@Coletrain as I said there's no single game ever made that would make me part with a grand, if it's part of 3/4 great games then sure. The past few generations have just been nowhere near this price point and we are talking about diminishing returns now (games already look and run fantastically).
I don't mind a Bethesda game but there's a number of other announced games I'm personally more interested in.

According to Jason Schreier (which I always take with a pinch of salt), it's still 2-3 years away anyway and almost certainly won't be a launch title.

Also bear in mind €1000 is a very conservative figure and could well be considerably higher than that.

@Coletrain there's no way it won't be cross gen even if it is a launch title, so I don't expect it to sell many more helix as a result. For me personally, there is no single game ever made that would convince me to part with €1000+ for a console.
Plus it's hard to get too excited for something with so little information, Bethesda could do with a proper win though.

@Fiendish-Beaver 'PlayStation, which has become completely complacent in the face of limited competition.'
I have a sneaking suspicion that 2027 might be the best year for Sony this generation, it would be pretty on brand for them to go into next gen having a stellar year. It gives prospective customers a bit of faith in the brand even if it's only based on recency bias.

@BAMozzy yes costs are a factor, something I accepted much earlier in this exchange, doesn't stop gamepass cannibalising sales to the point that revenue from gamepass doesn't cover that shortfall. That is a uniquely Xbox issue. Yes most publishers are struggling with rising cost and lower sales but each have their own unique challenges too. This article is about Xbox hence why I focused on Xbox predominantly.
Your tone is unnecessary and unappreciated. Good day

@BAMozzy I haven't said it's just gamepass, I have mentioned playstation on more than one occasion in terms of shutting down studios. The difference being most of PlayStations have been down to the failed live service push. Most of Xboxs have been down to not recouping development costs hence the major downsizing in Xbox game studios.
I'm happy to say my opinions are opinions, if you want to conflate your opinions with facts I have no interest in trying to convince you otherwise.
FYI, phantom blade zero has released closer to GTA6 than E-day and it doesn't seem to have affected its sales/success.

@Fiendish-Beaver I think we're very much reading from the same page but I'm always open to other perspectives. Truth be told I have no skin in the game as I don't subscribe to any gaming subscriptions. I just want a healthy Xbox that keeps producing games (even if the ones I've enjoyed tend to be the smaller quirkier titles like south of midnight and keeper).
Looking forward to clockwork revolution too.

@BAMozzy I respect your stance and opinion but I feel this is one of those situations where it may be better to agree to disagree lest we go round in circles ad infinitum.

@BAMozzy all I'm saying is playstation have also shutdown studios and don't have the day 1 first party problem with their subscription service. If a game costs a lot to make and doesn't make a lot then that developer has a more than decent chance of being downsized/shutdown regardless of subscription money (Concord being a prime example).
Yes people have less disposable than they used to but there have been many premium priced games that have sold well, Capcom have had 3 just this year, Wolverine reviewed quite poorly and sold millions, phantom blade zero is seemingly off to a flying start. The list goes on and on.
I can accept that the 500 million wasn't a single lump sum (which is true of every game) and I accept MS are willing to swallow a loss to get back to their exclusives strategy.
Gamepass is fantastic for gamers but bad for business, if it wasn't everyone would be doing day one first party.
I'm not trying to attack gamepass but if it was working well then they wouldn't be constantly changing it. You don't try to fix something that isn't broken.

@BAMozzy I do understand what you're saying, but Sony has 45-50 million ps plus subscribers which should be enough to pay for all their studios to remain open but they still closed studios. So either subscription services don't make enough to maintain studios (soft sales would obviously exacerbate that). Or MS/Sony are overtly greedy and callous and shut studios they could keep open.

@dwayne91 @PsBoxSwitchOwner I imagine if a list was compiled for all the overheads of running a gaming platform it would be truly staggering.
I'm sure subscription services will always remain on ps and Xbox as they will provide a steady and substantial income.

@BAMozzy appreciate the lengthy reply, it was a question asked in good faith and as you say they haven't got anywhere near the amount of subscribers they were hoping for. PS also has a lot of subscribers to it's service but that doesn't stop studios being shut down for putting out underperforming games (or in Sony's case not putting out anything at all due to the clusterf!!k that was the live service push).
I agree that gamepass must bring in a lot of revenue but simply cannot cover large sales shortfalls on high budget titles.
They have mentioned changes are coming to gamepass and now that they have had their quarterly financials, we may see what that is sooner rather than later.

@BAMozzy Can you explain to me why they keep changing the cost of gamepass/remove things from gamepass if Gamepass is comfortably paying for everything?
Is seems that the general consensus now is that gamepass isn't profitable and not just from bad actors/fanboys.
Something doesn't add up and I know the figures you were suggesting are just guestimates but you make it sound like games don't need to be very successful because gamepass.

@RTGX it felt embarrassing just reading it let alone actually believing it.

