JetmanUK

@Krambo42 No worries.
It really is very informative, check it out everyone!

I am really backing this big time, I just think it's a great service. Like I've said elsewhere on this site I have played around with the PC verison quite a bit, Android too, it's a really promising service and I like their plans for the future too.

To have such a service on Xbox is a huge thing, well done to MS for allowing it on their platform.

I know what I will be doing tomorrow.

Some answers to peoples concerns here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50_SZslfRkQ

I preordered this, very excited for the launch tomorrow.

Having played around with it on PC I know how smooth and responsive the games feel, I would say they offer the best cloud gaming experience I have ever tried, so I have no fears at all (I am assuming that the XBOX client is as good as the PC one of course, we will see).

Highly recommended from me.

Speccy game time! Uridium Spectrum and C64 too!

@Lightweight I think I have a rather heavy handed way of fixing this. Would somehow pulling the plug on Xbox Live for the 360 hardware work? Two gens back now, would anyone care if the 360 had no online? (Ok, would any large number care?)
Only Xbox one and Xbox series consoles playing the games in back compat mode, surely they could not be hacked then?
I must admit I don't know how the hacks are done so maybe this over the top idea is not viable anyway. 🤔🤷🏻

Whilst I am glad that these games may have recieved some server side upgrade/patch the old xb360 CODs need an update to ban all the hackers/modders. I hope they can do something about them too.

I've used this service before on PC and it has worked very very well. I really like it, sub ordered by me. 👍

@Illisia I too am wondering if my PC account is linked to this or totally separate.

They milked this franchise into the ground, too many games in too short a timescale and it was really outshine by Forza Horizon too. I am hoping that the larger gap between games and the jump to a new gen may help to rejuvenate the franchise... I am sceptical, but changes are required.

I've enjoyed his work over the years but, and this is no insult at all, I do feel some new blood might be a good idea. Just to freshen things up.

Thanks Major, you will be missed. 🤟🏻

Wow, this looks like a great update.
I hope they keep supporting this game like they indicated that they will. Well done to them so far.

Two is my favourite out of all three games, I can't believe it is so old. I spent so many hours playing this game back in the day.

Anyone else here getting the glitch where you can't claim the GWG games? If you have it you also can't get the deals with gold offers either.

It seems to be affecting those who upgraded from Gold to Gamepass recently and has been reported online. I had to get support to add The Vale to my library.

Owning both and S and X since launch day I am happy with my set up. X in gaming room and S in living room. I already have expansion cards anyway.
If I didn't already own an S, sure I would snap this one up... I do think it looks better in white though.

I've Not read the other comments, sorry guys, too many and I am supposed to be working!

My thoughts:

1) I am OK with this, they are making out like this is a locked 30FPS, OK locked 30 evenly paced with good motion blur, absolutely fine.

2) However, if indeed the frame rate has gone above 30FPS during testing then how about a 120hz 40fps mode?

3) How about a mode that relies on VRR with perhaps a lowered resolution? Achieving 40 – 60FPS, but more towards the top of this range. This may play well too.

Point 2 and 3 could be added post launch, and I feel they just might be.

Overall as in point 1 above, its fine, but particularly that 120hz mode, well it should be a standard in all 30fps games now really.

The number of games which receive a 60fps Series S patch a while after launch is very encouraging, with a little dedication it truly can run games very well... the downside is that the damage reputation wise is often done already.

To counter this Xbox should ALWAYS tweet/advertise such updates to ensure that S owners/prospective S owners can feel assured about the performance of games on their chosen platform.

I have both an X and an S and I mostly feel the experience is absolutely fine on the S, it’s a lovely little machine, these patches just need to come faster.

I think this looks pretty good. I may even do what I don't usually do.... Preorder. 😱😱😱🤣

I did want this, and will still probably buy it, but they really needed to skip authenticity and put a better d pad on it. The 360 controller was great, maybe revolutionary even, but the dpad was always awful. I remember getting my console on launch night, excitedly setting it up in the early hours... and initially thinking that my controller was faulty, that's how bad it was to get accurate movement, thankfully most games used the analogue pad, but yeah, it was terrible.

Will the exploding barb wire match go with a bang! or a poooof! 🤣

@Trmn8r I like to think so, the moderators... not so much. Haha.

