Banjo-

@darylb24 @ZeD He loves Xbox Is Dead articles more than anyone else, but this time he did not mention Xbox, at all! 😁 I guess some people just can't say anything positive about Xbox, no matter what.

@theduckofdeath I think that there will not be as many Xbox games on PS as some anticipated, or that most will come some time after the Xbox/PC version, like Forza Horizon 6. It makes a lot of sense to me.

It's also true that games ship in a better state now. I played Indiana Jones and the Great Circle at launch and it was a wonderful experience, besides being one of the best game released this generation. Then, you have older games like State of Decay 2 (66) and Sea of Thieves (69), that became excellent after many updates, but were poor at launch and their scores don't reflect their current quality. Fair enough, it taught Xbox a lesson.

For some years now, the output of Xbox has been better than Sony and Nintendo's in my opinion and according to the critics, it seems. I know this is completely subjective, but I only type this because it's literally the topic and because some still say that there aren't worthwhile games on Game Pass and that Xbox doesn't have good games, 99% of the times being zealots PS or Nintendo zealots.

It's not a PC, it's as much a console as Xbox One and PS4: optimised and fixed PC hardware with gaming in mind. The difference is that it will include third-party stores and that the Xbox and Windows games will be the same, which will benefit Helix, as publishers will prioritise and optimise the Windows OS version - what all the major PC stores sell - and then the PS and Nintendo ports. Helix will basically run an specific profile of the PC version - that all developer will know unlike a random PC build - while PS and Nintendo will require specific ports for their hardware, OS and developments kits.

@Oppyz666

they are commited to backwards compatibility and most of their backwards compatible games are not avaivable to purchase in digital stores, so... Why the effort of making something backwards compatible if you can't buy it?

It's not most of their backwards compatible games that are not available. There are 695 Xbox and Xbox 360 backwards compatible games and around 50 (7%) are not available digitally because of licence issues or because of a newer version that is available.

@Oppyz666 That's not true. The majority of backwards compatible games are available on the Xbox store. Just some have been delisted because of licence issues or a newer version.

The Xbox/Windows version is granted for every new release. Steam is the biggest shop, but its games are built for Windows OS, anyway, and Series X|S has been the most supported Xbox console by third parties ever - with well-known IPs debuting - despite requiring an specific development kit and two different versions. Even Xbox One X was generously supported by third parties.

@FarmDog08 Same. I prefer the output of Xbox than Sony's and even Nintendo's recent lineup. I don't know why some insist on the output of Xbox being poor. That is subjective as any other preference, but we can say for sure that Xbox has the biggest first-party output, so more to choose from.

@shiny-enzo That, actually, sounds good, the options being:

Within one year releases / Day one releases to cover first-party production. They could even make Call of Duty a separate option, because it's the only exception on Game Pass Premium.

Third-party releases (Sega, Capcom, Square Enix, etc.) to cover the third-party deals. They spend around $1B yearly on this.

Extra Perks like those of Ultimate. The best perk I've ever got was the ownership of the season pass of Persona 3 Reloaded, so basically this could be part of something else.

Fortnite Crew for worried parents and to keep the credit card safe.

Ubisoft +

EA +

I think that online services will be free on Helix and that PC Game Pass will change its name and/or price, because the next Xbox will also run PC games. This is why I skipped an online services option.

It would be like when you choose an internet/mobile/TV bundle for you home and like @fatpunkslim said, that is very easy to market and sell as consumer-friendly. As reference, Vodafone teams up with Amazon, Disney, HBO, Netflix... The price depends on your choice.

In my experience, when the save data is not synchronised, the game just closes and starts again, when using Quick Resume. I have never had any saving loss on Xbox, with one exception, Viva Piñata (via backwards compatibility). I assume that the save file was corrupted.

@SigmaTheDJ That is right. It should be easy to fix, because Xbox synchronises save files automatically. The console should check both save files and use the right one, erasing the corrupted file or the one that was just created by the game. At least, it asks the user. With backwards compatible games, there is a save backup on Xbox One or Series console that emulates the Xbox 360 storage, but in my case erasing the cache in Settings did not solve the issue, because the corrupted file had been synchronised. In short, the system needs to check before synchronising to avoid these issues. At least, I already had all the achievements unlocked and the next time I'll start a new garden, so it wasn't that bad.

