Banjo-

@Millionski That's the opposite of what I wrote. No sensible person is expecting a full Windows console with Office and Microsoft Teams working on the background. You have Surface for that. Consoles don't need that and Windows is able to turn on and off unnecessary processes. They are developing a Windows version/interface for gaming on multiple devices. That's the future of Xbox. That and Cloud.

@Millionski They became PC-console multiplatform since Xbox One. The next Xbox console will likely run the same game builds as Windows, no reason for a walled garden with exclusives when it only works for Nintendo. Next Xbox being an optimised gaming PC is just the evolution of Xbox One. A gaming interface of Windows is currently being develop for handheld PCs and probably desktop PCs and future Xbox consoles. They will all be the same in different forms. If you believe in the Death of Xbox and want to move to PS, that's totally fine.

The Death of Xbox is a science fiction film from 2013.

For now, I would say Oblivion Remastered and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but there are a few things I loved about South of Midnight. Blue Prince is quite random and frustrating even after a long while, the gameplay is not rewarding enough, but I have noticed that some enjoy the lottery ticket feeling it gives.

@donv2135 Actually, I don't think that selling fewer Xbox consoles is a problem for Microsoft. I bet that future Xbox consoles will be optimised gaming PC clones running the same game builds as Windows. The only downside for us would be not selling hardware at a loss, but both Microsoft and Sony have revealed that they no longer will be doing that.

I'll always say it because I feel it's true so far, Xbox is the best value in gaming. You might like their first-party games or not. Many of the games I buy and play are third-party, but Gears of War is one of my favourite series, excluding 5. PC is also excellent value in software terms, not so much in hardware terms. As long as there are Xbox consoles, I'd prefer to play on them. I bet that future Xbox consoles will be optimised gaming PC clones running the same game builds as Windows.

@Xboxian360 The PC market (desktop, hybrid, etc.) is the biggest by far. More now than ever before. The ultimate alternative for most people is probably that, looking at the numbers and considering that you'll also get Sony's games there (if you care). About Xbox, if Microsoft keeps making consoles that are PC clones that run Windows, why not keep playing them if you like them? The relatively weak power of consoles is much better optimised for gaming and the games themselves are better optimised for consoles, while PC players need additional brute force to get the same results. I just started Expedition 33 (ambitious Unreal Engine 5 game) on Series X in performance mode and it plays and looks incredibly well. Series X still is awesome in 2025!

Free for Gears of War: Ultimate Edition owners. Another reason why so many people consider Xbox the best value for gaming. It's worth being mentioned because these "tiny" details are often overlooked and only the negative trifles and rumours whether they are true or not seem to get attention.

Actually, the end is great. When you think you reached a formulaic conclusion, you did not.

@HonestHick I told you so LOL.

@OldGamer999 Yes, Avowed so far (100h), but Oblivion, Doom or Expedition 33 may change that. It's an excellent year for Xbox.

I agree with you about Switch 2. After watching many videos, I think I'd better wait for a revision with better chip and thus battery life and better screen since the 1080p 120Hz LCD screen is a weird choice when games never hit that target in handheld mode and show upscaling artifacts, 60fps in the best of the scenarios and underwhelming HDR on it, after a 720p OLED model that was the perfect choice for Nintendo's resolution target. Also, the current lineup being focused on overpriced last-gen ports, not just third-party but also first-party, means that nobody should be in a hurry.

I don't care much about some Xbox games being available elsewhere either, because the best value remains on Xbox. Xbox is multiplatform since Xbox One, I don't know why a few games on PS should mean that Xbox is doomed, especially when PC sells a ton more than PS. It seems that only die-hard PS fans really think that.

I love some things about South of Midnight and I wrote a bit about it on Last Game You Beat.

https://www.purexbox.com/forums/px_other_gaming/last_game_you_beat?start=740#reply-745

I wrote a bit about it on Last Game You Beat.

https://www.purexbox.com/forums/px_other_gaming/last_game_you_beat?start=740#reply-745

Yes, because Quick Resume, backwards compatibility and Game Pass are too good and the price of games on all platforms has increased. Even Nintendo's simpler and cheaper to develop games are crazily expensive now, last-gen ports included. Basically, the software deals and the value of the subscriptions are more important than the price of the console. The price of the hardware is not as important and it's not that expensive either.

