. Of course, Helix will be backwards compatible with current Xbox games and Microsoft Store games, because Asha confirmed that bit after being confirmed by Phil before that: "backwards compatibility and PC games."
I don't expect a cheaper "Helix S", but since the most expensive part is memory now, I think that the wisest thing would be Helix alternatives with less storage memory, so the specs that matter would be the same. This way, they could have a $999 Helix on the shelves.
I also expect more third-party (Xbox branding) gaming handhelds, by Asus at the very least, and perhaps Xbox would release their own, according to a recent rumour which is just a rumour.
I'm not completely sure about cloud devices because of smartphones, tablets and TV apps, but maybe something like PS Portal that has its own screen and controller and only plays streaming would make sense.
Re: Modern Warfare 4 Boosts Call Of Duty Players On Xbox, But Falls Short Of Black Ops 7 Impact
Only Xbox knows the metrics that matter: how the game is selling on Xbox without Game Pass. Sales and player count on Steam and PS5 are not affected by the Game Pass change. Moreover, it would not surprise anyone on earth if the game ends up being one of the best-selling titles of the year across all platforms, as always. The intriguing part is its performance on Xbox not being included with Game Pass.
Re: Xbox Nano Controller Gets Its First Reviews, And A Secret Hidden Feature Is Revealed
@somnambulance It's more of an added feature. Helix will be the expensive, native experience, but of course Cloud is becoming a huge thing in gaming, and with the Nano controller you could play Xbox games on a phone or on a TV app easily.
Re: Xbox Nano Controller Gets Its First Reviews, And A Secret Hidden Feature Is Revealed
Still waiting for the Elite Series 3 announcement. Pre-ordering on day one.
@somnambulance Nah, it will be a proper controller with the same features as the Elite Series 3, but less premium and customisable.
Xbox Nano controller is brilliant as a more casual controller, and it even looks great for retro gaming because of the full-sized D-pad. The D-pad is the same as the Series X|S one, and I agree, it's excellent. I'd say it's one of the best I've used, and I've seen it rated #1 or #2 in some rankings.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Controller/comments/170ugt6/i_made_a_tier_list_of_dpads_from_the_controllers/
Re: South Of Midnight Director Reflects On Why He Was 'Always Worried' About Funding At Xbox
The problem is not Game Pass. These games were ported to Nintendo and Switch 2 and they sold even less there. Compulsion, Double Fine, Ninja Theory, Arkane and Undead Labs were way too slow, bled money and didn't achieve a minimum level of success, with the exception being State of Decay 2, as I explained in another comment yesterday. I'm going to explain what I think Game Pass really is for Xbox and for its subscribers.
First of all, Game Pass' maths are not as simple as some people think. No subscriber plays all the catalogue on Game Pass. Some people play a few games for months or keep playing a single game for months, especially if it has online multiplayer, while also paying for the included online services. For example, if I have to pay for Essential, I don't mind paying extra for Ultimate, even if I don't make the most of it. I was addicted to the long Persona games on Game Pass until I fully completed them, and they don't even have online. Some people try many games, but that doesn't translate to cannibalisation, because they wouldn't have bought them without Game Pass. Some others play smaller games that are cheaper, anyway. I tried Kiln a few days ago. It's not as bad as I expected, but I wouldn't have bought it, and I've seen it for two pounds on sales.
We need to consider that Game Pass is massive revenue, but it also needs to be adjusted to optimise global revenue with behemoths like Call of Duty. So, at least for that game, day one is not good business, but that doesn't apply to every other case. Does it apply to huge first-party games like Forza Horizon 6, Gears of War E-Day and Fable? I'm sure that Asha and Matthew know, but they are honouring the announcements. It's likely that they consider that access to them is currently too cheap, but we still don't know the numbers, and Forza Horizon 6 was a massive success not just on Game Pass, but also on the Xbox store.
Asha announced adjustments and modular plans, and she also reduced the price of Ultimate. She removed day one Call of Duty and unlimited Cloud. Matthew and her want people to pay exactly for what they want, without making the subscription too expensive, and that's the best outcome, because it's better business for them, while players only pay for what they want, even if they are paying more for each thing, e.g., day one and Cloud. This is the way that I think Game Pass makes total sense.
In this long-term business context, day one inclusions should be a more expensive add-on, or games should arrive after one year, which is what Premium is. Thus, I think that "Ultimate" will become an expensive add-on, and Cloud already is beyond the included hours. I expect this change in 2027, because she has proven that her strategy is not to raise the general prices nor to try to get extra revenue from PS while alienating the Xbox ecosystem.
