TheGameThrifter

@InterceptorAlpha I loved the first game as well, but the $80 price, even though they walked it back...I still feel that was a slap in the face and many gamers remembered it and didn't buy it.

So, releasing 3 mid-level games in a single year obviously wasn't as smart as focusing on just 1.
I think Outer Worlds 2 suffered a lot because Microsoft tried to raise prices to $80 on that one and gamers ignored it when it released, even though they lowered the price back down.
Avowed was just average.
It was clear as day that the 30% target is what caused games going to PlayStation, but gaming is weird in that all the big 3rd party games that release leave little time for Microsoft to release 10 Xbox Studios games a year on PlayStation. Most will go unbought.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Problem is that Microsoft gave up on Series X/S years ago already. They don't sell them in most places and they're too expensive for most people currently. If they had kept a $299 price on Series S, they might have been able to sell a lot of consoles for GTA6, but they literally don't seem to care about selling consoles.

@nomenclaturist Won't happen, even ex-Xbox COO Mike Ybarra recently said Microsoft would have to pay billions to accomplish that. There's not a big audience for play anywhere because where else are people playing? Lol
Most people who play on PC play on PC for a reason, and if you play on console you stick to consoles. Handhelds haven't sold well, so people aren't taking their games on the run. Play Anywhere has been around for 10 years now and it's not a big deal and never has been.

@nomenclaturist Play Anywhere is a feature Microsoft has to pay for out of their own pocket to 3rd parties, which is why it'll never be widely supported by big publishers. Who would give a free copy of a game away? It's not good business sense. Microsoft apparently pays publishers when it does happen. 100% will never see something like GTA on Play Anywhere, why would anyone kill their own income?

It is incredibly MID. I finally beat it a few days ago, it took me about 10 months from start to finish because it's pretty boring.
It really feels rushed and like a budget title.
The companions are some of the most boring and uninteresting people in a game that I've ever played. The game looks good occasionally, but in motion it's not great to look at.
The gameplay mechanics are very janky and the story is nonsensical to say the least.
You can't really interact with anything and there's no romance interest. It's like a very basic and bare bones game to say the least.

@fatpunkslim I'm careful when looking at translated things said by Sony. A lot of times it gets mixed up that they're talking mobile and things like that.

As for consoles, the PS5 is on pace for 120 million, probably more thanks to GTA6 and expensive prices on RAM. Switch 2 broke all sales records for a console launch and Switch is almost at 160 million in sales. I'd say console sales for anything not named Xbox are fine.
I think the biggest issue with this generation is lake of games to entice people to upgrade. 50+ million are still on a PS4 and probably 20+ million on an Xbox one. there's not been a compelling argument to upgrade for many. If we add Switch 1+2 it's roughly 170 million? PS4 and PS5 is 140 million? And even Xbox One and Series consoles it's probably 35-40 million. That's 350 million people gaming on consoles.

@BacklogBrad Let's math this out. You think Sony would kill their console and brand by putting more games on Xbox because a multiplayer game allegedly sold 1.6 million on Xbox? At $40 per game that's only 64 million dollars and Sony would only get 70% of that which is 44.8 million dollars. It's be completely foolish to do that!
They also probably see how Microsoft went full multiplatform and their console sales tanked and their games don't sell on PlayStation outside of Forza Horizon.

@fatpunkslim Ridiculous statement! That's like saying God Of War selling 20 million on PlayStation and only 1.5 million on PC is proof that console markets are better....
The biggest game in the world GTA6 is focusing on consoles for a reason.

@BAMozzy I Don't know anyone who plays games through the cloud. It's just not a good way to game, and even if you were short on cash, you'd spend almost $400 a year to rent games to stream? I mean it's cheaper to get Netflix per year and use their games at that rate.

Microsoft has no choice but to pretend PC and Cloud are growing, they basically dropped the console years ago. What else are they going to tell investors? They never mention actual numbers, just weird buzzwords like engagement and hours played. Those aren't exactly screaming success.

@swedetrap That's cool for you I guess? For me I'd never want to game that way. I like to own my games and not be forced to have a constant internet connection, but that's just me. I also don't think a ton of people are paying almost $400 a year to stream games on a phone or TV or whatever. That's more expensive than Netflix.