Next-generation games will de digital-only. The same game build will work on PC and Xbox, which ironically means that games will be more optimised for Xbox consoles than for PS and Nintendo, and even performance settings could be automatically adjusted depending on the hardware (Rog Xbox Ally X, Helix, etc.)

Helix won't have a disc drive because not even co-owner of Blu-ray Sony has one by default, and physical is more usual on PS. However, because Series X has one, I'm going to bet that there will be an external disc drive sold separately, because it's the only feasible option to check that you own a disc while you're playing a game. Extra costs related to the disc drive and the Blu-ray licence won't affect but the ones that really want one. It's the right call.

I don't have physical Xbox games except a few that I also own digitally like Rare Replay and some limited editions, but I'll keep my Series X to play CDs, DVDs and BDs once I get the next Xbox console.

@Coletrain Nothing wrong with that and Cloud will probably be the favourite option for some people, but those 30m+ on Series X|S want their console and the next to be fully supported, and Xbox wants their owners engaged and buying games and subscriptions, where the money really is, and not in the hardware itself.

@Coletrain Right. They need to show support until the end. Xbox has not Nintendo's divine privileges, they can't despise their fans. They need to support consoles, accepting it's just part of the equation, but that part must be happy, so they also need to add the most requested features. That and the marketing is what was failing and what they're fixing. Xbox will still be a multiplatform, Play Anywhere business that will focus on console, PC and Cloud as a bridge and for casuals, but neglecting consoles as if we were going to play on our phones via Cloud was madness, and they've realised that. I remind you all that "This Is an Xbox* was released when the only Game Pass tier with Cloud was Ultimate. I always felt that Sarah Bond was disconnected from the real Xbox world. Asha also was, but she has quickly submerged herself in it.

It's genius. They avoid scalpers and make Xbox One users want to upgrade, as the one that yesterday said he won't buy Forza Horizon 6 because there's no Xbox One version. The next cross-gen period will be long as was last, so they'll also be able to get all those new games without Xbox Helix.

It's not just the Xbox tax, but also things like The Game Awards favouring PS exclusives and largely ignoring Xbox games even when they are well received and liked. Sister site PS is also known for giving extra points to Sony's games and deducting points from third-party releases when compared to the average, among other things. So yeah, it's definitely not a myth.

Regarding Copilot, it has never bothered me on Windows 11. I think I disabled the icon on the taskbar or something. Anyway, I wanted to uninstall a program/app and I found that Copilot was there ready to be uninstalled as well. It's impossible that we'll be forced to use Copilot on Xbox consoles when it's not mandatory on a Windows PC.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner It's not just you, as I said before. In general, all I see on Pure Xbox lately is Xbox players sharing their opinions and excitement and being disrespected just because of that. It's sad that they also have to justify their positive opinions as if they were not entitled to one. It's something that has been acknowledged by several users on this very thread. Supposedly, a comments section is for users saying their own opinion, not for disrespecting users for having a different opinion. Moreover, if this is Pure Xbox, makes sense to find people that likes Xbox consoles and games, right? That aside and again I don't specifically mean you, I don't understand being grumpy all the time about something that is optional and for having fun, especially if there is another console that you like more and that has a more vocal and bigger community to agree with.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I have never tagged you unless you had tagged me earlier, and I've never insulted you, even when you've insulted me.

EDIT:

Yes, I tagged someone that tagged you here, but I replied referring to a crowd.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner

@Banjo- Yet another person talking nonsense. Funny that.

"They" still is "they", for me, at least, but let me also kindly remind you that every single time that you have tagged me since you opened this account in 2023 has been to say something negative or disrespectful about Xbox or about my opinion, respectively.

@shiny-enzo

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Sorry, but I agree with fatpunk! This is just one example among others, and even for Hellblade 2, a 3‑point difference is huge when it comes to an average across multiple sites , it clearly shows a trend.

Your example, and I quote: ‘61 and one 84’, makes no sense. It’s pure exaggeration meant to discredit someone’s point, and it’s really bad faith. Of course we would never see such a massive gap , we’re not talking about a scam or a completely broken game. At some point, the scores still need to be at least somewhat realistic and credible.

Logically, when you rate the same game on different platforms, the average should be the same, period , maybe with a 1‑point margin at most, especially when the same outlet reviews the same game.

