... which is why we are focused on consoles and spending a ton of money and resources investing in Scarlett [later known as the Xbox Series X & S]. The same thing on PC."
I wonder what happened that it took Microsoft so many years to get any progress on the Windows/PC side?
Also it would be interesting to know how "a great Xbox in home" translates to their future plans?
From a publisher's perspective, they definitely would like more shadow drops. Less marketing expenses, no disgruntled fans if promised releases get pushed back, no negative day 1 reviews.
But this tactic doesn't work for everyone. Your dev studio needs a good reputation, or the franchise needs to be super popular for this to work well.
Really? How did you put up with god awful shimmering? The moment you get to a foggy area (the pathway down from the opening car park), I found the shimmering and fuz of the fomeffects unbearable on the pro..
Silent Hill 2 has one of the best "psychological" stories in horror games and has a strong cult following. The story is stand-alone so there is no connection, unlike SH1 and 3.
Resolution tops out a bit higher on PS consoles, but the series X holds to that 60fps line more consistently which is the better win. ... Seems like a win, but it isn’t.
You're the first person here to call it a "win", and then take it back. The visual/performance differences between PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X are less visible than game comparisons between PS2 & Xbox or PS3 & Xbox 360. I guess some fanboys like to label these comparison videos as a "win" for their favorite brand, as the number of exclusive games has diminished over the years and now they need new things to compare in online "console war" debates.
It’s a textbook example of lousy, incompetent ‘optimization’. ...
Consider—if Konami had let Sony develop it in-house, we could have seen a scenario where Nixxes did the PC port.
It's a bit harsh to call it "lousy, incompetent ‘optimization’" just because the PS5 Pro version doesn't perform better than the other versions. Even larger studios with more budget and experienced developers have a difficult time optimizing Unreal Engine 5 games. Konami chose Bloober Team because they are located in Poland, so they are cheaper than other studios and they are experienced in horror games. Also I would guess that Bloober Team had a tight schedule to deliver the game and might have received PS5 Pro dev kits shortly before the planned release.
Had the Silent Hill 2 Remake been developed in-house at PlayStation, it would have been a more expensive project and probably Sony might have liked to have a share of the revenue. Most of the PlayStation studios are located in the west so the developers have higher salaries and many of those studios were busy with their own live-service projects when development started on the Silent Hill 2 Remake.
Which would be the best version, and playable on Magnus next gen. Which would mean Xbox would have the best version, but it would be a case of having the best version without any compromises.
I guess many people prefer to play the game now, rather than having to wait another 2+ years until next generation, only to play a hypothetical "slightly better" version. Now Xbox players can play the game on their preferred system and if they choose to buy a new gen system in a few years, with "Magnus" they'll have the option between the Xbox and the Steam versions.
There is more of a power delta between the X and the Pro than there is between base PS5 and the X. Anything the X can do, the Pro can do better—but it doesn’t.
While the PS5 Pro's graphical performance is 45% faster than the base PS5, it still has the same CPU. I guess PSSR has been a bit oversold, the quality improvements differ widely from game to game. Maybe next year's version will improve it.
As things stand, the X version is the ‘best’ version but it’s a poorly optimized port that’s only marginally better than the already garbage PS5 version.
Not sure if everyone would agree with you, as the Silent Hill 2 Remake sold quite well on PS5.
@Balaam_ I played this on pro and it was absolutely fine I don’t get the criticism
Digital Foundry had an analysis video when Silent Hill 2 Remake launched showing how PSSR on the PS5 Pro has some distracting visual noise. That's what @Balaam_ might be referring to.
@EdgarTheBug This year's Call of Duty does feel a bit like a filler. Reminds me of Black Ops 4, which didn't have a campaign and only added the battle royale mode.
I wouldn't bet on any major changes to the engine to make it "current gen" . The engine is fairly versitile and looks decent enough, there are millions of players still on Xbox One and PS4, and Microsoft promised to release Call of Duty on Nintendo hardware.
With this year's Call of Duty Balck Ops 7 reception being less favorable, I wonder what sort of discussions are going on at Microsoft and Activision when they compare the performance to Battlefield.
I don't remember anything noteworthy from the 20th Xbox anniversary apart from a multi part documentary. So I don't expect anything exciting from the 25th anniversary.
@Runex2121 That is quite the interesting statement being said by several Steam Deck and Xbox ROG Ally X owners that they are spending more time playing on these PC handheld than on a big screen due to having a little time to play and these devices are easy to pick up.
I don't quite see the point Ampere Analysis research director Piers Harding-Rolls is trying to make. Microsoft has clearly given up on trying to promote and sell Xbox Series consoles, so I don't think they're planning on having GTA 6 sell more Xbox Series consoles.
On the contrary, if Microsoft releases their next gen PC Xbox and it would run GTA 6 at a better performance than any other console, I could see that being a a decent sales boost - that is if the next PC Xbox can run GTA 6 if Rockstar plans to release a PC version at a later stage like they did with GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2.
This is one of Xbox’s first and most successful pivots, namely the acknowledgment that Forza Motorpsort just can’t beat the ambition and lavish attention to detail of the GT games, so they needed to carve out a new path.
