Zenszulu

That they are officially leaving the console market and going full third party?

I have been noticing things taking ages to register today and then while it was I noticed the removal of those points. The app on console seems to have had almost next to no extra points the last couple of weeks. I'm not overly bothered but it's become very noticable and it is constantly slowing down how long it takes for things to register.

This is why you don't let Peter Molyneux talk about his projects as he often over promises because his ideas usually are too optimistic for the hardware and are often a generation or two from even being possible. He himself is aware of this and has often caused major headaches for the publishers he works for.

185,689 at the time of this message. I usually use it to top up on Gamepass but I have over 2 years on that left from doing that so I'll just let the points tally for another year or so.

@Romans12 There are still less people subscribed to Gamepass across console, PC and whatever other means there are on playing it than there are XBox consoles sold and I would guarantee the majority of users are on console. So would it not make more sense to aim to sell more consoles in order to increase the subscription you say they are aiming for as their priority?

They also don't heavily promote Gamepass to anyone outside their own Xbox userbase for the most part so they are still heavily relying on those who buy their consoles. So in this case selling more consoles would be a good Benchmark as to how many subscribers they can get. Also by the last numbers released PlayStation has nearly double the amount of subscribers Xbox has so I would hardly say they are in any metric the number one gaming company by a landslide.

Well since Microsoft had the resources to actually be able to turn things around over the past decade it's not totally surprising but to this day they are still feeling the effects of it in that people are starting view them as a third party publisher that just so happens to have a console.

In terms of the generation that helped shape and move the generation forward the 360 era is by far the best and it isn't even close. Despite the hardware not being the most reliable and towards the end of the generation they ran out of steam it is certainly the one that stands out the most.

Some people seem to think this generation is the best based on a few comments based on more powerful hardware alone if you remove the hardware from the equation then despite all of Microsoft's spending they are still struggling to find an identity for the systems outside it has gampass and as a result it still doesn't get the average person interested and think it is must have like the 360 did for a large period of time.

Over the last 6 months the vast majority of high points earners have either been vastly reduced or removed entirely. It seems they are expecting people to be willing to spend more without relying on the rewards as much going forward as they expand what is available on Gamepass.

This could possibly be used to create AI generated games for people to try and quickly make money from. Not saying it will be widely abused but there will be some who use such technology to make the game for them with little effort. I wouldn't imagine the results would be good but it will be no different to the loads of "games" on digital stores now where people use public assets and slap them together.

I'll be honest I have played more of Gotham Knights that I was expecting since I decided to pass on it was released. Even though I don't like it as much as any of the Arkham games and some of the combat just doesn't feel as good I am still enjoying it for what it is. Although once I have finished up with it I doubt I'll go back.

@VisitingComet1 yes in my world it is not a perk that I would deem essential for a reason I would go for a job. I would view it as a bonus and a nice one at that but just because I play video games it wouldn't be the reason that would make me want to work for any company and that sways my decision in accepting a job. If I no longer received something like that it wouldn't make me dislike my job anymore or feel hard done by.

@VisitingComet1 Sorry but are you suggesting people started working for Microsoft because they would get free gamepass? Losing that one thing is not a major loss in life regardless of if the company you work for is the one running the service they are under no obligation to have to allow all employees to get that service for free. If the perk was something that made your life easier like access to certain medial things it would be an issue to just cut it but not an entertainment subscription service.

@Kienda If it was something that was considered a life essential or something that helped their families live better lives as a result then taking it away from people would be a bad thing. Since it isn't and is a subscription service then complaining about no longer getting it for free is them being entitled.

From by point of view they come across as being entitled to having something just because they have a job there. If they are complaining about losing something like that yet probably get countless other things as a benefit of working for Microsoft then they need to take a look at themselves.

@BAMozzy while I agree that it can be improved and many games have managed that saying something like it will be for people that discover it in the future and for new subscribers later down the road is the equivalent of saying the people who could have had a better experience at the start and won't return because of it don't matter.

It still doesn't change my point that publishers want to rush games like this out clearly unfinished with the plan of turning it around later just so they can meet a release date that they refuse to change.

The problem with patches like this is most people have already given up and moved on because of the state the game released in and it it worrying that publishers seem to not think that getting these things right at launch would probably give them a better chance and keeping a dedicated userbase for much longer rather than hoping people come back and try again down the line.

