Of course it’s their choice, but it’s a choice made out of simple market conditions. Catering to physical purchasers when they make up a tiny portion of overall game sales, and getting smaller and smaller each year, doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in the long term. Physical is going away and its only a matter of time before every gaming company goes all digital and when all is said and done, it won’t have been the companies themselves that dictated the switch, it will have been the consumers and the choices they have made that is responsible.
If everyone was still buying physical, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion and companies like MS wouldn’t even be contemplating an all digital future. It’s the choices of gamers themselves that have led us here
It is absolutely copying, on purpose. This game is a parody of Pokémon. So it’s trying to be as close to it in design, character wise, as possible without passing into legally murky waters.
Damn, that’s a shame. Love that IP. Embracer is an utter disaster since that Saudi investment group backed out. They run around gobbling up companies and IP like Pac Man and have almost nothing to show for it. Hopefully they continue to go down the tubes and are forced to sell off many of its higher quality IP.
“It is a shame Xbox is looking like it is moving in the digital only direction.”
I think it’s more accurate to say, it’s a shame nobody is buying physical anymore. Can’t blame companies for following market trends. I saw some figures for the month of Black Friday and digital absolutely destroyed physical. It was like 95% digital, 5% physical. I would hate to see physical go away; but with numbers like that, and physical sales continuing to plummet year after year, I can’t blame any of the companies at this point for starting to go in an all digital direction.
I have well over 1000 physical games at this point. I would estimate roughly 500 are Xbox games. Put many into storage as just don’t play them and they take up a lot of space. I have been almost 100% digital for like the last 4-5 years. Just more convenient and the not taking up space is a huge perk for me. I have way way too much physical media as is. The last thing I need is more.
Agreed. Spider-Man 2 was a good game, but the other GOTY contenders this year were head and shoulders above it, BG3 and Alan Wake 2 in particular. Just no comparison in my book.
Could make for a great Halloween costume or just a kick ass decoration for my home. I make my living as a photographer, but I love drawing and have adequate skills in 3D rendering. I’ll probably get crushed by some guy who has been in the design field for 30 years but oh well, will be fun. I’m all over this.
Blah, I hate this. One of the single worst trends in gaming, at least imo, is the idea that every game has to have a MP component. It just takes away resources or adds development time to single player games. They should just stick with single player games, period.
Sure, there are some gamers that feel that way, but less and less all the time. I have 3 teenage kids and they could give a rats fart about physical. Their generation vastly prefers digital games over physical. And digital sales absolutely destroy physical. The figures I saw a few months back were like 93% digital, only like 7% physical for the month of Black Friday. With sales figures like those, physicals days are numbered, wether we like it or not.
Game Pass had an absolutely stellar year last year, it’s best year yet imo. With ABK’s catalog coming, titles like those listed here known to be coming, the Xbox first party games we know about thus far, etc., I am expecting an even better year this year. Gotta love Game Pass…
It’s Obsidian, one of the few developers that I get excited about period. Don’t care what they showed or didn’t show, don’t care what it looks like at this point. Only care about what the game will be once released and with Obsidian, I have absolutely zero doubt I’ll love it. Can’t wait…
It’s gonna happen sooner or later. They better release an external drive that I can buy to use all of my older physical games tho. Physical is going bye bye. I saw some figures a few months back on physical sales vs digital and it was ridiculously lop sided in favor of digital. So again, physical will be phased out of consoles eventually. Wether that happens with the next console is anyone’s guess. If I had to take a guess, I would say no. There will be a disc based version next time. It will be the console after that where it will get axed.
I don’t care about haptic feedback. I find it annoying after a bit. As long as they stick with the offset sticks and keep the ergonomics relatively the same, I’m sure I’ll be happy with it. I use the Elite 2 for my gaming at home, but use the standard controllers for my Xbox up at my cottage.
Not a fan of the Dualsense at all. I start getting hand cramping after as little as 4-5 hours of gaming with it. I can go ridiculously long gaming sessions with Xbox controllers and don’t have a single issue. The ergonomics on Xbox controllers is just vastly superior for me personally.
It’s not a bad game. The characters are the weakest part of the game as they just don’t stand up to the characters in the previous games. I don’t care about all the woke crap that people complain about. I just ignore that stuff and it doesn’t phase me at all.
All in all, it is definitely a step down from previous iterations, but I still had some fun with it. I would probably give it a 6.5 to 7.
“XBOX will be a ROKU/APPLE TV like 4K streaming gamepass device w/ 2TB to 4TB SSD storage by 2030.”
I don’t buy this for a second as the technology for game streaming just isn’t there yet. Could they offer a separate device simply for streaming that is like you’re describing? Its possible but it won’t be at 4k, will be a big step down performance wise, and it won’t be a replacement for a regular Xbox.
We already know Xbox is working on new hardware for next gen that will be regular hardware. Given the average lifespan of hardware, that means the main hardware for Xbox for at least the next 10-+ years will be a regular console so if a device like you’re talking about did release onto the market in 6 years time, I have absolutely zero doubt it would be an utter failure sales wise for Xbox as very few people are going to choose that over the regular console route.
