I still get advertised games and DLC I already own on the home screen quite regularly. It shouldn't take "AI" to fix that.
If the ads were actually smart and recognised "hey, you play the hell out of game X, but you don't own DLC Y for that game" and advertised it to me, that would be great, but it doesn't take artificial intelligence to do that. It takes intelligence from the people who are coding the algorithms that dictate what ads I see.
If MS had sold more consoles than Sony and Nintendo in the Xbox One generation, they wouldn't be peddling any of the nonsense they're peddling now. When one number looks bad, hold up another number and say "this is the one that matters!".
As for "Play Anywhere", what worries me is that the next "Xbox" will basically be a PC that can play your "Play Anywhere" games along with PC games from other stores, but that's it.
The only one of those games that I own is Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign, which I uninstalled some time ago. I just checked my full games library and it's missing.
I can see the achievements I unlocked for it on TrueAchievements, but the game is not in my "All achievements" list on the console itself. Based on replies to the supposed workarounds on Reddit, there are no workarounds that actually work and it's something that MS will have to fix.
I've owned at least one console in very generation and the Series X is definitely up there as one of my favourites. The hardware is fantastic IMO; powerful and quiet.
The OS has come a long way since the launch of the Xbox One and has improved in lots of ways, but it never feels like it's 100% polished. Still, in terms of features and functionality, I don't really have any major complaints.
Games-wise I've been more than happy, although a lot of that has to do with Game Pass, as I've played games that have blown me away that I likely would never have bought, such as "What Became of Edith Finch". Also, while I was sceptical that devs would do free upgrades to their games when the Xbox One X came out, lots did, and again with the Series X.
With online multiplayer/co-op games, the more players the better IMO. I play a lot of Overwatch and before they added cross-play, the queue times were horrendous sometimes; so long that the queue time would often be longer than the match itself.
From a business POV, I think exclusives are absolutely a necessary part of selling hardware, but MS have been backed into a corner and forced to pretend like they don't matter.
The main thing that concerns me is the future of Xbox consoles. Being able to carry the bulk of my games library forwards across generations has been great, and many games have had free upgrades/enhancements too, but I have almost zero confidence in MS to continue producing hardware that allows that - or even producing hardware full stop, past the next generation.
It's a useful feature for sure. I use a website that shows you graphs that go back much further than 30 days, plus you can also set a maximum price you want to pay for a game and it'll notify you via email if it ever drops below that price, which is also kinda nice.
It's their long-term strategy with hardware that bothers me. I went digital-only when I got an Xbox One, so I have a huge collection of digital games, many of which have received free enhancements to the Xbox One X and/or Xbox Series consoles, which is great, but I want to be able to carry those games forward when new hardware comes out. I just don't see how MS can achieve growth in the console market anymore, which means at some point, no more new hardware.
I would definitely buy an $800 console though, assuming it was worth the money in terms of power/features compared to the competition.
I've been through a bunch of Elite Series 2s. I've had several be broken right out of the box with one or more face buttons that doesn't properly register a press, and I've had several develop faults over time, typically with LB or RB. I've owned at least one console in every generation and before the Xbox One came out I'd only ever replaced one controller because it was faulty.
When they do work, they're great. I couldn't go back to a controller without paddles now.
Features I would like to see in an Elite Series 3: -
Better build quality, particularly the sticks and buttons.
A physical switch that allows you to sync it to 2 different devices at once.
The features of the Stereo Headset Adapter built-in. Some controllers from other brands have this.
Better haptics, as well as gyro controls.
The ability to share controller mappings with friends would be good.
I don't care about gimmicky stuff such as LED lights, little OLED screens, being able to sync it to my phone and what not. It just pushes the price up for no benefit when it comes to gaming, and sometimes eats into the battery life.
In an ideal world they'd focus heavily on repairability, for example, the microswitches that are under LB and RB don't even cost a buck each, but it's not a simple job to replace them. Likewise replacing a faulty analogue stick is cheap in terms of buying the parts, but not easy for the majority of gamers to do at home.
I like the look of it, but I know I just wouldn't use it enough to warrant a purchase.
I can't see any circumstances where I'd take it out of the house, given how big it is, except maybe on a plane flight, and I've got a couple of Xbox consoles at home already.
Comments 11
Re: New Microsoft Survey Suggests Five AI Features That Could Be Added To Xbox Game Pass
None of it sounds any use to me.
I still get advertised games and DLC I already own on the home screen quite regularly. It shouldn't take "AI" to fix that.
If the ads were actually smart and recognised "hey, you play the hell out of game X, but you don't own DLC Y for that game" and advertised it to me, that would be great, but it doesn't take artificial intelligence to do that. It takes intelligence from the people who are coding the algorithms that dictate what ads I see.
Re: Phil Spencer Was Asked About Xbox's 'Unusual Strategy' In 2019, And The Answers Are Still Relevant Six Years Later
If MS had sold more consoles than Sony and Nintendo in the Xbox One generation, they wouldn't be peddling any of the nonsense they're peddling now. When one number looks bad, hold up another number and say "this is the one that matters!".