So, what Asha and Matthew are doing is to make Xbox (including Xbox on PC) a platform with exclusives, while making Game Pass more profitable, but also more flexible and accessible. Besides, reducing the bloated infrastructure and letting studios like The Compulsion go is the only way to protect that profitability.
Re: 14 Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Early November 2026
@somnambulance Yes, I mean the graphics, most of all. Do you know the original PC version as well? I played it when I was a child, and in my head it's like a completely different game.
Re: 14 Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Early November 2026
@somnambulance N64 games haven't aged as badly as PS ones. I know because I'm playing the original Final Fantasy VII on Series X right now. One thing that impresses me about Goldeneye 007, besides what has been mentioned already, is the focused campaign, with plenty of variety, strategy and fun, and the destructible elements, such as windows. Another N64 that still looks incredible today is Conker's Bad Fur Day on Rare Replay.
Nintendo 64's faces sure look ugly today, but the important parts remain impressive, and one of the best examples is Goldeneye 007.
Re: Former Xbox Manager Explains Why $500M Cost For Gears: E-Day Doesn't Tell The Whole Story
@Grumblevolcano You need to consider two things if you want to see the big picture and not just the "evil" side of Xbox executives:
a) Layoffs come as a result of those studios becoming too big during Phil's tenure and bleeding money because their games are not successful, regardless of how "amazing" they are. Studios need to be proportionate. They can't grow massively and underperform. That just does not work for any publisher.
b) All the studios that Asha has decided to let go have not made successful games lately (lately = 8 years): Compulsion, Double Fine, Ninja Theory and Arkane.
The only exception is Undead Labs. State of Decay 2 was a success. They needed, however, external assistance despite also becoming much bigger, and State of Decay 3 was in development hell. This is the only studio I would personally have kept at least until they release State of Decay 3, to check if the game deserved the investment. I even predicted that the other studios were at risk, but not this.
Re: Former Xbox Manager Explains Why $500M Cost For Gears: E-Day Doesn't Tell The Whole Story
@Schonks Right. The proof is that when a game is confirmed to have failed on the Xbox store, like South of Midnight or Keeper, it also failed at engaging players on Game Pass, and when a game is very successful on the Xbox store, like Forza Horizon 6, it's also very successful on Game Pass. This proves that many players buy Xbox games, while others just play them on Game Pass. There is some overlapping business there, but implying that it's 100%, which means cannibalisation, is utterly ridiculous. Besides, like you said, Game Pass is not free.
Re: 14 Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Early November 2026
@somnambulance @ElkinFencer10 I remember that owners of the physical edition of Rare Replay didn't get Goldeneye 007. You could only get it for free with the digital version of Rare Replay, and you still can. Not for long, I assume, so get it before it's gone.
Re: Former Xbox Manager Explains Why $500M Cost For Gears: E-Day Doesn't Tell The Whole Story
@fatpunkslim There is a game made on Unreal Engine 5 that I beat, Immortals of Aveum, and if you compare it with Gears of War E-Day, it's night and day. Hellblade II is very impressive but it cuts the screen to allow lower-res video and it's completely linear, with boss battles and camera scripted.
The Coalition is the only Xbox studio I would allow to use a third-party engine indefinitely, despite Xbox owning even better engines, because what they did with Gears of War E-Day is unbelievable. You only have to play the campaign to see how incredible it looks.
I'm sure that The Coalition is completely safe, that Xbox is proud of them, and that E-Day 2 has been greenlit. Months ago I said that it doesn't mean that there won't be layoffs, if Asha considers that the team has grown too much during Phil's tenure, regardless of the commercial performance of the game on Xbox —which we still don't know, same as its budget.
Re: Former Xbox Manager Explains Why $500M Cost For Gears: E-Day Doesn't Tell The Whole Story
I don't know why some people believe unfounded rumours so quickly and why the same people don't believe official sources when they revoke them, e.g., "Xbox is on sale", and the behaviour only applies to Xbox, in a suspicious way, to make it look like it's always failing.
The fact that The Coalition has been working on multiple games, not just theirs, just confirms that they are one of the best assets that Xbox has. This is not a new thing, they have been doing that for many years. Id has been doing the same to a lesser extent, e.g., they helped Bethesda with Starfield.