If you had said that XBOX will have a ROKU/APPLE TV like streaming Game Pass device w/ 2TB to 4TB SSD storage as an option by 2030, it becomes far more reasonable, even tho I don’t think MS will even attempt it at that point and I still think it would fail horribly and a successful version wouldn’t be capable until 15-20 years from now.
Replayed Arkham City again last year and it still reigns supreme. By far the best super hero game made to date. The overall tone, gameplay, characters, dialogue, etc. are unmatched imo. A true classic if I have ever seen one. Too bad it was all downhill from there for Rocksteady.
“I m not necessarily saying they got nothing going for them as much as I'm saying they don't have as many as other people think.”
That’s your opinion and again you are entitled to that opinion. The people who think otherwise, including myself, are also entitled to their opinion.
Starfield wasn’t some big make or break moment for Bethesda. The game was a disappointment for some, no doubt, but I don’t buy for a second that the people disappointed by Starfield will suddenly abandon Bethesda. I can guarantee when the next big Bethesda game releases, they will absolutely buy it or play it if it’s a good game. Doom Eternal was my GOTY 3 years ago. It was an absolutely brilliant brilliant game and I have zero doubt the next one will be amazing as well. Nothing anyone says will convince me that people will not buy a game like the next Elder Scrolls because they were disappointed by Starfield.
Xbox now has like 36 first party studios which is an absolutely massive massive step up from previous generations. That in itself is something Xbox has going for it. More 1st party games is what people have been asking for for years. MS’s 1st party situation now dwarfs both Sony and Nintendo. And this will in turn continue to make Game Pass stronger as all those games will be day 1 Game Pass games.
You have things like ID@Xbox which helps bring indies and independently published games to Xbox and has been fantastic the last year or so. Personally, I prefer indies and AA over AAA these days so I love this program, have thoroughly enjoyed many games from it, and am looking forward to many more.
You have features like quick resume, hands down the single best next gen feature on any system in my opinion. It’s been an absolute game changer for me.
While MS cancelled the BC program, Xbox is still leaps and bounds ahead of Nintendo and PlayStation on this front. And there has been talk about opening it back up. And Xbox now uses a universal platform so all games from the Xbox One era on will run natively on all future hardware. So while the BC for 360 and the OG Xbox are done atm, Xbox is still king of the hill on this topic and any game purchased after the 360 and OG Xbox are guaranteed to work on any future Xbox system. Knowing my games will work on any future hardware with no BC even required is a HUGE step up from earlier generations. Knowing that is definitely something to continue to look forward to.
We have Activision Blizzards entire catalog coming to Game Pass. That’s a huge perk for Xbox and something I am definitely looking forward to.
These are just a few things off the top of my head. You also have the Play Anywhere initiative, free streaming with Game Pass, etc. there is no denying Xbox had some rough years and that they have to prove themselves with 1st party and many of these acquisitions, but I am looking forward to more with Xbox now than any other system atm. So when people say there isn’t much to look forward to or Xbox doesn’t have a lot going for them, I for one can’t possibly disagree more.
No, it’s not because the games themselves are getting more and more demanding. I can promise you, 6 years from now game streaming will not be even close to prime time for new game releases. The difference between having dedicated hardware and streaming will still be significant and these companies are never going to force people into an inferior experience through streaming.
Streaming will be offered by companies like MS as an option at first and it won’t be until the time being played through streaming significantly leapfrogs over play through hardware that these companies even begin to think of focusing solely on streaming. That is FAR more than 6 years away. If I had to make a guess, I would say at least 15-20 is a much much more likely figure.
1 - Game Pass, by far the most successful sub service in gaming. It’s by far the best deal in gaming I have ever had and it’s only gotten better and better. 2023 was the best year yet for Game Pass.
2 - Huge IP’s that were recently purchased including Doom, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, and the list goes on and on. If you don’t think having some of the most popular game series of all time as part of MS now and coming to Game Pass day 1 is something Xbox has going for it…well, I guess you are entitled to that opinion, but I will disagree with you on that one 100%.
A more important question at this point is what does Sony have going for them besides good hardware sales figures at this point?? I logged only 47 hours on my PS last year, close to 1000 on my Xbox. PS has a much weaker sub service with no day 1 games and one that got significantly more expensive last year, has over invested in live service games spending 50% of their gaming budget on them, had the weakest showcases in 2023 that I have seen to date from PS, and had one of the weakest 1st party years in 2023 that I can ever remember with 2024 actually not looking any better.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and if you want to think Xbox has nothing going for it, by all means hold that opinion. I for one couldn’t possibly disagree more. I am FAR more concerned with PlayStation’s upcoming years than I am Xbox or Nintendo. I am looking forward to a ton of stuff coming from Xbox.
Not a chance. It’s gonna be a lot longer than just 6 years before streaming can come anywhere close to matching what dedicated hardware will do. Streaming will absolutely have its day someday, but it’s gonna be well past 2030.
Not a chance, unless some unforeseen event decimates MS’s overall strategy these days, which is focusing on all sectors of the gaming market as opposed to any particular sector in the gaming market. MS is all about its overall gaming ecosystem and that includes console, PC, and mobile. Not a chance MS just abandons one of the fastest growing segments of the market with consoles.
