I could have done with a map if I’m being honest but minor niggle aside a fabulous game. I paid about £7 from the Argentine Xbox store a few months and it’s easily worth twice that.
I agree. I think getting Crash and Spyro also helps with their push for more ‘family friendly’ content so they will go exclusive. But the multiplayer focussed stuff will stay multi platform-the big sell will be having it on Game Pass when PS owners have to pay £70 for a new COD.
I dunno about this one. There are ways to push the COD user base over to Xbox gradually (exclusive content, Game Pass,) without cutting that very large supply of money off. I know that’s what a lot of people thought about Bethesda and ES etc but in this case I’m not convinced it will. Not immediately anyway.
Sony’s PR has been dreadful and they’ve even been ripped apart by the users over on Pushsquare for it. That ‘we believe in generations’ line was extremely foolish when they planned to release almost everything for the first two years of the systems life on PS4. At least MS were honest about bringing games out on older hardware.
What were seeing is a transition similar to last gen where the likes of Watch Dogs, MGSV, Rise of the Tomb Raider, various Assassins Creeds and CODs straddled both generations. Real exclusives aren’t that big of a deal early on in a generation as long as cross gen games see a significant enough improvement to demonstrate the increase in power.
Who ever seriously expected the latest greatest AAA third party games on Game pass? When was that promised?
Anyway this looks really good and exactly the sort of thing that should be getting picked up for GP. Drink box have been a consistently good studio so far and I’m looking forward to playing it.
It helps that it’s absolutely fantastic hardware for the price. Quick, effortless and (on my 1080p tv) capable of some fantastic graphics. I’ve got Series X and PS5 as well and while it doesn’t look as good it’s still hugely impressive.
I think there’s going to be a fair bit of this. The Pandemic effect.
I find it encouraging that MS aren’t rushing these games out the door. If the devs need more time they’re giving it to them. No matter how much that hurts short term it’s essential for the long term credibility of the business.
I think MS are playing the long game. By the end of this generation they will have a lot of exclusives. But these things take time if they’re to be done properly, and the worst thing they could do is try to rush it.
It isn’t just exclusives that sell though. In fact none of the platform holders have exclusives that can sell a system alone, not even Nintendo. Price of entry is a factor (where XSS plays a big part) and so is convenience I.e.Gamepass. DVD didn’t take over from VHS because of the picture quality, it was also because you could now pause, rewind and skip to different scenes easily. I work with a guy who hasn’t had a games system for years but wanted one for Christmas. His teenage daughter was involved in choosing and they went Xbox-she now uses Xcloud sometimes on her commute and on her breaks at college.
Once they get it onto Smart TVs that will have a further impact. Having your content on smart TVs and Mobiles in the U.K. is big. They’re not going to overtake Sony but the goal is to carve out their own market straddling the different areas, and a small portion of mobile gaming activity will mean as much as being the ‘leader’ in the Console market.
But from a U.K. POV Sony have never done much wrong. When they first came in they were the first to treat the U.K. market properly-remember at the time Nintendo didn’t even bother to distribute and market their own systems here, they used a third party. Sony were really quick to build on their existing retail relationships. They’ve always been wholehearted about marketing and they’ve always priced their systems well.
Microsoft won’t be able to usurp Sony but many U.K. houses have multiple systems now and there are many angles to take now in picking up U.K. consumers, which I’m starting to see have a bit of an effect especially with FH breaking through into the mainstream. It’s a slow creep into different areas of the market but it’s happening.
Yeah of course, everyone will have different experiences. It’s all anecdotal. There was definitely a point where it seems like there were 360s everywhere, and I’m not sure we’re at that stage. You have to be honest though and in terms of the mass market Sony have done little wrong especially in the U.K.
I have a different experience. The lads I know who have been into Xbox a while still are. While Gaming Social Media was going berserk over XB1 they were happy with theirs. I also know more people with one now, having bought in over the last year. Series S especially.
MS aren’t leaving gaming any time soon. What happens in the next year is a tiny part of the picture. There is a very long term and very well funded strategy there that leverages and ties into existing MS strengths like Windows and Azure. They aren’t spending $7.5bn on Bethesda and whatever else they’ve spent on Ninja Theory, Double Fine, Obsidian etc to get out any time soon.
It’s that central to MS now that Game Pass subscription numbers actually affect the bonuses of not only Phil Spencer but Satya Nadella.
Series X for me. I never had a 360 as when it launched I was training for a new career and skint, ended up going Wii then PS3. Original Xbox is a system I maybe didn’t appreciate. I had one and liked it but looking back it’s underestimated by many, including me. Xbox One S and X were really good systems once BC was up and running, but Series X just nails everything. It’s powerful, fast, has tons and tons of great games. That and Switch are really pushing my PS5 out of the picture
Good stuff. Bit of a bummer for anyone who’s already splashed out on a Series S but hopefully this is the way forward now. A truly fantastic games system.
Probably somewhere near 80% and growing. I bought Deaths Door, Dirt 5 and Super Monkey Ball cheap and a few other games on sale. However more and more time is spent on Gamepass as things like Avengers, Flight Sim, Psychonauts 2, Hades, Halo and Horizon 5 have come out
Blackley is spot on. That this has going on for so long and become normalised is a serious problem.
