Basically do what they did to make original Xbox games work on the 360 but for both original Xbox and 360 games working on newer hardware. You didn't have to worry at all about stuff like Project Gotham Racing licensing running out affecting backwards compatibility, you just stuck your Xbox disc in your 360 and it ran.
Clearly that isn't their strategy though given all that "adorably all digital" nonsense.
Hate the current Xbox OS to be honest, pretty much only exists to force more ads on the user. You can avoid some of the problem with the OS if you only play at max a few games, but some obnoxious things remain like the full screen ads on console startup and games getting the "too long to start" error.
Switch is the only current system with a fantastic OS though with the only problem being the eshop is too slow. Very basic but that's a good thing as the focus is getting you into your game as fast as possible.
@NEStalgia Surely they must have known that leaving the door wide open such that anything could be ported after the initial 4 would result in the narrative that most is coming over? So if it isn’t most, wouldn’t it have made more sense to set some boundaries to prevent that narrative.
@S-Bacc My owned library is why I stuck with Xbox (backwards compatibility both in the traditional sense and edge cases where it’s more than just being able to play old games on new hardware at no extra cost). If exclusives went fully multiplatform I’d buy the exclusives on Nintendo hardware (prefer the ecosystem over Xbox) but still use Xbox for specific 3rd party games that have always been multiplatform.
What I was trying to get across was about the news cycle. I think all this trying to hype up next gen is a result of the exclusives going multiplatform situation and all the news surrounding it. If the multiplatform situation didn’t happen I doubt next gen would’ve even been teased by now outside of the accidental September leak about 2028.
@HonestHick We don’t know specifics but I would say that if it did end up being that multiplatform as a whole was smaller scale, their messaging on the matter was poor.
@awp69 I disagree, I think at some point in time it’ll be day and date just like what happened for PC. They’ll see the big money from shorter gaps until there is no gap.
As for your other point, the whole situation is pretty much that dependent on what people invest in the Xbox ecosystem for will decide how Microsoft’s multiplatform experiment turns out.
@GeeEssEff I think it’s to do with the news cycle, the kind of news which came after the February podcast was:
Rumours about lots more Xbox exclusives coming to PS5
Xbox exclusives run best on PS5
Some major 3rd party games like MH Stories 1+2 skipping Xbox
3rd parties question if there’s any point releasing games on Xbox
3rd party Game Pass deals drying up
Combined with that currently the only XGS release this year before Fall is Hellblade 2 next month (which is already getting blasted for not being 60fps), I can understand the strategy for hyping up next gen to try and focus the news cycle away from stuff that can be interpreted as the end of the Xbox platform incoming.
@ZYDIO Most is an exaggeration. Yes, they did do a good job with backwards compatibility in 2015 - 2019 and the bonus batch coinciding with Xbox’s 20th anniversary in 2021 but there is still a lot being lost. Not just games but DLC too.
Granted, if this announcement turns out to be a tease where at the June showcase they announce that Series X|S is getting full backwards compatibility with all 3 previous Xbox generations (even stuff like Project Gotham Racing, peripheral games like The Beatles Rock Band, Kinect 360/XB1 games and broken games like Sonic 06) with that being their workaround for the 360 shutdown in July then fair enough.
But their current actions are leaning in the opposite direction. Killing off physical and closing down stores that haven’t been rescued on modern platforms yet.
As for your comment about Sony and Nintendo, you can currently still redownload Wii/3DS/Wii U content you purchased and Sony backtracked on the PS3/Vita store shutdowns (PSP content can still be bought and played on PSP via the PS3 store). I wouldn’t be surprised if things change in the near future though.
Not really sure what to make of this because the immediate preservation problem is self-inflicted, namely Microsoft shutting down the 360 marketplace in July. “Adorably all digital” is also a really bad look on that front.
@NEStalgia I think if the problem was already solved for Xbox/360 backwards compatibility versions natively on PC, we would’ve had a Rare Replay PC port by now considering that it and Halo 5 are the XB1 XGS games that aren’t on PC which don’t require Kinect and aren’t delisted.
Halo 5 would’ve needed fixing up the XB1 version first meanwhile Rare Replay already runs very well on Xbox.
@NEStalgia I was looking at it more like a result of architecture differences much like how Microsoft couldn’t do proper full backwards compatibility for Xbox and Xbox 360 games on XB1/Series X|S. The best they could do is a case by case scenario where if a game ran properly and Microsoft managed to get the licence, it could be released via the backwards compatibility program.
In addition we've found out that some 3rd parties hate backwards compatibility because it decreases potential sales for ports/remasters/remakes of games that would be already available via backwards compatibility which would make the licensing part even harder.