While Gran Turismo is definitely the better track racing series now, I think there is room for both Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport and they could learn from one another.
In my opinion the problems with the most recent Forza Motorsport game is that it launched with less content than previous titles, the gameplay changes ("CarPG") didn't click with the playerbase, the visual improvements aren't that big and it still has an identity crisis regarding the target audience (casual players vs. sim-cade fans), as seen with the less optimal support of racing wheels (controller players are oftentimes faster, wheel force feedback is inaccurate), questionable penalty system in online modes and no qualifying in the single-player career mode.
I enjoyed FM3 and FM7 a lot, but after having played Project CARS with a racing wheel for several dozens of hours, I feel like the recent Forza Motorsport should have been much better.
Even if there were a few bumps along the way, overall, it went really well.
I wouldn't call Microsoft Xbox's actions just "a few bumps", with 5 or so closed or spun off studios, several cancelled games (Perfect Dark, Everwild, Contraband, Blackbird), price increases for hardware and subscriptions, and thousands of layed off people since the ABK acquisition.
@dskatter Personally I haven't played the original Marathon games from the 90s, but I guess for fans of the original games, this new multiplayer-only game is a letdown. I actually really like the aesthetic design and the grim sci-fi setting of this new Marathon, but I am not quite sold on the multiplayer-only experience and even as part of the beta feedback I expressed my desire for a single-player campaign.
@dskatter I played the Marathon beta a few weeks ago, I'm of course not allowed to talk about it due to an NDA, but it's not a terrible game. The problem is that it's not what people want Bungie to make, it doesn't have a mainstream appeal and at this point Marathon doesn't seem to have that "genre defining" impact Halo and Destiny had.
It seems like Bungie had no good plan what to do after Destiny 2 ends. Marathon as a PvPvE extraction shooter feels kind of like a filler until the next big game (probably Destiny 3) comes along. But that plan doesn't roll with a publicly traded parent company which expects a steady growth and a return of investment.
Personally I'll switch to Essential, my backlog is way too large to care about new releases on GamePass.
But regarding the GamePass price increase, people should compare the price plans to other subscription services (especially ad-free) like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and of course PS Plus and see how GamePass compares. I was shocked to see Netflix Premium costing 20 Euros per month.
@Fiendish-Beaver Thank you for sharing your gaming history. I see your an enthusiastic Xbox gamer. Personally I also prefer playing on Xbox, though I owned some PlayStation and Nintendo devices over the years. But I don't want to worry too much about what is out of my control.
I believe the "next Xbox" might potentially be what you already have as your gaming PC. I can see Microsoft trying to transfer as many Xbox features as possible to Windows, including some form of compatibility to old Xbox console games.
@Dm9982 Maybe Epic can create a more lightweight version of Lumen for gaming handheld devices such as Switch 2. I don't think older games would get ported to a new UE5 version, but at least future releases could benefit from it.
@Fiendish-Beaver We'll see in due time how the Xbox hardware side will evolve. My advice is not to care too much what will be in the future. Enjoy what you currently have, Xbox Series consoles get continued support. And when next generation launches, take your time to decide which platform suits your needs the best. 😉
I agree with Reggie, Xbox is now multi-platform, so they should port more games to Switch 2, especially if they want to increase profitability across all studios. Optimizing games for the Xbox ROG Ally could also help for Switch 2 versions.
Forza Horizon 5, South of Midnight, Sea of Thieves, Grounded 2 would do well on Switch 2. I can imagine though that some games might not be viable from a technical standpoint. Unreal Engine 5 games like the recently announced Halo Remake, Oblivion Remastered and Hellblade 2 could prove to be too difficult to port. Or games which rely on a steady internet connection like MS Flight Simulator.
At least Microsoft should fulfill the promise of bringing Call of Duty to Switch 2.
@Cakefish I can see them advertising a new "1-hand accessibility feature" where you can play Stellar Blade with one hand on your phone, leaving the other hand free for... other things. 😏
@Kramlar Difference is Death Stranding was 5 years old when it came to Xbox. SH2 is only a year old and its still full price on PS5
I guess, those on Xbox who waited over 1 year for the Silent Hill 2 Remake to come to Xbox can wait a few more weeks/months for a discount. The lowest price on PSN for the game was $34.99 in July.
I personally really like Halo 4. It's not as excellent as the Bungie developed Halo games, but it's still a very good Halo game. I liked the story, especially the dynamic between Cortana and the Master Chief. Love the graphics and visuals, hard to believe the Xbox 360 coupd render that. The multiplayer was also quite decent, and spec ops felt like a bonus on top. The Prometheans aren't as interesting as the Flood, that side of Halo felt more like a downgrade.
I loved Halo 5's multiplayer, especially that large-scale Warzone mode, but the story campaign was rather forgettable.
@Markatron84 I understand your point. But the way I see it, at the moment Sony is already giving that treatment to Steam players where they delay PC releases to get players to buy their games on the PlayStation store. They would stop doing that if it hurts their business that much. A proprietary PC launcher would extend the PlayStation platform (including additional active PSN accounts).
Unless, of course, Sony brings out its own PC launcher and makes all of its games exclusive to it. Are the PlayStation higher-ups that stupid? Time will tell. But what I can already tell you is that if they are that stupid, PC players won't stand for it.