Can't say this poster piques my interest to be honest, let's hope he's got something more substantial to show at the games awards. Who knows, maybe even some gameplay, though I won't hold my breath.

@Grumblevolcano I didn't actually know that about Nintendo and that is quite something. Higher ups making sacrifices for the greater good is more or less unheard of.
I was genuinely shocked by what happened to id (and to a slightly lesser extent tango), that you are no longer safe even with critical acclaim and decent sales.
I am expecting more cuts around the time GTA6 drops as that would be the easiest way to bury the bad news.

@Banjo- I agree she is at the start of her journey and should be given time to prove her strategy. I'm just really hoping they stick to a single strategy this time, not learning from past mistakes could be a death knell and most of us don't want that.

@Banjo- true but Nintendo totally turned their fortunes around after that and are again a powerhouse in the gaming space. Consistently making good decisions and sticking to a single vision can have that effect.

@asdfghjklz because the internet can't be trusted to have a sensible discussion on the matter, you know full well it would devolve into hot takes and nonsense.

@Kaloudz I feel like people were saying it'll take 'a few years' when Phil took over to steady the ship (after the Xbox one debacle) and make Xbox competitive. Xbox can't permanently be a few years away from success/profitability, something eventually has to give.
Having said that, Asha is in an unenviable position and I wish her luck. A competitive market is good for consumers (of which I am one), so I am genuinely hoping they do eventually round that corner and there isn't a rake waiting for them.

Asha has many strengths and skills but recognising whether a game in development is great or not probably isn't among them. I know as CEO she has to be shown this tentpole title but it's well known she isn't much of a gamer.

So HYPERyuki is literally a reskin of SSX tricky, I'm not saying I'm necessarily against it but so much seems to be ripped straight from that game.
If they pull it off, it might be pretty fun.

@RTGX 'Point being is, the Xbox brand doesn't have to disappear just because the hardware does' - it would be strange to have a brand called Xbox that doesn't sell 'boxes' as such. If it goes the way you're suggesting they might rebrand to MS studios and Xbox would officially be dead at that point.
We shall all have to wait and see what happens (I do hope for fable to be a roaring success though)

@Banjo- I'm just glad Xbox is continuing to listen and improve, can only be a good thing.
I agree with you on the opencritic > metacritic as I don't care for their 'weighted' algorithm. It's always fairly obvious when reading a review if the reviewer has an inherent bias.

@ilyn 'I think its also very easy to forget that the Blade films were released 28 years ago' - this makes me feel so old, thanks for that!
I personally like the sound of an Arkane made Blade game, but I understand why MS have reservations as you've pointed out yourself.

@Banjo- well said, I also believe the cancellation of the movie has hurt the chances of this game being a success, riding the wave of a successful film could've really brought more attention to it and maybe convinced MS it was worth the time/money.
We'll probably never know as with many of these things.

@Lup out of interest, what was your top 3 for this year?

Happy for the Devs and the people who enjoy this series as COD's name has been dragged through the mud a bit in recent years. It'll be interesting to see how GTA6 affects it's player count, with 2 behemoths going head to head like this.

There's a number of IP's I'd like rescued from EA, I would love fuse games (galactic racer) to get the burnout IP and I'd love a revival of SSX (though my preference would be a game like tricky over SSX3).
Hopefully EA's new overlords are in the mood for selling.

@HonestHick that was very detailed and informative, thank you for enlightening me as I am by no means a tech expert (though I'm sure you've worked that out for yourself lol).
I suppose I put gaming on a pedestal as it's the tech sector I'm most interested in but as you say from a business perspective it makes total sense to try and invest in potentially world altering technologies. In theory a healthy, thriving MS will be in a better position to do the same for Xbox further down the line.
I appreciate your thanks, I will always look to defend those I believe to be genuine and fair regardless of platform preference because at the end of the day it remains a shared hobby.

@HonestHick that's fair, they did well to stockpile enough to still be selling plenty of regular ps5s though. I'd have more sympathy for Xbox if their parent company wasn't playing a big part in the RAMpocalypse. I assume they could have sent some RAM to their gaming division but it would seem that clearly is not a priority.
Other than the paycheck, I would not want to be in Asha's position right now.

@HonestHick the problem as I see it is, we have the game of the decade about to release (which was known well in advance) and Xbox haven't planned for it by having stock available. This in turn only widens the gap in terms of market share and everyone buying a console now is in no way going to be in the market for a new console in 12-18 months time (other than those with large amounts of disposable cash).
I agree Asha has built goodwill and has some W's against her name but I think next gen is going to be totally different to all the generations that proceeded it and not necessarily for the better.
Hope I'm wrong

FYI, I'm not blaming Asha for this poor planning given that she is still relatively new to the role.

