@Coletrain That they definitely are! And Fable is my most looked forward to game this year by a large margin. Curious what Nintendo has planned out for the year since we haven’t gotten a direct yet, and it’s a Zelda Anniversary year (40th).
@Coletrain Yeah the API and architectures is what has held both Sony and Nintendo back from having a better backwards compatibility with previous generations. With Nintendo and the first Switch they finally went into a better approach there, ARM has been around a long time, and their Android fork is just another fork of Linux which has also been around quite some time. Sony went with pc architecture starting at PS4, but still has their proprietary API, which hinders both porting and backwards compatibility. Thankfully they maintained the API with Ps5, but who knows with Ps6. That could upend things again. And with them pushing Ps Plus as the way to play BC titles, it wouldn’t surprise me if they made another drastic API change blocking out PS4/5 titles from Ps6. Only time will tell.
I know many a fearful of MS tactics going forward but having lived through the last 40 years of gaming, I honestly believe it’s the right call. I know it seems like a Sega and Dreamcast moment, but Sega didn’t have an entire PC division backing them at the time, as well as an entire operating system that’s being used by most of the population. Going full pc console hybrid makes the most sense for Xbox. Sell cheap gaming PCs, make games that run great on that, but also able to easily toss on other pc storefronts, and easily scalable.
Their next biggest direct competitor will be Steam/Steam Machine…. And while I believe Xbox could outsell Steam Machine rather easily, they aren’t going to beat out the Steam Storefront. Giving players access to that on their “home console” would solidify their base extremely quickly.
@Coletrain I don’t think they do a full pc either, but likely a hybrid - they’re close enough already to that. Something that makes it so devs really only have to make one version of a game that works on pc and ps6. That’s basically the ultimate goal of Xbox - singular game that runs on an “Xbox” and a Pc.
The only real hitch I see with Sony is their proprietary OS not being Windows based. Whereas MS uses a windows fork for the Xbox making transition much easier between pc and Xbox.
Where Sony won’t follow suit, and I didn’t mean they would in this aspect, is “Anything is a Playstation”. Sonys first party titles and third party relationships have the ability to carry Sony as a platform without the need to go completely multiplat. Xbox sadly just doesn’t have that strength. And I say that as an OG Xbox fan. The only time MS truly succeeded with Xbox was 360. Every other console of theirs has lagged behind PlayStation. OG Xbox was new, and American, so wasn’t well adopted. 360 came out swinging with online and having pc like abilities. XB1 got doomed from the start thanks to Don and his idiocy. Series S/X was the first step back in the right direction, but by then Sony was back to domination with the transition from PS4 to Ps5. In the east Xbox still has trouble sellin thanks in large part to being an American company.
I honestly thought Starfield would have been Multiplatform from the go, or at least by now, but I figured MS would retain Fable as exclusive. Fable was one of the few franchises they had under their belt with the ability to compete. I remember playing the first Fable and thinking “holy crap, this is like if Zelda was made for adults! This is amazing!”
But I honestly get the push for multiplat there, willing to bet the investment into making warrants the decision. It probably would not make break even by going exclusive, and instead relies on sales on Pc and Ps5 to push profits.
We’re living in very odd times for gaming. Great, but also very weird. And honestly my only fear going to the future is a cloud only system. Which sucks, but will likely happen given bottlenecks of storage and inflating game sizes.
Apologies for the long rant. But yeah, I think Sony will end up following suit. They’re known to copy ideas.
@Romans12 The truth is that MS just can’t afford to have exclusives any more, and it really doesn’t matter. Their games release on pc same day and time, and pc has a far bigger install base than Xbox or Ps5. Pc cannibalizes more Xbox sales than having the game on Ps5 by a large margin.
Xbox is doing the extremely smart play, the one they’ve been attempting to do since OG Xbox, make a pc that has accessibility like a home console, a set architecture to design for, and comes in at an affordable price point that doesn’t drive customers away. And in order to do that they have to untether from a home console. Sony will follow suit, mark my works. Their next console will also be a pc hybrid I’m sure. The only way either comp stays in a “console” style business is to adapt to a market that has changed drastically over the years. Between games requiring more processing power and storage mediums that became bottle necks (discs)…. And so many gamers realizing that pc is the place to game. Where you can access your favorite MS and Sony titles under one roof.
I’d be willing to bet that for MS, Steam accounts for most of their sales now days. And I’d be curious how Steam sales stack up vs Sonys own marketplace.
The days of exclusivity are over, as it does nothing more than hurt customers, hurt sales, and causes a silly pointless divide amongst gamers. The 90s and console rivalry are fading away fast.
And anyone that likes backwards compatibility will be quick to realize how unsustainable BC is without going to a uniform architecture and OS going forward that will stay the same every generation. Lest we end up with more titles doomed to rot on past outdated platforms like Metal Gear Solid 4, or have to subscribe to a service like Ps Plus just to gain BC access.
While it may hurt to watch your favorite company transform, know that they’re doing it so there can be a sustainable business going forward. If MS kept par with the course and continued to release exclusives to a platform that isn’t doing as well as their contemporaries, then they’d be dooming themselves. No one wants that.
@dskatter Exactly, I’ve seen the effort to get it running on Steam Deck. Was the reason I opted out getting it on Steam. Then I saw it was coming to Switch 2 and said, “I’ll believe it when I see it….”
Color me shocked and impressed. Enough so I bought it just because of that. I like Starwars enough and should enjoy the ride when I get to it. But would I have rather had KOTOR 3? Yes yes I would, lmao
@Grumblevolcano Wouldn’t surprise me. I mean the dev kits were ultra expensive back in the 80s and 90s, like prohibitively so to where only the biggest of devs could afford to take the gamble, buy a dev kit and make a game going they’d at least break even on dev kit and production team costs….
Truly hope that we get some more Switch 2 love from various third parties like Bethesda, Obsidian, Larian, and such. While I have a Series X and Steam Deck for remote play, I’d prefer native versions on Switch 2 in some cases where holding the deck for longer periods is cumbersome and uncomfortable. Something like Monster Hunter, Baldur’s, or Oblivion would just be more comfortable and easier to play on Switch 2. Not to mention gamer dad here, so somethings I just can’t play on the big tv. 😂
@dskatter Yeah my bad I didn’t mean exclusion, as a gamer I’ve never been a fan of that honestly. I just meant I hope they put some more focus on the Switch 2. Fallout 4 is a good start, we all wanted FO3/NV on Switch 1 lol, so FO4 should sell well.
As far as comparison goes and what Switch 2 is capable of just look at Starwars Outlaws. A game they can’t run on Steam Deck (without HEAVY modifications and turning of RT completely in the game files), yet runs on Switch 2 just fine, looks great and maintains Ray tracing. Oblivion and Avowed run on Steam Deck, granted low settings - especially occlusion which determines hair quality. But if they can run on Steam Deck they’ll run and look great on S2, of that I have no doubt.
I truly hope MS tosses more games on the Switch as I’ve said before it’ll help them print money. Switch 2 will likely end up selling nearly the same amount of units as S1.
@dskatter I’m hoping for more Switch 2 ports personally as well. I think it’s a better investment for Xbox to do that personally than Ps5. Especially if they want to sell in Japan more. Considering Ps5 is too costly in Japan so isn’t selling well, and handheld devices reign supreme there, the smart money is on Switch 2 for western devs to port to.
I don’t want Xbox or Nintendo to own each other, but I wouldn’t be opposed to them partnering up even further to be honest. We’re getting some FO4 love on Switch shortly, but I’d like to see FO3/NV, Oblivion Remastered, Starfield, Avowed, Outer Worlds 2, Outer Worlds Spacers Choice, Pillars 2, and Pillars 1 S2 upgrade/patch to all head the Switch way. They’d all make a ton of money for MS/Xbox. And if they were feeling ultra generous Fable1-3 just to get all the Nintendo players thinking about the next Fable.
Meanwhile Nintendo could toss some titles on the Xbox store to boost brand recognition. Stuff like Metroid Prime Remastered, Twilight Princess, and Mario Galaxy. Then later something a bit newer maybe like Breath of the Wild.
If Xbox and Nintendo embraced each other not only would the gamer world be better off, the companies would be too from a business and profit standpoint. It’s pretty much all they’d have to do to get a foothold over Sony. Xbox is starting to do it by showing the world it doesn’t matter being tied to a console anymore.
I always thought that if MS didn’t directly make their own handheld they’d partner with Nintendo to get all their games portable. Surprisingly they partnered with Asus instead. Which I understand from a pc aspect, but the cost isn’t as affordable to most. Thankfully there’s a General pc audience and they don’t have to bank on increased game sales via ROG Ally X sales. But toe to toe, I’d be willing to bet any MS games sell at least 3:1 on Switch hardware over ROG Ally. I’d also bet most of us Switch owners bought Skyrim as well as most Bethesda and Obsidian titles that have come out on S1. Curious to know the full attach rate there. Obviously it’s high enough to warrant further exploration due to Skyrim S2 patch shadow drop, FO4 Anniversary, and Indiana Jones….