Look at all the replies here going ‘yeah but I’ve heard worse’ as if that makes it OK. Or those just resigned to it. Just because people have the safety of distance and semi-anonymity, and because this is how people often behave Online, doesn’t make it OK.
As a simple starter for a code of conduct, behave towards people Online the same way as you would if you were talking to them in real life. Is what you’re about to say likely to visibly upset someone or get you a punch in the face? Probably best not to say it then.
That PS4 fantasy v reality comparison is very telling 😀 Is PS5 the first time they haven’t labelled out bowls of ludicrous overstatement of their Machines capabilities?
However Wii U echoes what I said above about XB1 and the launch period. No amount of heroic corporate Comms could have saved it when in late 2012 the Wii U got version of Mass Effect 3, Assassins Creed 3 and Arkham City that struggled to match the versions on the launched-in-2005 Xbox 360.
Yeah the timing on Switch and Wii U are crucial. The Wii U was in many ways the result of Nintendo’s mismanagement from 2008 onwards. They needed a HD system ready much earlier than 2012. Then they let the Wii drift for its last couple of years, then made a bodge of the 3DS launch which meant diverting resource into saving that which meant Wii U lacked software. Launching with a 360 equivalent a year before PS4 was suicide. Whereas Switch by virtue of being mid-gen and portable gets compared to the competition less.
MS were in a similar position after betting so hard on Kinect. Like the Wii, that market was running for the blue ocean of Mobile and Tablet gaming.
Sony are also very good at their misinformation campaigns pre-launch. They ruined the Dreamcast, the PS3 bullshottery is now legendary and yet everyone fell for it again with PS4. In hindsight PS4 is as uninspired and conservative a bit of hardware that there’s ever been. It finished up with literally hundreds of great games but it had a free run with no meaningful competition. No amount of communication was going to save XB1 when every single multiplat that launched in that systems launch period ran better on PS4.
However the differences between Switch and Wii U are ones that make a profound difference. Portable v not portable, more powerful, faster. Switch just makes itself fit into consumers lives easily. Wii U adds too many conditions. The software line up on Switch is far better too. The first year was great, the big hitters have come at a steady lick and it has massive third party support in comparison to most Nintendo systems. That has prevented it becoming the kind of barren wasteland Wii U was for both its first year, then from late 2013 onwards as third parties disappeared and Nintendo started spacing releases (and padding with things like Wii Sports Club and NES Remix) out to maintain the lifespan of an already doomed system. It also has a ratio of more than 3:1 when it comes to new Nintendo games v ports.
Essentially, going back to the corporate excuse of communication, the reality for Nintendo (and MS) is that they made a series of bad design decisions that went way beyond communication. They simply weren’t running things well at that point. Even with incredible communications of its virtues Wii U had a much lower sales ceiling than Switch would have had with bad Comms. Those virtues meant nothing to most consumers.
XB1 was similar in that the ‘vision’ Donny was trying to communicate wasn’t going to sell. It was inferior hardware at a higher price because of a camera many people had lost interest in and with all sorts of restrictions on second hand games and game sharing. As you said, it’s probably a good thing they weren’t communicating that well 😂
Personally I’d say the differences between the Wii U and Switch are much more pronounced, both in hardware and software.
Even if the name had been better and the marketing had been able to convey what the system had to offer, people still wouldn’t have wanted what it had to offer.
“Hey guys we’ve a new system here. It’s a home console, but it’s sort of portable so as long as you’re within 5 feet of the Base Unit you can play games on a screen thats not as good as Sony’s actual portable console. But not all games, because we’re also bringing dual screen gaming to the Home. Yes we have a new actual Dual Screen portable but this is different. Well some games will do that, others won’t. Some have Off TV Play, no not portable, Off TV. Just some games. Anyway it’s really powerful, even though games don’t look any better than the 360 and there’s more powerful systems coming next year. But having an extra screen for a map? Who doesn’t love that? That’s been really popular on PS3 and PSP hasn’t it? It’s also got Asymetric Multiplayer. You know how with the Wii we came up with a way to level the playing field so anyone could play games? Well now we’re unlevelling it! Brilliant. Look at this, it looks a bit like a tablet. With buttons attached that make it much less user friendly, and a lower resolution than an actual tablet and a terrible battery life and it has to be within 5 feet of the base Unit but it looks a bit like a tablet yeah? It will also play your old Wii games. But not with your old Wii Remotes, only the Plus ones. You have them right Grandma? Yes it has a Disc Drive! No it can’t play Blurays. Or DVDs. Or even Music CDs. Stop asking questions. It has an SD Catd slot for storing games! Well only Wii games. No you need a Hard Drive for Wii U games. Look. It’ll load up in a minute alright…..any minute now….”
Oh yeah there’s cultural differences. The Japanese are much less inclined towards public reflection and confession. Until the shareholders meeting after the Bottom Line collapses where it’s all salary cuts, humble apologies and talk of Hari Kari.
