Vaako007

Any price for subsidized gamepass is good. So gamers are accustomed to cheap and don’t want to pay full price anyways. Even if GP was 70$ a month, it would still be a great deal. People and young lads used to have to work harder buy new games or visit GameStop for used. Even so GP is still a better deal and good value. I’ll still pay full price for my disks though!

@GhanaViking I gladly pay 70$ for physical games when possible to support my fellow professionals. I understand that subsidized gamepass is a good deal for modern Xbox gamers for now.

@Pastellioli if games that would have been previously multiplat before the buyout go to PS then okay. A game like Starfield would have gone to PlayStation. My hope is that Microsoft can leverage the additional revenue from the PS base and funnel that back into the Xbox ecosystem. Making exclusive content. I’m optimistic that Microsoft will keep some exclusive 1st party to themselves which they should. As every other company does rightfully so.

@MjJmediablogger Well no one is forcing anyone to buy vanity products for hobbies. Personally I prefer a stand alone console. As handheld devices will always be behind current console or PC based hardware due to current manufacturing capabilities. If we really do get a traditional xbox along with a handheld, it will be interesting for Microsoft. I just hope we get another Xbox generation at this point that leverages all of Microsoft studios properly with good first party content to keep their competitors on edge.

The only good thing to this is that perhaps the game will be more polished. It sucks for gamers whom own current hardware from Sony and Microsoft. They both really dropped the ball at this point with exclusive current generation content. At this rate, the next Xbox better have knock out content at launch from Microsoft’s numerous studios! Then again I’m not so confident that a next Xbox’s exclusive content will only be for that Xbox. Same for Sony. I wish they would keep the exclusives for current generation in which they are made. As the next consoles need to have beasts of CPUs to allow devs to really push in game worlds.

@OldGamer999 well it’s a lot easier and faster to add games to subsidized gamepass than it is for any firm to make them. This is what happens when people have nearly unlimited choice. A service like GP can become stagnant as you state. Just like every other streaming service that people complain about the content when there is an abundance of content.

Well they don't advertise the series consoles. The only time normies were advertised these consoles was before the launch. And throughout COVID since the series consoles were hard to get the hype died down. The over reliance on semiconductors being built in two places isn't completely Microsoft's fault but it played a part. And we cannot blame this generation on lack of exclusives. As the PS5 is in the same situation. The only current gen games I own for my PS5 are DD2 and FF16. Hopefully microsoft uses the leverage of their many studios to turn things around. No major new 1st party titles to PS5 and advertise. I hope that there is another next generation Xbox with a drive. If not I might have to buy another series X for hoarding purposes.

@NEStalgia I hear what you are saying. But overall consoles will still have a market share. A share in which there will still be a profit. Think of companies like Ford and lowercase gm whom got rid of many of their sedans since they say the market isn’t there. It’s still there but not as big as CUVs today. So instead of still making sedans that are competitor to still make money they just completely dropped.
There are different tiers of casual gamers. For the longest time many of us console and PC gamers wouldn’t consider mobile phone gamers a gamer. Now that market is huge since it’s so easy to develop a 100,000 derivative of the game Tetris. Which is why as we see today, Microsoft is evolving to have many pieces of the gaming pie to be everywhere. Which is why I think they will still stay with their hardware for the time being.
Integrated graphics chips are strong enough as you accurately state to run the basic games that many casuals like. Like any market there will be brands that define an industry and right now there is a race to be the premier “mobile” or handheld place to play while being a multi function device.
With all of that said the consoles will still have their role as among my nephews in their friends many of them want consoles still even just to play their favorite F2P games.

@Pabpictu don’t over rate the PC market. Most consumers are casual gamers and aren’t likely to buy a PC for gaming. No matter how cheap a decent gaming PC will be. Console gaming will always be cheaper and now steaming devices. I have a powerful gaming PC, PS5 and Xbox series X. For me PC is for strategy and simulation games. I exclusively play RPGs, FPS, and racing games on consoles. Something about sitting in front of a large screen with real surround sound from a A/V receiver. I just don’t see any evidence of PC being as significant for casual gamers as you indicate. As outside of niche groups like the folks on this site and push square most people aren’t talking about PC gaming. As to most people their PC is just for doing their school work. PC still has a nerdy connotation with it. Which is a great thing IMO. As console gaming has become watered down due to normies. I do think PC gaming could artificially grow depending on how Microsoft markets its PC games pass with cloud streaming. But even so that can hardly be considered PC gaming.

