Cakefish

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.

I suspect from Microsoft’s perspective this is effectively a beta test of the XSX successor software, as well as future Xbox branded handhelds.

@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.

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.

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.

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.

On the bright side, no price hike for UK. £70 is already expensive enough though of course.

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 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!

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.

I never expected this to get a sequel but I’m very happy it is! Lovely game

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.

Keeper was definitely my personal highlight. Double Fine are awesome, been waiting for a game from them for ages! The art style looks phenomenal!

Double Fine game, Everwild, and Fable

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 🥳

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 😁

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! 👀

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 🤔

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.

Crypt Custodian is a lovely little game. I played it on Switch last year. Highly recommended!

@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!

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.

@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.

@Ricky-Spanish I’ve been able to redeem custom amounts for a while now too. They rolled it out to Insiders months ago, I was able to redeem a £13 voucher back in February. It’s been in testing for a long time.

I would if I could, but I already own it!

No, I’m getting Switch 2 so that’s enough handheld for me for this year. Will potentially be interested in the official Xbox produced one (depends how it shapes up to Steam Deck 2).

It’s amazing how low my hype is for Nightreign considering Elden Ring is my favourite game of all time. They really dropped the ball by not supporting duo play in their co-op focused game. I’ve heard they’re considering adding two player support post-launch and that’s when I’ll probably pick it up.

I finished Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered this week! And so now I’ve moved onto Forbidden West. It has a slow start just like the first game, I’ve played 4 hours and only just got past the tutorial. I’m sure it’ll get more interesting as I continue just as the original did. It’s giving my RTX 3080 big issues though by constantly overfilling VRAM, turning textures down to high wasn’t enough so I’ve also had to disable FSR frame generation and turned shadows down to high. Really hope I don’t have to turn more settings down. 3080 is more powerful than PS5 Pro and I shouldn’t have to make these compromises. Stupid VRAM, ugh. On the brighter side this is the first game I’ve played that actually looks better in HDR than SDR on my HDR400 class IPS monitor so that was a pleasant surprise to be able to actually make use of HDR on PC for once.

Hmmm if we get an option to centre align them then it could look alright, but yeah this current implementation looks a bit awkward I agree.

It’s ridiculous that it’s controversial honestly. The most common argument for From Software games having no menu-selectable difficulty options is that this is Miyazaki and his team’s creative vision and people must respect that. Yet when another developer decides that their creative vision includes giving players difficulty options, suddenly that’s sacrilege and they must be burnt at the stake? Soulslike is my favourite genre, and Elden Ring is my favourite game of all time, but I hate this elitist mentality that is so prevalent in the community. Honestly I would have greatly appreciated difficulty modifiers when tackling Malenia and Promised Consort Radahn, but I respect From Software’s vision just as I respect Round8’s vision here. Lies of P was sublime and this news doesn’t reduce my hype level for Overture one little iota.

It’s great to see Split Fiction still doing well ❤️

@Titntin yeah 100% agree they absolutely need to get that right. All XSX games (including backwards compatible catalogue from prior gens) need to work on this new Xbox. That’s absolutely essential. Hopefully as Xbox has been using a modified Windows kernel since the Xbox One days this shouldn’t present too much of an issue for Microsoft.