Lightning720

@Nintendo4Sonic the Series S is one of the best systems I've ever bought. Games look great and play brilliantly. It is also really affordable (and has sold much better than Series X is a lot of markets).

@StonyKL Starfield could go on and on. Have new planets with new stories. Really isn't that difficult to imagine, especially when it has been fairly popular and got some really good player numbers.

I personally love Starfield and think it is a lot more engaging and fun than Fallout 4 is.

@Romans12 I personally love the game. Easily my favourite game I've ever played, and I think it looks and plays great on my Series S.

Would absolutely love this

@Yozora146_ It is 4 now and that might increase in the future. It really isn't that confusing.

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2024/02/15/xbox-promise-bring-more-games-to-more-players/

@Grumblevolcano social media and news sites always get into a frenzy, especially about Xbox. There's no need for businesses to immediately react to this sort of thing the vast majority of the time.

Even now, people are twisting what was said today into new rumours. There will always be rumours. If they tweeted everytime there was one, they'd never stop tweeting. Xbox is right to wait and announce things when they want to.

What a surprise. Social media and news sites went into a frenzy for 4 games, which are likely smaller games and/or games that will benefit from having more players anyway.

I did say before the event that gamers overreact to every single rumour, especially if it is about Xbox. It seems they have overreacted yet again. This news changes very little.

It doesn't really change much. A few smaller games and games that will probably benefit from more players is hardly a big deal. It seems that gamers have been massively overreacting this past week.

I'll repost a comment I wrote elsewhere because it also applies here

I think people just need to wait to hear the news from Xbox themselves because the gaming community always jumps to conclusions with stories like this.

Whatever happens, it is clear the gaming community has been ridiculous over the past few days. So many overreactions based on some rumours that only state that certain Xbox exclusives will be ported to other consoles after a certain time. The way some people have reacted, you would have thought it was the end of the world.

People also need to remember that Microsoft is one of the biggest companies in the world, and that gaming is now their 3rd biggest business. More often than not, they know what they are doing and they will do whatever they think will bring in more money.

If this means changing elements of their Xbox business, then so be it. Businesses will change and adapt for the future. Considering how Xbox has brought Game Pass and Cloud Gaming to many more devices recently, they clearly want to put their games onto as many devices as possible, with as much of an influence on the public as possible. Porting certain games to PS fits right into this.

At some point, PS will also have some changes, as do all businesses. This doesn't mean that the world is ending and that everyone in the gaming community has to mindlessly speculate about it with no attempt to actually think.

I think people just need to wait to hear the news from Xbox themselves because the gaming community always jumps to conclusions with stories like this.

Whatever happens, it is clear the gaming community has been ridiculous over the past few days. So many overreactions based on some rumours that only state that certain Xbox exclusives will be ported to other consoles after a certain time. The way some people have reacted, you would have thought it was the end of the world.

People also need to remember that Microsoft is one of the biggest companies in the world, and that gaming is now their 3rd biggest business. More often than not, they know what they are doing and they will do whatever they think will bring in more money.

If this means changing elements of their Xbox business, then so be it. Businesses will change and adapt for the future. Considering how Xbox has brought Game Pass and Cloud Gaming to many more devices recently, they clearly want to put their games onto as many devices as possible, with as much of an influence on the public as possible. Porting certain games to PS fits right into this.

At some point, PS will also have some changes, as do all businesses. This doesn't mean that the world is ending and that everyone in the gaming community has to mindlessly speculate about it with no attempt to actually think.

@Sakko the rumours aren't saying it is a dying ecosystem, just some games will be ported to other consoles, with many of them still being exclusive to Xbox for a decent period of time.

Xbox has clearly been trying to expand their ecosystem to other devices, hence Game Pass and Cloud Gaming becoming available on many more devices.

The ecosystem is clearly not dying, but changing for the future (and to probably make more money).

Gaming has overtaken Windows in terms of revenue at Microsoft and is their 3rd largest business. It isn't dying.

Sometimes gamers can overreact way too much.

Definitely watching it! Really enjoyed the first series! I know certain people complained about elements of the 1st series (like the helmet being removed) but none of that really bothered me.

@Lucylu1983 I don't think their silence matters. You obviously have the people who are obsessed with console wars online who are going crazy about Xbox games going to PS, but most people won't care and likely haven't even heard this news.

Microsoft shouldn't break their silence just because some people go crazy at any opportunity to complain about Xbox and unfairly claim that Xbox is dead.

