@IllusiveMan If you read my comments you can see how many times I have complained about not supplying enough consoles to most countries.

This is why I said 100% down. Nobody is able to buy them in those countries, so of course the overall figure is down, and I expected much worse.

What you say about Nintendo makes sense, but didn't Switch 1 keep sales steady?

I'm not surprised to see people buying more PS5 because of the Xbox shortage and GTA VI, but I'm shocked to see Sony being able to meet the higher demand despite the components crisis.

How can this be surprising when Xbox sales are down 100% in many countries because they are sold out? I'm surprised to see Nintendo sales down, though. Nintendo has the cheapest hardware and the most family-friendly reputation.

@Browntrouser Exactly. This is the world we live in. Many companies prefer to have workers at the office whenever it's possible. It's great for team work and dynamic workflow, among other things. For some reason, thinking that this decision makes sense deserves immeasurable levels of hostility. I'm not forcing others to agree with me, and I'm not willing to be disrespected nor forced to agree with them.

I wouldn't pay much attention, indeed. It looks like another suspicious story about Xbox like that the game flopped. Anyway, The Coalition works on several projects and helps other studios, not to mention that they just released the most technically impressive console game. It's one of the most valuable Xbox assets, which doesn't mean that it won't ever suffer layoffs, like every other big studio this generation, sadly.

@GASEOUS Or... maybe you are "older" and "grumpier" than Asha and than myself and just lazier and don't want to go to your nearby office four days per week? At least, it's the only conclusion I can get from your comment. I mean, that's fine, but respect other people's stances.

@Llamageddon And of course hypocritical Sony fans will use even common sense decisions like working four days per week at the office for those that live nearby as an excuse to bash Xbox and judge anyone that agrees with that logical decision with such a condescending manner.

I have the feeling that half of the Xbox employees were not working hard until Asha arrived.

EDIT: @Llamageddon 4 days/week is not "advocating for crunch", thank you.

@AccessibleDaydream It's just stylisation. Orthographically, it's correct to write Xbox because it's the name of a brand, but some people write XBOX and facebook and dare to tell you you're doing it wrong, but it's them...

@Shmoo Yep, I read the article afterwards and 99% is speculation or "information" from unknown sources, but they couldn't resist cherry-picking all the potentially negative bits concerning the rival platform and post a couple of gutter stories, as every single time.

I don't think I have played their more recent games, but I bought Mass Effect Legendary Edition and the Xbox 360 Dragon Age titles years ago.

EDIT: I played Anthem and it disappointed me very much despite being excited about it after the first trailer released.

I don't know what to think about these prices because I've never used cloud gaming very much, and I don't know how many hours I'd need if I did, but I know that casual gamers use it a lot, and the servers were starting to become too crowded. Anything that is unlimited can be abused.

I'm fine with Game Pass à la carte and paying for the features we use. I also understand the time limits for cloud gaming because of how expensive is to run the required infrastructure. I would agree the user price still looks expensive, but to be honest, I'm a fan of hardware. The thing I love about Game Pass is being able to download the games and play them natively unlike some Plus games on PS. So for me, this is not a problem because the "free" hours included in Ultimate are more than enough. I'm not joking when I say I play one cloud hour per month, maximum. I'd even give the rest to you(*) if I could. 😁

You can easily tell that it's the fans of the other consoles the ones that believe that Microsoft is selling Xbox, but it won't happen because it doesn't make any sense for Microsoft to do that after their recent moves, and no company (or country) is prepared to handle a division like Xbox, even if they had the money. It just won't happen.

Even during Phil's tenure, Xbox still was (barely) profitable (3%), with ABK making a lot of money separately, according to Asha. After healing the wounds and stopping the money bleeding, I expect profits to skyrocket. You might think that Microsoft has more profitable business and they do, but what Xbox brings to the table and its assets are invaluable for the most important hardware and software company in the world. Nvidia, Apple, Amazon, Samsung are also huge tech companies, but Nvidia is focused on chips, Apple on hardware and its software store but isn't related to video games directly, Amazon is gigantic but niche in the video games industry, and Samsung is not related to software unless you count an Android skin. Google tried gaming and failed. The only company in the world that would really like to purchase Xbox and become a worldwide console and storefront monopoly is Sony, and they cannot, fortunately.

Saudi Arabia partly owns Nintendo and other video game companies, but they wouldn't know what to do with Nintendo, let alone something bigger. That said, I can't even start to imagine how much pleasure Sammy and his followers would feel if that happened. I'd like the "news" to be leaked for a whole week before they are officially debunked.