@Gabrie Switch 2 broke all sales records though and it looks like with the help of GTA6 the PS5 could hit 130 million sold easily. The only console not selling is Xbox, and largely due to the fact that it has no exclusive titles and they keep raising the prices.

@BAMozzy No one in their right mind is gaming with cloud as their main option. It's a terrible way to game and it's not very popular. Onlive, PS Now, Luna, Stadia, XCloud are all failed or failing entities. The only reason MS brought up PC and Cloud is because what else could they talk about? People log into the PC or Cloud to get the free points and dip. Those get counted as users regardless.

@Gabrie It's not going to sell as well as the Wii U did. There's literally no exclusive software for it and it sounds like it'll be $1200 or more.

Microsoft going all out for PlayStation owners during the 25th anniversary of Xbox!

It comes in at 270th most played Xbox game though. Top paid charts, especially with nothing new lately could mean it sold 1k copies to get there.

@OldGamer999 I'm agreeing with you, which is why I said people shouldn't expect this game to be universally loved.

@OldGamer999
Forza Horizon 6 will have a 30fps mode too, I'm just not sure they can create what they have and have 60fps.
Have to also look at what Xbox devs have launched their games at this gen.
Redfall was 30fps
Starfield was 30fps
Hellblade 2 was 30fps
Avowed was 30fps

@AverageGamer Majority of Play Anywhere is shovelware. Look into the list. People are hyping it up like it's amazing or new, but it's been around a decade. People who play on PC usually stick to PC. People who play on console usually stick to console. And there's less than 10 million PC handhelds sold COMBINED. This is definitely not a widely used feature.

Grounded 2 is a terrible example because Sony doesn't allow unfinished games on their platform. So, technically it couldn't be on PS5 even if they wanted it to be. It will 100% go there when it's an actual full game though.

@fatpunkslim
People who like a plug and play console with no hassles wouldn't like the next Xbox due to it running full Windows including Copilot and Defender.

Price is a big factor, Microsoft will not subsidize the cost, so probably $1200+ for whatever they offer. Where as Sony will subsidize and come out with a normal and known price to console owners which will be attractive.

Game Pass? It's a decade old and isn't growing.
Play Anywhere? It's a decade old and nobody cares.

On PS6 you'll get all PS games and all Xbox games day one, and all the Xbox games will be fully optimized for PlayStation with Trophies. Where as the PC Sony games will be on Steam and not support Xbox Achievements.

Also think less devs will support Xbox next gen because the install base will be so low. Microsoft probably won't even sell their hardware in stores, but only online. As some stores have already stopped carrying Xbox's already.

@Titntin the problem is Microsoft seems to be just releasing a PC and an expensive one at that. So, as a console gamer I have no desire to game on a PC and won't spend over $1000 to play videogames on a platform I've no interest in.
I own over 1200 games on my Series X, I don't really trust Microsoft because they do tend to lie a lot.

@fatpunkslim Every game will be day and date on PlayStation. Microsoft does not care about their own hardware at all by their own actions.

@Titntin I mean you can't understand why people who spent money on Xbox this generation based on all of Microsoft's promises are upset? There's no reason to actually own an Xbox now. There's also no reason to trust Microsoft with your digital library since they've shown they literally want nothing to do with their own hardware.

So for the 25th anniversary of Xbox, all Xbox games go to PlayStation. What's the point of actually owning an Xbox now? They haven't even done an actually Xbox update for the console itself in almost a year, every update is PC, Cloud, Mobile and handheld.

@Fiendish-Beaver No matter how happy you are with something you can always improve it. They haven't done a console update in 6 months!
There's a ton of issues and glitches still with the consoles themselves. You're telling me they can't put some fixes out? New hardware might be 2-3 years away or more. They completely give up and people seemingly have no issues with it?

Microsoft hasn't updated anything for their consoles in 6 months! I'm sure there could be some stabilization or something that needs fixing.

So, a few people who hype this up every day on Twitter like a commercial for Microsoft talk about it and now it's convincing people?
Play Anywhere has been around for a decade now. Xbox sales are at an all time low and Microsoft isn't even doing a traditional console next gen. So, Play Anywhere would be pointless since it'll just be a PC.
There's also no difference between Play Anywhere and someone who buys a game on Steam and uses a Steam Deck or whatever.