Xbox just had a record quarter for revenue in Q1 of 2024 so even when it has struggled with hardware sales, it has seen plenty of good things in other areas of the market. Your average Xbox gamer is spending more than your average PS player. Overall hardware sales are one of the least important metrics for the console market, unless you’re talking about so few sales that it causes a company to tank and that is absolutely not happening with Xbox.
As for the streaming argument, we are still a long ways off from streaming being anywhere close to the performance it needs to be to be able to replace dedicated hardware. And once it does get to that point, we’ll be having this discussion for all 3 companies, not just Xbox.
I consider Gears Ultimate Edition a remake personally. Every single asset in the game was remade except the voice over work. And as much as I loved RE4 remake and Dead Space remake, I prefer Gears over both of those games so Gears Ultimate squeaks by with the win for me.
I agree they should be in the conversation, but for me personally they will always be at a disadvantage. No way would I ever give it to a game like RE4 remake when you had games like BG3, Alan Wake 2, TotK, etc. it would have to be a weak year with weak GOTY selections for me to ever choose a remake over a brand new game. Just the way I personally view it.
I use my Xbox as my 3rd party platform as well. There are a lot of reasons for that but my main two are that I VASTLY prefer the Xbox controller over PS and I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE quick resume. My single favorite next gen feature is quick resume. I like to jump back and forth between a handful of games at a time and quick resume is literally the greatest thing since sliced bread for gamers like me. I get hand cramping using the Dual Sense for long periods. I can game with my Elite 2 for as long as I want without issue.
There are other reasons as well, but those are the ones that really stand out.
All in all, no matter if you game on PC, PS, Nintendo, or Xbox, it was a brilliant year for gaming. One of the best yet imo. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and happy gaming everyone!!
I would give it to BG3 personally, but I am ok with Starfield as the winner. Was it perfect? Absolutely not but it was exactly what I was hoping it would be, a Bethesda game in space and it was a Bethesda game through and through, for better or worse depending on how you feel about Bethesda games. I found myself right at home with it and doing many of the things I only do in Bethesda games. IMO it had the best story to date for a Bethesda game, the best combat of a Bethesda game to date, and it sucked me in like all Bethesda games do. Put over 150 hours into it with only Vampire survivors beating it in regards to amount of time played this year.
Was Starfield for everyone? Clearly not based on the sheer amount of hate the game gets but then again neither is BG3. I guarantee most of the console gamers that pick up BG3 will drop it within 10-20 hours of playing it. Still an absolutely brilliant game, just a game that’s not for everyone. Then again, no game is for everyone.
Starfield has its issues, but it’s still a great game imo and one I plan to play plenty more of in the years to come.
Nice to see a few others got sucked into Vampire Survivors. Such a simple looking game with incredible depth. Can’t recommend it enough for anyone in here that hasn’t picked it up yet. Just a brilliant brilliant game.
Top 5% for hours played (989), gamerscore (21,214), and achievements (824). Played 84 games in total and my most played game was Vampire survivors with 167 hours clocked. Not surprised by that as I couldn’t put that game down. Can’t wait for the new content and story mode to be added. That number is only gonna go up.
Single best compilation in all of gaming in my book. Started rough, but finished insanely strong. Look forward to continuing to play this for many years to come
This will absolutely be exclusive, no doubt about it. Not a chance Disney is ok with Sony have exclusives like Spider-Man and Wolverine, but doesn’t let MS have exclusivity with Blade. This is simply MS laying low on any exclusivity deals with games given the FTC and its batshit crazy leader Lena Khan just won’t give up.
And that is where they really benefit from sales this good, Game Pass members or EA Play subscribers who already have access to the game buying it anyways. Must have read at least 30+ comments today from Game Pass subscribers that bought it and I am included in that as well.
Sony makes great single player games, no doubt about it. The downside for me in regards to their games is I wait years and years for a game, spend 20-30+ hours with it, and never touch it again. Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Spider-Man 2, etc. I enjoyed all of them but was done with all of them in a matter of days and never have the desire to go back and play them again. I have already put well over twice as many hours into Starfield as I have all 3 of those Sony games combined. Sony games are great games, but they are one and done games for me, which is why my PS sits idle the vast majority of the year.
Easily one of my favorite games of the year. Yep, it’s not perfect and yep, it feels like a Bethesda game through and through, which is a very good thing for me as I absolutely love Bethesda styled games. It seems many feel this is just an ok game. Those people are entitled to their opinions. Myself, this game was exactly what I was hoping it would be. A Bethesda RPG in space.
Put over 200 hours into it and had to purposely put it down so I could get to many of the other games I had been wanting to play like Zelda, BG3, Spider-Man, Forza, etc. I have no doubt it will continue to get better and better over time. I’ll pick it back up down the road, no doubt about it.
“new owners are FAR less likely to want to subscribe than early adopters.”
I’m curious how you’re coming up with that? I don’t see it that way at all. In fact, I know 3 people personally that finally bought a Series X this Black Friday and the first thing all 3 did was sign up. In fact, Game Pass was a large reason why they purchased the console in the first place. There is just as much reason for someone just buying the console today to sub as someone who bought a console on day 1. There are no early adopter perks for Game Pass.
