Comments 521

Re: Nintendo 3DS Classic 'Bravely Default' Releases On Xbox Today In Its HD Remaster Form

Questionable_Duck

@Jenkinss Yeah, The Last Remnant skipping Xbox was wild. They couldn't even bother making it back compat at least, like they did with Infinite Undiscovery (another Square Enix JRPG that's exclusive to the 360).

That and the Resonance of Fate remaster skipping Xbox were big disappointments for me. Especially since The Last Remnant was even ported to mobile phones, of all things.

But it's too late for these two games to get ported so, ah well. Unless they get added as part of the potential back compat update from Microsoft later this year (assuming they do add new games), there's no hope of seeing them on modern Xbox consoles.

Re: Xbox Says Backwards Compatibility Program Will Be Revived For 25th Anniversary

Questionable_Duck

@carlos82 It's going to be a console that plays PC games. Or a PC that plays console games. Whatever wording suits your boat.

The next Xbox will be different from other PCs in that it will be able to play all of your Xbox console library, including games that are not natively available on PC like GTA 6.

If it was just a PC without absolutely no distinguishing factors, it wouldn't have a custom chip set. It'd just have a standard AMD/Intel CPU instead.

Re: Xbox Announces New 'Project Helix' Console, Says It Will Play PC Games

Questionable_Duck

@Gemini53 Not the person who you're asking, but I think this won't have Steam on it. Or, at the very least, I assume it will be difficult to play Steam games on the next Xbox.

Notice how Phil Spencer never once mentioned Steam among the list of PC storefronts he would want to see on Xbox. He only said Epic Games Store, GoG, and itch.io.

Maybe the next Xbox will be like the Steam Deck, in that you have to do workarounds to get Steam running on the console. Making it inconvenient to play games on the platform, and encouraging you to just buy on the Xbox store.

Otherwise, I don't see how this would make sense.

Re: Next Xbox Console Could Be Affected By PlayStation Pulling Back On PC

Questionable_Duck

@themightyant I do think exclusives have played a very significant role in the history of video games. And they still do, to an extent. I, for instance, don't believe Nintendo would be pumping out as many games as they do nowadays, were they a third-party publisher.

When it comes to modern-day PlayStation, though, I wouldn't go that far. I don't think there's a single first-party game that Sony's released this gen that wouldn't have existed if it wasn't exclusive to PlayStation. Due to how much game development lengths have stalled this gen (and the heavy emphasis on live service), Sony's recent output isn't really that different to other high-quality third-party publishers, like Capcom.

Indie games funded through PlayStation China/India Hero Project, however, are a different story.

Anyways, thanks for the chat, I appreciate it!

Re: Next Xbox Console Could Be Affected By PlayStation Pulling Back On PC

Questionable_Duck

@themightyant Maybe... but like I said before, all of this "brand/reputation damage" done to PlayStation is nothing more than just idle chatter. Yes, people have been more critical of PlayStation this gen (for many reasons OTHER than PC ports), but has it amounted to anything? No. And I don't think it ever will. Not unless Sony pulls an Xbox One on us, that is.

PlayStation is one of those brands that is so ingrained into the casual consumer market, that almost nothing will be able to harm its presence dramatically. Xbox doesn't have that luxury, as we can clearly see.

Right now, this whole "pulling back from PC" thing doesn't really benefit PlayStation consumers, aside from the diehard PlayStation fanboys that were begging for this to happen (cough cough, Push Square commenters).

I will agree with you, however, that PC sales aren't always that significant for every game. The same could be said for games on PlayStation, however. As I've pointed out already, most of the singleplayer games that Microsoft has put out on PlayStation haven't really done massive numbers. In other words, the success of these games (or lack thereof) is not as reliant on PlayStation as you suggest it is.

Like, assuming the data I provided is true, do you really think the 85k copies sold of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, the 14k copies sold of Pentiment, the 40k copies sold of Age of Mythology, or the 137k copies sold of Hi-Fi Rush on PlayStation are enough to dramatically alter Microsoft's perception of the success of a game? I don't think so. And besides, I'm not saying Microsoft should abandon PlayStation entirely. Just that they don't need to put their big heavy hitters on the platform day-one.