@Decoy_Snake That's true, he was.
So it's just a question of have they kept him in? It seems like he is returning soon on the new Saturday show ayway (if the rumours are true), so he probably is in the game. Cody is meant to be in it and he left a while back now, so yeah seems nailed on.

But will Punk be in it?

How's Gotham Knights now? It looks like lots of work has been done to the performance, but is it fun? Also, is it fun as a single player game?

Having played all the FH games I still think the best by far is FH3. I didn't gel with 4 that well and 5 even less, although I want to try again.

It may just be series fatigue, I've been saying this since FH4... Give them a rest MS or you will kill the franchise. They rested Motorsport, now rest Horizon.
Make a Project Gotham Inbetween if you have to have a car game released, just don't kill the another IP with too many games.

I have every single Games with Gold offering since it started back in 2013. I always claim them, why wouldn't you? You could see a YouTube video of one that catches your eye, or maybe you get into a genre that you weren't into previously and suddenly that game you never would have played is now great fun.

However... To date I have only played a handful.

I think Ryse was was one of the most underrated games of last gen and it still looks good today. An upres and 60FPS boost for the Series consoles would be great.

I would be interested in a sequel.

@BANJO Agreed, it's a fun racer.

I think Gamepass is great, one of the best things in modern gaming, but probably just not for me. Let me explain.

I don't get a lot of time to play these days and also have more disposable income than when I was younger. This means I am more likely to buy a game when I want it, usually on a sale, as I like a deal. Subscribing to a service at £10.99 per month and not using it feels like a bad deal.

I am saying all this as a current and long time Gamepass subscriber, I did not jump in on the service straight away as I knew it was not for me. I just dabbled with cheap sub deals. Then the crazy deals started.

All this has come to mind as I note that my loooong subscription deal is coming to an end in a few days, I can see that on my account I was last billed £1... back in June 2019!

What a deal I have had, and what a service it has been, and no doubt will continue to be. I highly recommend it to anyone, give it a try, it's just in my current point in life it's not for me. If a deal comes up though, well...

In the meantime I bought a code for 12 months of XBL which I will activate on the expiration of my Gamepass sub, it seems I can't add it before as it converts to Gamepass.

@GarbonZoni Cool, I don't know how many I have on Pinball Arcade, I just remember that when the Williams tables were being removed I bought them all, there was no sale so I spent a stupid amount on them. 😬🤣 Don't regret it though, I really like how Farsight have recreated the tables.

Have you tried Zaccaria Pinball? That's pretty good too, some of the tables are very primitive, but it's a good addition to your collection if you like the Pinball Arcade and Stern Arcade style games.

If you have a look at the second photo on the listing it notes the tables included on the back of the case. How does that compare to your digital copy?

@Would_you_kindly I'm still not home so I can't grab mine, but here's the mythical item that doesn't exist. 😉😜
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266083277348?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=f__J8m1HRE-&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=CH1HdcLeT2q&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=WHATS_APP

I'll check what tables are on mine, it would be nice to know the difference.

@Would_you_kindly Me too.
If I remember correctly it was an issue with the ACDC table. Do you have that in your download version?

@Would_you_kindly Unless I'm miss remembering, it's late here, they issued a cart and then issued the code version as they changed the tables included. I'm not at home so I cant check which tables are included in my cart. We could compare.

Perhaps it was an import from another country? Not sure.

@Would_you_kindly This isn't correct. What happened was Farsight Studios released a spin off of The Pinball Arcade game called Stern Pinball. As the title sounds it was specifically for Stern tables only.

You can still buy tables in The Pinball Arcade, yeah they lost most of their top quality ones when the Williams license was lost, but you can buy Stern and Gottlieb tables in it. They seem to be running both games side my side.

Theres a nice physical version of Stern Pinball on the Switch, well worth picking up. 👍🏻

@Tasuki The Pinball Arcade? I loved their game too. Sadly they lost the rights to most of thier big name classic tables, to Zen, so they started to be remade in Pinball FX. It's a shame really.

I own the tables I wanted in it so I am ok, but no new purchases of those tables can be made now. Licensing issues, they plague gaming.

I've enjoyed all the Pinball FX/Zen Pinball games, across multiple formats. Like everyone else I do find it frustrating to keep buying the same tables, but then lots of people buy FIFA every year. 🤣

Joking aside, it's a little frustrating. The good thing about Xbox is that you can play Pinball FX 1-3 on your Series or One generation console so if you have amassed a large library of tables you can still play them.

