So when you try to access the in-game UI does it default to Xbox or Steam? I presume Xbox. Is it possible to access the Steam in-game UI via controller though?
These will be relevant not only for the Xbox Ally but also the next home Xbox (yes I’m still a believer! 😅)
@Fiendish-Beaver nah Phil can’t get off the hook that easily. As far as I know Microsoft is not run like an absolute monarchy, I doubt Satya is micromanaging Xbox to the extent where he’s dictating exactly which studios will get culled. Those decisions will be on Phil and his executive team’s shoulders.
I can only hope the fact Double Fine announced their new game just a couple weeks ago means that they are safe.
How sad that we are even discussing this when Microsoft have been boasting of record-breaking Xbox revenue in their last quarterly report.
I played it on my PC due to the framerate issue. It looks far more cinematic running at ~60fps VRR than it does at locked 30fps on XSX. It’s a good thing they’re finally adding 60fps now, shame it arrived so late though.
@NishimuraX thing is though if they wanted to do a Sega, why not now? Why commit to a whole extra generation of hardware that’s doomed to be a Wii U level disaster? I don’t see the logic there. I think that they do definitely want to transition away from traditional consoles in favour of PC, but in a way that retains as much of their existing customer base as possible.
@TheGameThrifter Oh I agree that cloud streaming absolutely wouldn’t count as backwards compatibility as far as I’m concerned either. It needs to be running on local hardware for sure. I think they have given up on console honestly, but as long as the real deal offline backwards compatibility is in place then I personally don’t have an issue with this.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner we’re not really fully representative of the wider Xbox customer base though. The original did quite well on Xbox when it launched last year so I think the sequel would too!
@TheGameThrifter I think that Xbox is moving entirely to being an open platform, based on Windows. I think XSX is the last of the traditional closed platform consoles. Backwards compatibility has been confirmed by Microsoft already, thankfully.
@NishimuraX I don’t see how a traditional XSX2 can be viable in the current market. We’ve all seen the sales figures for XSX|S over the past few years, and they really aren’t pretty. I don’t see how XSX2 can avoid repeating the fate of the Wii U if it just attempts to offer more of the same. I think Microsoft needs to do something truly radical for Xbox to survive. I also think it’s telling that although these rumours have been circulating for many months now, Microsoft have made absolutely no attempt whatsoever to dampen the flames.
@TheGameThrifter I do think that the XSX successor will look like the Xbox Ally, running on Windows but with a streamlined gaming UI layered on top. Just with the hardware developed in-house rather than outsourced to Asus.
I do wonder what happened to Everwild. No disrespect to Sea of Thieves, but it sure would be nice to see Rare branch out and do something different for a change.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Xbox version comes alongside the PC version or if there’s an additional delay. Hopefully the former and they release both ports simultaneously.
It’s a bit disappointing they never gave the option to centre-align the tiles if you choose to reduce the number of them on the Home Screen. They look a bit odd clustered up on the left hand side, it creates an unbalanced aesthetic. As it currently is implemented I don’t think l I’ll use that feature. Hopefully they’ll give some more options in future.
Chicken and egg situation really. Microsoft has been actively encouraging this for years now. It’s not surprising to see the numbers play out when converting console gamers into windows PC gamers appears to have been their long term strategy all along.
I have both XSX and PC. I wholeheartedly welcome the upcoming merger of these two platforms. Best of both worlds: Steam, free online play, controller-friendly UI, and Quick Resume. Sounds wonderful to me.
@NishimuraX Yes I guess I am trying to will it into existence! I’ve been very critical and negative on the direction that Xbox has been heading in over the past year and a half. I’m aware that some of the community here have found that grating. Now that I finally have reason to be positive about the brand again it feels so good!
@Titntin like you I already have a PC, but I think this is perfect for me. This would allow me to access my Steam library on my TV via a controller-friendly interface. Play Anywhere theoretically already provides this kind of functionality, but in reality it really doesn’t because only 5-10% of the Xbox library supports it (it also doesn’t do anything for all the games that skip Xbox).
If they mean what I think they mean - then hell yeah! Backwards compatibility, Steam, and death of the mandatory online paywall - what’s not to like? It’s perfection, combining the best of PC and console into one ultimate gaming machine. It’s my dream product.
