Definitely the main factor is project Helix, and the Steam console likely exacerbated it further. .

I like all of those with the exception of no1. It's perplexing and disheartening to see console gamers as gatekeeping guardians. This is not aimed only at Xbox but Sony and Nintendo fanbase too.

@johnedwin

And you have the audacity to call comments out om Pushsquare as Xbox fanboy-ing. Ever heard of cognitive dissonance?

@Questionable_Duck

Nothing really odd about it. The folks you referring to have used their lyrical waxing of their overlords, over on Pushsquare...there's nothing else left😁

No doubt this will be a fantastic controller, but I just can't justify the price these things are going for. The normal vanilla Xbox controllers served me well over the years.
I'm also thinking Microsoft are now saving the rumoured sebile for Helix.

Just finished, WOW what a fantastic and special game! These developers are my new Don’t Nod.

Small devs weekend for me. I'll be hopping between getting 100% completion in Aphelion, then continue Mixtape which I think is fantastic so far, followed by Hades 2. And, hopefully I can squeeze in some HI firefight.
Great weekend to all.

I'll be buying these for my son.

Well, s#it. I just saw on EG that Switch 2 had a price increase in US to $500.
If that will be followed in Blighty with an increase to £500, then a £1000 project Helix device could look like a bargain, all things considered...

Will we see similar uncertainty from Team Green in the coming months

I think so. It's not like Sony is shopping for PS6 components in a vacuum, Microsoft will face the same challenges. I hope things will normalise somewhat (tall ask) before the end of next year, beginning of 2028. I'm looking forward to Helix.

Really, really liked their previous kaleidoscopic The Artful Escape game, so this will be right up my alley for the soundtracks alone. Another good GamePass addition.

Big fan of RGG studio here, and this looks absolutely fantastic. My GPU subscription keeps delivering 😁.

@Duck_Farmer
😄 Nice one, same here and great addition to the service.

I only make exceptions for Indie games, the big AAA games will be bought months and months later, and on sale.
I think my huge backlog and the advent of subscription services like GamePass are significant factors too.

Regularly play Infinite mp, so this is something I'll be jumping in on this tonight.

@Fiendish-Beaver

If you want access to the maximum number of games possible, then undoubtedly PC gaming is where you should be, and it would seem, from what we know right now, that Helix could well be a very good entry point into that sphere...

That, that right there is a great summation (thank you), of the things I'm behind Helix for next-gen.
Now, of course there's potential for Microsoft to mess it up (somehow?), hopefully they won't, and we'll get something to rival one of its main competitors,- the Steam console.

@Fiendish-Beaver

Look, I can see the point(s) you're making but I'm just not wiling to (actively) support platforms that are doubling down on software gatekeeping. Through the years (just like you) I've always bought both, Xbox and PS consoles with each gen, much less Nintendo (I only have the GC and the Wii). But for next-gen I'm only going for Helix, save for some catastrophic fudge up by MS. And one of the main reasons is their approach to a more open hardware and hopefully software platform.

Sure, Sony (or Nintendo, Microsoft) has /have any right to do whatever it wants with their first-party games, but me as a prospective customer don't have to support it or not see it as anti-consumer.
I hope this will clear up my position a bit 👍.

I never really based my console purchases on exclusive games, and I'm certainly not going to start supporting these anti-consumer practices now. I hope Microsoft stays on it's path to an open platform..

@Kezelpaso

Thank you, good to know, that’s surprisingly brief 😀

I’m on chapter 9 and I really, really like the game. There’s no combat at all, but the hypothetical journey and exploration of an alien planet to seek sanctuary for humanity’s survival never gets old for me. Then, is the story and sentimental connection between the two main characters with excellent voice, and fantastic mo-cap acting and I’m totally hooked. Persephone’s harsh environment portrayal looks great too.
It’s a solid 8+ for me, from one of my favourite game developers. Saying that, I’m probably one of only 7 people that bought and also thinks that Harmony: The Fall of Reverie, was a great game too😊…..yep, I’m a Don’t Nod fan alright 😁

I need to somehow make time for The Alters, Space Marines and Volcano Princess before they leave..

@Balaam_

If we don’t hear about full Steam integration mentioned explicitly by name, that will be a giant red flag

The project Helix hardware might not even make a 2027 launch, and might slip into 2028 all things considered. So Microsoft not explicitly talking about Steam Integration at this point in time is everything but, a giant red flag..

I'm probably in a super minority regarding this. because I'm not a fan of exclusivity. I mean surely, a corporation the size of Microsoft should and can come up with a better solution for desirable, attractive hardware without resorting to the old anti-consumer bulls##t of; hey, our toy is special because we lock things to it so others can't enjoy..

@themightyant

Cheers for the update.
It is a huge drop for Ultimate. It's such a shame I don't have a gaming PC to take advantage of PC GP.

@themightyant

Whaaaat?!. Legendary news breaking mate. Should we assume that we here in Blighty might get it too?

Love me some of that infectious passion and cheerfulness Peter brings to his projects. I hope his latest game will be great and finds huge success. He deserves it. And, he's an absolute legend for putting a dog into Fable.

@Fiendish-Beaver

I'm in the same boat as you old timer. I'm waiting for Sony to confirm that PS6 will be built strictly in house and that Mark Cerny will personally take part on the assembly lines 😉😅..