I personally will have a look and see how much the tables are, I suspect outside of sales I won't be buying into this version.

I am really disappointed to hear this as I did play it quite a lot and felt that it offered something different in the console shooter space.

It had improved greatly, from where it was at its dodgy launch, it just could not get past the reputation that it had gained, it was no way the worst game, not at all.

I also can't believe that the single player is going away too! I haven't finished the whole thing, and with my life being busy right now I don't think I will get to, so single player content that I paid for is going down the drain. I doubt I would support this developer again.
I feel that I should be refunded for the single player, they can keep the spend I made in multiplayer, I don't mind, but a single player campaign disappearing? That is just wrong, MS should step in here with refunds.

I had a a spending spree yesterday, picking up a few of these games and all DLC for any that I own. I feel it would be frustrating to go back and play a game and not be able to play the dlc if I had really been enjoying it.

Let's not forget that MS have done so much for game preservation in the console space, way more than their competitors. Also, I don't believe that this is their choice, it is a most likely licensing issues with each game, it's a publisher driven thing, again I can't really criticise them for that either, sometimes business is business, as disappointed as we all are that's the harsh reality.

Amongst others I picked up both Left 4 Dead games and their DLC, I didn't play them back in the day. Am I in for a treat? I didn't really enjoy Back 4 Blood when I tried it with a couple of friends. Hoping they are more fun.

Xbox Fans Want To Know What's Going On With Square Enix In 2023

Answer

Sony

All opinions, I know... but I'd def add Crackdown (both!), Black Ops... and the game of the generation Deadly Premonition.

I'm not saying they were wrong to leave last gen behind, far from it, but judging by the comments from the Digital Foundry analysis it seems that the title is not especially 'next gen' (current! 😋) in its features. I dare say a 30fps version of this game would totally be capable. That said I am in favour of leaving the last gen behind now, it's been long enough (I know there are gamers out there with financial issues, but it's time).

@themightyant It's funny that you mention a dedicated audio chip. Last gen Xbox One had a dedicated audio chip. It was supposed to make the load on the CPU lighter, which may have made a performance difference... if Xbox was the lead platform... which was almost never the case.

@theduckofdeath I remember this.

Totally off topic, your tag is similar to a nickname I was briefly given in very poor taste years ago. Haha I will leave that there.

@InterceptorAlpha Yeah and even further back, Gamecube/XB/PS2.
I think it really came to the forefront more in the XB1 generation with games supporting truly impressive and immersive audio like Atmos, but you are right, it's an old feature.

@Would_you_kindly
Well like I said Sony have done a good job on marketing their audio features, Xbox a bad job.

XB1 and Series consoles support the following-

For headphones:
Windows Sonic
Dolby Atmos
DTS X
(No proprietary headphone hardware required either!)

For home cinema:
Dolby
DTS
(Numerous versions of the above, plus other modes too).

Xbox is king when it comes to audio, and has been for two generations now, it's just that no one talks about it, or even seems to know. Really weird.

@Would_you_kindly I found it really odd that Sony leaned into 3D Audio on PS5 like it was a new and ground-breaking console feature... when even the XB1 VCR offers three types of it! And has for years!

But your comment is an example of how well their marketing has worked on people.

This is great news. The best Xbox site should have a YouTube presence too. I wish you guys lots of success.

My advice to Microsoft:

Pull out of the deal and get the COD marketing rights back when the Sony deal runs out. Not worth all the hassle.

Spend the billions on marketing rights and exclusives, you know, like Sony do. Play them at their own game but use your deeper pockets.

Run your own studios more efficiently to actually get games out in good time and in good order.

I loved the 360 controller, it was so good... but... it was improved upon so much with all the Xbox controllers since then.

Hopefully it won't be too good a replica, they need to fix the dreadful D-Pad.
I remember opening my 360 on launch night and trying out the controller, I initially assumed that it was broken! Nope, just the worst D-Pad ever. Such a weird thing as the rest of the controller was the best ever to me (at that time anyway).

I might pick up a black one for the collection anyway.

Ah so nothing special, well that along with their poor optimisation of the game makes it a pass from me, maybe a deep sale game or give it a go on Gamepass, if it makes it on there

As someone who bought both an S and X on launch day I can tell you that the S is very much worth it, it's a steal at this price, whether you want it as a second or main console, great machine, great deal.