@Scrubchub @Vectrex XBox users have had a console generation to get used to Smart Delivery forcing you to fully download series X versions of disc based games when there’s a perfectly playable XBone version on the disc, plus gamepass as well.
PS owners haven’t, and the ire on the PS side is pretty understandable. To this day, 99% of all PS disc based games have the game on the disc other than post-pressing patches. Now MS is shoving these discs-as-download-voucher releases at us and I think that even if you don’t think it’s a big deal, it’s understandable that others kinda do.
This isn’t a win for anyone other than Microsoft and developers who lease you games indefinitely and can revoke your access at any moment. Better hope your account never gets banned for a wrongful reason.
Since getting my series X last year, I’ve had GPU a total of nine months.
I tried a decent number of games but didn’t really focus on any other than High On Life and Indiana Jones.
GPU is definitely not a huge draw for me and once I use the last 3-month code I’m still holding onto, I doubt I’ll uae it again. I’m one of those oddballs that likes owning his games.
@Sindayl This. I got my series X purely to try out some backward compatible stuff and play some XBox exclusives. If it weren’t for Forza Horizon 4 and 5 I’d likely have sold it already. I’m glad I kept it due to the greater BC available (Batman Arkham Origins on a modern console, yay!) but definitely feel no need to make the XBox a GPU machine.
@Godot25 I don’t doubt that there’ll be a “Hook*rs and Blow” $200 edition of GTA6, so I figured $120 was lowballing it while still being slightly absurd.
PS5 $499. Series X $599. Both with blu-ray drives.
…MS had better pray Sony raises their hardware prices in the next few months. That is a monstrously huge disparity in price for essentially the same capability hardware.
One’s blood had better have XBox Green flowing in it to go for an X over a 5 in this current situation. Of course, for all I know, Sony will jump them to match tomorrow…
Well, guess I’m glad I got my X last year. My first and last XBox!
Still on the fence about keeping my Switch 2 preorder. This might just be my last console generation if things continue this way. Which is honestly fine, my backlog is so massive across all platforms that I could stop buying games today and be good till I’m in my seventies!
@Neither_scene The disc didn’t just contain the license on PS4. It had the whole game. Single player, at least. I don’t touch GTA online. So specious argument there.
@Neither_scene All of that is why I still buy my movies and tv shows on disc, and I avoid disc based games that don’t have the whole game (minus patches, obviously) on the actual disc. Exceptions for games like FF14 and Helldivers 2 that require being online with content patches and such are obviously made!
My concept of ownership hasn’t changed over the years: If I have the disc, I own it regardless of what the publisher wants to say. Heck, I still buy the occasional music CD!
Prove me wrong. I’m willing to wager more XBox owners played this game via gamepass than bought it on XBox. Heck, I’m one of them!
@fiendish-beaver Well said. As a newer XBox owner (first one was a Series X last year) it’s actually a little sad that this will also likely be my last XBox. And I picked up a fair number of games for this system, actually paid real money and everything! Definitely not a Gamepass machine for me except for small bursts.
Sad to see this. Makes me wonder what the comparable numbers are for PS5 consoles. I’m betting the ratio of disc to digital only leans heavier towards disc, with MS’s huge gamepass push.
For Americans interested in SW Outlaws, Amazon is trying to get rid of their “Amazon Exclusive” disc version at $34.99 plus a 30% coupon. For $24.49 pre-tax, I’m willing to give this Ubisoft product a shot. Especially since they’re likely not making much off this purchase.
@Millionski I have zero issue with Nintendo not discounting their games much. People still buy em, why should they? Obviously their sales are good enough that they don’t have to pull a Ubisoft and slash the price by 75% three months after release.
Now the launch price for Mario Kart World, THAT I have issues with…
I genuinely don’t understand how this was even an issue, unless MS’s online store was just being mulish. You’d think “set price to free” would be the simplest thing in the world.
That said, well done to the devs for making sure this will happen properly in the hopefully near future.
@UndyingInsurgent95 You expect Larian Studios to just 50-75% discount a game that STILL sells, STILL gets played and yesterday just got a cross-play update people have been anticipating for over a year?
Nah, this is still a reasonable price for a game like BG3.
@IOI In fairness, Concord looked horrible from the get-go with its dime store Guardians of the Galaxy created by faceless committee vibe.
This at least has a more distinctive style. It certainly isn’t for me, but I definitely think it’ll do better than Concord. Not that this is a HIGH standard to exceed, of course!
I genuinely don’t care about backgrounds on my consoles these days. I want the shortest path from locating game to launching said game and I don’t need pretty pictures distracting me from that.
