Banjo-

@GoldenPants Building a PC library is a good choice, but I wanted to make clear a couple of things about Xbox games. You can buy several Xbox games on PS5, but there are thousands of Xbox One, Series X|S and backwards compatible games that you can not. PC ports started on Xbox One with Play Anywhere, and still it's not quite there! Xbox being a PC-Xbox is actually the best possible outcome.

Similarly, Sony is going to port their games to PC, at least. The ultimate goal of gaming seems to be PC. Last generation, we started to see most third-party games launching on PC, as opposed to the previous generation. This generation, we are seeing all the big publishers supporting all platforms. Square Enix, a big fan of console exclusivity deals, has now a fully multiplatform strategy. The PC market includes handhelds now. The younger gamers are not as interested in walled gardens and traditional consoles. Cloud is popular on mobile devices. All things considered, merging PC and console might be perceived as a failure because of the limited sales of consoles, but it might actually be the future of the industry.

@datamonkey Bad news getting more traction than good news combined with vocal users preferring another brand equals this.

@Sakai Whenever there are good news. I click to check what people are posting and if there's something positive for once, but nope, the narrative does not changed whether the news are good or bad, whether it's a rumour or an official statement. It's predictable and, yeah, ultimately boring. If everything about Xbox is bad, the logical thing to do would be stop reading and writing about it, but it seems that the opposite is what happens. On the other hand, constructive criticism not always aimed at the same company is interesting to read.

While Microsoft contradicts itself, I also think that the reason is that they were very open — they seem quieter now — about their plans, but plans change for Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. Sony has done several 180-degree turns this generation — exclusivity, no cross-gen, PS "pedigree" games, supported platforms — cancelled games and closed studios that nobody pays attention to, and Nintendo couldn't care less about their fans. Probably because Xbox is behind, it still is the most consumer-friendly: cross-buy, free cloud saves, free remaster upgrades, free and enhanced backwards compatibility, etc.

The price hikes this generation apply to the three console makers. Game Pass Premium and Essential had PC and Cloud added at no extra cost, but this is not acknowledged, why? The access to day one games (Ultimate) has indeed become more expensive. With many more Xbox studios and development being more expensive across the board, it was expected that access to $70 games via subscription would get more expensive. It's silly to compare the price of Ultimate with the subscriptions of Nintendo and Sony, because Xbox has many more studios and their games are included on day one. Game Pass Ultimate was too good value and I'm not the only one saying this, but many journalists that normally don't praise Xbox have admitted it.

We could discuss the many disappointments we have experienced as Xbox, Sony and Nintendo customers, I know I could, but the fact that the negative rumours — true or false — about Xbox are usually exaggerated, e.g., Xbox cancelling their next-gen console, gives us a clue about who is behind spreading those rumours, youtubers looking for clicks and those whose preferred brand is not Xbox and hypocritically favour its competition. Most of all, it's a tiny vocal minority that complain online. Most gamers don't waste their time supporting or spreading a biased and incomplete perception of the reality while pretending to be concerned about a platform they don't really care about.

I tried Jet Set Radio when I was a teenager at a friend's Dreamcast. Now I have that and Sunset Overdrive on Xbox, but I haven't played them.

There are games that I liked but it was a relief when I reached the end. The kind of games I replay are Resident Evil (the classics and the remakes), Project Zero/Fatal Frame (all), Super Mario World, Rare's Donkey Kong Country trilogy, Sonic 1-K (now Sonic Origins) Banjo-Kazooie, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, Super Mario Sunshine... Xbox One was my first Xbox, so Xbox exclusives came later to my life. The only game that is very long that I could see myself replaying is Persona 5 Royal, because it was more than a lengthy RPG to me.

@Kieduss Resident Evil Remake, one of my favourite games ever.

@Blastfemur I agree on the second playthrough sometimes being better than the first.

