I agree, @rhyno_888. I think there will be a sizeable shift of gamers migrating from the Xbox over to the PS6, and then even more will stick with their existing Series consoles. I doubt the uptake in a $1000+ Xbox will be huge to begin with, and that 10 million lifetime sales is more likely the target.
As I have said before, families looking to buy a console for the front room, which is primarily going to be used by their children, will have no need for a powerful PCBox, and be unwilling to spend $400 or more over the cost of the PS6 or Switch 2, and so they will not be looking to buy the PCBox.
The PCBox really is there for the Xbox enthusiast. It is not meant as a product for everyone...
It's long been rumoured that there is a Battle Royale mode in development, @nomither6, and I suspect that this mode will be released as a standalone free-to-play game, and that it will come resplendent with all the other modes too.
I do not think they will add it to the base Halo, because they want people to jump into the multiplayer component, and there will be people that will not pay for it, so releasing it separately is probably seen as the way to go...
I am very much looking forward to seeing what they come up with. As much as I love Halo, I am not a purist, so if they make some sensible and meaningful changes, I do not mind.
The other beauty of this game being campaign only is that I will be able to get the full 1000g for the game. I really hope they do an achievement for completing the game solo on Legendary...
I have had a couple of very small issues, @Feffster, but nothing too significant. There is an enemy that burrows underground, for example, and I have had it then not resurface, and so had to restart from my previous save. It's happened a couple of times, but as I save every couple of minutes, it's not much of an issue.
If you do what I did, and look up tips before starting, then one of the most stated ones seems to be save often, which as I do that all the time in every game, is not an issue for me.
I am 12 hours in, still on the first planet, and very much enjoying the game...
Entirely agree, @GeeEssEff. If the PCBox comes out Fall next year, then I don't think we will see another Game Pass price increase until Spring 2027. If, as is widely expected, the PCBox comes out in 2027, then I suspect we will see a 'modest' Game Pass price increase across the board, and then the next one will be more significant, but won't happen until around 6 months after the release of the PCBox.
Regardless, subscription fees will be increasing, and then, as it creeps ever closer to $40 and above, people will need to actually calculate the value of the service to them as individuals.
For me, I have Ultimate stacked until June 2027, and I already know that I do not get value for money from the service. I really only use it for online access, and on top of that, I prefer to buy my games, even first-party ones. My plan had been to either drop Game Pass completely, or drop to Essential if I still need to pay for online.
I know me well (as you would expect!), and I have a real weakness for Xbox, and for having the latest tech, so I fully expect to buy the PCBox because I will want the best available Xbox, so if online does go free, which it absolutely should for anyone that buys the PCBox, then I will likely completely drop Game Pass, and simply continue to buy my games...
No, I honestly think they will be selling the PCBox at that sort of price, @rhyno_888. What they will do though is continue to sell the Series X, and maybe the S. It really is meant to be a premium product, and Microsoft have probably calculated they will sell around 10 million units.
I think Microsoft see it as an entry point to the PC market, and if you look into it, you will see that to get a mid-range PC will set you back around $1500, and a high-end one you are looking double that. Because of their buying power, Microsoft will pay less for the guts of the PCBox, and if they sell it at around cost, they can offer a middling PC for around $1200 (which is how much it is rumoured to cost). Even a middling PC will be a significant improvement on the Series X.
Honestly though, I really don't think that Microsoft are expecting to sell tens of millions of the PCBox, but if they make it an enticing enough machine, then many people will still buy into the idea...
I don't know how they can remove PC Game Pass, @ilyn, as they they will still have to have some form of Game Pass available for PC as PC Game Pass is apparently the only one that has seen any growth in recent times, and Microsoft won't want to lose those subscriptions.
The issue is how do they deal with that. Currently PC Game Pass is probably the best service Microsoft offer because it is a lot cheaper than Ultimate, but offers the same benefits. Indeed, it actually gets more games than Ultimate as it also has many PC orientated games on the service that are not available on consoles.
This is the issue for Microsoft; if you get rid of PC Game Pass and swap it out for Ultimate, you will actually be offering those that currently have PC Game Pass less than they currently get. Equally, if you currently have Ultimate, and then get the PCBox, then you surely you would expect to be treated the same as those that already receive PC Game Pass, but not only that, you would expect to be paying less than you currently do for Ultimate, just as PC Game Pass subscribers do.
The only other alternative is to migrate those who invest in the PCBox to PC Game Pass, but increase the price of PC Game Pass to match Ultimate, but then Microsoft run the risk of existing PC Game Pass subscribers quitting the service, unless they say that if you remain subscribed then your actual payments will not increase, with only those joining the service paying a new, higher, price.
Upshot is, I really cannot see how Microsoft can simply get rid of PC Game Pass because people will have stacked the service and will be rightly upset if it is fundamentally changed, or is in someway seemingly downgraded. Likewise, if you do invest in the PCBox, then you would expect to be treated the same as other PC gamers, and right now that means being offered more, but paying less.
All of that is before you take into consideration that part of the cost of Game Pass goes towards paying for access to online, which if it is then made free, must surely mean that the cost of Game Pass should come down, otherwise it is not actually free, is it...?
Not a chance, @rhyno_888. You are looking in excess of $1000. I would say somewhere between $1000 and $1400. You simply cannot have the premium PC experience that Microsoft is hinting at for less than $1000. Indeed, for it to be truly premium, you could even be looking to pay double that which you are hoping for...
If the rumours of a $1200 PCBox are true, @Questionable_Duck, I'd be surprised if a third of Series, and prior, Xbox owners upgrade to the new system. So it there are 30 million Series consoles (and however many prior to that) then I would think that Microsoft will not expect to sell more than 10 million PCBoxes within the first year or two. Indeed, that may even be their lifetime target because for families, in particular, the console is there to entertain the kids, and kids don't need an all singing, all dancing PC. They just need something they can pick up an play at an affordable price...
I have been saying for ages now, @BaldB3lper78, that you cannot have the premium console/PC experience, and expect it to come in at much under a grand. I've been shot down for it time and time again, and yes, I know Phil Spencer said they weren't going to be selling a console for £1000, but then times, inflation, tariffs, and who is in charge at Xbox (Microsoft!) have all changed. Now, I don't expect the PCBox to be sold for £1000, I expect it to be more than that. Not by much, I guess, but I think it will come in at higher than a grand.
Honestly, I don't think that Microsoft is targeting the majority of those that game on the Xbox right now. I think they are targeting the hardcore element of those gamers. Those that bleed green and will stick with Xbox no matter what. Those that would play instruments aboard the sinking deck whilst all other flee.
