@themightyant thing is when XSX successor drops every Xbox gamer will be a PC gamer by default. Once customers see Steam offering cheaper prices they won’t think twice about which store to use.
Game Pass doesn’t even factor in as Borderlands 4 is not launching on Ultimate and looking at how long it took Borderlands 3 to go to Game Pass then it could be anywhere up to a 6 year long wait for that to happen. Microsoft Store tax needs to die if they want any chance to compete with Steam!
I’m gonna use Microsoft Rewards for a discount, but most Xbox gamers are either unaware this option exists or are not willing to obsessively farm up points like I am. Plus it’s a bonus that can be taken away at any moment without warning (like how Nintendo recently killed eShop Gold points).
@themightyant ah we’ll just have to agree to disagree on the exchange rate discussion!
Looking just at UK pricing only, the strange thing is that this game is £60 on Steam and £70 on Xbox. So Microsoft is still charging a console tax even though their plan is to move away from console gaming and completely transition to PC. This doesn’t make sense to me. If they want to open up Xbox hardware to Steam that’s awesome, but how do they expect to remain competitive if they charge console prices on PC? No one will use the Microsoft Store if they keep this practice going.
@themightyant the price should change to reflect the currency exchange rates. When USD strengthens they don’t hesitate to change regional pricing and charge consumers more to reflect that, but when USD weakens the pricing remains static even though it results in us being overcharged. We’ve seen this before. When GBP weakened back in 2022 they raised prices almost immediately in response, but now GBP has strengthened they refuse to budge on pricing. How convenient, they’ll only tweak it when it benefits their profit margins.
And I get it, that’s how capitalism rolls. But if I’m not allowed to complain about this kind of practice then neither are Americans. You can’t have one rule for USA and another rule for everyone else, that’s not fair. If Americans are allowed to complain about $80 games then so should we Brits be able to as well. That’s how I see it.
By remaining stubbornly exclusive to PlayStation for so long I guess they simply starved their Xbox audience out of existence. A self-inflicted wound. It will take time to re-build an audience for the franchise.
@TapeLoader people will question why Xbox Ally doesn’t charge for online access whereas XSX successor does. There will no longer be the excuse that XSX successor is a closed platform distinct from PC, so I don’t think they will be able to get away with it as the hypocrisy will be on full display. My interest will absolutely tank if Game Pass Core is still mandatory on this next device. I accept it now because XSX was subsidised hardware, but with non-subsidised hardware I won’t tolerate it.
My Fractal North case is way larger than the XSX and I don’t have much room next to my TV. More importantly though having to constantly carry it back and forth between my TV and gaming monitor whenever I want to switch between them sounds like a real chore. We’re never gonna be able to use overclocking tools, file explorer, or even just web browsers on a controller effectively - so mouse & keyboard at a desk absolutely still has a core place in PC gaming (plus the game genres that just play better with M&K). That’s why I think having two separate devices for the different use cases makes sense to me, rather than having a jack-of-all-trades box that has the design flaw of not being able to occupy two places at once! And I’ve tried local wireless network streaming from PC to TV before and it just doesn’t work well in my flat at all - the latency goes through the roof.
@TapeLoader oh it will be dropped as Microsoft knows they can’t charge PC gamers for online access. Otherwise they would’ve done it with the Xbox Ally, but they didn’t try because they knew it would be a suicidal move. Xbox Ally is the blueprint for the XSX successor.
I mean that once XSX library is made backwards compatible with XSX successor (rumoured it’s something they’re working on to be ready at launch) then that will effectively act as the same thing as 100% Play Anywhere coverage. Play Anywhere will effectively then become redundant as it’ll just be backwards compatible with everything by default.
Living room TV play. My PC is best suited for my desk, when I need mouse & keyboard and/or the most performance possible for ray traced games etc. but I also want to play games casually on my TV with a controller on a smaller, compact plug-and-play box. That’s the niche my XSX currently occupies and I’d like a successor device to continue that function.
Could be eating these words by autumn, but I just don’t feel a price increase this year. I think it’ll be sometime next year instead. They’ve increased prices two years in a row, they do it yet again and they risk turning price hikes into an annual tradition in the eyes of customers. That won’t help Game Pass grow. Even with the transition to PC Game Pass is their only way to compete effectively with Steam and also capture the cloud market, so they’re gonna triple down on it. They desperately want that PC/cloud subscription growth and price rise will run counter to that goal. It’s a delicate balancing act, but I think a third price hike in as many years will damage the Game Pass brand. That’s why I think it’s more likely they’ll hold off until next year.
@Millionski as long as my XSX library is carried over to PC seamlessly then I don’t see a problem with Steam dominating from there on out. I’m very happy using Steam. I’m sure this XSX successor device that they’re working on will still have Quick Resume.
