WildConcept6

@DennisReynolds Give it away from free or. 01 cents or free + get a $5 Xbox gift card. Not sure how that last one would work out financially.

@Kaloudz To answer the first question, yes, it'd only be Xbox Play Anywhere games that are unified and the only games they could offer period are those that are available on the Xbox PC store. That's a lot less potential games than those available on Xbox consoles.

There's a lot of positives and negatives on either side. PC architecture and hardware is the way to go for the best experience, but you run into a lot of issues actually getting games available and cost. Game availability is the big bottleneck Google Stadia ran into. Everything had to be ported over to run properly on the architure. It was a lot of work and greatly limited what they could offer customers. From what I understand, the only real work (or most difficult) that goes into making an Xbox console game available on the cloud is licensing. It also gets a lot more expensive once you're scaling up to that better hardware and that changes the cost to consumers. Nvidia GFN for example goes from free to $20 a month, and you'd still have to buy each individual game on Steam or like the MS store (the best way to use GFN is actually probably with a PC game pass sub). And yeah there's free tiers but those also have time limits and far lower quality. At the very least I think you'd want to spend $10 a month and let's say you got that $10 sub to stream and now you want games so you get PC game pass, well you're already spending MORE than what GP Ultimate currently costs. Xbox Cloud Gaming is significantly lower quality, but it's also treated as an included perk and with that you get you unlimited play time hours. Once they do start making these changes to catch up with Nvidia, people will probably start screaming bloody murder at the prices or that there's suddenly time limits. Like a comment joked about $40 for game pass ultimate, but no that'd be in the ballpark for what a cloud streaming service as good as Nvidia + Game Pass is worth. Nvidia is ONLY streaming. Even Amazon Luna doesn't have the library of Xbox Game Pass (last I checked; haven't kept up to date with it). The one thing Xbox Cloud Gaming has over its competition is it's reach and the console architure has enabled that. People complained when GPU went up to $20 partially citing that XCloud hasn't improved, but GPU predates XCloud and the price increases never happened BECAUSE of XCloud (inflation or COD being added are more clear causes).

I'm personally really curious how Microsoft plays it, because you have to admit that if Xbox introduced an ad cloud tier like Nvidia they'd get blasted online or if they raised the price of GPU again or if imposed time limits and it wouldn't matter how good XCloud is. Had they started with PC architecture, I'm not sure XCloud would've grown like it has. Xbox now is still struggling to grow on PC and get devs to support their store.

@dskatter Just speaking generally I feel like the only disc drive that'll exist for either console is as an accessory you can buy separately. The PS5 Pro being all digital signals that to me. I'd be really surprised if Xbox or Sony release a physical model at all. At this point it's even looking like Nintendo is moving away from actual physical games (or at least not the bastion for physical games it was).

@Reek20 Reading these comments, man we've failed the Series S so bad. Microsoft probably won't make a budget console and we're all going to regret that. Again, just look at what's been happening with those games that skip Xbox that cited the Series S specifically. Black Myth Wukong struggled even on the PS5 Pro and even Baldur's Gate 3 only got real good optimization for ALL platforms when the devs used the Series S as a baseline. Not to mention pricing. This generation has blown the lid on that. It's incredibly unlikely we get new hardware that costs less than the PS5 Pro. At best I can see an all digital selling for $600, but actually no because the PS5 Pro is already all digitally. Golly, hardware pricing is going to be insane when we get into the next Xbox console successor and PS6. Even the Switch 2 is crazy at $450 for that hardware. And the tarrifs going away or inflation dying down (which might not even happen) aren't going to magically change that. Companies don't go back on pricing if they've successfully convinced consumers to deal with it, and the PS5 Pro predates the tarrifs.

I don't expect a Series S successor (at least a true one; maybe we'll get a handheld that's optional to develop for) will exist as part of Xbox's future hardware plans, and that blow will be felt by all gamers. It's just going to be brute forcing everything on the high end and we'll be paying upwards of $1000 USD for the privelege. Honestly, I'm really curious how consoles justify themselves in the coming years. We're already hitting PC gaming prices while still having the console expense quirks (paid online, paid cloud saves everywhere except Xbox, and only one store). Maybe some of that goes away, but still it's just... baffling to me that we're here. And people seem to want us to be here. Heck me personally, I'd rather Xbox have a series S successor priced at $400 than a Series X successor priced at $800 (or even $600 (and let's be real it's not going to be cheaper than a starting price of $700 for an all digital model)). Especially, if Xbox is moving forward with plans to coalesce with PC. Leave the high end expensive hardware to PC. I don't want to need to sell a kidney just to play games in my living room.

Here's the thing, even Microsoft and Sony have moved on (which btw don't even get me started on how the PS5 Pro barely even feels like it has a purpose when the PS5 is still under utilized). Xbox is popping out with a new console at the latest in 2027 with more and more rumors suggesting 2026. As in next year; as in when we're supposed to finally get use out of the consoles. It's not like there haven't been games this "generation" that made proper use of what's under the hood of these consoles. Alan Wake 2 for example was fantastic and fantastically optimized for the Series S too. I will also say that the Series X and S have been my favorite consoles ever. The available games, how they've played, and having my full Xbox One library and some of my 360 library has been amazing. My only real complaint is that they didn't try to enable FPS boosts for more games (that should really be nearly every Xbox One game minimum and then as many 360 and OG as possible). The games themselves have also been great from both third and first party. I've liked game pass. The Series S STILL astonishes me with its weight and size. All that said, I'd argue the LAST true console generation was the Xbox One/PS4/Switch 1. I don't see that as a bad thing, but I also think we're running around like chickens without heads the more we grasp at straws trying to pretend the traditional console generation isn't dead. There's no one thing at fault. We can't JUST blame the Series S, Nintendo Switch, Fortnite (live service and forever games), cloud gaming, COVID, upscalers, UE5, lazy devs, or any of the other so called bottle necks. It's everything. Consumers spending and gamer playtime habits just don't support true generational gaps anymore. Technology just isn't going to improve that much anymore. Publishers are just going to keep chasing these long behind dev cycles and cut corners trying to being 300 million budget games that please shareholders. Innovation has unfortunately kinda died out as most studios chase hyperrealism (there's not enough creativity in game design). There are exceptions to all these rules, but on the whole it just won't ever truly feel like we're in a whole new "generation" of gaming again. Just like no one talks about generations in TV, smartphones, computers, or any other industry. There are gradual changes in each iteration overtime, but no generational gaps between each individual iteration. The iPhone 12 isn't seen as a GENERATIONAL leap over the iPhone 11. The Wifi standard is an even better comparison. Wifi 7 is a massive improvement over Wifi 6 that took a long time to make, but no one really considers it a generation because no one cares enough to even know what WiFi standard they are on. The majority of internet users today, just use Wifi as it is. They don't rush to upgrade and developers and software engineers don't make exclusive software or hardware that does stuff it can only do if you have the latest Wifi standard. That's where gaming is going: the hardware innovations will be there for those that want to take advantage of them, but the vast majority of games will be playable across multiple iterations of hardware. And most gamers won't care just like honestly most gamers (not just hardcore console gamers, console gamers at all, and especially not the people like us who frequent gaming forums) don't care now. They don't care what "generation" they are on as long as they can play Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft.