For everyone else, Microsoft will provide the Series consoles. They will keep making them, and keep supporting them. I honestly don't think Microsoft are looking to sell tens of millions of the PCBox, but maybe a more modest 10 million. However, I do think that Microsoft are faced with a difficult proposition right now, as the only two real choices they have are to drop out of the market, or completely innovate by bringing something different to the market, but that ain't gonna come cheep...!
November??? Interesting! Could there be an absolute outside chance of a reveal of the PCBox, as Fall next year would be the earliest that it is likely to be released. Highly unlikely as 2027 seems to be the favoured year these days, but just throwing it out there...
I said they would have to do this. Free for the PCBox, and paid for the Series and below. It absolutely makes sense, and it may even be a draw for those PC gamers that want to have a second PC, which would be connected to their front room televisions.
The other thing they will need to address is whether on the PCBox you can have PC Game Pass, which again will be a cheaper subscription service...
Is it free to play, @BAMozzy? I thought it was packaged with Infinite, and that the only reason people were playing it for 'free' was because they were playing it on Game Pass. I could easily be wrong, but I bought Infinite, and got both, so I assumed everyone accessed it that way...
They will definitely be releasing a standalone PvP mode that will be added to ad infinitum for years to come. They may even update Infinite's multiplayer with U5 graphics, etc, and then put that out as the Halo version of Call of Duty's Warzone. It's definitely coming, it's just a question of when they put it out. Hopefully they will have learned from the Infinite debacle, and it will release with far more content...
Absolutely right, @MojoMonkey98 & @Brentclark814. Just as with CoD, there are many people that don't even touch the campaign. Not such a high percentage as in CoD, but still a reasonable percentage. You only have to look at the stats for those that have earned the achievements for completing the campaign to see that multiplayer is a bigger draw for a sizeable number of people...
He is not wrong that Doom Scrolling eats up more of people's time, and therefore Xbox is competing with that, but Xbox is still competing (and losing!) to the PlayStation as well, who are, by the way, also competing with Doom Scrolling.
Truth be told, you need to pick your battles, and gaming has no chance up against Doom Scrolling unless you can come up with something particularly compelling that will draw them away from Tik ToK and YouTube etc., and we all know that' not going to happen. Sony are in exactly the same boat, but are doing much better that Microsoft in terms of gaming.
Microsoft need to keep their eye on the ball, and right now, that ball is PlayStation, and if they fail to do that, they will just lose even more ground. There really is nothing anyone can do about Doom Scrolling. Everyone does it, some more heavily than others, but once you're down a rabbit hole, it can sometimes be quite difficult to pull yourself out of it again.
Honestly, it just sounds like an excuse. They may as well say we cannot compete with Sony, so we'll target something else, which makes zero sense because they really cannot compete with Doom Scrolling whereas they can compete with Sony with a little more effort...
Yes, I bought the Premium version of OW2, @OldGamer999.
How are you getting on with NG4? I may give it a go at some point but am worried that my ADHD and age may mean the game is beyond me, what with all the combos and QTEs...
I have already started The Outer Worlds 2 Premium Edition, and my son will be buying Wreckreation, and as we game share, I will likely have a go at that too. I think that will be my lot for the week as I have bought a lot recently and need to work through my exceptionally extensive backlog.
Hope you had a good holiday, @FraserG. It's been busy whilst you've been away... 👍
I am literally 10 minutes into the first mission, @OldGamer999. I spent about 30 or 40 minutes designing my character, and then started the first mission. However, I am playing on Very Hard, and have come across 2 enemies in a room that I have to enter, and have no idea what to do because they kill me almost instantly. So far so good though. It looks lovely, and the writing (as much as I have seen of it) seems on point right now...
I just had a look at my achievements, @Sol4ris, and I earned the one called Beachhead in 2015 in the Masterchief Collection, and it can be earned on either Heroic or Legendary. I suspect that I did it on Heroic, because just staying alive yourself on Legendary is difficult enough, let along worrying about the Marines. That said, I didn't go through the games in co-op for the first time until early this year, so obviously I did it solo back then, and it maybe a easier in co-op, though I honestly couldn't tell you.
I am looking forward to the challenge again, I have to say, and as I do not play the multi-player anyway, it should be a game in which I can earn every achievement...
Absolutely, @ElectricWizard! As an example (that I have said a few times now), I recently bought Outer Worlds 2 Premium Edition from Loaded (formerly CDKeys) for £56, saving myself £34 on the price that is on sale for on the Xbox Store and the PlayStation Store. If you are gaming on the PlayStation, you do not have the option of saving that £34. It's buy it at full price or wait for a sale...
I bought Outer Worlds Premium Edition, so started that last night. I'm playing on Very Hard, and am about 10 minutes into the first mission and already having a bit of difficulty because I am faced with two enemies and am finding it very hard to take them on! It'll probably be okay once I have levelled up a few times, but right now? Ob, boy... 😂
My mate is away today, but I'm hoping he'll be back tomorrow so that we can attempt another Master Horde run in Gears 5 as a trio with my youngest son. We actually managed to complete one last weekend on what was probably a harder map than we will be attempting next, but Master is meant for a team of 5, so attempting it as a trio is really challenging a good fun (and frustrating!)...
Ahh, right, @OldGamer999. I'm with you now. It does look fantastic. I watched it before I went to bed last night and it kept me up until 1 a.m. 😂
I'm not going to lie, I would prefer to have a brand new game, but I am also very much looking forward to go through it solo on Legendary again, before I then play it again on Legendary with a mate. I'm always very careful to earn the Legendary achievement solo before earning the first achievement that mentions co-op so that I can boast to myself that I did it solo, even though absolutely no one cares...! 🤣
You make a good point, @Sol4ris. Without the Xbox console to restrain the pricing of the PS6, and with PlayStation having dominated the market for the past two generations, Sony may feel they can unashamedly push the price up. Time will indeed tell...
I didn't realise that, @Valhura. It may also go to show why Xbox has been mismanaged to some extent, because when a studio has so many strong franchises, it makes sense to expand it to enough studios that you can produce at least one each year...
That was exactly what I thought as I watched the above video, @Sol4ris. Now I have to try and keep those Marines alive again (on Hard, if I remember correctly!). Man, that took so many attempts because they were made of glass... 😂
PlayStation games maybe playable on the PCBox, but that is not the same as them being native on the Xbox. You won't get achievements, for example (well, not for the Xbox, though Steam does have achievements), and Steam does not have quick resume either.