@TapeLoader that’s fine. It’d just serve as the living room counterpart to my custom built desktop PC. So as long as it fills the niche XSX currently does then that’s grand. Instead of ~10% Play Anywhere coverage we’d have 100% compatibility, which would be incredible. I’m absolutely okay with paying more upfront for the hardware once the mandatory online multiplayer fee is dropped, 100% Play Anywhere coverage is provided, and access to Steam is granted.
Final year before Microsoft permanently exits the console market. Weird thought.
Now that we know that the plan is to seamlessly transition everyone’s digital libraries over to the PC successor I’m totally fine with it.
In fact, I embrace it wholeheartedly. No more Game Pass Core mandatory fee. Sony published games on Xbox. Steam! What a time to be alive and with disposable income.
I was horrified at the direction that Xbox was heading in, but now Phil Spencer may just be a 4D chess genius. I suppose it’s all in the execution though. If the transition isn’t seamless enough then this could still all end in tears.
@Titntin XSX runs a modified Windows already, not sure how that affects the licensing side of things but if any company can solve this issue it’s Microsoft. They have enough resources to throw at the problem!
@Titntin oh I fully agree the current Play Anywhere system is entirely insufficient. I just hope it’s merely a stopgap solution before they roll out full backwards compatibility for all Xbox games on the XSX successor PC. If their plan is to rely on the current implementation of Play Anywhere only then I don’t think that’s acceptable for long time Xbox customers.
@IOI This one has Z2 Extreme chip with Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5, a notable upgrade from Z1 Extreme that ROG Ally uses that has Zen 4 and RDNA 3.0. Newer tech equals better power efficiency. If I personally were in the handheld market looking for options (I’m not because I just got a Switch 2) I’d definitely get the Xbox one for that reason!
I think they are moving away from console. I was sceptical of the Steam rumours on XSX successor at first, but the showcase last weekend convinced me that those rumours are the real deal. They were focused almost entirely on PC throughout that show. Writing is on the wall. Console is dead. That would entirely explain their recent multi platform pivot too with no need for platform exclusives anymore. The great thing is though that unlike Sega, Microsoft have the ability to seamlessly transition all their console customers over to PC. That’s what they need to do. If the successor to XSX is a PC running this optimised gaming Windows UI then that’s genuinely great, but it absolutely needs full backwards compatibility to be a success. Our digital libraries need to carry forward to PC once this transition is complete, no ifs no buts - no Play Anywhere only caveats. We just have to hope that Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond are aware just how important a seamless transition is for existing Xbox customers.
@TheGiraffe XSX (and XBO) run on a streamlined version of Windows so it shouldn’t be too difficult. Easier than getting 360/OG games working on the XBO back in the day and they managed that!
If this isn’t a clear signal that Microsoft are exiting the console market to consolidate on the PC gaming Windows market then I don’t know what is. As long as we can carry all of our console digital libraries across to the XSX spiritual successor PC then I’m totally fine with this. Backwards compatibility is absolutely vital though, can’t stress that enough.
I’ve just upgraded to Switch 2 and my problem is I don’t really travel often enough to justify investing in more than one handheld at a time. It’s why I held off buying Steam Deck OLED, even though I was very tempted. I don’t want to lug around two handhelds with accessories with me, just one takes up enough space in a backpack or suitcase! A generational leap over Switch 2 would certainly tempt me, but by that time Nintendo will probably have a Switch 2 OLED Pro model on the market.
£599 and £799 are safe bets looking at the 2024 model’s RRPs, which is exactly that. Inflation might mean they cost a bit more though. £699 and £999 wouldn’t surprise me, hopefully not though. Their biggest competiton is definitely the £479 (512GB) and £569 (1TB) Steam Deck OLED models, I’m sure Microsoft is aware of that.
Not yet. We know the rumours are that they’re working behind the scenes to make this a non-issue on the XSX successor. That will be essentially what this handheld is, except also able to play my entire back catalogue of Xbox games. I’m a believer now, I think the evidence to support all the rumours floating around is simply getting too strong to ignore. It’s happening. Xbox is transitioning from a console brand to a PC brand.
I liked the emphasis on Play Anywhere in this showcase. Support has been very lacklustre up until now, but if Microsoft are putting more effort into convincing more publishers to jump on board then that can only be a good thing.
@TapeLoader if it’s anything like Series X then it’ll be well designed, compact hardware. You have to compare against mini-ITX components and cases in the DIY market and those are more expensive and a lot trickier to assemble than typical ATX PCs. So there’s still a big advantage to having such a device made by Microsoft I think personally. No it’s not going to beat the DIY market on performance per [regional currency] but it will offer convenience and plug and play - more akin to traditional consoles we have today. There’s value in that!