@Banjo-
As others have said, this is coming "soon" so it's not related to another PS device. If Sony is considering abandoning Steam and starting its own PC store just to prevent the next Xbox from running Sony's games, an idea worthy of the biggest Sony fanboy's dreams but somehow credible, Sony's going to hit a very thick wall. They would alienate PC players, including those that supported Sony games on Steam.
Abandoning Steam wouldn't be very unwise, based on how many PC gamers reacted when some games became "time exclusive" to the Epic Games Store. But Sony has been already applying a "time exclusivity" to PlayStation published single-player games for 1-2 years on PC like in the case of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Stellar Blade, Death Stranding 1/2 and God of War Ragnarok. They could continue that practice on Steam and Epic Games Store, and release games day 1 on PC via their own proprietary store/launcher where they earn 100% for 1st party games. Usually the marketing buzz and hype is the highest around the launch of a game, so it makes sense to use that moment to launch on as many devices as possible.
Nexbox can play pc games from steam, gog, epic, etc. So theoretically they're gonna play ps pc ports. Sony is like fcuk that. We'll build our own pc store(..with hookers and slots!) and not allow it to run on the nexbox.
@Sindayl
Console war is over, my butt. The only one saying that is Microsoft, just to shove the fact that their first-party games are going to PS5 down Xbox fans’ throats. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sony pulled another shady move like saying, « This platform is not compatible with the PlayStation PC launcher.» when trying to install it on a future Xbox device.
I don't see how Sony could launch a PC store/launcher which they would block on Windows PC's with an Xbox branding, unless they would restrict their PC launcher to Linux OS.
Also, if Sony releases a PC launcher, why should they block it on an Xbox-branded gaming PC? It's a PC, so blocking the access to the PC launcher would defeat the point of releasing it on PC. Would they block it also on other devices like the Asus Xbox Rog Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and MSI Claw handhelds if they run Windows in the new "Xbox full screen mode"? It just doesn't make sense, especially since Sony earns 100% from their sold 1st party games and 30% from 3rd party games via the launcher and every user would need to create a PSN account to be able to purchase something. They don't profit from selling console hardware, they profit from selling games, so having the launcher on other devices makes a lot of sense business-wise.
Hypothetical question: If Sony could release a storefront on Xbox Series consoles, where they earn 100% from all transactions via that storefront, do you think they would do it or not?
If the label is really meant for PC/console cross-buy releases, then a PC store/launcher might be good if Sony doesn't want Steam and Epic Games Store to get 12-30% per sold game. PC players who buy their games on the PlayStation store would require a PSN account. Such a store might also be available on whatever Microsoft Xbox is creating next.
But of course it would reduce the appeal for PlayStation consoles, as PlayStation games would be available on other devices, maybe even day 1 with the PlayStation console releases.
I bet Sony has several business and data analysts who crunched the numbers, to get to a decision.
Seeing more PlayStation 1st party games published on Xbox would be welcome. Helldivers 2 did quite well apparently. But I wouldn't read to much into this survey, an official statement from the publisher would be better.
@OldGamer999 It's Halloween, it's a weekend (no work). People are looking for horror games and movies. Some Twitch/YouTube streamers will have a Halloween special. Many gaming sites are listing the top horror games for the season. And one of the most successful horror games of the recent years skips the moment. 🤷🏼
If only it where PVE only. I just cannot do extractions shooters with pvp. Had way to many negative experiences in the divisions darkzones. So I won't be experiencing this game.
That's a difficult topic, which also often comes up in games like Sea of Thieves. Some players, who mostly play single player games, might want to play such a game due to its visuals, world, mechanics, but they don't want to engage in PvP.
The problem is (especially in Sea of Thieves), without the PvP part the PvE side becomes fairly predictable and boring. The PvP part is what makes the experience unpredictable and exciting.
The biggest hurdle for new players is to accept that "losing" is part of the intended experience (kind of like in Souls-like games) and each defeat should be an opportunity to learn something new and do better next time.
@TrollOfWar do you really think there is more fans of Dead Space than Silent Hill? Hmm...
Not really honestly. When Dead Space 1 & 2 released, those games had a bigger playerbase than any Silent Hill game, but now thanks to Silent Hill 2 Remake and Silent Hill f the series is more popular than ever. On the other hand the Dead Space franchise seems a bit forgotten, even after the fabulous remake from a few years ago.
My comment was more to deflate the 3rd comment from that troll trying to flame console war debates. 😉
@TheMule1983 True, the Silent Hills fanbase isn't so big compared to Resident Evil or Dead Space, but still it's a good series and one shouldn't downplay it's achievements.
What a huge missed opportunity to not have it release for Halloween on Xbox. Not sure if the Silent Hill 2 Remake can invoke the Christmas spirit when it releases in a month or two.
@themightyant I believe Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond do care about gaming and growing the market and I guess it was Phil's idea to have a cheaper Xbox Series S console to lower the entry price into this generation. But aver since the ABK acquisition they aren't really in charge of making decisions anymore. Those are done on a level above them. I appreciate Phil's "gamer" comments which clearly shows that he cares about gaming, but those comments are often at odds with what the Microsoft corporation is communicating and mandating.