@LonR Given that preorders for the Switch 2 don’t start till next week…
@jesse_dylan It does enhance some Switch games out of the box. Nintendo announced a few like Mario Odyssey, LoZ Link’s Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom, as well as Captain Toad. And dear god, those two LoZ titles need the boost, speaking from personal experience…
It isn’t all money-gouging game upgrades. There’s free boosts out there too.
@awp69 Interesting that there’s no MS first party games on the list, except for the companies MS absorbed after the games on the list themselves were released so MS themselves bears zero credit.
Interesting how Nintendo has three all by themselves.
@fatpunkslim Call me crazy, but I believe small studio that said something similar to Larian Studios regarding BG3 and the series S more than massive faceless corporation trying to cover itself and its lower-powered console they demand all games also support.
I’m sure other XBox owners would like to find that out for themselves though, regardless of what your opinion of the game is and what other games someone else is currently playing.
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Re: Xbox's DOOM: The Dark Ages Seemingly Has Tiny Amount Of Content On Disc
@Ricky-Spanish I mean…it sure SOUNDS like you’re gloating, but if you say you’re not…
Re: Xbox's DOOM: The Dark Ages Seemingly Has Tiny Amount Of Content On Disc
@Scrubchub @Vectrex XBox users have had a console generation to get used to Smart Delivery forcing you to fully download series X versions of disc based games when there’s a perfectly playable XBone version on the disc, plus gamepass as well.
PS owners haven’t, and the ire on the PS side is pretty understandable. To this day, 99% of all PS disc based games have the game on the disc other than post-pressing patches. Now MS is shoving these discs-as-download-voucher releases at us and I think that even if you don’t think it’s a big deal, it’s understandable that others kinda do.
Re: Xbox's DOOM: The Dark Ages Seemingly Has Tiny Amount Of Content On Disc
@Ricky-Spanish Gloat much?
This isn’t a win for anyone other than Microsoft and developers who lease you games indefinitely and can revoke your access at any moment. Better hope your account never gets banned for a wrongful reason.
Re: Xbox Developer Shares Insight Into Why Physical Releases Are 'Complex'
Oh, well, if it’s “soooo much easier” then never mind then!
Re: FTC Suffers Another Major Blow In Fight Against Xbox Activsion Deal
Wait, I thought this was over already?
Re: Opinion: If Xbox Is 'Just' A Game Pass Machine, That's Still Enough For Me
Since getting my series X last year, I’ve had GPU a total of nine months.
I tried a decent number of games but didn’t really focus on any other than High On Life and Indiana Jones.
GPU is definitely not a huge draw for me and once I use the last 3-month code I’m still holding onto, I doubt I’ll uae it again. I’m one of those oddballs that likes owning his games.
@Sindayl This. I got my series X purely to try out some backward compatible stuff and play some XBox exclusives. If it weren’t for Forza Horizon 4 and 5 I’d likely have sold it already. I’m glad I kept it due to the greater BC available (Batman Arkham Origins on a modern console, yay!) but definitely feel no need to make the XBox a GPU machine.
Re: Opinion: Nothing Will Come Close To GTA 6 As An Xbox Series X|S Showpiece
@RadioHedgeFund As will we all. But part of your disparagement was that it must have been done on some high end machine to look that good.
It wasn’t. It was live-rendered in a ps5. As all GTA games have done with their cutscenes since 3.
Re: Opinion: Nothing Will Come Close To GTA 6 As An Xbox Series X|S Showpiece
@RadioHedgeFund The trailer was generated with a PS5. Not even a PS5 Pro, just a regular old PS5. Soooo…
Re: Gears Of War: Reloaded Is Getting The Free Upgrade Treatment On Xbox
Might want to edit that headline to add “for digital owners” then.
Re: Talking Point: Would You Still Buy An Xbox At Microsoft's 2025 Prices?
No way in hell.
Re: GTA 6 Gets A New Release Date As Rockstar Delays To May 2026
@Godot25 I don’t doubt that there’ll be a “Hook*rs and Blow” $200 edition of GTA6, so I figured $120 was lowballing it while still being slightly absurd.
Re: GTA 6 Gets A New Release Date As Rockstar Delays To May 2026
“Also, we’re raising the price to $120. You’ll pay it, so don’t even bother complaining!”
Re: Here's How The New Xbox Prices Compare To PS5 & Nintendo Switch 2
PS5 $499.
Series X $599.
Both with blu-ray drives.
…MS had better pray Sony raises their hardware prices in the next few months. That is a monstrously huge disparity in price for essentially the same capability hardware.
One’s blood had better have XBox Green flowing in it to go for an X over a 5 in this current situation. Of course, for all I know, Sony will jump them to match tomorrow…
Re: Xbox Is Raising The Price Of Consoles, Games And Accessories
@Medic_alert Honestly, that’s one reason I’m keeping it. My $499 Switch 2 might go up to $600 next year or even after release, who knows?