So it doesn’t really sound feasible for any kind of Xbox console/PC merging other than a PC that can play Xbox console games via the cloud.
@NEStalgia PC is a Microsoft platform because of Windows. On the hardware side you’d have PCs that can play PC games normally and your Xbox library is in the cloud.
@somnambulance To be fair, I’m not sure Game Pass is a focus for them anymore. Of course they’ve made deals with 3rd parties in the past which still need to be honoured but between Activision games being an extremely sluggish rollout and the article about Game Pass deals drying up, it doesn’t feel like Game Pass is a focus anymore. I think the focus is being a multiplatform publisher and that’s why they’re having to be careful about messaging.
@somnambulance I think the mixed messaging is a result of the reaction to the multiplatform stuff that’s appeared so far.
It was said during the podcast that it was moved forward so we know for a fact that the original plan was for the 4 games to be announced before the podcast. Pentiment + Grounded Switch via Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase and the PS stuff via shadow dropped trailers and blogpost.
Given the general reaction to the rumours was very much a sense of Xbox going the way SEGA did in the early 00s, I think very clear cut “everything is going multiplatform” messaging would have a Don Mattrick XB1 reveal style impact.
It feels like the mixed messaging will disappear by the end of June though as that’s the end of Microsoft’s fiscal year.
@NEStalgia The leaked roadmap in September shows it at the very least was an intention for Xbox physical to go away in 2024 as the digital only Series X would replace the current Series X. The reports this year are suggesting the strategy still going ahead like how Limited Run are doing physical releases instead of Microsoft and about Microsoft telling Walmart to send Starfield to landfill.
It doesn't look like there's a space for optional disc drive like Sony did with the PS5 Slim so I get the feeling that the leaks back in September about this replacing the current disc Series X are still accurate.
@Fiendish-Beaver Judging by how February went, I think Microsoft's waiting for Nintendo to reveal the Switch's successor before the multiplatform floodgates fully open.
Rumours about multiplatform exploded which caused a business update to be moved forward with very vague details outside of 4 games going multiplatform. Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase revealed Pentiment and Grounded for Switch with the full multiplatform details (those 2 also coming to PS4/PS5, PS5 release for Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves) happening later that day. So if the rumours never happened, the Direct would've been the source of the multiplatform strategy.
So my guess would be that Switch successor reveal will be the debut announcement of more Xbox exclusives going multiplatform and at that point, the floodgates are completely open.
@awp69 More consoles doesn't necessarily mean Xbox. Nintendo seems to have new hardware in the somewhat near future so it could be for that. Alternatively, there's a situation where games are getting PS4 ports after releasing on current gen (e.g. RE4 remake, Jedi Survivor) so it could be that instead.
@NEStalgia "What does Sony consider to be major IP?" is the big question in all of this. In any case, considering the PS Studios lineup is averaging 1 game a month there's probably a Playstation Showcase around May which'll reveal what's happening after April. So far 2024 for PS Studios on PS is:
@NEStalgia That's not technically true regarding upcoming PS Studios lineup. No new major IP releases between April 2024 and March 2025 doesn't mean nothing's happening. Just means it's smaller IP, new IP and remasters/remakes. PS5 can still have a good lineup.
@Krzzystuff Given all your Xbox library will be in the cloud later this year (not just Game Pass games), I feel they'll approach it that the next gen Xbox is literally just a Xbox branded PC that can play PC games natively and Xbox games in the cloud.
I contemplated getting an expansion card in the past (held off for a discount) but nowadays I only have 1 game installed on my Series X so no need for me to get one.
@Sol4ris I think the rumours getting into the territory of stuff like Halo and Gears on PS5 is why the next gen Xbox was teased last month. The only comparisons we have to a 1st party publisher going fully multiplatform are ones that gave up on hardware completely like SEGA in the early 2000s.
@Ricky-Spanish I don't see Microsoft having 3 different Xbox consoles on the market, they made sure to discontinue 360 before XB1 got a revision and the entire XB1 line was discontinued by the time Series X|S released.
Also it could be that a handheld is able to be connected to TVs and monitors much like Switch/Steam Deck with the power being Series S, effectively replacing the Series S in the form of giving it extra value.
I think Microsoft's going to skip more powerful mid gen refresh and either stick with the September 2023 leak of digital only Series X + revised Series S or discontinue the Series S in favour of a handheld.
Can't say I'm interested in a new Xbox console either way (this extends even to next gen), the Series X I've owned for a few years now does what I need it do so no need for me to upgrade.