Having some awkward dual boot system where your Xbox library is confined to a deprecated legacy OS that never gets updated whilst all the new games and Steam lives on the Windows side wouldn’t be a very elegant solution at all. One OS, one login (well aside from Steam obviously), all the games seamlessly integrated - that’s the dream!
I think a dual boot OS system would be totally unnecessary, as technically it is already possible to solve it with a translation layer to get Xbox One games running on Windows, and as you mentioned Microsoft would want to avoid that situation where they need to update a legacy OS separately.
Also I wonder what other can of worms they would open with a dual boot system. How much space do they need to reserve on the SSD for both systems? Since a dual boot hybrid system is both a console and a PC, how does licensing of new Xbox Series games work? Are they licensed for a PC or a console? Or will "Play Anywhere" be mandatory for new games going forward and a game license will apply for both the console and PC? What if you bought a "Play Anywhere" game on such a dual boot hybrid devices, can you download it twices (once for the legacy console OS and once for Windows)?
Re: using the XBox One BC solution... I sincerely hope NOT. That only accounts for a small proportion of the Xbox 360 & OG Xbox libraries. From memory this is about 25% for 360 and 6% for OG Xbox. That is not a decent solution. Imagine not being able to play 75% of your series X games on neXtbox... not going to happen.
To be honest, I don't know how Microsoft Xbox is planing to achieve compatibility to Xbox One and Series consoles, but from a technical point of view I think they can achieve it. The hardware and software architecture of Xbox One and Series consoles are closer to modern Windows PCs than the previous Xbox generations, so maybe a translation layer and the compatibility planned with AMD might solve the compatibility of Xbox One and Series games. Some modders already developed a translation layer for Windows, which allows Xbox One games to run on a PC by translating Xbox-specific calls into Windows equivalent, rather than through hardware emulation. If modders can do it then Microsoft developers can also do it. My suggestion for emulation is for the og Xbox and Xbox 360 games. I think those work fine on Xbox One.
But the problematic part is regarding 3rd party licensing, just as it was the case with backward compatibility on Xbor One consoles. 3rd party games where the license owners don't agree with having the game licenses meant for consoles made available to PC for free, might probably not work.
I agree that "Play Anywhere" games is a decent solution going forward, but not good enough for backward compatibility if it doesn't apply to old games.
The other, bigger, challenge for me is that consoles were subsidised as you made the money back through software sales, etc... in the walled garden. MS will be cutting themselves off from a massive revenue stream by opening to steam, epic, gog, etc... that money has to be pulled back from somewhere.
The whole report from Jez the other day felt like they were just saying positive quotes to change the focus. Free online is a brilliant thing, but how many people got merged from gold to GP and only want online play. If that goes free, its more money that will likely be heaped on the cost of the box.
I think the "subsidized console price" business practice only works as long as the people who buy your console also invest in many games, services and licensed peripherals over the years. If, this is just a guess, half of the 30 million Xbox Series console purchases were made by people who only bought 1-2 games and maybe subscribed to GamePass to play games, and maybe bought games they liked on other platforms then Xbox has lost a lot of money on those subsidized consoles. Does the active playerbase spend enough to compensate for the non-active playerbase? Not sure if my thinking is accurate, but I guess Microsoft has the necessary that to see how profitable their Xbox userbase is and it influenced their decision for going multiplatform.
In that sense, if they sell the new hardware at a small profit, then at least they have the hardware and releated licensing costs covered, no matter what the owners plan to do with the device. Microsoft will anyways sell their games on Steam and PlayStation, where more people will buy their games than on Xbox.
But as an avid gamer and consumer this also concerns me, as I don't like how prices are increasing and gaming is becoming less affordable for many people. Gaming should be more accessible for new comers, not harder. This will just push people to mobile and free-to-play games.
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Re: Phil Spencer Was Asked About Xbox's 'Unusual Strategy' In 2019, And The Answers Are Still Relevant Six Years Later
I wonder what happened that it took Microsoft so many years to get any progress on the Windows/PC side?
Also it would be interesting to know how "a great Xbox in home" translates to their future plans?
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Project Motor Racing
I loved playing Project CARS with a racing wheel. This game looks interesting, but seems like many patches are needed to get this into a good shape.
Re: Bethesda Wants To Do More Shadow Drops Following Hi-Fi RUSH & Oblivion Remastered
From a publisher's perspective, they definitely would like more shadow drops. Less marketing expenses, no disgruntled fans if promised releases get pushed back, no negative day 1 reviews.
But this tactic doesn't work for everyone. Your dev studio needs a good reputation, or the franchise needs to be super popular for this to work well.
Re: Xbox Developers Are Reportedly 'Thrilled' To Release Their Games On PS5
Of course they are. Every developer wishes for their game to be played by as many people as possible, no matter which platform.
I bet PlayStation devs would be just as "thrilled" to bring their games to other platforms, including Nintendo and Xbox.