If I could access the pc versions without having to install windows on my Steam Deck (or if I had a Rog XAX instead), then I would make the majority of my purchases either on the Xbox store or ms store.
Once they make a native Linux Xbox app it’ll be moot point. The Steam Machine and Steam Deck will be an Xbox as their slogan stated.
Yes you can remote and cloud play Xbox games via Edge browser or third party apps on the Deck currently, but a native app would be a welcome one. Can also just dual boot the Deck and have full GP and Play Anywhere access as well.
And from a gamer/consumer perspective, Phil and Nelson are right, having options is a very good thing. It’s also very good for creativity and innovation.
@TrollOfWar Only time will tell with Unreal 5 on S2. Currently there’s 3 games I know of running Unreal 5 on Switch 2 - Fortnite, Chronos: New Dawn, and Split Fiction. I can’t say, for sure, but I believe they all run decently.
Borderlands 4 is another title coming that uses it. It does seem Lumen and Nanite need to be turned off / toned down for games to run smoothly, but otherwise all good.
just happy to get some love on Switch 2. I primarily game in handheld mode now either Switch 2 or on Steam Deck (native or remoting my Series X). So hopefully we’ll get some more Fallout love with 3 and NV there as well. Would love to have native versions of the series there as it’s just more comfortable to play on S2 for long sessions than on my SD.
@Banjo- Aside from PC, Xbox is the leader there. Was the prime reason I got the series X. I could access my OG Xbox titles, 360 titles, XB1 titles and all the new stuff. No other platform had that unless you subscribed to something and even those were linited
@BAMozzy I meant to say yesterday and forgot, but all things considered, if Steam Deck wasn’t an option / I didn’t already have that, the Xbox Ally X would be my next choice bar none. I’ve always loved Asus, my last 2 laptops and my last two rigs I built back in 2012 and before were all Asus stuff. They build solid stuff!
The price of any of the high end devices is still just outta my reach, but if I had no bills and much more disposable income I totally would get one.
Once the tech and software is ironed out, maybe in a year or so, I’ll pick one up. By then maybe they’ll have an answer for running your Xbox library “native” via official emulation. Newer games would just fall under play anywhere, but titles like Fable 2 and 3 never got pc ports, so currently the only option for them is remote your Xbox or unofficial emu. Not something I care to mess with when the titles are still currently purchasable and playable, and just locked to a console.
Hopefully they don’t lock that behind a GPU paywall. I’d have to read the fine print, but I don’t think Play Anywhere is GPU exclusive, just the cloud aspects. I think if you buy an Xbox or Pc title that is labeled as Play Anywhere, then it’s truly that without GPU attachment; but I could be wrong which would suck.
Edit - just checked, nope Play Anywhere is indeed tied to games purchased and separate from GPU entirely.
Edit 2 - Also I truly hope that MS dream of a unified Xbox and PC front gets fully realized. The day it can recognize I’ve bought a game on Series X, and grant me keys across Windows and Steam for that game, and vice versa, allowing me to pick up and play on any of those devices…. That’ll be a massive winning day for gamers, and allow us a truly free gaming ecosystem unrestricted from consoles. Always thought it was a pipe dream and no company would push for it, but here we stand on the cusp of it fully happening. Truly insane gaming times.
@BAMozzy You’re not wrong, and that’s great for pc users. Not everyone is pc crowd. I grew up with PCs from 1985 when I first had pc access at 3, until my last pc blew up during a thunderstorm in 2012. Hadn’t been on pc ecosystem in 12+ years, and all the old games I have would now days require me to buy and external floppy or dvd drive just to run them on whatever device I’d choose.
When I got the Steam Deck for my bday last year, Steam was the best option for buying pc games - far and away the best sales bar none. Getting a deck was an no brainer for cost to effectiveness ratio as well as ease of access - I hate windows, have since the days of Windows ME… The deck gave me access to my Xbox remotely, which I’ve amassed a large digital library ever since the days of 360….. A lot of the games don’t have a pc counter part like Fable 2 and 3…. So remoting the Xbox is the only option there.
I was a GPU subscriber ever since the Series X launched, as I got a free year with it through Target’s pre-order program. I won’t argue it’s the cheapest way to game on a budget, truly it is. And it makes absolute sense if you have the time to dedicate to games before they get removed from the service and swapped with other games…. It’s also the best way to enter into a console or even pc ecosystem from nothing. Beats out PS Plus and NSO+ handily.
I get the reason it exists and its price point, both models. The lower model is the competitor to current stuff, while the higher end is a mobile upper end pc. Although currently speaking it’s a better idea to just opt for a standard Z1 Ally X and install the FSE Xbox stuff to it over getting the base Xbox Ally, and it’s even arguable against Xbox Ally X as the performance gain isn’t huge, just battery life.
Considering I’m console first and pc second, this device is clearly not marketed for me, as a simple Logitech Cloud G could more or less serve the purposes I’d require, which is remote access of my Xbox. And truly speaking I only went with the SD so I could access a few pc only titles, plus was making the decision against SD or getting a Ps5 and Portal. Considering I only wanted to play God of War, Spider-Man, Nioh and Ghost of Tushima plus have remote access to my Xbox, the SD was the clear winner. I did debate the Ally X, but it was still suffering from the overheat / Micro sd fault problem so opted against it.
It is a great design, and a step in the right direction. And your points are valid. But for those of us that are console first, there are much better options for the price than either of these devices. And a lot of it hinges on if you’re willing to stay GPU. I was not. $30 a month is too rich for my blood, plus I buy the games I want to play anyways. Of which not all land on GP. Especially not the Nintendo ones 😆.
In the end it’s much like when one trims down streaming subscriptions to save money…. Having them all at once makes no sense when you can only watch or play one thing at a time. So I axed GPU as I really wasn’t using it. I don’t have the bandwidth where I live to cloud stream reliably, so that whole section is out. Plus I’d rather be able to play my game regardless of having an internet connection. To each their own though.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner for a $1000 there’s a lot of things it should have to be honest 🤣. That’s a flippin house payment, few car payments, etc…. Lordy it’s so eye watering.
$600 is my personal max for a game system. I weigh the cost versus the gain. And currently it does nothing more than what Steam Deck would offer me besides some visual upgrades or better frames. And that only applies to native. You’re not getting better than remote play for stuff like Fable 2&3….
It may be worth it for those without an alternative, like I know SD isn’t in certain markets where Microsoft may be present.
Just really hard to justify. I do hope it does well though, at least enough to have MS truly look into a native Xbox experience. Having my Xbox library over the years at the palm of my hand whereever I go and not need internet would be a dream come true
@PsBoxSwitchOwner OLED is truly nice, had it on Switch 1. But quality on standard LED panels has improved greatly over the years. The Switch 2 panel looks very close to the depth that Switch OLED provided. The big boon is VRR, which doesn’t doesn’t seem to mesh well with OLED currently, or is cost prohibitive.
VRR is truly awesome and I’d choose that over OLED in a heartbeat after experiencing both, especially when it comes to handhelds where you’re not hitting 60fps in most situations.
It makes 40fps seem like 60fps, and unless frames drop massively, it’s hard to notice a frame or two dropped at all.
@Gabrie Thanks for the confirmation as all that is what I was thinking it would be.
Steam Deck just works better on the less hassle front for me. Plus I have 2TB of data installed on it…. To do that over again on an Ally over a 25mb line would be a nightmare
@SodaPop6548 Same way I feel. There are a few Play Anywhere titles that would transfer over from Xbox to Pc (Ally) versions and would run better than they do on Steam Deck, but it’s only a few. The rest would be remote / stream your own, which remote works just fine on SD, and stream your own, well I’m not paying $30 a month just for that. Especially when I can remote just fine.
Truly hoping for a native Xbox handheld experience, or if they can somehow finagle that to happen on Xbox Ally, I’ll def jump on it.
@dskatter I second this. Got them on Switch when they had launched there. Haven’t finished the second but the first was good fun. Fans of British humor and point n clicks should definitely check it out!
I’ll also add Headliner: Novinews was good fun on Switch as well. It’s an adventure “rpg” point n click. You play a news reporter in city thats rife with issues and on the verge of collapse/reform… and you choose what to report in the news which changes the outcome of the following day as well as the overall story and ending. It sits at 88% on Steam which is why it piqued my interest after seeing the trailer.