Nintendo did make a mess of the communication with Wii U but that wasn’t the issue. It just wasn’t a good product. Like XB1 it was crippled before birth by being underpowered and confused about what markets it was targeting. Not even good marketing would have persuaded people that the Gamepad was a good idea or that being demonstrably less powerful than PS4 at launch was a good thing. Then the whole ‘strategy’ (I use inverted commas because I’m not sure whether Nintendo had one, while Xbox certainly did, it was just a terrible one) was wrong, not just the communication.
Fair play to Mattrick for daring to show his face. He’s made an unfeasible amount of money out of being wirelessly incompetent, he doesn’t need to do it. But how I laughed at the bit where they relayed him saying he didn’t want to chase 30 million sales, he wanted 300 million. Has there ever been a greater disconnect between vision and ability to achieve said vision? If they hadn’t broken open the emergency Spencer they’d have been lucky to make 30 mil.
Agree with all this. I thought facing you to their mistake in closing slip head was a significant part of this documentary. I can’t remember who says it but one of the Xbox team says they’ve now realised they need to be helping developers they buy to do what they do better rather than making them do what MS want. If they remember that the future looks very bright.
Bit of a Sliding Doors moment there. An Xbox propelled through its first year by not only Halo but GTA 3 would have helped it establish more quickly on the market and probably closed that gap to PS2 a bit. Especially as it’s hard to see how in that timeline Vice City and San Andreas become PS2 timed exclusives so that’s the gap reduced further and huge momentum for the brand even before 360. Maybe even the OG getting over 40 million units releases the pressure to rush 360 and they avoid the RROD disaster.
Would MS have then got the moneyhats out and bought the Company/franchise? If that happens do MS ruin it and DMA goes the way of Lionhead or does it drive OG Xbox and 360 to much greater success? If GTA is completely exclusive and as insanely popular by 2013 does it sit alongside Gears/Halo/Forza/Kinect in surviving Mattrick and his attempts to drive the brand into the ground? Does that mean we don’t have the Xbox we have today?
Or going back to the start does a leaden Xbox team still somehow allow Sony to sign up BC and SA and nothing much changes beyond old people like me going ‘wow remember when GTA was briefly an Xbox exclusive?’
Isn’t it funny how often the Execs behind Video Gaming failures blame the ‘communication’ rather than the product itself? Iwata constantly did it when talking about the Wii U. I guess that’s easier than admitting they spent millions creating a product that nobody wanted.
If you’re not interested, fine. But opening an article with a very clear headline to tell those who are interested that you aren’t and the article is ‘stupid’ and some people who read DF’s stuff are ‘no lifers’ is a very strange thing to do.
The most interesting thing for me will be what they do with the legacy systems. Proper emulation or a similar approach to Xbox in terms of improving older games and I’m interested. However from what I know of Sony-and I’ve been a fan since 1996- that seems unlikely. As does putting their own games on their at launch. So I’m not holding out much hope of this being a real competitor.
I don’t see how playing a game for 45 hours before getting bored is an issue. I’m probably on about 30 but just an hour or two a day, and having a brilliant time.
It was a canny move by MS. The price is very attractive and allows it to be purchased as a ‘second Console’ and/or Game Pass box. I wonder if the figures would be the same without the shortages of Series X but still a good move.
Very good year for Xbox and you can see the momentum building. That’s the key, we know the acquisitions and strategy shift will take time to come to fruition but everyone can see the direction of travel. Real variety as well.
Another very solid year for Nintendo-not quite 2017 or 2019 but allowing for the ongoing pandemic the Switch has had a very good year, despite the endless complaining over on NL.
Sony have not had a vintage year by their standards but still a very good start for PS5 and again the Pandemic has to be taken into Account.
I don’t get worked up about these nominations but the one that jumps about at me is how many Rift Apart has compared to Forza Horizon 5. I’m a huge fan of both series-and both games are technically very impressive-but whereas Rift Apart feels slightly underwhelming compared to other R&C games, FH5 is comfortably the best in the series yet. Hey ho, all subjective I guess.
I don’t think it’s too bad on here. Push square is the worst for being a bit of a hive mind, and quite aggressive with it. NL has both zealots and anti-zealots who never see any good in anything Nintendo does so can be quite volatile. The Forum is more sane than the Comments threads.
However I’m old enough to remember pre-Internet, back to SNESvMegadrive and here in the U.K. the vicious fanboy battles over the 8-but computers. Essentially all fanboy zealots are as bad as each other and each platform has them in enough numbers to be a real irritation. And no group is really better or worse than the other.
Got an original Xbox when the U.K. price dropped in summer(Ish) 2002. Also picked up a modded one as an emulator box around 2006.
The OG has aged really really well. You can see the difference in power between that and it’s contemporaries even now, and often that type of thing blurs with time. But the PS2/ GC weren’t getting KOTOR, Half Life 2, Doom 3, Riddick, Morrowind etc.
Didn’t have a 360. In 2007 I changed jobs and for the first two years training money was very tight. I had a Wii and my modded Xbox. The unreliable nature of the early 360 models really put me off and by the time I could afford another system at Christmas 2009 the PS3 had become more attractive to me.