This entire generation has been a lame duck. Scapegoating the problem as the Series S or Microsoft or even Playstation or last gen or UE5 or upscalers just guarentees nothing will change. It's not ONE problem, and it's not one platform. It's everything. It's the fact that the biggest games, the games that make up most of the money on consoles and which every publisher is chasing, are playable on the freaking iPad. It's the fact that we've pushed "innovation" to mean "realistic graphics" and now developers are just chasing unsustainable gains that gamers don't even really notice. I mean look at how much of a mess the un optimized games that don't come to series S (like Black Myth Wukong) are. Look at how much of a mess many games that ARE supposedly optimized to run on the weaker machine end up being even on more powerful hardware. This issue is even worse on PC where everything is just being brute forced.

It's crazy that we're even saying "next gen" at this point. I bought the Series X and S day one in 2020, meaning I pre-ordered them the summer BEFORE I started university. I have now graduated university and have since been working for the past year. I've entered and exited an entire stage in life; I've passed a major milestone; achievement unlocked: I graduated high school AND university, moved out, and got a job, and we're still waiting for next gen to start?? Nah, "next gen" ain't coming. I'd argue it's just more accurate to say that generations, as we traditionally know them, are just done.

I'd be curious what GP Battle Net games are supported on Mac. It's gotta be at least the old RTS games right (warcraft and starcraft)?

@Master_Cthulhu70 This is the problem with way more than just gaming unfortunately. Basically every system is designed to incentivize short term gain at the cost of long term sustainability. We can zoom out and use the same argument for everything from climate change to how elections are handled. The people in power have no reason to care about those of us who aren't or the world they leave us with. A lot of them physically know they'll be gone (like gone gone) before we see the true extent of the consequences of their actions or they just feel invincible due to their status in life. And because of that they perpetuate the systems that benefit THEM. I don't even know how things can change anymore. It just feels like they'll hit a boiling point, something will explode, and we'll be left to rebuild (I mean metaphorically and literally because this is seriously everything; as far as gaming is concerned I think we'll just hit a breaking point financially and see new companies rise, I hope it'll just the that (the biggest that are more than just gaming seem to be fine, but the Ubisofts and EAs look grim)).

So I'm assuming pre production is everything to do with the art (or at least hammering out the art style), story, and general gameplay design. Like having a plan ready and then full production is implementing that plan. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I say this because... what was Perfect Dark in in 2024? Was that a case of the game being in full production but the production not being smooth leading to internal reboots? Or was the game still in pre production with them still making design decisions? If we're saying Blade is a 2027 to 2028 game then was it really looking like a decade before Perfect Dark released??

Or does full production entail way more? In which case I'd be curious what the studio actually does when in pre production. Like it doesn't sound like you need your full staff if all you're doing is discussing what the game should be like.

Not like it matters much. The Switch 2 will continue to recieve support and likely better optimization (more work put into optimizing) long into the future. I personally find it baffling that consumers can accept a product at that price for that technical offering, but the market has spoken and I'm clearly not the target demographic (I haven't played my Switch 1 in a long time and the last time I dusted it off was for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (and it's been collecting dust again since I finished it)). I know it's gotta be on "Market conditions" but for a starting price of $450, am I crazy in thinking that comparing the 2025 flagship Nintendo handheld to 2020 $300 ($380 now also unfortunately) Xbox budget console is on multiple levels pointless? I mean we're literally now expecting Xbox next gen in 2027 at the latest and 2026 at the earliest. The products are fundamentally different and even then the Series S is so dated at this point. In a perfect world at a staring price higher than the PS4, the Switch would blow the Series S out of of the water having released so much later. But honestly it doesn't even matter if it does or doesn't. These are different products. Like lower performance would lead to slower battery drain, which is good for a handheld.

Honestly speaking as an outsider (I don't know if this is the case), I had always assumed the switch 2 would be like the Steam Deck, as powerful as the PS4 Pro at best. The only real belief I saw that it'd be in the realm of the series S came from Xbox haters who still blame JFK's assassination on the Series S's existence, some promising the Switch 2 would be stronger because the Series S is such a weak joke. Not sure how widespread this belief was, but personally I'd say if you were expecting a revolutionary machine that wasn't happening. The Switch 2 is still the best console handheld regardless, because it's the only one. The Steam Deck provides a console like experience, but still is far from being a true console itself.

@BAMozzy We heard a similar story with Redfall. It literally came out after everything that the studio devs WANTED Microsoft's purchase to lead to the game being canceled or rebooted, but their studio head kept promising everything was fantastic. I think the idea of being "hands off" doesn't fully work when studios do genuinely have their own problems. There's tons of stories out there of toxic leadership from studio heads (and they don't have to invoke the H word to be toxic). Xbox does hold the responsibility of properly managing their studios. This doesn't mean micromanaging them into the ground, but it also doesn't mean letting bad leadership and internal strife sabatoge any chance at success. At the end of the day this studio that was formed under Xbox and closed under Xbox, and that's on Xbox. Sarah Bond, Phil Spencer, and Matt Bootty all need a President Truma style sign saying "the buck stops here".

I'm not even disagreeing that the studio and state of the game was at fault here. The employees who lost their jobs have my sympathies, but hearing this it makes sense why both got cut. I am saying that it is up to Xbox to catch this stuff ahead of time. Perfect Dark shouldn't have been allowed to bleed resources (especially talent) for so long. The game should've been out by now or canceled and moved on from. Like I'm thinking about what else was announced in 2020. STALKER is out (and they were in a blasted warzone). Obsidian has done Outer Worlds DLC, released Avowed, released grounded, released pentiment, is releasing Grounded 2 at the end of this month, and is releasing the Outer Worlds 2 later this year. Like yeah, not all of those are AAA, but that still makes it baffling that the iniative having been formed around the same time Obsidian have bought has put out literally nothing and had just "turned corner" in the months leading up to the trailer last month. That's unacceptable. And it's up to the head of Xbox Game Studios to prevent that type of situation. Because this mess was allowed to bleed out so long, the entire studio had be shut down. There isn't any use crying over spilled milk, but I sure hope Xbox learns from it. They can't just leave studios alone and leave it up to the studio whether they are good or not. Talk to more people than just the studio head or creative director. Get a clear picture and force conversations. I hope at the very least Matt Booty learned a lesson in leadership. Managing Xbox's portfolio of studios and supporting them goes beyond providing funds and taping them on the shoulder every now and then (and especially accepting whatever surface answers given). Xbox has been so afraid of being accused of micromanaging after the Xbox One era closures, but they still NEED TO MANAGE their studios. They need to find a middle ground.