@nomither6 Many indies are overrated, but there are some I really liked like Unravel and Hades. The games I replay the most are older and not indie. Don't you replay some classics? Shadow The Hedgehog? 😜

@HonestHick Back at you! I don't know how many rumours about Xbox dropping hardware have elicit next-gen console with backwards compatibility confirmations from Microsoft. Judging by the engagement of Xbox players and the expansion and versatility of the PC market, an Xbox console that is not a walled garden will appeal to many gamers, at least Xbox gamers and some PC gamers. There will be more Xbox because there is no reason not to, but if Xbox was no more, there will only be a high-end console, PS, and I'm not sure that that's what gamers including Sony fans really want to see. Now that I think about it, maybe Nintendo is lazier and stingier because there is no Sega to compete with. Anyway, if there is a platform that will survive all consoles, that's PC, and I'm not even a PC gamer.

@Cakefish Besides that, Sony and Nintendo are much more secretive, so they contradict themselves much less even though their plans also change. Xbox tried to be very open, Phil most of them all, but plans changing or evolving and unpredictable things can be detrimental. Shouldn't Microsoft not say anything until plans are definitive, especially now with the CEO controlling the Xbox business more than ever? The "We do not have anything to comment" by Nintendo seems to work.

@awp69 They only use the "evidence" and sources that suit their narrative.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Your comments about Xbox have always been negative and you only tag Xbox users tendentiously, so why should I bother?

I have seen both Xbox and PS5 "out of stock". They are not as many stored as older consoles in the past, and what shops get is sold out quickly, but if you ask, they tell you that they are waiting for the next shipment. As other users have pointed out, it's just that every single negative sign that concerns Xbox is used to spread the Xbox is dead mantra, usually by non-Xbox users, who are much more active and "concerned" about the fate of Xbox. Not saying that every rumour is false, but the online obsession with Xbox being doomed is disproportionate, insane and biased. Actually, Xbox has been the least prominent console at retailers since Xbox One and Nintendo the most popular since Switch. On top of that, 90% of Xbox sales are digital, so you never see many Xbox games out there. Back in 2020, Microsoft revealed that they saved a recurrent and significant stock of Series X for their own site, and Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition has always been a web exclusive.

Merging Xbox and Windows (PC) development not only will simplify the development of games, but AMD and Sony just presented the technology for the next generation and, while Mark (Sony) was obviously focused on the PS6 concept, Jack (AMD) was very open about AMD designing the same next-gen technologies for Xbox as well. The technology and the development has become a multiplatform concept and that will benefit all the platforms and development of games. The developers will be able to focus on the main gaming platform (PC) and Xbox will be part of that, unlike some years ago when developers used PS4 as the target, then designed the downgrades for Switch, the port for Xbox One and the upgrades for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. This is more important now than ever before, with development being more complex and requiring a large amount of time.

@MrStark Also, Maiden of Black Water and Mask of the Lunar Eclipse.

I finally beat the third part of Final Fantasy XIII on Series X, which I loved despite the initial hours being very confusing. Now I'm thinking what game will be next from the backlog and Game Pass.

The next Xbox console will not only play PC games, it will also play Xbox games. 99% of the Xbox One and Series X|S exclusives aren't available for PS and none of the backwards compatible console games is available on PC. Thus, it's not "a PC with the Xbox logo" which, nevertheless, would appeal to at least some PC gamers, since it would run the gaming version of Windows and it would be more optimised and efficient for gaming than an off the shelf PC build, but it will also be an Xbox console. It's basically the dream of any console gamer, get rid of the walled garden. It will also appeal to PC gamers that don't spend or don't want to spend a lot of time building and upgrading their systems. It's a combination of the best of both worlds. With one exception, Nintendo, most gamers don't buy consoles because of their exclusives, but if all future Xbox exclusives will be available for PS, all future PS exclusives will be available for PC and therefore for Xbox.

@GlasgowGuy It didn't show for me before its release, but now I see the 30% discount on my Xbox and on Xbox.com.

