HonestHick

@NishimuraX not sure that say’s much to the fact that MS had to buy ABK to even make profit, but sure…. Whatever it was you were trying to say. I support all 3 brands and Xbox has been right up there with Sony for not delivering compelling games that are bringing in cash. This is the entertainment business you either entertain or you lose you job. No different than an athlete or musician. So while it sucks this is the notice, you are on a performance measured job and your above average salary is not a guarantee. Buying ABK was a move MS made for the long term. Not to save someone’s job that can’t get a game off the ground in 4-5 years.

@Titntin not sure leaderships told Turn 10 to make a bland Forza Motorsport that didn’t sell nor grab much attention on Gamepass. Rare has been screwing around with Everwild since the start of this gen and can’t show anything. This is the entertainment business and if you aren’t entertaining you lose your job. If you are a pro sports athlete and don’t perform to your contract you are cut. You have some of the best tools, software, and money at MS there is little reason to not be able to show a game in years. I ain’t saying i don’t feel bad, but big salaries come with big responsibilities. Some are not cutting it. You’ve been in this business long enough to know not every employee has what it takes. To your point not every manager or supervisor has it either.

@NishimuraX i am speaking for myself and not others. Take my reply and think before you reply.

@NishimuraX without it they would be upside down and out of business soon. Xbox was only up the last few earning reports cause of ABK. So yes it was worth it. Is it easy to take on such large teams? No, but for the bottom line and to have those IP’s yes very much worth it. Otherwise they are flat or losing money. Think before you reply. Nothing i said is feelings based it’s numbers and facts.

@Titntin I’m just celebrating my Steam to Xbox guarantee so I am not going to push it. Haha but yeah they need less talk and more showing cause i think lot’s are confused with the future. I’m not. It’s easy to see they are combining Console and PC while improving cloud. Cause as i have said many times before the distant future of gaming is PC and Cloud. That is where players will be and also the easier access points to reach more people around the world. It’s how they get there that has been a little muddy. Overall I’d like to see them slowly show what the next gen Xbox is capable of, which i think we will see as they try and build some hype leading into the reveal which i think is for sure coming in 2026 with the console in late 26 or 27.

@Kaloudz how long have i been on here 99.9% guaranteeing Steam on the next Xbox. I have been following the breadcrumbs to this for over a year now it seems. Good that it is finally more and more in the light to everyone not wanting to do the research and taking cheap shot comments at those of us that do.

@Kaloudz I’ve been saying Steam was coming to next gen Xbox’s. Much like you said FF16 and other FF titles were coming. Xbox is merging console and PC and to me thats a good thing. The one thing MS has that Nintendo and Sony don’t other than 3 trillion dollars is Windows. They should be using that. Striping all the not needed functions of windows leaves a good blueprint to have all games and a good foundation to make this console slash PC device really work the way they intend it too. I’ve been asking for a Windows light version for a long time. Seems now is the time. Play anywhere will take a while to become more popular but i do think it will catch on. Funny thing is my birthday is late October and that is the ROG Alley Xbox launch window. Maybe i will be testing this out for myself to see how it’s looking.

This is what will bridge this strategy. If done right it could bring Xbox games to PC. Glad i haven’t bought any physical media since 2013. But once they can blend PC and Console titles all into one place. That is how they will go to battle against Steam in the storefront/platforms wars. This is a huge piece to it. I am excited to see what all they do. Happy to hear about next gen plans tho. I am ready for next gen already.

@IOI well said and i agree with every word you said. I’ll just add that even with all your Xbox games on it which isn’t ready yet. I still think it’s expensive haha. And i am normally the one asking for more expensive options in all my hobbies. But only if the quality is there and i can enjoy the extra money spent with little effort in experiencing it. What does MS do IOI? I mean they have everything going for them outside of the hardware. But i just ain’t convinced that Asus making a handheld with the Xbox brand on it is what to many players are asking for. Then the home console, well if thats just a $700-$900 Asus box as well, i mean what does that do for them and their player base? Give them hardware just for the stake of not leaving hardware? I mean they are really in a tough spot here don’t ya think? I can’t think of how they get the ball rolling.