"Faking" part of the trailer seems par the course for the industry. I mena until recently entirely faked trailers made by marketing teams who weren't the devs was commonplace. That said those usually did err on CGI and making sure you knew heading then they were kinda lying to you. Calling it gameplay and doctoring it a bit.. still doesn't seem that uncommon, but is a bad look regardless. I mean, what, ya'll had "turned a corner" in recent months? The Iniative was founded in 2018 and Perfect Dark (their only game) was announced in 2020. 2024 was WAAAAY too late for the design team to still be discussing how core gameplay mechanics would operate and what gameplay mechanics would even be present. "We were rapidly making real design decision so as to not knowingly lie to players." sounds really REALLY bad. That sounds like Xbox asked for a trailer and they started playing darts for all the decisions they hadn't made in at least 4 years (realistically like 6). And this studio was supposedly described as being Xbox's AAAA venture. Before this and the closure I thought the game was out next year, but it truly sounds like it hadn't left the planning stage yet. Decisions made rapidly are wrought to be reversed down the line and either way they still had to build the ENTIRE GAME. Even if we assume they had the foundation done, that's still a lot of work to need that many years in and it's even worse when it sounds like they were barely leaving the planning stage with, I was gonna say some parts, but no the guy called out pretty much everything in the trailer. I mean, hearing this, man, guys I think think Xbox should've canceled this game sooner. Like, at least then maybe the studio would've had a chance and could've tried making something else (though honestly maybe the studio itself was the problem).

I wonder how people at Xbox feel (including leadership) as that "high level" reportedly also didn't give them much choice and did it all to invest more in AI (yay! /s). I hope the studio can find another partner or pull together on their own. Heck, maybe they can try suing Microsoft. It seems somewhat insane to me that a company like Microsoft could pull out with no consequences when people's livelihoods depended on their funding. If you promised XYZ money that should be gautenteed unless the other party doesn't uphold their end of the agreement. Unless there was no contract here (but there would have to be if it was being published by XGS). If there isn't a law here, then they should still try to sue and set a new precedent. This isn't like embracer who went to a firm in a different country (the wasn't it like one of the oil companies), as far as I can tell the Romero Games is a US studio (or at least UK). There should definitely be room to get legal reprieve to some degree. If there isn't then that's messed up. I know I can't promise someone money to do something for me, watch them make purchases to accomplish that project, and then pull funding and leave them to rot.

Don't expect God of War anytime soon, but also don't not expect Playstion to directly publish more Xbox games in the future. The entire industry is moving away from exclusives. Sony is really losing a lot of control over the matter. In the past, console exclusives have worked around Sony to publish on Xbox once they legally could (or took the matters out of Sony's hands entirely like with MLB the Show). However, all the while Sony has been compromising past beliefs to port games to PC and they've even supported Nintendo Switch now. Just like Xbox didn't stop when they first announced day and date on PC all those years ago, neither will Sony. All that matters to these companies is money and with the console market being mostly fixed (and even more so because development costs keep skyrocketing) there's not a ton of reason to hold back games from succeeding on more platforms. Especially multiplayer live service titles like Helldivers 2.

I'm just waiting for the class action lawsuit where gamers take a stand against this. We need predecents to STOP these affornts to software preservation. I know how licensing laws work and I read that EULA agreement everytime, but what I hate is have no real "legal" power to protect the assets we purchase. Something like software that is shutdown and inaccessible becoming open source so anyone willing to can get it back up and running legally. Or better yet companies having to ensure that we can always access and experience software we pay for regardless of what's going on with the company (as in a freaking offline mode). I bought Anthem at launch; I pre-ordered the deluxe edition, and honestly, I never regretted the purchase. I had fun with the game until I moved on to other games. The fact it never lived up to its full potential is incredibly sad, but the bones were there and it was fun. Now never being able to access it again is just sad. I mostly played by myself. I just liked flying around the world and exploring. There's no excuse to not just hobble-together a basic offline mode.

@Decimateh There is Digimon Survive on Xbox... I wouldn't personally recommend it if you're coming from Story Cyber Sleuth and World Next Order. Not sure how it compares to the older Digimon games though. Personally I'm still praying for Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition and World Next Order to get an Xbox port. I've always loved Digimon since I was a kid (man, I spent an obscene amount of money on Digimon Masters Online in elementary and middle school), but Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth and Hacker's Memory just blew me away. It felt like a Digimon anime in all the good, bad, and campy as well ways and was also just a fun turn based and monster catcher. I'm hyped to high water about Time Stranger. All the previews show them really turning the turn based RPG mechanic up to 11 (AND I CAN RIDE MY DIGIMON!!! YES!!! WHERE'S THE NEXT DIGIMON WORLD WITH THAT MECHANIC)

@Questionable_Duck No more weird than anything else. Publishers make these decisions based on money and analytics. Logic is thrown out the window. I'm still trying to understand why Psychonauts 2 never got a PS5 version despite releasing multiplatform and having a Series X version.

I'm still geeking out over Digimon Story time stranger on Xbox. It's unfortunate that it won't be Xbox Play Anywhere (it'd be perfect for on the go), but turn based is also really fantastic for remote play games 😜.

Say what you want about Jez Corden, but his Windows Central on the matter had a great line about Xbox being great in spite of Microsoft, not because of it. Layoffs are nothing new. I especially expected those managerial cuts as the aquistions sequestered thesmelves. With the FTC backing off, it makes sense that Microsoft would do more to integrate the Zenimax and ABK teams under their leadership. But the problem is most of the cuts were simply a result of Satya Nadella saying, "We need to invest in AI", and Amy Good saying, "Find the money."

The layoffs and cancelations don't change the fantastic year Xbox has had or the really bright horizon, but it does make it very clear that Microsoft will ALWAYS cast a dark shadow over Xbox. And what really sucks is that the world benefits these actions. I desperately need everyone to (the fat cats specifically) to wake up and realize that even if capitalism kinda work (that's a different debate), stock valuation certainly does not. We've created a system that encourages trend chasing and short term gain. Nothing matters to Microsoft except their market cap and keeping investors happy, and when I say Microsoft, I mean the CEOs who get bonuses for finding ways for the rich to get richer (and like the slightest bit richer at that). If I were a country's government I'd look at what just happened and be terrified. Microsoft is reporting record profits and has a record market cap; Xbox specifically has more revenue than ever, and yet the entire business unit just contracted. That's not even good for the economy. The money isn't being invested back into the company to create new jobs, but instead it's being invested into buzz words to chase a fad. It's a fundamentally broken system. This doesn't actually benefit anyone. The shareholders it does benefit are already so rich it doesn't matter, but it doesn't even benefit them because everyone is fixated on short term gain. Generative AI is arguably a bubble waiting to burst and even if it's not, gaming is unarguably the biggest entertainment industry period, and Xbox (Microsoft) is uniquely positioned to build a true gaming empire across platforms. If the Zenimax MMO was truly as good as suggested then the amount of guaranteed money it'd pull in for nth years would've been amazing. Meanwhile AI still feels like a fad (you can argue against that statement, but that it's longevity can be contested at all IS the point). Microsoft doesn't even need to invest in their own. They could just have kept investing in Open AI and reaped the benefits while they focused on their own growth vectors. But none of this matters because we live in a world that no longer benefits long term growth and creativity. It's like those education systems that only teach students how to pass a standardized test and not how to actually think.