Steered well clear until BC appeared on the XB1 along with FH2 which I played on a friends 360. Then when the S launched with a 4K BD I picked one up cheap on Black Friday one year (2016?). Never looked back. Upgraded to One X which was fantastic, then got a Series X at launch.
My XSX gets used far more than my Switch or PS5, which are both excellent machines but the sheer breadth of content available through Game Pass on top of what I’ve picked up in digital sales means there’s always either me or one of the kids on it. It’s a fabulous system and the future looks very bright for Xbox.
Bowser definitely congratulated the other two on the PS5/Series X launches but I can’t remember anything since. Probably got reprimanded for stepping out of line. Not company policy
As someone who owns a Series X and a PS5 and thinks they’re both great Consoles, I love to see this.
Positive interactions between them (and Nintendo execs too) are good because A) We need all the platform holders doing well. Competition benefits us, the consumer. And B) it might help dilute the idiotic fanboy wars that are still now raging, and polluting, a maturing industry.
I really don’t think it’s fair to mark the game down for being set in a different country to what the reviewer wanted. I get that reviews are subjective opinions but this is so harsh I have to mark the card of the reviewer (and possibly the site) as having different tastes to me. Great site for news and the community though.
Outrun 2/2006, Jet Set Radio Future, Quantum Redshift, Midtown Madness are great games. Also, only personal preference but I always preferred SSX Tricky to SSX3, Burnout 2 and Legends to Burnout 3 and the first PGR to the second.
I used to be that guy. I finished Revenge of Shinobi on the Megadrive without knowing about the infinite Shuriken cheat. When a friend finished the game using it I was berating him because he hadn’t done it properly.
In my defence I was a teenager and it was quite common for people to pay £70/80 (at today’s prices) for games and only ever experience part of it. Looking back now it seems so childish but it’s something I learned from and the industry is slowly learning too.
Comments 570
Re: Review: Death’s Door - One Of 2021's Best Games, Now On Xbox Game Pass
I could have done with a map if I’m being honest but minor niggle aside a fabulous game. I paid about £7 from the Argentine Xbox store a few months and it’s easily worth twice that.
Re: Some Activision Games Will Still Release On PlayStation, Claims Report
@Craigyy
I agree. I think getting Crash and Spyro also helps with their push for more ‘family friendly’ content so they will go exclusive. But the multiplayer focussed stuff will stay multi platform-the big sell will be having it on Game Pass when PS owners have to pay £70 for a new COD.
Re: Some Activision Games Will Still Release On PlayStation, Claims Report
@Mauzuri
Why would they force their developers to make games they don’t want to make? That sounds like an absolutely terrible idea.
Re: Talking Point: Will Call Of Duty Become An Xbox Exclusive In The Future?
I dunno about this one. There are ways to push the COD user base over to Xbox gradually (exclusive content, Game Pass,) without cutting that very large supply of money off. I know that’s what a lot of people thought about Bethesda and ES etc but in this case I’m not convinced it will. Not immediately anyway.
Re: Microsoft Is Buying Activision Blizzard, Reportedly For $70 Billion
The one day I don’t check Gaming news we get one of the biggest, most surprising bits of Gaming news ever….
Re: Xbox Exec 'Doesn't Know' If FPS Boost Will Return In The Future
Ahhhh, how I wish the first 3 Horizon games had got a Boost
Re: Microsoft Is Officially No Longer Manufacturing Xbox One Consoles
@Dezzy70
Sony’s PR has been dreadful and they’ve even been ripped apart by the users over on Pushsquare for it. That ‘we believe in generations’ line was extremely foolish when they planned to release almost everything for the first two years of the systems life on PS4. At least MS were honest about bringing games out on older hardware.
What were seeing is a transition similar to last gen where the likes of Watch Dogs, MGSV, Rise of the Tomb Raider, various Assassins Creeds and CODs straddled both generations. Real exclusives aren’t that big of a deal early on in a generation as long as cross gen games see a significant enough improvement to demonstrate the increase in power.
Re: Nobody Saves The World Extended Gameplay Revealed, Coming To Xbox Game Pass
Who ever seriously expected the latest greatest AAA third party games on Game pass? When was that promised?
Anyway this looks really good and exactly the sort of thing that should be getting picked up for GP. Drink box have been a consistently good studio so far and I’m looking forward to playing it.
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Critics Are Saying About The Anacrusis
It doesn’t look great TBH
Re: Reaction: Sony Continuing PS4 Production Shows The Xbox Series S Was A Great Move
It helps that it’s absolutely fantastic hardware for the price. Quick, effortless and (on my 1080p tv) capable of some fantastic graphics. I’ve got Series X and PS5 as well and while it doesn’t look as good it’s still hugely impressive.
Re: Bad News, Stalker 2 Has Been Delayed To December 2022
I think there’s going to be a fair bit of this. The Pandemic effect.
I find it encouraging that MS aren’t rushing these games out the door. If the devs need more time they’re giving it to them. No matter how much that hurts short term it’s essential for the long term credibility of the business.