@Fiendish-Beaver I think that's the reason Jim Ryan was very happy with the deal in the end. The Activision acquisition saga caused internal strife at Microsoft resulting in pretty much everything Xbox Game Studios going to PS5.
Bethesda were annoyed that CoD got to be multiplatform meanwhile Bethesda games had to be Xbox console exclusive, higher ups at Microsoft weren't happy with Xbox's holiday 2023 sales, etc.
@HonestHick That was the point I was making regarding ports/remasters/remakes (games that aren't currently playable on PS5). PS4 games are playable on PS5 via backwards compatibility meanwhile a lot of games especially 1st party for the other PS consoles (PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, PS Vita) are missing.
Lots of people have plenty of nostalgia for those past consoles and 3rd parties continue to prove this point (e.g. FF remasters, the Crash/Spyro/THPS remakes by Activision before being acquired by Microsoft, the Tomb Raider 1-3 remaster collection, Persona ports/remakes, MGS collection) so I think that Sony would get more success out of going that route and keeping PS exclusivity than the aggressive PC port focus they're doing.
@HonestHick I think Sony adopting a Nintendo-like strategy where the big new games are supported by smaller new games and ports/remasters/remakes of games that aren't currently playable on PS5 would've been more successful than the current strategy of aggressive PC focus.
@Fenbops I think if Sony were to purposefully go multiplatform (i.e. it not being a forced deal like MLB/Bungie but rather Sony choosing to), they'd pick Nintendo platforms before Xbox because of the concept of buying games.
Microsoft have conditioned Xbox players into just waiting for Game Pass release, so I figure if an Xbox deal were to happen it would be something like Microsoft giving Sony $1 billion to put TLoU on Game Pass.
In hindsight, I think I understand now why there were all those rumours about a Gears collection happening. Much like how a physical version of Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush happened only because of a PS5 release (also Switch in the case of the former), Microsoft probably only sees value in creating a Gears collection if it's so that the games can be ported to PS5.
The game lineup being very strong as well as very varied (both about 1st party and 3rd party). Nowadays you'd never see Microsoft do something like bring back 1 vs. 100.
There was also full backwards compatibility with the original Xbox. Sonic showcased this fantastically as you could play the vast majority of the mainline games all on one system.
In general the focus was all in on the games, nowadays Xbox treats games as nothing more than cannon fodder for Game Pass.
You don't release 4 games in the space of 2 months if nothing else is coming. Whether Starfield is next after Sea of Thieves, who knows but I think we'll see another batch of XGS games announced for PS5 by the end of June as Microsoft's fiscal year ends in June.
I'll generally pick up ones I like if they have meaningful extra content (e.g. Sonic X Shadow Generations), revives a multiplayer playerbase (e.g. if a Gears collection happened) or is released on a preferred system that doesn't have the original via backwards compatibility (e.g. Switch). Also remakes that are more like reimaginings such as if the FFVII Remake trilogy comes to Nintendo hardware natively, I'll get it day 1.
The kind of setup Sony's doing with like TLoU Part 1 being a PS5 remake of a PS4 remaster of a PS3 game where you can play the PS4 remaster on PS5 via backwards compatibility is nonsense though.
I'm surprised that Grounded is so soon after Pentiment, already 2/4 games released by the end of April. I thought the gap between the first 2 games would be larger (e.g. game 1 as Direct shadow drop, game 2 releasing Fall/Holiday 2024).
Honestly makes me think the other 2 (Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves) will be released by the end of summer, then the rumours from a few weeks ago about stuff like Starfield/Indiana Jones/Gears/Halo for PS5 resurface.
I think what this comment is saying is that Switch/PS5 will get physical copies of Xbox 1st party games meanwhile Xbox consoles go down the "adorably all digital" route that was leaked back in September. So like for example whenever Hi-Fi Rush is announced for Switch/PS5, it gets a physical version but there's none for Series X.
It's the only way I can think of in which the comment made here isn't technically a lie meanwhile also explains recent events.
The Last Revelation is my favourite entry in the entire franchise so having a 2nd collection with that and Chronicles would be fantastic (having Angel of Darkness in the 2nd collection would also be nice but feels more unlikely).
I think 2027, new hardware launches need a strong lineup and Forza Horizon (Microsoft's most positively received franchise nowadays) is seemingly on a 3 year cycle now which would mean FH6 in 2024 and FH7 in 2027.
It feels like once a console becomes more powerful than PS3/360/Switch, more power makes a game library worse. Like with Xbox the 360 lineup is better than the XB1 lineup which is better than the Series X|S lineup.