@Fiendish-Beaver I mean we can kinda go back and forth on the idea of "extrapolating", because I'm not sure what else to call the Helldivers explanation. There's nothing in that explanation that changes the fact that it was Sony's decision (under whatever circumstance) to publish the game on Xbox. If anything your explanation highlights my point: Sony is losing control. The industry doesn't want exclusives anymore and the matter is quickly becoming no longer up to Sony. We are trending away from exclusives, that's a fact, and on Sony's part this trend is happening with or without them which is forcing them to play ball. They drag their heels on PC, but can't avoid that market anymore. They're willing to publish on the switch for the money. They, by their own admission, see Xbox as their biggest competitor in the console space and they see exclusives as how they compete. But they can no longer keep third party devs off of Xbox (as much as they did in the past) and they're being told by their partners that to even keep being able to make a game (MLB the Show) they have to publish on Xbox. And they've been forced to acknowledge that game development costs are increasing and their single player portfolio won't cut it alone, so they've ventured into live service and now own a studio (a first party studio) that supports a live service game on all platforms. Now on top of all that they're publishing a game they own and control the rights to on Xbox. The fact that they were strong armed into it by the situation is only more telling. People want to act like Sony is immune to the trends of the industry, but they aren't. Sony, as I said, is dragging their heels, but honestly all this means is that we'll see more situations like Helldivers and MLB the Show and all the former third patty exclusives where the decision is largely taken out of Sony's hands (either due to financial reasons or they are literally told to make XYZ game multiplatform). The behind the scene details don't change that once upon a time (as in like literally months ago) the idea of Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox was an impossibility. Now it isn't and this is not the first case of that. I'm not saying Sony is making these decisions out of the goodness of their heart, but that regardless of what Sony wants in their idealized world this is happening. Sony doesn't have as much power as they'd like to think and they are losing a lot of control. We can't keep moving the goal post in their favor and pretending the industry bows down to them. The industry bows down to gamers (and costs and really capitalism and shareholders, but that sounds way less empowering). Persona and Yakuza games day and date on Xbox were unfathomable. MLB the Show on Xbox was unfathomable. Helldivers 2 on Xbox was unfathomable. Yet it keeps happening. There's less exclusives than ever and less support for exclusives (from third party publishers) than ever. Will Sony suddenly support Xbox with every new release? Of course not. They'll keep dragging their feet and being Playstation. I'm not saying to expect God of War tomorrow or any other PS game on Xbox. I'm just saying that we can't ignore reality and pretend like every time one of these unfathomable ports happen, that they'll never happen again.

@Fiendish-Beaver So, everything is the same as what I said except the explanation for Helldivers which makes this pretty quick. The fact that Sony has little say in the matter is exactly why there are less and less exclusives period. Whether its third party publishers like Square publicly stating that exckusive deals are a mistake in this day in age or those like Sega making a statement for multiplatform growth (Yakuza and Persona weren't just exclusives, but system sellers almost seen as mascots for PS). Even Bandai is taking Digimon Story Time Stranger and releasing everywhere they can day one, when Cyber sleuth was a freaking PSVita exclusive at launch. Sony being told to put MLB the Show on Xbox (and even Game Pass), to keep the license IS SIGNIFICANT. From 2006 until 2020 (over a decade) the game's exclusive status, even after it was the only licensed MLB game, wasn't an issue. But all of a sudden it was and since then it expanded to both Xbox and Nintendo all while PlayStation develops and publishes. This shows that the companies who give out these licenses are wanting larger games that reach more gamers and as a result make more money. And this desire isn't slowing down and Playstation develops a non-zero number of licensed games. I would NOT be surprised if down the line Disney, being as money hungry as they are, tells Sony they'll have to release day & date on PC and later Xbox if they want to keep making Marvel games. What happens if car manufacturers tell Sony they want Gran Turismo multiplatform if Sony wants to bring licensed cars into the game? It sounds unlikely today, but so did the same logic for MLB the Show prior to the Xbox version. And previously partner published games wouldn't bother with an Xbox version after Sony's exclusive deal ended. That's also no longer the case. And it's really clear that Sony bought Bungie (for a pretty big sum of money) hoping to better compete in the live service market and that was a multiplatform endeavor (it seemed most akin to when Microsoft bought Mojang all those years ago).

@Kienda Xbox as a publisher has been amazing this year and we haven't hit the July Tony Hawk release. Avowed, South of Midnight, Oblivion, and Doom the Dark Ages. Even if only Oblivion scratched an itch for you all of them were at least we'll regarded (some extremely well) and enjoyed by many players. I'll say my favorite this year (like one of my favorite gaming experiences period) has been South of Midnight. This isn't even including the stellar latter half of 2024.

I don't give Microsoft or Sony any credit; they are both soulless publicly traded for profit businesses. The only thing either care about are profit margins and keeping shareholders happy. But I also don't let that reality taint my experiences and when I just enjoy something. Microsoft's layoffs suck for the people involved, but are also nothing new to the industry. Canceled games and lost talent are never positive stories, but they also don't warp time and space and displace what has already been released. Xbox as a platform has been killing it since they hit their stride in 2024. Their first party output has been really consistently good of at least good quality and they've done a good job securing more and more third party support. The news this week doesn't change that. It wasn't that long ago that after the showcase and AMD announcement that Xbox gamers were riding a massive high. And also you're hyping up Perfect Dark a LOT, but I remember a lot of mixed feelings from the gameplay trailer. I had never heard good leaks or rumors about the initiative (I remember when they supposedly lose the game director and perfect dark got rebooted) and it's pushing 8 years since they were formed and started work on Perfect Dark. That's a long time and it seems the game still wasn't ready for release. I'm not even saying I like that the studio was closed and the game canceled, I don't. I'm saying... are you sure it would have been that good? Like I'm confused. Perfect Dark going to be the holy grail compared to the mediocre Doom the Dark Ages? Or literally any other Xbox game in this gen? Was it going to save Xbox which has just been bleeding out on the floor the past 8 years I guess waiting for Perfect Dark? I personally feel the loss of Everwild though, but I have to also be honest with myself. We never even got a gameplay trailer and it went radio silent. There was a non zero chance it never even existed.

I'm just saying it's not terribly that deep. Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox doesn't need to be a conspiracy about which company is worse.

@Coletrain We're past a "sign of bigger things to come" MLB the Show was already the first Sony first party published and developed game that game to Xbox in 2021, and it didn't just come to Xbox but it was a day one game pass game. MLB the Show doesn't even have a native PC version to date. Yes that was due to heavy influence from the license, but it still was a MASSIVE shift. Up until then the game had been a full PS exclusive since like 2006. Then we got games like Death Stranding that were formerly published by PS as partner studio exclusives and came to Xbox under a different publisher. All the while Playstation started putting more games on PC and even Nintendo Switch. Looking beyond Playstation, virtually every publisher is pursuing a multiplatform strategy. Games are trying to reach as many gamers as possible as 1) console market growth slows and gamers remain happily fixed on their platform of choice and 2) games skyrocket in development costs. You could also argue that 3) competing with massively successful multiplatform live service games makes a multiplatform approach almost necessary for multiplayer games to be as successful as possible in that space.

The entire industry is trending away from exclusives. Xbox has easily benefited the most from this this generation. There are so many games that are finally on Xbox or series which have forgone exclusive launches to instead be day and date everywhere. The fact that Playstation themselves are publishing this and this is an IP they have full control over makes it pretty clear where things are headed. Sony will drag their feet and they will do their darndest to make sure that they don't look as weak as Xbox when porting games, but it not only is happening but it has already been happening. Heck, Sony bought Bungie specifically hoping to grow on all platforms with live service. Of course Bungie did NOT pan out, but regardless the Sony owned Bungie is still supporting Xbox with Destiny 2 updates and is planning to release Marathon day and date on Xbox....ya know assuming Marathon gets released anywhere.