I’ve commented on other articles that they were hinting pretty damn hard that all the PC merging rumours are true. They were really emphasising the PC side of their business in this showcase and boasting about Steam support on their new handheld. To me that tells me so much about their vision for the future of Xbox brand - and it looks amazing! It’s basically just PC, but with XSX backwards compatibility and controller friendly UI. Sounds like a dream come true. That alone was exciting enough for me.
Then the game announcements were good. Nothing mind blowing, but Keeper is definitely looking super cool and my personal favourite of the show. Planet of Lana 2 is a nice surprise too! Also surprised by High on Life 2, nice to see it’s a Game Pass inclusion. That musical game that looked like power wash simulator on drugs with the talking cat was super unique and interesting, in a good way!
@TapeLoader Yeah but the Series X successor is rumoured not to be a true console either. It's just a PC with a console-like UI layered on top of Windows. Essentially exactly what this handheld PC is going to be. Except it's also rumoured to be able to play the XSX console library too and I think that's an absolutely essential feature so that current Xbox players don't get completely f***** over by this transition. Yep, you're right, I fully agree that it won't be subsidised hardware anymore. So it's going to cost a lot, just like gaming PCs do today.
@themightyant they way they talked on the stream about how Xbox vision includes other storefronts now, how they were hyping up Play Anywhere at every opportunity, how Steam is literally directly integrated into the UI of this controller-optimised Windows handheld. It’s all there, all the pieces falling into place, it’s so obvious to me now. Those rumours are legit. I’m a full believer now. This reveal of the handhelds and the tone of the showcase confirms everything, in my view. What an exciting vision for Xbox! I’m so fully on board with merging Xbox and Steam into one super platform to rule them all.
I’ve read the blog post. Steam is directly integrated into the Xbox UI. It’s not accessed via some hacky sideload nonsense. This essentially confirms all the rumours that the successor to XSX will support Steam too. And it’s not just a side thought, it’s front and centre feature. This is their vision for future Xbox, it’s basically just a PC optimised for controller play. Sounds absolutely brilliant honestly! Incredibly exciting!
I think the most interesting thing overall was the Xbox handheld. I’ve read the blog post. Steam is directly integrated into the Xbox UI. It’s not accessed via some hacky sideload nonsense. This essentially confirms all the rumours that the successor to XSX will support Steam too. And it’s not just a side thought, it’s front and centre feature. This is their vision for Xbox, it’s basically just a PC optimised for controller play. Sounds absolutely brilliant honestly! Incredibly exciting!
For the games, Keeper was easily my personal highlight.
This looks so good! I love the art style. Super cool. I’m hyped. Psychonauts 2 was so good, I know Double Fine can deliver. This was easily the highlight of the show for me personally.
They launched Lies of P: Overture the same weekend as Switch 2! Plus I also just upgraded my PC with a brand new CPU/motherboard/RAM combo last night. Oh what an absolutely bonkers stacked weekend! And there’s still the Xbox showcase too!
Shadow drop Lies of P: Overture and announcing Code Vein 2? That’s enough for an automatic A from me. I’m a colossal soulslike fan so both of these announcements are right up my alley. I’m well happy ❤️
Did I die and end up in gaming heaven? How did I deserve such fine, succulent gaming news? This is wonderful, simply wonderful. Yes I’ve already bought it using the Microsoft Rewards points that I’ve been saving up just for this occasion! Lies of P was my favourite game of 2023 and easily my favourite soulslike besides only From Software’s very own output. This will be great, I just know it!
They announced both this and surprise launched Lies of P: Overture? Best SGF ever! Was this made for me personally? Code Vein had its flaws for sure, but I’ve been hoping for a sequel for years, as it felt so unique amongst the soulslikes to me and I think there’s so much potential for improvements to the formula. I enjoyed the original and am buzzing for a sequel 🥳
Lies of P: Overture has just been rumoured for a surprise drop during the showcase on Sunday. There’s a screenshot floating around Reddit and Twitter from a supposedly leaked trailer. Looks pretty legit! 👀
It’s very suspiciously coincidental timing of release, being exactly one year after the PS5 version… 🤔
Let’s just hope they’ve used the extra year to improve console optimisation. Let’s not be frame generating from a base 30fps for performance mode please. Hope they can hit 60fps natively,
They need to be careful about the marketing message on this. Until they actually get Xbox games working on Windows then this could sow much confusion. The average person will wonder why they can't access their full game library on their Xbox handheld.
@Millionski that’s a very good point! Though there’s no getting around the hardware R&D, so they’re gonna need to sell enough to make a return on that investment - custom SOCs aren’t cheap!
