Hate to say it but the rewards program was too generous... paying for my monthly Game Pass Ultimate subscription and I'm probably 1/3 of the way to covering my next gen Xbox console. Free GPU & consoles is not a good business model. I miss a good freebie like everyone else, but can't say I'm surprised with the nerfing.
@AlwaysPlaying I kinda feel like the reduction in points needed in Canada was a mistake, 34% reduction in points to redeem for a CAD$25 gift card is quite generous. I'm surprised Microsoft is that generous to us despite inflation, etc... Im building up points to pay for the next gen series X, otherwise I would redeem the points now
I'm new to Xbox this series, no game discs from earlier gen, also can't tell you the last time I bought a movie on physical format, for sure 5+ years ago, so I feel like the disc feature was wasted money. I would rather have had a cheaper digital only Series X, glad the choice is coming, but too late for me, not enough of a change to worth switching/upgrading.
With shrinking physical sales, makes sense to have option to be able to buy a digital only Series X.
I always thought it was weird how slow downloads were if a game was "running", I mean I get it if I was actually playing and the game was chewing up processor power, but even when i am not actively playing & was checking download progress the download speed was still slow, obviously lazy coding as opposed to we hit the hardware limits...
2nd complaint is how slow wireless downloads are vs wired. I find it hard to believe it's a hardware issue vs lazy coding. My old phone from 2018 can download 2x faster on my wireless network, same spot vs Series X. Series X tops out at 180 Mbps even if I move it next to the modem in the basement, if I download via ethernet max speed tops out at 800Mbps, then after 1-2 GB starts to throttle down, but still I find it hard to believe the Xbox hardware does not at least do 300+Mbps, it's got to be lazy software programming...
Definitely each to their own, but after the novelty wears off I just don't get the appeal of playing on a small screen. People already have to own a phone, a dedicated gaming device forces you to carry two devices. There is a reason the digital camera market segment sales fell off a cliff, people don't want to carry two devices if one device can do the job of two. I am sure Microsoft can sell some dedicated gaming handhelds just like you can buy a dedicated digital camera, but it feels so niche, better to expand cloud gaming and let me play on my phone when I'm on the go.
I am old enough to have owned a game boy, to me that made sense because we didn't have phones to game on back then, I already own a powerful handheld gaming device with a great screen & it's my phone.
If gaming on the go is really a big need I would rather have Microsoft go Nvidia GeForce Now, let me stream anything I own on my phone so I don't have to buy another device & also carry around a second device otherwise I'm going to have to also buy a purse 👜... My pockets are already bulging with keys, wallet, big phone, ear buds, & now I need to add a handheld gaming device & probably a charger as well? At this point I am definitely at purse stage, if that's the case I would rather bring a tablet instead & stream/game on a bigger screen.
Also if I'm at home a big screen wins hands down, sometimes the main TV/SeriesX is being used by someone else, but I would much rather stream game pass (narrower content, but still plenty to play) on my Samsung smart monitor than play anything I own on my phone or tablet connected to the basement Series S. A handheld gaming device I figure would replicate the phone/Series S experience and at least for me a bigger screen is a better experience.
So as I said beyond novelty, I just don't see the appeal in carrying a second device (largely redundant if streaming options expand) for on the go gaming & at home I would much rather have a smart monitor and game on that vs a small handheld device.
@Kieduss I'm surprised no one else said Microsoft Movies and TV app.
I'm slowly building my own streaming service one movie a week... At least for me I find Netflix has so much low quality content on it. If I want Ultra HD content, it's CAD$20.99/mo. Every Tuesday, there's a new selection of CAD$4.99 movies, many of the ones I'm interested in are UHD, plus there are other sales, which means I can buy one good movie a week (4 a month) for the same price as a Netflix UHD monthly fee and I'm owning way better content, eventually I'll slow down and save $ vs Netflix
I'm new to Xbox for this console generation, bought in with a Series S, then got hooked with Game Pass Ultimate content as I obviously had no content starting from nothing, then also bought Series X. It's pretty clear that if all the best content is going to be on PlayStation, then if I had to make the decision again it would be too buy a PlayStation. Also given that it obviously takes more work to port a game to Xbox as the S is a different machine, not like PS disc or disc less versions (as proven by difficulty with Baldur's Gate 3 port), throw in smaller & declining user base, then it's clear to see why they're is concern about a death spiral, less and less content to Xbox.
I tried to see the future, that maybe Phil envisions, do I really even need a console? I have a Samsung smart monitor, so decided to try playing my GPU on it, quite frankly, I was surprised as didn't think the monitor would have the horsepower to play well, but obviously you don't need much horsepower to stream a game.