Go on then, listen to ex PlayStation bosses and proceed to destroy one of the main differentiation points, and advantages Xbox has over the competing platforms....it's genuinely genius 😅😅.

I'm sooo down for another Metro game😁
Love Stalker 2 and it's world building, but the focus in the Metro games it's fantastic.

@Millionski
Why xbox showcased a 3rd party game if its not coming to the service/not exclusive?

I guess for the same reasons any other platform holder would do. Build hype, keep the conversation about the console going(?), etc. Or perhaps there's some sort of marketing rights between them..

Nope, not for me. I'm on GPU for the amazing variety of indies AA and AAA, and this looks reductive in what I expect from the service.
But, having more options for folks to choose is a good thing. 👍

@RegnumSolipsi

That was my first thought too, after seeing the images 😅.

Theoretically maybe(?!), but I can't wait for GamePass to morph into a PS+/NSO style service by removing perks or add on's, and where big (or mid and small for that matter)day one releases occur at the same rate as Solar eclipse'(s) do.
F@ck that s#it, there is a reason why I'm subscribed to this service as opposed to the other options on the market.

I think this will be a bad thing to do because it would set a precedent where certain XGS games will be deemed too big for day one GamePass Ultimate (saying this as someone who is not COD's biggest fan).

And furthermore where will it stop? Will eventually Gears or Fable or Clockwork Revolution be also deemed as not day one releases?

For a subscription service that modeled its main differentiation from the likes of PS+, Nintendo's offerings, would be a big blunder on Microsoft's part to go down this route, and one they don't have to make.

Absolum, SW Outlaws and the obligatory FM races, and hopefully some Infinite firefight too....but only if I can wrestle my daughter away from playing Tiny Bookshop 😄.
Good weekend to all.

So we are getting Hades, Replaced and The Thaumaturge on the same day?!
Indie heaven right there, and one of the main reasons I keep subscribing to GPU. Love to see it.

I hope they'll manage to bring their vision to fruition with project Helix. I'm down for what they revealed so far, albeit it's not a lot at the moment. Eager for more.

Between Absolum and this I'll have to seriously start rationing my just one more run approach😁.

Series X broadly matches base PS5, and provides an experience that the outlet certainly recommends

So even the Series X only broadly matches the base PS5?? Nah, every time I see a developer treating Xbox owners with disdain or half ar*ed efforts gets none of my money, or time for that matter.
I have plenty games to play as is.

Im playing Absolum, SW Outlaws, FM and plan to do the Halo Infinite campaign in co-op. The game has no shortage of detractors, but I love the grappling hook and all the different ways it opens up when tackling the campaign.

Happy gaming and a good Easter break to all.

Yes!!. Don't have a Switch and was hoping this would eventually get an Xbox release ever since I've read the review on EG. Now waiting for a Skate Story release date.
And to top it off on GamePass too😁.
Times like this make me hopeful that Project Helix will (finally) solve the delayed Xbox releases..

Getting the Gunk, Despelote, Jusant(just checked and own Jusant already) and probably Blue Prince.
I have already played the ones previously on GP, but I'm always buying what I want to keep regardless.

@Kiltedhaggis

For balance (and not to defend the individual), If anything, third-party games would be one of the main reasons to own a Pro. Especially in light of Sony's first-party release cadence...

If project Helix will indeed be an open platform as alluded to by Microsoft I'll be buying it even for a premium.

On the other hand, I'll never part with £800-1000 for a traditional closed console platform. It's as simple as that.

@GeeEssEff

If there’s anyone we should be listening to about the way games development should be run it is the people at Larian.

Yes, Larian are held up as a beacon for the gaming industry (justifiably for now), lest we forget they needed to be owned 30% by Tencent even with all their games development acumen...

The point still stands though - if Xbox creates a new lower-priced tier, and then PlayStation does the same to match it, do we eventually get to a point where the "race to the bottom" becomes even more detrimental to the industry than it arguably is today

This narrative of the gaming industry being in the sh#t because of subscription services is tiring and f@king disingenuous. The unnecessary ballooning budgets, the constant chasing of the next big live service game whilst burning mountains of money has nothing to do with it...just blame GP.

I would love for Microsoft to double down on point 2 and FPS/Resolution Boost for older titles. Not rising console and GamePass prices would do them no harm either, especially now that Sony went nuclear with their price increases.

Not much to be said except that all this is wild sh#t

And I wander if this action is done to condition (to some degree) the masses for the eye-watering price of the PS6 launch..

Looking excellent 👌. I'm very happy with my Ultimate membership, just need to find the time to play them.

Happy to see Xbox Studios get recognition and Kudos to Microsoft for publishing their games on multiple platforms for people to enjoy.

and in theory Project Helix should be able to run anything that's already on Steam or the Epic Games Store

I really hope that will be the case. There are still so many great PC indie games that don't see an Xbox release or it's either a timed exclusive to a different platform and release much, much later. Project Helix should resolve/put an end to this.🤞

@GeminiX53

.My point was, tongue firmly in cheek that you called Starfield a turd a few days ago on this very site. So I'm not quite sure why the sanctimonious facade or what triggered you so much. Good thing we have an ignore feature here.