In all honesty, I can see people switching to the PS6 next generation. You don't need to lose access to your Xbox library if you also keep your existing Xbox console. Likely as not the PS6 will be greatly cheaper than the PCBox too, plus you then get full access to Sony's exclusives, and get to earn trophies for them too. 😂
Anyone that chooses to go to PlayStation next generation, rather than sticking with Xbox, is not necessarily a fan of PlayStation at all right now. After all, why would they be playing on an Xbox right now, and not on a PlayStation, if they are a PlayStation fan?!? No. Anyone that chooses to leave Xbox behind on the next generation will probably be leaving because of the decisions that Microsoft are making right now. Massive price hikes on consoles and subscriptions, lurching from crisis to crisis, and then bringing out a 'console' that sounds like it will be hugely expensive. Yes, it may well be a very capable piece of kit, but it will likely also be the cost of a PS6 and a Series X combined, and whilst if you were to buy both you wouldn't have access to Steam that way, you would easily have all your console needs covered!
Personally, I continue to think that people have got carried away with the significance of the release of Helldivers 2 on the Xbox. The game is a Live Service game and it needs to have as many people as possible playing it, so bringing it to the Xbox was a matter of necessity in order for it to thrive.
When Sony bring over their big tentpole single-player titles to the Xbox, then, and only then, can we say that Sony has fully abandoned exclusivity, and there have been no signs that they are intending to do that at present, no matter how some might wish it to be so. Even were Sony to bring their tentpole games to the Xbox, I bet it will be years, probably a decade or more, before we see them releasing their tentpole games day and date on both the PlayStation and the Xbox. I've said it before, but people have become overly excited since the arrival of Helldivers 2, full of wishful thinking that can lead to disappointment only...
You are assuming that people can afford or want the handheld, @RBRTMNZ, or indeed, will be able to afford the next Xbox.
Truthfully, if people are that desperate to play these PlayStation games, then the cheaper option over owning the handheld is to by a PS5. Heck, even the PS5 Pro is cheaper than the handheld, and the PS6 is likely to be greatly cheaper than the next Xbox, if the rumours (and the Premium quote) are to be believed...
You only realise how time marches relentlessly on as you grow increasingly closer to the inevitable, @BleedingDreamer. I know it can happen to any of us at any moment in time, but as you get older, that happening becomes ever more likely...! 😂
Personally, I'd like to see Bethesda have studios dedicated to single titles, @ILuvGames. So you would have one working on Fallout, one working on Elder Scrolls, one working on each of the ongoing Live Service games (Elder Scrolls and Fallout 76). One working on Doom, and another on Wolfenstein. If Starfield is going to be a franchise, then one solely working on that. Between them they could release on big title a year, and then still have 4 to 6 years in which to develop the next in the series.
What Bethesda seem to do is have all hands on deck with the next game to be released, and yet still take an eternity, and often produce a buggy mess when it does eventually release...
I agree with everything you say, @PsBoxSwitchOwner. However, read the review! It barely mentions the bugs or performance, yet somehow they deduct 3 points for... what reason?
As I keep saying, the point is that Push are an outlier even amongst their fellow PlayStation reviewers. They always give a point or more fewer review points than their peers, as is demonstrated when you look into the review scores on Metacritic.
It is not a case of one or two times, it is every time.
I accept that people have differing tolerance for bugs and performance issues, and if it was always the same reviewer using the same PS5, then maybe you could understand the scores always being lower. However, we know they use different reviewers, and we can only surmise that they use a different console each time because they often produce several reviews in a single week.
As we would say in my old job, where there is a pattern there is a agenda. Push like to give lower scores to Xbox games on every occasion. That's your pattern. The agenda is more difficult to determine, but it is likely something to do with appeasing the more rabid PlayStation gamer into thinking that whatever Xbox produces will be subpar...
Two things I would say to your comment, @OldGamer999. Firstly, the games you list are coming out next year. Fantastic! And do you think they started to make them last year? Remember, I was directly referring to games that began post Hood setting the 30% profit margins.
Secondly, I did say single-player games, my old' mucker.
From your list:
FH6 - Multiplayer Live Service game. Forza Horizon 5 took 3 years to develop, thus if FH6 does come out in 2026, development on it likely started in 2023 at the latest, although most of the assets from FH5 will probably be used, which is why these games only take around 3 years to develop.
Fable - probably single-player. First announced in November 2023, thus in development prior to that.
Gears of War: E-Day - Multiplayer is it's biggest draw, and will be treated like a Live Service game as it will get additions to it for years (just as Gears 5 has). The fact that Gears 5 was a Live Service game is likely the reason that there has been such a long period of time between Gears 5 and E-Day.
Clockwork Revolution- single-player game as far as we know. It was announced in June 2023, with development likely has begun prior to that.
Halo remake - we don't know what game it is yet, but as with Gears of War it will be primarily focused on being a multiplayer Live Service title, just as Infinite was/is.
I will reiterate what I say previously, chances are that Xbox will pivot towards primarily releasing games that are either multiplayer or Live Service because once the game has been developed, they only need a steady influx of additions (seasons) to keep people playing them and thus you can much more easily hit that 30% profit margin. The game having a campaign, does not alter the fact that the money is made in the multiplayer / Live Service element, and that is the reason the game is made in the first place. Likely as not, if they thought they could release Gears of War without a campaign, they would.
Single-player games are one and done things that often struggle to recoup their development budgets, particularly when you have Game Pass eating into sales on both the Xbox and PC. This is why it is highly likely that Hood and Sadella will steer Xbox away from making such games.
As I said previously, the proof of the direction that Microsoft take will be demonstrated by what releases in 2027 at the earliest, though with production on bigger games taking 5-7 years, you will only really see the product of these decisions come 2029 and thereafter. None of the games you mention began development post May 2024...
Don't do bad up until now, @OldGamer999. Remember, Hood has only set this target in recent times. Every game that we have had prior to her setting this target will have been well on the way to be released. The likes of Avowed, South of Midnight and Indiana Jones were probably all but complete when this order was given. Likely as not, the order was given just prior to the High-Fi Rush studio being closed, and every game that we have had since then would have been well into development at that time.
What we are looking to see is how Xbox performs with games that went into production post the closure of Tango Gameworks in around May 2024, and let us not forget that we have already seen cancellation of single player games since the closure of Tango Gameworks too.
With games taking 3 to 5 years to make, the true test of how these type of games fair in the future is not going to be apparent until the middle of 2027 at the earliest...