Horizon: Forbidden West. I recently upgraded my PC, so I got massively distracted by overclocking and undervolting, but after finding stable profiles for CPU & CPU I’m finally ready to get back into actual gaming again!
@NeoRatt if console and PC are still going to be treated as distinct entities then that’s really just continuation of the status quo, as XSX is already running a streamlined edition of Windows 11. So it would be a lot of hype over nothing. I want to see some real change, I want to see Steam on Xbox hardware as well as the death of the mandatory online multiplayer paywall.
Okay I’m confused again. Here we are with them referring to console as separate entities to PCs. I thought the whole point was everything was being unified under the Windows umbrella into one platform, but now they’re talking about multiple platforms here. That seems to contradict what Sarah Bond was saying. Great, just great. Imagine my crushing disappointment if all this turns out to be just poorly worded PR nonsense 😭
I’m tired, boss. My brain needs a rest from all this frustratingly vague marketing spiel.
It wouldn’t make sense to me to have Xbox handhelds which can freely access Steam and do not have an online multiplayer paywall, but then arbitrarily shackle the living room Xbox with relics of the past (closed ecosystem, subscription paywall). I know Microsoft is very fond of PR blunders and confusing marketing, but my god that would generate so much confusion for the public as to why one Xbox can’t offer the same functionality as the other Xbox. “All Xboxes are equals, but some are more equal than others” - is that really the plan here?
You could make the argument that’s the situation we’re in now and that’s certainly true. I believe we’re in an unfortunate awkward transition phase. I think new hardware presents the golden opportunity to standardise exactly what an Xbox is and what they can offer across the entire lineup of first party devices.
I said 2027 in the last poll, I still say 2027 now. It just makes the most sense to me. Zen 6 + UDNA architectures should be ready for mass production by that point, it gives Microsoft plenty of time to beta test the gaming-optimised version of Windows via the Xbox Ally, it still allows the XSX to have a full 7 years of primetime support, and it aligns with the rumoured PS6 launch timeframe which makes life easier for developers.
Backwards compatibility has been the biggest question for me since hearing about the PC transition, so it's just so lovely to have that reassurance so early on that my digital library is safe.
@Fiendish-Beaver yeah I agree, there will definitely be a reshuffling of Game Pass tiers to accommodate the merging of platforms. I really don’t know whether Game Pass can survive this transition, Microsoft will definitely invest significant resources into giving it the best chance of success possible though we can be sure of that. And yeah XSX|S will continue to exist for a long while as we know the cross gen period lasts many years, the window of overlap will be very lengthy. In terms of how many units the XSX successor needs to sell to be considered a success in Microsoft’s eyes, well I guess it needs to comfortably recoup the cost of R&D of the hardware at least. It’s gonna cost more than Steam Deck to produce and distribute so will need to sell more than that to be sustainable long term I think.
Lots of unknowns still, so many unanswered questions! It’s going to be very interesting to see how all this pans out over the next few years!
They’ve had a year to optimise performance, we shall see if they used that time wisely or if this port is as technically compromised as the PS5 version. The Digital Foundry video will be interesting.
@Fiendish-Beaver I can only speculate, but it’s possible they crunched the numbers on the past few years of console sales and realised that a closed-platform traditional Xbox console was no longer viable in the market. After all, if that hypothetical next Xbox sold Wii U numbers - which let’s face it isn’t a crazy prediction looking at the past few years of XSX sales - it would mean certain death for the platform. And with it the ~30 million or so console Game Pass subscribers, Microsoft’s flock of golden geese. So by consolidating with Windows, they can provide a sustainable hardware platform for these customers to seamlessly transition over to. Suddenly it doesn’t matter if the device sells Wii U numbers, because it relies on the considerably larger Windows development environment.
This is a long and very convoluted way of saying that maybe it wasn’t a choice that they made entirely voluntarily, but rather something they’ve been forced to concede on just to ensure that Xbox as a brand stays sustainable into the long term.