@OldGamer999 Seems like that back and forward compatibility rumor makes more and more sense. This is how they will carry your Xbox library over to the Xbox PC hybrid handhelds and Consoles. This worries me a bit on the optimization aspect. Also as an Apple Hardware snob i dislike most if not all PC makers. Asus to me is junk hardware. Poorly optimized, awful ui and app settings. I mean i am not a Asus fan. Razer i could get behind. But this would leave the PS6/ PS6 Pro as an easier to optimize for platform. If the next Xbox home console is 10 million sold from MS, 3 million sold from Asus, 2 million sold from Dell etc etc, that could be hard on devs as likely they will have slightly to widely different specs, as the higher specs would be the selling point of it. I get the plan, it’s to blend Xbox and PC together. Which on paper sounds really good. But in how it will “just work” i am not sure if it would be plug and play with great optimized games. I haven’t even talked Price yet. Asus and others will not take a hit and MS likely won’t want to so the hardware will be expensive. If Sony undercuts them even just a little but has the more polished experience that too could be troublesome. I am not getting any ROG products. Sorry not happening.

@themightyant Yeah same here, I own all 3 consoles and wouldn’t want just a Switch. For Switch 1 i only bought Nintendo exclusives. For the Switch 2 i could see me trying some other games that run just as well on it. Tho that won’t be to many. I am the same way with my PS consoles. I only buy them for a handful of exclusives i want to play. As i don’t care for Sony controllers all that much. They are ok, just not my favorite layout and comfort. Xbox has been my main platform for decades cause i love the controller. I’ve toyed with the idea of doing PC next and just doing PC and Switch. But i am not a PC guy. I have used Apple computers for 16 years now. So the troubleshooting and PC maintenance is not something i am well versed in. But if the next Xbox is a PC/Console hybrid than i am all for that. That would be. The sweet spot for me or if on PS6 Sony has a more comfortable controller, which i doubt as they will likely never get rid of the inline sticks. Which isn’t even the only thing i think they need to do for me to like it. They would also have to give up on the 1% used touch pad as that would reduce the size and wasted space on the controller. Time will tell but i am starting to really love the switch 2 after playing with it more. Now i can’t wait for today’s Xbox show. Should be really good. Hope there is a few surprises we didn’t see coming. I wish they would mention the next Xbox console. But i know it’s to early and unlikely to be mentioned.

@themightyant you ain’t kidding they really do have the magic that very few if any have. Switch 2 will have some killer titles on it. I watched the Donkey Kong trailer on the switch screen and was like wow for a launch title this is looking good. In year 2-3 we should see some killer stuff from Nintendo as they get more and more out of the chip. I have said this for years and it will never happen but if we ever had a Switch that was as powerful as next gen, i would buy that console only and call it a day. But with the form factory and battery it just won’t happen but the switch to me is the perfect setup if power didn’t have to be as restricted. So in that way it’s so close to my favorite console.

@themightyant thats awesome, glad you got one buddy. Oh i like it, i just didn’t need it at the midnight launch. But i was there with a friend and they had extras so i said why not. I love Nintendo games. I got the Mario kart bundle and happy to see Switch one titles running and looking better. Mario Odyssey looks way cleaner on it. That i do like.

@Coletrain oh yeah it will have some killer titles soon. I was there at the midnight launch and they had extras so i said why not. I am enjoying it. It’s big and the battery life isn’t wonderful but good enough. But yeah i can’t wait to see more games on it in time.

@Ricky-Spanish yeah it will have plenty of games in due time. I am not a Fromsoft guy. But the system will be fun. I just bought it with the Mario bundled in cause it was right there and i couldn’t say no. I could have waited but where’s the fun in that? Haha

@themightyant i mostly agree with you. One thing to consider. Sony has a decent amount of games not making much profit. Sales are decently high but between the cut to Marvel, or the budget, they just don’t rake in profits, hence they go to PC for more access to sales. Astro Bot isn’t the game for Xbox as it does use the controllers features. But all of their live service game attempts should be on Xbox. Those do make sense. As for Xbox i would have liked to see them keep a few exclusive titles. But Doom and Elder Scrolls and Tony Hawk and COD, Diablo of course those titles should remain on all platforms. Kind of silly that so many thought MS would keep those to just Xbox and PC. But one thing is for sure, all 3rd party devs are putting their games on as many platforms as possible. Square finally said enough is enough, and many others are coming to PC day and date now. So it’s a fine line of keeping a couple games that are uniquely built for your hardware and making sure mass appeal games don’t miss a box for me. It’s a hard line to balance. As you said for Nintendo would many of us buy a Switch 2 if we could play their games on Xbox. Likely not. I bought the Switch 2 and it’s not the most comfortable design in the world. But i wanted to play some of their titles. Tho i am having a little early buyers remorse.