I have never seen any evidence presented that shows that people that buy into consoles after what’s considered the early adoption phase are less likely to be interested in subscription services, let alone FAR less likely, or that there is any correlation at all to when one buys a console and one’s overall interest in sub services. regardless of wether it’s Sony or Xbox.
Gotta love Game Pass. I for one have no doubt the service is profitable at this point and the great thing about sub services like this, is that any additional new members at this point is basically all profit, unless they decide to spend more as time goes on.
Deals like ABK and Bethesda make so much sense when looked at through Game Pass glasses. You want as much content as possible on the service to be owned in house since 3rd party deals are so expensive. That’s why Netflix started making their own shows and movies, as the cost of leasing content was skyrocketing.
And given how many studios MS owns now, they are well on their way to having a steady stream of first party content. They spent a pretty penny on Bethesda and ABK, but it’s absolutely worth it given what MS is trying to do. These companies should be very profitable for MS right from the get go.
I have bought a crap ton of games the last month or so. Just get in these moods where I browse the sales and buy, buy, buy. I guess my backlog of literally hundreds and hundreds of games isn’t enough. I might have a problem…
They weren’t bothered by anything but COD. It’s why no other title was even mentioned by them except COD. And the amount of money Sony makes off COD explains that.
Yeah, even for some of Sony’s big 1st party exclusives, you are seeing relatively low sales when compared to their overall installed base. People can run around spouting Sony’s impressive hardware sales figures all day long, but the money is made through selling games and services, not hardware.
Square sees the writing on the wall. They need to sell to the entire market and cease walling themselves off into a corner of the console market by focusing mostly on Sony.
That makes no sense. There are people that paid good money to buy this game and to make those people wait even longer, when the patch is already done, just because there is a lot of other stuff out there at the moment would be inexcusable. That would be one of the single worst moves I have ever heard of from a developer, especially one that is trying to make up for a game releasing in sub par shape.
It’s not that simple anymore. Square is not doing well and when you aren’t doing well in business, you make changes. Square continuing to make games as exclusives for Sony when they wind up underperforming just doesn’t make sense so at least for me, this rumor isn’t shocking at all. It’s just pure common sense in my book and was inevitable at this rate.
Square effectively cut themselves off from a decent sized portion of the market and it’s becoming clear that they need to switch things up if they want to see levels of success that they want to see.
Can’t even think about 2024 atm. Way too many games from 2023 to get to still. Zelda, Diablo IV, BG3, Forza, Alan Wake 2, Armored Core, etc. just finished my first play through of Starfield and just can’t seem to put it down yet…
Comments 469
Re: Poll: How Many Physical Xbox Games Do You Have In Your Collection?
@Balta666
Of course it’s their choice, but it’s a choice made out of simple market conditions. Catering to physical purchasers when they make up a tiny portion of overall game sales, and getting smaller and smaller each year, doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in the long term. Physical is going away and its only a matter of time before every gaming company goes all digital and when all is said and done, it won’t have been the companies themselves that dictated the switch, it will have been the consumers and the choices they have made that is responsible.
If everyone was still buying physical, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion and companies like MS wouldn’t even be contemplating an all digital future. It’s the choices of gamers themselves that have led us here
Re: Palworld Analysed By Digital Foundry, And There Are Some Surprising Results On Xbox
@Fenbops
It is absolutely copying, on purpose. This game is a parody of Pokémon. So it’s trying to be as close to it in design, character wise, as possible without passing into legally murky waters.
Re: Deus Ex Game Reportedly Cancelled As Another Embracer Studio Hit By Layoffs
Damn, that’s a shame. Love that IP. Embracer is an utter disaster since that Saudi investment group backed out. They run around gobbling up companies and IP like Pac Man and have almost nothing to show for it. Hopefully they continue to go down the tubes and are forced to sell off many of its higher quality IP.
Re: Dragon's Dogma 2 Seems To Be Targeting 30FPS On All Platforms
As long as it’s a stable 30fps, I have no problem with it. Can’t wait to get my hands on this one.
Re: Poll: How Many Physical Xbox Games Do You Have In Your Collection?
@Balta666
“It is a shame Xbox is looking like it is moving in the digital only direction.”
I think it’s more accurate to say, it’s a shame nobody is buying physical anymore. Can’t blame companies for following market trends. I saw some figures for the month of Black Friday and digital absolutely destroyed physical. It was like 95% digital, 5% physical. I would hate to see physical go away; but with numbers like that, and physical sales continuing to plummet year after year, I can’t blame any of the companies at this point for starting to go in an all digital direction.
Re: Poll: How Many Physical Xbox Games Do You Have In Your Collection?
I have well over 1000 physical games at this point. I would estimate roughly 500 are Xbox games. Put many into storage as just don’t play them and they take up a lot of space. I have been almost 100% digital for like the last 4-5 years. Just more convenient and the not taking up space is a huge perk for me. I have way way too much physical media as is. The last thing I need is more.
Re: Xbox Exclusive Picks Up New York Game Award, Baldur's Gate 3 Wins GOTY
@Fiendish-Beaver
Agreed. Spider-Man 2 was a good game, but the other GOTY contenders this year were head and shoulders above it, BG3 and Alan Wake 2 in particular. Just no comparison in my book.