@WildConcept6 but that’s precisely the big deal. The final sentence where she says ‘making Windows the number one platform in gaming’. Not Windows and Xbox. Just Windows. That shows us that console will no longer be considered a separate platform, it’s all being brought under the Windows umbrella. XSX successor will look like the Xbox Ally where it runs a modified version of Windows optimised for gaming. That’s why this is such a bombshell announcement. Xbox is transitioning into a fully Windows-based platform.
@themightyant I’m a bit confused, but maybe I’m just misunderstanding you. Whether you purchase on Microsoft Store or Steam the end result will be the same - you can play the game on any Windows device. I guess if you mean XSX|S consoles then yeah, but why would anyone purchasing this new gen device keep their old console around when this one has been confirmed to have backwards compatibility?
@themightyant Steam is Play Anywhere by default though. Any device that can install the Steam client can run Steam games - unless OS combability issues get in the way, as is sometimes the case with Linux and especially Mac. You buy from Steam and you can play that game on your Xbox Ally or any desktop/laptop/handheld PC, and even your Steam Deck in the most cases. So Xbox Play Anywhere offers nothing that Steam doesn't already - except for cloud streaming.
@Fiendish-Beaver it's a good question but I'm guessing they finally realised that Steam OS poses an existential threat to Windows dominance in PC gaming, so they figured that having Steam on a Windows-based Xbox was preferable to a future where gaming moves over to Linux instead. They can still promote Game Pass on this Xbox PC, just as they do with XSX today. Finally, I think the hardware will not be subsidised and will be sold at profit from day one. It's going to cost a lot more upfront than XSX did (but not needing Game Pass Core and having Steam will make up for that from the customer's perspective).
@FatalBubbles @InterceptorAlpha yep, she 100% confirmed backwards compatibility in the announcement. Whether it's via hardware support or software emulation we don't know, but it is happening (which is great news!)
@Jenkinss I agree it’s full of superfluous marketing buzzwords, but that’s every Xbox statement these days. It worked on me though. As a customer I am indeed reassured. It confirms that the next Xbox runs Windows while still retaining backwards compatibility with the XSX library. Sounds like a dream come true to me!
@FraserG I appreciate you keeping a sensible level-head here 😅 and you’re right - it’s not official confirmation. But now we know that the next Xbox is indeed running Windows I just don’t see how this won’t run Steam, as if it’s completely locked down then how’s that any different to what we have now with Series X? And why would they give handhelds full-fat Windows but hamstring the flagship living room device with a crappy Windows-lite version? It wouldn’t make any sense to do that, the way I see it. I want to believe! I think Xbox Ally is the beta test for the OS of the XSX successor.
@FraserG she confirmed in the video that it runs Windows though and boasted about alternative storefronts, what else could she mean by that? If it runs Windows that means it’s a PC and that surely means it’s compatible with Steam. Am I going crazy? What else could this mean?
@Dm9982 she literally says that alternative storefronts will be supported and that this XSX successor runs Windows. So yeah! Steam! Incredible news to just suddenly drop on us like this out of nowhere. Why didn’t they announce this last week at the showcase?
This is amazing. Backwards compatibility confirmed! Steam confirmed! Am I dreaming?
I was so down on Xbox throughout last year but credit to Sarah and Phil, they’ve successfully righted the ship, even if there were quite a few questionable PR bumps along the way.
Wow future of Xbox is bright! Sony published games on Xbox hardware, what a world we’re soon gonna be living in!
@Medic_alert Yeah I watched Digital Foundry’s podcast on these handhelds today and they were super negative about the cheaper Z2 A model, simply because it has the same SOC as the almost 4 year old (by the time they launch in late ‘25) Steam Deck. And I have to agree, it’s going to age like milk. The one with the Z2 Extreme SOC should be much more capable though heading into the future.
@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.
Comments 1,183
Re: Here's Your First Look At Steam Games On The Xbox PC App
So when you try to access the in-game UI does it default to Xbox or Steam? I presume Xbox. Is it possible to access the Steam in-game UI via controller though?
These will be relevant not only for the Xbox Ally but also the next home Xbox (yes I’m still a believer! 😅)
Re: Imminent Xbox Layoffs Could Include Entire Studios, Warns Industry Veteran
@Fiendish-Beaver nah Phil can’t get off the hook that easily. As far as I know Microsoft is not run like an absolute monarchy, I doubt Satya is micromanaging Xbox to the extent where he’s dictating exactly which studios will get culled. Those decisions will be on Phil and his executive team’s shoulders.
