BrianRGI2X

@anoyonmus The Series S is definitely not the issue here. The headline should be : "Developer prioritises release of their software on systems with most users first" shock - Remember Playstation also has a parity clause with the PS5 and the PS5Pro but we don't hear about any devs complaining that their software will run great on the Pro, but the PS5 is delaying the release, and we didnt hear about this on PS4 and PS4Pro either....

@anoyonmus I agree, that the parity clause here is what stops a Series X release, then later on a Series S release, but the two consoles were released as part of a "generation" (yes, thats the thing that Playstation keep saying is so important) and so developers can either be lazy and just say that their game will only work on high spec equipment that can blast through their poor engine optimisations OR they could do whats best for all users and optimise before they release a game so that it hits the largest number of users first...... They appear to have done this for STEAM regarding this particular game, they are advertising it as SteamDeck compatible, so why is the Series S such an issue??

Such a lazy response from them though, if they waited and had the resource/talent they "could" launch across PC/PS5/Xbox/Switch2 so basically they are not willing to wait to optimise for XboxS/Switch2 before the sales money starts rolling in.

Have they released recommended PC specs for the game? If they haven't done that optimisation, then the game isn't gonna run on a SteamDeck or PC handheld either. I agree this is now a dev issue and shows that they don't have the funding or backing to invest the extra time, and they need to release this now to recoup existing dev costs first. I am still in favour of Microsofts policy of X/S together

<dream mode> I would love Microsoft to put in a drive, and then market "Xbox Anywhere" properly with physical offline games that also include PC install for offline play. </dream mode>

With Microsoft implementing AMD's new FSR4 tech into their DirectSR libraries and the developers using this new tech, the existing hardware will be able to achieve more and so hopefully we should see much improved frame-rates at 4k resolutions.

As a Series X and a Series S owner, im not sure why this would be something Id want. Unless there is a massive cost deduction why would anyone want this instead of the Series X?

I think i'm in the minority, but I actually prefer the option Xbox went with for their storage. I have an Xbox Series X in the living room, and then a Series S (with an attached screen) that I use to game in my office and when im away. The 1TB storage card allows me to download games i want to switch between on the consoles and plug and play without needing to upgrade both. I'm wondering will they continue this format if they release next gen consoles or a handheld?

As someone who has played through the single player campaigns, but not a massive fan of the multiplayer, Ive loved watching the TV series as a sort of reboot of the sci-fi franchise.

just wish they'd take the character mapping tech out of Hellblade and take this actor and crew and remake Halo anniversary to a new depth like EA did with Dead Space.

34 million GamePass paying customers is something they are gonna protect, and grow, and some titles that will grow even more will come to other platforms because their developers want them to and we've had them for over a year before they do... Xbox isnt going anywhere, they are expanding and taking over the gaming space. Im on board.

It will be a calm-the-waters exercise. I expect that Microsoft will announce that exclusives may well be timed-exclusives. (Games like Hi-fi Rush that shadow dropped into GamePass anyway, with no mention of their exclusivity beforehand, or service led games opened up like Sea of Thieves) They'll re-iterate that there will always be exclusives coming first to the Xbox platform to compete with Sony. They'll talk about more hardware partners investing in the handheld PC market and the fact that they are working on the next-gen hardware console already. They'll reiterate they want GamePass everywhere, and that the Xbox is a virtual console too in the form of Xcloud (and bring it out of beta), maybe announcing it for Apple Vision Pro, given its already on meta....

I thought the Hellblade section was just chaff, because they could have just shown that and given us a date at the Game Awards, but I liked the look at all the other games I hadnt seen, but without HB and Square Enix, you could have gotten that down easily to 30 mins

You can only blame Larion for the fact that this hasn't hit Xbox yet, as its their choice where they decided to prioritise their development time. They could have delayed launch on all platforms and implemented their own parity on the advertised launch day release platforms. Instead because it wasn't ready for Xbox, they decided to delay just the Xbox platform release.

@robe I get what you are saying but isn't it acceptable for them to release on Series S at 1080p which is 25% of the gfx power? On PC is 1440p a minimum spec?

@munstahunta ...or good if you are a parent about to have a 6 year old break up for summer holidays and need something to occupy their time for a while... Nice timing from Microsoft.

This would have been an immediate purchase for me if it had also had a bulky battery built into external module so that it could be played without power within a car or mobile environment for a period of time, and then plugged in to charge and play when possible.