Re: Xbox Exclusive Picks Up New York Game Award, Baldur's Gate 3 Wins GOTY
Love that they have a best remake category. This is how it should be.
Re: Xbox Introduces New 'Indie Selects' Collection, Separate To Xbox Game Pass Lineup
Yeah, this is a very good idea. Game Pass takes a lot of the spotlight off of games not on Game Pass, especially indies.
Re: Random: Starfield Invites You To Become An Actual Explorer With Custom, Real-Life Spacesuits
Could make for a great Halloween costume or just a kick ass decoration for my home. I make my living as a photographer, but I love drawing and have adequate skills in 3D rendering. I’ll probably get crushed by some guy who has been in the design field for 30 years but oh well, will be fun. I’m all over this.
Re: CD Projekt Red 'Considering Multiplayer' In Its Sequel To Cyberpunk 2077
Blah, I hate this. One of the single worst trends in gaming, at least imo, is the idea that every game has to have a MP component. It just takes away resources or adds development time to single player games. They should just stick with single player games, period.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Think Xbox Will Release Another Disc-Based Console?
@Dan1283
Sure, there are some gamers that feel that way, but less and less all the time. I have 3 teenage kids and they could give a rats fart about physical. Their generation vastly prefers digital games over physical. And digital sales absolutely destroy physical. The figures I saw a few months back were like 93% digital, only like 7% physical for the month of Black Friday. With sales figures like those, physicals days are numbered, wether we like it or not.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Think Xbox Will Release Another Disc-Based Console?
@iplaygamesnstuff
That would be fantastic as that just means less money I have to spend. As long as I am able to play my older physical based games, I’ll be happy.
Re: Five Of Steam's Top Wishlisted Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass In 2024
Game Pass had an absolutely stellar year last year, it’s best year yet imo. With ABK’s catalog coming, titles like those listed here known to be coming, the Xbox first party games we know about thus far, etc., I am expecting an even better year this year. Gotta love Game Pass…
Re: Gallery: Here's A Look At New 4K Screenshots For Obsidian's Avowed
It’s Obsidian, one of the few developers that I get excited about period. Don’t care what they showed or didn’t show, don’t care what it looks like at this point. Only care about what the game will be once released and with Obsidian, I have absolutely zero doubt I’ll love it. Can’t wait…
Re: Talking Point: Do You Think Xbox Will Release Another Disc-Based Console?
It’s gonna happen sooner or later. They better release an external drive that I can buy to use all of my older physical games tho. Physical is going bye bye. I saw some figures a few months back on physical sales vs digital and it was ridiculously lop sided in favor of digital. So again, physical will be phased out of consoles eventually. Wether that happens with the next console is anyone’s guess. If I had to take a guess, I would say no. There will be a disc based version next time. It will be the console after that where it will get axed.
Re: Rumour: Major Xbox Series X|S Controller Revision Still To Be Revealed This Year
I don’t care about haptic feedback. I find it annoying after a bit. As long as they stick with the offset sticks and keep the ergonomics relatively the same, I’m sure I’ll be happy with it. I use the Elite 2 for my gaming at home, but use the standard controllers for my Xbox up at my cottage.
Not a fan of the Dualsense at all. I start getting hand cramping after as little as 4-5 hours of gaming with it. I can go ridiculously long gaming sessions with Xbox controllers and don’t have a single issue. The ergonomics on Xbox controllers is just vastly superior for me personally.
Re: Saints Row's Price Appears To Have Been Permanently Slashed On Xbox
It’s not a bad game. The characters are the weakest part of the game as they just don’t stand up to the characters in the previous games. I don’t care about all the woke crap that people complain about. I just ignore that stuff and it doesn’t phase me at all.
All in all, it is definitely a step down from previous iterations, but I still had some fun with it. I would probably give it a 6.5 to 7.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Think Xbox Will Ever Stop Making Consoles?
@PushButtons
We’ll agree to disagree. You said;
“XBOX will be a ROKU/APPLE TV like 4K streaming gamepass device w/ 2TB to 4TB SSD storage by 2030.”
I don’t buy this for a second as the technology for game streaming just isn’t there yet. Could they offer a separate device simply for streaming that is like you’re describing? Its possible but it won’t be at 4k, will be a big step down performance wise, and it won’t be a replacement for a regular Xbox.
We already know Xbox is working on new hardware for next gen that will be regular hardware. Given the average lifespan of hardware, that means the main hardware for Xbox for at least the next 10-+ years will be a regular console so if a device like you’re talking about did release onto the market in 6 years time, I have absolutely zero doubt it would be an utter failure sales wise for Xbox as very few people are going to choose that over the regular console route.
If you had said that XBOX will have a ROKU/APPLE TV like streaming Game Pass device w/ 2TB to 4TB SSD storage as an option by 2030, it becomes far more reasonable, even tho I don’t think MS will even attempt it at that point and I still think it would fail horribly and a successful version wouldn’t be capable until 15-20 years from now.
Time will tell…
Re: Five Years On, Batman: Arkham Collection Is Dominating The Xbox Charts Once Again
Replayed Arkham City again last year and it still reigns supreme. By far the best super hero game made to date. The overall tone, gameplay, characters, dialogue, etc. are unmatched imo. A true classic if I have ever seen one. Too bad it was all downhill from there for Rocksteady.