I can only hope the fact Double Fine announced their new game just a couple weeks ago means that they are safe.
How sad that we are even discussing this when Microsoft have been boasting of record-breaking Xbox revenue in their last quarterly report.
Re: Imminent Xbox Layoffs Could Include Entire Studios, Warns Industry Veteran
Don’t you dare touch Double Fine Phil, don’t even think about it!
Re: Hellblade 2 To Receive Free 60FPS Xbox Upgrade Alongside PS5 Release This August
I played it on my PC due to the framerate issue. It looks far more cinematic running at ~60fps VRR than it does at locked 30fps on XSX. It’s a good thing they’re finally adding 60fps now, shame it arrived so late though.
Re: Two New Little Nightmares Games Are Coming To Xbox This October
I’m looking forward to this one. Intend to play coop with my brother.
Edit: friend pass! Very nice!
Re: Xbox Officially Adds Steam Integration Via New PC App Feature
@NishimuraX thing is though if they wanted to do a Sega, why not now? Why commit to a whole extra generation of hardware that’s doomed to be a Wii U level disaster? I don’t see the logic there. I think that they do definitely want to transition away from traditional consoles in favour of PC, but in a way that retains as much of their existing customer base as possible.
@TheGameThrifter Oh I agree that cloud streaming absolutely wouldn’t count as backwards compatibility as far as I’m concerned either. It needs to be running on local hardware for sure. I think they have given up on console honestly, but as long as the real deal offline backwards compatibility is in place then I personally don’t have an issue with this.
Re: Death Stranding 2 Debuts To Impressive Reviews Ahead Of Hopeful Xbox Release
@PsBoxSwitchOwner we’re not really fully representative of the wider Xbox customer base though. The original did quite well on Xbox when it launched last year so I think the sequel would too!
Re: Xbox Officially Adds Steam Integration Via New PC App Feature
@TheGameThrifter I think that Xbox is moving entirely to being an open platform, based on Windows. I think XSX is the last of the traditional closed platform consoles. Backwards compatibility has been confirmed by Microsoft already, thankfully.
@NishimuraX I don’t see how a traditional XSX2 can be viable in the current market. We’ve all seen the sales figures for XSX|S over the past few years, and they really aren’t pretty. I don’t see how XSX2 can avoid repeating the fate of the Wii U if it just attempts to offer more of the same. I think Microsoft needs to do something truly radical for Xbox to survive. I also think it’s telling that although these rumours have been circulating for many months now, Microsoft have made absolutely no attempt whatsoever to dampen the flames.
Re: Xbox Officially Adds Steam Integration Via New PC App Feature
@TheGameThrifter I do think that the XSX successor will look like the Xbox Ally, running on Windows but with a streamlined gaming UI layered on top. Just with the hardware developed in-house rather than outsourced to Asus.
Re: With The Summer Showcase Over, Xbox Is Now Focusing On Gamescom 2025
I do wonder what happened to Everwild. No disrespect to Sea of Thieves, but it sure would be nice to see Rare branch out and do something different for a change.
Re: Death Stranding 2 Debuts To Impressive Reviews Ahead Of Hopeful Xbox Release
It’ll be interesting to see if the Xbox version comes alongside the PC version or if there’s an additional delay. Hopefully the former and they release both ports simultaneously.
Re: Here's What's Included In The Xbox June 2025 Update
It’s a bit disappointing they never gave the option to centre-align the tiles if you choose to reduce the number of them on the Home Screen. They look a bit odd clustered up on the left hand side, it creates an unbalanced aesthetic. As it currently is implemented I don’t think l I’ll use that feature. Hopefully they’ll give some more options in future.
Re: Xbox Officially Adds Steam Integration Via New PC App Feature
If this isn’t evidence of Steam on next Xbox I don’t know what is 👀
I think the strategy is to piggyback off Valve’s success. It’s a way to conveniently advertise Game Pass to Steam users.
If you can’t beat them, join them. That sort of thinking.