Whether that ends up true for Nintendo is yet to be seen as Switch's successor hasn't even been announced but for the others it's true.
I feel at the end of all this, Xbox will be a game in Fortnite. Want to play Gears 7? Well head on down to the Xbox theme park in Fortnite and visit the Gears attraction where you can play the entire franchise's games.
You can buy Gears 7 for 17000 V-Bucks or subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate for 4000 V-Bucks a month to get access to all the games that are playable in the Xbox theme park.
Podcast seems like an odd way to do this. In any case the timing sure seems to suggest a Direct announcing some Xbox 1st party games for Switch is why the Business Update has had to wait so long to happen.
@Bionic-Spencer I think they will bring over MCC. Halo seems to be in the same spot currently as it was in early 2018, support for the new game (Halo 5 back then, Infinite now) has pretty much come to an end and the next game is far away. What happened in the meantime back then was they fixed up MCC and brought it to new platforms.
@Banjo- I think the closest to the current Xbox situation is with Nintendo back in 2015 when they announced NX early to alleviate fears about them ditching consoles as a result of plans to enter the mobile space.
It doesn't make sense to have a Business Update event just to announce 2 games going multiplatform. So if there really are only 2 going multiplatform, it's more likely those games are announced in a Nintendo Direct and the Business Update is more about commitment to Xbox consoles/PC/cloud/mobile (the platforms that have Game Pass).
@Krzzystuff The decision to wait so long is odd to say the least. The main things that come to mind are either the rumour about infighting is true and the Xbox division are trying to use the gigantic backlash to try and convince the higher ups to change their minds or that the 1st step of their future plans is being announced in a Nintendo Direct (e.g. Hi-Fi Rush for Switch) and so Microsoft have their hands tied until the Direct happens.
Comments 1,067
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Want To See From Xbox's New 'Game Preservation' Team?
Basically do what they did to make original Xbox games work on the 360 but for both original Xbox and 360 games working on newer hardware. You didn't have to worry at all about stuff like Project Gotham Racing licensing running out affecting backwards compatibility, you just stuck your Xbox disc in your 360 and it ran.
Clearly that isn't their strategy though given all that "adorably all digital" nonsense.
Re: Talking Point: Almost A Year On, What Do You Think Of The Current Xbox Dashboard?
Hate the current Xbox OS to be honest, pretty much only exists to force more ads on the user. You can avoid some of the problem with the OS if you only play at max a few games, but some obnoxious things remain like the full screen ads on console startup and games getting the "too long to start" error.
Switch is the only current system with a fantastic OS though with the only problem being the eshop is too slow. Very basic but that's a good thing as the focus is getting you into your game as fast as possible.
Re: Xbox Doubles Down On Highly Ambitious Plans For Next-Gen Hardware
@NEStalgia Surely they must have known that leaving the door wide open such that anything could be ported after the initial 4 would result in the narrative that most is coming over? So if it isn’t most, wouldn’t it have made more sense to set some boundaries to prevent that narrative.
@S-Bacc My owned library is why I stuck with Xbox (backwards compatibility both in the traditional sense and edge cases where it’s more than just being able to play old games on new hardware at no extra cost). If exclusives went fully multiplatform I’d buy the exclusives on Nintendo hardware (prefer the ecosystem over Xbox) but still use Xbox for specific 3rd party games that have always been multiplatform.
What I was trying to get across was about the news cycle. I think all this trying to hype up next gen is a result of the exclusives going multiplatform situation and all the news surrounding it. If the multiplatform situation didn’t happen I doubt next gen would’ve even been teased by now outside of the accidental September leak about 2028.
Re: Xbox Doubles Down On Highly Ambitious Plans For Next-Gen Hardware
@HonestHick We don’t know specifics but I would say that if it did end up being that multiplatform as a whole was smaller scale, their messaging on the matter was poor.
Re: Xbox Doubles Down On Highly Ambitious Plans For Next-Gen Hardware
@awp69 I disagree, I think at some point in time it’ll be day and date just like what happened for PC. They’ll see the big money from shorter gaps until there is no gap.
As for your other point, the whole situation is pretty much that dependent on what people invest in the Xbox ecosystem for will decide how Microsoft’s multiplatform experiment turns out.
@GeeEssEff I think it’s to do with the news cycle, the kind of news which came after the February podcast was:
Combined with that currently the only XGS release this year before Fall is Hellblade 2 next month (which is already getting blasted for not being 60fps), I can understand the strategy for hyping up next gen to try and focus the news cycle away from stuff that can be interpreted as the end of the Xbox platform incoming.