@fatpunkslim It's obvious that their focus is their own ecosystem, with Game Pass, Stream Your Own Game and Play Anywhere being the main things, more than ever before. Backwards compatible games are next. The PC and Xbox combo, cross-play, cross-buy and cross-save started with Xbox One, but now that they are seeing Game Pass growing 45% on PC and PC being the king of sales this generation, you can bet that they are surer than ever before about their strategy, which includes paying $1B yearly to third parties for Game Pass deals. Their future is Game Pass and PC-like Xbox consoles – where the subscriber ratio is so high – running the same version of Windows and the same game builds, and they are developing a Windows interface for PC-Xbox handhelds as well. That's the present and future of Xbox.

The thing with PS is that, like @Millionski said, they are releasing, like, one game per year, and that Sony's exclusives are not selling enough copies on PS5; not even mega-expensive Square Enix exclusives sell enough copies on PS5. Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 are half business and half marketing and yes, they are relatively successful on PS5, but Sea of Thieves has 40 million players across Xbox and PC, it has sold 13.3M on Steam and 1.8M on PS. Grounded has sold 4.1M on Steam and 436,500 on PS. Sea of Thieves has sold 7.4 times more and Grounded has sold 9.4 times more on Steam than on PS. Hi-Fi Rush has sold 697,200 on Steam and 137,300 on PS. Age of Mythology: Retold has sold 435,000 on Steam and 41,000 on PS. Pentiment has sold 261,300 on Steam and 14,000 on PS.

Microsoft needs PC as a platform and probably Steam on top of their own PC shop, which they should overhaul and merge with Xbox, but they don't really need PS5 or Switch 2. However, why not release ports on other consoles and make the headlines? It's genius and part of their business and marketing, especially since some Sony and Nintendo fans are willing to wait five years before paying and playing an Xbox game anywhere else.

@OldGamer999 Yes, for years some people have been repeating daily that all Xbox games will be multiplatform on day one starting with Starfield etc., but it's like Microsoft said, on a case-by-case basis. Maybe in 2045 is finally true, but so far 99% of the Xbox exclusive catalogue still is not available on PS5. Their priority is Xbox, PC and Game Pass, not PS5 and Switch 2. It's literally like this, with Play Anywhere, something that started with Xbox One, getting a massive boost now, on top of the added Game Pass feature Play Your Own Game.

Somehow, service games from Xbox are working well on PS years after their release, so it's likely that Microsoft will keep their games on Xbox, PC and Game Pass for a while before the PS5 ports, except those games that have always been multiplatform. However, a multiplatform Gears of War collection makes sense because they're not available on PC yet and although E-Day looks amazing, the last entry was considered a disappointment by many fans, while the previous games are, well, excellent. Game Pass is a big business and they want to keep its good value on PC, where it is growing and on console, where the subscriber ratio is so high.

Regarding Switch 2, I think that it will get Xbox ports, but not as many as some people are thinking, because of its limited power. Every third-party game announced for Switch 2 has a last-gen version and they match what the last generation was able to deliver in terms of performance and graphics.

Delaying GTA VI might be good news for every publisher but Rockstar. Microsoft usually has their biggest game launches around October or November, e.g., Call of Duty. May 2026 won't have the same impact on their lineup. However, GTA V had infinite legs, so it doesn't really matter when VI launches. It will sell well regardless, just like Minecraft, Call of Duty, EA Sports FC... Those are always topping the charts.

I think it's better to leave Forza Horizon 6 for the next generation and work on great and neglected Xbox IPs in the meantime.

It seems that video games, consoles and accessories are getting more expensive across the board and, of course, development takes a longer time. There are some shocking disparities between regions depending on the company and product if you look at the chart above, like some having bigger differences than others between USA and the rest of the world.

Because of this generation when prices have increased steadily and whatever the next generation brings, I don't know if competing platforms and games getting more expensive are going to work as well as before or if the future of this industry will be homogeneous and focused on PC, handhelds included. I grew up playing on consoles and I love them, but are traditional consoles going to remain unchanged? These multiple luxury walled gardens don't seem to have their future guaranteed long term. Is this why PC is growing immensely this generation? I think so.

Modern Warfare II. ✌🏻

Weird, I saw different "just for you" deals on Series X and on Xbox.com.