It being the 25th, I tried to play the game a little earlier, only to find that it does not release until 6 p.m. BST. Not happy! That's when I start cooking tea! Now I'll have to wait until night on 9 p.m. before I am able to begin playing. Why release it in the evening in the UK? Did I mention I'm not happy? Well I'm not...! 🤣
I agree that it would, @ButterySmooth30FPS, but again I say read the review, they barely mention any problems, and again, they are still a point off the average of all other PlayStation reviews, unless you are suggesting that only Push had these problems...?
I just have to hope that I am still alive and still gaming when the eventual Fallout 5 arrives, as Todd confirming that they are working on other Fallouts could just mean the remaster of 3 (which I am here for), or that they are having the occasional meeting with writers to thrash out the story arc for Fallout 5, but not actually switched on a computer to begin programming it...
I honestly believe that Phil Spencer only remains in post because he is attempting to be a buffer between Xbox and the much more draconian Microsoft leadership. Heaven knows what damage Hood and Sadella would do to Xbox if they had some ambitious yes man in place as the head of Xbox.
With Microsoft using how long a game is played as a criteria for how successful it is, and how they reward their developers, then you can expect to see many more multiplayer and Live Service games in the future. It also explains why so many single-player games have been cancelled recently. Just how many single player only games we will see in the future is open to question because generally that is not where the money is to be made...
I get what you are saying, @ButterySmooth30FPS, but I would say two things in response to that; firstly, their scores actually contribute to the Metacritic score, and they are always a point or more off when it comes to Xbox games. It is not a one off, they always are! They are an outlier even amongst all the other PlayStation reviewers. I get it, they are a PlayStation site, and they want to please their more rabid fans by having a pop at Xbox, but journalistically they are therefore morally dubious because they are painting a distorted picture for their readers. If you have to add a point or more to every review they do of an Xbox game, then they are unreliable, unless you want to view them as reliably unreliable.
The second point is pretty straightforward, they do not do the same to third-party games. When it comes to third-party they are generally there or thereabouts with their reviews. More or less on point, so to speak, with the overall Metacritic review scores.
Now I am not suggesting that they actively 'hate' Xbox, but they judge them by a different standard to all third-party games. They do exactly the same for PlayStation games, though the bias they have there is to be favourable to the first-party games they review; overlook the flaws they would deduct a point for when it comes to an Xbox game.
As I have said before, Pure does this too. I believe it is done to appease their more perfervid readers, however when you have to add or deduct a point based on who has made the game, then it means that their review scores are unreliable, even when the actual review is well written, well reasoned, and thorough.
Personally I think that a journalist should attempt to be unbiased, but it just seems that Push, in particular, seem to be pretty much incapable of that when it comes to Xbox and Microsoft, although, as I said, I do kind of understand why they do it...
No they should not, @ButterySmooth30FPS. Absolutely not! However, that is not the same as being able to point out that they do always rate an Xbox game at least a point lower than the Metacritic average.
Once, and you would not notice. Twice, and you think, oh, that's a little odd. Three times and you can see that it cannot be a coincidence, and then more than that and it becomes a pattern of behaviour.
If every PlayStation site were to do the same, then fair enough, that is the consensus of those sites. However, Push is actively awarding at least a point less than the average of each of those other PlayStation review sites, which does tend to suggest a bias.
We all have biases. That is human nature. However, I always feel that a journalistic point of view should try and paint a more balanced picture. I just don't think that Push does that when it comes to their scores. Read their review. It is very thorough, and well written, but I honestly do not think that it reflects a score that is regarded as 'Mixed' on Metacritic...
Comments 3,754
Re: Huge Xbox Report Details 'Ambitious' Next-Gen Console With Free Online Play
I agree, @rhyno_888. I think there will be a sizeable shift of gamers migrating from the Xbox over to the PS6, and then even more will stick with their existing Series consoles. I doubt the uptake in a $1000+ Xbox will be huge to begin with, and that 10 million lifetime sales is more likely the target.
As I have said before, families looking to buy a console for the front room, which is primarily going to be used by their children, will have no need for a powerful PCBox, and be unwilling to spend $400 or more over the cost of the PS6 or Switch 2, and so they will not be looking to buy the PCBox.
The PCBox really is there for the Xbox enthusiast. It is not meant as a product for everyone...
Re: Halo: Campaign Evolved's Prequel Missions Will Feature An 'All-New Story' Says Xbox Dev
It's long been rumoured that there is a Battle Royale mode in development, @nomither6, and I suspect that this mode will be released as a standalone free-to-play game, and that it will come resplendent with all the other modes too.
I do not think they will add it to the base Halo, because they want people to jump into the multiplayer component, and there will be people that will not pay for it, so releasing it separately is probably seen as the way to go...
Re: Halo: Campaign Evolved's Prequel Missions Will Feature An 'All-New Story' Says Xbox Dev
I am very much looking forward to seeing what they come up with. As much as I love Halo, I am not a purist, so if they make some sensible and meaningful changes, I do not mind.
The other beauty of this game being campaign only is that I will be able to get the full 1000g for the game. I really hope they do an achievement for completing the game solo on Legendary...
Re: Three Games Are Available This Week With Xbox Game Pass (October 28-31)
I have had a couple of very small issues, @Feffster, but nothing too significant. There is an enemy that burrows underground, for example, and I have had it then not resurface, and so had to restart from my previous save. It's happened a couple of times, but as I save every couple of minutes, it's not much of an issue.
If you do what I did, and look up tips before starting, then one of the most stated ones seems to be save often, which as I do that all the time in every game, is not an issue for me.
I am 12 hours in, still on the first planet, and very much enjoying the game...
Re: Huge Xbox Report Details 'Ambitious' Next-Gen Console With Free Online Play
Entirely agree, @GeeEssEff. If the PCBox comes out Fall next year, then I don't think we will see another Game Pass price increase until Spring 2027. If, as is widely expected, the PCBox comes out in 2027, then I suspect we will see a 'modest' Game Pass price increase across the board, and then the next one will be more significant, but won't happen until around 6 months after the release of the PCBox.
Regardless, subscription fees will be increasing, and then, as it creeps ever closer to $40 and above, people will need to actually calculate the value of the service to them as individuals.
For me, I have Ultimate stacked until June 2027, and I already know that I do not get value for money from the service. I really only use it for online access, and on top of that, I prefer to buy my games, even first-party ones. My plan had been to either drop Game Pass completely, or drop to Essential if I still need to pay for online.
