SMJ

@FarmDog08 I hope you mean another decade or two gaming and not alive. 😂

I'm not going to go into how disgusting and poorly made this decision is again.

It does however seem like it was made at the very last minute. With Hi-Fi Rush just releasing on PlayStation and the Redfall update planned at the end of this month, it looks like this was a shock for almost everyone.

Absolutely ****ing disgusting move by Microsoft. Indefensible.

I have the Kaico HDMI adapter and got it for £25. Will this be that much better to justify the cost?

OG Xbox games already look pretty crisp to me.

@Aniscape This is a genius idea!

It definitely seems like there's been a big impact on sales by the lack of physical. Such a brilliant game so hopefully a physical version appears for those who have held off.

Day one purchase for me. I adored the original and am still gutted it never came to BC because of the music rights.

I remember how completely different the same game would be on Mega Drive and SNES. In some cases, it actually made it worth owning copies for both systems if you had them.

No. I still have 2.1tb free between my internal SSD, 1tb expansion card and 16tb HDD. I'm very fussy about having all of my games installed.

@ShadowofTwilight Microsoft buying a giant publisher shouldn't concern you and they haven't had free reign. They've also been making games well before PlayStation and Xbox even existed so they have credibility in the games industry.

You should however be concerned about companies like Tencent, Amazon, Meta and the Saudi PIF buying things.

The CMA objection was laughable and ill informed, showing they know nothing about the games industry.

I'm glad it's over.

@ShadowofTwilight You can't still be angry surely?

Lots of money incoming.

I don't think that any of this happened Cliff.

If we're just talking about higher resolution, faster SSD and more teraflops then I doubt many people will be blown away.

I think it would be much more interesting for Microsoft to utilise its massive AI knowledge to do the heavy lifting for developers. It could massively reduce the time and cost it takes to produce a AAA game. Or give indie devs the opportunity of a level playing field in creating large scale projects.

It could even be used to optimise games on the fly or create an infinite number of story branches.

A more far fetched use could be using AI to replicate previous Xbox generations so that all games become backwards compatible.

Everybody Loves Ray(mond) Tracing.

@OldGamer999 That's quite a niche Venn diagram right there. 😂

I don't really see who this aimed at.

I'm really glad that I've supported Xbox since the beginning in 2001. Thanks Microsoft!

@Weapon_Wheel I literally cannot remember the last time I saw an Xbox advert in the UK. I remember seeing Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One adverts all the time.

Now it seems like Microsoft has either given up or just assumes Xbox will sell on its own with no marketing the way that Windows and Office does.

Shadow of The Damned
Killer Is Dead
Rayman Origins
Blur
Black
Enslaved
Metal Gear Rising
DOA Ultimate
DOA 3
DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball
DOA 4
Castlevania LoS
Mortal Kombat 9
MK Vs DC Universe
The Orange Box
Portal 2
Blazing Skies
Mirror's Edge
Psychonaughts
Banjo and Kazooie Nuts & Bolts
Jade Empire
Star Wars KOTOR
Perfect Dark Zero
Blue Dragon
Gears of War
Halo Wars

I'm going to be annoyed with myself because I'm sure there are loads more I'll remember as soon as I've posted this.

I have over 800 games installed for my Series X stored between internal memory, 1TB card and 16TB HDD.

I use my Series S as a Game Pass machine so I only normally have about 20 games installed at any one time.

@Banjo- 100%. I have all the modern Tomb Raider games and the BC ones on Xbox and I'd love to have the entire series on one system.

It's absolutely inevitable that dedicated boxes aren't going to be needed in the future. Every publisher will have their own app subscription that you can sign up to and play their games.

What will be a deal breaker for me is if the only option is to stream. I want to be able to buy and keep the games I want to own.

I have never heard of this or fully understand what the game is but those kind of reviews have definitely put it on my radar.

It's amazing considering the original came out 14 years ago and was exclusive to Xbox 360. They've done a great job in reviving interest in the IP with the remaster and sequel.

@eire-shabba I've said this many times before and completely agree. The future is either a hard drive connected to the internet or a streaming device. Xbox will be an app. PlayStation will be an app. Pay the annual fees and you can play those games.

@AlwaysPlaying But Disney/Lucas Arts DID say they were happy for the games to be single platform. They said it made sense.

@Banjo- But if all exclusives are available on other platforms then there's even less reason to buy Xbox hardware. Less Xbox hardware sold means that it's less likely for third parties to release their games for Xbox (including Game Pass). Fewer games available on Xbox hardware means even fewer machines sold and even fewer Game Pass subscriptions. Etc. etc.

Whatever happens it has been handled really poorly. All these rumours have done is damage the Xbox brand in the mind of gamers. People are asking why they've supported the platform if it's all going to be taken away.

I've had time to think about what 'could' happen.