Bias against Xbox on an Xbox site and naive 90s mindset aside, consoles are no longer enough for Microsoft and Sony. Nintendo can survive within an isolated ecosystem even after a failure, because of the low development budget, big margin, conservative approach and family-friendly IPs with broad appeal.

Microsoft and Sony will be able to keep consoles as another way to play their games and earn money via subscriptions. The main difference, besides Microsoft being more successful with software because of its growth and Sony more successful with hardware, with few games and many flops and cancellations this generation, is that Microsoft is already fully multiplatform and has free cloud saves, cross-play and cross-buy, while Sony just started approaching the PC platform.

You can think whatever you want, that Xbox is dying no matter the reported facts and that Sony is crushing Xbox. I wouldn't blame you because of the articles elsewhere that paint it like that. The truth is that PC is the king of sales and that Xbox is better than ever before, so future Xbox consoles will be a combination, PC boxes, just like Xbox One and Series X|S but even more, running the same version of Windows and software build. Sony can keep supporting both platforms separately and make ports as long as it works for them, but it wouldn't surprise anyone if they keep walking the PC path just like Microsoft, because no longer being the same Playstation that they used to be and not being Nintendo either.

Xbox ending the quarter as the top publisher on both Xbox and PlayStation consoles for pre-orders and pre-installs.

Crazy.

Also, content and services revenue grown by 8%, considering the current size of Xbox, is gigantic. For gamers, the best news is how the acquired studios are making great games and how can they be either purchased or enjoyed on Game Pass. Until 2017, they only had Rare, Mojang, Turn 10, 343 Industries and The Coalition. Now, there are huge studios, but also small ones that develop excellent titles. This is what I think they wanted Game Pass to be.

@JonBoyJ I enjoy both styles, real time and turn based, but Avowed has one of the best real-time combat that I have ever played.

I haven't played it yet. There are too many great games on Game Pass that I want to play which is wonderful,. because I don't mind playing games after release (as it should be).

@jesse_dylan The Game of The Year should be renamed to My Game of the Year. Right, the best Mario Kart entries are Super Mario Kart and Double Dash, best in terms of gameplay, controls, physics and actual racing, at the very least.

I said it on Tuesday, Oblivion Remastered is described as a remake by the developer during the full reveal (8:59 and 13:57). It seems that the word "remake" is being dropped lately, favouring "remaster", whatever they both currently mean.

@Scrubchub Right! It's impossible to find better value unless you only want to play a couple of games per year. If you are really into gaming, Game Pass is a dream that came true.

So Morrowind is next, right? 😉 Virtuos France made Oblivion Remastered, so it didn't stop the development of VI.

4:03: you can see the massive upgrade in this remaster/remake.

Funny, Oblivion Remastered is described as a remake by the developer (8:59 and 13:57).

So, I spent around 100 hours on Avowed. I still haven't started South of Midnight, then there's Oblivion Remastered, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Doom The Dark Ages. All of them are Game Pass must-play titles, so I'm not rushing any of them. Another Call of Duty has been added, whose campaign I will play for sure. 2025 will be fondly remembered by Xbox gamers.

I greatly enjoyed the two Bethesda games I've played, Starfield and Skyrim, so I'm looking forward to playing this. South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Doom The Dark Ages, Oblivion... Wow.

I got the three of them for little money. I haven't played them yet, but look great and the horror and shooter combination seems interesting. I remember watching the graphical upgrades Exodus received on Series X and they are awesome.

Better not give a sense of false hope. This is an old Xbox tradition... for USA users/accounts. We also can get free credit via Rewards, though. 👌

@Utena-mobile You are right! It's much easier and convenient.

@Utena-mobile Can't beat Xbox unless you're into PC gaming and that requires time and additional investment in hardware, and still it doesn't have the backwards compatible games! I like that they're being made available on Cloud, so everyone will enjoy them in one way or another. I'm curious about the Asus Xbox handheld that supposedly launches this year and intrigued by the next-gen console and handheld.

Dear Dead Rising triple bundle, when are you going down again? I became a fan after playing the Xbox One remaster this year. It was given to me as a Game with Gold.

Well, Nintendo still does not include the DLC of a Wii U game in the 2025 port and no longer discounts games like they used to. Hard to complain about anything on Xbox, considering their first-party sales, Game Pass including first-party games at launch and free and enhanced backwards compatibility.