Last year I had no doubt, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but this year I still don't know. I beat it, but didn't like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as much as others, perhaps because of the soundtrack, script and some artistic and user interface choices, but I'm happy for the new studio and its fans. I think I'll like the Yakuza and Kingdom Come: Deliverance games and I've bought a few of them, but haven't played yet. I didn't like Blue Prince at all! I liked South of Midnight in terms of visuals and sound, but the gameplay is rough. I loved Doom Eternal, one of the best shooters ever if you ask me, but didn't like The Dark Ages. I know I'll love Oblivion, but haven't played it yet. I'm a recent Bethesda fan that played Skyrim and Starfield on Series X. I haven't played Monster Hunter Wilds because I felt like playing other games. I haven't played Silent Hill F nor AC Shadows, but I will. I think it's going to be Avowed so far, because of the graphics, gameplay and combat. It has excellent combat and upgrades system and it's beautiful, with excellent 60fps performance on top of that.

@themightyant Well, the Xbox One X (€$500/£450) was not nearly as expensive as PS5 Pro (€800/£$700) and was a massive upgrade over Xbox One (720p-900p games), not just the raw specs, but the games: resolution up to 4K, higher-quality textures and significant performance boost, so completely different scenarios, if we're being honest. Can't be compared to the upgrades seen in PS5 Pro games versus PS5 games.

That would make the PS5 Pro a poor investment, not just because of the price but the short life, but I can see both of them launching their next-gen consoles in late 2027, just a year before what Microsoft anticipated in the ABK leaked documents. In any case, it will be another cross-gen gen for a long while. 😁

Very good and properly updated guide. They should name it Xbox Magnus. In hindsight, Series was a terrible name.

@fatpunkslim @Vaako007 It seems that it will already be a mid-gen refresh like Series X was. Moreover, I don't think that developers will consider Switch and PS6 the main platforms next generation to be honest, but rather PC. Microsoft merging development for Windows and Xbox instead of being separate builds will benefit Xbox. Series X and Xbox One X were supported nicely with specific upgrades by third parties, despite them not being as popular as PS4/5 and Switch. Not only that, but Series X|S got more publishers supporting it than Xbox One, specifically the Japanese.

Despite Switch being a resounding success, it struggled to get current-gen games for technical reasons, same for Switch 2. Only Sony Studios try to optimise development for PS5 before they start working on the PC ports. Everything else benefits from the extra power, even PS5 exclusives by third parties like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, that benefits from the upgraded GPU of PS5 Pro to run smoothly.

@SigmaTheDJ Yes, Microsoft confirmed that it is backwards compatible, the most important thing for Xbox fans. They managed to do that with PowerPC (Xbox 360) games on Xbox One, so bringing all that to the next console is very easy. At the end of the day, Xbox One and Series X|S run Windows and are based on x86. Xbox is working with AMD again to keep backwards compatibility. The bonus if true will be being able to play Microsoft Store games, Steam games and Epic games because that covers everything, PS games and all.

While it can't hold a candle to Banjo-Kazooie, I was pleased by this demo in comparison to Yooka-Laylee when it comes to technical details: 60fps instead of 30, nicer graphics and lighting, better camera, improved controls... but the demo is too short to know what else is better. I beat the first game 100%, but I think that this remake is still worth buying. I find it funny that the developer advertises it as a remaster when it's a remake with additional content and an orchestrated soundtrack, while Nintendo shamelessly releases fully priced emulated versions of Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2. I mean, they cost $20, $10 at launch, on Wii U.

@MrStark @FraserG Amidst all the recurrent negativity surrounding Xbox on gaming sites, the combination of backwards compatibility and the PC/console approach seem the perfect destiny for Xbox as a gaming platform beyond traditional consoles.

@IronMan30 @FraserG These are rumours. It could be two separate devices or a dock sold separately for the extra computing power, so not necessarily a handheld beast like Rog Xbox Ally X.

@Coletrain I know it's going to be Xbox for me and I admit I'm delighted to hear again that it will be a beast, although Microsoft confirmed that last year.