Re: Xbox Doubles Down On Highly Ambitious Plans For Next-Gen Hardware
@GeeEssEff I don’t think they have much of a choice at this point given they chose the multiplatform option.
So the teasing seems targeted at trying to convince people that it’s worthwhile investing in the Xbox ecosystem even in the absence of exclusives.
Re: Xbox Establishes New Team Dedicated To 'Game Preservation And Forward Compatibility'
@ZYDIO Most is an exaggeration. Yes, they did do a good job with backwards compatibility in 2015 - 2019 and the bonus batch coinciding with Xbox’s 20th anniversary in 2021 but there is still a lot being lost. Not just games but DLC too.
Granted, if this announcement turns out to be a tease where at the June showcase they announce that Series X|S is getting full backwards compatibility with all 3 previous Xbox generations (even stuff like Project Gotham Racing, peripheral games like The Beatles Rock Band, Kinect 360/XB1 games and broken games like Sonic 06) with that being their workaround for the 360 shutdown in July then fair enough.
But their current actions are leaning in the opposite direction. Killing off physical and closing down stores that haven’t been rescued on modern platforms yet.
As for your comment about Sony and Nintendo, you can currently still redownload Wii/3DS/Wii U content you purchased and Sony backtracked on the PS3/Vita store shutdowns (PSP content can still be bought and played on PSP via the PS3 store). I wouldn’t be surprised if things change in the near future though.
Re: Xbox Establishes New Team Dedicated To 'Game Preservation And Forward Compatibility'
Not really sure what to make of this because the immediate preservation problem is self-inflicted, namely Microsoft shutting down the 360 marketplace in July. “Adorably all digital” is also a really bad look on that front.
Re: Xbox Reportedly Testing The Waters With Sea Of Thieves PS5 Release
They likely chose Sea of Thieves as the key test because PS5 preorder numbers probably already exceeded Microsoft’s expectations.
Re: Phil Spencer Celebrates 10 Years As Head Of Xbox This Weekend
@NEStalgia I think if the problem was already solved for Xbox/360 backwards compatibility versions natively on PC, we would’ve had a Rare Replay PC port by now considering that it and Halo 5 are the XB1 XGS games that aren’t on PC which don’t require Kinect and aren’t delisted.
Halo 5 would’ve needed fixing up the XB1 version first meanwhile Rare Replay already runs very well on Xbox.
Re: Phil Spencer Celebrates 10 Years As Head Of Xbox This Weekend
@NEStalgia I was looking at it more like a result of architecture differences much like how Microsoft couldn’t do proper full backwards compatibility for Xbox and Xbox 360 games on XB1/Series X|S. The best they could do is a case by case scenario where if a game ran properly and Microsoft managed to get the licence, it could be released via the backwards compatibility program.
In addition we've found out that some 3rd parties hate backwards compatibility because it decreases potential sales for ports/remasters/remakes of games that would be already available via backwards compatibility which would make the licensing part even harder.
So it doesn’t really sound feasible for any kind of Xbox console/PC merging other than a PC that can play Xbox console games via the cloud.
Re: Phil Spencer Celebrates 10 Years As Head Of Xbox This Weekend
@NEStalgia PC is a Microsoft platform because of Windows. On the hardware side you’d have PCs that can play PC games normally and your Xbox library is in the cloud.
Re: Phil Spencer Celebrates 10 Years As Head Of Xbox This Weekend
@somnambulance To be fair, I’m not sure Game Pass is a focus for them anymore. Of course they’ve made deals with 3rd parties in the past which still need to be honoured but between Activision games being an extremely sluggish rollout and the article about Game Pass deals drying up, it doesn’t feel like Game Pass is a focus anymore. I think the focus is being a multiplatform publisher and that’s why they’re having to be careful about messaging.
Re: Phil Spencer Celebrates 10 Years As Head Of Xbox This Weekend
@somnambulance I think the mixed messaging is a result of the reaction to the multiplatform stuff that’s appeared so far.
It was said during the podcast that it was moved forward so we know for a fact that the original plan was for the 4 games to be announced before the podcast. Pentiment + Grounded Switch via Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase and the PS stuff via shadow dropped trailers and blogpost.
Given the general reaction to the rumours was very much a sense of Xbox going the way SEGA did in the early 00s, I think very clear cut “everything is going multiplatform” messaging would have a Don Mattrick XB1 reveal style impact.
It feels like the mixed messaging will disappear by the end of June though as that’s the end of Microsoft’s fiscal year.
Re: GTA 6 'Sources' Share Their Thoughts As Fears Grow Of A Delay To 2026
I think Spring 2025 with the next trailer appearing during Playstation Showcase 2024.