I bought a 1TB card back in 2021 and that’ll just have to do, as I’ve absolutely no interest in upgrading for these outlandish prices. Also we need to know whether these will actually work with the next hardware generation because if they don’t then that’s going to be a very expensive paperweight after just 2-3 years!
I sure hope they maintain backwards compatibility for these cards with the next Xbox.
@Millionski sorry I’m gonna have to disagree there! There’s all the software R&D needed to get Xbox games working on Windows from both technical & licensing standpoints and also the work needed to develop a controller-friendly UI for that OS while still preserving core PC functionality. That’s not a simple problem! Then there’s the hardware R&D needed for developing a very powerful custom SOC. They’ve been hyping up the hardware power of this device that’s apparently also going to have loads of AI-powered bells and whistles. That’s not cheap to develop. Valve could count on sales from Steam to subsidise Steam Deck, but Microsoft won’t have that option as Steam is also the dominant games storefront on Windows too.
They clearly don’t care about moving console units anymore. XSX is left on life support and they’re itching to pull the plug.
This could easily backfire though as the next Xbox probably will also struggle to sell well, given the massive decline in mindshare the brand is currently taking. Doesn’t matter if it’s just a custom PC as it still needs to sell enough to provide a return on the R&D investment.
Elden Ring is my favourite game of all time. I’m not buying this at launch though, as I’m waiting for duo support to be added. From Software really missed an opportunity with this. If only it had two player support I’d be there on day one. I know I’m not alone in this stance, they’ve limited their audience by making it three player only.
@Ricky-Spanish Completely agree! It was always a bit of a hassle having excess account credit that would expire after 90 days. Now I can redeem only what I need, it’s a great update.
Comments 1,092
Re: 2K Not Following Microsoft & Nintendo With $80 Game Prices, For Now
@themightyant thing is when XSX successor drops every Xbox gamer will be a PC gamer by default. Once customers see Steam offering cheaper prices they won’t think twice about which store to use.
Game Pass doesn’t even factor in as Borderlands 4 is not launching on Ultimate and looking at how long it took Borderlands 3 to go to Game Pass then it could be anywhere up to a 6 year long wait for that to happen. Microsoft Store tax needs to die if they want any chance to compete with Steam!
I’m gonna use Microsoft Rewards for a discount, but most Xbox gamers are either unaware this option exists or are not willing to obsessively farm up points like I am. Plus it’s a bonus that can be taken away at any moment without warning (like how Nintendo recently killed eShop Gold points).
Re: 2K Not Following Microsoft & Nintendo With $80 Game Prices, For Now
@themightyant ah we’ll just have to agree to disagree on the exchange rate discussion!
Looking just at UK pricing only, the strange thing is that this game is £60 on Steam and £70 on Xbox. So Microsoft is still charging a console tax even though their plan is to move away from console gaming and completely transition to PC. This doesn’t make sense to me. If they want to open up Xbox hardware to Steam that’s awesome, but how do they expect to remain competitive if they charge console prices on PC? No one will use the Microsoft Store if they keep this practice going.
Re: 2K Not Following Microsoft & Nintendo With $80 Game Prices, For Now
@themightyant the price should change to reflect the currency exchange rates. When USD strengthens they don’t hesitate to change regional pricing and charge consumers more to reflect that, but when USD weakens the pricing remains static even though it results in us being overcharged. We’ve seen this before. When GBP weakened back in 2022 they raised prices almost immediately in response, but now GBP has strengthened they refuse to budge on pricing. How convenient, they’ll only tweak it when it benefits their profit margins.
And I get it, that’s how capitalism rolls. But if I’m not allowed to complain about this kind of practice then neither are Americans. You can’t have one rule for USA and another rule for everyone else, that’s not fair. If Americans are allowed to complain about $80 games then so should we Brits be able to as well. That’s how I see it.
Re: According To Sales Estimates, Final Fantasy 16 Had A Rough First Week On Xbox
By remaining stubbornly exclusive to PlayStation for so long I guess they simply starved their Xbox audience out of existence. A self-inflicted wound. It will take time to re-build an audience for the franchise.
Re: 2K Not Following Microsoft & Nintendo With $80 Game Prices, For Now
$80 in UK though. Literally. Before tax.
Take £69.99, remove the VAT and you get £58.32. Pop that into currency converter and bam - 80 USD ($79.33 to be precise).
They’re charging $80 in UK. Oof.
Re: Opinion: It Feels Like Microsoft Is Planning A Huge Final Year Of Xbox Series X|S In 2026
@TapeLoader people will question why Xbox Ally doesn’t charge for online access whereas XSX successor does. There will no longer be the excuse that XSX successor is a closed platform distinct from PC, so I don’t think they will be able to get away with it as the hypocrisy will be on full display. My interest will absolutely tank if Game Pass Core is still mandatory on this next device. I accept it now because XSX was subsidised hardware, but with non-subsidised hardware I won’t tolerate it.