This is why you can't just say that an Xbox cost $500M. You could say so about a third party whose budget was leaked and that was focused on a single game, but not about an Xbox studio.
Re: Xbox Black Friday Sale 2026 Leaks Early, Thousands Of Games Set To Be Included
@EVIL-C In most European countries, even the Series S and digital Series X are also out of stock, for months now.
Re: 14 Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Early November 2026
If Rare had the licence when they made Rare Replay, imagine what wonderful version of Goldeneye 007 would we have in our library.
Re: 14 Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Early November 2026
Code Mystics made a very poor version here. Perhaps I'm being harsh, but I felt it was worse than emulating the N64 version. They also made an awful Killer Instinct music player that plays loud sound effects while the music is playing, with no option to turn them off.
Every gamer should try to play Rare's Xbox 360 version that was leaked in 2021. It shows why it's one of the best shooter campaigns ever made, despite being one of the first.
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
Game Pass is a massive revenue source. Otherwise, it would have been shut down by Asha. However, they might try to optimise revenue making more adjustments. Only Xbox has the numbers to know exactly what to do. We only know that $30 with Call of Duty on day one was not good business.
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
@strzelec Right, probably not performing well on Steam, but on PC the minimum specs are pretty demanding, and previous Gears of War and Halo games have performed better on Xbox than on Steam (and PS5).
The game is awesome. The campaign is really impressive, and I play multiplayer often. Let's hope they make a sequel and take into account the feedback regarding the story.
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
@strzelec I partly agree with you, and probably more games will skip day one or day one becomes a very expensive add-on. We don't know, but Asha teased adjustments including modular plans. That said, we really don't know how many copies Gears of War E-Day has sold on Xbox nor how many it will sell in the next months. At the very least, it has been consistently popular on the Xbox charts and also topping the Game Pass chart which also means indirect revenue.
Re: Rumours Persist That Xbox Spent $500 Million On Gears Of War: E-Day, Despite Some Objections
@Trojan And the funny thing is that those most worried about how much it cost and how much it sold are not even interested in the game nor Xbox.
Re: Xbox CEO Reacts To Latest Revenue Figures With Official Statement
@Grumblevolcano @Nakatomi_Uk @Llamageddon
Don't forget that Nintendo is an skeleton company, considering the huge size of their business, so they tend to outsource a large part of the development tasks. This is much cheaper than keeping staff permanently hired, and also avoids the layoffs headlines that every other big publisher has suffered this generation. However, those third parties suffer layoffs and even crunch, according to some of its workers like Mercury Steam's.
Re: Xbox CEO Reacts To Latest Revenue Figures With Official Statement
@Fishmasterflex96 So you know how many copies have been sold on Xbox? Wow. You are the only person in the world besides Xbox themselves that have access to that information. You must be one of those that believe that Gears of War E-Day sold 62,000 copies on Xbox. What are your sources, really? Alinea?
Regarding the reviews and that the problem is the Xbox platform, as I said, Hellblade II, Keeper and South of Midnight received generally favourable reviews, and they underperformed on all platforms, not just Xbox. Why then, if the problem is the platform? And why some first and third-party games are very successful on that same platform?
Your theory is not just unfounded and not backed by any confirmed data, but don't make any sense either.
Re: Xbox CEO Reacts To Latest Revenue Figures With Official Statement
@Fishmasterflex96 If you say so...
Re: Xbox CEO Reacts To Latest Revenue Figures With Official Statement
@Nakatomi_Uk Yes. Asha revealed in one of her first interviews that Xbox didn't have any components in stock, unlike "the other platforms" (PS and Switch 2). Currently, Series X|S is sold out in most European countries and sometimes in the UK. There are people buying pre-owned Series X consoles for the equivalent of $900 or more.
Re: Xbox CEO Reacts To Latest Revenue Figures With Official Statement
@Fishmasterflex96 Normally, we don't know how their games perform because they have stopped providing data and because they have the Xbox Store, Play Anywhere (PC) and Game Pass (console and PC) in the mix, before considering other platforms as Steam or PS5, where some Xbox games have reportedly underperformed, so it's not the Xbox image or platform to blame, e.g., South of Midnight, Hellblade II, Keeper, Kiln... All these games except Kiln received very positive reviews. The gaming landscape is highly competitive, and not all games reach the expected level of success, whether they are Microsoft's or Sony's.