This is what I said days ago, that Xbox One and Series X|S run Windows, and thanks to that we are getting the best of the PC world (all PC games are built for Windows), the best of console and Play Anywhere. Rog Ally X is made by Asus and has desktop Windows plus Crate plus Command Centre. It's the best gaming handheld in my opinion and its interface is improving, but I think we can trust Xbox to build excellent hardware and user interface after Xbox One X and Series X|S. The only thing that they are changing for sure is that new Xbox games will all be the same as PC=Windows games, with optimised settings. Steam and Epic were discussed internally by the previous team, but I don't think they are going to be featured on Helix. Moreover, they are working hard on improving Xbox on PC until it feels like an Xbox experience on PC and the licenced gaming handhelds.

@Jenkinss More like a trolling blog these days. 😅

@Wilforce One year of multiplayer (Game Pass Essential) costs far less than $160.

Like others have said, Game Pass can't become a better deal than what it is already. Thus, making users pay a bit more for the features they really want is the best outcome, as you won't be paying extra for things like Fornite Crew or Cloud if you don't need them. Also, like you guys can see, some people here only want multiplayer, others want Cloud and some people are interested in the hypothetical day-one add-on, which will likely and rightfully be the most expensive feature.

The backlog is an interesting topic. I like to vary what I play. I like playing some older games that I haven't played yet, e.g., the whole Final Fantasy franchise. I have played the full Pixel Remaster collection, VIII, X/X-II, XII, the XIII trilogy and XV already. I also like playing the latest thing if it impresses me, like Gears of War E-Day now and Fable next year.

For a while, I wanted multiplayer to be free like on PC, but if it's a curated and protected from hackers and cheaters experience, I have realised that I prefer to pay a little for the Xbox online services, that are also the best online services.

@strzelec Agreed!

@strzelec In one sentence, the shortage because of the component crisis has made Xbox stop supplying consoles to many European countries, which is very unfortunate because now it would be the best time to sell Series X|S consoles. Xbox marketing has also been poor. I hope they sort both things out, but the hardware shortage is difficult to tackle, because the previous team (Phil and Sarah) did not reserve any stock, unlike Sony and Nintendo. This was explained by Asha in one of her first interviews. It's crazy to think that Xbox consoles are just not available in many developed countries.

@strzelec Series X is technically superior than PS5, and FSR4.1 will likely bear better results than PS5's QSSR, partly because PS5 does not fully support RDNA 2. Sony's upscaling feature is also based on AMD, they just use different names. Sony loves marketing and making people believe that their products have features not available anywhere else, like when Mark Cerny introduced the PS5 with graphics showing 3D ears and 3D "Spatial Audio" as an innovative PS5 exclusive. They use unique names to make people believe that their products have unique features that surpass the competition. It's pure marketing. Series X|S also supports 3D audio through the widely adopted Dolby Atmos, plus Dolby Vision, best HDR system in the market and not supported by PS5. Back to upscaling features, FSR 4.1 is widely popular, with over 400 games currently supporting it, so that's another advantage. Another advancement in FSR 4.1 that is mentioned in AMD's presentation is that it fixes the blurriness of FSR3.

Personally, I consider the boost given to Series X|S consoles (ignoring the shortages and crisis) since Asha is the CEO of Xbox the perfect strategy to make Xbox consoles more attractive as gaming platforms until and after the more expensive next generation arrives, because a long cross-gen period is expected, not to mention that the less capable Switch 2 launched last year. Improving the features of current-gen hardware is the best they could do, especially since both Switch 2 and PS5/Pro support hardware upscaling already.

Has anyone else noticed that the extensive Xbox coverage by PS ignores every single piece of good news about Xbox like FSR 4.1 while posting every possible headline concerning potential high prices and layoffs?

The best choice would be releasing several models with different storage capacity: 512GB, 1TB and 2TB. Obviously, supporting external storage. Then, the 512GB model will be considered great value, compared to a not-optimised and not-customised standard PC with equivalent graphical capabilities. The 512GB model could be slightly subsidised and release for $999, for marketing purposes and because of the psychological barrier. Plus, an external disc drive for $99 like PS5 Pro for supporting Disc to Digital and the backwards compatible library.