Re: Leaked Images Reveal 'First Look' At White, All-Digital Xbox Series X
@NEStalgia The leaked roadmap in September shows it at the very least was an intention for Xbox physical to go away in 2024 as the digital only Series X would replace the current Series X. The reports this year are suggesting the strategy still going ahead like how Limited Run are doing physical releases instead of Microsoft and about Microsoft telling Walmart to send Starfield to landfill.
Re: Leaked Images Reveal 'First Look' At White, All-Digital Xbox Series X
@OldGamer999 @Sol4ris I think they'll go for the increase to 2TB of storage, stay at current Series X price.
Re: Leaked Images Reveal 'First Look' At White, All-Digital Xbox Series X
It doesn't look like there's a space for optional disc drive like Sony did with the PS5 Slim so I get the feeling that the leaks back in September about this replacing the current disc Series X are still accurate.
Re: Phil Spencer On Porting Exclusives: 'Every Decision We Make Is To Make Xbox Stronger'
@Fiendish-Beaver Judging by how February went, I think Microsoft's waiting for Nintendo to reveal the Switch's successor before the multiplatform floodgates fully open.
Rumours about multiplatform exploded which caused a business update to be moved forward with very vague details outside of 4 games going multiplatform. Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase revealed Pentiment and Grounded for Switch with the full multiplatform details (those 2 also coming to PS4/PS5, PS5 release for Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves) happening later that day. So if the rumours never happened, the Direct would've been the source of the multiplatform strategy.
So my guess would be that Switch successor reveal will be the debut announcement of more Xbox exclusives going multiplatform and at that point, the floodgates are completely open.
Re: Phil Spencer On Porting Exclusives: 'Every Decision We Make Is To Make Xbox Stronger'
@awp69 More consoles doesn't necessarily mean Xbox. Nintendo seems to have new hardware in the somewhat near future so it could be for that. Alternatively, there's a situation where games are getting PS4 ports after releasing on current gen (e.g. RE4 remake, Jedi Survivor) so it could be that instead.
Re: Major Game Maker Reportedly Questioning Xbox Support Amidst 'Falling Sales'
@NEStalgia "What does Sony consider to be major IP?" is the big question in all of this. In any case, considering the PS Studios lineup is averaging 1 game a month there's probably a Playstation Showcase around May which'll reveal what's happening after April. So far 2024 for PS Studios on PS is:
Re: Major Game Maker Reportedly Questioning Xbox Support Amidst 'Falling Sales'
@NEStalgia That's not technically true regarding upcoming PS Studios lineup. No new major IP releases between April 2024 and March 2025 doesn't mean nothing's happening. Just means it's smaller IP, new IP and remasters/remakes. PS5 can still have a good lineup.
@Krzzystuff Given all your Xbox library will be in the cloud later this year (not just Game Pass games), I feel they'll approach it that the next gen Xbox is literally just a Xbox branded PC that can play PC games natively and Xbox games in the cloud.
Re: Talking Point: Xbox Series X|S Owners, How's Your Storage Looking In 2024?
I contemplated getting an expansion card in the past (held off for a discount) but nowadays I only have 1 game installed on my Series X so no need for me to get one.
Re: Xbox Had Its Biggest Month Ever For 'Play Time' In January 2024
I think they may be counting stuff like PS players playing CoD in these stats.
Re: With A 'PS5 Pro' Now Rumoured For 2024, Where Does That Leave Xbox?
@Sol4ris I think the rumours getting into the territory of stuff like Halo and Gears on PS5 is why the next gen Xbox was teased last month. The only comparisons we have to a 1st party publisher going fully multiplatform are ones that gave up on hardware completely like SEGA in the early 2000s.
Re: With A 'PS5 Pro' Now Rumoured For 2024, Where Does That Leave Xbox?
@Ricky-Spanish I don't see Microsoft having 3 different Xbox consoles on the market, they made sure to discontinue 360 before XB1 got a revision and the entire XB1 line was discontinued by the time Series X|S released.
Also it could be that a handheld is able to be connected to TVs and monitors much like Switch/Steam Deck with the power being Series S, effectively replacing the Series S in the form of giving it extra value.
Re: With A 'PS5 Pro' Now Rumoured For 2024, Where Does That Leave Xbox?
I think Microsoft's going to skip more powerful mid gen refresh and either stick with the September 2023 leak of digital only Series X + revised Series S or discontinue the Series S in favour of a handheld.
Can't say I'm interested in a new Xbox console either way (this extends even to next gen), the Series X I've owned for a few years now does what I need it do so no need for me to upgrade.