@FraserG Thanks. 😊

Cool! Let me see what I find. The preview had Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition (Series X|S version) at its lowest price ever. Is it really live on console yet?

I don't get it. Torture and extreme violence are all fine in our absurd society, but nudity is not. Ancient Greece was more coherent thousands of years ago. They are now making some characters uglier on purpose, e.g., Joanna Dark.

I expect the Asus Xbox handheld to be revealed and released this year, not the Xbox handheld that is rumoured for 2027 along the next-gen Xbox.

Regarding games, what I'd love to see presented anywhere is Project Zero/Fatal Frame trilogy remastered after getting 5 and 4 on all consoles. Regarding Xbox Studios, Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie remakes are topping my lists.

@WildConcept6 You are absolutely right. As a long-time Nintendo fan, I wrote on NL that Switch 2 is combining the worst things of every other company, while not improving Nintendo's own shortcomings. Regarding employment, obviously, Nintendo doesn't hire as many employees as other developers, but they also outsource development a lot since Switch and some of those studios say that are not well paid. Obviously, a Japanese studio would never say such a thing, but ex-employees of the Metroid Dread developer did.

At the end of the day, the good things about Nintendo were the affordable hardware, the innovative games and the consumer-friendly deals, like dodgy yet free online. Switch 2 has PS4 level of power according to Digital Foundry. Like Sony's, Nintendo's console is a walled garden where even cloud saves and resolution upgrades are behind a paywall, not to mention the phone app and the tech demo.

Nintendo's games, that cost less to develop and don't need to pay extra for royalties and cartridges are more expensive than any other. I think that the new president has a lot to do with all this and I predict significantly lower sales for Switch hardware and software. Early sales will be impressive like Switch and Wii U, but no way Nintendo is bound to repeat the success of Switch, and that's actually good news for console fans.

@Vidorra The "Deals with Game Pass" and the early access to special sales are exclusive.

There are also perks with Game Pass Ultimate, like the DLC for Persona 3 Reload that was a permanent giveaway for subscribers when the game was still new. That's a very special reward for Game Pass subscribers.

Here you can check the cheapest price of every Xbox game if you want to know if the current sales are good enough:

https://xbdeals.net/us-store

You can change the country.

@HonestHick Yep I think the problem is the price of games, accessories, repackaged games and upgrades and they know it. A console is something people buy once a lustrum, although in this case the price difference between the Japanese version and the international version is massive and difficult to digest.

He should have said that people ought to get an additional job to afford Switch 2. 😂

@DJKingaling I think it's one of those cases of indie developers prioritising the platform that sells more indie games, which was Switch, not so sure about Switch 2 repeating the pattern.

I loved Starfield and Skyrim, the two Bethesda games I've played, so of course I'm excited for these remakes, not just because of the graphics being updated, but mostly because of the frame rate improvements and the addition of quality of life features.

Honestly, I don't mind. Playing the first game on Game Pass was the best way I could have imagined for this fun, short and repetitive game (that I enjoyed). This is assuming that the second one will be included in Game Pass. If not, maybe I'll get it on a future Xbox sale, some day.

@JoyfulFire @Elbow The store says take a peek at the spring sale preview or something like that when I checked it earlier today, so I assume that more deals will arrive in a few days/one week when the sale is available to everybody.

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition (the Series X|S version): 75% off. Cheapest price ever.

Resident Evil Remake Trilogy, 2 Deluxe + 3 + 4 Gold: 45% off.

Rise of the Tomb Raider 20 Year Celebration, the best of the modern trilogy in my opinion, for a few pounds/euros/dollars.

Even for home console gamers like me, the best thing about Xbox is this: "making sure all of your games are available, all of your save games, all of your entitlements are available wherever you go." That's what makes Xbox the most user-friendly and future-proof option outside pure PC gaming.

I think that Microsoft's focus now is unifying the PC and console libraries with additional ports and that the future games will only have one version that can be run with different settings on each device (console, PC, handheld) and Cloud, unifying a capped Windows build for gaming in the process.

@sixrings I'm also a Nintendo fan and Switch 2 is almost the opposite of what you, I and many others would like, it's a premium reiteration with repackaged games, like Switch did after Wii U, but what's Nintendo's excuse now? it's pretty obvious that Nintendo has changed and it's greedier than ever before. The president is an accountant, after all.

@GADG3Tx87 My best wishes to you!