By popular demand, I conducted a sentiment analysis as well as a thematic analysis of articles from GamesIndustry.biz in 2025, for Xbox and same for PlayStation, for comparison. Xbox Sentiment Number Positive 32 Negative 27 Neutral 18
Theme Number Layoff / social / union 12 Products & hardware 10 Business & financial performance 9 Game Pass & services 9 Opinion / analysis 9 Games & content 9 legal & regulation 7 Xbox strategy 6 Partenship & acquisitions 4 Cancels projects 1 Industry & market 1 Products & services 1
Playstation Positive 24 Negative 20 Neutral 20
Theme Number Games & content 11 Legal & regulation 9 Opinion / analysis 8 Strategy & PlayStation vision 7 Products & hardware 6 Layoffs / social 5 Communication & events 4 Industry & market 4 Business & performance 3 Innovation & technology 3 Products & services 3 Partnership & acquisitions 1 Cancels projects 1
What stands out is that the coverage is fairly balanced, and even slightly positive overall for 2025, for both Xbox and PlayStation.
On the thematic side, we can see that layoffs were discussed more often for Xbox than for PlayStation, even though PlayStation cut 14% of its workforce compared to 9% for Xbox.
PlayStation, however, had more articles related to legal and regulatory matters.
Perception then comes from the impact on social media, and a study (I don’t have the source anymore) showed that Xbox‑related topics generated more clicks, especially when they were negative, which encourages influencers to use clickbait—even when it’s based on false rumors or misinformation.
@themightyant Please! The bad faith here is unreal. Fiendish-Beaver didn’t mention a single positive point — look closely at his post, it’s entirely one-sided. Everything he says is negative, with zero balance. Same with Weebleman — no nuance whatsoever.
As for Coletrain, I actually agree with him, and he agrees with me on the positive things Xbox did this year. I was simply explaining my perspective.
And about that quote — seriously? I thought you were following the thread. You pulled that line completely out of context. I’m one of the few — along with Coletrain and a couple of others — who actually pointed out both the positives and the negatives. Here’s a line that better sums up my view:
“It’s very easy to say the opposite as well. Let’s just say they ended the year poorly with the Game Pass price increase, but you can’t generalize that to the whole year, which was objectively good. (...) You can also add the cancellation of Perfect Dark.”
See? I clearly added nuance to my take which is "What I’m saying is that overall, Xbox had a good year, despite a few hiccups"— unlike some others who don’t balance their arguments. So please, in the name of intellectual honesty, don’t twist it. Thanks. And happy holidays.
@themightyant You didn’t quite follow the thread properly — I never called anyone “blinkered.” I was quoting Weebleman’s own words, and simply pointing out that in response to his very binary statement, it’s entirely possible to hold an opposing view. And I demonstrated that view, backed by facts and figures that are easy to verify.
@Weebleman — these are just facts and math, not subject to personal interpretation. Unless I’m mistaken, 1,800 job cuts represent 14% of 12,700 employees at PS. Xbox being the number one game publisher is also an undeniable fact. The fact that they won two awards is another. Among the nominated games, 15 are available on Game Pass, and 6 of those won awards. The Xbox ROG Ally was generally well received and generated a lot of coverage, as did the upcoming Xbox, the “Xbox Full Experience,” etc. On top of that, you have Game Pass titles generating articles, Xbox games generating articles — none of this is negative. It’s neutral, even positive in some cases.
All I’m saying — and what some people seem to struggle with — is that I’m bringing a bit of nuance, weighing both the pros and cons. That’s in contrast to those who take a black-and-white view, claiming everything is bad and that it’s been a terrible year for Xbox. That’s factually false — it’s not a matter of perception.
What’s difficult here is that this goes against some people’s preconceived narratives. And clearly, that kind of intellectual effort is hard for some — it requires stepping outside the media-driven echo chamber and formatted thinking.
I work in data analytics, so I could easily run a sentiment analysis on articles from GamesIndustry.biz. . I can do it and share the results in a Google Sheet for anyone to verify.
Unfortunately, most people today are conditioned to see things in binary terms. Nuance has become too complex to grasp — to the point where even simple, verified facts are questioned. Everything has to fit neatly into boxes; it’s easier to digest that way. It’s just a shame that people are so easily brainwashed by media narratives built on clickbait, rumors, and misinformation. It’s unfortunate that more people don’t take a step back and look at things with a bit more perspective.