I know me well (as you would expect!), and I have a real weakness for Xbox, and for having the latest tech, so I fully expect to buy the PCBox because I will want the best available Xbox, so if online does go free, which it absolutely should for anyone that buys the PCBox, then I will likely completely drop Game Pass, and simply continue to buy my games...
Re: Huge Xbox Report Details 'Ambitious' Next-Gen Console With Free Online Play
No, I honestly think they will be selling the PCBox at that sort of price, @rhyno_888. What they will do though is continue to sell the Series X, and maybe the S. It really is meant to be a premium product, and Microsoft have probably calculated they will sell around 10 million units.
I think Microsoft see it as an entry point to the PC market, and if you look into it, you will see that to get a mid-range PC will set you back around $1500, and a high-end one you are looking double that. Because of their buying power, Microsoft will pay less for the guts of the PCBox, and if they sell it at around cost, they can offer a middling PC for around $1200 (which is how much it is rumoured to cost). Even a middling PC will be a significant improvement on the Series X.
Honestly though, I really don't think that Microsoft are expecting to sell tens of millions of the PCBox, but if they make it an enticing enough machine, then many people will still buy into the idea...
Re: Three Games Are Available This Week With Xbox Game Pass (October 28-31)
I'm already playing The Outer Worlds 2, having bought the Premium Edition, and it is fantastic so far...
Re: Huge Xbox Report Details 'Ambitious' Next-Gen Console With Free Online Play
I don't know how they can remove PC Game Pass, @ilyn, as they they will still have to have some form of Game Pass available for PC as PC Game Pass is apparently the only one that has seen any growth in recent times, and Microsoft won't want to lose those subscriptions.
The issue is how do they deal with that. Currently PC Game Pass is probably the best service Microsoft offer because it is a lot cheaper than Ultimate, but offers the same benefits. Indeed, it actually gets more games than Ultimate as it also has many PC orientated games on the service that are not available on consoles.
This is the issue for Microsoft; if you get rid of PC Game Pass and swap it out for Ultimate, you will actually be offering those that currently have PC Game Pass less than they currently get. Equally, if you currently have Ultimate, and then get the PCBox, then you surely you would expect to be treated the same as those that already receive PC Game Pass, but not only that, you would expect to be paying less than you currently do for Ultimate, just as PC Game Pass subscribers do.
The only other alternative is to migrate those who invest in the PCBox to PC Game Pass, but increase the price of PC Game Pass to match Ultimate, but then Microsoft run the risk of existing PC Game Pass subscribers quitting the service, unless they say that if you remain subscribed then your actual payments will not increase, with only those joining the service paying a new, higher, price.
Upshot is, I really cannot see how Microsoft can simply get rid of PC Game Pass because people will have stacked the service and will be rightly upset if it is fundamentally changed, or is in someway seemingly downgraded. Likewise, if you do invest in the PCBox, then you would expect to be treated the same as other PC gamers, and right now that means being offered more, but paying less.
All of that is before you take into consideration that part of the cost of Game Pass goes towards paying for access to online, which if it is then made free, must surely mean that the cost of Game Pass should come down, otherwise it is not actually free, is it...?
Re: Huge Xbox Report Details 'Ambitious' Next-Gen Console With Free Online Play
Not a chance, @rhyno_888. You are looking in excess of $1000. I would say somewhere between $1000 and $1400. You simply cannot have the premium PC experience that Microsoft is hinting at for less than $1000. Indeed, for it to be truly premium, you could even be looking to pay double that which you are hoping for...
Re: Huge Xbox Report Details 'Ambitious' Next-Gen Console With Free Online Play
If the rumours of a $1200 PCBox are true, @Questionable_Duck, I'd be surprised if a third of Series, and prior, Xbox owners upgrade to the new system. So it there are 30 million Series consoles (and however many prior to that) then I would think that Microsoft will not expect to sell more than 10 million PCBoxes within the first year or two. Indeed, that may even be their lifetime target because for families, in particular, the console is there to entertain the kids, and kids don't need an all singing, all dancing PC. They just need something they can pick up an play at an affordable price...
Re: Huge Xbox Report Details 'Ambitious' Next-Gen Console With Free Online Play
I have been saying for ages now, @BaldB3lper78, that you cannot have the premium console/PC experience, and expect it to come in at much under a grand. I've been shot down for it time and time again, and yes, I know Phil Spencer said they weren't going to be selling a console for £1000, but then times, inflation, tariffs, and who is in charge at Xbox (Microsoft!) have all changed. Now, I don't expect the PCBox to be sold for £1000, I expect it to be more than that. Not by much, I guess, but I think it will come in at higher than a grand.
Honestly, I don't think that Microsoft is targeting the majority of those that game on the Xbox right now. I think they are targeting the hardcore element of those gamers. Those that bleed green and will stick with Xbox no matter what. Those that would play instruments aboard the sinking deck whilst all other flee.
For everyone else, Microsoft will provide the Series consoles. They will keep making them, and keep supporting them. I honestly don't think Microsoft are looking to sell tens of millions of the PCBox, but maybe a more modest 10 million. However, I do think that Microsoft are faced with a difficult proposition right now, as the only two real choices they have are to drop out of the market, or completely innovate by bringing something different to the market, but that ain't gonna come cheep...!
Re: Xbox Journalist Says Microsoft Has Another Showcase Planned For November 2025
November??? Interesting! Could there be an absolute outside chance of a reveal of the PCBox, as Fall next year would be the earliest that it is likely to be released. Highly unlikely as 2027 seems to be the favoured year these days, but just throwing it out there...
Re: Huge Xbox Report Details 'Ambitious' Next-Gen Console With Free Online Play
I said they would have to do this. Free for the PCBox, and paid for the Series and below. It absolutely makes sense, and it may even be a draw for those PC gamers that want to have a second PC, which would be connected to their front room televisions.
The other thing they will need to address is whether on the PCBox you can have PC Game Pass, which again will be a cheaper subscription service...
Re: Halo Studios Gives Reason For Dropping PvP Multiplayer In Campaign Evolved
Cool. Thank you, @Markatron84 & @BAMozzy. Goes to show what I know... 😂
Re: Halo Studios Gives Reason For Dropping PvP Multiplayer In Campaign Evolved
Yeah, I'm good. Thanks, @Kaloudz. I always notice when you're not about for a while. I have to pick arguments with other people then... 🤣
Re: Halo Studios Gives Reason For Dropping PvP Multiplayer In Campaign Evolved
Is it free to play, @BAMozzy? I thought it was packaged with Infinite, and that the only reason people were playing it for 'free' was because they were playing it on Game Pass. I could easily be wrong, but I bought Infinite, and got both, so I assumed everyone accessed it that way...
