The timing isn't a coincidence. Both Microsoft and Sony have to be aware that people will likely be slow to go out and buy thousand-dollar-plus machines, so this generation is bound to last at LEAST another 4-5 years.

I was the skull up until they removed the avatars lol

@FraserG not to mention that almost every character seemed some kind of stereotype, which i know is an intentional choice, but WHEW!

Not a peep, happy to say!

Unfortunately this isn't realistic. You'd be asking game developers to develop for Xbox and continue paying to press their games onto discs, when Sony no longer requires them to, for a machine that will likely sell far fewer units than the PS6. It's a nice thought, but unlikely at best.

Someone is going to write a FASCINATING book about astonishing incompetence and mismanagement of Microsoft's handling of Xbox one day.

@NishimaruX yeah I would agree. It's disappointing because abandoning franchises before they can grow is a HUGE part of the problem.

Sigh...I might be in the minority, but I really enjoyed Avowed...

Awful news, despite knowing it was coming. This is the result of decades of incompetence from Microsoft in how they ran Xbox.

This is a lovely fantasy. PC gaming has been digital for a very long time already, and now Sony is following suit. What game companies are going to spend the money to make physical disc JUST for Xbox, a console that will likely be badly outsole by the PS6? The goodwill of the fans doesn't mean NEARLY as much as people (the fans themselves mostly) think. Everyone is complaining, but at the end of the day, the vast majority of people will just accept it and move on, just like they did with movies and music.

@EPiz lol he was CLEARLY right. The hundreds of layoffs should be a clue...?

100% xbox does the same. We're on the doorstep of an era of $80 games you don't even really own...

When Xbox hired its new leader, Seamus Blackley said that she was coming to sunset Xbox. The Fandom tore him to shreds.

Those people owe him an apology lol. My favorite part is that even now, even as they disassemble xbox, they just cannot stop pretending that they're not doing what they're CLEARLY doing.

Imagine how much they're going to try and sell Helix for...

Fascinating how quickly everyone just accepts $80 games lol. $100 is the goal BTW and I figure they'll be there in about 3-5 years.

Gamers could literally force game prices back down by simply not buying right away, but these companies know that most of you don't have the discipline for that 🙄

I don't have a problem with the end of exclusives, because I know that many of the people crying about xbox ending exclusives have NO INTENTION of actually buying those exclusives.

I don't have a problem with the end of exclusives, because I know that many of the people crying about xbox ending exclusives have NO INTENTION of actually buying those exclusives.

I've said for a while now that Senua is a more compelling version of Kratos.

@TrevorP86 literally almost gives me a headache 😆

raises hand

I absolutely refuse lol. If we don't like the price of games, the answer is really quite simple lol

I don't know how this will turn out, but this is DEFINITELY what Xbox has needed for the last decade and a half.

A PLAN. a straightforward vision of what they intend to do.

I love Molyneux SO much 🤣, he just can't help himself😆

Full exclusivity isn't coming back, and shouldn't. 6 months should be the standard length of exclusivity for most games.

A tier without COD.
a tier where first-party games only remain in the service for 60 days.
A tier without any older games.

The possibilities are endless.

Permanent exclusivity doesn't need to exist, but there certainly should be rules. Some sort of standard timing for exclusivity makes more sense.

Just think; if Microsoft had treated their partners better:

-Control and Alan Wake 2 could be 1st party games.

-Destiny could have either replaced Halo or been a Halo game itself.

-Microsoft may own Insomniac, as they likely would have been more open to the idea before Sony locked them up after they made Sunset Overdrive.

Ashamed has a lot of work to do lol

My guess is that there will be an all-digital SKU with an attractive price point, $599 to $699 maybe, but not less powerful (that was a HORRIBLE idea with the Series S).

Honestly, that sounds about right. If you're Microsoft you know that your profits come from software and services. The console was always going to be a boutique item. Whatever number of them you do sell will be at a profit. Considering what the thing does, it's also in a position to replace some people's gaming pc.

$899 USD MINIMUM.

@Balaam_ permanent exclusivity isn't coming back, and doesn't need to.

I would come up with a concrete plan and STICK TO IT.

• first-party games still launch into game pass day 1, however, they only stay there for 60 days. That's enough time, and doesn't cannabalize sales as much as leaving them there forever.
  first party games still go to ps5 (there's way too much money to be made), but always with a minimum of 6 months xbox exclusivity.
  NO game announcements for any game that is more than 2 years away from release. The number of canceled games this generation is embarrassing.
  reduced pricing for multiple-month GPU purchases. $30 per month, but $75/ 3 months.
  future Xboxes allow for standard NVME replacement, AND still accept the current NVME cards.

No organizational changes...?

Man, I PROMISE there are going to be layoffs. Do they think we're this stupid?

Hell there's already been at least one, unless you really think Sarah Bond just randomly decided to leave...

Hire them, let them make a game, get out of their way.

@PapaGlitch and that those people will probably continue to do so.

Incredible.

So....they spent time and money so that people who ALREADY LIKED THE GAME....will like the game?

They're intentionally tanking the console as an excuse to go 3rd party. Im not sure why they think we don't know that.

In 2001 I was working at Sears. Next door to us was a Circuit City (RIP). One day I go next door to grab something, I forget what, but as I'm walking through, I see an Xbox demo station with a demo of Rallisport Challenge. I was in love IMMEDIATELY. the graphics were much better than PS2, and I'm one of those weirdos who loved the Duke. I have stupidly large hands, so this chunky beast felt great to hold. I bought a unit within a few weeks and here we are lol

My feelings on Hellblade 2 were literally "man what a great story. If they figure out how to put an actual GAME in here they'll really have something."

@BaldB3lper78 gotta give him that lol

I was unsubscribed within 5 minutes of hearing about the price increase.

Still amazed by the contrast of:

A.) Microsoft doing everything in their power to make sure you have literally NO reason to choose an xbox, and

B.) Also saying, by the way the next xbox will be really expensive.

@FraserG you know the plan changes daily lol

Someday someone is going to write a FASCINATING book about all the many (MANY) xbox games that got canceled just in the last 10 years alone...

Canceled yesterday. And when PS Plus raises their prices (it won't take long), I'll cancel them too.

Um, I appreciate the accountability, but Microsoft has arguably canceled more first party software than ot has actually released over the past 10 years, especially if you discount the Activision-Blizzard games. Microsoft has mismanaged xbox to an insane degree over the past decade plus.

I've been saying for a while that the flaw of Game Pass is that the games should only stay in the service for a maximum of 90 days.

.......so they canceled it for nothing instead of taking SOMETHING for it.

Typical lol

Luckily they already know that they won't be having any "technical issues" with the series s this time.............

@Titntin I think his issue is that he sincerely doesn't give a damn about xbox. He's almost closed it at least once, and I get the feeling he doesn't care about gaming in the slightest.

Lol you know someone at xbox is going to have to release a damage control statement on how Microsoft isn't moving on from the Series X/S yet 🤣