And lastly I noticed some Kairosoft games in the list which are usually a lot of fun. Unfortunately no Game Dev Story or Grand Prix Story (their best two games imo) but Venture Towns is in the list and that’s a bit of Sim City-like fun. Another no brainer for 99¢ for those interested in Sim City like games and want to check what Kairosoft offers. I will say it’s maybe a 6-7 out of 10 where Game Dev Story and Grand Prix Story are solid 9s
Honestly it’s the price for me more than anything. I just can’t afford to faff off 1k. If the X model was closer to the $600 I would have upgraded my Steam Deck OLED 1TB, but as it stands, I’ll stick with the Deck. There’s only been a handful of games I want to play that don’t play well on the Deck, and for those I have a Series X that I can remote play.
I’d say once the cost comes down I’d consider it, but by that point hopefully a Steam Deck 2 comes out, and it’s truly hard to beat what Valve has designed for a handheld. Switch and Switch 2 are the only handhelds I like more than my SD.
Wilds runs on something that doesn’t require a 50xx? 🤣 Color me surprised! (They musta patched and optimized a lot since I last played a few months ago)
Been an GPU subscriber since I got my Series X at launch. However I’ve spent most of my time playing titles I own / buy instead of playing the GPU titles…. I don’t use cloud gaming, just remotely play my stuff on Xbox through my Steam Deck. After evaluating everything I’ve decided to cancel for now. May sub again in the future if I play with friends or something, but lately I’ve been playing single player stuff, so I don’t see the reason to stay subbed.
It’s still a great value to a lot of players, and if I didn’t buy every game I wanted to play, then it would be more worth it to me.
I want one, but I’ve already got Series X, Steam Deck and Switch 2, so I’m set. The Xbox Ally doesn’t really offer anything more for me than I’ve already got, besides a better native game play experience on beefier titles.
Plus the price, can’t afford it. $900 is too rich for my blood currently.
I’m set with Switch 2, Steam Deck OLED and Series X via remote on SD. No reason to get one yet for me. That’ll only happen if my entire Xbox library becomes Play Anywhere, or Xbox makes a native handheld.
@Medic_alert I don’t blame you there. I grew up with Dos (Back when MS made it but was distributed as IBM Dos), watched the birth of windows - which was magical at the time. Saw through Windows 3, to 95, 98, ME, Vista, etc…. I crapped out Win 7.
Just far too much bloat and maintenance on the OS, and the fact that I’d have to do a factory fresh install every 6-12 months to keep things running nicely…. Smh. I built my last gaming rig around 2006…. Right around the 360 days…. A thunderstorm blew it out. Was honestly the best thing to happen to me. I detached from pc gaming and focused on Consoles after that. Been a much happier gamer ever since…..
but I had been missing the occasional pc release or modding games, so last year I nabbed a steam deck. So nice. Lot less fuss and muss than windows. I do have to tweak games every now and then, but that’s just mainly graphical settings. Only rarely have I had to mess with an ini file or something due to a game not defaulting to 800p, and instead defaulting to 1440p….. 🤦🏼♂️
If Xbox can manage that type of pc console hybrid then I’m totally sold on it.
@Medic_alert this is more or less Valves approach with SteamOS now, they’ve licensed it out to Lenovo for the Legion. Would make sense on MS part to basically do the same and just create a console environment out of windows totally so it can be licensed out. Further expanding the Xbox brand.
Honestly this is the most excited for Xbox’s future than I have been the last two console gens
I’m down for it if they just make a bespoke gaming pc box that “will just work” without registry tinkering and all the extra windows bloat and necessity (like virus software and such)…..
I’m ultra down for it if they can make a handheld that plays all my current Xbox library native, plus has the above with multiple storefront access. A truly all in one portable device. Would be insane, and amazing.
@Sol4ris Same, would love my Steam library accessible to my Xbox consoles, especially if they go a native Xbox handheld route. Truly hoping they haven’t cancelled that as per the rumors suggest.
@Cakefish wait! Steam was confirmed?!? Hell yeah if true!
Although to all the people drooling at the possibility of Sony games running on an Xbox, do not get your hopes up. Sony can and will likely block access to running their pc games on Xbox consoles. At least at this current stage, the future may change there.
Check Sony games on GeForce Now and their non-ability to stream on Xbox, yet other developer games can without issue.
@Juanalf This has been the weirdest console generation. Honestly hasn’t even felt like a console generation by any means. Felt like a “Pro version” generation since most of the next gen patches and game were delayed for 2-3 years thanks to covid, then it’s just been a slow trickle of stuff. And while the graphics have been nice, fps stability and faster loading have taken the forefront this gen (thankfully so!). So it truly hasn’t felt like a generational leap forward like previous generations have.
It reminds me of the times when I would upgrade my graphics card on my pc. Same games, just more stable and a bit prettier.
This does cause a small bit of concern for a Switch 2 version. However….. install base will drive that a bit harder id wager. Plus it’ll likely be handled by Sabre again, who do wonders on porting. And lastly, dunno what the target res is for Series S, but Switch will be lower between 800-1080p native, so that should make it easier to hit higher fps.
@Kaloudz the SD OLED has a decent battery. It’s only AAA pc games that drain it, otherwise it’s good.
No handheld plays native Xbox titles currently. The ROG Ally / Xbox Ally will allow you to play “Xbox Anywhere” titles. They work basically like blu ray disc movies that also come with dvds….. aka you buy a pc title or xbox title and you get the vice versa for free.
If you’re remote playing you’ll get your standard xbox achievements like normal as you unlock them. If you play steam games they have their own achievement system, although I do believe the Xbox Studio games have dual achievements where you’ll unlock for your Xbox profile and for your Steam Profile.
Steam deck doesn’t do this by default because it’s not a Windows device, it’s Linux. You can dual boot Windows to achieve this if you want, it’s what my friend did. Edit - this is in regards to Xbox Play Anywhere titles. This only applies to Xbox and windows versions of games. So it’s not compatible with Steam Deck without dual booting.
But if you’re already on the Xbox environment, and you have a Series S/X, then you can just stream your games directly to the Deck. All the benefits of your Xbox, with the ability to play it anywhere without being HMDI tethered to a big screen.
Using the XbPlay app from the Steam store is easy, and since it barely uses any system resources you get a major battery life. Your xbox will do all the processing and your deck will just be a controller with a built in screen.
There’s also a thousand other factors to consider rather than just Game Pass or No Game Pass launching.
Release time vs other game / system launches. Know a lot of us are tapped out between Switch 2 + its games, and stuff like Oblivion Remaster all launching within a few months of each other.
Your nations economy, world economy, average salary, game cost vs subscription cost vs both together if you want to own the game, etc….
A million factors went into their launch. Timing and coverage did not help them. I honestly had no clue the game was coming until just a couple weeks prior to launch…. nor was I 100% sure it was a sequel at first. I can’t be the only one in that boat.
So it’s not quite fair to blame game pass specifically, because honestly speaking it probably would have and extremely far less player count without it. Be curious to know just how much lesser.
One thing they’re probably not taking into account whatsoever is people who sub to Game Pass, try out 25-30% of a game and decide they want to buy it, but decide to buy on another storefront. I’m guilty of this as there’s just some game that fit better on Switch/S2 or Steam Deck for me than Xbox, and there’s also the vice versa of that like MH Wilds or Oblivion Remastered. This last factor is probably hard to judge, but could be done as a lot of companies have linked main accounts across numerous platforms like 2K’s Shift system. You could check Game Pass download and playtime against a linked account on another platform and see if the user bought it there instead.
@Millionski I concur! Haven’t tried S2 Odyssey yet but it’s in my list to check out. I love my Switch and Xbox combo. The only reason I ever recommend Steam Deck (OLED model because much better battery than the original LCD ones) is for remote Xbox/pc, and access to Ps titles - that was my deciding factor. I wanted to be able to play Nioh, God of War, Spider-Man and Ghost of Tsushima, but didn’t want to drop $700 on a massive console that wouldn’t fit in my entertainment center and a ps portal. Plus kiddos. Most of those were mature titles which I wouldn’t really get to play without having a handheld screen. So the portal would be a necessity unfortunately, putting my overall cost somewhere between $700-800 just for 2 hunks of hardware to play 6 games…. I don’t have a pc anymore, nor gaming room, so Deck was a no brainer when it came down to Ps5 vs Deck. The bigger problem was choosing Ally vs Deck. That came down to Ally having teething issues (overheating MicroSD slot), and not wanting to deal with Windows, drivers, and registry. SteamOS is just much nicer.
I do recommend to anyone with a deck / possibly getting a deck, to buy and use the XbPlay app. Fully worth the $6-7. Quick and easy to use, plus you can get a 1080 remote stream as well as actually stream 360 games - couldn’t do this originally on the official app. Which the official app is much more of a pain to install on deck and get up running, and even then I believe it’s just cloud streaming; not remoting your Xbox. Think that requires Windows OS, but I could be wrong on that last part. Just know it’s all a pain comparatively.