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
@Titntin You're welcome. Enjoy the game. 😉
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
@Titntin
Did you play on "quality" or "performance" mode? According to Digital Foundry the 1.06 patch released in November 2024 disabled PSSR upscaling in "performance" mode, resulting in less distracting visual shimmering noise. PSSR is still active in "quality" mode. Link: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2024-df-weekly-silent-hill-2-patched-on-ps5-pro-and-pssr-is-gone-from-the-performance-mode
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Is Rolling Out Now On Xbox, And It's Discounted By 50% At Launch
@MaccaMUFC
Silent Hill 2 has one of the best "psychological" stories in horror games and has a strong cult following. The story is stand-alone so there is no connection, unlike SH1 and 3.
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
@Balaam_
You're the first person here to call it a "win", and then take it back. The visual/performance differences between PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X are less visible than game comparisons between PS2 & Xbox or PS3 & Xbox 360. I guess some fanboys like to label these comparison videos as a "win" for their favorite brand, as the number of exclusive games has diminished over the years and now they need new things to compare in online "console war" debates.
It's a bit harsh to call it "lousy, incompetent ‘optimization’" just because the PS5 Pro version doesn't perform better than the other versions. Even larger studios with more budget and experienced developers have a difficult time optimizing Unreal Engine 5 games. Konami chose Bloober Team because they are located in Poland, so they are cheaper than other studios and they are experienced in horror games. Also I would guess that Bloober Team had a tight schedule to deliver the game and might have received PS5 Pro dev kits shortly before the planned release.
Had the Silent Hill 2 Remake been developed in-house at PlayStation, it would have been a more expensive project and probably Sony might have liked to have a share of the revenue. Most of the PlayStation studios are located in the west so the developers have higher salaries and many of those studios were busy with their own live-service projects when development started on the Silent Hill 2 Remake.
I guess many people prefer to play the game now, rather than having to wait another 2+ years until next generation, only to play a hypothetical "slightly better" version. Now Xbox players can play the game on their preferred system and if they choose to buy a new gen system in a few years, with "Magnus" they'll have the option between the Xbox and the Steam versions.
While the PS5 Pro's graphical performance is 45% faster than the base PS5, it still has the same CPU. I guess PSSR has been a bit oversold, the quality improvements differ widely from game to game. Maybe next year's version will improve it.
Not sure if everyone would agree with you, as the Silent Hill 2 Remake sold quite well on PS5.
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
@GamingGod
Digital Foundry had an analysis video when Silent Hill 2 Remake launched showing how PSSR on the PS5 Pro has some distracting visual noise. That's what @Balaam_ might be referring to.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Have Any Plans For Xbox 360's Big Birthday Weekend?
Played some Burnout Revenge (Xbox 360 version) last night.
Re: Thank Goodness You're Here! Is Bringing Its Absurd 'Slapformer' To Xbox This December
I've heard a lot of good stuff about this. Might give it a try
Re: Battlefield 6 Is An Absolute Smash Hit, The Best-Selling Game On Xbox In 2025 So Far (US)
@EdgarTheBug This year's Call of Duty does feel a bit like a filler. Reminds me of Black Ops 4, which didn't have a campaign and only added the battle royale mode.
I wouldn't bet on any major changes to the engine to make it "current gen" . The engine is fairly versitile and looks decent enough, there are millions of players still on Xbox One and PS4, and Microsoft promised to release Call of Duty on Nintendo hardware.
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Is Rolling Out Now On Xbox, And It's Discounted By 50% At Launch
@AgentCooper
Thanks for the info, might get it next month then.
Re: Battlefield 6 Is An Absolute Smash Hit, The Best-Selling Game On Xbox In 2025 So Far (US)
Nice to see Battlefield 6 back in good form.
With this year's Call of Duty Balck Ops 7 reception being less favorable, I wonder what sort of discussions are going on at Microsoft and Activision when they compare the performance to Battlefield.
Re: Talking Point: Xbox Is 24 Years Old Today, What Do You Expect From Next Year's 25th Birthday?
I don't remember anything noteworthy from the 20th Xbox anniversary apart from a multi part documentary. So I don't expect anything exciting from the 25th anniversary.
Re: ROG Xbox Ally X Demand Has 'Exceeded Expectations' And ASUS Is Ramping Up Production
@Runex2121 That is quite the interesting statement being said by several Steam Deck and Xbox ROG Ally X owners that they are spending more time playing on these PC handheld than on a big screen due to having a little time to play and these devices are easy to pick up.
Re: Analyst Questions Whether Next Xbox & PS6 Could Slip To 2028 Following GTA Delay
I don't quite see the point Ampere Analysis research director Piers Harding-Rolls is trying to make. Microsoft has clearly given up on trying to promote and sell Xbox Series consoles, so I don't think they're planning on having GTA 6 sell more Xbox Series consoles.
On the contrary, if Microsoft releases their next gen PC Xbox and it would run GTA 6 at a better performance than any other console, I could see that being a a decent sales boost - that is if the next PC Xbox can run GTA 6 if Rockstar plans to release a PC version at a later stage like they did with GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Re: Reaction: As Gran Turismo 7 Gets A Major 2025 Expansion, Forza Motorsport Deserved More
@Balaam_
While Gran Turismo is definitely the better track racing series now, I think there is room for both Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport and they could learn from one another.