God, I'm so tired of Mike posts. I wonder if this comment section is aware that the lane he wants Xbox to pick is to go full publisher and abandon your hardware entirely. It's really not that difficult for Xbox to do both hardware and be a publisher... not sure why that's even in question. We've seen them as a publisher this year and last and they've done really well. Both in terms of sales and quality. Microsoft is also the biggest software company in the world (well they're either number 1 or 2) and Windows is the biggest gaming operating system PERIOD. They owe it to all of their users to deliver a better gaming experience, and they should've done it decades ago.

Xbox is in a unique position where it has all the resources to build its gaming ecosystem across platforms. Consoles are a mature market, but they aren't dead. Users are fixed but also spending more than ever. There's no reason to nuke Xbox hardware, and likewise we've seen it get more first and third party game support than ever this generation. It baffles me that people think 30 million console sales in 5 years is bad, it's just average. Bad is the WiiU which ended it's 5 year life at 13 million and then the Nintendo Switch came and absolutely skyrocketed in sales. Who knows what'll happen with the next iteration of hardware? But if they can maintain a modest 20 - 40 million every 5 - 6 year generation then they're golden. Especially if we consider how sticky previous generations are becoming. Then they can also grow on cloud and PC while benefiting from their games being top sellers on other storefronts.

I really don't see the doom and gloom. Like, I honestly tried. It really just feels like people are talking about Xbox dying for the clout. I mean we can blame the messaging... but what's really wrong with the messaging now? What exactly did Xbox do? They've been on PC with a native app and play anywhere since the Xbox one generation. It's been almost a decade now. Making those experiences better and actually marketing them is what they've should be doing. It's always about miscommunication, but especially regarding the PC stuff it seems to be the fact that they're communicating AT ALL for once is the problem. Again, everything they're finally marketing has existed on windows for nearly a decade now just in a much more poor state. The XBOX (not Windows Gaming) app has been pre installed for the longest now. I feel like it's a bit strange to get mad at Xbox for actually marketing and making competitive efforts in that space. They've bolstered their first party game pipeline massively and have been delivering (and the multiplatform games are old news at this point). They've confirmed that the next Xbox is coming and will have full compatibility with current libraries. That's always been a tossup with every traditional console (the Xbox One/PS4 and every other Nintendo console didn't launch with backwards compatibility). I'm not quite sure what there is to be mad about? But then again, I've never been sure what there is to be mad about. I've been enjoying playing on Xbox more than ever. I'd probably be mad if you took my Series consoles away and gave me a 360. Xbox has laid out its vision very clearly and it kinda seems odd to me that there's this weird doublethink around trying to pretend otherwise. And I'd really say it all started when Xbox first promised day and date PC.

Reading her own quotes... what? Having a positive or negative opinion on the current direction Xbox is going in is valid. I personally see more value in my Xbox than ever. I hated the days of being forced on one system with backwards compatibility being a privelege that was revoked every other generation. I hated exclusives and being strong armed to have the privelege of buying XYZ game and I hated not all friends being able to play with me for all games. And I'm speaking as someone who grew up priveleged enough to own every new console relatively close to release (including mid gen upgrades). Xbox moving toward a ubiquitous system that brings my library with it and gives me more access points than ever while also tearing down console war walls, well I'm all for that. But not everyone is. I get it. It's been over 2 decades and until now Xbox has meant a very specific thing to a very specific group of people. But, okay. I've seen the opinions. And the idea of the opinion here is the same one echoed constantly, but then also... wtf is this woman on about?

Like for example, "Xbox Play Anywhere is a good idea but just marketing." Honey, Xbox Play Anywhere has existed since 2017. IT'S BEEN NEARLY 10 YEARS. The problem is that it never got marketing until now. Similarly Xbox has been on PC with a native launcher since 2015 and Windows has ALWAYS been the biggest platform for PC Gaming. The Xbox Ally and the changes it will bring to PC gaming are what gamers on windows have been asking for since the OG Xbox, and why SteamOS is such a rising threat. That's again an example of Xbox just finally getting off their butt and putting in the work on PC.

I feel like this would've made more sense surrounding the multiplatform strategy. Because what's here in her reasons why are just kinda nonsensical. Beyond nonsensical they require complete unwareness of the past decade of what Xbox has been doing. I mean I can believe that. Xbox marketing is that bad. But that doesn't make this interview look any better. It really just feels like when someone with a nice title jumps into a conversation, but they missed last decade of the entire industry so they just give their own the fly first impressions. Yeah, I guess that says something, but also... no, not really. Xbox has a very clear direction now (more so than ever) and there's not really any downsides regarding value. Libraries aren't under attack and Xbox had more first and third party support than ever. Not even arguably, just factually, the Xbox One represented more of what she's trying to say now when it nuked our libraries.

This update is 100% something that needs testing and fine tuning. In compact mode (which is the intended handheld mode) my "Jump back in" keeps hopping between the home screen and the "my library" tab. Otherwise it works how it sounds like it should. If you have playnite it's like a worse version of it. And honestly that's not even an insult. Playnite is a far more mature community led application. The only insult I have is that Microsoft should've done it sooner, but it is truly a welcome effort for them to push a native and default solution. I hate the Windows attitude of "you'll use it anyone. Just find a third party answer." Yeah community driven and third party software will often get the job done better, but for those who don't want to seek it out, the default experience should be really good in of itself. The Xbox Game Bar has already let you launch non-Xbox, it's great for the app to finally pull in your full library (or start to...)

@Millionski Yes, though I wouldn't be surprised if Xbox Insiders keep testing different promised features in waves. That's very Microsoft. They promised this feature rich experience in "Holiday 2025" (which isn't that far away), so they'll have to work the kinks out soon. And Microsoft for better or worse isn't that hush hush when doing it. Everything is a public beta for them. Like a LOT of windows 11 was tested as Windows 10 features for insiders for months. I think before Windows 11 was even announced.

@BacklogBrad In that same vein I'd really like it if Steam got an extension setting like Battle Net so it launches at the same time when you launch the Xbox app.

@-taco To add further clarification, Xbox & the Microsoft Store on PC are a full launcher and storefront respectively. Just like Steam or Epic (though Xbox has far less third party support). You can buy and play any native PC game available on the storefront. This does include Xbox Play Anywhere games and those are games you can purchase once and own native console and PC versions of with cloud save support. However, there's also games that have different console and PC versions (like Stardew Valley) and games not available on Xbox consoles at all (like Disgaea 4 and Forspoken). That's to say, don't buy a PC handheld thinking you're getting a console. And I don't know how far away Microsoft is from bringing your full native console library to PC. The licensing alone is a nightmare. There's a reason why your full Xbox and Xbox 360 library isn't available on Series consoles.