If Microsoft decides to go the path of Nvidia GeForce Now, I don't know, maybe that is the future where you really don't need a console...?
After playing on my smart monitor, I feel like I should minimally sell my Series S, not out of anger, but it feels made obsolete by GPU streaming on the monitor, then just keep the series X for content I own not on GPU. Maybe the X will even be obsolete if Microsoft goes Nvidia GeForce Now clone.
@tho_mi Yes, correct on the reduced conversion rate. So another reason for not buying a brand new Xbox now, plus MS constantly nerfing down rewards points, which I'm sure will continue in the future. In my shoes now, I wouldn't buy into the xbox ecosystem now, but a year ago it was a great deal.
@Fiendish-Beaver Your post exactly sums up the situation no matter how MS spins it... Basically we all want great content, now it's obvious all the best content is going to be on the PS ecosystem, so likewise obviously don't buy Xbox hardware, which furthers the death spiral of less great content. I'm new to Xbox for this generation, I would be kinda mad about this developing situation if it were not for the brutally cheap/free Game Pass Ultimate, I bought 2 years of Gold (should have done 3...), upgraded to GPU 1:1, but over a year later I still have 2 years of GPU, thanks MS points! So I can't really complain, I may not have access to the best content, but I have access to the cheapest content. But yeah, my next console obviously won't be Xbox, unless MS is still giving away free GPU, which you can't count on, so death spiral continues...
I got my Series S free with points from Shoppers Drug Mart, large chain here in Canada. Looks like they are also moving to get rid of all physical disc products, all games discounted to CAD$19.99 (so like less than USD$15), including Starfield, etc. Not a surprising move...
@Kaloudz I went back to the Bing app on my S21 Ultra & I don't have the points for reading news & daily check in money bags, while it shows on my Pixel 8 Pro.
So it is weird that my account has different reward points available depending upon what device I use.
@Kaloudz regarding the points to read articles & Bing money bags I did not get them either, then upgraded my phone from a S21 Ultra to Pixel 8 Pro, I instantly got the read news article points & Bing daily checkin money bags on my pixel 8 Pro. Coincidence? I don't know, but I think this might also depend on what device you use??
My last console was a PS3, so I had some content catching up to do! Even with GPU I was surprised I bought 27 games in the last year. Since I'm catching up it's good that I can get some good older games on sale and not be paying full price. Diablo IV was what I consider to be the only fully priced game I bought, I should have waited... I will probably add Hogwarts legacy soon, then slow down on the purchases to play the backlog of accumulated games.
I'm not saying I don't want freebies, it's just MS rewards were insanely generous, yes, MS may benefit, but I highly doubt it makes business sense, which is why we're getting the nerfing of the points. If it made business sense it would not get nerfed, so we already have the answer from MS if it makes sense. They won't say it in so many words, but the actions they are taking is telling us what we don't want to hear.
For example, As @trev666 says they're is no question google search is better than Bing. Getting daily search points was not changing engagement to Bing. You just powered through to get the points & that is it.
I'm sorry I only discovered MS rewards, Apr of this year, when I saw posts of people saying MS going to pay for their Xbox series X. There is no question whoever dreamed up/started MS rewards points was waaay too generous. No business would be giving their products away for free, month after month with no purchase required, so I fully expect the chopping of rewards points to continue.
It seems MS has finally clued in with their divide by 10 in handing out rewards points. It's soon going to be pointless (see what I did there....) to actually try to collect points.
I for one bought a Series S last year, primarily because I couldn't easily find a PS5 or series X in stock to buy.
I had no idea what the X/S sales split was, but it doesn't surprise me the ratio being what it is, as buying an X was constrained by lack of availability for a long time.
If you have a series S, you might want to consider to beat the rush & sell before there is a flood on the market. Yeah I saw that 314GB to preinstall!! That is going to chew up a bunch of space!! Going to be needing the new 1TB Series S or a series X.
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Re: Xbox Users Are 'Gutted' About The Latest Microsoft Rewards Nerf
Hate to say it but the rewards program was too generous... paying for my monthly Game Pass Ultimate subscription and I'm probably 1/3 of the way to covering my next gen Xbox console. Free GPU & consoles is not a good business model. I miss a good freebie like everyone else, but can't say I'm surprised with the nerfing.
Re: Xbox Fans Are Noticing Subtle Price Changes For Microsoft Rewards
@AlwaysPlaying I kinda feel like the reduction in points needed in Canada was a mistake, 34% reduction in points to redeem for a CAD$25 gift card is quite generous. I'm surprised Microsoft is that generous to us despite inflation, etc... Im building up points to pay for the next gen series X, otherwise I would redeem the points now
Re: Rumour: Xbox To Release White, All-Digital Series X This Summer
I'm new to Xbox this series, no game discs from earlier gen, also can't tell you the last time I bought a movie on physical format, for sure 5+ years ago, so I feel like the disc feature was wasted money. I would rather have had a cheaper digital only Series X, glad the choice is coming, but too late for me, not enough of a change to worth switching/upgrading.