Ironically, all of the major singleplayer titles that Microsoft has put on PlayStation day-and-date so far (Doom: The Dark Ages, Tony Hawk, Gears of War: Reloaded, Ninja Gaiden 4, The Outer Worlds 2) have underperformed. It is the games that have released years later on PlayStation, like Forza Horizon 5, that have sold well.

Re: Next Xbox Console Could Be Affected By PlayStation Pulling Back On PC

Questionable_Duck

@themightyant Yes, I suppose we do agree on more things that we disagree with.

You're right that Sony's decision to pull back from PC is focused more so on potential future damage rather than damage that has already been done to the PlayStation brand. While I doubt Sony is doing this due to the Steam Machine, I do think that the next Xbox potentially being able to play PC games may have played a role in this. You do gotta wonder, however, just how much the Xbox will be competition to the PS6, considering that it may cost upwards of $1000. But I suppose, from Sony's perspective, it's best to be cautious in this regard. If the next Xbox plays PC games, but it also flops, then I think Sony may be more willing to bring singleplayer games to PC again.

Sales of PlayStation games on PC have been poor lately, and although Sony may be able to make back the loss in PC revenue through increased console sales, I don't think that this potential boost in revenue will be significant enough to justify a shift away from PC. But what do I know?

Now, about Microsoft sales on PS5, you are right that this isn't a solely PlayStation problem. Those games likely also didn't sell well on Xbox or PC. However, the thing you brought up here about Xbox having only 35 million console users isn't really that relevant here, considering that they also release all of their games on PC at launch. So, in reality, it would be more than 35 million players.

I don't expect Microsoft to completely pull back from PlayStation like Sony is seemingly doing with PC, but at the same time, I think they can certainly afford keeping most, if not all, of their singleplayer games exclusive to Xbox for a year or two. Games like Fable, Halo: Campaign Evolved, Forza Horizon 6, Gears: E-Day, etc. don't really need day-one PlayStation releases to be successful. It isn't too late to change course.

Re: Next Xbox Console Could Be Affected By PlayStation Pulling Back On PC

Questionable_Duck

@themightyant Sorry for the long rants, but I just found some sales data that suggests that some of Microsoft's recent games have sold poorly on PS5. Granted, you should take all of this info with a grain of salt, since none of it is official, but if it is true, then it's clear that Microsoft doesn't really NEED PlayStation for its singleplayer titles. These games seem to have underperformed in general, and putting them on PlayStation day-one seemingly hasn't improved sales much.

The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian themselves confirmed that the game failed to meet sales expectations): https://x.com/DanielOlimac/status/2013315634210513018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Ninja Gaiden 4: https://x.com/DanielOlimac/status/2015729564102914383

Age of Mythology: Retold, Hi-Fi Rush, and Pentiment: https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-game-sales-on-playstation-report-mixed-picture

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4: https://www.reddit.com/r/THPS/comments/1m29jku/thps_34_scores_17_million_players_on_xbox_and/

Gears of War: Reloaded: https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoBestFriendsPlay/comments/1neb0s9/gears_of_war_reloaded_sold_259k_copies_on_ps5/

Re: Next Xbox Console Could Be Affected By PlayStation Pulling Back On PC

Questionable_Duck

@themightyant We don't, but considering that Microsoft never bothered to provide player/sales updates after these games' respective PS5 releases, it's safe to assume they weren't lighting the sales charts on fire. You're right that these games likely didn't sell that well on Xbox either, but that wasn't my point.

Since most of Xbox's games haven't actually been doing incredibly well on PlayStation, it isn't too late for them to walk back on PlayStation ports. They could at least make them timed exclusive to Xbox for a year or two. People keep claiming that Microsoft is making most of their money on PlayStation nowadays, but most of that PlayStation money comes from live service titles and games that were already multiplatform. Not the singleplayer stuff.

If Sony can do it with PC, Microsoft can certainly do it with PlayStation.