Perhaps the record, inflation included, still is held by Neo Geo. 🤣

@IllusiveMan My point is that a console experience can and already is based on Windows, and that's the best thing about Xbox: compatibility. I consider ROG Xbox Ally X a wonderful gaming handheld, and X20 the best, but also a testing product for enthusiasts and "testers". It's made by Asus and although they are ironing the operating system and its multi-interface (Windows, Crate, Command Centre) out, it still hasn't become a hassle-free experience and has Windows prompts. Helix, however, will be made by Xbox, and apparently (not confirmed) the next handheld could also be made by Xbox. It wouldn't surprise me if they delayed Helix one year to be able to provide the console experience from the start, the console experience that Xbox One and Series X|S users love: no Windows desktop experience, just core and invisible Windows for gaming. It also wouldn't surprise me if they have completely discarded the possibility of third-party PC storefronts.

Some people forget that Xbox One and Series X|S also run Windows. I was not expecting the desktop "experience" on Helix at all, but I love how Asha is challenging Microsoft and trusting the Xbox team to deliver the best console experience they can. All that Helix needs is compatibility with Microsoft Store (Windows) games. Backwards compatibility with Series X|S and the playable Xbox 360 and Xbox games were all confirmed by Phil and her. All new Xbox (Helix) games will be Windows games by default. That's the best thing about Xbox, the ecosystem and the compatibility.

Regarding the price, I think that Series X|S will be supported for even longer than Xbox One this generation, so those that are budget conscious could still be playing on current-gen hardware. I bought my Series X at launch and I'm still making the most of it. In 2028, 8 years will have passed, so I can justify getting a new piece of hardware. I spent much more on hardware last generation: Wii U, PS4, Xbox One Elite, Xbox One X, PS4 Pro (I got this recently to replace my broken PS4) and Switch Lite/v2/OLED (selling the older model). More importantly, I think that only those who will pre-order will be able to get Helix at launch. And will it be cheaper the following year? I don't think so.

@AI-Generation Gears of War E-Day currently uses the Unreal Engine 5 upscaler, which looks awesome on my OLED TV, but I don't know if the well-applied filters (grain and chromatic aberration) have something to do with this, because I haven't turned them off. EDIT: I see you replied to yourself later. 😁

@WhiteAzn @strzelec It's a hardware feature that will be added via firmware. This is more important than it seems, as it's AMD's standard as @fatpunkslim mentioned, widely supported, and it's the one feature that Series X|S were missing despite being able to support it. With this, their technical results will be even more impressive than what they are already. Yes, Series X and S implement the full hardware feature set of AMD’s RDNA 2. PS5 does not. This will only get better on Helix but, obviously, Helix will be more powerful and expensive.

Plastic Game Key Card? 😜

Seriously, they should go the external disc drive route, especially since Disc to Digital exists. An optional peripheral means that it won't increase the cost of Helix.

@Elbow I have watched the first one, so I'll watch that as well. I adopted a 5-week kitten a month ago because it was a stray that was staying outside my house for a couple of days. I just couldn't ignore him or take him to an animal shelter. So tiny and defenceless, now becoming a killing machine. 🤣

@bert0503 The trailer is a bit wtf...? 😅

@Millionski Machine Games making Perfect Dark. 🤞

@Sindayl That and Spyro Reignited Trilogy!

@RiverGenie I'd be satisfied with the Elite Series 3 announcement and something about Helix, since this year has been packed with games. Besides, I don't really like games being announced years before their release. I hope they don't change the Helix name. It's perfect because it's short and has an "x", but not three combined with "s" like Xbox One X or NEStalgia's Xbox Se-XS.

It was leaked that Elite Series 3 has hall effect and TMR sticks and will be featured in Xbox Design Lab, and I would really like that.

After the excellent Gears of War E-Day campaign, where I spent 30 hours because I did not rush it but sought collectibles (still no 100%) and explored the environment, I started playing Horde Siege, PvE multiplayer, and it's a lot of fun, having three squads completing missions and interacting with each other.

Like I have previously said, I also think that the campaign should have focussed more on Marcus and Dom. Since the game is selling well on the Xbox store and I see that most of my Xbox friends are playing this between purchases and Game Pass, I foresee a second prequel.

However, The Coalition might have become bloated like other studios, and there might be layoffs now that the game is out, regardless of its success. They still haven't touched that studio, except for the story writer, and I wonder if Mags's story being cut is related to that.

I have work to do this weekend, but happy one, anyway!

Three recent CEO shuffles recently is a lot. No wonder Sony has changed its strategy several times this generation regarding third-party exclusives, first-party ports and the kind of games they want to make.