Re: Halo Studios Gives Reason For Dropping PvP Multiplayer In Campaign Evolved
I mean, the could have just been honest and tell us that they thought they would make more money by selling the Campaign and the PvP separately... 🤣
Re: Halo Studios Gives Reason For Dropping PvP Multiplayer In Campaign Evolved
They will definitely be releasing a standalone PvP mode that will be added to ad infinitum for years to come. They may even update Infinite's multiplayer with U5 graphics, etc, and then put that out as the Halo version of Call of Duty's Warzone. It's definitely coming, it's just a question of when they put it out. Hopefully they will have learned from the Infinite debacle, and it will release with far more content...
Re: Halo Studios Gives Reason For Dropping PvP Multiplayer In Campaign Evolved
Absolutely right, @MojoMonkey98 & @Brentclark814. Just as with CoD, there are many people that don't even touch the campaign. Not such a high percentage as in CoD, but still a reasonable percentage. You only have to look at the stats for those that have earned the achievements for completing the campaign to see that multiplayer is a bigger draw for a sizeable number of people...
Re: Halo Studios Gives Reason For Dropping PvP Multiplayer In Campaign Evolved
Yay, @Kaloudz!!! I was worried about you, matey. It's never the same when you're not around. Hope you are well... 😎
Re: Xbox Has More Competition From TikTok Than PlayStation, Claims Microsoft Exec
He is not wrong that Doom Scrolling eats up more of people's time, and therefore Xbox is competing with that, but Xbox is still competing (and losing!) to the PlayStation as well, who are, by the way, also competing with Doom Scrolling.
Truth be told, you need to pick your battles, and gaming has no chance up against Doom Scrolling unless you can come up with something particularly compelling that will draw them away from Tik ToK and YouTube etc., and we all know that' not going to happen. Sony are in exactly the same boat, but are doing much better that Microsoft in terms of gaming.
Microsoft need to keep their eye on the ball, and right now, that ball is PlayStation, and if they fail to do that, they will just lose even more ground. There really is nothing anyone can do about Doom Scrolling. Everyone does it, some more heavily than others, but once you're down a rabbit hole, it can sometimes be quite difficult to pull yourself out of it again.
Honestly, it just sounds like an excuse. They may as well say we cannot compete with Sony, so we'll target something else, which makes zero sense because they really cannot compete with Doom Scrolling whereas they can compete with Sony with a little more effort...
Re: Fallout 76 Is Officially Getting A Native Xbox Series X|S Version In Early 2026
Unfortunately, no, @Jean_McClane. I've seen too many dead people to think there is anything after this life. Best to enjoy it whilst you can... 🤣
Re: Poll: So, Are You Playing The Outer Worlds 2 In Early Access?
Absolutely I am! Loving is so far. I'm playing on Very Hard and guess what...? It's very hard! 😂
I'm not very far into it as yet, but what I have played I am very much enjoying...
Re: Phil Spencer Addresses AI & Developer Creativity At Xbox Game Studios
Yes, I bought the Premium version of OW2, @OldGamer999.
How are you getting on with NG4? I may give it a go at some point but am worried that my ADHD and age may mean the game is beyond me, what with all the combos and QTEs...
Re: Phil Spencer Addresses AI & Developer Creativity At Xbox Game Studios
Series X, @OldGamer999. I take it you have already bought the game? Where will you be playing...?
Re: These 40+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (October 27-31)
I have already started The Outer Worlds 2 Premium Edition, and my son will be buying Wreckreation, and as we game share, I will likely have a go at that too. I think that will be my lot for the week as I have bought a lot recently and need to work through my exceptionally extensive backlog.
Hope you had a good holiday, @FraserG. It's been busy whilst you've been away... 👍
Re: Phil Spencer Addresses AI & Developer Creativity At Xbox Game Studios
I am literally 10 minutes into the first mission, @OldGamer999. I spent about 30 or 40 minutes designing my character, and then started the first mission. However, I am playing on Very Hard, and have come across 2 enemies in a room that I have to enter, and have no idea what to do because they kill me almost instantly. So far so good though. It looks lovely, and the writing (as much as I have seen of it) seems on point right now...
Re: Xbox Details All Of The New Content Packed Into Its Halo: Campaign Evolved Remake
I just had a look at my achievements, @Sol4ris, and I earned the one called Beachhead in 2015 in the Masterchief Collection, and it can be earned on either Heroic or Legendary. I suspect that I did it on Heroic, because just staying alive yourself on Legendary is difficult enough, let along worrying about the Marines. That said, I didn't go through the games in co-op for the first time until early this year, so obviously I did it solo back then, and it maybe a easier in co-op, though I honestly couldn't tell you.
I am looking forward to the challenge again, I have to say, and as I do not play the multi-player anyway, it should be a game in which I can earn every achievement...
Re: Halo: Campaign Evolved Officially Announced, Coming To Xbox In 2026
Absolutely, @ElectricWizard! As an example (that I have said a few times now), I recently bought Outer Worlds 2 Premium Edition from Loaded (formerly CDKeys) for £56, saving myself £34 on the price that is on sale for on the Xbox Store and the PlayStation Store. If you are gaming on the PlayStation, you do not have the option of saving that £34. It's buy it at full price or wait for a sale...
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 25-26)
I bought Outer Worlds Premium Edition, so started that last night. I'm playing on Very Hard, and am about 10 minutes into the first mission and already having a bit of difficulty because I am faced with two enemies and am finding it very hard to take them on! It'll probably be okay once I have levelled up a few times, but right now? Ob, boy... 😂
My mate is away today, but I'm hoping he'll be back tomorrow so that we can attempt another Master Horde run in Gears 5 as a trio with my youngest son. We actually managed to complete one last weekend on what was probably a harder map than we will be attempting next, but Master is meant for a team of 5, so attempting it as a trio is really challenging a good fun (and frustrating!)...
Re: Fallout 76 Is Officially Getting A Native Xbox Series X|S Version In Early 2026
Man, that is such a shame, @BleedingDreamer. It put's life into perspective, and makes you understand that you should do all you can to enjoy it.
