I want to see Banjo-Kazooie.

@Rob3008

Considering how reliable Nate is, and the fact that Moon no longer own the IP, it's entirely possible this is just sitting with another studio.

Right, not to mention that Thomas has been resentfully bashing Xbox since 2020.

After buying it for Xbox One and later being given the wonderful free enhancement treatments on Xbox One X and Series X, I finally started The Witcher 3. Happy weekend!

It's ironic that the Blu-Ray exclusive took 18 years to reach Xbox consoles, just after Sony announced it will stop supporting physical media in just over a year.

@RegnumSolipsi The Twin Snakes is the first in the series I played and I loved it!

@logash The remake of 3 was released in 2025 and the first collection in 2023. Konami, like most big publishers, is increasing its Xbox Play Anywhere support so, hopefully, both collections join the PC store soon.

I find these deals and marketing ridiculous at this particular time. It's like Sony is saying, look, we cancelled all these games and closed these studios and haven't released many new games this generation after all, but we continue investing in 6-month third-party console exclusivity deals except for Square Enix that refuses them. We're (inconsistently) doing Konami now. By the way, vertical stand sold separately.

I hope that the game is good. If it is, I will buy it on Xbox eventually, but I'm not in a hurry, honestly.

Microsoft as the owner of Bing and Google as the owner of the most popular search engine. Take Two wants to know where this is coming from, but they should do (or pay) their own research, as I don't think Microsoft and Google will assume costs and solve the mystery for them.

Is Microsoft really investigating this as they say? If I were Microsoft, I would be investigating the leaker of not spoilers but the whole Forza Horizon 6 game, that lead to piracy before the release of one of their best-selling IPs, although in that case the culprit is someone working at Steam that distributed it without encryption. It hasn't been revealed if Steam took responsibility.

Now imagine GTA VI, the game, being leaked and distributed ahead of its launch. What would happen? What would Take Two do?

@dskatter I know all these things because I have more CDs than physical games 😁. The reason for PS4 and PS5 to not support CDs is simply because Sony didn't add the firmware and software to play CDs. You know what's even weirder? Sony is one of the companies behind Blu-Ray (and CD), but PS4 Pro does not include a UHD Blu-Ray reader, yet Xbox One S does!

@fatpunkslim Right. If Helix supports physical games via optional disc drive, it doesn't increase the costs. It would immediately become viral news and free marketing. Even people that are not gamers know that Sony is messing up.

Side note: Xbox is the only console that supports CDs. PS4 and PS5 don't.

@ZeD I can' wait for the Elite Series 3 and I hope it's added to the Xbox Design Lab like Series 2. This green controller with colour buttons looks amazing and it's the one I'd get if I was interested in a regular one or a collector's item. I'll probably buy it. I'd also get the 25th anniversary console, but it's hard to justify having a Series X. These are the best-looking console and controller in my eyes, besides a Kingdom Hearts PS4 years ago.

Asha confirmed that Helix will be an industry-leading console in terms of power. Consoles are more optimised for gaming than a PC with the same specs, so value will be better. She also mentioned affordability and options, so there will be other devices that play not just PC games but Xbox games via Xbox Mode. It's quite simple as all the Xbox games next generation will be PC games, and backwards compatibility is already being worked on. The bigger problem concerns PS6 because of the walled garden.

I'd say that options 1 and 3 are not realistic based on these companies' legacy and that Sony is already following the second method: greater monetisation per customer and more aggressive digital content strategies, while Xbox will continue its flexibility plans with Play Anywhere, Cloud and Xbox Mode.

@Eastergregg It's the best Sonic 3D game after Generations so yeah, get it. It has a solid story and smooth gameplay and camera which is not usual in this franchise. The only thing I criticised about it is the lack of Sonic's world flavour. It has, however, retro stages, songs and other collectibles.

Imagine mocking a consumer-friendly option that doesn't increase the price.

@Coletrain I played the collection on PS4, but I'd gladly get it again on Xbox with Play Anywhere.

@FraserG I edited my comment to add the second half. It's on the PC store unlike the previous Xbox One Kingdom Hearts releases, so I assume that they added it for Play Anywhere inclusion, as all the other Square Enix recent releases.

It's worth mentioning that the upcoming collection of Kingdom Hearts is also Play Anywhere. At least, that's what it seems because they're listed on the PC store even though they don't have the Play Anywhere tag yet, that it's usually added at launch. You can even pre-order it.

https://www.trueachievements.com/news/kingdom-hearts-xbox-play-anywhere

@FraserG Typo in the article: $44.98 / $49.99. 😁 Well, good news. Not that long ago, Konami said they'd focus on casual mobile gaming, but they're fortunately back to Metal Gear, Silent Hill and Bomberman.

