Comments 548

Re: PS Plus Has 'Surpassed Expectations' Since Becoming More Like Xbox Game Pass

Weebleman

@Millionski true and, at the end of the day, all we can do is speculate as we will likely never know the inner workings of any of these companies.

I was just looking at the way things are at the minute and, for me, it paints a pretty clear picture when you look at the events. I do completley agree the abk deal was a massive factor. I just think that they made that deal to get more people into the eco system and, as a result, get more GP subs . It didn't work so they had to pivot massively.

Which ultimately again boils down to gamepass being the driver. Phil did say its on 15% of revenue, but thats the reality now. They wanted it to be much higher and it never happened. They made that clear in previous statements where they said their planned sub numbers by x year, which were massively over where they are now.

To be honest, the main reason why people aren't buying it is because they built a massive digital library last gen. As phil said, they lost the most important cycle. Getting folks to walk away from that library isnt gonna happen. The biggest group of gamers aren't like me or you. They are the casual market. As soon as they see 'take all your games with you', thats the way they will go.

On a side note, enjoyed the discussion my man. Always good to share opinions respectfully 🙂

Re: PS Plus Has 'Surpassed Expectations' Since Becoming More Like Xbox Game Pass

Weebleman

@Millionski Apologies man, I meant they had more subs and dont put games day one, not because of that. While numbers sold are also a likely factor, among many others no doubt, I just meant that as well as the sub fee, they also get the cut of the game sale as well.

Gamepass is not just to compliment the strategy for folks that want it, it is the strategy to bring customers in and, unfortunately, it hasn't worked out as they hoped. Its a brilliant service and exceptional value, but if it had been a success to the level they hoped, they wouldn't be porting games elsewhere.

They are struggling to shift consoles. They thought buying large publishers and putting all their games on gamepass day one would shift the needle. It didn't. They started releasing their games on rival machines. Let's not forget, phil implied that all these publishers games would be exclusives. Instead, we have Forza and Gears on playstation.

If Gamepass ceased tomorrow we would be hearing that xbox was done shortly after. They can't do that as aside from going full publisher, Gamepass is the main draw they have.

Re: PS Plus Has 'Surpassed Expectations' Since Becoming More Like Xbox Game Pass

Weebleman

@Isolte absolutely. I do wonder if they could go back, would they do it the same way. By not putting games day one, Sony has more subs (off last official released figures) and game sales as well. Where as xbox is porting all its major franchises.

Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't. The fact they locked day one (or four) games behind the highest tier makes me think they may have a tinge of regret as there's no putting that back in the box now its out. As you say though, Gamepass tips it but they both offer superb value and depending on where your tastes lie, you are well covered between them both.

Re: Gears Of War: Reloaded Is Top Of The PS5 Pre-Order Charts Right Now

Weebleman

@Kaloudz Hey man, hope you're good. Ultimately its Sony's platform and they have the final say on the services available on it. Gamepass in its current state would mean a loss of third party sales. They'd likely have no issue with in house games, similar to ubisofts service or ea play, although I think they initially said no to one or more of them.

Ultimately they will take a cut of the sub for MS in house games, but a lot of money comes from 3rd party stuff and if that launched on GP it would eat into sales on the system. And we all know these companies dont like to give up their share of the monies.

Re: Gears Of War: Reloaded Is Top Of The PS5 Pre-Order Charts Right Now

Weebleman

@Fiendish-Beaver I let my GP run out last last year as, at the time, there wasn't much I wanted to play on there and my two boys basically played minecraft and flight sim. It was cheaper just to buy the games than pay an endless fee every month. Now I just dip a toe every few months when theres been a few releases built up and, honestly, this is how I will likely stay using gamepass as I only really play single player stuff these days. The curse of being mid 40's with 3 kids means my free time ain't what it used to be so a game can last me months 😂

Re: Gears Of War: Reloaded Is Top Of The PS5 Pre-Order Charts Right Now

Weebleman

@Fiendish-Beaver I imagine an easy way to get a huge bump in subs would be to release a 1st party only version on PS. That way MS get to shout about a big increase in numbers, Sony will get a cut of the subs so everybody wins.

The biggest issue with subscription services these days is that everybody seems to have wised up to cancelling and resubbing when a backlog has built up. You will always get the few who just leave it going but folks seem to dip in and out these days. Then get a cheap month on special offer.

Sure, folks on here and others who consider it a main hobbey will have it stacked for a few years but most have done so via loopholes and MS already have that money. Even with the odd full game purchase or dlc, they make very little money of people who are subbed. They want new money off fresh subs from the market and that ain't easy to come by when you aren't shifting boxes (despite everything being an xbox).