My Fractal North case is way larger than the XSX and I don’t have much room next to my TV. More importantly though having to constantly carry it back and forth between my TV and gaming monitor whenever I want to switch between them sounds like a real chore. We’re never gonna be able to use overclocking tools, file explorer, or even just web browsers on a controller effectively - so mouse & keyboard at a desk absolutely still has a core place in PC gaming (plus the game genres that just play better with M&K). That’s why I think having two separate devices for the different use cases makes sense to me, rather than having a jack-of-all-trades box that has the design flaw of not being able to occupy two places at once! And I’ve tried local wireless network streaming from PC to TV before and it just doesn’t work well in my flat at all - the latency goes through the roof.
Re: Opinion: It Feels Like Microsoft Is Planning A Huge Final Year Of Xbox Series X|S In 2026
@TapeLoader oh it will be dropped as Microsoft knows they can’t charge PC gamers for online access. Otherwise they would’ve done it with the Xbox Ally, but they didn’t try because they knew it would be a suicidal move. Xbox Ally is the blueprint for the XSX successor.
I mean that once XSX library is made backwards compatible with XSX successor (rumoured it’s something they’re working on to be ready at launch) then that will effectively act as the same thing as 100% Play Anywhere coverage. Play Anywhere will effectively then become redundant as it’ll just be backwards compatible with everything by default.
Living room TV play. My PC is best suited for my desk, when I need mouse & keyboard and/or the most performance possible for ray traced games etc. but I also want to play games casually on my TV with a controller on a smaller, compact plug-and-play box. That’s the niche my XSX currently occupies and I’d like a successor device to continue that function.
Re: 'Subscription Price Increase' Tag Reportedly Added To Xbox Cloud Gaming Website
Could be eating these words by autumn, but I just don’t feel a price increase this year. I think it’ll be sometime next year instead. They’ve increased prices two years in a row, they do it yet again and they risk turning price hikes into an annual tradition in the eyes of customers. That won’t help Game Pass grow. Even with the transition to PC Game Pass is their only way to compete effectively with Steam and also capture the cloud market, so they’re gonna triple down on it. They desperately want that PC/cloud subscription growth and price rise will run counter to that goal. It’s a delicate balancing act, but I think a third price hike in as many years will damage the Game Pass brand. That’s why I think it’s more likely they’ll hold off until next year.
Re: Opinion: It Feels Like Microsoft Is Planning A Huge Final Year Of Xbox Series X|S In 2026
@Millionski as long as my XSX library is carried over to PC seamlessly then I don’t see a problem with Steam dominating from there on out. I’m very happy using Steam. I’m sure this XSX successor device that they’re working on will still have Quick Resume.
@TapeLoader that’s fine. It’d just serve as the living room counterpart to my custom built desktop PC. So as long as it fills the niche XSX currently does then that’s grand. Instead of ~10% Play Anywhere coverage we’d have 100% compatibility, which would be incredible. I’m absolutely okay with paying more upfront for the hardware once the mandatory online multiplayer fee is dropped, 100% Play Anywhere coverage is provided, and access to Steam is granted.
Re: Opinion: It Feels Like Microsoft Is Planning A Huge Final Year Of Xbox Series X|S In 2026
Final year before Microsoft permanently exits the console market. Weird thought.
Now that we know that the plan is to seamlessly transition everyone’s digital libraries over to the PC successor I’m totally fine with it.
In fact, I embrace it wholeheartedly. No more Game Pass Core mandatory fee. Sony published games on Xbox. Steam! What a time to be alive and with disposable income.
I was horrified at the direction that Xbox was heading in, but now Phil Spencer may just be a 4D chess genius. I suppose it’s all in the execution though. If the transition isn’t seamless enough then this could still all end in tears.
Re: PS5 Execs Questioned About Xbox 'Moving Away From Console' In Official Sony Interview
@Titntin XSX runs a modified Windows already, not sure how that affects the licensing side of things but if any company can solve this issue it’s Microsoft. They have enough resources to throw at the problem!
Re: PS5 Execs Questioned About Xbox 'Moving Away From Console' In Official Sony Interview
@Titntin oh I fully agree the current Play Anywhere system is entirely insufficient. I just hope it’s merely a stopgap solution before they roll out full backwards compatibility for all Xbox games on the XSX successor PC. If their plan is to rely on the current implementation of Play Anywhere only then I don’t think that’s acceptable for long time Xbox customers.