@Balaam_ wow that would be a big deal if the next Xbox controllers worked on PS. At the moment the only thing i don’t love about the PS5 is the controller and its layout of sticks. I always thought if MS left the hardware, that they would make a controller for PS like the Series X controller and just replace the X with the PS button and replace XYAB with the PS symbols. That thing would have near a 50% attach rate. Interesting you mentioned this. You could be on to something, even if it’s way into the future.

@Banjo- @Kaloudz i think I told you all this before but can’t remember. I got a survey sent to me from MS on what improvements and features i would like to see on the Elite 3. There was a lot to choose from and of course a small comment field. So i did it and sent it in. I still think the new controllers both stock and elite would be held back for the start of the next gen but maybe the Elite sneaks out sooner. No telling but i am excited to see what they do with it. I play most games on the stock controller and only use the elite for competitive games which means Gears of War in my experience.

@cragis0001 i agree. Even Wolverine looks like it’s in development issues and may or may not make it out next year. Final Fantasy 16 and more is rumored to be at the June showcase and coming to GP. So that will hold you over for a while. As for the PS4 and PS5 controller i would agree with you the 5 is a little more comfy than the 4. But what get’s me is how tall and wide it is cause of the useless touchpad. That thing is just stupid and not used but takes up a lot of space. Never loved the in line sticks vs the offset. But i always buy all 3 consoles. Even tho i use my PS consoles the least. I still like having them around.

@cragis0001 yeah i agree. If i liked the controller more i would play a few 3rd party titles on it. But i just don’t love Sony controllers. Never have. Everything else with PS is cool. Yeah they will have a few titles, but it’s looking like no more than 1-2 a year now at best. Most of their teams had to start over in the middle of the generation. So they have little if anything to show.

@cragis0001 you are right about that. Single player games don’t stay in the top sold charts for long. But man Sony has been awful in trying to make live service games. I mean it’s looking bad for PS5 now. They have little to no 1st party titles left. PS6 should eat well but PS5 is thin. Meanwhile Gamepass is hard to keep up with.

For everyone saying exclusives matter so much and Xbox is dead cause they have no exclusives. I counted 1 exclusive on this whole list. Games being on all platforms = sales! Devs don’t get paid by gamers going online and bashing other peoples AMD console of choice.

@Titntin i agree buddy, there is a lot of unknowns to all of this and the Xbox games running on PC. Thankfully i think more and more of Xbox’s next gen plans are going to keep leaking and at some point in the near future they will be on stage unveiling it. But yes there is a lot of things in play that don’t have answers fully, more just idea’s. This is going to be an exciting Xbox reveal in the sense of seeing what the vision is and how they tie it all together.

@themightyant yeah i think you were hitting the nail on the head. It seems to be in play as there is no other reason that makes sense at the moment. Other than they know a lot of casual Xbox players will just use the Xbox store and not get all caught up in steam and other stores. But that don’t seem like the bigger picture move at all. Then again in this industry you just never know what will happen.

@Fiendish-Beaver you are stacking up an impressive controller collection. Nice work buddy!

I can’t wait for the Gears of War E-Day one. Maybe the saw on the lancer will move. These are pretty cool, but I’ll stick to my Doom Dark Ages for now.

