Scribedby

The positive is that there are no studio closures and some have been allowed to go their own way and retain their creative properties. But my god, this is grim reading. For every person that is going through this, none of us like to see this. I hope Microsoft can at least get it's act together and stop acting impulsively and recklessly within the industry. It needs stability. Only then, can things be learned at XBOX from this. It seems that these actions are their way of putting those cogs in motion to be more efficient. Hopefully Asha reflects on this and can regain some confidence. It's at a low right now no matter how we assess the brand and all the right and wrongs within it.

The quality can only get better after the last release right? I think it was the right call to take it out of Game Pass.

I think it's a huge yearly release that needs to have that revenue stream flowing and then bringing it to Game Pass after the first year. That's the right call. You don't really lose anything if you play the campaigns and can wait. If you're all in on multi-player. Obviously, you'll purchase it outright anyway.

The fact that Game Pass is cheaper now is beneficial and the majority are absolutely fine with that.
Having one of the biggest releases in a year and losing that revenue from your own audience is slightly insane. No matter if PlayStation is the place where it's buying audience is mostly.

As long as the game continues to be as polished as most Rockstar releases and runs at 30fps. I am happy with that.

Obviously, I'd love it to be more but we haven't seen game-play yet and these games are highly detailed. I am expecting this release to be more so than ordinary titles and setting the bar again in an open world.

It's a good game. It will have its fans, but for 'free' and a good story. What's not to like, unless you obviously have a different taste?

This is an unbelievably bad practice. I know why Sony do it, but it's just really wrong.

This is what great games do and Nintendo Switch being in the lead doesn't surprise me either.

I am enjoying my time with this one. It's a lot of fun and is very chill to just to drive around and explore.

This should be fun.

Personally, I see this as just the start. It's an exciting time to be an Xbox fan and to be invested in this platform. Which is a multi-approachable offering and not by any means a closed eco-system like the others.

Focusing on that strength is something that will only make the brand stronger as it returns to its roots. I believe, no matter the hardware metrics. The consumption of software and time metrics are becoming more important these days.

@Fiendish-Beaver I agree, also I think this bizarre situation of consoles increasing within their lifecycle next generation has to end if these companies are going to have any sway in getting players within the ecosystem for that generation. It simply cannot go on like it has this generation because of obviously what's been happening within the tech industry.

I bought Darksiders in the recent sale so this is really welcome news. I decided to get Vampyr as well because I love the Focus games and I'm playing Banishers right now. It's meant to exist in the same world which is really awesome. I hope they stay within the world and do something with Witchcraft or demon hunting. It's a really special universe what Focus has created and it'd be a shame to not utilise it just because Banishers didn't sell enough. But going back to the update of Darksiders. Seems I purchased at the right time and it's in my backlog. 😁

I enjoyed it. Lots of games to play.

I know it's all subjective, but honestly I poured hours into this game at launch.

I really enjoyed it. I didn't enjoy the loading screens. The fact they're making this better and addressing the issues with the launch on other platforms. It's really good to see. Unfortunately, the bar was so high because of Bethesda's previous work.

But like with anything, they're only going to improve on this and take that momentum into their next games. And that's a good thing!

@Sindayl And that's absolutely fine, you won't be on your own with those thoughts. Do what's right for you, my friend.

This is a spin on positivity that was ultimately needed. A new boss comes in. It's always going to be about appearances and the perception that you're taking action from the 'get go'.

Ultimately, this is just a bit of momentum that's going to need to keep continuing to truly have us all happy. But hey, it's a good start, right?

Love it when Xbox ships these updates for us. It's been awhile, but normal service has resumed.

I am looking forward to tweaking my own setup.

Nintendo could do a lot with Bluepoint. Is the Switch 2 capable enough? It's getting some pretty decent ports this year. Whatever happens, I hope the devs land on their feet and get support from somewhere.

I left PlayStation, and I am all in on Xbox these days. So yeah, GTA VI is something I'll be buying day one. I also want to support Playground games as well with Fable by 'buying' that.

@J_Mo_Money Absolutely!

A lot of good points in this thread. The next Xbox is going to be a niche hardware. The cost of this thing is going to be top dollar anyway. If prices continue to raise, and with it being further along, they're going to need to pull the trigger while they can. They could possibly get a lot of momentum with an earlier release of it over the PS6.

However, it's going to come down to how they market it and 'what it can do for the end user that differentiates itself' that can get people to consider it over any other console. That's not as easy in a volatile market. Nor is it easy when your average consumer is now looking for 'bang for their buck'. Something that is now changing because prices are increasing even on older hardware. Now, if Microsoft can illustrate they have the content for this thing. It could help. But then again, why would that matter if it comes to PS6 anyway? There needs to be a 'reason'. One that makes sense to the average gamer for them to even consider the Xbox again.

Could Microsoft potentially step away from the transitional console window and look at future-proofing the device and the longevity based on that? Possibly. As well as having free online, but will it be enough? If I could answer that one, well, I'd be hedging my bets more often lol.

It's going to be interesting nonetheless, I do however, expect prime Sony to be back next generation with 'their games'. They need to be because of Nintendo, but at the same time, they really own the floor when it comes to the priority of most gamers. You have to convince them and cost is something that is not as variable in consideration as with other things such as phones and that.

If there was any game that needed this update. It was this one. Great expansive world with loads to do but needed a bit more umpth technically.

Some would say it's trying to spice up the numbers. However, we have all known for a long time the strategy that Microsoft has with Xbox. It's more than just Xbox these days, and if your a fan we're all pretty comfortable around the messaging by now so it's not exactly a shock.

They're doing their own thing. It's pretty straightforward to understand.

Looks phenomenal. Looking forward to seeing game-play. Not long now!

It's a great feature that will be very beneficial in the next generation. Most gamers who are savvy in that respect, know this. I think it's forward thinking because Microsoft knows Steam has entered the room.