Re: Jim Ryan Explains Why Sony Kept Refusing To Sign Xbox's Call Of Duty Offer
@Fiendish-Beaver I think that's the reason Jim Ryan was very happy with the deal in the end. The Activision acquisition saga caused internal strife at Microsoft resulting in pretty much everything Xbox Game Studios going to PS5.
Bethesda were annoyed that CoD got to be multiplatform meanwhile Bethesda games had to be Xbox console exclusive, higher ups at Microsoft weren't happy with Xbox's holiday 2023 sales, etc.
Re: Gears Of War Creator Thinks 'The More, The Merrier' In Regards To Getting Gears On PS5
@HonestHick That was the point I was making regarding ports/remasters/remakes (games that aren't currently playable on PS5). PS4 games are playable on PS5 via backwards compatibility meanwhile a lot of games especially 1st party for the other PS consoles (PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, PS Vita) are missing.
Lots of people have plenty of nostalgia for those past consoles and 3rd parties continue to prove this point (e.g. FF remasters, the Crash/Spyro/THPS remakes by Activision before being acquired by Microsoft, the Tomb Raider 1-3 remaster collection, Persona ports/remakes, MGS collection) so I think that Sony would get more success out of going that route and keeping PS exclusivity than the aggressive PC port focus they're doing.
Re: Gears Of War Creator Thinks 'The More, The Merrier' In Regards To Getting Gears On PS5
@HonestHick I think Sony adopting a Nintendo-like strategy where the big new games are supported by smaller new games and ports/remasters/remakes of games that aren't currently playable on PS5 would've been more successful than the current strategy of aggressive PC focus.
Re: Gears Of War Creator Thinks 'The More, The Merrier' In Regards To Getting Gears On PS5
@BacklogBrad They moved to next gen development in May 2021:
https://www.purexbox.com/news/2021/05/the_coalition_is_moving_to_unreal_engine_5_to_focus_on_next-gen_development
I think if Gears 6 exists, it would be a 2026/2027 release acting like Gears 5 as the last major release before the Series X|S successor arrives.
Re: Xbox's Sea Of Thieves Becomes 'Best-Selling' Pre-Order On PlayStation 5
@Fenbops I think if Sony were to purposefully go multiplatform (i.e. it not being a forced deal like MLB/Bungie but rather Sony choosing to), they'd pick Nintendo platforms before Xbox because of the concept of buying games.
Microsoft have conditioned Xbox players into just waiting for Game Pass release, so I figure if an Xbox deal were to happen it would be something like Microsoft giving Sony $1 billion to put TLoU on Game Pass.
Re: Xbox's Sea Of Thieves Becomes 'Best-Selling' Pre-Order On PlayStation 5
In hindsight, I think I understand now why there were all those rumours about a Gears collection happening. Much like how a physical version of Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush happened only because of a PS5 release (also Switch in the case of the former), Microsoft probably only sees value in creating a Gears collection if it's so that the games can be ported to PS5.
Re: Talking Point: In Your Opinion, What Made The Xbox 360 Era So Incredible?
The game lineup being very strong as well as very varied (both about 1st party and 3rd party). Nowadays you'd never see Microsoft do something like bring back 1 vs. 100.
There was also full backwards compatibility with the original Xbox. Sonic showcased this fantastically as you could play the vast majority of the mainline games all on one system.
In general the focus was all in on the games, nowadays Xbox treats games as nothing more than cannon fodder for Game Pass.
Re: Starfield To PS5 Rumours Played Down Following Recent Xbox First-Party Ports
You don't release 4 games in the space of 2 months if nothing else is coming. Whether Starfield is next after Sea of Thieves, who knows but I think we'll see another batch of XGS games announced for PS5 by the end of June as Microsoft's fiscal year ends in June.
Re: Xbox Announces New 'Partner Preview' Event For This Week
Octopath Traveler II will likely appear here as it was scheduled for Early 2024.
Re: Poll: How Often Do You Buy Games That Have Been 'Remade' Or 'Remastered'?
I'll generally pick up ones I like if they have meaningful extra content (e.g. Sonic X Shadow Generations), revives a multiplayer playerbase (e.g. if a Gears collection happened) or is released on a preferred system that doesn't have the original via backwards compatibility (e.g. Switch). Also remakes that are more like reimaginings such as if the FFVII Remake trilogy comes to Nintendo hardware natively, I'll get it day 1.
The kind of setup Sony's doing with like TLoU Part 1 being a PS5 remake of a PS4 remaster of a PS3 game where you can play the PS4 remaster on PS5 via backwards compatibility is nonsense though.