What I find surprising is how some people show zero tolerance and can’t listen to others’ opinions without becoming insulting

It blows my mind, because they are on every thread on Pure Xbox, ready to question every single positive thing said about any Xbox platform, game or news. It just does not make any sense, at all.

@ilyn I did not say that (well, at least not until you edited your comments and removed the trolling ones).

@Shinato2024 This is one of those games that offers different things to different players because of how flexible and engaging it can be. For me, it started slow and boring, but it became one of my most played games and only because I was enjoying it so much after the first ten hours of side quests and main quest and couldn't stop playing and basically complete everything, with the exception of scanning every planet 100%. It's a bit rough like most Bethesda games, but somehow more enjoyable than the other games that I played that year. Actually, performance and gameplay is quite smooth on Series X after the patches.

@Lanmanna Ha ha. Fair enough, it looks like an insect.

@Scrubchub I'd say get FF XVI first (50% off now) and get the remake trilogy later.

Indeed, the PC market was already bigger than the console market, but it keeps growing. For those on Xbox or PS, moving to another platform would probably mean PC and not the competing console, but on Xbox it makes more sense since Play Anywhere started on Xbox One. For Xbox users and indecisive people looking for a good-value gaming PC, the next Xbox is a no-brainer.

@JumpingJackson Maybe you'll enjoy it now.

@Shinato2024 If you play on a TV that supports variable refresh rate, on Series X it feels like 60fps outside the big cities.

@FuzzieGinge88 Yep, I'd say that the first ten hours are boring and I didn't even care about the characters on screen, but then it starts to get better and better. I liked the side stories, more than the main story, the customisation, the cities, the upgrades and the gameplay. I liked the galactic conflict and getting airships. The only thing that I didn't like was collecting resources and some boring planets, but you don't need to complete them. My opinion is similar to @space_g0blin 's in that regard.

@eduscxbox @Sindayl Some people didn't even play it, but just hated it without a single argument because it was an Xbox exclusive. Not surprising.

@awp69 Agreed! RPG is one of my favourite genres. Starfield is not perfect by any means, but it's a great game and, in a few ways, better than Skyrim. As a gaming experience and despite its flaws, it's rewarding, like @badmotorfinger74 says. I didn't defend it at launch and only shared my opinion when I knew what I was talking about.

Thanks for these interesting thoughts about the game!

I loved this game on Series X, but so many people bashed it for whatever reason. I wonder how it will perform commercially on PS5.

@FarmDog08 Positive note, the digital version has the full-quality cutscenes restored, and part 2 and 3 support FPS Boost. All of them are 4K on Xbox One X and Series X and the art work still looks amazing.

@WildConcept6 I'm not following the hacking news, but I'm curious, because the more restrictive that Nintendo becomes, the more people want to unlock their hardware. That said, I don't think they need or want to connect hacked Switches to Nintendo's servers.

@nomither6 I know you didn't ask me, but I loved everything about it, although it was big compared to the PS4, that I also had. I played more on Xbox One than on PS4. Xbox One was initially more expensive, bigger and had a power brick, but it was also quiet, more reliable and it had more "gamey" games and backwards compatibility, so I preferred it. I also liked the user interface and controller more.

@HonestHick Your comment is pure truth. Xbox is the only console ecosystem that respects our purchases. Sony does not. Nintendo does not. Like you said, whenever Xbox messes up, it's logical to acknowledge whatever they do wrong - like I did regarding Perfect Dark 3 - but some here only post negative comments about Xbox, and were doubting that they would be able to play their Xbox games on future console/hybrids, when it's Xbox the only one that is committed to respecting that. Xbox is the most future-proof ecosystem besides Steam.

Until the day before Asha's tweet, they were also saying that the next-gen Xbox was cancelled because you know how negative Xbox rumours are all true and negative rumours about Sony are just rumours, right? So now, instead of saying they were wrong (only @dskatter did), they move the goalposts and Helix is the last Xbox. How do they know what Nintendo and Sony will do? Are they assuming that Nintendo and Sony will release walled-up gardens indefinitely with infinite paid remasters on each successive platform and is that the most consumer-friendly future and the perfect definition of a proper console maker?

@Ryu_117 Right! Actually, by investing so much in backward and forward compatibility and making the same game build work on Windows PC and Xbox console, with the typical settings adjustments, some of them I expect to be automatic on the next Xbox, their library is the most future-proof in all the console space.