Re: Xbox Is Raising The Price Of Consoles, Games And Accessories
Well, guess I’m glad I got my X last year. My first and last XBox!
Still on the fence about keeping my Switch 2 preorder. This might just be my last console generation if things continue this way. Which is honestly fine, my backlog is so massive across all platforms that I could stop buying games today and be good till I’m in my seventies!
Re: Two Xbox Games Are Shutting Down Their Servers In May 2025
Saw the Joker and was like “Yay, Suicide Squad!” Then I saw the free to play and was like “awww.”
@Tasuki yaaaaaayyyyy….
Re: Gearbox Announces New, Earlier Release Date For Borderlands 4 On Xbox
No Jack Black as Claptrap DLC, no buy.
Ah, who am I kidding. I’m not buying this.
Re: Indiana Jones 'Selling Faster' On PS5 Than Xbox & Steam, Says Analysis
@Neither_scene The disc didn’t just contain the license on PS4. It had the whole game. Single player, at least. I don’t touch GTA online. So specious argument there.
Re: Indiana Jones 'Selling Faster' On PS5 Than Xbox & Steam, Says Analysis
@Neither_scene All of that is why I still buy my movies and tv shows on disc, and I avoid disc based games that don’t have the whole game (minus patches, obviously) on the actual disc. Exceptions for games like FF14 and Helldivers 2 that require being online with content patches and such are obviously made!
My concept of ownership hasn’t changed over the years: If I have the disc, I own it regardless of what the publisher wants to say. Heck, I still buy the occasional music CD!
Re: Indiana Jones 'Selling Faster' On PS5 Than Xbox & Steam, Says Analysis
@Neither_scene That is a depressing way to say “we like renting and not owning games.”
Re: Indiana Jones 'Selling Faster' On PS5 Than Xbox & Steam, Says Analysis
@cburg points to gamepass
Prove me wrong. I’m willing to wager more XBox owners played this game via gamepass than bought it on XBox. Heck, I’m one of them!
@fiendish-beaver Well said. As a newer XBox owner (first one was a Series X last year) it’s actually a little sad that this will also likely be my last XBox. And I picked up a fair number of games for this system, actually paid real money and everything! Definitely not a Gamepass machine for me except for small bursts.
Re: Indiana Jones 'Selling Faster' On PS5 Than Xbox & Steam, Says Analysis
PS owners buy games. Xbox owners (mostly, mind you) rent them these days.
Sad but unsurprising.
Re: Digital-Only Xbox Series X|S Consoles Have Accounted For 75% Of Sales So Far In 2025
Sad to see this. Makes me wonder what the comparable numbers are for PS5 consoles. I’m betting the ratio of disc to digital only leans heavier towards disc, with MS’s huge gamepass push.
Re: Oblivion Remastered Has A Very Cheap 'Deluxe Edition Upgrade' On Xbox
“Very cheap” for a few bits of in-game armor and an eArtbook.
We have different definitions of “very cheap!”
Re: Opinion: South Of Midnight Dev Could Become An Xbox Game Studios Gem
@Kezelpaso Thanks for that! You wacky folks across the pond have such colorful (deliberately spells that American-style) turns of phrase.
Re: Opinion: South Of Midnight Dev Could Become An Xbox Game Studios Gem
“in donkey’s years”
As an American, I have never heard this phrase in my life. Is this a European thing, or have I simply been sheltered from this phrase my entire life?
Re: Multiple 'Just For You' Deals Quietly Added To Xbox Spring Sale
@CallMeDuraSouka That game is up there with Balan Wonderworld and the PS1 Fantastic Four game in terms of pure OHGODWHYYYYYYness!
Re: Multiple 'Just For You' Deals Quietly Added To Xbox Spring Sale
@Kaloudz Hey, they might sucker in at least one ignorant LOTR fan who hasn’t heard about its near-radioactive status, might be worth the risk!
Re: Multiple 'Just For You' Deals Quietly Added To Xbox Spring Sale
@Kaloudz I got that same deal in dollars!
They’d have to pay me at least that amount to have that steaming pile in my game library.
Re: Multiple 'Just For You' Deals Quietly Added To Xbox Spring Sale
For Americans interested in SW Outlaws, Amazon is trying to get rid of their “Amazon Exclusive” disc version at $34.99 plus a 30% coupon. For $24.49 pre-tax, I’m willing to give this Ubisoft product a shot. Especially since they’re likely not making much off this purchase.
Re: Xbox Spring Sale 2025 Now Live In Full, 1000+ Games Discounted
@Millionski I have zero issue with Nintendo not discounting their games much. People still buy em, why should they? Obviously their sales are good enough that they don’t have to pull a Ubisoft and slash the price by 75% three months after release.