@Kilamanjaro Good point and good choice. All first-party controllers so far can get drift, not to mention that they are not as high-quality as the Xbox consoles. Hopefully, the upcoming Elite Series 3 has hall effect or TMR sticks as the leaks state, and reliable QA.

@RegnumSolipsi That's exactly why I always say that we don't know if day one games on Game Pass are worth it for Xbox or not. Only they know, and we will only know if Asha and Matthew remove them after honouring current announcements.

What we know is that games that are successful on Game Pass also sell many copies on the store, and those that flop on the store, were not played on Game Pass either. We also need to consider the additional revenue of premium upgrades, and that not everybody on Game Pass would have bought the games they played at launch full-price if they were not subscribed.

Most importantly, It should be noted that most people subscribe to Game Pass directly ($23, €21, £17/month) and don't buy prepaid cards in grey market websites (according to a Microsoft representative I contacted because of an issue) or do the conversion thing, and they are not as cheap as they used to be. Okay, that's what internet nerds do. Only Xbox has access to all this invaluable information, so only they are able to determine the course of action. One thing is clear, Asha is not Phil, and she won't keep the Ultimate tier if it doesn't work out.

@Elbow Dreamworks misfired several times, but the first Shrek films and others they made are a lot of fun. I even bought the DVDs. I haven't played any of the video games, but I will probably get this remaster if it's not expensive or on a sale.

@Kilamanjaro You are something like me. I want the highest level of performance and resolution on Xbox because I already have a big library, and there's Game Pass on top of that, plus all the free "remasters" thanks to the enhanced backwards compatibility. Xbox wins in that regard, software and compatibility, but I also love the Xbox hardware, and hardware is something you typically buy once a generation, and if you make the most of it, it's absolutely worth it.

I know some controllers are expensive and that the stock one is perfectly fine, but if that's all you use for playing, why not get a better one... I bought a ridiculous amount of peripherals for Wii and barely used them, but I only use regular controllers on Xbox, so I will probably get the Elite Series 3. I also had the Elite Series 1 (bundled with my first Xbox) and the Elite Series 2. In short, I don't mind buying the best Xbox hardware because of the backwards compatibility and Game Pass, and because it's the safest gaming platform (besides the PC universe) for building a digital library.

I also think that Helix should come with different storage options, like 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, so there is a "budget" option, cheap compared to the others. They won't be cheap, but still will be better value than a gaming PC, and I don't need a gaming PC if I have Helix.

The next-gen "Xbox family" could be handhelds and other devices running the same Windows and Xbox store. Helix will be manufactured by Microsoft, but the other devices might be manufactured by Asus or any other third party.

@Elbow Poor you Shrek fans... 😂

@Elbow Is there a Shrek 1 video game?

@Gaymer90 Work in progress, waiting for full release of multiplayer, etc.

@darylb24 I play on Series X, but Series S is a wonderful machine. I think that GTA VI is going to be a pleasant surprise on Series S. I was discussing Switch 2 yesterday on NL when someone said that Switch 2 outperforms Series S and even $1k gaming handhelds, reminding them that Series S runs those games at double the frame rate, with better geometry, much higher native resolution, more NPCs, more detailed textures, etc.

It's true that Swich 2 has a few modern features like hardware ray-tracing, barely used because of its lack of power and bandwidth, and a good upscaler, I mean, native resolution of Resident Evil 4 Remake is 360p in handheld mode, but Series S renders at a much higher resolution on top of the already mentioned. FSR 4.1 reportedly coming to Series X|S next year is exciting.

Since Xbox development kits are based on Windows, I don't think that Series S is holding games back. Even though technical sacrifices are made, it's the same on Windows PCs.

Asha and Matthew know that paying for third-party additions to Game Pass is a better deal than keeping studios like Compulsion, Ninja Theory or Double Fine. That's absolutely clear.

Regarding their best-performing games, I wonder what adjustment will be made to Game Pass Ultimate in the near future, now that they seem to be focusing more on console exclusivity, and what will happen after honouring the previous announcements that were made during Phil's tenure.

@Rimebreaker What I think he means is that although Minecraft was a worldwide hit before Microsoft acquired it (because its author sold it on Twitter), they managed to boost its popularity and sales, so that's what Microsoft did with it on Xbox and elsewhere as owner and publisher.

It's more expensive than last year's, but everything is, and the upgrades are nice, especially the screen and the sticks, although probably not worth upgrading if you already have the older model.

Whether people like it or not, this is the best value in high-end gaming handhelds, compared to Lenovo, MSI and others. Well, unless you go by what someone said on NL today, that Switch 2 "often outperforms handhelds costing 1k". In that case, not worth it at all.