@NishimuraX You make it sound like literally every gaming company isn't a for profit. Is Steam, Sony, Nintendo, or any other publisher our besties? Every company will do what they analyze as making the most money off their consumers. And to this point, Microsoft makes a stupid amount of money off of Xbox gamers. People keep making Sega comparisons and like... what?? In terms of gaming revenue the difference between what both companies made off consoles is night and day. As of now Microsoft makes literally 10x as much as Sega in terms of total gaming revenue, and the majority of Microsoft's gaming business (even post ABK) comes from Xbox console users.

Fun fact, Microsoft made more gaming revenue than Nintendo in the Xbox One generation and they've continued to since. The console market is mature and they know they aren't gaining market share, but they also do still have a significant market share already. The Xbox Series Consoles didn't even sell bad. They didn't sell as well as the PS5, but 30 million in 5 years isn't bad. The WiiU sold like 13 million in that time and the GameCube 20 million, Nintendo didn't exit the market. On top of this the Xbox one consoles are still in play, and Microsoft has found that Xbox gamers on all platforms are spending more money than they ever.

Everything Microsoft does do comes down to money. It's not like any other console company is upholding backwards compatibility promises from beyond the last generation (and I'm still convinced Nintendo will follow the usual pattern and drop it next gen). But Microsoft is presenting it as a feature because it makes them money. They want to grow, not shrink. And that means bringing Xbox console gamers (whom they make 30% from on all sales and 100% for first party same) along with this. Backwards compatibility is a feature that for Microsoft helps guarentee upgrades. Backwards compatibility is also what provides Xbox consoles with more games than ever that are available to purchase. Microsoft will only go 3rd party and abandon the platform, if they think they'll make more money doing so, but I don't see any projection where that's beneficial to them as a for profit company.

With this it seems like Xbox will be testing the features announced with the Xbox Ally through insiders. That's amazing for me! It's possible we'll get full screen mode before 2026 too (thought definitely not before the Xbox Ally drops).

Not into the headset market, but $400 sounds really reasonable considering other prices.

@Kilamanjaro I view this the same way I do the adias sneakers. It's brand collaboration with a breadth of products to expand brand recognition. This is good marketing wise. Really Xbox should be doing more of this. This isn't a full OEM that Microsoft has worked a lot on to build the software for. Nor is it a made for Xbox accessory. It's a gimmick shoe (in this case headset) with some Xbox design, so that more people will recognize the Xbox brand. There will be a post and that's about it. Really, I'm surprised they haven't collaborated with LG or Samsung for a limited edition Xbox designed green TV.

@Millionski Microsoft has given several official and that's what they're confident to show. This also doesn't include what Phil "teases". This year we'll have the Xbox Ally introduce full screen Xbox gaming mode to windows and that'll trickle down to other windows gaming devices next year. Microsoft has also nailed down that their partner for the next generation of Xbox Consoles (and gaming experiences beyond the console) is AMD. And honestly that's a good steady stream of official updates. Nintendo waited until the last minute to announce the Switch 2. Microsoft just has a massive leaks problem (including from their own people) and that's what happens when you 1) have a CEO trying to be everyone's "buddy" and 2) have such a massive company.

I 100% believe this is being worked on (we know there's a backwards compatibility team at Xbox now), but that it releases next year sounds really, really ambitious. This is the same Xbox that announced owned cloud games for eons and JUST delivered that (and hasn't delivered on PC games on the cloud). That's not even an insult to them, but the reality that stuff takes time. They just announced an Xbox interface for windows and that won't even fully roll out to devices UNTIL next year. I also imagine knowing Microsoft, it'll need a lot of updates for about another year to get to a solid state. The most I can see is this getting announced during the 25th anniversary, but not actually being ready (maybe not even having a release date).

Reading the comments, for a lot of people this seems less about the validity of the information being spread and more about the person spreading it. I just want to say that all of this is highly volatile. I think insiders should generally take more responsibility for what they say and how it affects not just people's hopes, but the health of the market (these things impact purchasing decisions). But I also think that more fault lies in how the information is spread beyond any individual's control. Gaming journalist websites and even some major tech websites will spread whatever tidbit of a rumor (often even with missing context) with a title and tone that sounds like it's 100% confirmed by Microsoft themselves in an official statement. If you've ever watched an XboxTwo podcast with Jez you've probably seen it happen in real time. Jez will introduce something as a vague opinion he doesn't even feel confident enough in to make a windows central article on, and then literal hours later if you search "Xbox news" on any search engine you'll see a bunch of options treating whatever he said as if it were factual news that's 100% happening. I can't say I love or hate either individual (I at most barely know Jez from the podcasts that I do catch on YouTube), and I can say that I dislike insiders/leakers and their lack of responsibility with the information they have. But even then I'd err against JUST blaming the person. The issue is that we treat rumors as news at all. Even when they're true, they can easily be false just because stuff is always training and what Microsoft discusses internally is going to be very different from what they are confident in sharing in official statements.

A lot of this seems to stem from the idea that the next Xbox console is full windows unlocked. I don't think that's what's happening. I think the next Xbox console is going to be a new iteration of a traditional Xbox console with more happening on the backend to push Xbox Play Anywhere. I expect more work will be done on windows to make gaming on it feel like gaming on an Xbox. Xbox consoles will probably be able to play your full library without any worry. But if we're looking at the facts Microsoft JUST announced a full screen Xbox mode for windows that isn't even out yet and won't fully be available to all windows hardware until 2026 (probably late with a slow rollout). Do we really think they have a full emulation plan ready to go for a 2026 or 2027 console release date? The licensing alone would be a nightmare. You don't have to trust or like one person over the other. The thing with rumors is that they are just talk, chatter that got leaked. This is how we get insider "reports" of a native handheld launching on XYZ timeline on Tuesday, that it was sidelined on Thursday, that it was canceled Saturday, and then an official announcement teasing it the following Monday. I can 100% believe that Microsoft is WORKING ON bringing all our Xbox games to Windows PCs for their future ubiquitous gaming empire (ecosystem) vision and to just future proof librsries/customers. We do know there's a full backwards compatible team. But we also know that team was only formed a couple of years ago. Even Microsoft DOES NOT know the actual timeline of these things. They have projections and targets, but while those are based in reality, they are not yet our reality. We've already seen from the FTC case leaks that internal plans change or just miss internal targets. That happens all the time. I'm not someone who's overly optimistic. I don't think Microsoft is going to pull off any of their aspirations over night. I mean let's just take a step back. Xbox started acquiring studios in 2018 and formed Xbox Game Studios in 2019. It's only in 2024 that we saw a lot of those studios releasing and Xbox hit a consistent stride for content. As in 6 years from 2018. I think this generation has done a lot of work for next that will make it a great transition, but I don't think we're there at the finish line yet.

Maybe Xbox fans should be as loud as PS fans? Because this was a game that was originally announced as being on Xbox day one (granted it was also announced for last gen and went through a lot of changes, like the publisher). Though, I'm quite sure things would be a lot louder if Xbox Game Studios got the publishing deal and "took the game away from PS".

