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Probably clearing the warehouse before imminent mid-generation refresh (I'm sure MS will offer an alternative to PS5 Pro, even if it was not their Plan A).

In retrospect, most annoying and confusing thing about this whole situation is how fast it is happening. MS held their new strategy podcast days ago, and games are already releasing. This means MS has decided on going multiplatform at least 9 months ago, probably year. They just delayed making it known to their users until ultra last minute.

While I think they should have done it and everybody deserves to be able to get their own dosage of democracy, Phil knows why it's not on Xbox. Same reason he is taking 4 old and on decline live service or smaller games to PS5, not heavy hitters at their peak.

Great news. I'll be playing it on PS Plus (as I only have pleb XSS), but it's a way bigger addition/better game then it is getting credit for.

@Sakai I don't have any issues with either console when not running a game (typically, I even dock Switch to wired connection if I start a download while not actively playing).
But turning on a console, getting notified there is a 10 GB patch for a game I want to play, and then not being able to play anything else while I wait (as it'll tank the speed) is ridiculous. I have no idea how that ever passed QA at MS.

@Sakai @GeeEssEff @Shushibda personally, without game running neither of the consoles ever experienced slow download speeds for me. Rather they all max my internet connection. But Xbox, while running a game at the same time, is just bizarre (it sometimes drops to 1,5 Mb/s, that is a lowercase b).

In anticipation of upcoming Thursday, I'd be surprised if there wasn't a mob of journalists in front of Xbox offices waiting for Phil's assistant to go out and get a sandwich.. so they can over-analyze the future of Xbox from the type of mustard Phil takes 2 days before a podcast.

Finally (if true)!! Background download speeds has been one of my biggest complaints when it comes to XSS (followed by Quick resume flakiness).

@Banjo- if they announce or even mention new console in any way, this early in lifespan of Series consoles, that would be basically waving the white flag and admitting defeat.
I don't see that happening. (Pro type of console I don't consider new)

Microsoft is handling this so poorly..
Currently, I'm listening to Old Gods of Asgard and imagining Alan Wake writing scenario for Xbox business update event. That is how bad it is!

Time to bookmark this page...

Not many ways MS could have handled the situation worse. Real case study level of incompetence. Unless it's actually gonna end up being worse than the leaks, so Phil is waiting for copium to settle, before part 2..

@R1spam honestly, I had my Series S set for sale once my current (converted) GP is up. This whole MS dropping hardware thing is just going to lower the second hand market price, but hopefully it's not my problem by then.
And just as you, I see Rog Ally (successor) in my future

I sort of hope Sony follows suit and abandons exclusivity. Maybe first hitting their own hardware before optimizing for PC/Xbox, but yeah, death to platform locks.
That will leave Nintendo though, which will probably go extinct before they open up to other companies hardware..

What is going to be interesting is if these games end up joining PS Plus at some point (as most older Bethesda games have). I'm sure MS is making a hefty sum out of those installs and probably won't mind it... but internet will be on "fire".

Microsoft needs to address this today, before firm opinions are formed. Everybody has their own interpretation of what these leaks mean and Xbox should provide guidance before those settle in.

@Banjo- technically they don't have the OS, as Windows has proven to be challenging when it comes to slimming down and optimizing. But if anybody could have resources and know-how to pull it off, it would be MS.

Seems to me like a more viable option would be Windows competitor to SteamOS and hardware certification program for Game Pass. They practically already did the endorsement/certification for Rog Ally, why not make it a thing (MS is not looking into producing hardware as a primary driver anyway).

@Sol4ris while I'm totally with you on Sony being just as greedy, and I'm sure they'll follow suit as soon as they feel they can without too much backlash, PS5 Slim actually streamlines production and does not lock anybody out of physical copies (notable improvement compared to previous 2 SKU offering).

That adorably all digital XSX just around the corner with Ubisoft classics..
Seriously though, I wouldn't care about physical medium as much if I was able to backup my digital game and restore it WITHOUT network service running. But as it stands right now, buying digital vs physical is just not getting you the same product.

Some real bangers in that list.. I'm sure MS is gonna add few unannounced games through the month though.

@Markatron84 that shot is exactly why I mentioned that. I mean, do they think other developers are not proud of their work?

I'm in a serious minority here, but it didn't quite work for me. End of the day, it's just 4 (5) games, when Nintendo chews through 20 games per show (understandably not first party).
It also didn't really get me excited for anything new, as developer-testifying marketing doesn't do it for me (close shot, talking to the camera about how your game is amazing piece of art).
I'll be checking Hellblade 2 and Indy, but I would have done that either way.

Big license, I happen to love Indiana Jones. Seems like they got a lot right and first-person perspective could work (fistfights have epic potential). However, I really hope it avoids being a predominantly stealth game. It wouldn't be character-accurate, but ideally, it ends up being way more action-oriented.
Uncharted comparisons are unavoidable I guess, and I would prefer it to follow the pace of those games (as over the years they went from unlicenced poor copies of Indiana Jones to the synonym for ruins exploration genre of approximately the same name value and weight).
I just don't want this game to be a series of Mary Jane Watson missions as nobody in their right mind wants that.

Really looking forward to Hellblade 2, these are great news.
However, I wouldn't expect shadow drop tomorrow. That is what always happens with Xbox events, people over-hype themselves based on rumors and then get disappointed even if they should not be.

@Deljo technically not a very good month for either service 😉

I tend to be pretty in the weeds when it comes to gaming, but I have not heard of 4 out of these 7 games. Turnip and Persona are good additions though.

@Lup 100% agree (not Xbox specific though, it's society in general).
Completely fine to be a psycho and brutally kill and torture thousands of virtual innocent bystanders in an open world game, just as long as no ni**les have been shown..