To be clear, I'm not against the industry becoming multiplatform. I actually want Sony and Nintendo to be more like Microsoft, to an extent. But, since Sony is still being petty it seems, it would be smart of Microsoft to give Xbox some exclusives again, even if only timed. Sony or Nintendo have to go more multiplatform in order for other console manufacturers to follow suit.

I don't think putting games on PC negatively impacts console sales. It may seem like that, judging by what people on the internet say, but PlayStation console sales have shown that that isn't actually the case. I do, however, think putting all games on PlayStation/Nintendo day-one does negatively impact Xbox console sales. Ideally, it would be best if every console manufacturer had nothing but timed exclusives, so that every game would come to every platform eventually. That way, there would still be an incentive to buy one platform over another.

Re: Next Xbox Console Could Be Affected By PlayStation Pulling Back On PC

Questionable_Duck

@themightyant The problem with your argument is that I haven't seen any brand damage materialize on Sony's console sales. I said this before on Push Square, but Sony has repeatedly been touting that the PS5 is the most profitable console generation thus far, and the PS5 is on track to sell as well as the PS4, despite being far more expensive than it. Ask any PlayStation fanboy, and they'll tell you that Sony will sell millions more PS5s when GTA 6 comes out.

Putting games on PC hasn't impacted PlayStation in the slightest. Sony thinks that they will be able to convince PC gamers to buy a PlayStation by keeping their games exclusive, but that won't work. It didn't work during the PS4 generation, and it certainly won't work with a $700 PS6.

Since Sony is probably desperate to make as much money as possible, due to their razor-thin profit margins, I wouldn't be surprised if they walk back on this decision on the future. If they fail to get more console players, that is.

Re: Next Xbox Console Could Be Affected By PlayStation Pulling Back On PC

Questionable_Duck

@anoyonmus Not really. Most of Xbox's first-party titles haven't really sold that well on PlayStation. Just look at Avowed, Doom: The Dark Ages, Ninja Gaiden 4, Age of Mythology: Retold, Age of Empires 4, Towerborne, Black Ops 7, Gears of War: Reloaded, Pentiment, As Dusk Falls, The Outer Worlds 2, and Hellblade 2.

The only games that are said to have done really well are the live service titles, like Forza Horizon 5, Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Age of Empires 2, and Flight Sim 2024, along with Indiana Jones.

Re: Next Xbox Console Could Be Affected By PlayStation Pulling Back On PC

Questionable_Duck

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Just because they have the numbers doesn't mean they're being smart or that they're right to make this decision. Countless execs have focused too much on the numbers and failed miserably on the execution. I mean, just look at Xbox.

I can't imagine the costs of porting to PC are that high, considering Shuhei Yoshida said that it was like "printing money" when he was still at PlayStation. The margins on PC ports must be pretty good, the problem is that the recent titles weren't selling well. A problem they could fix, of course, by releasing games on PC day-and-date. But they don't want to do that.

Like I said before, I highly doubt Sony will be able to convince the PC gamers who have been buying their games on PC for several years to get a PlayStation. Especially not when the PS6 will be more expensive than ever before.

Jason Schreier said it himself in the article, that things may change in the future, since Sony is actively trying to figure things out. I wouldn't be surprised if they start doing PC ports again 5 years from now, if they aren't able to get a significant increase in console sales, GTA 6 notwithstanding.

Re: Phil Spencer Announces That He's Retiring From Xbox

Questionable_Duck

@IOI Yeah, I think Phil has recently done a lot of things wrong but I still respect the guy. Maybe this is just me being naive, but it really did seem like he cared about video games, despite Xbox's shoddy performance under his tenure. He has also been around at Xbox since it's inception.

Re: Sony's Bluepoint Games Might Be Gone, But We'll Never Forget Their 'Impossible Port' For Xbox 360

Questionable_Duck

If there's anything that this proves, it's that, despite being the PS5 being their most profitable console ever, PlayStation isn't actually doing as well as some people would like you to believe. They're dealing with a lot of the same problems that Microsoft is. And, who knows, maybe they'll start putting some of their older games on Xbox and Nintendo to make up their missed revenue targets.