I'm sure a bunch of people on the internet DEFINITELY know how to run a company better than Microsoft... (Obviously they don't, which is why I never take too much notice of people's reactions to this sort of thing. It also means you shouldn't pay too much attention to my own views.).

Xbox is clearly trying to push their brand onto other devices with Game Pass and Cloud Gaming becoming accessible on TVs and Meta Quest. If they also launch certain games on PS, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest as it is clearly the direction they are heading in.

I think to then compete in the console market, having a cheaper Series S style model isn't a bad thing. For many the PS5 is expensive so Xbox being able undercut them in an easy way to sell some consoles.

Whatever happens, I'm sure Xbox and Microsoft know what they are doing. Gaming is now a bigger business than Windows in terms of revenue at Microsoft (with gaming being the 3rd biggest). They aren't going to do anything to mess that up.

@Friendly I also don't quite get why exclusive content exists. Are significant numbers of people playing the game going to get one version over the other because of exclusive content? Many people won't even have multiple consoles so the choice won't be there in the first place, and of those who do, some won't even be aware of exclusive content (I wasn't until a few months after I bought the Xbox version and I didn't really care about it).

Logically, they do help drive sales to a certain platform because otherwise they wouldn't do it, but I don't see how.

@carlos82 as is most of the industry and society as a whole. I can't remember the exact figure, but a significant proportion of games are already bought digitally rather than physically. It isn't surprising that Xbox is heading in this direction when it is what the consumers are doing.

@Gloki_junior you do know this is something essentially all businesses do? Some might pretend to be all "Friendly", but they are all out to make/save money and increase profits, whether Sony or Microsoft, and that will sometimes include job cuts.

This is at a time were job cuts across the entire industry are becoming very common. Microsoft would never be immune to cutting jobs, especially after buying Activision Blizzard.

Die hard fans will always find something to complain about. They can't accept when something isn't made exactly how they want it to be (not just Halo fans, it seems some fans of everything are like this).

Personally, as someone who watched the show and hasn't played any of the games, I really enjoyed the series, which would have certainly been a lot stranger if he never took his helmet off. There will always be differences between different adaptations of franchises like this. What works in a game won't always work in a show.

Hardly surprising considering the Series S is all-digital plus Game Pass exists which will be the downloaded version of the game.

Also, most big chains in the UK have stopped selling physical video games. I expect more and more stores to stop selling them. Whether people like it or not, discs are on the way out. Microsoft clearly agrees considering they are at least planning to have the updated Series X to be all-digital as well.

It's a Ubisoft game. It will be significantly cheaper in a few months. I'll get it then.

@Deljo I like my PS5 and I like my Xbox games so if Xbox is just an app on PS6 (which I will probably also like), I don't think I'll care. At least I wouldn't need to pay for both consoles anymore.

But seriously, the thing that matters to businesses is money. If Microsoft decides that the way to bring in the most money is by stopping doing consoles, then so what? I struggle to see why people think consoles are the only thing that matters. Money matters, and Xbox is doing pretty well there, even with the lower consoles sales.

Well, it's obvious some PR nonsense, but frankly, Microsoft doesn't have to do this rewards programme. I have benefitted so much from it with Tesco vouchers, Game Pass Ultimate, and whatever else I've used points for so I'm going to be happy with whatever I get out of it considering it's cost me absolutely nothing.

We are getting fewer points, but so what? I'm grateful this exists at all.

@LX_FENIX like every company. Sony is secretive about the numbers that don't make them look as great as everyone thinks.

@hbkay Yet, many financial figures are starting to show that Xbox is doing pretty well when compared to Sony. The gaming industry really isn't just "who can sell the most consoles".

@Grumblevolcano well obviously. It is what any company tries to do - hide the bad stuff.

Really solid line-up. Compared with what PS+ is putting out, even after the price increase, I have no regrets about ditching that subscription.

Not particularly a fan, but who really cares? You can dismiss it straight away. It isn't like an unskippable YouTube advert.

@Camble_Refuge there's that, but Game Pass also just gives people access to a lot more games so their backlog of games is probably bigger. Why pay full price for Alan Wake 2 when I have x numbers of Game Pass games I want to play, especially when AW2 will probably end up on sale in a few months, like every other game?

Still my game of the year!

Probably my favourite game ever and I'm nowhere near finished with it! Absolutely love it!

There were so many good games this year so some were always going to be left out. Out of the nominated games, I'd have to give it to Tears of the Kingdom. It is one of the best open-worlds to explore and the changes from BotW still make the game feel unique and fun.