Besides, am I the only one that likes the codenames more than the actual names? Scorpio, Magnus...

@darylb24 That's a wonderful message and I agree. Besides that and legal terms aside, I was thinking that we don't own physical games because if they break no one's giving us a free replacement. I know we could say the same about any item, but discs are really just a surface where the intangible game is stored, and very often the whole game is just not there anyway, just like those Switch cartridges (cheap SDs) with half of the game. So what kind of property is that?

People are afraid about games being delisted or access revoked, but I can still download them on Xbox. Not on DSi, 3DS, Wii or Wii U. Nintendo is the one I trust the least in terms of digital rights, and Xbox and Steam the most, with Sony somewhere in between.

I watched this on Paramount, I subscribed one month for it and I loved both seasons although the second is better. I suspected that the reason for its moderate success was the platform of choice and its limited user base.

The combat and the special effects are amazing. The script isn't bad and not as "modernised" as I was fearing. It's quite focused and effective for the most part. The only chapters I didn't like were those that focused on Kwan Ha's story and revenge. My favourite characters and performances are John and Halsey's. They're so good. I would watch it again because of them, their interactions with the other Spartans and the combat.

The producers stated that they wanted to make a third season, I hope they do after this deserved success.

@themightyant Rumours about Xbox tend to be extremely negative and biased, so I'll just enjoy my Series X in the meantime!

@themightyant The cancelled-before-being-announced handheld was supposed to launch sooner than the next generation. The current rumours mention a hybrid console launching along the next-gen Xbox. The only official confirmation is for the next-gen and backwards compatible Xbox, nothing official regarding the handheld/hybrid console. That said, the latest statement mentions consoles and devices in plural form, that are designed, engineered and built by Xbox", unlike the Asus Rog Ally X that was manufactured by Asus, with the gaming version of Windows being obviously engineered by Microsoft.

We are actively investing in our future first-party consoles and devices designed, engineered and built by Xbox. For more details, the community can revisit our agreement announcement with AMD.

@FrenchVaniIIuxe I was specifically replying to your comment about the site.

Rog Xbox Ally X is great as a gaming handheld, the best price with that chip, powerful and efficient, great ergonomics, Play Anywhere, third-party stores... Of course, that doesn't come cheap and most users here are console fans — not necessarily Xbox fans, as you can see on most threads — but even for Xbox fans, the part of Xbox that this device fully covers is Play Anywhere and Cloud. It's not backwards compatible with Xbox games and doesn't support the console version of the current-gen games.

Since Steam Deck launched, I've been wanting to get one of these. If I get one, it would be this, because of the specs and mostly because of Play Anywhere. I don't have a Steam account and, like other users said, the largest amount of money spent is not on the hardware, but on games and subscriptions. Here, you can play all Xbox games with a Play Anywhere version and, on top of that, all Game Pass tiers include console and PC games now. So, between starting a new library and playing Play Anywhere and Game Pass titles at no extra cost, I'd choose the latter.

That said, Microsoft confirmed that there will be a next-gen console that is backwards compatible and rumours mention an alternative, a less powerful hybrid that is a handheld Xbox that can connect to the TV. Those two options manufactured by Microsoft and backwards compatible with console games are more appealing to me.

It's almost the opposite!

@AverageJoseph Yes, Microsoft guaranteed that all the first-party games will be included in Premium within a year, Call of Duty excluded, so Premium is a pretty good deal. Regarding third-party games, each has a different deal, usually one year on Ultimate, but you won't know when and if they will join Premium. Feel free to switch between tiers depending on the current library of games.

There is a list with all the games that are included in each subscription.

The best option and the best deal, as long as it is not removed, is to let your subscription expire, subscribe to Essential the following day and convert it to Ultimate, getting 40% of the length of Essential.

@AverageJoseph They can't control how people will play the games they want to play on day one, but won't be the incredible deal it was until now. It's not the only factor, but Call of Duty makes the Ultimate tier more expensive and, as the only exception within a year in Premium, it also makes Premium "cheaper", being the same price as before but with Cloud and PC games added.