Re: Silent Hill: Townfall Not Coming To Xbox At Launch, Along With A Few Other State Of Play Titles

Questionable_Duck

@DennisReynolds 120 is almost double the amount of timed Xbox exclusives. And it's worth noting that not all of the games in the list are titles Microsoft and Sony specifically paid to make exclusive. In some cases, it could be that the devs happened to prioritize PlayStation over Xbox and vice versa.

Also, if you look at the list, you can see that most of the Xbox exclusives are games you've probably never heard of. Whereas there's plenty of notable stuff among the PlayStation exclusives. Excluding rare cases like BG3, AAA games that launch first on PS5 almost always have an exclusivity deal of some kind.

Something else I noticed is that, other than Stalker 2, Naraka Bladepoint, and Mecha Break, Microsoft didn't pay to make many AAA games exclusive to Xbox this gen. Unless you count Warhammer 40K: Darktide, Aniimo, Ark 2, CrossfireX, and High on Life as AAA games.

Out of the 120 third-party PlayStation exclusives so far, however, roughly 35 of them are AAA titles (including games published by AAA publishers). So you can see the difference in quantity here. 3 vs 35.

While I get what you're saying, I think the point you were trying to make was kind of hypocritical, since PlayStation locks down way more third-party exclusives than Xbox does, especially those of the AAA variety. And I certainly don't see any PlayStation fans pointing this out.

There is definitely some level of hypocrisy on both sides of the console fanbases, but I think it's fine for Xbox fans to complain about Sony doing this, since Xbox hasn't remotely done this as often (and with such major titles) for a long time.

Re: Silent Hill: Townfall Not Coming To Xbox At Launch, Along With A Few Other State Of Play Titles

Questionable_Duck

@DennisReynolds >They all do timed deals but it seems Xbox players are the only ones who get upset when its anyone but MS doing them.

The only reason I responded to you in the first place is because you got upset over Stalker 2 being a timed Xbox exclusive. Sure, you were initially responding to @StylesT since they were complaining about Sony, but don't act like you or other PlayStation players aren't getting upset over stuff like this either.

Anyways, I did some research and I found a list containing virtually all of the third-party exclusives that Xbox and PlayStation have had this gen. Basically all the games that launched first on Xbox or PlayStation, without Microsoft or Sony directly publishing them. Since it's too long to show here, I put the list on Pastebin so you can see it.

https://pastebin.com/P2iq7jyz

It turns out Xbox has had approximately 76 third-party exclusives this gen, while PlayStation has had 120. Most of the Xbox exclusives are AA and indie titles, like you said, but PlayStation has locked down many major AAA third-party titles this gen along with some notable indies So Sony is definitely more guilty of this than Microsoft is.

Yes, it's Microsoft's fault that they screwed up so badly to the point that they couldn't even secure good exclusives for the platform anymore. The last big title they really locked down was Rise of the Tomb Raider in 2015, but that understandably angered so many people that they quit doing it.

However, that's not my point. My point is that I always find it funny when PlayStation players get all salty when Microsoft moneyhats a third-party game off PlayStation. Despite the fact that Sony does this way more often and they never complain. It isn't PlayStation players who miss out on games the most. It's Xbox players; if anyone has a right to complain about third-party exclusives, it's them.

Yes, all platforms holders pay for third-party exclusives, but the difference is some do it more than others, and with bigger games, too. The platform holder in question here is ofc Sony. Nintendo and Xbox don't do it on as large a scale as PlayStation does.

You're basically comparing a petty thief to a bank robber. Sure, they both steal and that's bad and all, but one is worse than the other in this regard.

Re: Silent Hill: Townfall Not Coming To Xbox At Launch, Along With A Few Other State Of Play Titles

Questionable_Duck

@StylesT Yeah, I know. I find it funny that PlayStation fans simultaneously wanted Xbox to be competitive by having good exclusives, while also complaining every single time Microsoft signed an exclusivity deal for a third-party game. Yet when Sony does the exact same thing, they always find excuses by saying it's fine because "Sony funded it" and "it wouldn't exist without Sony," like they did with Street Fighter 5 and FF7 Remake. You could say the same thing about most of the indie and AA games that are released first on Xbox, but I digress.