Re: Eight Games I Can't Wait To Play On The ROG Xbox Ally Handheld
@IOI This one has Z2 Extreme chip with Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5, a notable upgrade from Z1 Extreme that ROG Ally uses that has Zen 4 and RDNA 3.0. Newer tech equals better power efficiency. If I personally were in the handheld market looking for options (I’m not because I just got a Switch 2) I’d definitely get the Xbox one for that reason!
Re: PS5 Execs Questioned About Xbox 'Moving Away From Console' In Official Sony Interview
I think they are moving away from console. I was sceptical of the Steam rumours on XSX successor at first, but the showcase last weekend convinced me that those rumours are the real deal. They were focused almost entirely on PC throughout that show. Writing is on the wall. Console is dead. That would entirely explain their recent multi platform pivot too with no need for platform exclusives anymore. The great thing is though that unlike Sega, Microsoft have the ability to seamlessly transition all their console customers over to PC. That’s what they need to do. If the successor to XSX is a PC running this optimised gaming Windows UI then that’s genuinely great, but it absolutely needs full backwards compatibility to be a success. Our digital libraries need to carry forward to PC once this transition is complete, no ifs no buts - no Play Anywhere only caveats. We just have to hope that Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond are aware just how important a seamless transition is for existing Xbox customers.
Re: ROG Xbox Ally Gets Price & Release Date Info In 'Exclusive' Report
I suspect from Microsoft’s perspective this is effectively a beta test of the XSX successor software, as well as future Xbox branded handhelds.
Re: Xbox First-Party Handheld Plans 'Essentially Cancelled', Claims Report
@TheGiraffe XSX (and XBO) run on a streamlined version of Windows so it shouldn’t be too difficult. Easier than getting 360/OG games working on the XBO back in the day and they managed that!
Re: Xbox First-Party Handheld Plans 'Essentially Cancelled', Claims Report
If this isn’t a clear signal that Microsoft are exiting the console market to consolidate on the PC gaming Windows market then I don’t know what is. As long as we can carry all of our console digital libraries across to the XSX spiritual successor PC then I’m totally fine with this. Backwards compatibility is absolutely vital though, can’t stress that enough.
Re: ASUS Explains Why The ROG Xbox Ally Doesn't Have An OLED Screen
Lenovo Legion Go 2 uses 144Hz OLED VRR display. Will be interesting to see how battery life and price compares between the two, given this statement.
Re: Poll: What Were Your Top 5 Reveals At The Xbox Games Showcase 2025?
Keeper, Planet of Lana 2, High on Life 2, Clockwork Revolution, No Ghosts at the Grand were my personal highlights.
The new handheld hardware is obviously interesting too, even if I have no intention of buying one.
Re: Five Reasons Why I'm Incredibly Excited For The ROG Xbox Ally Handheld
I’ve just upgraded to Switch 2 and my problem is I don’t really travel often enough to justify investing in more than one handheld at a time. It’s why I held off buying Steam Deck OLED, even though I was very tempted. I don’t want to lug around two handhelds with accessories with me, just one takes up enough space in a backpack or suitcase! A generational leap over Switch 2 would certainly tempt me, but by that time Nintendo will probably have a Switch 2 OLED Pro model on the market.
Re: Talking Point: How Much Do You Think The ROG Xbox Ally Will Cost?
£599 and £799 are safe bets looking at the 2024 model’s RRPs, which is exactly that. Inflation might mean they cost a bit more though. £699 and £999 wouldn’t surprise me, hopefully not though. Their biggest competiton is definitely the £479 (512GB) and £569 (1TB) Steam Deck OLED models, I’m sure Microsoft is aware of that.
Re: Xbox Officially Has Its First $80 Game, And It Won't Be The Last
On the bright side, no price hike for UK. £70 is already expensive enough though of course.
Re: No, The ROG Xbox Ally Handheld Doesn't Play Native Console Games
Not yet. We know the rumours are that they’re working behind the scenes to make this a non-issue on the XSX successor. That will be essentially what this handheld is, except also able to play my entire back catalogue of Xbox games. I’m a believer now, I think the evidence to support all the rumours floating around is simply getting too strong to ignore. It’s happening. Xbox is transitioning from a console brand to a PC brand.
I liked the emphasis on Play Anywhere in this showcase. Support has been very lacklustre up until now, but if Microsoft are putting more effort into convincing more publishers to jump on board then that can only be a good thing.
Re: Full Specs Revealed For Both Versions Of The 2025 Xbox Handheld
@TapeLoader if it’s anything like Series X then it’ll be well designed, compact hardware. You have to compare against mini-ITX components and cases in the DIY market and those are more expensive and a lot trickier to assemble than typical ATX PCs. So there’s still a big advantage to having such a device made by Microsoft I think personally. No it’s not going to beat the DIY market on performance per [regional currency] but it will offer convenience and plug and play - more akin to traditional consoles we have today. There’s value in that!