@Coletrain Yep, I couldn't be happier with my Series X, for both old and new games. It's supported by all third parties, it's powerful, efficient, quiet and has the best features of a console so far: Quick Resume, FPS Boost, Play Anywhere, free and enhanced backwards compatibility, free cloud saves and ergonomic controller!

@AverageJoseph Call of Duty is the star of the show, but I mean this strategy for all the major titles. Same as games get discounts after the launch period, they'll be added to Premium within a year. They probably expect people to buy the games they really want at launch or accept a higher price for day one access.

@Coletrain @BethesdaBoyz Yeah, sadly, if you want to enjoy your Xbox Series X|S, you'd rather not read the comments on Xbox sites.

Putting the executive suit on for a minute, I think that the plan is, the people that subscribe one month for Call of Duty will pay more and the people who subscribe to the cheaper tiers will buy the games they want. In any case, they can't pay just a little bit for playing our most precious games on day one after becoming the most important publisher.

@cross717

So it's profitable at $20 a month, why raise it to $30 a month?

Not defending the price hike and not saying that the most expensive tier is the best choice for everyone, as many users won't make the most of it and would rather just buy the games or subscribe to any of the other two tiers that have more perks now (Cloud and PC) at no extra cost, the price of new games was increased this generation on all platforms, including Switch 2 (last-gen technology in terms of technical capabilities and development) and PS5. Besides, Microsoft has more studios now, publishes more games and they stated that will include more third-party games in Game Pass from now on, increasing their investment. I believe that all these are the reasons why Ultimate is more expensive now.

@Weebleman It seems so and I'm happy about it! 😁 While I think that gaming in general is getting more expensive and that affects day one access to games (Ultimate), Call of Duty in particular is a big factor. It's the only exception that won't be on Premium within a year.

@Gabrie Exactly. The Xbox library is more guaranteed to be supported in the future because of the Xbox integration with PC. The architecture and OS/DirectX are basically the same and that makes things rather easy. Heck, they made PowerPC (Xbox 360) games run on x86 (Xbox One) better than on the original hardware.

Play Anywhere is not just supported by Microsoft and indies, but big publishers like Capcom, Sega and Square Enix, with Warner adding it to Hogwarts Legacy. Although we will play Xbox games without Play Anywhere on the next Xbox because Microsoft said that it will support backwards compatibility, Play Anywhere is crucial for gaming handhelds and the PC expansion. It started with Xbox One and it should be mandatory by now.

Phil is very nice, indeed. He's a gamer, a good person, a good boss — a bit too permissive, perhaps. Satya is basically the opposite. Phil does not seem to have control over the big decisions now, and Sarah seems to be a saleswoman. As a positive note, Xbox is more profitable than ever before and I believe that Xbox fans will be served well, but the price of gaming is higher now on all platforms, unfortunately.

@Questionable_Duck Right and this year is the same, because all the $1 trials I've seen are for Essential and Premium.

I said it a few days ago, the most precious feature is day one access, for users and for Microsoft, because the price on day one per game is €$70 at least (AAA games), more for deluxe editions. Thus, the most valuable perk for users (they save $70 per game) and for Microsoft (they lose $70 per game and user) is access to games at launch.

Of course, this is business, so they only had two options, remove day one access or make it more expensive. Removing day one access would have met much more backlash than a price hike, I tell you.

I don't think that Ubisoft Classics and Fortnite Crew are to blame here, because Microsoft would not potentially lose subscribers and collect cash for Epic and Ubisoft at the same time, so those deals must have cost peanuts.

That said, the other two tiers got better because they have Cloud and PC now for the same price. That is not news anywhere, but it's a great deal. However, I suspect that the cheaper PC tier will disappear.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner That does not go against anything I'm saying, and I've seen retailers dropping Xbox since Xbox One.