@Kaloudz S2 depends on game. CP2077 gives me around 2-2.5 hours, S1 / less demanding indie is like 3-4ish it seems. I haven’t fully drained it yet so not positive. It’s definitely not quite as long as the OLED S1 is.
Deck also depends on title, something like Baldur’s Gate 3 will give about 2 hours maybe less, and something like Stardew can give ya 6-8 if you adjust the TDP (Thermal Design Power) down to 9-10w. You can get 8-10 hours remote play lowering the TDP down to 8-9W. Base watts on SD is 15w.
Another big factor to take into account is what type of games you want to play on the handheld. If you want native AAA, S2 will end up giving the better result as it has built in ray tracing from the RTX 30xx tech. SD has the ABILITY to do Ray Tracing, but it TANKS performance, like down to single digit fps. Also Nintendo titles if that’s a factor, only gonna get Mario and Zelda (legally, and working 100% correctly) on a Switch.
If remote and pc play is the bigger factor then SD would be my choice. Its about $600 for the OLED model, you do have to have a Steam account and have $50 worth of Steam games purchased in order to be able to order the system, otherwise it’ll auto kick back and decline your order - built in scalper protection from the ordering system.
I can’t speak for Ally. I know that the price is high on the X model, currently setting around $800. The Xbox model will likely be around there. I wouldn’t bother with the lesser version as it won’t run native games as well. Either all or nothing there according to the Ally reddit. Should be noted the current Ally Z1 regular (not extreme) is about on par with Steam Deck. And more devs are optimizing for SD over Ally/Legion currently. That may change with the Xbox versions.
There’s also having to fiddle with drivers occasionally while you wait for the Asus version to update (going by what’s reported on reddit). Sometimes Asus is a couple weeks behind on tweaking the newest Nvidia drivers. Steam is much more stable and easier to deal with in that department, it’s mostly download and go.
The SteamOS should also be noted that it’s pretty inline with console OS’ in terms of ease of usage and such. Xbox version of Ally should be closer to this, but Ally X isn’t there currently. A lot of users install Bazzite to give it a SteamOS like experience.
Best I can say is do some massive research and determine your prime usage. I lurked the Deck and Ally reddits for months before I made my decision. Ultimately went deck, just overall better design and such. Ally had/has a problem with the MicroSD card port causing it to be basically unusable as it can overheat and crap out.
Sorry for the info dump! 😂
If you were set on getting a system this year, I’d say S2 first then grab a Deck on the cheap next year or wait to see what the native Xbox handheld is like. Personally the Xbox Ally is a pass for me, money is a big factor, but it doesn’t provide anything over my deck besides the VRR screen (which S2 has as well) and a better ability to run pc games, which isn’t a big factor as I remote those big games from my Xbox instead.
@Kaloudz Seriously man, you can’t go wrong with the Switch 2. If you’ve got the cash, and can snag one, do so. If remoting your rig/xbox is a priority though, grab a Steam Deck. Either way, super worth it for being able to play on the couch. I grabbed a Deck last year specifically for being able to remote my Xbox and for a handful of native pc/ps4 games like God of War and The Sims Legacy collection. It hasn’t gotten as much attention as my Switch ever had, but I’ve easily sunk 300 hours in since Sept, which isn’t bad for a side system/remote Xbox.
The Switch 2 was a no brainer for me, I’ve got a massive digital and physical library of Switch games, and now they all run better, some even having patches that really boost things to close to Series S/X level like Hogwarts.
The other boon with a Deck tho is being able to run GBA and such whenever/where ever ya want. And other systems too. Which reminds me, I need to boot up The Sims:Urbz sometime, it’s been years and I loved that game!
@Millionski I’m definitely loving my Switch 2 and can’t wait to see what the future holds for it.
NL just published an article about how S1 games are getting bumps on S2 without the need of dev patches, which I already knew and is just incredibly awesome! I’d booted up MHRise to revisit it the other day (hadn’t played since pre-SunBreak) and was surprised to see how vibrant and smooth everything suddenly was. Even load times are faster. Granted not bespoke patch better, but still better nonetheless. Love it!
@Millionski Yeah, that’s the reason we got good ports of Witcher 3, Doom, and eventually Hogwarts on S1, not to mention the plethora of cross gen ports from 360/Xb1 days like Borderlands collection, Bioshock, and Batman.
Having a rapidly growing / huge install base drives the devs and publishers to get their games on the system.
Truly hoping for Obsidian to come revisit the Switch version of Outer Worlds and update it for S2 with the Spacers Choice edition. Would also love for them and Bethesda to toss some more support the S2 way with Fallout, Avowed, Pillars 2, OW2, and Oblivion Remastered. So many amazing titles would print money for them on Switch 2.
A few of those games work, but not great, on Steam Deck. With S2 optimization and the added grunt the S2 has over SD, maaaaaan…. Avowed, Oblivion and OWSC would look and work great. Instant day ones for me if they chose to do it
@Kaloudz I loved my GBA, took it to college everyday to play between classes. Been a handheld fan since. Especially helpful to play mature games when you got kiddos so they aren’t wandering and catching something mature on the tv, lol.
I primarily game on Switch for that reason, but I had used my Xbox a lot more the past 6 months since I got a Steam Deck and started remote playing the Xbox.
That and there’s just something nice about being able to game on the couch while the family watches tv. No need for a gamer den and feeling like I’m excluding myself from the family just to game, or hogging the tv when the kiddos or wife want to watch or play something.
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Re: Last-Gen's Kingdom Come: Deliverance Expected To Get Free Xbox Series X|S Upgrade Very Soon
Awesome!
Crossing my fingers they go back to the S1 version as well for a Switch 2 upgrade and toss KCD2 on S2.
Love when these companies go back and show some love to pass gen games.
Re: Fable Showcases Stunning Gameplay Deep Dive, Arrives On Xbox, PC & PS5 Later This Year
@Coletrain That they definitely are! And Fable is my most looked forward to game this year by a large margin. Curious what Nintendo has planned out for the year since we haven’t gotten a direct yet, and it’s a Zelda Anniversary year (40th).
Re: Fable Showcases Stunning Gameplay Deep Dive, Arrives On Xbox, PC & PS5 Later This Year
@Coletrain Yeah the API and architectures is what has held both Sony and Nintendo back from having a better backwards compatibility with previous generations. With Nintendo and the first Switch they finally went into a better approach there, ARM has been around a long time, and their Android fork is just another fork of Linux which has also been around quite some time. Sony went with pc architecture starting at PS4, but still has their proprietary API, which hinders both porting and backwards compatibility. Thankfully they maintained the API with Ps5, but who knows with Ps6. That could upend things again. And with them pushing Ps Plus as the way to play BC titles, it wouldn’t surprise me if they made another drastic API change blocking out PS4/5 titles from Ps6. Only time will tell.
I know many a fearful of MS tactics going forward but having lived through the last 40 years of gaming, I honestly believe it’s the right call. I know it seems like a Sega and Dreamcast moment, but Sega didn’t have an entire PC division backing them at the time, as well as an entire operating system that’s being used by most of the population. Going full pc console hybrid makes the most sense for Xbox. Sell cheap gaming PCs, make games that run great on that, but also able to easily toss on other pc storefronts, and easily scalable.
Their next biggest direct competitor will be Steam/Steam Machine…. And while I believe Xbox could outsell Steam Machine rather easily, they aren’t going to beat out the Steam Storefront. Giving players access to that on their “home console” would solidify their base extremely quickly.
Re: Fable Showcases Stunning Gameplay Deep Dive, Arrives On Xbox, PC & PS5 Later This Year
@Coletrain I don’t think they do a full pc either, but likely a hybrid - they’re close enough already to that. Something that makes it so devs really only have to make one version of a game that works on pc and ps6. That’s basically the ultimate goal of Xbox - singular game that runs on an “Xbox” and a Pc.
The only real hitch I see with Sony is their proprietary OS not being Windows based. Whereas MS uses a windows fork for the Xbox making transition much easier between pc and Xbox.
Where Sony won’t follow suit, and I didn’t mean they would in this aspect, is “Anything is a Playstation”. Sonys first party titles and third party relationships have the ability to carry Sony as a platform without the need to go completely multiplat. Xbox sadly just doesn’t have that strength. And I say that as an OG Xbox fan. The only time MS truly succeeded with Xbox was 360. Every other console of theirs has lagged behind PlayStation. OG Xbox was new, and American, so wasn’t well adopted. 360 came out swinging with online and having pc like abilities. XB1 got doomed from the start thanks to Don and his idiocy. Series S/X was the first step back in the right direction, but by then Sony was back to domination with the transition from PS4 to Ps5. In the east Xbox still has trouble sellin thanks in large part to being an American company.