Re: OG Xbox Creator 'Feared It Was All Over' At The Xbox One Launch
@Dezzy70
I think MS are playing the long game. By the end of this generation they will have a lot of exclusives. But these things take time if they’re to be done properly, and the worst thing they could do is try to rush it.
It isn’t just exclusives that sell though. In fact none of the platform holders have exclusives that can sell a system alone, not even Nintendo. Price of entry is a factor (where XSS plays a big part) and so is convenience I.e.Gamepass. DVD didn’t take over from VHS because of the picture quality, it was also because you could now pause, rewind and skip to different scenes easily. I work with a guy who hasn’t had a games system for years but wanted one for Christmas. His teenage daughter was involved in choosing and they went Xbox-she now uses Xcloud sometimes on her commute and on her breaks at college.
Once they get it onto Smart TVs that will have a further impact. Having your content on smart TVs and Mobiles in the U.K. is big. They’re not going to overtake Sony but the goal is to carve out their own market straddling the different areas, and a small portion of mobile gaming activity will mean as much as being the ‘leader’ in the Console market.
But from a U.K. POV Sony have never done much wrong. When they first came in they were the first to treat the U.K. market properly-remember at the time Nintendo didn’t even bother to distribute and market their own systems here, they used a third party. Sony were really quick to build on their existing retail relationships. They’ve always been wholehearted about marketing and they’ve always priced their systems well.
Microsoft won’t be able to usurp Sony but many U.K. houses have multiple systems now and there are many angles to take now in picking up U.K. consumers, which I’m starting to see have a bit of an effect especially with FH breaking through into the mainstream. It’s a slow creep into different areas of the market but it’s happening.
Re: Xbox's Sarah Bond Wants You To Play Firewatch On Game Pass
Good tip. I really enjoyed it. Good atmosphere, characters and story (confession-I played it on PS4).
Re: OG Xbox Creator 'Feared It Was All Over' At The Xbox One Launch
@Dezzy70
Yeah of course, everyone will have different experiences. It’s all anecdotal. There was definitely a point where it seems like there were 360s everywhere, and I’m not sure we’re at that stage. You have to be honest though and in terms of the mass market Sony have done little wrong especially in the U.K.
Re: OG Xbox Creator 'Feared It Was All Over' At The Xbox One Launch
@Dezzy70
I have a different experience. The lads I know who have been into Xbox a while still are. While Gaming Social Media was going berserk over XB1 they were happy with theirs. I also know more people with one now, having bought in over the last year. Series S especially.
Re: OG Xbox Creator 'Feared It Was All Over' At The Xbox One Launch
@Snake_V5
MS aren’t leaving gaming any time soon. What happens in the next year is a tiny part of the picture. There is a very long term and very well funded strategy there that leverages and ties into existing MS strengths like Windows and Azure. They aren’t spending $7.5bn on Bethesda and whatever else they’ve spent on Ninja Theory, Double Fine, Obsidian etc to get out any time soon.
It’s that central to MS now that Game Pass subscription numbers actually affect the bonuses of not only Phil Spencer but Satya Nadella.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 8-9)
The Gunk, mainly. Really enjoying it too. Filling out the time with Forza Horizon 5.
Re: Xbox Made Progress In Japan Last Year, Despite Being Heavily Outsold By PS5
I’d be interested to follow Game Pass figures in Japan but I bet that we’ll never see them.
Re: Pick One: Which Is Your Favourite Xbox Console To Date?
Series X for me. I never had a 360 as when it launched I was training for a new career and skint, ended up going Wii then PS3. Original Xbox is a system I maybe didn’t appreciate. I had one and liked it but looking back it’s underestimated by many, including me. Xbox One S and X were really good systems once BC was up and running, but Series X just nails everything. It’s powerful, fast, has tons and tons of great games. That and Switch are really pushing my PS5 out of the picture
Re: Xbox Series X Stock Remains Live For Over 24 Hours In The UK
@UltimateOtaku91
Without knowing how many of both PS5 and Series X they had in stock the amount of time they take to sell out doesn’t mean anything
Re: Xbox Series X Stock Remains Live For Over 24 Hours In The UK
Good stuff. Bit of a bummer for anyone who’s already splashed out on a Series S but hopefully this is the way forward now. A truly fantastic games system.
Re: Poll: Of All The Xbox Games You Play, What Percentage Are Game Pass Titles?
Probably somewhere near 80% and growing. I bought Deaths Door, Dirt 5 and Super Monkey Ball cheap and a few other games on sale. However more and more time is spent on Gamepass as things like Avengers, Flight Sim, Psychonauts 2, Hades, Halo and Horizon 5 have come out
Re: Xbox Creator Demands Action As Sexist Xbox Live Recording Goes Viral
Blackley is spot on. That this has going on for so long and become normalised is a serious problem.
Look at all the replies here going ‘yeah but I’ve heard worse’ as if that makes it OK. Or those just resigned to it. Just because people have the safety of distance and semi-anonymity, and because this is how people often behave Online, doesn’t make it OK.
As a simple starter for a code of conduct, behave towards people Online the same way as you would if you were talking to them in real life. Is what you’re about to say likely to visibly upset someone or get you a punch in the face? Probably best not to say it then.