Re: Reaction: Xbox Games Showcase 2025 Was Just OK, But Next Year Should Be Amazing
I’ve commented on other articles that they were hinting pretty damn hard that all the PC merging rumours are true. They were really emphasising the PC side of their business in this showcase and boasting about Steam support on their new handheld. To me that tells me so much about their vision for the future of Xbox brand - and it looks amazing! It’s basically just PC, but with XSX backwards compatibility and controller friendly UI. Sounds like a dream come true. That alone was exciting enough for me.
Then the game announcements were good. Nothing mind blowing, but Keeper is definitely looking super cool and my personal favourite of the show. Planet of Lana 2 is a nice surprise too! Also surprised by High on Life 2, nice to see it’s a Game Pass inclusion. That musical game that looked like power wash simulator on drugs with the talking cat was super unique and interesting, in a good way!
Re: Full Specs Revealed For Both Versions Of The 2025 Xbox Handheld
@TapeLoader Yeah but the Series X successor is rumoured not to be a true console either. It's just a PC with a console-like UI layered on top of Windows. Essentially exactly what this handheld PC is going to be. Except it's also rumoured to be able to play the XSX console library too and I think that's an absolutely essential feature so that current Xbox players don't get completely f***** over by this transition. Yep, you're right, I fully agree that it won't be subsidised hardware anymore. So it's going to cost a lot, just like gaming PCs do today.
Re: Full Specs Revealed For Both Versions Of The 2025 Xbox Handheld
@themightyant they way they talked on the stream about how Xbox vision includes other storefronts now, how they were hyping up Play Anywhere at every opportunity, how Steam is literally directly integrated into the UI of this controller-optimised Windows handheld. It’s all there, all the pieces falling into place, it’s so obvious to me now. Those rumours are legit. I’m a full believer now. This reveal of the handhelds and the tone of the showcase confirms everything, in my view. What an exciting vision for Xbox! I’m so fully on board with merging Xbox and Steam into one super platform to rule them all.
Re: High On Life 2 Launches Day One On Xbox Game Pass This Winter
I didn’t expect a sequel so soon, it’s just a two year gap from the original. It’s on Game Pass so I’ll definitely check it out!
Re: Full Specs Revealed For Both Versions Of The 2025 Xbox Handheld
I’ve read the blog post. Steam is directly integrated into the Xbox UI. It’s not accessed via some hacky sideload nonsense. This essentially confirms all the rumours that the successor to XSX will support Steam too. And it’s not just a side thought, it’s front and centre feature. This is their vision for future Xbox, it’s basically just a PC optimised for controller play. Sounds absolutely brilliant honestly! Incredibly exciting!
Re: Here's Everything That Was Revealed At The Xbox Games Showcase 2025
I think the most interesting thing overall was the Xbox handheld. I’ve read the blog post. Steam is directly integrated into the Xbox UI. It’s not accessed via some hacky sideload nonsense. This essentially confirms all the rumours that the successor to XSX will support Steam too. And it’s not just a side thought, it’s front and centre feature. This is their vision for Xbox, it’s basically just a PC optimised for controller play. Sounds absolutely brilliant honestly! Incredibly exciting!
For the games, Keeper was easily my personal highlight.
Re: Xbox Game Pass Is Being Treated To 'Planet Of Lana 2' In 2026
I never expected this to get a sequel but I’m very happy it is! Lovely game
Re: Double Fine Is Back With 'Keeper' For Xbox Game Pass, Coming This October
This looks so good! I love the art style. Super cool. I’m hyped. Psychonauts 2 was so good, I know Double Fine can deliver. This was easily the highlight of the show for me personally.
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade The Xbox Games Showcase 2025?
Keeper was definitely my personal highlight. Double Fine are awesome, been waiting for a game from them for ages! The art style looks phenomenal!
Re: Last Chance! What Are Your Final Hopes For The Xbox Games Showcase 2025?
Double Fine game, Everwild, and Fable
Re: Roundup: All The Xbox Reveals From Summer Game Fest 2025
They launched Lies of P: Overture the same weekend as Switch 2! Plus I also just upgraded my PC with a brand new CPU/motherboard/RAM combo last night. Oh what an absolutely bonkers stacked weekend! And there’s still the Xbox showcase too!
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade The Summer Game Fest 2025 Showcase?
Shadow drop Lies of P: Overture and announcing Code Vein 2? That’s enough for an automatic A from me. I’m a colossal soulslike fan so both of these announcements are right up my alley. I’m well happy ❤️
Re: Lies Of P: Overture Just Shadow Dropped, Available On Xbox Today
Did I die and end up in gaming heaven? How did I deserve such fine, succulent gaming news? This is wonderful, simply wonderful. Yes I’ve already bought it using the Microsoft Rewards points that I’ve been saving up just for this occasion! Lies of P was my favourite game of 2023 and easily my favourite soulslike besides only From Software’s very own output. This will be great, I just know it!