I don't like third-party exclusives as well, but compared to the stuff that Sony has locked away from Xbox, they're not that significant. If I could write a list of all the timed exclusives on both Xbox and PlayStation this gen, just to prove my point, I would.

Re: Silent Hill: Townfall Not Coming To Xbox At Launch, Along With A Few Other State Of Play Titles

Questionable_Duck

@DennisReynolds Indies and AA games are nothing compared to AAA games; and indie games typically get funding from Microsoft and Sony, so it makes sense why they're timed exclusives sometimes.

Even when you take those games into account, though, there's a good chance Sony has signed more exclusivity deals for indie and AA games than Microsoft this gen, thanks to their ongoing Hero Project initiative. Almost all the China Hero Project and India Hero Project games are timed exclusives.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Hero_Projects

Re: Silent Hill: Townfall Not Coming To Xbox At Launch, Along With A Few Other State Of Play Titles

Questionable_Duck

@Naughtyottsel92 They can still release exclusives, but I would like it if they moneyhatted third-party games off Xbox less. First-party games being exclusives makes perfect sense; something like Kena being exclusive is fine, as Sony is outright publishing that game. Stuff like Nioh 3 and Silent Hill: Townfall, though? Those just feel exceedingly petty, especially in an era where Microsoft isn't competing anymore.

In the last decade, only one of the three console manufacturers has been signing exclusivity deals for third-party AAA games on a regular basis, and that console manufacturer certainly isn't Xbox.

As for your comments on Microsoft gobbling up publishers, I think it's pointless to bring this up now that they're all multiplatform. I can't speak for others, but I'm of the opinion that making first-party games exclusive to your platform is acceptable, regardless of if you acquired the developer or not. Unlike you, I thought it would have been good for most Bethesda and Activision games (excluding CoD) to be exclusive to Xbox, since Xbox was already severely lacking in exclusives. Even with three publishers under their wing, Microsoft isn't releasing first-party content at a significantly larger scale than Sony is. Especially if you count the third-party PlayStation exclusives. Buying up publishers to make their games exclusive would have been the easiest way for Xbox to finally be on par with PlayStation exclusives-wise.

Third-party exclusives for AAA titles, on the other hand, I've never been a big fan of. And that goes for both Xbox and PlayStation exclusives. For the record, I do think Microsoft moneyhatting Rise of the Tomb Raider was kinda lame, but I thought it was kinda fair since Sony had way more compelling third-party exclusives at the time.

Re: Silent Hill: Townfall Not Coming To Xbox At Launch, Along With A Few Other State Of Play Titles

Questionable_Duck

@Fiendish-Beaver Yes, that may have been the case. We do know, however, that Microsoft had a 3 month exclusivity deal for Stalker 2, which they signed when the game was in early development prior to the war in Ukraine. After the deal expired, GSC Games probably didn't have the time to work on a PlayStation port right away, so it took a year for it to come to PlayStation.

Re: Roundup: All The Xbox Reveals From February 2026's State Of Play

Questionable_Duck

@Titntin If you're counting the Sony first-party games, then yes, of course, not every game in the State of Play is on Xbox. But I'm pleasantly surprised to see that almost all of the third-party games shown here are on Xbox. Unless you were expecting Sony to announce some first-party titles for Xbox, I think this show was largely good for Xbox players.

The only third-party games not coming to Xbox are Yakoh: Shinobi Ops, Big Walk, and Silent Hill: Townfall.

The first-party Sony games not coming to Xbox include: Kena: Scars of Kosmora (published by Sony), Death Stranding 2, 4Loop, Ghost of Yotei Legends, Saros, Marvel Tokon, God of War Sons of Sparta, and God of War Trilogy Remake.

Jury is still out on Rev.Noir and Project Windless, though it seems like the latter is coming to Xbox.