I honestly thought Starfield would have been Multiplatform from the go, or at least by now, but I figured MS would retain Fable as exclusive. Fable was one of the few franchises they had under their belt with the ability to compete. I remember playing the first Fable and thinking “holy crap, this is like if Zelda was made for adults! This is amazing!”
But I honestly get the push for multiplat there, willing to bet the investment into making warrants the decision. It probably would not make break even by going exclusive, and instead relies on sales on Pc and Ps5 to push profits.
We’re living in very odd times for gaming. Great, but also very weird. And honestly my only fear going to the future is a cloud only system. Which sucks, but will likely happen given bottlenecks of storage and inflating game sizes.
Apologies for the long rant. But yeah, I think Sony will end up following suit. They’re known to copy ideas.
Re: Fable Showcases Stunning Gameplay Deep Dive, Arrives On Xbox, PC & PS5 Later This Year
@Romans12 The truth is that MS just can’t afford to have exclusives any more, and it really doesn’t matter. Their games release on pc same day and time, and pc has a far bigger install base than Xbox or Ps5. Pc cannibalizes more Xbox sales than having the game on Ps5 by a large margin.
Xbox is doing the extremely smart play, the one they’ve been attempting to do since OG Xbox, make a pc that has accessibility like a home console, a set architecture to design for, and comes in at an affordable price point that doesn’t drive customers away. And in order to do that they have to untether from a home console. Sony will follow suit, mark my works. Their next console will also be a pc hybrid I’m sure. The only way either comp stays in a “console” style business is to adapt to a market that has changed drastically over the years. Between games requiring more processing power and storage mediums that became bottle necks (discs)…. And so many gamers realizing that pc is the place to game. Where you can access your favorite MS and Sony titles under one roof.
I’d be willing to bet that for MS, Steam accounts for most of their sales now days. And I’d be curious how Steam sales stack up vs Sonys own marketplace.
The days of exclusivity are over, as it does nothing more than hurt customers, hurt sales, and causes a silly pointless divide amongst gamers. The 90s and console rivalry are fading away fast.
And anyone that likes backwards compatibility will be quick to realize how unsustainable BC is without going to a uniform architecture and OS going forward that will stay the same every generation. Lest we end up with more titles doomed to rot on past outdated platforms like Metal Gear Solid 4, or have to subscribe to a service like Ps Plus just to gain BC access.
While it may hurt to watch your favorite company transform, know that they’re doing it so there can be a sustainable business going forward. If MS kept par with the course and continued to release exclusives to a platform that isn’t doing as well as their contemporaries, then they’d be dooming themselves. No one wants that.
Re: Fable Showcases Stunning Gameplay Deep Dive, Arrives On Xbox, PC & PS5 Later This Year
Praying we can fish in the game! Miss that from Fable 1! Also hoping there will be a Switch 2 version announced at a Nintendo Direct.
Re: Another Source Reveals What They Know About The 'Secret' Xbox Developer Direct Game
@dskatter Exactly, I’ve seen the effort to get it running on Steam Deck. Was the reason I opted out getting it on Steam. Then I saw it was coming to Switch 2 and said, “I’ll believe it when I see it….”
Color me shocked and impressed. Enough so I bought it just because of that. I like Starwars enough and should enjoy the ride when I get to it. But would I have rather had KOTOR 3? Yes yes I would, lmao
Re: Another Source Reveals What They Know About The 'Secret' Xbox Developer Direct Game
@Grumblevolcano Wouldn’t surprise me. I mean the dev kits were ultra expensive back in the 80s and 90s, like prohibitively so to where only the biggest of devs could afford to take the gamble, buy a dev kit and make a game going they’d at least break even on dev kit and production team costs….
Truly hope that we get some more Switch 2 love from various third parties like Bethesda, Obsidian, Larian, and such. While I have a Series X and Steam Deck for remote play, I’d prefer native versions on Switch 2 in some cases where holding the deck for longer periods is cumbersome and uncomfortable. Something like Monster Hunter, Baldur’s, or Oblivion would just be more comfortable and easier to play on Switch 2. Not to mention gamer dad here, so somethings I just can’t play on the big tv. 😂
Re: Another Source Reveals What They Know About The 'Secret' Xbox Developer Direct Game
@dskatter Yeah my bad I didn’t mean exclusion, as a gamer I’ve never been a fan of that honestly. I just meant I hope they put some more focus on the Switch 2. Fallout 4 is a good start, we all wanted FO3/NV on Switch 1 lol, so FO4 should sell well.
As far as comparison goes and what Switch 2 is capable of just look at Starwars Outlaws. A game they can’t run on Steam Deck (without HEAVY modifications and turning of RT completely in the game files), yet runs on Switch 2 just fine, looks great and maintains Ray tracing. Oblivion and Avowed run on Steam Deck, granted low settings - especially occlusion which determines hair quality. But if they can run on Steam Deck they’ll run and look great on S2, of that I have no doubt.
I truly hope MS tosses more games on the Switch as I’ve said before it’ll help them print money. Switch 2 will likely end up selling nearly the same amount of units as S1.
Re: Another Source Reveals What They Know About The 'Secret' Xbox Developer Direct Game
@dskatter I’m hoping for more Switch 2 ports personally as well. I think it’s a better investment for Xbox to do that personally than Ps5. Especially if they want to sell in Japan more. Considering Ps5 is too costly in Japan so isn’t selling well, and handheld devices reign supreme there, the smart money is on Switch 2 for western devs to port to.
Capcom and Ubisoft know what’s up.
Re: 'Nintendo Buying Xbox' Begins Trending After Hoax Goes Viral On Social Media
I don’t want Xbox or Nintendo to own each other, but I wouldn’t be opposed to them partnering up even further to be honest. We’re getting some FO4 love on Switch shortly, but I’d like to see FO3/NV, Oblivion Remastered, Starfield, Avowed, Outer Worlds 2, Outer Worlds Spacers Choice, Pillars 2, and Pillars 1 S2 upgrade/patch to all head the Switch way. They’d all make a ton of money for MS/Xbox. And if they were feeling ultra generous Fable1-3 just to get all the Nintendo players thinking about the next Fable.
Meanwhile Nintendo could toss some titles on the Xbox store to boost brand recognition. Stuff like Metroid Prime Remastered, Twilight Princess, and Mario Galaxy. Then later something a bit newer maybe like Breath of the Wild.
If Xbox and Nintendo embraced each other not only would the gamer world be better off, the companies would be too from a business and profit standpoint. It’s pretty much all they’d have to do to get a foothold over Sony. Xbox is starting to do it by showing the world it doesn’t matter being tied to a console anymore.
I always thought that if MS didn’t directly make their own handheld they’d partner with Nintendo to get all their games portable. Surprisingly they partnered with Asus instead. Which I understand from a pc aspect, but the cost isn’t as affordable to most. Thankfully there’s a General pc audience and they don’t have to bank on increased game sales via ROG Ally X sales. But toe to toe, I’d be willing to bet any MS games sell at least 3:1 on Switch hardware over ROG Ally. I’d also bet most of us Switch owners bought Skyrim as well as most Bethesda and Obsidian titles that have come out on S1. Curious to know the full attach rate there. Obviously it’s high enough to warrant further exploration due to Skyrim S2 patch shadow drop, FO4 Anniversary, and Indiana Jones….
Re: Bethesda Wants To Do More Shadow Drops Following Hi-Fi RUSH & Oblivion Remastered
I’ll take that Fallout 3 Remaster any time. And also on Switch 2. Or even just ports of FO3 and NV.
Re: Poll: How Important Is The Xbox Play Anywhere Program To You?
If I could access the pc versions without having to install windows on my Steam Deck (or if I had a Rog XAX instead), then I would make the majority of my purchases either on the Xbox store or ms store.
Re: Former Xbox Exec On Steam Machine: Choice Is Good, Not Everything Needs A Winner Or Loser
Once they make a native Linux Xbox app it’ll be moot point. The Steam Machine and Steam Deck will be an Xbox as their slogan stated.
Yes you can remote and cloud play Xbox games via Edge browser or third party apps on the Deck currently, but a native app would be a welcome one. Can also just dual boot the Deck and have full GP and Play Anywhere access as well.
And from a gamer/consumer perspective, Phil and Nelson are right, having options is a very good thing. It’s also very good for creativity and innovation.
Re: Former Nintendo President 'Surprised' That Xbox Hasn't 'Fully Embraced' Switch 2
@TrollOfWar Only time will tell with Unreal 5 on S2. Currently there’s 3 games I know of running Unreal 5 on Switch 2 - Fortnite, Chronos: New Dawn, and Split Fiction. I can’t say, for sure, but I believe they all run decently.