@AccessibleDaydream I get how you can feel that way that is why I usually try and get the difficulty set to where I can still feel like I am having to pay attention and my opponents aren't dumber than a bag of potatoes. It's the same with any sports games I play if you play them on the lowest difficulty I would feel like I am cheating myself by simply knowing I would win but by finding a level I feel even my average skills can compete with I at least feel I achieved a victory.

Never been a big fan of racing games online usually because I suck at them and prefer playing through a career mode where I feel like I have achieved something rather than constant loss.

three of mine did my launch one and one I got just after they started including a HDMI port and then the black Elite mode one I had too honestly that turned me off of getting an XBox One. I often wonder if the number of 360's sold was inflated by people buying replacements as it was far too common in the first few years. I also had to have the disc drive replaced on the first one I had because it just stopped opening. The fact is it was poorly designed and was rushed to get it out much quicker than the PS3 and no amount of slight tweaks was going to fix the problem as the only way they managed to fix it in the end was completely redesign it in later models.

@Savage_Joe yes getting paid a huge amount of money in the process I am sure he is broken inside as a result. What a terrible thing to happen to him he may never survive.

I am not sure how this is in any way karma? Just because someone originally rejects your idea doesn't mean they are getting punished for it now by some kind of cosmic force. Plenty of pitches get made for games and not all get accepted the first time or even by the first publisher no point hold a bitter grudge over it.

Streaming doesn't make it compatible in simply makes it playable on it.

Like it or not Series S is their primary console this generation and that is why they won't just suddenly be dropping support for it because people who don't own one think they should because they feel it is holding the generation back. Without it I can't imagine the vast majority of those people would have simply decided to buy a Series X if that was their only option. If anything the Series S has stopped them falling even further behind in terms of hardware sales compared to the PS5.

it's pretty much how you would expect them to look if they were remade on the PS2 at the time.

@Sifi you can buy digital codes from many places for Playstation while not the subscriptions anymore the money can still be used for subscriptions. I often do it so not sure why you claim you can't, you can also pay less than £100. Also yes value is very much subjective with any subscription service as what value one person gets from it will be different to what someone else does. You also don't have to pay twice on PlayStation once you are on the Premium tier as that is roughly the equivalent in price to Gamepass Ultimate.

@Kaloudz it doesn't bother me too much either. I played through man N64 games with awful framerates but they were still playable. As long as the game doesn't grind to a crazy slow pace and is enjoyable regardless not even constantly hitting even 30 is much of an issue. Sadly you have a collection of people who seem to claim anything below a constant 60 makes a game totally unplayable. Very few games can boast that they manage that and usually its games that aren't taxing the hardware as much or in terms of PC games most of the settings turned down so it looks much worse. I sometimes feel people don't actually play these games anymore just like to argue over the performance.

@Kaloudz who knows really since most top console hardware struggles to keep a stable 30 in the most graphically intense games still. Devs will always try and push the hardware that much harder just to get it looking a little prettier and until the day comes where you can make whatever you want visually with zero hit to performance it may be a long way off before even that becomes the norm.

@Kaloudz not even claiming to be an expert on this but 40 fps makes a game smoother on a 60hz display because it is divisible by an even number and not an odd one like 30 which causes more stutter.

@Sifi it may be more per month and that is only slightly but you can always get a years subscription and then it becomes much cheaper per year than gamepass. That is also if you don't take up any offers or get gift cards from online retailers that sell them for lower than face value. At base prices though there is very little difference in price and the value is subjective depending on the games you like playing.

I'm about 20 hours in and I'd give it a 7.5 so far. It does take me back to the first time I played the first Mass Effect and in many ways the bland and lifeless looking planets and moons you land on remind me a lot of that. I think for the most part the overall drab look of the game kind of takes me out of it. Not saying their aren't any good looking areas but the amount of grey at times hurts my eyes. Other than that it is essentially Fallout in space.

@Pimpernel I think you are completely missing the point. You can change certain aspects of the gameplay mechanics and not have it play like a totally different game. They aren't saying it should play like a different game.

@Pimpernel he meant in terms of do the fighting mechanics work differently not that it should be a different genre of game

Alternatively if you want a 360 just for display you can but one of the million of ones that don't work and sit it on a shelf all for a fraction of the price.

The thing is some people seem to only rate a 1 or a 10 and feel they have to defend their console of purchase to the death. Or anything they follow for that matter if there is a competitor. There are no shades of grey for these people. It's never just one sided though as this kind of thing will equally incite others to defend the game and review bomb a rival game with this being their justification.

Is it a stealth launch if you know it's happening?