They announce they're going full third party, are dropping Xbox hardware and PS5/Switch will get Game Pass/full price games available depending on the system capabilities. Or they don't drop hardware and release new digital only hardware (handheld included).

They announce that select first party games will be available for PS5/Switch at full price the same day as they're available on Xbox and PC Game Pass. And the current hardware continues as before.

They announce that all Xbox Studio games will be available to play via Game Pass on PS5/Switch with no option to buy the games outright. And the current hardware continues as before. Or doesn't.

They announce that first party games will be available on PS5/Switch and that they're licensing the Xbox hardware to other manufacturers such as Samsung, LG etc. They'll have their own hardware but new hardware is built as a set top box or into TVs.

They announce that the Xbox store will be open to all platforms and people can buy games digitally for PS5/Switch. They'll keep the hardware as before.

It's DEFINITELY either one of the above or some of the above or none of the above.

I'm looking forward to finding out but as an Xbox gamer from the beginning, I can't see how releasing games on other platforms is the right thing to do to reward loyal fans. However, I completely understand that Xbox is just one division of Microsoft and releasing games on every available system makes perfect business sense and will massively increase profits.

I have all 3 systems and have no special allegiance to Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo's various systems, aside from the memories I have from playing great games on each.

I can only see a negative for Xbox if this is true. If these games are available to buy on PS5 then what incentive is there for anyone to buy an Xbox/Game Pass? In fact, I can see people ditching their Xbox to buy a PlayStation because they'll have the best of both worlds in one system. That in turn gives 3rd party devs less incentive to make games at all for Xbox and even less point in owning one as time goes on.

It's literally a fat tracksuit to becoming a 3rd party publisher.

As much as I love my Switch, it doesn't go after the same customers as PS5/Xbox. Without Xbox as a competitor, Sony can do less, innovate less and charge more. No gamer should be wishing for a one system games industry.

Xbox didn't treat this game the way it deserved to be treated. It's an amazing game that should have received way more love. Hopefully it will get the bigger audience needed for a sequel to be made.

I kind of wish they'd included The Last Revelation, Chronicles and Angel of Darkness too. I know they're not particularly great but for completion sake it would have been nice.

@CharlieChooChoo The lending I can see them having a problem with because, as you mentioned, they would lose money. The trade in thing would technically make them lose money but I think would be a massive win for them PR wise. If you could trade your digital games on Xbox and no other platform holder allowed it, it would be a massive PR win.

Unfortunately, I think the Steam model is the way everything will go. Buy a game. Never own it. F**k off if you don't like it or have completed it because we already have your money.

I've been saying for years that each platform holder should create a digital trade in store. Imagine being able to trade in digital purchases once you've finished a game and get credit towards your next purchase.

I can't remember the last time I saw and advert anywhere for Xbox.

@CharlieChooChoo Activision and Blizzard both have a very long history of making games for Microsoft Windows. Far longer than they ever had making games for PlayStation.

@Kaloudz It really was. I managed to get a boxed, brand new one from Japan last year for my Dreamcast. It's just incredible.

I would welcome gyro in a new Xbox controller. Everything else is fine for me.

I have a PS5 and the DualSense is overrated in my opinion. I find the resistive triggers annoying and crunchy and the haptics a bit of a novelty that doesn't really get used very well. Plus the sharp edges on the prongs just aren't very comfortable for long play sessions. And of course, the left stick is positioned incorrectly. 😂

@Kaloudz I'm glad to see the Dreamcast controller mentioned. That was the pinnacle of comfort for me too. I'd put the Switch pro controller as 2nd though, very closely followed by the current Xbox controller.

@Kaloudz No worries at all. I probably wasn't clear. It's just another sad day for the industry as a whole.

@Kaloudz I absolutely agree. I've worked in HR/recruitment for over 15 years at some major global brands and I've had to deliver these kind of layoffs to employees.

It's never easy but, at well run businesses, a natural occurrence. The timing won't help the perception of what Microsoft is doing is the point I was trying to make.

It really doesn't make good reading when in the same week Microsoft was valued at $3trillion.

@JayJ The only times I've found gyro controls to be a massive improvement have been with the Splatoon games on Wii U and Switch. Nintendo really nailed it in those games to the point where I'd struggle to play without them.

@homme_parametre To be fair, all modern controllers have drift and it's ridiculous considering the Hall Effect tech has been around for so long.

The Sega Saturn and Dreamcast used it.

@rustyduck The day that mainstream gaming becomes streaming only is the day that I check out. I'll happily play my giant backlog of retro games that require no internet/downloads.

Hi-Fi Rush 100%

Give us Quake 4 as BC or remaster it please.

I actually really liked the show. It was a good mix of gameplay and dev insight. And there's so much more to come from Xbox Studios that I think they'll absolutely own this year. But that's just my opinion.