In my opinion the problems with the most recent Forza Motorsport game is that it launched with less content than previous titles, the gameplay changes ("CarPG") didn't click with the playerbase, the visual improvements aren't that big and it still has an identity crisis regarding the target audience (casual players vs. sim-cade fans), as seen with the less optimal support of racing wheels (controller players are oftentimes faster, wheel force feedback is inaccurate), questionable penalty system in online modes and no qualifying in the single-player career mode.
I enjoyed FM3 and FM7 a lot, but after having played Project CARS with a racing wheel for several dozens of hours, I feel like the recent Forza Motorsport should have been much better.
Re: Sony's Purchase Of Former Xbox Studio Bungie Isn't Exactly Going To Plan
@fatpunkslim
I wouldn't call Microsoft Xbox's actions just "a few bumps", with 5 or so closed or spun off studios, several cancelled games (Perfect Dark, Everwild, Contraband, Blackbird), price increases for hardware and subscriptions, and thousands of layed off people since the ABK acquisition.
Re: Sony's Purchase Of Former Xbox Studio Bungie Isn't Exactly Going To Plan
@dskatter Personally I haven't played the original Marathon games from the 90s, but I guess for fans of the original games, this new multiplayer-only game is a letdown. I actually really like the aesthetic design and the grim sci-fi setting of this new Marathon, but I am not quite sold on the multiplayer-only experience and even as part of the beta feedback I expressed my desire for a single-player campaign.
Re: Sony's Purchase Of Former Xbox Studio Bungie Isn't Exactly Going To Plan
@dskatter I played the Marathon beta a few weeks ago, I'm of course not allowed to talk about it due to an NDA, but it's not a terrible game. The problem is that it's not what people want Bungie to make, it doesn't have a mainstream appeal and at this point Marathon doesn't seem to have that "genre defining" impact Halo and Destiny had.
Re: Sony's Purchase Of Former Xbox Studio Bungie Isn't Exactly Going To Plan
It seems like Bungie had no good plan what to do after Destiny 2 ends. Marathon as a PvPvE extraction shooter feels kind of like a filler until the next big game (probably Destiny 3) comes along. But that plan doesn't roll with a publicly traded parent company which expects a steady growth and a return of investment.
Re: Poll: Now That The Dust Has Settled, Which Xbox Game Pass Tier Are You Subscribed To?
Personally I'll switch to Essential, my backlog is way too large to care about new releases on GamePass.
But regarding the GamePass price increase, people should compare the price plans to other subscription services (especially ad-free) like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and of course PS Plus and see how GamePass compares. I was shocked to see Netflix Premium costing 20 Euros per month.
Re: Helldivers 2 Is Doing 'Extremely Well', Thanks In Part To 'Attracting New Users On Xbox'
Hopefully the successful release of Helldivers 2 on Xbox will result in more PlayStation games releasing on Xbox.
Re: Ex-Nintendo Boss: Xbox Isn't 'Directly' Competing Anymore, But There'll Always Be A War
@Fiendish-Beaver Thank you for sharing your gaming history. I see your an enthusiastic Xbox gamer. Personally I also prefer playing on Xbox, though I owned some PlayStation and Nintendo devices over the years. But I don't want to worry too much about what is out of my control.
I believe the "next Xbox" might potentially be what you already have as your gaming PC. I can see Microsoft trying to transfer as many Xbox features as possible to Windows, including some form of compatibility to old Xbox console games.
Re: Former Nintendo President 'Surprised' That Xbox Hasn't 'Fully Embraced' Switch 2
@Dm9982 Maybe Epic can create a more lightweight version of Lumen for gaming handheld devices such as Switch 2. I don't think older games would get ported to a new UE5 version, but at least future releases could benefit from it.
Re: Ex-Nintendo Boss: Xbox Isn't 'Directly' Competing Anymore, But There'll Always Be A War
@Fiendish-Beaver We'll see in due time how the Xbox hardware side will evolve. My advice is not to care too much what will be in the future. Enjoy what you currently have, Xbox Series consoles get continued support. And when next generation launches, take your time to decide which platform suits your needs the best. 😉
Re: Ex-Nintendo Boss: Xbox Isn't 'Directly' Competing Anymore, But There'll Always Be A War
Re: Former Nintendo President 'Surprised' That Xbox Hasn't 'Fully Embraced' Switch 2
I agree with Reggie, Xbox is now multi-platform, so they should port more games to Switch 2, especially if they want to increase profitability across all studios. Optimizing games for the Xbox ROG Ally could also help for Switch 2 versions.
Forza Horizon 5, South of Midnight, Sea of Thieves, Grounded 2 would do well on Switch 2. I can imagine though that some games might not be viable from a technical standpoint. Unreal Engine 5 games like the recently announced Halo Remake, Oblivion Remastered and Hellblade 2 could prove to be too difficult to port. Or games which rely on a steady internet connection like MS Flight Simulator.
At least Microsoft should fulfill the promise of bringing Call of Duty to Switch 2.