As for "Play Anywhere", what worries me is that the next "Xbox" will basically be a PC that can play your "Play Anywhere" games along with PC games from other stores, but that's it.
Re: Xbox Fan Lists 13 Games That Are Currently Hidden From Players' Libraries
The only one of those games that I own is Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign, which I uninstalled some time ago. I just checked my full games library and it's missing.
I can see the achievements I unlocked for it on TrueAchievements, but the game is not in my "All achievements" list on the console itself. Based on replies to the supposed workarounds on Reddit, there are no workarounds that actually work and it's something that MS will have to fix.
Re: Poll: Now That The Dust Has Settled, Which Xbox Game Pass Tier Are You Subscribed To?
I'm still on Ultimate, but only cos I'd stacked up 3 years of it via MS Rewards.
Re: It's A Big Birthday For The Xbox Series X, So Let's Look Back At Our Review From 2020
I've owned at least one console in very generation and the Series X is definitely up there as one of my favourites. The hardware is fantastic IMO; powerful and quiet.
The OS has come a long way since the launch of the Xbox One and has improved in lots of ways, but it never feels like it's 100% polished. Still, in terms of features and functionality, I don't really have any major complaints.
Games-wise I've been more than happy, although a lot of that has to do with Game Pass, as I've played games that have blown me away that I likely would never have bought, such as "What Became of Edith Finch". Also, while I was sceptical that devs would do free upgrades to their games when the Xbox One X came out, lots did, and again with the Series X.
Re: Talking Point: How Do You Feel About Halo: Campaign Evolved Launching Day One On PS5?
With online multiplayer/co-op games, the more players the better IMO. I play a lot of Overwatch and before they added cross-play, the queue times were horrendous sometimes; so long that the queue time would often be longer than the match itself.
From a business POV, I think exclusives are absolutely a necessary part of selling hardware, but MS have been backed into a corner and forced to pretend like they don't matter.
The main thing that concerns me is the future of Xbox consoles. Being able to carry the bulk of my games library forwards across generations has been great, and many games have had free upgrades/enhancements too, but I have almost zero confidence in MS to continue producing hardware that allows that - or even producing hardware full stop, past the next generation.
Re: Talking Point: Xbox Should Use And Improve This New PlayStation Store Feature
It's a useful feature for sure. I use a website that shows you graphs that go back much further than 30 days, plus you can also set a maximum price you want to pay for a game and it'll notify you via email if it ever drops below that price, which is also kinda nice.
Re: Xbox Rolls Out Age Verification (UK) And Game Hub Improvements In New Insider Update
@Nightcrawler71 If you don't verify your age, it only affects the following social features.....
These would become friends only: -
Voice/text chat
Party and game invites
User generated content (e.g. posts on an activity feed)
And these would be blocked altogether: -
Looking for group
Custom clubs
It does not affect your ability to play age-restricted games, as that's not within the scope of the (laughable) Online Safety Act.
Re: Xbox 'Magnus' Leak Suggests Next Console Will Be Powerful, Expensive & Maybe A Hybrid Device
It's their long-term strategy with hardware that bothers me. I went digital-only when I got an Xbox One, so I have a huge collection of digital games, many of which have received free enhancements to the Xbox One X and/or Xbox Series consoles, which is great, but I want to be able to carry those games forward when new hardware comes out. I just don't see how MS can achieve growth in the console market anymore, which means at some point, no more new hardware.
I would definitely buy an $800 console though, assuming it was worth the money in terms of power/features compared to the competition.
Re: Xbox Exec Questioned About Elite Series 3 Controller, Offers Slight Tease For The Future
I've been through a bunch of Elite Series 2s. I've had several be broken right out of the box with one or more face buttons that doesn't properly register a press, and I've had several develop faults over time, typically with LB or RB. I've owned at least one console in every generation and before the Xbox One came out I'd only ever replaced one controller because it was faulty.
When they do work, they're great. I couldn't go back to a controller without paddles now.
Features I would like to see in an Elite Series 3: -
Better build quality, particularly the sticks and buttons.
A physical switch that allows you to sync it to 2 different devices at once.
The features of the Stereo Headset Adapter built-in. Some controllers from other brands have this.
Better haptics, as well as gyro controls.
The ability to share controller mappings with friends would be good.
I don't care about gimmicky stuff such as LED lights, little OLED screens, being able to sync it to my phone and what not. It just pushes the price up for no benefit when it comes to gaming, and sometimes eats into the battery life.
In an ideal world they'd focus heavily on repairability, for example, the microswitches that are under LB and RB don't even cost a buck each, but it's not a simple job to replace them. Likewise replacing a faulty analogue stick is cheap in terms of buying the parts, but not easy for the majority of gamers to do at home.
Re: Talking Point: So, Did You End Up Pre-Ordering The ROG Xbox Ally?
I like the look of it, but I know I just wouldn't use it enough to warrant a purchase.
I can't see any circumstances where I'd take it out of the house, given how big it is, except maybe on a plane flight, and I've got a couple of Xbox consoles at home already.