With shrinking physical sales, makes sense to have option to be able to buy a digital only Series X.
Re: New Xbox Update Makes More Improvements To Installation Speeds
I always thought it was weird how slow downloads were if a game was "running", I mean I get it if I was actually playing and the game was chewing up processor power, but even when i am not actively playing & was checking download progress the download speed was still slow, obviously lazy coding as opposed to we hit the hardware limits...
2nd complaint is how slow wireless downloads are vs wired. I find it hard to believe it's a hardware issue vs lazy coding. My old phone from 2018 can download 2x faster on my wireless network, same spot vs Series X. Series X tops out at 180 Mbps even if I move it next to the modem in the basement, if I download via ethernet max speed tops out at 800Mbps, then after 1-2 GB starts to throttle down, but still I find it hard to believe the Xbox hardware does not at least do 300+Mbps, it's got to be lazy software programming...
Re: Random: Phil Spencer Has Been 'Liking' Tweets About Xbox And Handhelds
Definitely each to their own, but after the novelty wears off I just don't get the appeal of playing on a small screen. People already have to own a phone, a dedicated gaming device forces you to carry two devices. There is a reason the digital camera market segment sales fell off a cliff, people don't want to carry two devices if one device can do the job of two. I am sure Microsoft can sell some dedicated gaming handhelds just like you can buy a dedicated digital camera, but it feels so niche, better to expand cloud gaming and let me play on my phone when I'm on the go.
I am old enough to have owned a game boy, to me that made sense because we didn't have phones to game on back then, I already own a powerful handheld gaming device with a great screen & it's my phone.
If gaming on the go is really a big need I would rather have Microsoft go Nvidia GeForce Now, let me stream anything I own on my phone so I don't have to buy another device & also carry around a second device otherwise I'm going to have to also buy a purse 👜... My pockets are already bulging with keys, wallet, big phone, ear buds, & now I need to add a handheld gaming device & probably a charger as well? At this point I am definitely at purse stage, if that's the case I would rather bring a tablet instead & stream/game on a bigger screen.
Also if I'm at home a big screen wins hands down, sometimes the main TV/SeriesX is being used by someone else, but I would much rather stream game pass (narrower content, but still plenty to play) on my Samsung smart monitor than play anything I own on my phone or tablet connected to the basement Series S. A handheld gaming device I figure would replicate the phone/Series S experience and at least for me a bigger screen is a better experience.
So as I said beyond novelty, I just don't see the appeal in carrying a second device (largely redundant if streaming options expand) for on the go gaming & at home I would much rather have a smart monitor and game on that vs a small handheld device.
Re: Talking Point: Which Apps Do You Use The Most On Your Xbox?
@Kieduss I'm surprised no one else said Microsoft Movies and TV app.
I'm slowly building my own streaming service one movie a week... At least for me I find Netflix has so much low quality content on it. If I want Ultra HD content, it's CAD$20.99/mo. Every Tuesday, there's a new selection of CAD$4.99 movies, many of the ones I'm interested in are UHD, plus there are other sales, which means I can buy one good movie a week (4 a month) for the same price as a Netflix UHD monthly fee and I'm owning way better content, eventually I'll slow down and save $ vs Netflix
Re: 'Xbox No Longer Making Consoles' Begins Trending As Panic Continues
I'm new to Xbox for this console generation, bought in with a Series S, then got hooked with Game Pass Ultimate content as I obviously had no content starting from nothing, then also bought Series X. It's pretty clear that if all the best content is going to be on PlayStation, then if I had to make the decision again it would be too buy a PlayStation. Also given that it obviously takes more work to port a game to Xbox as the S is a different machine, not like PS disc or disc less versions (as proven by difficulty with Baldur's Gate 3 port), throw in smaller & declining user base, then it's clear to see why they're is concern about a death spiral, less and less content to Xbox.
I tried to see the future, that maybe Phil envisions, do I really even need a console? I have a Samsung smart monitor, so decided to try playing my GPU on it, quite frankly, I was surprised as didn't think the monitor would have the horsepower to play well, but obviously you don't need much horsepower to stream a game.
If Microsoft decides to go the path of Nvidia GeForce Now, I don't know, maybe that is the future where you really don't need a console...?