Re: Hit PS5 Exclusive Stellar Blade May Be On The Way To Xbox In The Near Future
@Cakefish I can see them advertising a new "1-hand accessibility feature" where you can play Stellar Blade with one hand on your phone, leaving the other hand free for... other things. 😏
Re: Hit PS5 Exclusive Stellar Blade May Be On The Way To Xbox In The Near Future
They are definitely talking about an Apple iOS release. 😁
Jokes aside, it would do well on Xbox. The question is if PlayStation would publish the game like they did on other platforms or someone else?
Re: Xbox Store Accidentally Leaks November Release Date For Silent Hill 2
@DennisReynolds
I guess, those on Xbox who waited over 1 year for the Silent Hill 2 Remake to come to Xbox can wait a few more weeks/months for a discount. The lowest price on PSN for the game was $34.99 in July.
Re: Talking Point: Exactly 13 Years Later, How Are You Feeling About Halo 4 These Days?
I personally really like Halo 4. It's not as excellent as the Bungie developed Halo games, but it's still a very good Halo game. I liked the story, especially the dynamic between Cortana and the Master Chief. Love the graphics and visuals, hard to believe the Xbox 360 coupd render that. The multiplayer was also quite decent, and spec ops felt like a bonus on top. The Prometheans aren't as interesting as the Flood, that side of Halo felt more like a downgrade.
I loved Halo 5's multiplayer, especially that large-scale Warzone mode, but the story campaign was rather forgettable.
Re: Sony May Be Preparing Its Own Version Of Xbox Play Anywhere For PS5 & PC
@Markatron84 I understand your point. But the way I see it, at the moment Sony is already giving that treatment to Steam players where they delay PC releases to get players to buy their games on the PlayStation store. They would stop doing that if it hurts their business that much. A proprietary PC launcher would extend the PlayStation platform (including additional active PSN accounts).
Re: Sony May Be Preparing Its Own Version Of Xbox Play Anywhere For PS5 & PC
@themightyant
I can only imagine what shareholders would say if Sony would intentionally block their own launcher on Xbox branded devices.
😄
Re: Sony May Be Preparing Its Own Version Of Xbox Play Anywhere For PS5 & PC
@Markatron84
@Banjo-
Abandoning Steam wouldn't be very unwise, based on how many PC gamers reacted when some games became "time exclusive" to the Epic Games Store. But Sony has been already applying a "time exclusivity" to PlayStation published single-player games for 1-2 years on PC like in the case of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Stellar Blade, Death Stranding 1/2 and God of War Ragnarok. They could continue that practice on Steam and Epic Games Store, and release games day 1 on PC via their own proprietary store/launcher where they earn 100% for 1st party games. Usually the marketing buzz and hype is the highest around the launch of a game, so it makes sense to use that moment to launch on as many devices as possible.
Re: Sony May Be Preparing Its Own Version Of Xbox Play Anywhere For PS5 & PC
@VeganH
@Sindayl
I don't see how Sony could launch a PC store/launcher which they would block on Windows PC's with an Xbox branding, unless they would restrict their PC launcher to Linux OS.
Also, if Sony releases a PC launcher, why should they block it on an Xbox-branded gaming PC? It's a PC, so blocking the access to the PC launcher would defeat the point of releasing it on PC. Would they block it also on other devices like the Asus Xbox Rog Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and MSI Claw handhelds if they run Windows in the new "Xbox full screen mode"? It just doesn't make sense, especially since Sony earns 100% from their sold 1st party games and 30% from 3rd party games via the launcher and every user would need to create a PSN account to be able to purchase something. They don't profit from selling console hardware, they profit from selling games, so having the launcher on other devices makes a lot of sense business-wise.
Hypothetical question: If Sony could release a storefront on Xbox Series consoles, where they earn 100% from all transactions via that storefront, do you think they would do it or not?
Re: Sony May Be Preparing Its Own Version Of Xbox Play Anywhere For PS5 & PC
If the label is really meant for PC/console cross-buy releases, then a PC store/launcher might be good if Sony doesn't want Steam and Epic Games Store to get 12-30% per sold game. PC players who buy their games on the PlayStation store would require a PSN account. Such a store might also be available on whatever Microsoft Xbox is creating next.
But of course it would reduce the appeal for PlayStation consoles, as PlayStation games would be available on other devices, maybe even day 1 with the PlayStation console releases.
I bet Sony has several business and data analysts who crunched the numbers, to get to a decision.
Re: Xbox Is Questioning Fans About PS5 Game 'Ghost Of Yotei' In New Survey
Seeing more PlayStation 1st party games published on Xbox would be welcome. Helldivers 2 did quite well apparently. But I wouldn't read to much into this survey, an official statement from the publisher would be better.
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Has Been Rated For Xbox Series X|S In The US
@OldGamer999 It's Halloween, it's a weekend (no work). People are looking for horror games and movies. Some Twitch/YouTube streamers will have a Halloween special. Many gaming sites are listing the top horror games for the season. And one of the most successful horror games of the recent years skips the moment. 🤷🏼
Re: Opinion: ARC Raiders Is One Of The Most Visually Impressive Multiplayer Games I've Ever Played
@Simu001
That's a difficult topic, which also often comes up in games like Sea of Thieves. Some players, who mostly play single player games, might want to play such a game due to its visuals, world, mechanics, but they don't want to engage in PvP.