Re: Poll: Will You Be Playing Any Of Xbox's New Multiplatform Games On Other Consoles?
If Hi-Fi Rush comes to a Nintendo platform in the future, I'll pick it up there but as that's currently not happening it'll be nothing at the moment.
Re: Two Xbox Exclusives Are Launching On Nintendo Switch In The Next Few Months
I'm surprised that Grounded is so soon after Pentiment, already 2/4 games released by the end of April. I thought the gap between the first 2 games would be larger (e.g. game 1 as Direct shadow drop, game 2 releasing Fall/Holiday 2024).
Honestly makes me think the other 2 (Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves) will be released by the end of summer, then the rumours from a few weeks ago about stuff like Starfield/Indiana Jones/Gears/Halo for PS5 resurface.
Re: Xbox Insists It's Not Ditching Physical Games: 'That's Not A Strategic Thing For Us'
I think what this comment is saying is that Switch/PS5 will get physical copies of Xbox 1st party games meanwhile Xbox consoles go down the "adorably all digital" route that was leaked back in September. So like for example whenever Hi-Fi Rush is announced for Switch/PS5, it gets a physical version but there's none for Series X.
It's the only way I can think of in which the comment made here isn't technically a lie meanwhile also explains recent events.
Re: Tomb Raider Fans Spot 'The Last Revelation' Teaser In 1-3 Remastered
The Last Revelation is my favourite entry in the entire franchise so having a 2nd collection with that and Chronicles would be fantastic (having Angel of Darkness in the 2nd collection would also be nice but feels more unlikely).
Re: Poll: When Do You Think Xbox Will Release Its Next-Generation Console?
I think 2027, new hardware launches need a strong lineup and Forza Horizon (Microsoft's most positively received franchise nowadays) is seemingly on a 3 year cycle now which would mean FH6 in 2024 and FH7 in 2027.
Re: Xbox's Next Console Will Feature The 'Largest Technical Leap Ever' In A Generation
It feels like once a console becomes more powerful than PS3/360/Switch, more power makes a game library worse. Like with Xbox the 360 lineup is better than the XB1 lineup which is better than the Series X|S lineup.
Whether that ends up true for Nintendo is yet to be seen as Switch's successor hasn't even been announced but for the others it's true.
Re: Roundup: Here's What Was Revealed At The Xbox 'Business Update Event'
That was a complete waste of time, could've been done in a tweet last week and the rumours wouldn't have festered.
Re: Xbox President's Reported Message To Employees: 'Every Screen Is An Xbox'
I feel at the end of all this, Xbox will be a game in Fortnite. Want to play Gears 7? Well head on down to the Xbox theme park in Fortnite and visit the Gears attraction where you can play the entire franchise's games.
You can buy Gears 7 for 17000 V-Bucks or subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate for 4000 V-Bucks a month to get access to all the games that are playable in the Xbox theme park.
Re: Microsoft Announces Official Date & Time For 'Updates On The Xbox Business'
Podcast seems like an odd way to do this. In any case the timing sure seems to suggest a Direct announcing some Xbox 1st party games for Switch is why the Business Update has had to wait so long to happen.
Re: Xbox Supposedly 'Very Surprised' At The Extent Of The Latest Rumours
@Bionic-Spencer I think they will bring over MCC. Halo seems to be in the same spot currently as it was in early 2018, support for the new game (Halo 5 back then, Infinite now) has pretty much come to an end and the next game is far away. What happened in the meantime back then was they fixed up MCC and brought it to new platforms.
Re: Xbox Reportedly Has 'No Plans' To Stop Making Consoles
@Banjo- I think the closest to the current Xbox situation is with Nintendo back in 2015 when they announced NX early to alleviate fears about them ditching consoles as a result of plans to enter the mobile space.
Re: Xbox Supposedly 'Very Surprised' At The Extent Of The Latest Rumours
It doesn't make sense to have a Business Update event just to announce 2 games going multiplatform. So if there really are only 2 going multiplatform, it's more likely those games are announced in a Nintendo Direct and the Business Update is more about commitment to Xbox consoles/PC/cloud/mobile (the platforms that have Game Pass).
Re: Ubisoft CEO Questioned About Xbox Potentially 'Going Multi-Platform'
@Krzzystuff The decision to wait so long is odd to say the least. The main things that come to mind are either the rumour about infighting is true and the Xbox division are trying to use the gigantic backlash to try and convince the higher ups to change their minds or that the 1st step of their future plans is being announced in a Nintendo Direct (e.g. Hi-Fi Rush for Switch) and so Microsoft have their hands tied until the Direct happens.