Excellent news! I'm excited to see the final part being released on all platforms simultaneously. I consider the trilogy a separate thing that doesn't replace the original.

@Pigrotto You too!

@Pigrotto Correct. I think that the Elite 3 and the smaller controller designed for Xbox Cloud will launch before Helix.

@Pigrotto Me too. I really want an upgraded and big Xbox controller. The design patent of 3 was leaked, so it should be revealed soon.

I know it has nothing to do with Path of the Goddess (80% on Metacritic) but I played that because of Game Pass and liked it so much that I completed it 100%, achievements included.

@Schonks It definitely beats buying it on PS5 and Switch 2. Somehow, some people seem to be downplaying the game without checking it out because it's available on Game Pass. It's Play Anywhere and on Game Pass, what else could an Xbox user ask for?

@Pigrotto Thanks, you too! 😊

I'm also intrigued by this beautiful game. Being on Game Pass on day one, the decision is already made.

@Pigrotto I'd say that Famitsu, despite having four reviewers for each game, has a particular taste and tends to give generous scores to most games that appeal to their audience, but you could say the same about reviewers overrating cinematic games with mediocre gameplay in the West.

@McKeownPlayz The self-proclaimed neutrals are the best. 🤣

@MinervaX76 I was mainly referring to the fact that when they are added to Microsoft's store, it's typically because they're supporting Play Anywhere. Capcom added Resident Evil Village in 2026, five years later. Resident Evil 3 has not joined Play Anywhere yet, but 4 Remake joined at launch. There are also Activision games that are missing, but I assume that Xbox is working on its first-party titles. It looks like Capcom will fully support it, as Square Enix does already. Ubisoft, I really hope so, but their own "Play Anywhere" is a reason not to, although it would be weird to ignore it, now that they are supporting Microsoft's store.

@MinervaX76 I still hope they'll do. It doesn't make sense to start adding games to Xbox on PC without Play Anywhere plans when that's what the other publishers are doing.

My understanding is that Ubisoft wants to give free PC versions to players on Xbox (and PS?) with their own cross-platform save system, but they should also support Play Anywhere, which makes more sense on the Xbox ecosystem and support achievements.

I appreciate the honest and quick answer. I assume that discs were not playable in those cases where signing in is required, but you can also go offline and sign in. My Xbox was online all the time and it wasn't affected at all by this partial outage. I even got the final achievement in Final Fantasy V and I noticed that now there is a new congratulations message on top of your achievements when you get them all.

@Gooseuk Interesting insight. UE5 is the most controversial engine of the generation. Since the development of Halo Campaign Evolved was outsourced and the new CEO doesn't want to rely on external vendors and engines, I'm pretty sure that the next Halo will run on one of the Xbox Studios engines. Unrelated but I'm also sure that the next Halo won't be released for PS in order to maintain control over Xbox iconic franchises and protect brand identity.

@Shmoo Same problem with Eurogamer.

Excellent review! Halo Campaign Evolved definitely meets the expectations of its title. It says it, "campaign", and it's cheaper than other AAA releases.

@MinervaX76 Xbox made a huge improvement. Now, when you browse a game with multiple editions, you see all of them together, the price of each and what's included. However, they also introduced "Just for You" suggestions, and some of them don't make any sense. Let's hope they keep tuning things.

A better comparison than a 2005 console would be:

Xbox Series ~123K
PS5 ~169K

@Krlozgod Oh, that hurts. Microsoft confirmed that Xbox One and Series X|S games will be playable on Helix, so I expect that they will also be playable on PC. Same thing for backwards compatible games, with the first four released today.

Xbox is the best platform for backwards compatibility, so it would not be crazy to buy something on the sale since everything that is on Series X|S is expected to come to PC. Xbox and Xbox on PC will be completely merged before or after Helix arrives, supposedly in November 2027.

I also bought Lost Odyssey. I will play it after some Final Fantasy classics.

@MinervaX76 It would be nice and very easy to hide games we own. I would also hide silly upgrade suggestions that don't even make sense because I have all the add-ons already but the edition name is different, or it was the pre-order bundle with even more goodies.

@FraserG The whole Final Fantasy XIII trilogy is 60% off. 😊

@Krlozgod The Xbox 360 prices go anywhere from $10 to $40, but they are typically included in Xbox sales. For instance, Blue Dragon is usually $20, $5 right now. Final Fantasy XIII usual price is $16, $6 right now.

Over 150 backwards compatible games are on sale now:

https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/07/deals-all-150plus-backwards-compatible-games-in-the-xbox-summer-sale-2026

@Krlozgod @smoreon Fuzion Frenzy is just £2 right now! Conker Live & Reloaded, Blinx and Crimson Skies £9 or €$10 each one.