After playing on my smart monitor, I feel like I should minimally sell my Series S, not out of anger, but it feels made obsolete by GPU streaming on the monitor, then just keep the series X for content I own not on GPU. Maybe the X will even be obsolete if Microsoft goes Nvidia GeForce Now clone.
Re: Phil Spencer Addresses Xbox Speculation Ahead Of 'Business Update Event'
@tho_mi Yes, correct on the reduced conversion rate. So another reason for not buying a brand new Xbox now, plus MS constantly nerfing down rewards points, which I'm sure will continue in the future. In my shoes now, I wouldn't buy into the xbox ecosystem now, but a year ago it was a great deal.
Re: Phil Spencer Addresses Xbox Speculation Ahead Of 'Business Update Event'
@Fiendish-Beaver
Your post exactly sums up the situation no matter how MS spins it... Basically we all want great content, now it's obvious all the best content is going to be on the PS ecosystem, so likewise obviously don't buy Xbox hardware, which furthers the death spiral of less great content. I'm new to Xbox for this generation, I would be kinda mad about this developing situation if it were not for the brutally cheap/free Game Pass Ultimate, I bought 2 years of Gold (should have done 3...), upgraded to GPU 1:1, but over a year later I still have 2 years of GPU, thanks MS points! So I can't really complain, I may not have access to the best content, but I have access to the cheapest content. But yeah, my next console obviously won't be Xbox, unless MS is still giving away free GPU, which you can't count on, so death spiral continues...
Re: Starfield Discs Could Be Removed From Sale At US Retail Giant Soon
I got my Series S free with points from Shoppers Drug Mart, large chain here in Canada. Looks like they are also moving to get rid of all physical disc products, all games discounted to CAD$19.99 (so like less than USD$15), including Starfield, etc. Not a surprising move...
Re: Xbox Adds New 'Weekly Console Bonus' For Some Microsoft Rewards Users
@Kaloudz I went back to the Bing app on my S21 Ultra & I don't have the points for reading news & daily check in money bags, while it shows on my Pixel 8 Pro.
So it is weird that my account has different reward points available depending upon what device I use.
Re: Xbox Adds New 'Weekly Console Bonus' For Some Microsoft Rewards Users
@Kaloudz regarding the points to read articles & Bing money bags I did not get them either, then upgraded my phone from a S21 Ultra to Pixel 8 Pro, I instantly got the read news article points & Bing daily checkin money bags on my pixel 8 Pro. Coincidence? I don't know, but I think this might also depend on what device you use??
Re: Poll: How Many Xbox Games Have You Actually Bought In 2023?
My last console was a PS3, so I had some content catching up to do! Even with GPU I was surprised I bought 27 games in the last year. Since I'm catching up it's good that I can get some good older games on sale and not be paying full price. Diablo IV was what I consider to be the only fully priced game I bought, I should have waited... I will probably add Hogwarts legacy soon, then slow down on the purchases to play the backlog of accumulated games.
Re: Microsoft Rewards Hosting 'End Of Year Sale' On Xbox Game Pass (In Some Regions)
I'm not saying I don't want freebies, it's just MS rewards were insanely generous, yes, MS may benefit, but I highly doubt it makes business sense, which is why we're getting the nerfing of the points. If it made business sense it would not get nerfed, so we already have the answer from MS if it makes sense. They won't say it in so many words, but the actions they are taking is telling us what we don't want to hear.
For example, As @trev666 says they're is no question google search is better than Bing. Getting daily search points was not changing engagement to Bing. You just powered through to get the points & that is it.
Re: Microsoft Rewards Hosting 'End Of Year Sale' On Xbox Game Pass (In Some Regions)
I'm sorry I only discovered MS rewards, Apr of this year, when I saw posts of people saying MS going to pay for their Xbox series X. There is no question whoever dreamed up/started MS rewards points was waaay too generous. No business would be giving their products away for free, month after month with no purchase required, so I fully expect the chopping of rewards points to continue.
It seems MS has finally clued in with their divide by 10 in handing out rewards points. It's soon going to be pointless (see what I did there....) to actually try to collect points.
Re: As Of Last April, Xbox Series S Accounted For 75% Of Microsoft's Current-Gen Console Sales
I for one bought a Series S last year, primarily because I couldn't easily find a PS5 or series X in stock to buy.
I had no idea what the X/S sales split was, but it doesn't surprise me the ratio being what it is, as buying an X was constrained by lack of availability for a long time.
Re: Starfield's Xbox File Size Is 125GB, According To Microsoft Store Page
If you have a series S, you might want to consider to beat the rush & sell before there is a flood on the market. Yeah I saw that 314GB to preinstall!! That is going to chew up a bunch of space!! Going to be needing the new 1TB Series S or a series X.