Yeah I did just copy-paste my comment on the other article here, but it’s definitely relevant here too! 😅
Re: Don't Like The New Xbox Game Hubs? Here's How To Turn Them Off
I kinda like them honestly, reminds me of the Steam UI in a way, which might be where they got the inspiration from!
But it’s good that we get the option to disable them if we want.
Re: Here's What's Included In The Xbox June 2025 Update
If this isn’t evidence of Steam on next Xbox I don’t know what is 👀
I think the strategy is to piggyback off Valve’s success. It’s a way to conveniently advertise Game Pass to Steam users.
If you can’t beat them, join them. That sort of thinking.
Re: Xbox Data Shows 'Most' Console Owners Are Playing On Other Devices As Well, Says Exec
Chicken and egg situation really. Microsoft has been actively encouraging this for years now. It’s not surprising to see the numbers play out when converting console gamers into windows PC gamers appears to have been their long term strategy all along.
I have both XSX and PC. I wholeheartedly welcome the upcoming merger of these two platforms. Best of both worlds: Steam, free online play, controller-friendly UI, and Quick Resume. Sounds wonderful to me.
Re: Talking Point: Have This Month's Announcements Made You Excited About Xbox Again?
@NishimuraX Yes I guess I am trying to will it into existence! I’ve been very critical and negative on the direction that Xbox has been heading in over the past year and a half. I’m aware that some of the community here have found that grating. Now that I finally have reason to be positive about the brand again it feels so good!
@Titntin like you I already have a PC, but I think this is perfect for me. This would allow me to access my Steam library on my TV via a controller-friendly interface. Play Anywhere theoretically already provides this kind of functionality, but in reality it really doesn’t because only 5-10% of the Xbox library supports it (it also doesn’t do anything for all the games that skip Xbox).
Re: Talking Point: Have This Month's Announcements Made You Excited About Xbox Again?
If they mean what I think they mean - then hell yeah! Backwards compatibility, Steam, and death of the mandatory online paywall - what’s not to like? It’s perfection, combining the best of PC and console into one ultimate gaming machine. It’s my dream product.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 21-22)
Horizon: Forbidden West. I recently upgraded my PC, so I got massively distracted by overclocking and undervolting, but after finding stable profiles for CPU & CPU I’m finally ready to get back into actual gaming again!
Re: Xbox & AMD Are 'Delivering On A Promise' By Making Existing Libraries Work On Next-Gen
@NeoRatt that’s how I interpreted Sarah Bond’s statement too, so I certainly hope that’s how it pans out!
Re: Xbox & AMD Are 'Delivering On A Promise' By Making Existing Libraries Work On Next-Gen
@NeoRatt if console and PC are still going to be treated as distinct entities then that’s really just continuation of the status quo, as XSX is already running a streamlined edition of Windows 11. So it would be a lot of hype over nothing. I want to see some real change, I want to see Steam on Xbox hardware as well as the death of the mandatory online multiplayer paywall.
Re: Xbox & AMD Are 'Delivering On A Promise' By Making Existing Libraries Work On Next-Gen
@FraserG
Re: Xbox & AMD Are 'Delivering On A Promise' By Making Existing Libraries Work On Next-Gen
Okay I’m confused again. Here we are with them referring to console as separate entities to PCs. I thought the whole point was everything was being unified under the Windows umbrella into one platform, but now they’re talking about multiple platforms here. That seems to contradict what Sarah Bond was saying. Great, just great. Imagine my crushing disappointment if all this turns out to be just poorly worded PR nonsense 😭
I’m tired, boss. My brain needs a rest from all this frustratingly vague marketing spiel.
Re: Reaction: Xbox's Next-Gen News Is Exciting, But It Also Leaves More Questions Than Answers
It wouldn’t make sense to me to have Xbox handhelds which can freely access Steam and do not have an online multiplayer paywall, but then arbitrarily shackle the living room Xbox with relics of the past (closed ecosystem, subscription paywall). I know Microsoft is very fond of PR blunders and confusing marketing, but my god that would generate so much confusion for the public as to why one Xbox can’t offer the same functionality as the other Xbox. “All Xboxes are equals, but some are more equal than others” - is that really the plan here?