@Trojan Right. Like you and others said, games don't need PS5 to succeed, and not even Sony's games are guaranteed to sell well on PS5.

A new indie game might set the gaming world on fire, but copying those or copying Fortnite is not the key to success. Gamers are just people, and they are not willing to be fed anything because of expensive market research and "trends" saying so. This is exactly what happened to Sony this generation.

@TrollOfWar Not really a walled garden when they also have PC. While Steam remains the popular choice, the market share of Microsoft Store on PC is 8% now. Epic has 3% if you remove the accounts that only redeem free games and Gog even less. It's common sense that they would be able to increase, and not beat Steam, their presence on PC next generation with a single store for Xbox and PC, and even more if they stop publishing on Steam, that can't do anything but stay popular because they don't make games. Again, numbers. Do we skip Steam, the 30% commission and boost our own ecosystem? They might consider this in the future.

Right. PS is they place to go by default since PS4, but like many users have noted here and elsewhere, the greater user base does not translate to the same level of success for software, the best-selling games on PS5 typically being third-party. Sony's business is more about commissions and subscriptions to play online, but that is not an infallible business model when there are alternatives.

Xbox does not just consider how many copies of first-party games are sold, but also the engagement on Game Pass that brings money in. If games keep selling very well despite Game Pass Ultimate, like Forza Horizon 5 and 6 and, apparently, Gears of War E-Day, the premium upgrades and subscriptions is extra money. That said, they are doing the maths, if there are not enough subscribers and not enough sales for those AAA titles, Asha won't bat an eye before removing day one games from Ultimate. Yes, they need to sacrifice one thing, but since it's the same ecosystem, it's as simple as looking at the numbers. The engagement on Xbox is relatively high, and that includes purchases and Game Pass coexisting under the same roof. Users won't just leave Xbox because of PS5 or Steam.

@ilyn Yet of course you would rather believe the unconfirmed and unreliable low figures. It's not the first time you post doom and gloom about Xbox, you know? I'd rather take anything official than an outlet that based its estimate on reviews four days after its release and that predicted low sales before its release, based on the lack of a PS5 port.

Forza Horizon 6 did remarkably well on the Xbox Store and Game Pass without PS5. The Standard Edition of Gears of War E-Day, included in Game Pass, is #1 on the Xbox charts. Alinea's negative prediction before its launch and gloomy estimate four days after it were both wrong.

It's quite obvious that Xbox doesn't need PS5. PS fans are not that interested in Sony's exclusives despite them defining the platform for generations, so it was predestined: most Xbox ports on PS5 during Phil's tenure would underperform.

The damage caused by this multiplatform strategy is more serious than it should be, not only because Sony and Nintendo don't share their games with Xbox, but because Sony paid third parties for contracts that specifically excluded Xbox (but not PC or Switch), and this was presented in court during the ABK acquisition. No wonder Asha and Matthew Ball are planning as many console exclusives as possible.

Xbox don't need to sell 90m consoles like Sony, because the Microsoft and Xbox stores will become one next generation, and because the engagement on Xbox is greater than on PS5 (more purchases, more downloads, links posted before).

"It's difficult to find platforms without exclusives", Asha said the second she arrived, and she has been comparing Xbox with Sony and Nintendo, not mentioning their names, since then.

Since Xbox is the only platform that shares games with other consoles and because Phil and Sarah already tried the opposite, the console exclusive strategy, that obviously includes PC, Microsoft Store at least, will work for the Xbox ecosystem in the long term.

It's not just Xbox. Sony has also flip-flopped a lot this generation, but I'm sure that Asha and Matthew Ball know exactly what they are doing: honouring existing deals (Forza Horizon 6, Fable), tiding the studios and infrastructure up, and increasing the amount of exclusive content. Keep it simple and effective.

@Glassneedles I didn't play any Spectrum games until I got Rare Replay. The rewind feature and crisp graphics made me enjoy them. Atic Atac is like the first Resident Evil.

My cousins had The Lion King and Aladdin on SNES. The Lion King is a difficult game. When I replayed it on Xbox, I used the rewind feature, especially in this part that is like a labyrinth. The rewind feature is so useful for playing these challenging classics now that we are grown-ups. 😁

I'm glad that I also have a Series X. The Nintendo Switch version runs at 30fps. 😅

@smoreon @Glassneedles Right. Many classic collections have that feature, although I have never used it. I use the rewind feature, though.