It's like waiting for the apocalypse! You know it'll happen one day, it's just a question of when... 😂
Re: Phil Spencer Addresses AI & Developer Creativity At Xbox Game Studios
Ahh, right, @OldGamer999. I'm with you now. It does look fantastic. I watched it before I went to bed last night and it kept me up until 1 a.m. 😂
I'm not going to lie, I would prefer to have a brand new game, but I am also very much looking forward to go through it solo on Legendary again, before I then play it again on Legendary with a mate. I'm always very careful to earn the Legendary achievement solo before earning the first achievement that mentions co-op so that I can boast to myself that I did it solo, even though absolutely no one cares...! 🤣
Re: Halo: Campaign Evolved Officially Announced, Coming To Xbox In 2026
You make a good point, @Sol4ris. Without the Xbox console to restrain the pricing of the PS6, and with PlayStation having dominated the market for the past two generations, Sony may feel they can unashamedly push the price up. Time will indeed tell...
Re: Fallout 76 Is Officially Getting A Native Xbox Series X|S Version In Early 2026
I didn't realise that, @Valhura. It may also go to show why Xbox has been mismanaged to some extent, because when a studio has so many strong franchises, it makes sense to expand it to enough studios that you can produce at least one each year...
Re: Xbox Details All Of The New Content Packed Into Its Halo: Campaign Evolved Remake
That was exactly what I thought as I watched the above video, @Sol4ris. Now I have to try and keep those Marines alive again (on Hard, if I remember correctly!). Man, that took so many attempts because they were made of glass... 😂
Re: Halo: Campaign Evolved Officially Announced, Coming To Xbox In 2026
PlayStation games maybe playable on the PCBox, but that is not the same as them being native on the Xbox. You won't get achievements, for example (well, not for the Xbox, though Steam does have achievements), and Steam does not have quick resume either.
In all honesty, I can see people switching to the PS6 next generation. You don't need to lose access to your Xbox library if you also keep your existing Xbox console. Likely as not the PS6 will be greatly cheaper than the PCBox too, plus you then get full access to Sony's exclusives, and get to earn trophies for them too. 😂
Anyone that chooses to go to PlayStation next generation, rather than sticking with Xbox, is not necessarily a fan of PlayStation at all right now. After all, why would they be playing on an Xbox right now, and not on a PlayStation, if they are a PlayStation fan?!? No. Anyone that chooses to leave Xbox behind on the next generation will probably be leaving because of the decisions that Microsoft are making right now. Massive price hikes on consoles and subscriptions, lurching from crisis to crisis, and then bringing out a 'console' that sounds like it will be hugely expensive. Yes, it may well be a very capable piece of kit, but it will likely also be the cost of a PS6 and a Series X combined, and whilst if you were to buy both you wouldn't have access to Steam that way, you would easily have all your console needs covered!
Personally, I continue to think that people have got carried away with the significance of the release of Helldivers 2 on the Xbox. The game is a Live Service game and it needs to have as many people as possible playing it, so bringing it to the Xbox was a matter of necessity in order for it to thrive.
When Sony bring over their big tentpole single-player titles to the Xbox, then, and only then, can we say that Sony has fully abandoned exclusivity, and there have been no signs that they are intending to do that at present, no matter how some might wish it to be so. Even were Sony to bring their tentpole games to the Xbox, I bet it will be years, probably a decade or more, before we see them releasing their tentpole games day and date on both the PlayStation and the Xbox. I've said it before, but people have become overly excited since the arrival of Helldivers 2, full of wishful thinking that can lead to disappointment only...
Re: Halo: Campaign Evolved Officially Announced, Coming To Xbox In 2026
You are assuming that people can afford or want the handheld, @RBRTMNZ, or indeed, will be able to afford the next Xbox.
Truthfully, if people are that desperate to play these PlayStation games, then the cheaper option over owning the handheld is to by a PS5. Heck, even the PS5 Pro is cheaper than the handheld, and the PS6 is likely to be greatly cheaper than the next Xbox, if the rumours (and the Premium quote) are to be believed...
Re: Fallout 76 Is Officially Getting A Native Xbox Series X|S Version In Early 2026
You only realise how time marches relentlessly on as you grow increasingly closer to the inevitable, @BleedingDreamer. I know it can happen to any of us at any moment in time, but as you get older, that happening becomes ever more likely...! 😂
Re: Phil Spencer Addresses AI & Developer Creativity At Xbox Game Studios
You've lost me, @OldGamer999. What did you call...?
Re: Fallout 76 Is Officially Getting A Native Xbox Series X|S Version In Early 2026
Personally, I'd like to see Bethesda have studios dedicated to single titles, @ILuvGames. So you would have one working on Fallout, one working on Elder Scrolls, one working on each of the ongoing Live Service games (Elder Scrolls and Fallout 76). One working on Doom, and another on Wolfenstein. If Starfield is going to be a franchise, then one solely working on that. Between them they could release on big title a year, and then still have 4 to 6 years in which to develop the next in the series.
What Bethesda seem to do is have all hands on deck with the next game to be released, and yet still take an eternity, and often produce a buggy mess when it does eventually release...
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Xbox's The Outer Worlds 2
I agree with everything you say, @PsBoxSwitchOwner. However, read the review! It barely mentions the bugs or performance, yet somehow they deduct 3 points for... what reason?
As I keep saying, the point is that Push are an outlier even amongst their fellow PlayStation reviewers. They always give a point or more fewer review points than their peers, as is demonstrated when you look into the review scores on Metacritic.
It is not a case of one or two times, it is every time.
I accept that people have differing tolerance for bugs and performance issues, and if it was always the same reviewer using the same PS5, then maybe you could understand the scores always being lower. However, we know they use different reviewers, and we can only surmise that they use a different console each time because they often produce several reviews in a single week.
As we would say in my old job, where there is a pattern there is a agenda. Push like to give lower scores to Xbox games on every occasion. That's your pattern. The agenda is more difficult to determine, but it is likely something to do with appeasing the more rabid PlayStation gamer into thinking that whatever Xbox produces will be subpar...
Re: Phil Spencer Addresses AI & Developer Creativity At Xbox Game Studios
Two things I would say to your comment, @OldGamer999. Firstly, the games you list are coming out next year. Fantastic! And do you think they started to make them last year? Remember, I was directly referring to games that began post Hood setting the 30% profit margins.
Secondly, I did say single-player games, my old' mucker.
From your list:
FH6 - Multiplayer Live Service game. Forza Horizon 5 took 3 years to develop, thus if FH6 does come out in 2026, development on it likely started in 2023 at the latest, although most of the assets from FH5 will probably be used, which is why these games only take around 3 years to develop.
Fable - probably single-player. First announced in November 2023, thus in development prior to that.