The problem is (especially in Sea of Thieves), without the PvP part the PvE side becomes fairly predictable and boring. The PvP part is what makes the experience unpredictable and exciting.
The biggest hurdle for new players is to accept that "losing" is part of the intended experience (kind of like in Souls-like games) and each defeat should be an opportunity to learn something new and do better next time.
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Has Been Rated For Xbox Series X|S In The US
@DeadSpace
Not really honestly. When Dead Space 1 & 2 released, those games had a bigger playerbase than any Silent Hill game, but now thanks to Silent Hill 2 Remake and Silent Hill f the series is more popular than ever. On the other hand the Dead Space franchise seems a bit forgotten, even after the fabulous remake from a few years ago.
My comment was more to deflate the 3rd comment from that troll trying to flame console war debates. 😉
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Has Been Rated For Xbox Series X|S In The US
@TheMule1983 True, the Silent Hills fanbase isn't so big compared to Resident Evil or Dead Space, but still it's a good series and one shouldn't downplay it's achievements.
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Has Been Rated For Xbox Series X|S In The US
@Lup Lowest price on PSN $34.99
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Has Been Rated For Xbox Series X|S In The US
What a huge missed opportunity to not have it release for Halloween on Xbox. Not sure if the Silent Hill 2 Remake can invoke the Christmas spirit when it releases in a month or two.
Re: Opinion: ARC Raiders Is One Of The Most Visually Impressive Multiplayer Games I've Ever Played
@ElPadre666 It ran quite well in the "server slam" beta a week ago. 60fps on Xbox Series X.
Re: Microsoft CEO Says Xbox 'Wants To Innovate' With Its Next-Gen Console
@themightyant I believe Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond do care about gaming and growing the market and I guess it was Phil's idea to have a cheaper Xbox Series S console to lower the entry price into this generation. But aver since the ABK acquisition they aren't really in charge of making decisions anymore. Those are done on a level above them. I appreciate Phil's "gamer" comments which clearly shows that he cares about gaming, but those comments are often at odds with what the Microsoft corporation is communicating and mandating.
Re: Microsoft CEO Says Xbox 'Wants To Innovate' With Its Next-Gen Console
@Cakefish
I think a dual boot OS system would be totally unnecessary, as technically it is already possible to solve it with a translation layer to get Xbox One games running on Windows, and as you mentioned Microsoft would want to avoid that situation where they need to update a legacy OS separately.
Also I wonder what other can of worms they would open with a dual boot system. How much space do they need to reserve on the SSD for both systems? Since a dual boot hybrid system is both a console and a PC, how does licensing of new Xbox Series games work? Are they licensed for a PC or a console? Or will "Play Anywhere" be mandatory for new games going forward and a game license will apply for both the console and PC? What if you bought a "Play Anywhere" game on such a dual boot hybrid devices, can you download it twices (once for the legacy console OS and once for Windows)?
Re: Microsoft CEO Says Xbox 'Wants To Innovate' With Its Next-Gen Console
@themightyant
To be honest, I don't know how Microsoft Xbox is planing to achieve compatibility to Xbox One and Series consoles, but from a technical point of view I think they can achieve it. The hardware and software architecture of Xbox One and Series consoles are closer to modern Windows PCs than the previous Xbox generations, so maybe a translation layer and the compatibility planned with AMD might solve the compatibility of Xbox One and Series games. Some modders already developed a translation layer for Windows, which allows Xbox One games to run on a PC by translating Xbox-specific calls into Windows equivalent, rather than through hardware emulation. If modders can do it then Microsoft developers can also do it. My suggestion for emulation is for the og Xbox and Xbox 360 games. I think those work fine on Xbox One.
But the problematic part is regarding 3rd party licensing, just as it was the case with backward compatibility on Xbor One consoles. 3rd party games where the license owners don't agree with having the game licenses meant for consoles made available to PC for free, might probably not work.
I agree that "Play Anywhere" games is a decent solution going forward, but not good enough for backward compatibility if it doesn't apply to old games.
Re: Microsoft CEO Says Xbox 'Wants To Innovate' With Its Next-Gen Console
@Weebleman
I think the "subsidized console price" business practice only works as long as the people who buy your console also invest in many games, services and licensed peripherals over the years. If, this is just a guess, half of the 30 million Xbox Series console purchases were made by people who only bought 1-2 games and maybe subscribed to GamePass to play games, and maybe bought games they liked on other platforms then Xbox has lost a lot of money on those subsidized consoles. Does the active playerbase spend enough to compensate for the non-active playerbase? Not sure if my thinking is accurate, but I guess Microsoft has the necessary that to see how profitable their Xbox userbase is and it influenced their decision for going multiplatform.
In that sense, if they sell the new hardware at a small profit, then at least they have the hardware and releated licensing costs covered, no matter what the owners plan to do with the device. Microsoft will anyways sell their games on Steam and PlayStation, where more people will buy their games than on Xbox.
But as an avid gamer and consumer this also concerns me, as I don't like how prices are increasing and gaming is becoming less affordable for many people. Gaming should be more accessible for new comers, not harder. This will just push people to mobile and free-to-play games.