You could make the argument that’s the situation we’re in now and that’s certainly true. I believe we’re in an unfortunate awkward transition phase. I think new hardware presents the golden opportunity to standardise exactly what an Xbox is and what they can offer across the entire lineup of first party devices.
Re: Poll: When Do You Think Xbox's Next-Gen Console Is Coming Out?
I said 2027 in the last poll, I still say 2027 now. It just makes the most sense to me. Zen 6 + UDNA architectures should be ready for mass production by that point, it gives Microsoft plenty of time to beta test the gaming-optimised version of Windows via the Xbox Ally, it still allows the XSX to have a full 7 years of primetime support, and it aligns with the rumoured PS6 launch timeframe which makes life easier for developers.
Re: With Its Next Console, Xbox Is Making A Big Commitment To Backwards Compatibility
I love to see it.
Backwards compatibility has been the biggest question for me since hearing about the PC transition, so it's just so lovely to have that reassurance so early on that my digital library is safe.
Re: PS5's Stellar Blade Could Move To Switch 2, But What About Xbox?
I plan to buy it on Steam soon (just need to finish Horizon: Forbidden West first), but I absolutely would buy it on Xbox if it were available!
It is going to be so nice to not have to worry about such things once Xbox transitions to Windows and these problems no longer exist.
Re: Xbox Emphasises That Its Next-Gen Devices 'Aren't Locked To A Single Store'
@Fiendish-Beaver yeah I agree, there will definitely be a reshuffling of Game Pass tiers to accommodate the merging of platforms. I really don’t know whether Game Pass can survive this transition, Microsoft will definitely invest significant resources into giving it the best chance of success possible though we can be sure of that. And yeah XSX|S will continue to exist for a long while as we know the cross gen period lasts many years, the window of overlap will be very lengthy. In terms of how many units the XSX successor needs to sell to be considered a success in Microsoft’s eyes, well I guess it needs to comfortably recoup the cost of R&D of the hardware at least. It’s gonna cost more than Steam Deck to produce and distribute so will need to sell more than that to be sustainable long term I think.
Lots of unknowns still, so many unanswered questions! It’s going to be very interesting to see how all this pans out over the next few years!
Re: Black Myth: Wukong Pre-Orders Now Live On Xbox, With A 20% Launch Discount
They’ve had a year to optimise performance, we shall see if they used that time wisely or if this port is as technically compromised as the PS5 version. The Digital Foundry video will be interesting.
Re: Xbox Emphasises That Its Next-Gen Devices 'Aren't Locked To A Single Store'
@Fiendish-Beaver I can only speculate, but it’s possible they crunched the numbers on the past few years of console sales and realised that a closed-platform traditional Xbox console was no longer viable in the market. After all, if that hypothetical next Xbox sold Wii U numbers - which let’s face it isn’t a crazy prediction looking at the past few years of XSX sales - it would mean certain death for the platform. And with it the ~30 million or so console Game Pass subscribers, Microsoft’s flock of golden geese. So by consolidating with Windows, they can provide a sustainable hardware platform for these customers to seamlessly transition over to. Suddenly it doesn’t matter if the device sells Wii U numbers, because it relies on the considerably larger Windows development environment.
This is a long and very convoluted way of saying that maybe it wasn’t a choice that they made entirely voluntarily, but rather something they’ve been forced to concede on just to ensure that Xbox as a brand stays sustainable into the long term.
Re: Xbox Emphasises That Its Next-Gen Devices 'Aren't Locked To A Single Store'
@WildConcept6 but that’s precisely the big deal. The final sentence where she says ‘making Windows the number one platform in gaming’. Not Windows and Xbox. Just Windows. That shows us that console will no longer be considered a separate platform, it’s all being brought under the Windows umbrella. XSX successor will look like the Xbox Ally where it runs a modified version of Windows optimised for gaming. That’s why this is such a bombshell announcement. Xbox is transitioning into a fully Windows-based platform.
Re: Xbox Announces Next-Gen Console Strategy, Promises 'Deeper Visuals' & Backwards Compatibility
@themightyant I’m a bit confused, but maybe I’m just misunderstanding you. Whether you purchase on Microsoft Store or Steam the end result will be the same - you can play the game on any Windows device. I guess if you mean XSX|S consoles then yeah, but why would anyone purchasing this new gen device keep their old console around when this one has been confirmed to have backwards compatibility?