@HonestHick @Jordan1278 Hopefully, more good news come soon, for instance, that it's possible to buy Series X|S in the main territories around the world. This is because of the "This Is an Xbox" stupid campaign by Sarah Bond. They were hoping that console players would play on their phones, subscribed to the most expensive Game Pass tier, the only one that had Cloud back then, instead of buying an Xbox console. Asha admitted that Xbox did not have enough stock for the coming months, unlike the other two console manufacturers. Now, people that want an Xbox console can't buy it in most European countries.

Whenever there is a positive piece of news about Xbox, you'll find the same nitpicking and buts that don't pop up if it's about PS. It's so predictable yet miserable because this is one of the very few Xbox sites and had a very positive community when it started.

@BacklogBrad I agree but only regarding Tango. Tango made three awesome IPs: The Evil Within (2 games), Ghostwire Tokyo and Hi-Fi Rush. However, there were disagreements within the studio, the founder left and then the main producers did. I guess that Xbox didn't know how to handle a studio in Japan after losing its great minds and decided to let it go.

@ILuvGames Besides, PS5 and Switch 2 user base were not interested in it either. Only critics were.

@Millionski Yes, Microsoft's is the best PC store because of that. Gog is technically the best PC store if we consider it does not have DRM (or shouldn't, some threads on the Gog forum talk about spyware), but it's not getting the AAA releases. As you often say, they need to iron Xbox on PC out before Helix releases. Then, it'll be perfect.

people make a point that investing in xbox ecosystem is risky because they can quit consoles and you will be stuck with it.

Microsoft confirmed that Helix will be backwards compatible, so they must be working on playing Xbox One and Series X|S on Helix and, eventually, Xbox on PC, besides Play Anywhere.

@FreasurePlanten I hope that Ubisoft comes to its senses. I suspect they will iron this out as it's completely bare-bones and not integrated into the Xbox ecosystem.

@FreasurePlanten

Are 360 games already playable on PC?

Not yet! This just started on PC, with four original Xbox games. I'm excited because of Play Anywhere and cross-save. I was not expecting achievements for original Xbox games.

@AI-Generation They definitely need to fix the stock issues. Both Series consoles have been "sold out" even on the official site/dashboard for months now, in many countries. People that want to buy an Xbox console simply cannot.

@AI-Generation Looking at the positive reactions and feedback they are getting now, how well Forza Horizon 6 has performed, and remembering what Asha said in the beginning about the other "platforms", I think it's likely that they will focus on Xbox and PC from now on to boost their own platform. That would have included Halo Campaign Evolved and Fable if they had not been announced for PS5. Phil had a lot of great ideas, but the multiplatform strategy was damaging Xbox because PS and Nintendo didn't do the same. "What are Sony and Nintendo giving us?", Xbox players asked here many times.

Many countries are very PS-focused, so I assume that Xbox saved stock because of it. They were also big on Sega consoles when Nintendo was more popular elsewhere, especially in USA.

It's also very important to note that Xbox players are more engaged than other console players. It's not the hardware but the software and subscriptions what make money. I posted a link to that report weeks ago. Still, hardware is important because it's a way to connect to a big chunk of your users, in this case, console players.

Even on a day like today, when more Xbox consoles are sold and Xbox announces one of the most-requested features ever, we still read the same doom and gloom comments. They can't help it.

@fatpunkslim @AI-Generation Promising numbers for Xbox that seems to be picking up the pace, and we need to consider that Series S and X have been sold out in most European countries for months now because of low stock. Updated numbers are good to know because I remember someone saying a year ago that PS5 was outselling Xbox 13x (thirteen times), based on a particular week somewhere in the world. According to VGChartz is 2.6x PS5 vs. Series X|S (2020-2026, worldwide). Not bad for a console that has all first-party games on PC and Cloud.

June Switch2 units -78%, PS5 -43%, XBSeries +86%, Switch -62%.

Obviously, the other two consoles are bigger sellers, but we can see the positive trend and how well the shifted strategy has landed.

@MrStark

June Switch2 units -78%, PS5 -43%, XBSeries +86%, Switch -62%.

Obviously, the other two consoles are bigger sellers, but we can see the positive trend and how well the shifted strategy has landed.

@NicolausCamp Right. It's not exactly emulation what they do – as you suggest using inverted commas – but port the game code from Xbox (x86) to Xbox and PC (x86) and translate the code from Xbox 360 (PowerPC) to Xbox and PC (x86), as explained by the Microsoft engineers that worked on backwards compatibility. Otherwise, Xbox 360 games would not be able to perform like they do on Xbox One. They must be very busy with Xbox on PC to make Windows as gaming-friendly on PC as on Xbox before Helix releases. The Rog Xbox Ally player feedback and testing is invaluable.