Borderlands 4 is another title coming that uses it. It does seem Lumen and Nanite need to be turned off / toned down for games to run smoothly, but otherwise all good.
Re: Bethesda's Todd Howard Teases Future Projects At Fallout Day 2025
@Markatron84 Skyrim Alarmo before GTA6
Re: Bethesda's Todd Howard Teases Future Projects At Fallout Day 2025
just happy to get some love on Switch 2. I primarily game in handheld mode now either Switch 2 or on Steam Deck (native or remoting my Series X). So hopefully we’ll get some more Fallout love with 3 and NV there as well. Would love to have native versions of the series there as it’s just more comfortable to play on S2 for long sessions than on my SD.
Re: Poll: Are You More Interested In The ROG Xbox Ally Now That Reviews Are Out?
@Banjo- Aside from PC, Xbox is the leader there. Was the prime reason I got the series X. I could access my OG Xbox titles, 360 titles, XB1 titles and all the new stuff. No other platform had that unless you subscribed to something and even those were linited
Re: Poll: Are You More Interested In The ROG Xbox Ally Now That Reviews Are Out?
@Banjo- Yeah and I can’t wait to see how this turns out. Truly amazing
Re: Poll: Are You More Interested In The ROG Xbox Ally Now That Reviews Are Out?
@BAMozzy I meant to say yesterday and forgot, but all things considered, if Steam Deck wasn’t an option / I didn’t already have that, the Xbox Ally X would be my next choice bar none. I’ve always loved Asus, my last 2 laptops and my last two rigs I built back in 2012 and before were all Asus stuff. They build solid stuff!
The price of any of the high end devices is still just outta my reach, but if I had no bills and much more disposable income I totally would get one.
Once the tech and software is ironed out, maybe in a year or so, I’ll pick one up. By then maybe they’ll have an answer for running your Xbox library “native” via official emulation. Newer games would just fall under play anywhere, but titles like Fable 2 and 3 never got pc ports, so currently the only option for them is remote your Xbox or unofficial emu. Not something I care to mess with when the titles are still currently purchasable and playable, and just locked to a console.
Hopefully they don’t lock that behind a GPU paywall. I’d have to read the fine print, but I don’t think Play Anywhere is GPU exclusive, just the cloud aspects. I think if you buy an Xbox or Pc title that is labeled as Play Anywhere, then it’s truly that without GPU attachment; but I could be wrong which would suck.
Edit - just checked, nope Play Anywhere is indeed tied to games purchased and separate from GPU entirely.
Edit 2 - Also I truly hope that MS dream of a unified Xbox and PC front gets fully realized. The day it can recognize I’ve bought a game on Series X, and grant me keys across Windows and Steam for that game, and vice versa, allowing me to pick up and play on any of those devices…. That’ll be a massive winning day for gamers, and allow us a truly free gaming ecosystem unrestricted from consoles. Always thought it was a pipe dream and no company would push for it, but here we stand on the cusp of it fully happening. Truly insane gaming times.
Re: Poll: Are You More Interested In The ROG Xbox Ally Now That Reviews Are Out?
@BAMozzy You’re not wrong, and that’s great for pc users. Not everyone is pc crowd. I grew up with PCs from 1985 when I first had pc access at 3, until my last pc blew up during a thunderstorm in 2012. Hadn’t been on pc ecosystem in 12+ years, and all the old games I have would now days require me to buy and external floppy or dvd drive just to run them on whatever device I’d choose.
When I got the Steam Deck for my bday last year, Steam was the best option for buying pc games - far and away the best sales bar none. Getting a deck was an no brainer for cost to effectiveness ratio as well as ease of access - I hate windows, have since the days of Windows ME… The deck gave me access to my Xbox remotely, which I’ve amassed a large digital library ever since the days of 360….. A lot of the games don’t have a pc counter part like Fable 2 and 3…. So remoting the Xbox is the only option there.
I was a GPU subscriber ever since the Series X launched, as I got a free year with it through Target’s pre-order program. I won’t argue it’s the cheapest way to game on a budget, truly it is. And it makes absolute sense if you have the time to dedicate to games before they get removed from the service and swapped with other games…. It’s also the best way to enter into a console or even pc ecosystem from nothing. Beats out PS Plus and NSO+ handily.
I get the reason it exists and its price point, both models. The lower model is the competitor to current stuff, while the higher end is a mobile upper end pc. Although currently speaking it’s a better idea to just opt for a standard Z1 Ally X and install the FSE Xbox stuff to it over getting the base Xbox Ally, and it’s even arguable against Xbox Ally X as the performance gain isn’t huge, just battery life.
Considering I’m console first and pc second, this device is clearly not marketed for me, as a simple Logitech Cloud G could more or less serve the purposes I’d require, which is remote access of my Xbox. And truly speaking I only went with the SD so I could access a few pc only titles, plus was making the decision against SD or getting a Ps5 and Portal. Considering I only wanted to play God of War, Spider-Man, Nioh and Ghost of Tushima plus have remote access to my Xbox, the SD was the clear winner. I did debate the Ally X, but it was still suffering from the overheat / Micro sd fault problem so opted against it.
It is a great design, and a step in the right direction. And your points are valid. But for those of us that are console first, there are much better options for the price than either of these devices. And a lot of it hinges on if you’re willing to stay GPU. I was not. $30 a month is too rich for my blood, plus I buy the games I want to play anyways. Of which not all land on GP. Especially not the Nintendo ones 😆.
In the end it’s much like when one trims down streaming subscriptions to save money…. Having them all at once makes no sense when you can only watch or play one thing at a time. So I axed GPU as I really wasn’t using it. I don’t have the bandwidth where I live to cloud stream reliably, so that whole section is out. Plus I’d rather be able to play my game regardless of having an internet connection. To each their own though.
Re: Poll: Are You More Interested In The ROG Xbox Ally Now That Reviews Are Out?
@PsBoxSwitchOwner for a $1000 there’s a lot of things it should have to be honest 🤣. That’s a flippin house payment, few car payments, etc…. Lordy it’s so eye watering.
$600 is my personal max for a game system. I weigh the cost versus the gain. And currently it does nothing more than what Steam Deck would offer me besides some visual upgrades or better frames. And that only applies to native. You’re not getting better than remote play for stuff like Fable 2&3….
It may be worth it for those without an alternative, like I know SD isn’t in certain markets where Microsoft may be present.
Just really hard to justify. I do hope it does well though, at least enough to have MS truly look into a native Xbox experience. Having my Xbox library over the years at the palm of my hand whereever I go and not need internet would be a dream come true
Re: Poll: Are You More Interested In The ROG Xbox Ally Now That Reviews Are Out?
@PsBoxSwitchOwner OLED is truly nice, had it on Switch 1. But quality on standard LED panels has improved greatly over the years. The Switch 2 panel looks very close to the depth that Switch OLED provided. The big boon is VRR, which doesn’t doesn’t seem to mesh well with OLED currently, or is cost prohibitive.
VRR is truly awesome and I’d choose that over OLED in a heartbeat after experiencing both, especially when it comes to handhelds where you’re not hitting 60fps in most situations.
It makes 40fps seem like 60fps, and unless frames drop massively, it’s hard to notice a frame or two dropped at all.
Re: Poll: Are You More Interested In The ROG Xbox Ally Now That Reviews Are Out?
@Gabrie Thanks for the confirmation as all that is what I was thinking it would be.
Steam Deck just works better on the less hassle front for me. Plus I have 2TB of data installed on it…. To do that over again on an Ally over a 25mb line would be a nightmare
Re: Poll: Are You More Interested In The ROG Xbox Ally Now That Reviews Are Out?
@SodaPop6548 Same way I feel. There are a few Play Anywhere titles that would transfer over from Xbox to Pc (Ally) versions and would run better than they do on Steam Deck, but it’s only a few. The rest would be remote / stream your own, which remote works just fine on SD, and stream your own, well I’m not paying $30 a month just for that. Especially when I can remote just fine.
Truly hoping for a native Xbox handheld experience, or if they can somehow finagle that to happen on Xbox Ally, I’ll def jump on it.
Re: Poll: Are You More Interested In The ROG Xbox Ally Now That Reviews Are Out?
I want one, but I’ve got a Switch 2, Steam Deck and Series X. Cant really justify the entry fee into this party. Truly am tempted though.
Re: 61 Games Discounted To Less Than $1 In New Xbox Play Anywhere Sale
@dskatter I second this. Got them on Switch when they had launched there. Haven’t finished the second but the first was good fun. Fans of British humor and point n clicks should definitely check it out!