And so what if they do this! People need to get over the entitlement of cheap games that are nearly free on subsidized gamepass. All while expecting more and more! Subsidized gamepass is still the best deal in gaming if one is okay with not owning and being beholden to digital only. One can always pay full price for a new game that they desire outright like I do. This modern generation of gamers has gotten really spoiled. As when I was younger and could get a job, I had to work for additional PS3 and Xbox 360 games outside of the ones my parents got. And one was content with what they had as massive choice can warp ones perspective. This is just a vanity problem for this hobby.

@rustyduck I'm just waiting for that tier to come. Then they will include subsidized gamepass within that monthly fee. Then brag about the GP numbers like the did once Xbox Live went away. Then they will bury owning windows outright like they do for getting Microsoft word and PowerPoint.

I don't see any adverts for Xbox in any market really. They don't even really advertise for their subsidized gamepass service. They seem to operate on the within the know mindset. Which is odd considering Microsoft is a corporation and wants as many customers as possible.

I pre-order physical games that interest me. I don't mind paying full price for some new physical media that interests me. I support my fellow professionals. I'll never pre-order a digital console game nor wait for gamepass or another subscription service.

Subscription tiers change all the time with these entities. This is the downside of being beholden to the rental model. As one is truly beholden to the entity. It’s why I only buy my console game’s physically. Anyways people are making such a big deal out of this. The same people that want more from subsidized gamepass. It costs money to run a data center plus expand and upgrade servers. Infrastructure doesn’t come cheap. Also all of those deals Microsoft gets to get most games on GP cost as well. Plus they loose money on their big hits now on the Xbox side like Call of Duty by offering day on GP. Anyways in my teens I remember working to buy new games for my x360/ps3 outside of the ones that my parents got. Modern gamers have it much cheaper to play today on the Xbox camp.

@sarcasmasquach yup and it’s not cheap running data centers nor expanding racks in said data centers. People have become so entitled to cheap everything for the gaming hobby yet expect it all.

@IOI subsidized gamepass is still a great deal mate. For day one there is the option to buy new but I know most don’t want to do that. As 60$-70$ seems too high. The price increase is so small considering all that one gets. I don’t like GP but I admit it’s a great deal. I prefer to buy outright and support devs, well as long as I can get a physical copy. I agree with the other things you said about Xbox being confusing this generation.

@LX_FENIX yup and people fail to realize there are running costs for data centers. Inflation applies to every person and entity within the realm. The deals that MS does behind scenes to get all of these games go up in cost too just like server maintenance does. Even so the cost increase is still so low and GP is a great deal. It ought to be 60$ a month. Even then that is still a steal. Considering the old days in which one had to buy new games at full price or wait months for the price to go down. GP is still cheaper. Doesn’t matter for me as I’ll still buy physical games directly for as long as someone offers them.

@S1ayeR74 I’m a wishful thinker for the gaming industry. And I’ll still hope for a physical console even though the evidence points to what you state. Corporations are all gearing us up in a forceful manner to accept indefinite rentals on their terms through subscriptions. It’s already there across the software industry. Even car companies are trying to add subscriptions for functions that exist on one’s car.

Not sure why many are bemoaning about this slight increase for subsidized gamepass. Corporations also have bills to pay like electricity and property taxes to name a few. Data centers cost a lot of money. I think MS spoiled so many modern gamers with this service. I’m someone who still buys games physically and spend more in a year than the average gamepass user whom has more titles to play than me at anyone time. Even with delisting always being a possibility. People need to remember that gaming is a hobby. And like all hobbies there is a cost of entry. I don’t like subsidized gamepass but it’s a great deal for consumers.

@Fishysensei in exactly the same mate. I don’t give a toss about subsidized gamepass. I just want Xbox live back for online as I always buy games that interest me.

I still play this on my Series X through the developer mode. There is a MOD for this in which some developers took the time to make modern jerseys and make run at 4K.