Re: Turn 10 Director Departs Microsoft As Forza Studio Merges With Playground Games
I have always defended Turn 10, not only because they made Motorsport and the technology that Forza Horizon used, but because they also helped Playground with things like the audio, thus making the Forza Horizon games better. However, others and I predicted that the studios would be merged. Playground now has a lot of work with Forza Horizon, its expansions and Fable, so I don't think that Motorsport will be back. They could, however, keep the reboot alive and updated.
Re: Xbox CEO Reacts To Latest Revenue Figures With Official Statement
@Llamageddon That's why Nadella chose Asha as the CEO of Xbox. The previous strategy did not work, same as the live service games did not work for Sony. Mathew and her seem to share the same vision. They have already improved the revenue in a very short period of time. Let's wait a few years before assuming that they have failed. The numbers indicate that they won't, although I know that some people really wish it happened.
Re: Xbox CEO Reacts To Latest Revenue Figures With Official Statement
@nomither6 Not to mention that Nintendo also messed up against PS4 with the Wii U (that I love). PS4 was extremely lucky to have a more expensive rival (Xbox One was bigger and $100 more expensive than PS4) and Wii U, that was already struggling one year later, when PS4 and Xbox One released. All the while, Sony was still selling cheap revisions of PS3 with ports and features cut down.
PS succeeds by momentum. They have created a loyal and vocal fan base. They also attracted the casual crowd with PS4. PS4 became the "default" console. It's not about Sony's games. The best-selling PS5 games consistently include Fortnite, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto V, Roblox and Minecraft, which dominated the top charts in both 2024 and 2025.
Re: Report: The Elder Scrolls 6 Gets Named Ahead Of Xbox Announcement, Plus Extra Details
@ItsAlwaysSunnyyy @VisitingComet1 @Vordus That's right. They already updated the engine for Starfield. There's nothing preventing them from improving their own engine for the next game. They must do it, and switching to a new engine is not the solution to their problems.
I played Starfield after the patches on Series X, and it was a smooth experience, much better than the updated Special version of Skyrim that somehow is still full of glitches. There are many technical aspects they could and should improve, but that's infinitely easier than starting from scratch, because theirs are not simple games.
Re: Report: The Elder Scrolls 6 Gets Named Ahead Of Xbox Announcement, Plus Extra Details
@HonestHick I know. Generally speaking and regarding the unfounded negativity, the only thing I don't understand is that if someone really believes that Xbox is doomed, why spend so much time talking about it? It doesn't make any sense to me investing so much time and energy in something you either hate or think it's done for. I'm not including the love-hate relationships that some people show. I have one with Nintendo.
Re: Two Metro Redux Games Receive Free 4K/60FPS Upgrades For Xbox Series X|S, Full Patch Notes Revealed
@ChopperCampbell I got them around that time, too. Aren't we lucky?
Re: Report: The Elder Scrolls 6 Gets Named Ahead Of Xbox Announcement, Plus Extra Details
@HonestHick It makes sense. They know their engine better than anything else. They just need to debug the engine and pick up the pace.
Re: Xbox Adds 10 New Features In October 28th Update, Now Available To Download
It's a huge update, a remarkable combination of quality of life features and nostalgic elements. Complaining would be irremediable nitpicking syndrome. I don't think we're going to see something like this very often on Xbox or any other platform.
Are they doing all these updates just to keep Series X|S owners happy or also because Helix will run this operating system (based on Windows), with the added feature of playing Microsoft Store's games?
I had assumed that they were working very hard on Xbox Mode and using Rog Xbox Ally X as a beta builder so the experience is smoother on Helix, but the rumour about Asha demanding a proper console operating system on Helix showed up recently. It's intriguing, isn't it?
Re: Xbox CEO Reacts To Latest Revenue Figures With Official Statement
@HonestHick It's the best looking game I've seen on consoles, too. Once the first cutscene ended, I could not believe that what I was seeing on the TV (LG G4) was gameplay, so I did not immediately pressed the stick forward.
Re: Xbox CEO Reacts To Latest Revenue Figures With Official Statement
@GoldenPants Very well explained comment.
Microsoft is not willing to subsidise Xbox, which is exactly why would have happened if the 3% margin kept decreasing. However, as long as Asha's reset makes Xbox stand on its own feet, Microsoft will be happy about it because of the added value which is not strictly economic.
Remember that they also have a Surface lineup that it's not their main business either, and way smaller than the 4% you mentioned. Owning the most popular operating system, hardware, game studios and Azure makes the overall Microsoft bigger than the sum of its parts. This is why they are resetting Xbox instead of shutting it down or selling it. No reason to.