@cragis0001 Certainly agree with you on forced in that direction but only to a degree. MS see’s console gaming on a single platform regardless of the install base as smaller than desired money. I mean even Sony that beats MS in console sales is looking outside their own leading box. So this to me was always a play MS would look to even if they were selling 100 million consoles. Selling their IP’s to all gamers on all screens was going to be the next play, but being the smaller install base 2 gens in a row for sure sped it up. I also think the US will get involved in years to come on storefronts fronts and MS will wait it out to someday try and get that 30% lowered and deceiver their content everywhere for max earnings. It’s easier knowing COD will sell well on every screen vs trying to get every penny you can from its sales outside the Xbox platform. I believe they are working on that. Maybe it don’t happen on console but does on Cloud. Again MS has the money and IP’s to play the long game. Please again don’t think i am saying this is the only move they are banking on, it’s an option, i think it makes sense. But things happen, so hard to tell, but as i have been saying on here for months, this is a industry of where there is smoke there is fire. Steam and MS is a fire and i expect it to continue to burn in front of us for years to come.

@LogicStrikesAgain i agree about phones vs console. But dating apps and music app’s aren’t essential. They to are entertainment. Spotify and Epic fight with Apple’s 30% cut like crazy. It’s in courts all the time. So i think MS see’s that, and they too are getting pushed of IOS from apple with the MS gaming store. MS don’t want to give them 30%. Strange cause they will give Sony 30% but again i think this is in play. We heard it from the CEO of Microsoft’s own mouth, he hates exclusives. Hence he brought of all office 365 to the MAC. He and Phil are going to battle as hard as they can to be able to enter other hardware platforms with MS software and not pay the cut. Adding steam and Epic to Xbox is showing they are willing to let this be a battle of software on storefronts. Cause MS owns most of the biggest cash cows in gaming right now. Time will tell if this is the play and if it is it makes sense as to why steam being sideloaded or even native into the Xbox console Ui is important to them. Again please don’t take it as i am saying fact, cause this thing is likely a plan that takes a long time and or never even happens. But as i have been saying on here, where there is smoke there is fire in this industry and there couldn’t be more logs on the fire for steam to Xbox than there currently already is.

@Jenkinss i think MS looks at console gaming of not only the position they are in, but even the leaders like say PlayStation. The answer is there isn’t enough money being made in their eyes on console if you are selling 40 million consoles or 140 million consoles. So i think this change that they are doing isn’t entirely cause Xbox consoles aren’t flying off the shelves. Did that speed up the plan to be on Mobile, Cloud, and all platforms? Yes, surely it had to. But i think consoles as they are and have been is to small of money for where MS wants their games and reach of money. Having a store front on every device that can play games i think was always in their minds, as we don’t live in the 90’s no more. Young kids and even young adults play on more than just console. It’s just a fact and MS see’s that money and wants it. Buying ABK opened doors for them that is short term and long term strategies. Xbox consoles aren’t going away. There is no reason to throw that money away cause they still make money just not the MONEY Microsoft wants and knows they can go get in due time.

@LogicStrikesAgain @Coletrain @Sol4ris @Millionski @cragis0001 @themightyant @Titntin @Cakefish

So i tagged a lot of you that i have either discussed Steam on Xbox or by reading some of your comments on why and how does this make money. Stay with me i just watched a video from Jeff Grub explaining what could be the long term play with this. Again this won’t be fact, it will be an angle MS can use and likely will at some point.

So the idea is, everyone is going after Google and Apple for taking a 30% cut from thier stores, similar to what consoles do on their storefronts. Europe is looking into this practice and could have a ruling in a few years. MS’s hope is when and if they appear in court with the matter they can say look at our platform. We have the MS store, Epic store and STEAM. Allowing customers choice, ok Mr Microsoft what do you want to say. Well we would like our MS store on all other platforms as well. Nintendo and SONY. Now for all the money lost on Xbox players that choose Steam over MS store. MS get’s to sell COD and it’s huge list of IP’s on the PS without giving Sony the 30% cut. That includes micro transactions. That would line MS’s pocket to the brim and have Sony going crap we just lost 50% of our profits. Again not saying this happens or happens over night. But it could be the play, so yes MS gambles on Xbox players using it’s own store, but by having all stores on it platform it gives them a lot of play in the courts ruling on digital storefronts and the cut that platform takes.that would be the END GAME of all end games. Lose a couple 100 billion now to make trillions later. Remember i keep saying the future of consoles isn’t units sold entirely, it’s users buying your software and most importantly MTX. On the flip side Sony could put it’s store front on Xbox but that wouldn’t net them the same in return. They don’t own COD and Minecraft and others.