For most people why buy a game full priced digitally when they can get it on subsidized gamepass. Then move on quickly if it’s not their taste.

My only hopes is that Microsoft still makes strong console hardware. As long as they have a strong PlayStation console equivalent with physical media, I’ll be a customer.

This game sequel is so disappointing to me. It’s still not good on PC. So those that don’t have a PC in addition to a console(s) aren’t missing out.

@johnK that’s not the case mate. Paradox is a PC game maker. So they are familiar to scaling code to run on multiple PCs. Via customizable settings for ones respective PC rig. The typical console game developer likes to blame the series s because they want all consoles to be exactly the same these days. Compared to better generations which had more bespoke consoles requiring different solutions per console. Series S is just a weaker series x with the same architecture. I digress cities skylines 2 has been horrible since launch on PC.

@themightyant the 1200hp car will be better assuming the same remedies are applied that the 1000hp car gets. Unless the 1000hp car gets handicaps since it is weaker by the racing authorities. Similar to the console situation, the PS5 gets optimization as the lead console. If it had 12 teraflops and the XSX 10.28, frames per second critic DF would be all over how Microsoft’s console struggles so much. Since developers works complain that they have to code for a less popular console.

These two consoles aren’t as different as people think. They aren’t so bespoke and special like past generations of any console. I find it funny how now all of a sudden that a nearly 2 teraflop lead that the series X has is suddenly insignificant. When the PS4 launched with 1.84 and the the Xbox one with 1.31, the Xbox was routinely roasted for it being “weak.” Outlets like DF always made sure to point out how poorly the Xbox one performed. As they could since the PS4 had the lead. Now that they have the lead with the PS5 by a large margin, PS5 has to have optimized code. Since the series X is stronger the code doesn’t have to be as optimized, as it can brute force its way to achieve the same results as the PS5. It all comes down to optimization. Raw power for anything will always be better if given the same treatment as something lesser. Microsoft just needs to make great exclusives to get back in the game at this point. They have the manpower.

I have both consoles with disc drives. Both have been a disappointment to me. I've mostly been playing last generation games and 7th generation games. Both studios have yet to release a current generation IP that isn't cross generation that impresses me. Fortunately I'm so behind with games from last generation because I took a hiatus from gaming that I have so much of a backlog. Otherwise this generation would be so boring. My biggest feature I love about the series X is developer mode. I have the best american football game on it and play it quite often. I hope MS never stops supporting this feature for Xbox.

@Tecinthehead i agree that the Xbox crowd tends to prefer action games. If this was a PlayStation studio that made this game people wouldn’t complain. As Sony was always know to invest in unique games that weren’t mainstream. I.e. Heavy Rain. But this isn’t even an organic MS IP.

Subsidized GamePass really takes away from revenue of new games. They are losing money with day one releases. With that said no one was expecting this game to be a knockout with the mainstream fans. One of my favorite games from the X360/PS3 era “Heavy Rain” is a niche game. Didn’t become mainstream and was a work of art. Doesn’t mean it was a bad game.

Not a problem if one owns the game physically. Physical media will never be delisted in the future when licensing terms change over time and royalty fees too. Physical media for console gaming is the way for games that one enjoys.

@themightyant yea many don’t realize it’s developers and design choices that scale back games. Today’s current generation is capable of 4K60 technically speaking. But there will be drawbacks in design and art style. In which developers will have to scale back their visions. It’s the same thing every generation. People want better graphics and a “next generation” title. So it’s a delicate balance these developers must manage with the current hardware they have. As the DF crowd will complain no matter what and especially for “weak” graphics. IMO 1440p@60fps. Should be the goal for consoles. Unless console consumers really want to fork out the money for an expensive and impressive box from Microsoft or Sony day 1 in which both companies take significant loses like previous more bespoke console generations.

Hopefully it has a real physical release. Same for all other big Xbox first part releases going forward.

@luke88 Indiana jones is an existing IP so IMO it cannot be Xbox’s version of uncharted. Their own version of that genre would be a newly created IP that plays like uncharted. As from what we have seen from this game it’s nearly identical to the movies.

I hope the music scores are good like the previous entries.