For the wider conversation, I do think Sony will publish games on Xbox once they think doing so 1) won't hurt their reputation and 2) won't hurt their business. Microsoft is a software company. The Xbox consoles are the core of their gaming business and make the most money (even with the market not growing, Xbox gamers are spending more than ever on the platform), but the validity of their entire business doesn't solely depend on the console. Now more than ever. Microsoft owns Windows and is more than happy to attract gamers to windows (and even if you buy from still, you're still using a windows license that an OEM gave money to MS). There's also cloud gaming now. Plus Microsoft as a publisher is massive. Microsoft Gaming will always see the software as the center of business and for Sony it'll likely be the hardware unless something really drastic changes. Sony doesn't own Windows and unlike Xbox they don't have ANY first party store on PC. The console and 30% sales cuts aren't just the bulk of their gaming business, it's practically everything. And I don't think that'll always be the case. Sony is doing more and more PC releases and they are even releasing on Nintendo. Do you know who else started with more consistent PC releases and then Nintendo releases? Xbox. Once Sony doesn't see growth for their console users or loss (at least anything major) then they'll ramp up ports and eventually release on Xbox. I at least don't think Sony is petty and I know that they are a public company with investors. They will always do what makes them the most money for the least loss.

@Gabrie Sony is hilarious to me right now because everything they're doing is fronting. They're presenting a strong picture, but can't really change reality. Their hardware is doing well, but it's not doing that much better than it did in the PS4 generation (it's on track to do as good if not slightly better). Meanwhile the costs of game development is increasing a lot more and Sony is also seeing that live service games are taking a lot of attention away from the cinematic single player narratives they're known for. Sony has 100% suceededing in fronting, but their actual moves paint a very different picture. They're porting to PC, but at this strange inconsistent pace. They "wanted" to invest massively in live service, but that's only led to so, SO much money down the drain. They've basically all failed except Helldivers. They bought Bungie for live service and that nuke blew up in their faces (not even just a nuke, that was a hydrogen bomb). Concord as well. They bought the studio behind it specifically for a live service game only for it to be an instant failure with the studio getting shut down immediately after.

I'd argue that Microsoft is diversifying not out of necessity, but because they're a public company that wants more money. The console market is mature and their data shows that the cost of converting gamers isn't worth it anymore. Microsoft is the opposite of Sony in that sense. If you ignore the chatter (including from Microsoft), then factually the Xbox Series Console sales are exactly average (about 30 million in 5 years (they've already out sold the lifetime sales of the WiiU (by a massive margin) and GameCube and literally about half of all consoles)). Factually, Xbox has more first and third party support than ever. Factually, Xbox first party has gone from like 5 in house studios to being a monster in the span of time between 2018 and 2023. Factually, Xbox games are dominating on all platforms as they start to go multiplatform and this has even led to increased engagement within those games from Xbox console users. Factually, Xbox continues to expand its first party ecosystem (while still supporting consoles) into the cloud and by finally, FINALLY, supporting windows gaming better.

Microsoft just needs to shut their mouths and let their actions and the results of them speak for themselves. Sony needs to get their act together entirely. I don't think Sony needs to release on Xbox, but they need to figure out their PC release consistency and more importantly rally their first party studios. I genuinely don't think Sony is equipped to publish and support live service multiplayer games to the extent they want. I'd tell them to stick to their bread and butter, but honestly what they do doesn't matter. What matters is that they know what they're doing. In terms of first party this generation has been a joke for Sony. They're relying on third party exclusives a LOT and even those have dwindled more than ever. It isn't remotely a hot take to say that the past few Sony State of Play/showcase events have been lackluster.

@VeganHerpes This statement doesn't exist in reality. Xbox consoles factually have more third support than ever. The game being discussed here is Sony published and even then being brought up because a Switch 2 version might happen. Where in that is the Series S parity the fault line?

A lot of this is buzz that could mean anything (or nothing), but in general the commitment is nice.

@NeoRatt It baffles me how long it took Microsoft to figure this out. Valve should NOT have beaten them to having a console like gaming mode on PC. The fact that they're slow to go in this direction has only hurt them. Like Xbox fans themselves are really confused and there's only so much Microsoft can do to shift decades of pavloving training on what Xbox is (and the current this is an Xbox ad campaign shows a massive marketing and communication problem in trying to change that). Hopefully they get better at conveying that the Xbox ecosystem is expanding and why that is a good thing in the future. Microsoft has a habit of "if we build it, they will come", but that's not how consumers operate.

I feel like they hinted at little everything in that one minute short (storefronts, AI, native console handheld, Xbox = PC, and probably more) and they talked in the context of everything (console, PC, and cloud). I really would suggest against getting expectations up, but it can be fun to muse.

@Decimateh Would it mean much? Nintendo doesn't consistently (it seems like every other Gen for them) support digital purchases across their own devices. Like any games you bought digitally for your Wii U didn't exactly get transfered over to your Nintendo Switch.

Just a reminder to keep expectations tempered. The next quote specifically talks about windows PC gaming. Xbox is bigger than just the console now and there's a LOT of ways for them to technically fulfill this promise. For example on PC the Xbox App already connects to other launchers and you can even buy games from other launchers on the store. They've also added Battle Net to the Xbox Play Anywhere fold for new releases (that's really not tying you to one store). There's also Nvidia GFN which already collaborates with Xbox. Or they could say it's been done technically with Ubisoft+ being available (you aren't tied to just game pass on consoles). The Xbox full screen mode also already confirmed integration with third party storefronts on windows.

The financial make me scratch my head with the idea of a fully open Xbox console. Like if Steam on the console then that's where most people will buy their games and all of a sudden Microsoft can't subsidize consoles anymore. They also won't be making the 30% from every purchase anymore. I don't see any other outcome than Xbox consoles costing as much as PCs and/or Microsoft just axing them entirely as monetarily they'll have lost their biggest profit area. And I also just don't think this is necessary because Microsoft has windows gaming. They can just leave the Xbox console experience as traditional and work to bring a better first party gaming experience to windows through stuff like the Xbox Full screen mode. Then use Xbox Play Anywhere to tie it all together.

And honestly? Personally, I don't want the situation on windows on Xbox. Alan Wake 2 STILL isn't on Steam. Companies like EA and Ubisoft try to force everyone to use their launcher even if it's terrible. I don't want the possibility of storefront/launcher exclusives on my Xbox console. In a perfect world everything would release everywhere and we'd have a choice, but in reality it wouldn't be long until we're all having to download 3 or 4 launchers to play every new release. There's benefits to this on PC (like better deals due to competition), but there's also benefits to the existing console experience. I think we can live in a world where Xbox has both and gamers have a choice of where they want to play with what features and drawbacks.

@Millionski I really don't think they'll ever drop Xbox consoles or go full windows. They just make too much money. The problem with consoles is that they aren't getting new users, but their existing users are fairly stable. Like if we're pessimistic they sold 30 million units in five years, slower than usual but not bad. Bad is the WiiU at less than 15 million in that same time and Nintendo came back from that strong. There's also the last gen elephant. COD 2025 is STILL releasing on last gen platforms. Xbox users are also spending more money (on series and one consoles) and Microsoft gets 30% or 100% of all sales ON XBOX. Whereas on windows Microsoft gets 12% (from their own store), 100% (if someone buys from their store or battle net), 70% (if someone buys their games on Steam), or a big fat 0% (in any other case) of game sales. Windows is still a big business due to selling licenses to OEMs and hardware and whatnot, but they'd lose a LOT of money and control giving up on consoles. And it's be needless. They don't have to do much with consoles anymore as it's a mature market and product. They can even scale back and stop doing mid gen upgrades (which they already haven't this gen) and the like. We can also expect gamers to be more sticky and generations to be less of an immediate shift (like this gen). They can have a traditional console AND improve gaming on windows with Xbox experiences (like the Xbox full screen mode) and then let OEMs handle PCs as always.