Now the launch price for Mario Kart World, THAT I have issues with…
Re: Metro 2033 Redux Team Vows To Fix Issues With Free Xbox Giveaway
I genuinely don’t understand how this was even an issue, unless MS’s online store was just being mulish. You’d think “set price to free” would be the simplest thing in the world.
That said, well done to the devs for making sure this will happen properly in the hopefully near future.
Re: Xbox Spring Sale 2025 Now Live In Full, 1000+ Games Discounted
@UndyingInsurgent95 You expect Larian Studios to just 50-75% discount a game that STILL sells, STILL gets played and yesterday just got a cross-play update people have been anticipating for over a year?
Nah, this is still a reasonable price for a game like BG3.
Re: Roundup: The First Impressions Of Marathon Are In
@IOI In fairness, Concord looked horrible from the get-go with its dime store Guardians of the Galaxy created by faceless committee vibe.
This at least has a more distinctive style. It certainly isn’t for me, but I definitely think it’ll do better than Concord. Not that this is a HIGH standard to exceed, of course!
Re: Roundup: The First Impressions Of Marathon Are In
I’m a Sony fanboy, and I still have no interest in Marathon-in-name-only. More power to those who want this, I’m just not one of them.
Re: Metro 2033 Redux Gets 100% Discount On Xbox To Celebrate Anniversary
Still not showing as free on Xbox.com, maybe it’s different on console? I’ll have to check when I get home from work.
Re: Metro 2033 Redux Gets 100% Discount On Xbox To Celebrate Anniversary
Will keep an eye out! Amusingly it isn’t free on PSN but does appear to be discounted to $4.99.
Re: Bungie's 'Marathon' Gets September Release Date For Xbox, Closed Alpha This Month
As I said on Push Square, I’d rather have a modern remake/reimagining of the original Marathon Trilogy.
Bungie could have called this thing by any other name, but using Marathon just rubs me the wrong way.
Re: Ubisoft Lawyers Say You Can't Complain About Being 'Deceived' By The Crew's Shutdown
@NishimuraX This is a very wise decision, and I fully support it!
Re: Ubisoft Lawyers Say You Can't Complain About Being 'Deceived' By The Crew's Shutdown
@NishimuraX Ubisoft probably won’t exist in its current form by this time next year, they just have to wait it out!
Re: Ubisoft Lawyers Say You Can't Complain About Being 'Deceived' By The Crew's Shutdown
Just one more reason to despise Ubisoft.
As if we needed more.
Re: PS5's New Backgrounds Are More 'Dynamic' Than The Xbox Versions, But There's A Catch
I genuinely don’t care about backgrounds on my consoles these days. I want the shortest path from locating game to launching said game and I don’t need pretty pictures distracting me from that.
Re: Former Xbox Exec Throws Shade At Switch 2, Says It's A 'Hard Pass'
@LonR Given that preorders for the Switch 2 don’t start till next week…
@jesse_dylan It does enhance some Switch games out of the box. Nintendo announced a few like Mario Odyssey, LoZ Link’s Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom, as well as Captain Toad. And dear god, those two LoZ titles need the boost, speaking from personal experience…
It isn’t all money-gouging game upgrades. There’s free boosts out there too.
Re: BAFTA Announces List Of Top 21 Most Influential Games Ever
@awp69 Interesting that there’s no MS first party games on the list, except for the companies MS absorbed after the games on the list themselves were released so MS themselves bears zero credit.
Interesting how Nintendo has three all by themselves.
Re: BAFTA Announces List Of Top 21 Most Influential Games Ever
I get that it’s a good game, but KC2 being on the list of ALL TIME given that it’s only been out for a couple months is ludicrous.
Re: Xbox Is Hosting A Massive 'Spooky Games' Sale This Week
Unless you’re terrified of bad games, I don’t think the Suicide Squad game fits the criteria of “spooky” games…
Re: Sony Causes A Stir Among Xbox Fans With Black Myth: Wukong Comment
@fatpunkslim Call me crazy, but I believe small studio that said something similar to Larian Studios regarding BG3 and the series S more than massive faceless corporation trying to cover itself and its lower-powered console they demand all games also support.
Re: Sony Causes A Stir Among Xbox Fans With Black Myth: Wukong Comment
@M20B25 Dave the Diver deserves a release on EVERY platform for sure!
Re: Sony Causes A Stir Among Xbox Fans With Black Myth: Wukong Comment
@Kaelliellie Okay.
I’m sure other XBox owners would like to find that out for themselves though, regardless of what your opinion of the game is and what other games someone else is currently playing.
Re: MMORPG 'Black Desert' Is Getting An Xbox Series X|S Upgrade, But There's A Catch
@Kaloudz You intolerant monster! How dare you not stand with the 12 year old console owners! XD