Re: Don Mattrick Discusses The Failures Of The 2013 Xbox One Launch
@NEStalgia
That PS4 fantasy v reality comparison is very telling 😀 Is PS5 the first time they haven’t labelled out bowls of ludicrous overstatement of their Machines capabilities?
However Wii U echoes what I said above about XB1 and the launch period. No amount of heroic corporate Comms could have saved it when in late 2012 the Wii U got version of Mass Effect 3, Assassins Creed 3 and Arkham City that struggled to match the versions on the launched-in-2005 Xbox 360.
Re: Don Mattrick Discusses The Failures Of The 2013 Xbox One Launch
@NEStalgia
Yeah the timing on Switch and Wii U are crucial. The Wii U was in many ways the result of Nintendo’s mismanagement from 2008 onwards. They needed a HD system ready much earlier than 2012. Then they let the Wii drift for its last couple of years, then made a bodge of the 3DS launch which meant diverting resource into saving that which meant Wii U lacked software. Launching with a 360 equivalent a year before PS4 was suicide. Whereas Switch by virtue of being mid-gen and portable gets compared to the competition less.
MS were in a similar position after betting so hard on Kinect. Like the Wii, that market was running for the blue ocean of Mobile and Tablet gaming.
Sony are also very good at their misinformation campaigns pre-launch. They ruined the Dreamcast, the PS3 bullshottery is now legendary and yet everyone fell for it again with PS4. In hindsight PS4 is as uninspired and conservative a bit of hardware that there’s ever been. It finished up with literally hundreds of great games but it had a free run with no meaningful competition. No amount of communication was going to save XB1 when every single multiplat that launched in that systems launch period ran better on PS4.
However the differences between Switch and Wii U are ones that make a profound difference. Portable v not portable, more powerful, faster. Switch just makes itself fit into consumers lives easily. Wii U adds too many conditions. The software line up on Switch is far better too. The first year was great, the big hitters have come at a steady lick and it has massive third party support in comparison to most Nintendo systems. That has prevented it becoming the kind of barren wasteland Wii U was for both its first year, then from late 2013 onwards as third parties disappeared and Nintendo started spacing releases (and padding with things like Wii Sports Club and NES Remix) out to maintain the lifespan of an already doomed system. It also has a ratio of more than 3:1 when it comes to new Nintendo games v ports.
Essentially, going back to the corporate excuse of communication, the reality for Nintendo (and MS) is that they made a series of bad design decisions that went way beyond communication. They simply weren’t running things well at that point. Even with incredible communications of its virtues Wii U had a much lower sales ceiling than Switch would have had with bad Comms. Those virtues meant nothing to most consumers.
XB1 was similar in that the ‘vision’ Donny was trying to communicate wasn’t going to sell. It was inferior hardware at a higher price because of a camera many people had lost interest in and with all sorts of restrictions on second hand games and game sharing. As you said, it’s probably a good thing they weren’t communicating that well 😂
Re: Don Mattrick Discusses The Failures Of The 2013 Xbox One Launch
@NEStalgia
Personally I’d say the differences between the Wii U and Switch are much more pronounced, both in hardware and software.
Even if the name had been better and the marketing had been able to convey what the system had to offer, people still wouldn’t have wanted what it had to offer.
“Hey guys we’ve a new system here. It’s a home console, but it’s sort of portable so as long as you’re within 5 feet of the Base Unit you can play games on a screen thats not as good as Sony’s actual portable console. But not all games, because we’re also bringing dual screen gaming to the Home. Yes we have a new actual Dual Screen portable but this is different. Well some games will do that, others won’t. Some have Off TV Play, no not portable, Off TV. Just some games. Anyway it’s really powerful, even though games don’t look any better than the 360 and there’s more powerful systems coming next year. But having an extra screen for a map? Who doesn’t love that? That’s been really popular on PS3 and PSP hasn’t it? It’s also got Asymetric Multiplayer. You know how with the Wii we came up with a way to level the playing field so anyone could play games? Well now we’re unlevelling it! Brilliant. Look at this, it looks a bit like a tablet. With buttons attached that make it much less user friendly, and a lower resolution than an actual tablet and a terrible battery life and it has to be within 5 feet of the base Unit but it looks a bit like a tablet yeah? It will also play your old Wii games. But not with your old Wii Remotes, only the Plus ones. You have them right Grandma? Yes it has a Disc Drive! No it can’t play Blurays. Or DVDs. Or even Music CDs. Stop asking questions. It has an SD Catd slot for storing games! Well only Wii games. No you need a Hard Drive for Wii U games. Look. It’ll load up in a minute alright…..any minute now….”
Re: Don Mattrick Discusses The Failures Of The 2013 Xbox One Launch
@NEStalgia
Oh yeah there’s cultural differences. The Japanese are much less inclined towards public reflection and confession. Until the shareholders meeting after the Bottom Line collapses where it’s all salary cuts, humble apologies and talk of Hari Kari.