Re: Bandai Namco Announces Code Vein 2, Heading To Xbox In 2026
They announced both this and surprise launched Lies of P: Overture? Best SGF ever! Was this made for me personally? Code Vein had its flaws for sure, but I’ve been hoping for a sequel for years, as it felt so unique amongst the soulslikes to me and I think there’s so much potential for improvements to the formula. I enjoyed the original and am buzzing for a sequel 🥳
Re: Lies Of P: Overture Will Seemingly Shadow Drop On Xbox This Weekend
I am so ready!
Well, sort of.
I’m currently playing Horizon: Forbidden West so will have to juggle between the two.
Also Switch 2 just came out.
There’s so much to do!
It’s a good problem to have 😁
Re: Our Predictions For The 2025 Xbox Games Showcase
Lies of P: Overture has just been rumoured for a surprise drop during the showcase on Sunday. There’s a screenshot floating around Reddit and Twitter from a supposedly leaked trailer. Looks pretty legit! 👀
Re: Xbox Is Giving Away Deathloop For Free, But Only The PC Version
Until they actually merge these two platforms, calling both PC and XSX the ‘Xbox’ is messy.
Free Xbox game? Nice! Oh no wait, this free Xbox game can’t be played on your Xbox, sorry…
Everything is an Xbox, but not all Xboxes can play Xbox games 🤔
Re: Surprise! Black Myth: Wukong Finally Has A Release Date For Xbox
It’s very suspiciously coincidental timing of release, being exactly one year after the PS5 version… 🤔
Let’s just hope they’ve used the extra year to improve console optimisation. Let’s not be frame generating from a base 30fps for performance mode please. Hope they can hit 60fps natively,
Re: Xbox Seems To Have Officially Renamed Its Platform For PC Games
They need to be careful about the marketing message on this. Until they actually get Xbox games working on Windows then this could sow much confusion. The average person will wonder why they can't access their full game library on their Xbox handheld.
Re: Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (June 3)
Crypt Custodian is a lovely little game. I played it on Switch last year. Highly recommended!
Re: Xbox Should Have Expected PS5 Sale Before Increasing Series X|S Prices, Says Journalist
@Millionski that’s a very good point! Though there’s no getting around the hardware R&D, so they’re gonna need to sell enough to make a return on that investment - custom SOCs aren’t cheap!
Re: Xbox Quietly Releases New 4TB Expansion Card For Series X|S
Cheaper to buy a PS5, oof
I bought a 1TB card back in 2021 and that’ll just have to do, as I’ve absolutely no interest in upgrading for these outlandish prices. Also we need to know whether these will actually work with the next hardware generation because if they don’t then that’s going to be a very expensive paperweight after just 2-3 years!
I sure hope they maintain backwards compatibility for these cards with the next Xbox.
Re: Xbox Should Have Expected PS5 Sale Before Increasing Series X|S Prices, Says Journalist
@Millionski sorry I’m gonna have to disagree there! There’s all the software R&D needed to get Xbox games working on Windows from both technical & licensing standpoints and also the work needed to develop a controller-friendly UI for that OS while still preserving core PC functionality. That’s not a simple problem! Then there’s the hardware R&D needed for developing a very powerful custom SOC. They’ve been hyping up the hardware power of this device that’s apparently also going to have loads of AI-powered bells and whistles. That’s not cheap to develop. Valve could count on sales from Steam to subsidise Steam Deck, but Microsoft won’t have that option as Steam is also the dominant games storefront on Windows too.
Re: Xbox Should Have Expected PS5 Sale Before Increasing Series X|S Prices, Says Journalist
They clearly don’t care about moving console units anymore. XSX is left on life support and they’re itching to pull the plug.
This could easily backfire though as the next Xbox probably will also struggle to sell well, given the massive decline in mindshare the brand is currently taking. Doesn’t matter if it’s just a custom PC as it still needs to sell enough to provide a return on the R&D investment.
Re: Talking Point: Are You Interested In This Week's New FromSoftware Release?
Elden Ring is my favourite game of all time. I’m not buying this at launch though, as I’m waiting for duo support to be added. From Software really missed an opportunity with this. If only it had two player support I’d be there on day one. I know I’m not alone in this stance, they’ve limited their audience by making it three player only.
Re: PSA: You Can Now Redeem Custom Xbox Gift Card Amounts Via Microsoft Rewards
@Ricky-Spanish Completely agree! It was always a bit of a hassle having excess account credit that would expire after 90 days. Now I can redeem only what I need, it’s a great update.