Re: These Seven Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (January 4-16)
Nice, been waiting for Super Mega Baseball 4. I do love that series!!
Re: Talking Point: Do You Think Xbox Will Ever Stop Making Consoles?
@shoeses
“I m not necessarily saying they got nothing going for them as much as I'm saying they don't have as many as other people think.”
That’s your opinion and again you are entitled to that opinion. The people who think otherwise, including myself, are also entitled to their opinion.
Starfield wasn’t some big make or break moment for Bethesda. The game was a disappointment for some, no doubt, but I don’t buy for a second that the people disappointed by Starfield will suddenly abandon Bethesda. I can guarantee when the next big Bethesda game releases, they will absolutely buy it or play it if it’s a good game. Doom Eternal was my GOTY 3 years ago. It was an absolutely brilliant brilliant game and I have zero doubt the next one will be amazing as well. Nothing anyone says will convince me that people will not buy a game like the next Elder Scrolls because they were disappointed by Starfield.
Xbox now has like 36 first party studios which is an absolutely massive massive step up from previous generations. That in itself is something Xbox has going for it. More 1st party games is what people have been asking for for years. MS’s 1st party situation now dwarfs both Sony and Nintendo. And this will in turn continue to make Game Pass stronger as all those games will be day 1 Game Pass games.
You have things like ID@Xbox which helps bring indies and independently published games to Xbox and has been fantastic the last year or so. Personally, I prefer indies and AA over AAA these days so I love this program, have thoroughly enjoyed many games from it, and am looking forward to many more.
You have features like quick resume, hands down the single best next gen feature on any system in my opinion. It’s been an absolute game changer for me.
While MS cancelled the BC program, Xbox is still leaps and bounds ahead of Nintendo and PlayStation on this front. And there has been talk about opening it back up. And Xbox now uses a universal platform so all games from the Xbox One era on will run natively on all future hardware. So while the BC for 360 and the OG Xbox are done atm, Xbox is still king of the hill on this topic and any game purchased after the 360 and OG Xbox are guaranteed to work on any future Xbox system. Knowing my games will work on any future hardware with no BC even required is a HUGE step up from earlier generations. Knowing that is definitely something to continue to look forward to.
We have Activision Blizzards entire catalog coming to Game Pass. That’s a huge perk for Xbox and something I am definitely looking forward to.
These are just a few things off the top of my head. You also have the Play Anywhere initiative, free streaming with Game Pass, etc. there is no denying Xbox had some rough years and that they have to prove themselves with 1st party and many of these acquisitions, but I am looking forward to more with Xbox now than any other system atm. So when people say there isn’t much to look forward to or Xbox doesn’t have a lot going for them, I for one can’t possibly disagree more.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Think Xbox Will Ever Stop Making Consoles?
@PushButtons
No, it’s not because the games themselves are getting more and more demanding. I can promise you, 6 years from now game streaming will not be even close to prime time for new game releases. The difference between having dedicated hardware and streaming will still be significant and these companies are never going to force people into an inferior experience through streaming.
Streaming will be offered by companies like MS as an option at first and it won’t be until the time being played through streaming significantly leapfrogs over play through hardware that these companies even begin to think of focusing solely on streaming. That is FAR more than 6 years away. If I had to make a guess, I would say at least 15-20 is a much much more likely figure.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Think Xbox Will Ever Stop Making Consoles?
@shoeses
What does Xbox have going for them?
1 - Game Pass, by far the most successful sub service in gaming. It’s by far the best deal in gaming I have ever had and it’s only gotten better and better. 2023 was the best year yet for Game Pass.
2 - Huge IP’s that were recently purchased including Doom, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, and the list goes on and on. If you don’t think having some of the most popular game series of all time as part of MS now and coming to Game Pass day 1 is something Xbox has going for it…well, I guess you are entitled to that opinion, but I will disagree with you on that one 100%.
A more important question at this point is what does Sony have going for them besides good hardware sales figures at this point?? I logged only 47 hours on my PS last year, close to 1000 on my Xbox. PS has a much weaker sub service with no day 1 games and one that got significantly more expensive last year, has over invested in live service games spending 50% of their gaming budget on them, had the weakest showcases in 2023 that I have seen to date from PS, and had one of the weakest 1st party years in 2023 that I can ever remember with 2024 actually not looking any better.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and if you want to think Xbox has nothing going for it, by all means hold that opinion. I for one couldn’t possibly disagree more. I am FAR more concerned with PlayStation’s upcoming years than I am Xbox or Nintendo. I am looking forward to a ton of stuff coming from Xbox.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Think Xbox Will Ever Stop Making Consoles?
@PushButtons
Not a chance. It’s gonna be a lot longer than just 6 years before streaming can come anywhere close to matching what dedicated hardware will do. Streaming will absolutely have its day someday, but it’s gonna be well past 2030.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Think Xbox Will Ever Stop Making Consoles?
Not a chance, unless some unforeseen event decimates MS’s overall strategy these days, which is focusing on all sectors of the gaming market as opposed to any particular sector in the gaming market. MS is all about its overall gaming ecosystem and that includes console, PC, and mobile. Not a chance MS just abandons one of the fastest growing segments of the market with consoles.