Nintendo did make a mess of the communication with Wii U but that wasn’t the issue. It just wasn’t a good product. Like XB1 it was crippled before birth by being underpowered and confused about what markets it was targeting. Not even good marketing would have persuaded people that the Gamepad was a good idea or that being demonstrably less powerful than PS4 at launch was a good thing. Then the whole ‘strategy’ (I use inverted commas because I’m not sure whether Nintendo had one, while Xbox certainly did, it was just a terrible one) was wrong, not just the communication.
Fair play to Mattrick for daring to show his face. He’s made an unfeasible amount of money out of being wirelessly incompetent, he doesn’t need to do it. But how I laughed at the bit where they relayed him saying he didn’t want to chase 30 million sales, he wanted 300 million. Has there ever been a greater disconnect between vision and ability to achieve said vision? If they hadn’t broken open the emergency Spencer they’d have been lucky to make 30 mil.
Re: Xbox 'Rejected' GTA 3 In 2001, Didn't Think It Would Be Successful
@KilloWertz
Agree with all this. I thought facing you to their mistake in closing slip head was a significant part of this documentary. I can’t remember who says it but one of the Xbox team says they’ve now realised they need to be helping developers they buy to do what they do better rather than making them do what MS want. If they remember that the future looks very bright.
Re: Xbox 'Rejected' GTA 3 In 2001, Didn't Think It Would Be Successful
Bit of a Sliding Doors moment there. An Xbox propelled through its first year by not only Halo but GTA 3 would have helped it establish more quickly on the market and probably closed that gap to PS2 a bit. Especially as it’s hard to see how in that timeline Vice City and San Andreas become PS2 timed exclusives so that’s the gap reduced further and huge momentum for the brand even before 360. Maybe even the OG getting over 40 million units releases the pressure to rush 360 and they avoid the RROD disaster.
Would MS have then got the moneyhats out and bought the Company/franchise? If that happens do MS ruin it and DMA goes the way of Lionhead or does it drive OG Xbox and 360 to much greater success? If GTA is completely exclusive and as insanely popular by 2013 does it sit alongside Gears/Halo/Forza/Kinect in surviving Mattrick and his attempts to drive the brand into the ground? Does that mean we don’t have the Xbox we have today?
Or going back to the start does a leaden Xbox team still somehow allow Sony to sign up BC and SA and nothing much changes beyond old people like me going ‘wow remember when GTA was briefly an Xbox exclusive?’
Speculating is fun.
Re: Don Mattrick Discusses The Failures Of The 2013 Xbox One Launch
@NEStalgia
Some great posts on here 👍
Isn’t it funny how often the Execs behind Video Gaming failures blame the ‘communication’ rather than the product itself? Iwata constantly did it when talking about the Wii U. I guess that’s easier than admitting they spent millions creating a product that nobody wanted.
Re: Aaron Greenberg Says He 'F***ing Loves' Banned UK Xbox Advert
Cracking ad. Got the tabloids in a froth and loads of publicity.
Re: Digital Foundry Breaks Down Halo Infinite's Performance On Every Xbox Console
@StylesT
Haha. Oh I know it’s how some people behave on the internet in 2021 behave towards each other. Doesn’t make it any less unedifying.
Re: Digital Foundry Breaks Down Halo Infinite's Performance On Every Xbox Console
So as expected Series X is great. One X sounds like it does really well. But would OG XB1 users actually almost be better playing a Cloud version?
Re: Digital Foundry Breaks Down Halo Infinite's Performance On Every Xbox Console
@swedetrap @StylesT
If you’re not interested, fine. But opening an article with a very clear headline to tell those who are interested that you aren’t and the article is ‘stupid’ and some people who read DF’s stuff are ‘no lifers’ is a very strange thing to do.
Re: PlayStation Reportedly Creating Xbox Game Pass Competitor, Set To Arrive Spring 2022
@mousieone
The most interesting thing for me will be what they do with the legacy systems. Proper emulation or a similar approach to Xbox in terms of improving older games and I’m interested. However from what I know of Sony-and I’ve been a fan since 1996- that seems unlikely. As does putting their own games on their at launch. So I’m not holding out much hope of this being a real competitor.
Re: PlayStation Reportedly Creating Xbox Game Pass Competitor, Set To Arrive Spring 2022
Gah, got my hopes up when I read the headline. Just sounds like a rebranding and slight expansion of PS Now though.
Re: Some Forza Fans Say They're Getting 'Bored' With Horizon 5 Already
I don’t see how playing a game for 45 hours before getting bored is an issue. I’m probably on about 30 but just an hour or two a day, and having a brilliant time.
Re: Xbox Series S Reportedly Outsells Series X In Various Key Markets
It was a canny move by MS. The price is very attractive and allows it to be purchased as a ‘second Console’ and/or Game Pass box. I wonder if the figures would be the same without the shortages of Series X but still a good move.
Re: Xbox & Bethesda Lead The Way With 20 Nominations For The Game Awards 2021
Very good year for Xbox and you can see the momentum building. That’s the key, we know the acquisitions and strategy shift will take time to come to fruition but everyone can see the direction of travel. Real variety as well.