Re: Developer Reveals Surprisingly Critical Feedback After Launching On Xbox Game Pass

Weebleman

@PsBoxSwitchOwner The DLC thing has been noticeable massively of late. When they announced the Indiana Jones DLC, it was only a matter of time before folks started to ask if it would be included in Gamepass. I know some loved it and will buy it. Others will just leave it for that very reason.

Once people get pushed into the subscription model, they start to expect more and more from it at the same price. Every xbox show people always ask is it on Gamepass. If it isnt, you can almost hear the interest plummet.

Like I said though, brilliant value but it has consequences elsewhere. When someone highlights them, the cult turns its disdain towards them.

Edit: Case in point with the comment just up there that randomly brings Sony into it.

Re: Developer Reveals Surprisingly Critical Feedback After Launching On Xbox Game Pass

Weebleman

The amount of folks jumping on the dev is pretty grim reading. Its almost like any negative comment against Gamepass and people decide the person making them has an agenda or the game is rubbish. It reviewed pretty solidly.

He raises good points from a perspective that we dont have. That isnt a bad thing. Gamepass is great value for us gamers, it just has a reverse impact elsewhere. That's usually how these things pan out in any medium. Its okay to find faults with things and still appreciate the benefits without writing things/people off because they dared to be critical of gamepass.

Re: Full Specs Revealed For Both Versions Of The 2025 Xbox Handheld

Weebleman

@Wilshiire Not on steam, my bad there, but g force now. They only have to block the device once it registers. So they dont have to block steam, they just block them being played on an xbox device or associated device.

Despite sonys blunders and, let's be honest, they've face palmed themselves repeatedly this gen, they continue to shift consoles far in excess of its direct competition. Do you really think those xbox games would be multiplatform if it was the other way around?

They continue to sell consoles and those people either buy games or sign up to plus. They aren't exactly drying up on the revenue front. Plus they just got a cut of the MS games without paying a penny to develop, port, or publish them.

Xbox has been the number one publisher because they bought so many massive properties. Its hardly like they grafted their way to the top.

My point is you likely won't be playing Sony games on an xbox developed device anytime soon.

Re: Poll: How Would You Grade The Xbox Games Showcase 2025?

Weebleman

Solid C for me, mainly because they didn't really show anything I wanted to see. A few decent games in there but nothing earth shattering.

Ive played all the final fantasy games that got announced but I hope the folks who haven't enjoy them!

Nearly gave it a D for ending on CoD though. Sheesh 😂

Re: Surprise! Black Myth: Wukong Finally Has A Release Date For Xbox

Weebleman

@Kaloudz if you go back and look through the games history, the release date of 20th August has significance. They even dropped trailers on the same date as well. That didn't have an exclusivity date. They just seem to release everything regarding the game on this date.

But folks are gonna see what they want to see.

Edit: I see somebody already clarified this better than I did, apologies.

Re: Xbox Should Have Expected PS5 Sale Before Increasing Series X|S Prices, Says Journalist

Weebleman

The problem xbox has at the minute is while this albeit lacklustre generation continues, the majority of folks are building a library of games on their playstation.

While we all keep constant tabs on news, tech, updates, etc... the majority of sales and money come from folks who dont. Regardless of if the next xbox has steam or another storefront, the majority number of users will just go where they can still play their games.

Hell, even most steam users have a PC that can run games better. I dont think the majority will care about a new box that runs or (whisper it) streams games at inferior quality.

Yes Microsoft has stacks of cash, but it has them because it likes to make cash. If something ain't bringing that money in and puts them at a loss you can bet your ass they will cut it. I still see them going full publisher at some point as thats money. I also expect to see a MS studio only version of gamepass on PS as no way they will get 3rd party agreement off Sony. Which means a cheaper priced sub and price rises down the line for everyone.

Re: Sony Has Approached Subscriptions 'Healthier' Than Xbox, Says Former PlayStation Boss

Weebleman

@Friendly GP is not growing, its levelled. The recent increase was purely based on PC subs and, considering the low increase, its clear they lost subs as well. PS plus is hardly on the up i imagine or we would have heard about it as well. However, as of last official numbers, Plus has quite a large number more subscribers and as they sell far more consoles, will likely attract more.

Either way, somethings gotta give on the sub front.

Edit: for context, plus had 47.4 million subscribers in March 23. GP still hasn't matched that across all platforms and tiers. While I doubt plus has gone up, the more hardware sales likely means its hovering around that figure i would imagine.

Re: Talking Point: Will You Be Buying The 2025 Xbox Handheld From ASUS?

Weebleman

Being an xbox focused website, I'm genuinely surprised at the lack of interest in the comments. I didn't spot to many of the seasoned faithful in here and the ones that are seem uninterested.

I'm also in the nope camp. I am interested to see what they price it. Not because it will sway me, more because it will set a standard moving forward.