Wow, just wow. Good job team green, maybe use a rocket launcher next time you are shooting yourself in the foot to make an even bigger splash.

Xbox really messed up BG3 launch as much as possible. Next level of bad luck (or maybe incompetence).

@Banjo- I don't think you quite understood my argument. I'm not denying that quoting 200 games added to the service is the easy way to quantify service value.
But what actually matters to "you" is how much of the 200 games you can realistically consume. For some people that is 200, and that is cool, they are getting extreme value. For others, which I would argue is majority, number is way lower. Most people pay to have options, when amount of content they actually consume they could have bought and own for same cost.
Again, just my opinion, and I'm not saying it is true for everybody. Especially not for people on this site, as most are not casual/weekend gamers.

EDIT: Actually, analogy to what I'm trying to explain. Going to a "all you can eat" restaurant, they offer 50 different meals a day. But most people will realistically only get one, but they won't get to eat at their own pace, keep their leftovers, and for them it's questionable if such type of restaurant is worth it.

@J_Mo_Money agreed, factually correct, but also misleading. What is of relevance though is how much of $9000 worth of games has average gamer actually consumed.
Subscription services are great at creating false sense of value. For example, many of my friends have been paying Netflix for years, averaging one movie/series a month. They are not getting their money's worth..

@J_Mo_Money I would suggest reading on perceived vs actual value.. there is no way anybody is going to get $9000 of value out of GP. Most people get a single game per month out of it. Which is still decent, and if it's a day one release even better.

I honestly don't understand this post.. all games included don't cost as much as 2 months of GP (it's actually not much over a single UGP month). And you get to keep the games and play at your own pace (which you're not going to beat in a single month if you happen to be employed middle-aged human being).
I mean, it's cool to have options and ability to "try out" many games, but these subscription services actually fail exactly against heavy discounted longer quality games ($5 can get you 2 months of awesome experience most of the time).

Not bad selection at all. I'll be looking into RE and Super Mega Baseball, but can appreciate rest of the list has some mass appeal too.

Earlier this morning I've seen the title of this article and knew comments section would not disappoint. I returned like 3 times since then, so good job PX.

HiFi Rush by a country mile. Also, probably the only game I'll remember from that list.
FM was a good game too that unfortunately exists in the same universe as GT7. Everything else, quite mediocre.

Realistically I would expect such scenario.. not because the game is truly bad, but because expectations have been set too d*mn high (and not delivered on).
It's not my GOTY, I don't think it's even in top 10. But with cooler head and opened eyes, it's also not terrible. It's mediocre (as heavy of a burden as that is).

I feel like that list is definitely missing Forspoken (had to check it was released in 2023., seems like I've been hating on it for longer than a year) and Redfall. Both major duds!

Gave it a D for decent. Wasn't really anything for me there, except Hi-Fi Rush (an A game). I expected more from FM, but it kind of turned me off quite quickly.. so yeah, not great, but at least something.
I'm really happy for the people who see first party 2023 releases as A grade though. You are enjoying life far more than I do!

@Kaloudz some of that I do agree with, and as usual I don't think developers are to blame (being one myself). Almost always it's the management and stakeholders that are to blame for day one patches, year one overhaul, etc.. and I do think that should be punished and called out for what it is. Companies selling a box with a game coming later should feel the sting, unless we want that to continue being a standard practice.
Except in case of a minor indie team, you are never looking out for the developer by buying their product unconditionally. It's just normalizing the faulty behavior for the management.

Delaying score, and giving out 10/10 after save issue has been fixed seems like a cheat. By that account, Jedi Survivor score could have waited until 6-7th patch, or Cyberpunk 2077 until version 2.0..
It's a great game, but launch state is launch state, and should be scored accordingly for all games equally.

Console overlord politics aside, people should really try this demo out. Game is shaping up to be amazing.

Might be the best news I've heard this month. Happy New Year!! Hope this doesn't shuffle down to lower branches/employees, but Activision Blizzard leadership had to go years ago.

While I do not care about financial report of a global company with hundreds of billions of dollars at it's disposal, I will say this to people who say XSX/S don't matter: I don't know a single person that is subscribed to GP and does not own MS console. PC gets to be a nice backup option, and I don't know anybody actively using cloud (might be due to internet situation in my locale).

Honestly, I don't trust it as it is unreliable in it's behavior, therefore I don't use. I'll usually only switch game/exit after I see the saving spinner, and with current gen systems time from launch to in-game is counted in seconds.. not worth losing my progress or achievements over.

@somnambulance totally agree, HiFi Rush is the best MS GP game. However, 6 nominations is quite a lot and above average dose of recognition I feel like it got attention and respect it deserved.

Watched DF analysis yesterday, and I have to say I agree with almost everything said.
Somehow, GT7 looks better and more approachable (which is ironic as GT games usually are overwhelming with their large lists of menus, options, settings..). However, I feel like most visual concerns on FM side can be addressed with patches over upcoming months. There is no huge gap between the games.
When it comes to gameplay though, GT7 is just in a class of it's own (only thing I don't appreciate is the insistence on rolling start).

Always a good idea, venting back at your fans. How could this possibly backfire.
On a more serious note, game is what it is, some like it and some don't. Either is fine, different people have different interests, no need to publicly whine about it.

Reads waaay better before you open the linked article and see PS5 is up 129% compared to November 2022. I would have expected more given how heavily discounted Series consoles were.

This is my theory: they didn't slap the logo on it, as it just started development and is 4-5 years out. MS is planning to release a new console by then and Blade might be launch title, so they didn't mention platform...