Gears of War and Red Dead, maybe Diablo. As i have sunken 1000 hours into each of those ip’s or more. But i still think $70 is enough when games have micro transactions and early access selling for $100 etc etc. it’s not like MS and Sony aren’t selling record breaking revenues and profits.

@Titntin yeah i am not sure how the will work out the money portion of it. I think the idea is sell a Xbox to fans of Xbox and they will use the default MS store cause thats what they know to use and have libraries there. Steam to me will likely just be side loaded. Which for the hardcore enthusiast with a steam library will be a compelling enough option to maybe buy a Xbox for the ease of use having it plug and play under the TV. Again that is purely a guess. But to your point and many others what if 40% or more of the people that buy the next Xbox don’t use the MS store and do side load steam? That’s where this get’s tricky. I would assume MS thinks well we have 30 plus million players on GP? A lot of moving options with a more open ended PC like console. But i too am excited for it. 😀

@themightyant The switch Pro was a real leak. The issue was Nintendo didn’t want to battle the production issue that was happening with silicon shortage. So they just released it as Switch Oled. But the leaks and info were true. Which brings me to my last point on the steam talks. We all follow this industry closely enough to know where there’s smoke there’s fire and there is a lot of smoke with Steam coming to Xbox. I personally still think it will just be a side load. Which is fine, it’s a nice option for those with big steam library’s. But i am happy to see MS doing something different with the next Xbox. They need to swing for the fences

@Titntin which again i never said MS WILL buy valve, just that offers and conversations were had. No reason to have tho if they have no plans for them. But what i have been saying is a sure thing at some point is Steam is coming to Xbox. In some form, plus you are smart in this industry and know it takes a long time to integrate that into the console. So there is going to be more leaks and bread crumbs to follow. Tho there hasn’t been as many for Epic game store. Other than Phil saying it once. MS has to go big with the next Xbox to get players to look at it as an option. Sadly the hole they dug leaves them with Steam, as not even Gamepass will do it beyond the mid level excitement it has going for it now.

@Titntin “ I dont understand your frustration.
I hope you are correct, but I fear you are wrong.

It’s that comment right there, you said i fear you are wrong. Fear is a feeling not a fact. You can’t show me fear, but i can link you and others links to info of MS trying to buy valve and Phils interviews suggesting such is coming. I can fear hope and wish about something all i want but i can’t use it to combat someone putting out evidence. I should at the very least give him the benefit of the doubt if i ain’t going to do the research myself. These aren’t open forums of education and informed thoughts, it’s always about someone’s feelings.

@Titntin oh i am all for open talks on here or any hobby site in fact. But when people don’t use their YouTube, or internet browser of choice to see what facts, leaks and discussions are already there, it makes it a little frustrating to me, cause it comes from a less informed place. Something i never come from. There were tons on here that didn’t even know MS has a 16 Billion dollar offer to buy Valve. Why buy Valve if no interest in bringing it to Xbox?

Also there is no out for MS now. They can’t release the same hardware. Phil has said this already. They plan for the hardware and store front options to be the reason you choose the Xbox hardware. Thus MS is not keeping Halo and Gears and Forza as reasons to buy an XBox. That side of the plan we have already seen. Phil is doing interviews by the month. I watch them all and he has given clues and breadcrumbs as much as he can for now to show the pivot and yet Xbox fans on Xbox sites give me grief cause i do my homework and they talk from feelings and non informed standpoints.

If the back of your XBox looks like that in the Pic then it’s not the Xbox you need to clean, it’s your whole house. You live dirty. I have had my Xbox since launch and it’s never needed to be cleaned cause i clean my house once a week. That includes dusting and sweeping.

@Coletrain @Cakefish @cragis0001 @themightyant

Have i not been on here saying Steam is coming to Xbox for months now? HAHA

Next up full PC software mode, so devs only have to make a PS and PC copy of the game. Thus Xbox misses no games and for those that want a platform war or console war. It is no longer PS vs Xbox, it’s PC vs PS.

@Titntin I’ve been tell everyone for the last 4-5 months Steam IS 100% coming to Xbox and all i get is backlash about how will they make money and this and that and these and them. That part isn’t well known yet. But what is known is the leaks of Steam coming to Xbox and or possibly MS buying Valve has been right there in front of our faces for 4-5 months now. Next up there will be no need to create a “Xbox” version of a game, it will just be the PC. To top it off i can finally play PS games without my thumbs cramping.