@Ryu_117 Absolutely! The people I meet in real life are basically the same whether they play on a console or the other. They're happy and they don't wish others bad. When I was a little kid, I was excited to go to my friends' and play on their Segas, because I only had Nintendos. That's also how I started loving Sonic. At least in my school, there was no console war. I don't know anyone that is mad at Xbox in real life, let alone worried about their digital Xbox library disappearing!

@HonestHick 😁 You mean mostly Sony fans, right? Not this thread in particular, but just wait until the next PS wave, also known as the alternate dimension. I find it impossible to only be negative about Xbox while being a real Xbox or multiplatform user. Something doesn't add up, as I explained in my comment above.

With how massively restrictive Nintendo has become, I wonder how is the hacking of Switch 2 progressing...

Being pessimistic is the default stance on Pure Xbox, but I for one love what Xbox is doing: Play Anywhere, free cloud saves, powerful, efficient and well-built hardware, and backward and forward compatibility. Most of all, respecting our game libraries.

Game Pass is completely optional, so I'm okay with its pricing updates, only because it was an extremely great deal until now, like, playing AAA games on day one for free with Rewards points didn't make much sense. Next generation, I expect online to be free on Xbox and the Game Pass tiers to be simplified, PC Game Pass being merged.

I get being pessimistic, but why so much and short-sighted, when it's a worse deal on Nintendo and Sony consoles in terms of access to games already purchased, backwards compatibility, upgrade fees, cloud saves, subscriptions value and, in Nintendo's case, also questionable hardware value and pointless physical releases (game key cards).

@MinervaX76 I think you misunderstood. I was meaning just the marketing, that tweet, the public meetings and the news since Asha basically replaced Sarah and again, I don't mean job position but public perception and the way she communicates. This strategy of Play Anywhere started on Xbox One and Xbox Helix is its culmination. All things considered, I like the Helix name and logo.

@MinervaX76 Funnily, we weren't sure about Asha at first, but Xbox marketing and reception in the last month is the best and most effective in many years.

I like Helix the most because of the logo, the similarities with Xbox and the combination of two worlds.

@Globo PS5 reminds me of a praying mantis, ugly as f***.

@FraserG @InterceptorAlpha 2026. I still use my New Nintendo 3DS (not XL) more than my Switch. It's a reliable and compact handheld. I beat Bravely Default and Bravely Second on it.

@J_Mo_Money Same here. I miss the old Nintendo. Well, I don't miss it, I still play the old masterpieces. The new Nintendo is just not the same. It's missing some magic or something.

@Dm9982 I know, my friend, but it's a GBA emulator with a rom. Good thing they patched the roar glitch and unlocked the event unlockable, at least. 😅

@Gemini53 Funny that you mention that, because Nintendo just released two Game Boy Advance roms on Switch for £17 each. 😯

Bravely Default is a wonderful game, but excessively wordy and with a highly repetitive second half, so the same person could love it and hate it at the same time, like me.

@Grumblevolcano Those theories don't make much sense, to be honest. The game is fully playable on Xbox without peripherals.

@Globo

Nintendo would rather burn the world and everyone in it than see there games on other systems haha 😂

Exactly, their fans who, like me, made them big included 😂.

@Daniel1221 Forza Horizon 3 was the first one I got and I love it. I will complete it 100% on Xbox Helix.

One of the things I'm looking forward is to finally playing Forza Horizon 3 (Play Anywhere) at 60fps on a console. 😁

Xbox Mode on Windows 11 is exactly what other users and I predicted. This and the integration of backwards compatibility. It all sounds great and will be even better on the next-gen Xbox that is specifically designed for gaming, essentially being a console.

Since the Full Screen Experience started on Rog Xbox Ally, I was expecting the backwards compatibility to be added eventually. They are really busy polishing all this for the new generation of consoles and devices. I'm not expecting more titles to be added because of the licence issues, but every single addition will be celebrated!

@Globo My favourite is Resident Evil (1) Remake. Just get used to the old controls and you'll find a horror masterpiece.

Same here! I prioritise buying niche games like Fatal Frame, but I eventually get everything, even Game Pass titles, as long as they belong to a genre I like and the quality is good enough. My Xbox library is huge, considering I joined this ecosystem in 2016 (Xbox One Elite Bundle).