Gears of War: E-Day - Multiplayer is it's biggest draw, and will be treated like a Live Service game as it will get additions to it for years (just as Gears 5 has). The fact that Gears 5 was a Live Service game is likely the reason that there has been such a long period of time between Gears 5 and E-Day.
Clockwork Revolution- single-player game as far as we know. It was announced in June 2023, with development likely has begun prior to that.
Halo remake - we don't know what game it is yet, but as with Gears of War it will be primarily focused on being a multiplayer Live Service title, just as Infinite was/is.
I will reiterate what I say previously, chances are that Xbox will pivot towards primarily releasing games that are either multiplayer or Live Service because once the game has been developed, they only need a steady influx of additions (seasons) to keep people playing them and thus you can much more easily hit that 30% profit margin. The game having a campaign, does not alter the fact that the money is made in the multiplayer / Live Service element, and that is the reason the game is made in the first place. Likely as not, if they thought they could release Gears of War without a campaign, they would.
Single-player games are one and done things that often struggle to recoup their development budgets, particularly when you have Game Pass eating into sales on both the Xbox and PC. This is why it is highly likely that Hood and Sadella will steer Xbox away from making such games.
As I said previously, the proof of the direction that Microsoft take will be demonstrated by what releases in 2027 at the earliest, though with production on bigger games taking 5-7 years, you will only really see the product of these decisions come 2029 and thereafter. None of the games you mention began development post May 2024...
Re: Phil Spencer Addresses AI & Developer Creativity At Xbox Game Studios
Don't do bad up until now, @OldGamer999. Remember, Hood has only set this target in recent times. Every game that we have had prior to her setting this target will have been well on the way to be released. The likes of Avowed, South of Midnight and Indiana Jones were probably all but complete when this order was given. Likely as not, the order was given just prior to the High-Fi Rush studio being closed, and every game that we have had since then would have been well into development at that time.
What we are looking to see is how Xbox performs with games that went into production post the closure of Tango Gameworks in around May 2024, and let us not forget that we have already seen cancellation of single player games since the closure of Tango Gameworks too.
With games taking 3 to 5 years to make, the true test of how these type of games fair in the future is not going to be apparent until the middle of 2027 at the earliest...
Re: Digital Foundry Delivers Its Verdict On The Outer Worlds 2, With Xbox The Clear Console Winner
It being the 25th, I tried to play the game a little earlier, only to find that it does not release until 6 p.m. BST. Not happy! That's when I start cooking tea! Now I'll have to wait until night on 9 p.m. before I am able to begin playing. Why release it in the evening in the UK? Did I mention I'm not happy? Well I'm not...! 🤣
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Xbox's The Outer Worlds 2
I agree that it would, @ButterySmooth30FPS, but again I say read the review, they barely mention any problems, and again, they are still a point off the average of all other PlayStation reviews, unless you are suggesting that only Push had these problems...?
Re: Fallout 76 Is Officially Getting A Native Xbox Series X|S Version In Early 2026
Agreed, @CallMeDuraSouka, and it never ceases to amaze me that they take so long to make a game, and then it is often a buggy mess when it arrives.
I'll be 62 later this year, and so waiting 10 years may not be an option for me... 🤪
Re: Fallout 76 Is Officially Getting A Native Xbox Series X|S Version In Early 2026
I just have to hope that I am still alive and still gaming when the eventual Fallout 5 arrives, as Todd confirming that they are working on other Fallouts could just mean the remaster of 3 (which I am here for), or that they are having the occasional meeting with writers to thrash out the story arc for Fallout 5, but not actually switched on a computer to begin programming it...
Re: Phil Spencer Addresses AI & Developer Creativity At Xbox Game Studios
I honestly believe that Phil Spencer only remains in post because he is attempting to be a buffer between Xbox and the much more draconian Microsoft leadership. Heaven knows what damage Hood and Sadella would do to Xbox if they had some ambitious yes man in place as the head of Xbox.
With Microsoft using how long a game is played as a criteria for how successful it is, and how they reward their developers, then you can expect to see many more multiplayer and Live Service games in the future. It also explains why so many single-player games have been cancelled recently. Just how many single player only games we will see in the future is open to question because generally that is not where the money is to be made...
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Xbox's The Outer Worlds 2
I get what you are saying, @ButterySmooth30FPS, but I would say two things in response to that; firstly, their scores actually contribute to the Metacritic score, and they are always a point or more off when it comes to Xbox games. It is not a one off, they always are! They are an outlier even amongst all the other PlayStation reviewers. I get it, they are a PlayStation site, and they want to please their more rabid fans by having a pop at Xbox, but journalistically they are therefore morally dubious because they are painting a distorted picture for their readers. If you have to add a point or more to every review they do of an Xbox game, then they are unreliable, unless you want to view them as reliably unreliable.
The second point is pretty straightforward, they do not do the same to third-party games. When it comes to third-party they are generally there or thereabouts with their reviews. More or less on point, so to speak, with the overall Metacritic review scores.
Now I am not suggesting that they actively 'hate' Xbox, but they judge them by a different standard to all third-party games. They do exactly the same for PlayStation games, though the bias they have there is to be favourable to the first-party games they review; overlook the flaws they would deduct a point for when it comes to an Xbox game.
As I have said before, Pure does this too. I believe it is done to appease their more perfervid readers, however when you have to add or deduct a point based on who has made the game, then it means that their review scores are unreliable, even when the actual review is well written, well reasoned, and thorough.
Personally I think that a journalist should attempt to be unbiased, but it just seems that Push, in particular, seem to be pretty much incapable of that when it comes to Xbox and Microsoft, although, as I said, I do kind of understand why they do it...
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Xbox's The Outer Worlds 2
No they should not, @ButterySmooth30FPS. Absolutely not! However, that is not the same as being able to point out that they do always rate an Xbox game at least a point lower than the Metacritic average.
Once, and you would not notice. Twice, and you think, oh, that's a little odd. Three times and you can see that it cannot be a coincidence, and then more than that and it becomes a pattern of behaviour.
If every PlayStation site were to do the same, then fair enough, that is the consensus of those sites. However, Push is actively awarding at least a point less than the average of each of those other PlayStation review sites, which does tend to suggest a bias.
We all have biases. That is human nature. However, I always feel that a journalistic point of view should try and paint a more balanced picture. I just don't think that Push does that when it comes to their scores. Read their review. It is very thorough, and well written, but I honestly do not think that it reflects a score that is regarded as 'Mixed' on Metacritic...