The crisis is not just because the biggest tech companies in the world are competing in the AI race, but also because the manufacturers are lowering the production of standard memory, with one of them stopping production completely, as it's not longer the main revenue.
Even if they want to, Microsoft can't help Xbox to get the required hardware to keep going ordinarily, even if Microsoft is one of those big tech companies that changed the global scenario. I assume that everything will go back to normal, but consoles will still be expensive, because it's the only hardware that has been traditionally subsidised, or sold without making a profit.
Re: Report: The Elder Scrolls 6 Gets Named Ahead Of Xbox Announcement, Plus Extra Details
@VisitingComet1 I played it after some patches on Series X and it was mostly fine, felt like 60fps most of the time bar New Atlantis, playing on TV supporting VRR. I agree, the game is great. It's not perfect, but I had a lot of fun with it. What you can do in these games is amazing, even though Creation Engine should be updated and polished.
Bethesda needs a shakeup, rather than an engine replacement. Someone rightfully said that Asha should light a fire under Todd Howard's a**e.
Re: Report: The Elder Scrolls 6 Gets Named Ahead Of Xbox Announcement, Plus Extra Details
@ItsAlwaysSunnyyy I completely agree. The only studio I'd leave using Unreal Engine is The Coalition because they really are skilled at making the best of it. The rest of them should use any of the in-house excellent engines. No need to pay a third party when Id Tech and IW can do the same and better. Look at the latest Call of Duty games, or Indiana Jones and the Great Circle that runs on a now dated Id Tech fork.
Re: Two Metro Redux Games Receive Free 4K/60FPS Upgrades For Xbox Series X|S, Full Patch Notes Revealed
@bert0503 And I haven't played them yet despite buying them years ago. The save incompatibility won't affect me.
Re: Report: The Elder Scrolls 6 Gets Named Ahead Of Xbox Announcement, Plus Extra Details
Console exclusive candidate considering this was never announced for PS unlike Fable.
PS: Console exclusivity includes PC version.
Re: Active Matter Surpasses 500,000 Copies Sold, With Xbox Representing The 'Largest Share Of Players'
It's really nice that Play Anywhere is boosting the Xbox ecosystem in a positive way.
Re: Xbox CEO Reacts To Latest Revenue Figures With Official Statement
@Coletrain Maybe a version of Windows somewhere between Series X|S and Xbox Mode? Could they just make Series X|S operating system that is based on Windows play Windows games? 😁
Heiix will definitely play PC games, at least Microsoft Store's games. I also think they want the console to use optimised settings automatically.
Re: Xbox CEO Reacts To Latest Revenue Figures With Official Statement
@HonestHick Sensible, accurate and providing necessary context, as always. This is a long term strategy. Games don't need to sell 1 million copies in the first week, not to mention that Gears of War E-Day doesn't belong to this quarter. It's not like when games were only on the stores' shelves. She doesn't discuss Call of Duty sales either because it just released. She only acknowledges its positive reviews. She had previously listed Gears of War E-Day as "enjoying a strong start", probably on Xbox.
Great point about PC hardware requirements that affected Doom The Dark Ages, Gears of War E-Day and even the latest Lego game. This is just another chance to mention that the first act of the campaign will blow anyone's mind on Series X|S.
Re: Xbox CEO Reacts To Latest Revenue Figures With Official Statement
@GoldenPants Microsoft is a gigantic company that has given Xbox a chance to survive on its own through a new CEO. They use different hardware and components. If the current Xbox team (or Microsoft) didn't want to support consoles, why would they give it more meaningful updates than never before? They really want to reset Xbox, even if that means sacrificing Phil's ambitious plans. The problem that Microsoft had with Xbox was not Xbox itself, but that it was bleeding money despite massive revenue, and that they didn't want to subsidise it. There are finance experts that argue that Xbox gives Microsoft a lot of value that Microsoft on its own doesn't have despite being much more profitable.
The problem with Xbox hardware is that the previous management prioritised other platforms (even phones!) rather than consoles, and now they are trying to make Xbox leaner, more focused and more profitable, but just can't get enough of the components that consoles use. Nintendo and Sony have been focused on their hardware the whole generation, and they had enough stock to keep things going with some price hikes, but with stock almost unaffected by the shortage.
Just remember Sarah Bond's "This is an Xbox" on a smartphone screen...
Positive note: Series X|S will get better thanks to FSR 4.1.