Xbox just had a record quarter for revenue in Q1 of 2024 so even when it has struggled with hardware sales, it has seen plenty of good things in other areas of the market. Your average Xbox gamer is spending more than your average PS player. Overall hardware sales are one of the least important metrics for the console market, unless you’re talking about so few sales that it causes a company to tank and that is absolutely not happening with Xbox.
As for the streaming argument, we are still a long ways off from streaming being anywhere close to the performance it needs to be to be able to replace dedicated hardware. And once it does get to that point, we’ll be having this discussion for all 3 companies, not just Xbox.
Xbox hardware isn’t going anywhere.
Re: Talking Point: What's Your Favourite Xbox Remake Of All Time?
I consider Gears Ultimate Edition a remake personally. Every single asset in the game was remade except the voice over work. And as much as I loved RE4 remake and Dead Space remake, I prefer Gears over both of those games so Gears Ultimate squeaks by with the win for me.
Re: Soapbox: Remakes Like 'Resident Evil 4' Deserve To Be In The GOTY Conversation
I agree they should be in the conversation, but for me personally they will always be at a disadvantage. No way would I ever give it to a game like RE4 remake when you had games like BG3, Alan Wake 2, TotK, etc. it would have to be a weak year with weak GOTY selections for me to ever choose a remake over a brand new game. Just the way I personally view it.
Re: Here Are The Top 10 Xbox Games Of 2023 According To Metacritic
I use my Xbox as my 3rd party platform as well. There are a lot of reasons for that but my main two are that I VASTLY prefer the Xbox controller over PS and I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE quick resume. My single favorite next gen feature is quick resume. I like to jump back and forth between a handful of games at a time and quick resume is literally the greatest thing since sliced bread for gamers like me. I get hand cramping using the Dual Sense for long periods. I can game with my Elite 2 for as long as I want without issue.
There are other reasons as well, but those are the ones that really stand out.
Re: Merry Christmas And Happy Holidays From The Team At Pure Xbox!
All in all, no matter if you game on PC, PS, Nintendo, or Xbox, it was a brilliant year for gaming. One of the best yet imo. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and happy gaming everyone!!
Re: Feature: Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2023
@Cakefish
Very good question
Re: Feature: Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2023
I would give it to BG3 personally, but I am ok with Starfield as the winner. Was it perfect? Absolutely not but it was exactly what I was hoping it would be, a Bethesda game in space and it was a Bethesda game through and through, for better or worse depending on how you feel about Bethesda games. I found myself right at home with it and doing many of the things I only do in Bethesda games. IMO it had the best story to date for a Bethesda game, the best combat of a Bethesda game to date, and it sucked me in like all Bethesda games do. Put over 150 hours into it with only Vampire survivors beating it in regards to amount of time played this year.
Was Starfield for everyone? Clearly not based on the sheer amount of hate the game gets but then again neither is BG3. I guarantee most of the console gamers that pick up BG3 will drop it within 10-20 hours of playing it. Still an absolutely brilliant game, just a game that’s not for everyone. Then again, no game is for everyone.
Starfield has its issues, but it’s still a great game imo and one I plan to play plenty more of in the years to come.
Re: Poll: How Many Xbox Games Have You Actually Bought In 2023?
Way too many. Even with Game Pass, I am still a sucker for sales. Probably purchased on average about 5 games per month. Oh the backlog…
Re: It's That Time Again! Your Xbox 'Year In Review' 2023 Is Now Available
Nice to see a few others got sucked into Vampire Survivors. Such a simple looking game with incredible depth. Can’t recommend it enough for anyone in here that hasn’t picked it up yet. Just a brilliant brilliant game.
Re: It's That Time Again! Your Xbox 'Year In Review' 2023 Is Now Available
@BowsersBuddy
Definitely doesn’t include streaming content like Netflix. My number would be 3-5 times what it is if that was included.
Re: It's That Time Again! Your Xbox 'Year In Review' 2023 Is Now Available
Top 5% for hours played (989), gamerscore (21,214), and achievements (824). Played 84 games in total and my most played game was Vampire survivors with 167 hours clocked. Not surprised by that as I couldn’t put that game down. Can’t wait for the new content and story mode to be added. That number is only gonna go up.
Re: 343 Industries 'Thank You Card' Causes Concern For The Future Of Halo: MCC
Single best compilation in all of gaming in my book. Started rough, but finished insanely strong. Look forward to continuing to play this for many years to come
Re: Xbox Fans Left With Questions Following Strange 'Marvel's Blade' Reveal
This will absolutely be exclusive, no doubt about it. Not a chance Disney is ok with Sony have exclusives like Spider-Man and Wolverine, but doesn’t let MS have exclusivity with Blade. This is simply MS laying low on any exclusivity deals with games given the FTC and its batshit crazy leader Lena Khan just won’t give up.
Re: EA Has Discounted Some Massive Games By 90% On Xbox This Week
@NintendoByNature
And that is where they really benefit from sales this good, Game Pass members or EA Play subscribers who already have access to the game buying it anyways. Must have read at least 30+ comments today from Game Pass subscribers that bought it and I am included in that as well.