We've been through these rumours so many times. Maybe, one day there won't be any more Xbox, PS and Nintendo consoles, but for now, Xbox consoles are one of the biggest income sources for Microsoft's gaming division. It makes no sense to drop hardware and they don't need to outsell their competitor in terms of hardware units when the users you have are engaged and spending.

However, because Xbox is the biggest publisher now, they need to diversify and release games and services for PC, handheld devices and other consoles if possible. Their next Xbox console might run PC games, after all. The console market is limited and it's not growing.

I completely agree with @darylb24, Xbox dropping hardware is the dream of many and that's why the negative things about Xbox are usually isolated, exaggerated and distorted when compared to the same — or worse — negative things about Sony and Nintendo. So, whatever Xbox does or say, it's going to meet greater hostility, no matter if many of the features are still more consumer-friendly when compared to the other platforms.

One thing that I don't get is why people think that their libraries are endangered. I've been playing Nintendo all my life and almost always I'm forced to buy the same games again, which I hate, and not even being able to use the same save files. Super Mario Galaxy, a Wii game, has two versions for the same console, Switch, with no cross-buy and no cross-save and it's not even news because this is the kind of thing people expect from Nintendo. PS is a bit better at this, but they still sell remasters with no cross-save nor cross-buy. Most of Xbox remasters are free upgrades, including the recent Oblivion and all the backwards compatibility enhancements. If anything, I'm sure that your digital library is safer on Xbox, because worst-case scenario, you'd play the PC version in the future for free with the same save file.

While plans change, that's also true for Sony and Nintendo as we've seen in recent years, with 180 degrees turns in some cases. Even Nintendo made fun of that with "Turn the tables" in Iwata Asks, and Sony has changed their strategy this generation several times regarding first-party plans and strategies. That doesn't mean that any of them are lying and can't be trusted, though.

@Gunbeld It's not Jez, Tom or Sneaker who debunked the dropping hardware rumours, but Microsoft, yesterday. These rumours are recurrent and baseless, so I wouldn't bother.

@darylb24 @Questionable_Duck

Microsoft responds to the rumour:

We are actively investing in our future first-party consoles and devices designed, engineered and built by Xbox.

https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/no-xboxs-next-gen-console-hardware-plans-arent-cancelled

@miharin Right, most games are old and cheap, but Ubisoft already had Ubisoft Classics for old games (€$8). The other one is Ubisoft Premium (€$18). Game Pass Ultimate already had EA Play ($€6), not EA Play Pro (€$17), and now they added Ubisoft Classics, on top of Fortnite Crew (€$12).

@Ricky-Spanish The non-subscribers that are cancelling. 😜

Also, yes, like you said, the focus is on one of the tiers, when the other two have become much better for the same price and when you can buy every single game except the Retro Classics that use streaming. They could tell the truth for once. Ultimate is no longer cheap and, surely, is no longer a great deal for everyone despite its perks, but is there any other subscription with day one access and how much would it cost on PS, despite PS having much fewer first-party releases, using Sony's current pricing as reference? The bias there is so extreme, I haven't seen it elsewhere. Yes, Ultimate is more expensive, but it's not the only option for playing on Xbox as some suggest.

@Weebleman This started as a test with Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3 and it's much bigger now. It's not that it was not sustainable until now, but for Microsoft, Xbox has become macroeconomy, because they have all the Xbox business under the same umbrella: online services, subscriptions, store sales (including lucrative DLC), Play Anywhere, multiplatform releases...

In this context and because gaming is more expensive now on the three consoles, they decided that day one should have a higher price tag, while they are willing to give better value for Essential and Premium adding Cloud and PC for the same price — with the secret plan of discontinuing the PC tier, as AverageJoseph said. The good news is that there are more and better options than ever before. The bad news is that day one access, the top perk in the top tier, is no longer cheap. What they're doing for people joining Game Pass is another thing: the $1 trials are back.

@AverageJoseph That cheaper tier with fewer perks but day one access has its days numbered and you're right, all the other tiers include PC now, I hadn't realised.