@Fiendish-Beaver we will 1000% see some E-Day. But not to much cause it will be the after event game next year would be my guess. It makes sense as it should release in 2026 alongside the anniversary. So 2026 is the year of E-Day, but we will see some but not to much time on Gears of War Reloaded as what’s left to show for a game that’s 20 years old. Maybe they show 2 mins of gameplay with an after the event beta for PVP?

Fable yes, and countless others that we might not know about, Phil said there are surprises he is trying not to let slip. Excited for that and for what games come to the cancel station 5. Who cares? It’s the least attractive place to play them. Full price, no GP. Worst controller in the business with a Ui that takes more button presses to do something then beating a boss in Elden Ring. I think we are in for a heck of a show, not to mention how good we been eating these last few months.

10 for me cause of Gears of War E-Day. Should see a decent amount more of it. The rest is just all gravy for me. Really looking forward to it tho.

@themightyant yeah we could see steam on a Xbox branded PC handheld. It makes sense. As for Steam buyout, it’s a private non traded company. Not sure they would get much roadblocks on it. I Could be wrong. But it seems like now that they cleared house on that awful department, they won’t be nearly as involved for the sake of being involved only to lose in court again any time soon. But i still ain’t convinced Steam and Gabe would want to sell. But i did my part in sharing the limited info on the subject. But i have no clue how that will go from here. Likely just talks and nothing more. At least for now. 😀

@Coletrain Yeah Arm would be the better solution for a handheld. Less heat, lower power. But not sure about how that would work with back compatibility. So it’s just a rumor for now and MS took it down from the job listing. Meaning either they didn’t mean to include Xbox or they leaked their plans and took it off. It’s all a guessing a game until they come out with the reveal. 😀

@Cakefish and maybe they don’t sell it for some of those reasons, thats why it is a take it for as little of a story as it is now. But the talks have been made and i think will continue to as MS for ways to improve it’s PC/Xbox footing into ways that expand it across all devices.

@Jenkinss of course i needed to ask. it seemed like such a simple thing to do alongside all the other teams improving their FPS on games while a game that sold around 74 million is sitting there at 30 fps with a huge fan base asking for the upgrade. Happy if this rumor is true and we finally get it.

@Coletrain what they are missing is other reports were it is listed as ARM for Surface products and Xbox devices, as for back compat we already know MS is working on a huge back compat project now. So what’s that for? My guess would be the change from X86 to WIN32. Making the Xbox and PC platform the same design language. Whether or not ARM fits into that in the handheld or home box time will tell.

@themightyant i am merely stating what has been leaks from the conversations. As to what a deal like that is worth and or if it even happens is anyone’s guess. Again i can only work with the info i have given to me and i don’t want to overstate something that is likely to not happen, but to say it would never happen or hasn’t been discussed would also not be smart to include when people ask why would MS and Xbox allow Steam.

@Millionski they have already said they are making a new Gen console with a huge generational leap. Whatever that is time will tell. But it will be a PC/Hybrid console for sure it’s looking like to go alongside the handheld. We do know MS will be making Xbox Os and that will be on the console handhelds and other OEM devices. Exciting times ahead for me as the traditional console space as we have it is a little stale on both platforms or me at the moment, so a shake up on the Xbox side is a nice welcome for me personally.

@nomither6 Yeah once i buy the 5080 it will be mainly putting it together and ready to go. But i am ok with taking my time as my Series X gets turned on just about every night. I wish i got to see their next gen plans before hand but that is unlikely.

Fatty Dual sense hurts my fingers so bad, Really hope Sony redesigns it for PS6.

@RaZieLDaNtE Hey there buddy, yes that would be amazing to see Red Dead running the best it’s ever done on console. It sit’s at around 70 plus million in sales now, so a RDR 2 upgrade repackaged and lightly marketed could get it over the 100 million unit sales mark which is just insane. Still my favorite single player story game ever made. The Online is an embarrassment and i would be happy to see it excluded in the remaster update if it is a new game and not just an update.