Re: Xbox Announces Next-Gen Console Strategy, Promises 'Deeper Visuals' & Backwards Compatibility
@themightyant Steam is Play Anywhere by default though. Any device that can install the Steam client can run Steam games - unless OS combability issues get in the way, as is sometimes the case with Linux and especially Mac. You buy from Steam and you can play that game on your Xbox Ally or any desktop/laptop/handheld PC, and even your Steam Deck in the most cases. So Xbox Play Anywhere offers nothing that Steam doesn't already - except for cloud streaming.
Re: Xbox Emphasises That Its Next-Gen Devices 'Aren't Locked To A Single Store'
@Fiendish-Beaver it's a good question but I'm guessing they finally realised that Steam OS poses an existential threat to Windows dominance in PC gaming, so they figured that having Steam on a Windows-based Xbox was preferable to a future where gaming moves over to Linux instead. They can still promote Game Pass on this Xbox PC, just as they do with XSX today. Finally, I think the hardware will not be subsidised and will be sold at profit from day one. It's going to cost a lot more upfront than XSX did (but not needing Game Pass Core and having Steam will make up for that from the customer's perspective).
Re: Xbox Emphasises That Its Next-Gen Devices 'Aren't Locked To A Single Store'
@FatalBubbles @InterceptorAlpha yep, she 100% confirmed backwards compatibility in the announcement. Whether it's via hardware support or software emulation we don't know, but it is happening (which is great news!)
Re: Xbox Announces Next-Gen Console Strategy, Promises 'Deeper Visuals' & Backwards Compatibility
@Jenkinss I agree it’s full of superfluous marketing buzzwords, but that’s every Xbox statement these days. It worked on me though. As a customer I am indeed reassured. It confirms that the next Xbox runs Windows while still retaining backwards compatibility with the XSX library. Sounds like a dream come true to me!
Re: Xbox Announces Next-Gen Console Strategy, Promises 'Deeper Visuals' & Backwards Compatibility
@FraserG I appreciate you keeping a sensible level-head here 😅 and you’re right - it’s not official confirmation. But now we know that the next Xbox is indeed running Windows I just don’t see how this won’t run Steam, as if it’s completely locked down then how’s that any different to what we have now with Series X? And why would they give handhelds full-fat Windows but hamstring the flagship living room device with a crappy Windows-lite version? It wouldn’t make any sense to do that, the way I see it. I want to believe! I think Xbox Ally is the beta test for the OS of the XSX successor.
Re: Xbox Announces Next-Gen Console Strategy, Promises 'Deeper Visuals' & Backwards Compatibility
@FraserG she confirmed in the video that it runs Windows though and boasted about alternative storefronts, what else could she mean by that? If it runs Windows that means it’s a PC and that surely means it’s compatible with Steam. Am I going crazy? What else could this mean?
Re: Xbox Announces Next-Gen Console Strategy, Promises 'Deeper Visuals' & Backwards Compatibility
@Dm9982 she literally says that alternative storefronts will be supported and that this XSX successor runs Windows. So yeah! Steam! Incredible news to just suddenly drop on us like this out of nowhere. Why didn’t they announce this last week at the showcase?
Re: Xbox Announces Next-Gen Console Strategy, Promises 'Deeper Visuals' & Backwards Compatibility
This is amazing. Backwards compatibility confirmed! Steam confirmed! Am I dreaming?
I was so down on Xbox throughout last year but credit to Sarah and Phil, they’ve successfully righted the ship, even if there were quite a few questionable PR bumps along the way.
Wow future of Xbox is bright! Sony published games on Xbox hardware, what a world we’re soon gonna be living in!
Re: ROG Xbox Ally Release Window Verified By Major Outlet, But Questions Remain Over Price
@Medic_alert Yeah I watched Digital Foundry’s podcast on these handhelds today and they were super negative about the cheaper Z2 A model, simply because it has the same SOC as the almost 4 year old (by the time they launch in late ‘25) Steam Deck. And I have to agree, it’s going to age like milk. The one with the Z2 Extreme SOC should be much more capable though heading into the future.
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.