I’ll also add Headliner: Novinews was good fun on Switch as well. It’s an adventure “rpg” point n click. You play a news reporter in city thats rife with issues and on the verge of collapse/reform… and you choose what to report in the news which changes the outcome of the following day as well as the overall story and ending. It sits at 88% on Steam which is why it piqued my interest after seeing the trailer.
And lastly I noticed some Kairosoft games in the list which are usually a lot of fun. Unfortunately no Game Dev Story or Grand Prix Story (their best two games imo) but Venture Towns is in the list and that’s a bit of Sim City-like fun. Another no brainer for 99¢ for those interested in Sim City like games and want to check what Kairosoft offers. I will say it’s maybe a 6-7 out of 10 where Game Dev Story and Grand Prix Story are solid 9s
Re: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About The ROG Xbox Ally
Honestly it’s the price for me more than anything. I just can’t afford to faff off 1k. If the X model was closer to the $600 I would have upgraded my Steam Deck OLED 1TB, but as it stands, I’ll stick with the Deck. There’s only been a handful of games I want to play that don’t play well on the Deck, and for those I have a Series X that I can remote play.
I’d say once the cost comes down I’d consider it, but by that point hopefully a Steam Deck 2 comes out, and it’s truly hard to beat what Valve has designed for a handheld. Switch and Switch 2 are the only handhelds I like more than my SD.
Re: Talking Point: How Often Do You Replay Games?
Newer games? Not that often.
Diablo 2, Link to the Past, Borderlands, Monster Hunter? At least every year.
Re: Seven Games Tested On ROG Xbox Ally X In 45 Minutes Of Impressive Pre-Release Footage
Wilds runs on something that doesn’t require a 50xx? 🤣 Color me surprised! (They musta patched and optimized a lot since I last played a few months ago)
Re: Poll: What Are Your Plans For Xbox Game Pass After This Week's News?
Been an GPU subscriber since I got my Series X at launch. However I’ve spent most of my time playing titles I own / buy instead of playing the GPU titles…. I don’t use cloud gaming, just remotely play my stuff on Xbox through my Steam Deck. After evaluating everything I’ve decided to cancel for now. May sub again in the future if I play with friends or something, but lately I’ve been playing single player stuff, so I don’t see the reason to stay subbed.
It’s still a great value to a lot of players, and if I didn’t buy every game I wanted to play, then it would be more worth it to me.
Re: The Witcher 3 Is Getting Mod Support On Xbox, But It's Been Delayed To 2026
That fact they’re still working on console support gives me hope for a Switch 2 upgrade
Re: Talking Point: Has This Week's ROG Xbox Ally News Sold You On The New Handheld?
I want one, but I’ve already got Series X, Steam Deck and Switch 2, so I’m set. The Xbox Ally doesn’t really offer anything more for me than I’ve already got, besides a better native game play experience on beefier titles.
Plus the price, can’t afford it. $900 is too rich for my blood currently.
Re: Talking Point: Will The ROG Xbox Ally Be Your First 'Handheld Gaming PC'?
I’m set with Switch 2, Steam Deck OLED and Series X via remote on SD. No reason to get one yet for me. That’ll only happen if my entire Xbox library becomes Play Anywhere, or Xbox makes a native handheld.
Re: No Rest For The Wicked May Skip Xbox 'For The Time Being' Due To 'Current Market Conditions'
Played this on deck a bit, maybe 2 hours…. Def not as enthralling or captivating as Ori. Wondering if it gets better….
Re: Xbox Emphasises That Its Next-Gen Devices 'Aren't Locked To A Single Store'
@Medic_alert I don’t blame you there. I grew up with Dos (Back when MS made it but was distributed as IBM Dos), watched the birth of windows - which was magical at the time. Saw through Windows 3, to 95, 98, ME, Vista, etc…. I crapped out Win 7.
Just far too much bloat and maintenance on the OS, and the fact that I’d have to do a factory fresh install every 6-12 months to keep things running nicely…. Smh. I built my last gaming rig around 2006…. Right around the 360 days…. A thunderstorm blew it out. Was honestly the best thing to happen to me. I detached from pc gaming and focused on Consoles after that. Been a much happier gamer ever since…..
but I had been missing the occasional pc release or modding games, so last year I nabbed a steam deck. So nice. Lot less fuss and muss than windows. I do have to tweak games every now and then, but that’s just mainly graphical settings. Only rarely have I had to mess with an ini file or something due to a game not defaulting to 800p, and instead defaulting to 1440p….. 🤦🏼♂️
If Xbox can manage that type of pc console hybrid then I’m totally sold on it.
La
Re: Xbox Emphasises That Its Next-Gen Devices 'Aren't Locked To A Single Store'
@Medic_alert this is more or less Valves approach with SteamOS now, they’ve licensed it out to Lenovo for the Legion. Would make sense on MS part to basically do the same and just create a console environment out of windows totally so it can be licensed out. Further expanding the Xbox brand.
Re: Xbox Emphasises That Its Next-Gen Devices 'Aren't Locked To A Single Store'
Honestly this is the most excited for Xbox’s future than I have been the last two console gens
I’m down for it if they just make a bespoke gaming pc box that “will just work” without registry tinkering and all the extra windows bloat and necessity (like virus software and such)…..
I’m ultra down for it if they can make a handheld that plays all my current Xbox library native, plus has the above with multiple storefront access. A truly all in one portable device. Would be insane, and amazing.
Re: Xbox Announces Next-Gen Console Strategy, Promises 'Deeper Visuals' & Backwards Compatibility
@Sol4ris Same, would love my Steam library accessible to my Xbox consoles, especially if they go a native Xbox handheld route. Truly hoping they haven’t cancelled that as per the rumors suggest.
Re: Xbox Announces Next-Gen Console Strategy, Promises 'Deeper Visuals' & Backwards Compatibility
@Cakefish wait! Steam was confirmed?!? Hell yeah if true!
Although to all the people drooling at the possibility of Sony games running on an Xbox, do not get your hopes up. Sony can and will likely block access to running their pc games on Xbox consoles. At least at this current stage, the future may change there.
Check Sony games on GeForce Now and their non-ability to stream on Xbox, yet other developer games can without issue.
Re: Xbox Announces Next-Gen Console Strategy, Promises 'Deeper Visuals' & Backwards Compatibility
@Juanalf This has been the weirdest console generation. Honestly hasn’t even felt like a console generation by any means. Felt like a “Pro version” generation since most of the next gen patches and game were delayed for 2-3 years thanks to covid, then it’s just been a slow trickle of stuff. And while the graphics have been nice, fps stability and faster loading have taken the forefront this gen (thankfully so!). So it truly hasn’t felt like a generational leap forward like previous generations have.
It reminds me of the times when I would upgrade my graphics card on my pc. Same games, just more stable and a bit prettier.
Such a weird generation….
Re: The Witcher 4 Will Be 'Extremely Challenging' To Run At 60FPS On Xbox Series S
This does cause a small bit of concern for a Switch 2 version. However….. install base will drive that a bit harder id wager. Plus it’ll likely be handled by Sabre again, who do wonders on porting. And lastly, dunno what the target res is for Series S, but Switch will be lower between 800-1080p native, so that should make it easier to hit higher fps.
Re: Switch 2 'Closer To Xbox Series S' Than Last-Gen Consoles, Says Ninja Gaiden Dev
@Kaloudz the SD OLED has a decent battery. It’s only AAA pc games that drain it, otherwise it’s good.
No handheld plays native Xbox titles currently. The ROG Ally / Xbox Ally will allow you to play “Xbox Anywhere” titles. They work basically like blu ray disc movies that also come with dvds….. aka you buy a pc title or xbox title and you get the vice versa for free.
If you’re remote playing you’ll get your standard xbox achievements like normal as you unlock them. If you play steam games they have their own achievement system, although I do believe the Xbox Studio games have dual achievements where you’ll unlock for your Xbox profile and for your Steam Profile.
Steam deck doesn’t do this by default because it’s not a Windows device, it’s Linux. You can dual boot Windows to achieve this if you want, it’s what my friend did. Edit - this is in regards to Xbox Play Anywhere titles. This only applies to Xbox and windows versions of games. So it’s not compatible with Steam Deck without dual booting.
But if you’re already on the Xbox environment, and you have a Series S/X, then you can just stream your games directly to the Deck. All the benefits of your Xbox, with the ability to play it anywhere without being HMDI tethered to a big screen.
Using the XbPlay app from the Steam store is easy, and since it barely uses any system resources you get a major battery life. Your xbox will do all the processing and your deck will just be a controller with a built in screen.
Re: Developer Reveals Surprisingly Critical Feedback After Launching On Xbox Game Pass
There’s also a thousand other factors to consider rather than just Game Pass or No Game Pass launching.