Most newer recent games that have be available on Xbox One in the last couple have years have really struggled to perform moderately well. I get games still coming out on the PS4 in a way because of the huge install base but why on the Xbox One? It's like publishers still feel obligated even though they know it won't run well and they won't put in any time optimising it or updating it later.

The thing is that on Xbox you have to essentially pay for the PC version and the Xbox access is an add on for a higher price. Seeing as the amount of games available is around the same as what EA play offers and that is available for £20 a year then Ubisoft Plus looks like a really bad deal if you are just wanting to play on Xbox. There really should be an option to just subscribe to what is available on Xbox and not have it as an extra. So while this deal is good for one month I can't see too many people paying the full price for it after that month.

Can't imagine there will be all that many people who will be buying this game for launch who haven't previously been on Xbox for a while and had gamepass at some point in that time. Especially ones who have been playing Fifa. So for those two people who are buying an Xbox just before the game releases just for that game then pre-ordering it in time it's a great deal for them. Otherwise it's not really something most will benefit from.

@RUNNINGDUDE1 bad decision? Inflation in general is an issue all over the world and prices for everything are increasing so it more than likely explains why a free rewards system would suffer as a result. They aren't exactly responsible for global inflation.

No not for any gaming thing. I get people used to treat all of the E3 press conferences as some kind of weird sporting event as the ones representing the piece of hardware they backed would get cheered as they announced new games. Even then if I had the time I'd watch them live if not it's not like I'm missing a life changing even or a sporting moment that is better watching live.

I have also never taken time off of work specifically to play a new game that has launched. If I have booked time off and I am not going anywhere then I may pick something up and play it as I have the time but I don't use the time exclusively to play a new game not in the past or now.

I have never been able to get to deep into a GTA game I have played many briefly when they first come out but can never find the motivation to ever keep going. I think the furthest I ever got was on GTA3 on the PS2. Saying that I already have GTA5 on two other systems at this point that I don't play so this can join them on my never going to play list.

A lot of their monthly rewards have been cut in half recently. Not a great deal as it's still pretty easy to get enough to renew gamepass each month. Not sure why so many people seem entitles to unlimited free stuff though they are still a business after all. While I'll admit I have taken advantage of the rewards system to not pay for Gamepass I don't think I am owed the rewards system and a higher amount of point simply because I have been using it up until now.

The thing is if consoles had no exclusives from either first or third party and all games were on everything then why would Sony or even Nintendo choose to make their own hardware if it wasn't the only place play them. If that were the case you would just have one single console because there would be no point in others releasing hardware as all the games would be on the same thing and then people would simply only buy the most powerful one. Exclusives help give your product an identity in terms of games consoles if you take that away you also would make customers ask why they should buy one generic games console over the other one as they both play all the same games.

This is one reason I don't like games that aren't even in development properly getting an announcement trailer or even games that are several years away from getting finished. But to still be in the earliest stages of development around 3 years in shows that no one actually had a vision for the game and Microsoft essentially took one of the Rare's IPs and gave it to a random developer and said "here make a game"

The console I actually get as a promotional thing. I even think the controllers with those faceplates might actually sell reasonably well but it's the game that is paired with that doesn't seem to fit right even though it has a couple of cars just randomly added.

I use reward points to sub and and unless they suddenly remove that option I don't plan on actually paying any time soon. So I will stay subbed even on days I don't actually play Xbox games I can still claim everything I need in less than an hour a day. I also have over a year left on my current subscription as I chose to stop the auto renewal for now on adding a month through rewards so I can save for some stuff on the Microsoft store as I currently earn enough points for the equivalent of £15-£20 a month.

Not too bothered about the price of Gamepass going up as I don't pay for it and use Microsoft rewards currently to do that. Although most subscriptions usually go up over time anyway due to inflation so it's to be expected at some point. The Series X however going up just seems ludicrous. It's already bad enough that consoles years after release are no longer dropping in price like they used to an tend to maintain the same launch price for much longer but to increase the price? is just going to make less people want to buy it although they do seem to see the Series S as the target system anyway.

@Banjo- yes and I gave mine

@Banjo- I am aware of how to filter stuff but it is much more cumbersome that other search and filter features. Just because it reacts fast doesn't mean it is an easier system than others.

@Banjo- It may be faster but it is a pain to find what you are looking for at times when it comes to simply sorting in a certain order. A feature most other digital store fronts have for games yet microsoft can't seem to implement it. Fast yes easy not really.