@GuyinPA75 I can only speak from my own experience and my only office job was my most recent job, but I was genuinely shocked at just how much idle chit chat and regular cigarette breaks were happening. Obviously not all offices are the same but the last word I would have used to describe that office was productive.
My wife on the other hand is fully remote and she starts earlier and finishes later than she did when at the office. She barely even stops for lunch now as she has me to make it for her!
On top of that, it seems to have massively improved her mental health and working relationships.
I also know people who prefer to be at the office, everyone is different and there is no such thing as one size fits all in my opinion.

Surprised to be honest as I thought GTA6 would see both PS and Xbox having increased sales (despite marketing rights). Obviously taking these stats with a pinch of salt (as all stats should be), hopefully this trend doesn't continue to the end of the year for Xbox.

@themightyant so true, a bit more transparency could go a long way in stifling this culture of rumours.

@themightyant I agree that does sound like the most plausible of the reports in this article and makes the most sense.
As for the licensing, that was actually in response to another posters 300M for Wolverine quote. I didn't know that about UE5 though, so thank you for that interesting little factoid.

@shoeses does the 300M include licensing (genuine question) as I thought that was a large chunk of its cost (I could well be wrong on that front).

It's a truly stunning game, but that figure is absurd and I simply don't believe it to be accurate at all.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner pure, push and eurogamer are literally the only 'social media' I engage with and that's only because I enjoy the hobby and like to have conversations about it. I have learnt a lot from other posters and I won't let the occasional unpleasantness put me off.
1 account is more than enough for me.

@Millionski to be fair Pentiment was fantastic (assuming you like that kind of game), I actually double dipped on my steam deck. I understand your concerns though.

@Banjo- I endeavour to be honest and fair in my comments and when I haven't been then I have also been known to apologise.
We are not the same person and yes I do have a lot of free time at the moment as my wife is successful (shock horror, she works remotely).
I never suggested you need my approval but I am free to have an opinion on your opinion, do I not? Also if you truly didn't care about my opinion then you wouldn't have made so many follow up comments and edits.
Feel free to call me a troll, I will not stoop to name calling.

@Weebleman I wasn't criticing Xbox which is the bizarre thing. If anything he was criticising Xbox by suggesting half of their staff are lazy. I have no issues with Xbox or Asha and want them to be successful as healthy competition is good for us, the gamers.

@Banjo- I would say the exact same thing if it was directed at Sony, though don't let that stop your narrative. Quite often people who have remote work and are then made to go in to the office lowers morale and can actually affect productivity in a negative way.
I would also point out I was bashing your comment and not Xbox, you've connected dots that didn't exist.

@Banjo- that's a bit mean spirited, I'm sure you wouldn't want that accusation thrown at you.
It almost sounds like advocating for crunch, though I would hope that wasn't your intention.

I don't think I've ever seen a comment section with so much word soup and assumptions. Personally I'm going to wait for them to actually reveal the helix before passing judgement.

The plan is the plan until it isn't the plan. There is no point in conjecture until the dust has settled on the release of next gen to be honest.

Just watched it and though there were some games of interest, the bits between the games were so obnoxious that it kind of ruined the show for me.

@Balaam_ you really are going full scorched earth with Sony aren't you, it's pretty hilarious to be honest. Little devil inside (if it ever comes out) is definitely the kind of indie that doesn't get a physical release (sorry to disappoint you)

@fatpunkslim I agree Asha knows her job better than I do but to echo Mr Beaver, I admire your optimism but I'm yet to be convinced.
Also that quote 'I know that many gamers love physical games' is designed to appease and ultimately commits to nothing (as you said she is a social media communications professional).
Maybe you're right, maybe not. We have both been wrong with our predictions in the past, so what will be will be and hopefully we might learn a little more before the year is out.

@Fiendish-Beaver I read a lot of your comments and find we are on a very similar wavelength most of the time, I certainly don't disagree with anything you've said in your reply.
I would add that if Xbox were going to have a disc drive for next gen then they would have said so already as it is such an easy PR win and would really help them build momentum going in to next gen.
It seems like madness to me that it might not be revealed until the helix is revealed as it will dominate the conversation and put a dampener on the reveal itself. Sony I think have been smarter in ripping the plaster off when they did so that it doesn't dominate the reveal of the PS6 (though we know there will still plenty of no disc no buy comments).
I honestly have no idea what I even want from the helix reveal now or what would even be the smarter move for Xbox. I feel if they ditch the PC storefronts and go for a more traditional console, then it will really hurt hardware sales. Conversely if they do have PC storefronts, then it could massively damage software sales.
I say this from my own perspective as if I can buy my games from Steam, then I absolutely will be for the better sales or from GOG for it's more consumer friendly practices.
You will always get people who will buy Xbox through brand loyalty or preference of controller/exclusives but I just don't see anything they do being something that will move the needle enough to appease the shareholders.
Time will tell and I anticipate with baited breath.

@FraserG a man of fine taste I see!
My backlog isn't getting a look in at the moment , galactic racer is pure 'just 1 more run'