@Moby Microsoft recently made it so that you can buy, and I think download and update Ubisoft games (as in not just those on game pass) through the Microsoft store. At the very least you can now search and buy them. They do the same for Battle Net games that don't have a native MS store version. I wouldn't be surprised if they work with Valve, Epic, and GOG to do a similar thing with there stores. And it wouldn't be a hard sell because I don't think MS takes a cut. They just want people to use the MS store and be able to search and access all available windows software through one storefront. Microsoft is also working on a way to update apps across storefronts through a single update hub. Again, it'd be very easy for them to incorporate this into their PC gaming side of things. Between the Xbox full screen mode and all this, Microsoft could actually succeed in making gaming on windows not a pain.

I suspect we'll get a proper announcement during the 25th anniversary next year (maybe in TGA to head into the new year with a massive hype train). To me though, next gen IS the vision. Hardware really doesn't seem to be doing the leaps and bounds anymore, and even powerful hardware just doesn't have much to do (there's only so much better games can actually get developed). What I want from Xbox is to go full speed ahead on building a ubiquitous gaming ecosystem across console, PC, Cloud, and mobile (if the courts open up Android and iOS). The next generation of Xbox consoles for me just needs to play all currently available games (check) and be a reasonably priced pure gaming focused experience (oh and for God's sake at least a detachable or external disc drive). On PC I just need them copy valve and create an optimized gaming mode using the Xbox experience (check). On cloud they just need to massively improve the tech under the hood (more than doable (cries in Bethesda Orion promises)). The ducks are lined up in a row, and it will be the software that determines if they get a home run. The Xbox Games Showcase needs to be the norm for Xbox Play Anywhere. Ideally (though unlikely) every game should by default launch with Play Anywhere on Xbox consoles, Xbox PC, and Xbox Cloud. Paid multiplayer needs to go away. Xbox won't need to force gamers into their ecosystem if they just make Xbox the undisputed best place to play, best place to buy your games (best value), and the best place to preserve your library (not tying it to a single platform). And for God's sake Microsoft advertise your consumer businesses for once this time around.

@Spider-Kev the base model sounds like it'll be around the Steam Deck power wise, which puts it around the PS4 (which is at least better than the launch Xbox One). The X (Z2E model) should actually be much more comparable to the Series S (it could even be more powerful), but do keep in mind that games get less optimizations on PC so actual performance might not line up with benchmarks.

@Kaloudz I'm not sure if this will be helpful, but Microsoft has confirmed that the Xbox full screen experience is coming rolling out to more windows devices in 2026. We aren't sure about that rollout, but I'm just saying that the best part about the ROG Xbox Ally will eventually come to all windows PC handhelds (and hopefully all windows PCs period). That is to say you're not limited in choices. The Xbox Ally will do it first, but before long you can get the same optimized experience on any windows gaming handheld. You could also choose to download SteamOS right now if you really don't like windows.

I currently have a Lenovo Legion Go and a Steam Deck (LCD model). The steam deck felt most like a console giving me the better user experience. You're even given a nice little green "steam deck verified" to know what games have been specifically tested for the deck (though I'll say games like God of War even when verified felt unplayable to me). It's helpful and easy. The battery life is also so much better due to it turning off unnecessary features. You can go on Steam right now and check the list. All that said, a few months after I got my Legion Go, I just forgot about my steam deck entirely. Being able to play games from any storefront I without having to do some tweaking is fantastic. This includes all the steam games I played on the Deck and they played better with the more powerful hardware. The battery life is god awful on the Legion go, but I just play it plugged in while lying on my bed. Honestly the only hold up is windows and the Xbox full screen mode fixes that.

I'd suggest expanding your research. The Z2A isn't that good, but a better middle ground exists with the Z1E. Those devices are also at least a year old now and go on sale. You could also just wait. This isn't a new proprietary Xbox, but instead a Windows OEM. Microsoft is just partnering with ASUS to show off new software in an optimized environment. The same way they do with stuff like the recent Windows on ARM and Copilot+ PCs. OEMs will continue to make Windows Handheld PCs with the latest tech. Lenovo has already announced their Z2E Legion Go 2. MSI isn't even using the AMD chips (and supposedly the latest Intel one is pretty good). Microsoft is going to optimize the windows gaming experience across the board and because the space is occupied by OEMs you don't have to wait long for more options.

The subheading is hilarious because the game was never going to have a fantastic launch week on Xbox after being out for 2 years (it even broke PS5 exclusivity last year with a PC release). There's so many reasons for weak sales on Xbox. The JRPG gamers are smaller on Xbox, it's been out on for years (with many price cuts multiple times) on other platforms, the game has very mixed reviews (with some saying it's the best interests, others it's the worst, and all agreeing on some objective issues like the side quests design), and Xbox gamers aren't without more recent turn based and action JRPGs to choose from. I really don't know why they didn't reach out to Microsoft for a game pass launch deal. That'd be their best bet. They'd get a fixed amount of money from Microsoft, maybe some bonuses, and most importantly would better reach all the Xbox gamers who weren't interested in paying $50 to $70 for a 2 year old game that didn't exactly see BG3 reviews and they might have already bought on PS or PC. Regardless, I imagine most people interested are like me and just waiting for this game to go on sale.

I feel no sympathy for Square. They were building an audience on Xbox halfway through last gen. Square was reaching gamers who didn't own a PS or PC or just for whatever reason never played a JRPG. The FF ports and game pass releases were doing fantastic in that regard. They were breaking away from their traditional PS audience and really building up on Xbox AND PC. Had they released FFXVI on all platforms day one, it probably would've been a strong commercial succession even if it wasn't as strong of a critical (review) success. Because that's the thing: even though FF16 sold millions on PS, Square has always been disappointed in its performance and told as much to investors. It's a big reason why they've gone harder than ever with multiplatform. But what they can't do is turn back time.

Sega is a very nice foil. They similarly took last generation (and early parts of this generation) to expand the audience for their JRPGs on Xbox and PC. Yakuza for example got ports and game pass deals, and so did Persona. Now, every new Yakuza and Persona game is releasing on all platforms and they're always breaking internal records. Sega is even able to release a brand new IP JRPG to massive commercial success. I mean, it does really help that their new entries are more consistently good and resonate with fans. But the biggest benefit has just been putting in the work to build that audience prior to a much more consistent multiplatform push. As long as Square Enix learns from mistakes, it's not too late to see similar success. Final Fantasy 17 and whatever remake is after 7 could see massive success, but the story is largely over for FF16 (FF7R trilogy should do better as it's much, much better reviewed by everyone and bigger in pop culture). Really the benefit of launching FF16 (especially for Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud) is to once again build that audience and set the stage for the level of support Xbox gamers can expect from future FF games. Though again, it'd probably do a better job of this on Game Pass and being as old as it is they clearly wouldn't have lost massive sales on a GP deal.