As long as it has a physical release as in disc + box and game fully on the disc. I’ll pre-order whenever it becomes available.

And please please do a physical release of the real Gears of War games 1-3.

@BBB sorry to hear that about your PS4 PRO. Many have had issues with those. A shame as the OG PS3 was the last greatly engineered Sony console IMO. It was bespoke and build quality excellent. Hopefully the PS5 pro is built better this time around.

Better than Sony's showcase days ago! I think many Xbox owners will be pleased. For me the only thing that I'm excited about is Gears and too early to say for Perfect Dark. I still think Fable is meh. A lot of games shown were expected from the newly acquired Studios. I still expected to see more from Microsofts older first party studios under their umbrella. Perhaps they are working on "next generation" titles for the biggest console leap according to Microsoft. Lastly I hope microsoft amends the pricing on all series consoles by making them cheaper and actually advertising the boxes!

Yes! The only game that excited me from tonight. Guess we aren’t getting a remastered trilogy….

Glad that they aren’t getting rid of the disc drive series X for the foreseeable future. It’s the better deal for those that buy games like me. I’ll still be hanging onto my current Series X.

Xbox one X is better because it has a disc drive giving an owner more real options for the future of that devices physical life.

I want no big Xbox exclusives on PlayStation ever. Just like Sony will never let their owned IPs on a competitors console as they need their hardware to sell. Rightfully so. Competition is a good thing for this gaming hobby. I sincerely hope that Xbox keeps all its 1st party games on its platform and turns this generation around! I say this as both console owners.

@Banjo- I’m sure they will raise the price again in the future. As third parties will up their fees for licensing depending on the success of games. Let’s say the next Xbox becomes the console leader for example with base that dwarfs PlayStation. Third parties will want a bigger cut for their licensing rights and GP will have to go up. The current GP numbers can be bragged about as Xbox live is done and everyone has to get a GP tier to play online.

Like I said before I have no interest in GP, I don’t like that I’m a part of it just to play online. I’d rather just have a tier that is for online. I truly don’t care for this subscription model for gaming nor do I like other subscription models for software. I buy games outright for my series X. I know I’m in the minority but I don’t like supporting this business model.

To be expected. I also expect a price increase for subsidized game pass going forward every other year or so. As the Xbox subsidiary needs the money to keep up with licensing fees for third party GP titles along with keeping up the development costs and salaries for its own internal studios. It’s a delicate balance to remain profitable. As COD games prior to the subscription model made a lot of money brand new for each unit outright. I just wish they would bring back a pure Xbox live lower tier because I don’t care for GP but just want to play online games that I own.

@nomither6 yes exactly! Until then I will keep enjoying nfl 2K5 on my series X!

Folks should just enjoy or try any game that fancies them. Not caring what critic bodies especially like DF have to say no matter the game. As it’s very easy to critic peoples work after the fact.

@NEStalgia yup they are really trying to force their AI on us. In windows 11 I had to research how to disable the AI near the search bar. Since Microsoft didn’t have the usual easy options to disable undesirable software.

@BleedingDreamer I used to have a 5.4.2 atmos setup but in my new place I only have a 5.2 system. Even so gamers are missing out on not having a true surround sound. Many games since the PS3/X360 have taken advantage of modern digital audio codecs. I cannot game or watch movies without some type of surround sound!

Surround sound is always better if one has it. A good AV receiver is a game changer for many games. People are missing out on the excellent audio for modern games if they don’t have at a minimum of 5.1.

People act as if 60 fps has been the standard for ambitious RPGs on consoles. Starfield as 30fps at launch wasn’t the issue with this game. Anyways 60 fps is achievable for any game type but developers must scale back the graphics or art style vision. Which would then cause complaints about the graphics being dated for current hardware. Developers have a tough time pleasing the console crowd these days whom expect a lot but don’t want to pay for good bespoke hardware at launch nor pay for new games which deserve a higher price.

Yes they need to price hike this service. So that they can continue to subsidize many games being available. Developers need to make a profit somehow and the Xbox subsidiary needs the cash to secure rights so that gamers can use GP which is great value. I don’t like it and will continue to outright support game developers as a fellow professional and buy new physical copies when possible.