Another very solid year for Nintendo-not quite 2017 or 2019 but allowing for the ongoing pandemic the Switch has had a very good year, despite the endless complaining over on NL.
Sony have not had a vintage year by their standards but still a very good start for PS5 and again the Pandemic has to be taken into Account.
I don’t get worked up about these nominations but the one that jumps about at me is how many Rift Apart has compared to Forza Horizon 5. I’m a huge fan of both series-and both games are technically very impressive-but whereas Rift Apart feels slightly underwhelming compared to other R&C games, FH5 is comfortably the best in the series yet. Hey ho, all subjective I guess.
Re: PlayStation Team Celebrates 20th Anniversary Of Xbox On Twitter
@Jaxx420
I don’t think it’s too bad on here. Push square is the worst for being a bit of a hive mind, and quite aggressive with it. NL has both zealots and anti-zealots who never see any good in anything Nintendo does so can be quite volatile. The Forum is more sane than the Comments threads.
However I’m old enough to remember pre-Internet, back to SNESvMegadrive and here in the U.K. the vicious fanboy battles over the 8-but computers. Essentially all fanboy zealots are as bad as each other and each platform has them in enough numbers to be a real irritation. And no group is really better or worse than the other.
Re: PlayStation Team Celebrates 20th Anniversary Of Xbox On Twitter
Good to see. The execs are a lot more grown up than some of the poisonous zealots that ‘support’ (hahaha) their chosen multinational corporation.
Re: 37 FPS Boosts Added To Backwards Compatible Games On Xbox Series X|S
Gears of War Ultimate and Sonic Racing Transformed at 60FPS? Don’t mind if I do!
Re: Xbox Is 20 Years Old Today! What Are Your Favourite Xbox Memories?
Got an original Xbox when the U.K. price dropped in summer(Ish) 2002. Also picked up a modded one as an emulator box around 2006.
The OG has aged really really well. You can see the difference in power between that and it’s contemporaries even now, and often that type of thing blurs with time. But the PS2/ GC weren’t getting KOTOR, Half Life 2, Doom 3, Riddick, Morrowind etc.
Didn’t have a 360. In 2007 I changed jobs and for the first two years training money was very tight. I had a Wii and my modded Xbox. The unreliable nature of the early 360 models really put me off and by the time I could afford another system at Christmas 2009 the PS3 had become more attractive to me.
Steered well clear until BC appeared on the XB1 along with FH2 which I played on a friends 360. Then when the S launched with a 4K BD I picked one up cheap on Black Friday one year (2016?). Never looked back. Upgraded to One X which was fantastic, then got a Series X at launch.
My XSX gets used far more than my Switch or PS5, which are both excellent machines but the sheer breadth of content available through Game Pass on top of what I’ve picked up in digital sales means there’s always either me or one of the kids on it. It’s a fabulous system and the future looks very bright for Xbox.
Re: Xbox Boss Congratulates PlayStation Exec On The PS5's First Anniversary
@NEStalgia
Yeah I put it in brackets as I was hesitant 😀
Bowser definitely congratulated the other two on the PS5/Series X launches but I can’t remember anything since. Probably got reprimanded for stepping out of line. Not company policy
Re: Xbox Boss Congratulates PlayStation Exec On The PS5's First Anniversary
As someone who owns a Series X and a PS5 and thinks they’re both great Consoles, I love to see this.
Positive interactions between them (and Nintendo execs too) are good because A) We need all the platform holders doing well. Competition benefits us, the consumer. And B) it might help dilute the idiotic fanboy wars that are still now raging, and polluting, a maturing industry.
Re: Review: Forza Horizon 5 - An Amazing Game, But One That's A Little Too Familiar
I really don’t think it’s fair to mark the game down for being set in a different country to what the reviewer wanted. I get that reviews are subjective opinions but this is so harsh I have to mark the card of the reviewer (and possibly the site) as having different tastes to me. Great site for news and the community though.
Re: Rumour: Seven Original Xbox Games That Could Be Getting Backwards Compatibility
If that is true it would be quite disappointing for me personally. Only Gun Valkyrie I’d be interested in playing again.
Most of the games I want-the Project Gothams, the Out Runs, JSRF and Midtown Madness seem to be stuck in a licensing hell.
Re: Hyperkin Is Bringing Out A Travel Bag For The Xbox Series X|S
That actually looks quite nice. Tempting.
Re: Best Original Xbox Games
Outrun 2/2006, Jet Set Radio Future, Quantum Redshift, Midtown Madness are great games. Also, only personal preference but I always preferred SSX Tricky to SSX3, Burnout 2 and Legends to Burnout 3 and the first PGR to the second.
Re: Xbox Says ‘Gatekeeping And Elitism’ Have No Place In Gaming
@LtSarge
I used to be that guy. I finished Revenge of Shinobi on the Megadrive without knowing about the infinite Shuriken cheat. When a friend finished the game using it I was berating him because he hadn’t done it properly.
In my defence I was a teenager and it was quite common for people to pay £70/80 (at today’s prices) for games and only ever experience part of it. Looking back now it seems so childish but it’s something I learned from and the industry is slowly learning too.