Release time vs other game / system launches. Know a lot of us are tapped out between Switch 2 + its games, and stuff like Oblivion Remaster all launching within a few months of each other.
Your nations economy, world economy, average salary, game cost vs subscription cost vs both together if you want to own the game, etc….
A million factors went into their launch. Timing and coverage did not help them. I honestly had no clue the game was coming until just a couple weeks prior to launch…. nor was I 100% sure it was a sequel at first. I can’t be the only one in that boat.
So it’s not quite fair to blame game pass specifically, because honestly speaking it probably would have and extremely far less player count without it. Be curious to know just how much lesser.
One thing they’re probably not taking into account whatsoever is people who sub to Game Pass, try out 25-30% of a game and decide they want to buy it, but decide to buy on another storefront. I’m guilty of this as there’s just some game that fit better on Switch/S2 or Steam Deck for me than Xbox, and there’s also the vice versa of that like MH Wilds or Oblivion Remastered. This last factor is probably hard to judge, but could be done as a lot of companies have linked main accounts across numerous platforms like 2K’s Shift system. You could check Game Pass download and playtime against a linked account on another platform and see if the user bought it there instead.
Re: Switch 2 'Closer To Xbox Series S' Than Last-Gen Consoles, Says Ninja Gaiden Dev
@Millionski I concur! Haven’t tried S2 Odyssey yet but it’s in my list to check out. I love my Switch and Xbox combo. The only reason I ever recommend Steam Deck (OLED model because much better battery than the original LCD ones) is for remote Xbox/pc, and access to Ps titles - that was my deciding factor. I wanted to be able to play Nioh, God of War, Spider-Man and Ghost of Tsushima, but didn’t want to drop $700 on a massive console that wouldn’t fit in my entertainment center and a ps portal. Plus kiddos. Most of those were mature titles which I wouldn’t really get to play without having a handheld screen. So the portal would be a necessity unfortunately, putting my overall cost somewhere between $700-800 just for 2 hunks of hardware to play 6 games…. I don’t have a pc anymore, nor gaming room, so Deck was a no brainer when it came down to Ps5 vs Deck. The bigger problem was choosing Ally vs Deck. That came down to Ally having teething issues (overheating MicroSD slot), and not wanting to deal with Windows, drivers, and registry. SteamOS is just much nicer.
I do recommend to anyone with a deck / possibly getting a deck, to buy and use the XbPlay app. Fully worth the $6-7. Quick and easy to use, plus you can get a 1080 remote stream as well as actually stream 360 games - couldn’t do this originally on the official app. Which the official app is much more of a pain to install on deck and get up running, and even then I believe it’s just cloud streaming; not remoting your Xbox. Think that requires Windows OS, but I could be wrong on that last part. Just know it’s all a pain comparatively.
Re: Switch 2 'Closer To Xbox Series S' Than Last-Gen Consoles, Says Ninja Gaiden Dev
@Kaloudz S2 depends on game. CP2077 gives me around 2-2.5 hours, S1 / less demanding indie is like 3-4ish it seems. I haven’t fully drained it yet so not positive. It’s definitely not quite as long as the OLED S1 is.
Deck also depends on title, something like Baldur’s Gate 3 will give about 2 hours maybe less, and something like Stardew can give ya 6-8 if you adjust the TDP (Thermal Design Power) down to 9-10w. You can get 8-10 hours remote play lowering the TDP down to 8-9W. Base watts on SD is 15w.
Another big factor to take into account is what type of games you want to play on the handheld. If you want native AAA, S2 will end up giving the better result as it has built in ray tracing from the RTX 30xx tech. SD has the ABILITY to do Ray Tracing, but it TANKS performance, like down to single digit fps. Also Nintendo titles if that’s a factor, only gonna get Mario and Zelda (legally, and working 100% correctly) on a Switch.
If remote and pc play is the bigger factor then SD would be my choice. Its about $600 for the OLED model, you do have to have a Steam account and have $50 worth of Steam games purchased in order to be able to order the system, otherwise it’ll auto kick back and decline your order - built in scalper protection from the ordering system.
I can’t speak for Ally. I know that the price is high on the X model, currently setting around $800. The Xbox model will likely be around there. I wouldn’t bother with the lesser version as it won’t run native games as well. Either all or nothing there according to the Ally reddit. Should be noted the current Ally Z1 regular (not extreme) is about on par with Steam Deck. And more devs are optimizing for SD over Ally/Legion currently. That may change with the Xbox versions.
There’s also having to fiddle with drivers occasionally while you wait for the Asus version to update (going by what’s reported on reddit). Sometimes Asus is a couple weeks behind on tweaking the newest Nvidia drivers. Steam is much more stable and easier to deal with in that department, it’s mostly download and go.
The SteamOS should also be noted that it’s pretty inline with console OS’ in terms of ease of usage and such. Xbox version of Ally should be closer to this, but Ally X isn’t there currently. A lot of users install Bazzite to give it a SteamOS like experience.
Best I can say is do some massive research and determine your prime usage. I lurked the Deck and Ally reddits for months before I made my decision. Ultimately went deck, just overall better design and such. Ally had/has a problem with the MicroSD card port causing it to be basically unusable as it can overheat and crap out.
Sorry for the info dump! 😂
If you were set on getting a system this year, I’d say S2 first then grab a Deck on the cheap next year or wait to see what the native Xbox handheld is like. Personally the Xbox Ally is a pass for me, money is a big factor, but it doesn’t provide anything over my deck besides the VRR screen (which S2 has as well) and a better ability to run pc games, which isn’t a big factor as I remote those big games from my Xbox instead.
Re: Switch 2 'Closer To Xbox Series S' Than Last-Gen Consoles, Says Ninja Gaiden Dev
@Kaloudz Seriously man, you can’t go wrong with the Switch 2. If you’ve got the cash, and can snag one, do so. If remoting your rig/xbox is a priority though, grab a Steam Deck. Either way, super worth it for being able to play on the couch. I grabbed a Deck last year specifically for being able to remote my Xbox and for a handful of native pc/ps4 games like God of War and The Sims Legacy collection. It hasn’t gotten as much attention as my Switch ever had, but I’ve easily sunk 300 hours in since Sept, which isn’t bad for a side system/remote Xbox.
The Switch 2 was a no brainer for me, I’ve got a massive digital and physical library of Switch games, and now they all run better, some even having patches that really boost things to close to Series S/X level like Hogwarts.
The other boon with a Deck tho is being able to run GBA and such whenever/where ever ya want. And other systems too. Which reminds me, I need to boot up The Sims:Urbz sometime, it’s been years and I loved that game!
Re: Switch 2 'Closer To Xbox Series S' Than Last-Gen Consoles, Says Ninja Gaiden Dev
@Millionski I’m definitely loving my Switch 2 and can’t wait to see what the future holds for it.
NL just published an article about how S1 games are getting bumps on S2 without the need of dev patches, which I already knew and is just incredibly awesome! I’d booted up MHRise to revisit it the other day (hadn’t played since pre-SunBreak) and was surprised to see how vibrant and smooth everything suddenly was. Even load times are faster. Granted not bespoke patch better, but still better nonetheless. Love it!
Re: Switch 2 'Closer To Xbox Series S' Than Last-Gen Consoles, Says Ninja Gaiden Dev
@Millionski Yeah, that’s the reason we got good ports of Witcher 3, Doom, and eventually Hogwarts on S1, not to mention the plethora of cross gen ports from 360/Xb1 days like Borderlands collection, Bioshock, and Batman.
Having a rapidly growing / huge install base drives the devs and publishers to get their games on the system.
Truly hoping for Obsidian to come revisit the Switch version of Outer Worlds and update it for S2 with the Spacers Choice edition. Would also love for them and Bethesda to toss some more support the S2 way with Fallout, Avowed, Pillars 2, OW2, and Oblivion Remastered. So many amazing titles would print money for them on Switch 2.
A few of those games work, but not great, on Steam Deck. With S2 optimization and the added grunt the S2 has over SD, maaaaaan…. Avowed, Oblivion and OWSC would look and work great. Instant day ones for me if they chose to do it
Re: Switch 2 'Closer To Xbox Series S' Than Last-Gen Consoles, Says Ninja Gaiden Dev
@Kaloudz I loved my GBA, took it to college everyday to play between classes. Been a handheld fan since. Especially helpful to play mature games when you got kiddos so they aren’t wandering and catching something mature on the tv, lol.
I primarily game on Switch for that reason, but I had used my Xbox a lot more the past 6 months since I got a Steam Deck and started remote playing the Xbox.
That and there’s just something nice about being able to game on the couch while the family watches tv. No need for a gamer den and feeling like I’m excluding myself from the family just to game, or hogging the tv when the kiddos or wife want to watch or play something.