Re: EA Has Discounted Some Massive Games By 90% On Xbox This Week
Yep, that was an easy choice. Got Dead Space and Wild Hearts. Great deal!!
Re: Starfield 'A Tremendous Hit' And One Of Xbox's Top 10 Most-Played Games, Says Phil Spencer
@Pimpernel
Sony makes great single player games, no doubt about it. The downside for me in regards to their games is I wait years and years for a game, spend 20-30+ hours with it, and never touch it again. Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Spider-Man 2, etc. I enjoyed all of them but was done with all of them in a matter of days and never have the desire to go back and play them again. I have already put well over twice as many hours into Starfield as I have all 3 of those Sony games combined. Sony games are great games, but they are one and done games for me, which is why my PS sits idle the vast majority of the year.
Re: Starfield 'A Tremendous Hit' And One Of Xbox's Top 10 Most-Played Games, Says Phil Spencer
Easily one of my favorite games of the year. Yep, it’s not perfect and yep, it feels like a Bethesda game through and through, which is a very good thing for me as I absolutely love Bethesda styled games. It seems many feel this is just an ok game. Those people are entitled to their opinions. Myself, this game was exactly what I was hoping it would be. A Bethesda RPG in space.
Put over 200 hours into it and had to purposely put it down so I could get to many of the other games I had been wanting to play like Zelda, BG3, Spider-Man, Forza, etc. I have no doubt it will continue to get better and better over time. I’ll pick it back up down the road, no doubt about it.
Re: Microsoft Spends 'Over A Billion Dollars A Year' Bringing Content To Xbox Game Pass
@themightyant
“new owners are FAR less likely to want to subscribe than early adopters.”
I’m curious how you’re coming up with that? I don’t see it that way at all. In fact, I know 3 people personally that finally bought a Series X this Black Friday and the first thing all 3 did was sign up. In fact, Game Pass was a large reason why they purchased the console in the first place. There is just as much reason for someone just buying the console today to sub as someone who bought a console on day 1. There are no early adopter perks for Game Pass.
I have never seen any evidence presented that shows that people that buy into consoles after what’s considered the early adoption phase are less likely to be interested in subscription services, let alone FAR less likely, or that there is any correlation at all to when one buys a console and one’s overall interest in sub services. regardless of wether it’s Sony or Xbox.
Re: Microsoft Spends 'Over A Billion Dollars A Year' Bringing Content To Xbox Game Pass
Gotta love Game Pass. I for one have no doubt the service is profitable at this point and the great thing about sub services like this, is that any additional new members at this point is basically all profit, unless they decide to spend more as time goes on.
Deals like ABK and Bethesda make so much sense when looked at through Game Pass glasses. You want as much content as possible on the service to be owned in house since 3rd party deals are so expensive. That’s why Netflix started making their own shows and movies, as the cost of leasing content was skyrocketing.
And given how many studios MS owns now, they are well on their way to having a steady stream of first party content. They spent a pretty penny on Bethesda and ABK, but it’s absolutely worth it given what MS is trying to do. These companies should be very profitable for MS right from the get go.
Re: Xbox Shocktober Sale 2023 Now Live, 900+ Games Discounted This Week
I have bought a crap ton of games the last month or so. Just get in these moods where I browse the sales and buy, buy, buy. I guess my backlog of literally hundreds and hundreds of games isn’t enough. I might have a problem…
Re: These 50+ Activision Blizzard Games Could Be Heading To Xbox Game Pass
@tallythwack
They weren’t bothered by anything but COD. It’s why no other title was even mentioned by them except COD. And the amount of money Sony makes off COD explains that.
Re: New Rumour Hints At Exciting Future For Square Enix Games On Xbox
@Belkan
Yeah, even for some of Sony’s big 1st party exclusives, you are seeing relatively low sales when compared to their overall installed base. People can run around spouting Sony’s impressive hardware sales figures all day long, but the money is made through selling games and services, not hardware.
Square sees the writing on the wall. They need to sell to the entire market and cease walling themselves off into a corner of the console market by focusing mostly on Sony.
Re: Redfall's Huge New Update Is Getting Impressive Feedback So Far
@Ocat
That makes no sense. There are people that paid good money to buy this game and to make those people wait even longer, when the patch is already done, just because there is a lot of other stuff out there at the moment would be inexcusable. That would be one of the single worst moves I have ever heard of from a developer, especially one that is trying to make up for a game releasing in sub par shape.
Re: New Rumour Hints At Exciting Future For Square Enix Games On Xbox
@Belkan
It’s not that simple anymore. Square is not doing well and when you aren’t doing well in business, you make changes. Square continuing to make games as exclusives for Sony when they wind up underperforming just doesn’t make sense so at least for me, this rumor isn’t shocking at all. It’s just pure common sense in my book and was inevitable at this rate.
Square effectively cut themselves off from a decent sized portion of the market and it’s becoming clear that they need to switch things up if they want to see levels of success that they want to see.
Re: 10 Games We Can't Wait To Play On Xbox Game Pass In 2024
Can’t even think about 2024 atm. Way too many games from 2023 to get to still. Zelda, Diablo IV, BG3, Forza, Alan Wake 2, Armored Core, etc. just finished my first play through of Starfield and just can’t seem to put it down yet…