Its not one of the biggest streaming platforms in the UK, but it is probably one of my favourites. Star Trek, some really good series and a lot of big films. Easily worth it in my opinion so happy to (hopefully) see the app coming to Xbox.

I've got no major problems with it.

In general, the biggest fans of games (and those who spend time on Reddit), are generally the one who talk about the negatives way too much.

Genuinely looks brilliant! Can't fault anything about how the game performs at all, plus it's a fun game. Really looking forward to playing it even more.

Whilst I really do love the big open worlds, it's nice to have a smaller game that I know I won't be still playing months in advance. Takes the pressure off a bit.

Still playing Starfield (and will probably be for ages) but I've got Ubisoft+ to play AC Mirage and The Crew Motorsport. Two day-one games for £14.99 isn't bad.

So far, loving both of the Ubisoft games. The Crew is just a lot of fun and handles really well. Although I haven't played many of the older AC games, I am really enjoying this so far. It being more stealth based and also a smaller game is interesting, plus Baghdad is such a good city to explore. Both games really do look great as well!

Hardly surprising. Having a few trade-offs to get the Series S cheaper is the whole point of it, and the cheaper price is why it has sold so well. Many big gaming fans care about the specs, but a lot of people (myself included) couldn't care less as long as the game is actually playable.

For day-one games, it isn't a bad price. With both Mirage and The Crew Motorsport to play, I'm definitely getting it for a month or two.

You can obviously tell the difference between the Series S and Series X, but they both still look really nice. Still can't believe how well the Series S plays most games considering its size and its fairly cheap price for what it is.

@BacklogBrad I think the budget price is because it is a much smaller game than normal. Most of the reviews are great so I wouldn't say it has anything to do with quality.

The strange thing is that some sites are saying completely opposite things about certain aspects. Some very positive about one thing and then another site being completely negative about that same thing. Guess you can't please everyone.

I'm sure I'll enjoy it a lot, considering many of the reviews are very positive. I personally love the big open style games but it will definitely be fun trying something a bit different. Can't wait to play it tomorrow!

@Kloppo definitely getting Ubisoft+ for a month or two. Means I can also play some Crew Motorfest!

Very happy to hear this! Seems like it plays extremely well. Obviously I wish the game had more tracks at launch, but it's not a big deal for me. Really looking forward to this!

@TheGrizMan Yikes? It seems like a really great game that will get even better over time.

Seriously, are we in a world where an 8, and where some of the negatives will improve over time, is worthy of a "yikes"?

@Dan1283 don't know what you are playing on, but I've had no major issues on the Series S and I'm well into the game.

A game with no major issues isn't unplayable imo.

"Don't believe the hype" - you mean people's opinions? A lot of people love this game, myself included, and they are perfectly entitled to, even if you personally believe it's average at best.

The games are barely like each other past some very basic comparisons that can be made with a lot of games.

Personally, massively prefer Starfield. It's everything I expected from it and is everything I would want from space game like this.

That's not to say Cyberpunk is bad, I'm really enjoying it. It's just Starfield is just a lot more my style of game and is probably my GOTY.

Already playing some Disney Speedstorm and I'm loving it. Easily one of the best racing games about.

@ralphdibny they are letting people choose to download those 8 apps. It's hardly a big thing that they are forcing people to do. And from this image, it looks as if you can remove some and download the rest. Many other devices do this and it genuinely can save time as you don't have to look through the app store for each app.

And yes, it is essentially an advert for the apps, but it is an advert that can help users.

@Dan1283 are you seriously suggesting that the Series S is pointless because games don't release in 60fps? Really?

The point of the Series S is to create a cheaper way for the public to access Xbox gaming if they don't care about having the highest specs. Considering how many Series S consoles have been sold, this decision by Xbox has been very popular.

@BacklogBrad Most people will already have a device that plays cloud streaming without having to spend hundreds more. That is the entire point.

@BacklogBrad most of them are still expensive and not attractive to the general public. Cloud gaming is a cheap way for people to use what they already own. I can see a big potential with that.

@tallythwack they clearly are making games, shown by the large quantity of games coming out over the next year or so.

PS has Spiderman and then Wolverine at some point, and very little else.

Easily my GOTY. Zelda would be my other contender, but Starfield just feels like the space game I've been wanting since I got into gaming. Everything about it is so enjoyable to me from the stories, to the combat, to flying around seeing the different planets. Love it so much and I'm thankfully nowhere near finished.