This game isn't new, I bought it when it was like $12 on sale on Xbox. The game is fine now, they removed instant fail for the stealth parts.
If you're a Star Wars fan you'll enjoy the game. My only issue is why did they make the main character so ugly? Why not make her look like the actress who played her in the same way they make the main character in Jedi Fallen Order look like the actor who plays him? Her weird face is actually distracting to say the least.

The same wrong analytical company that said Forza Horizon 5 sold 5 million units lol

@Llamageddon If you're a PlayStation fan, wouldn't you rather have competition? To me, competition helps bring out innovation. Sony could get even more lazy than they are already. Due to Xbox games releasing on PlayStation, hardly anyone brings up that this is the worst first party output by Sony ever.

Believe it or not, PlayStation fans lose too if Xbox goes out of hardware.

@Llamageddon You can Google it...lol
It is what it is. There's no way Microsoft will hold back games like that.

@oopsiezz
The funniest part is he followed that up with 'There's no fundamental change to our exclusivity strategy".

@fatpunkslim https://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-games-will-be-on-playstation-going-forward-says-microsoft/1100-6535712/

Except they confirmed all future Halo games are launching day and date.

@fatpunkslim It'd be silly to believe Microsoft wouldn't want to launch games with multiplayer at the same time everywhere. Some smaller studios obviously weren't going to get games out at the same time, but Halo Studios already confirmed day one releases for all future Halo games. The head of the studio wearing a PlayStation shirt confirmed this.

@abe_hikura In a way, but not in the way Xbox console owners deserve or actually want.

@fatpunkslim Steam isn't an Xbox. If you're playing on a PC and playing a PlayStation game, you're not in the Xbox ecosystem, you're not getting Xbox Achievements or playing with Xbox console gamers online.
I think console exclusivity is still really important and Sony seems to understand that. A year or two after a release when sales dry up on the console, I think it's fine to try to get a few more dollars by going PC, since PC isn't a console nor competing with a console.

Everyone is running with this story when there's no source. NPD group listed the top 10 selling PS5 games on 2025 and Forza Horizon 5 wasn't on the list. Even if we pretend it magically did 300 million in revenue, Sony would take 90 million off the top. Microsoft paid for the port studio and adverting.
I also believe Microsoft would be shouting from the rooftops if this were actually the case.

@fatpunkslim Halo CE will launch day one on PS5 as is already confirmed. Gears reloaded launched on PS5 day one.

Currently the rumor is Fable was delayed to get it on PS5 day one and the only reason Horizon 6 isn't day one is because it was already too far in development on just Xbox and PC and wouldn't be ready in time.

Microsoft isn't giving Xbox fans any advantages. I'd say 100% of the games launch simultaneously in the future.

Gotta get everything ready for the real launch on PS5!

I wonder if they'll announce the PS5 version day and date?

@Balaam_ Fable was huge, in fact Fable 2 won G4TV GOTY when it released. It was so popular that Fable 3 was rushed out just 2 years later!
Halo, Gears, Forza and Fable are the 4 pillars since the Xbox 360 IMO

So, they are releasing a PC. Which would make it easier for them to just stop hardware altogether since it'll just be a PC. I have zero interest in this. I don't want Windows or some full screen app. I just want a console

SEGA....I mean XBOX......
People that think they'll suddenly jump back onto the hardtrain are lying to themselves. You can't quit a generation with 4-5 years left and expect people to suddenly trust that you won't do the same thing next time.
Pretty clear Microsoft wants nothing to do with consoles anymore.

No one is buying these things now, what's going to happen when they're $1200? lol
Yikes.

@Weebleman @Weebleman I don't make anything off it, but I've spent thousands this generation on a digital library that I'll likely lose if Microsoft decides to stop hardware. They won't keep those hub servers up forever.

@BattleMonkey With how much A.I. these companies are going to be using, the costs will come down by a ton. That Clair Obscure game cost only 10 million to make, used A.I. and won like every GOTY award.
That's the future of games.

@Weebleman Components have gone up in price, I seriously doubt they're making anything on their hardware at the moment. That's why they subsidize everything in the first place. Lose millions to make billions.