In the end it’s a bit of a gamble — will waiting actually lead to more reasonable prices? Nothing guarantees it. And let’s not forget that console makers already sell hardware at a loss or with a very small margin, since they make up for it later through game sales. Xbox could actually benefit from releasing its console early, especially shortly after the Steam Box, even if that one looks like it will be very expensive and not very powerful.
@Weebleman When confronted with simple, undeniable facts, arguments sometimes fall short — and in the face of evidence, it can be wise to acknowledge when the other person is right. It elevates the debate, and the debaters as well. On that note, I also wish you a very happy new year, filled with reason, wisdom, and above all, good health.
@Weebleman So you're talking about Microsoft and not Xbox, but fine — 15,000 job cuts represent about 6.5% of Microsoft total workforce.
Out of those 15,000 jobs cut at Microsoft, around 2,000 were from Xbox, and those mainly came from the integration of Activision (all mergers unfortunately lead to job redundancies). That represents about 9% of the Xbox division (roughly 22,000 employees).
PlayStation cut around 1,800 jobs, which is about 14% of their workforce (around 12,700 employees). So 14%, it’s even worse than I thought after redoing the calculations.
@Coletrain The difference is that I weigh the pros and cons, while some people only bring arguments (or no arguments at all) against Xbox. I’m not trying to act like a fanboy, I’m just trying to be objective. Saying that Xbox had a bad year and that everything was negative is simply and factually false. You just have to look a few months back, before the Game Pass price increase, which for some people suddenly turned everything into doom and gloom, while ignoring everything else.
Xbox games being ported to PlayStation isn’t new, it surprises no one, and it’s not a negative thing for me — only for PlayStation trolls and a few Xbox fanboys who don’t get it. And so far, absolutely no Xbox game has launched day one on other consoles, except for titles from acquisitions that were already multiplatform.
I’m talking about facts and reality, but the biased perception pushed by certain media outlets — attracted by easy clicks — definitely exists, and that’s another reality that shouldn’t be mixed up with the actual facts. There is an “Xbox tax”, with some people exaggerating, extrapolating, or spreading misinformation whenever Xbox is involved. That’s a reality you can’t deny. But they don’t define the facts, and factually Xbox had a generally good year, with some issues like the Game Pass price increase or a few cancellations — but nothing worse than what other publishers faced. It’s just that when it’s Xbox, everything gets blown out of proportion.
@Weebleman You'd have to be pretty blinkered or just a pure fanboy to think this has been a bad year for them ! (i repeat your words and just changed one)
It’s very easy to say the opposite as well. Let’s just say they ended the year poorly with the Game Pass price increase, but you can’t generalize that to the whole year, which was objectively good — in any case much better than many publishers like PlayStation, who released very few games, won no awards, faced player backlash over the price of the PS5 Pro, cancelled 11 games, cut 10% of their workforce, etc.
The difference is simply a matter of media coverage. Xbox gets talked about when they release games, launch the Xbox ROG Ally, announce their next Xbox console — especially the fact that it can run Steam games, etc. The majority of the media coverage throughout 2025 was about games and hardware. The issue is just a perception problem for some people who have short memories and only remember the news from the last few months regarding the Game Pass price increase.
@Fiendish-Beaver I'm not agreeing with you. Once again, you're trying to influence people with your biased view of things. Xbox was simply the number one video game publisher, the one that developed the most games, so it's only logical that they ended up in first place. It's for the same reason that Activision/Blizzard had less coverage this year: their gaming output was weaker than in 2024.
Objectively, Xbox had a very good year in 2025, with lots of games (as indicated by @Gabrie) , many day-one releases on Game Pass like Ninja Gaiden 4, a solid Xbox Showcase, they even won two awards at the latest Game Awards, xbox rog ally, the next xbox console, etc. In fact, the main negative impact was the Game Pass price increase, and yes, that also contributed to the higher number of articles. You can also add the cancellation of Perfect Dark, but that only accounts for a few articles on GamesIndustry.biz..
But over the whole year 2025, that’s far from being the majority of the coverage. The reality is that Xbox produces games, and therefore provides material for articles. You can also add the release of the Xbox ROG Ally, which was very well received, and the Xbox Full Experience, also well received, the next Xbox, which I think generated a very large number of articles, etc.
So yes, I also think it would have been interesting to see the breakdown of positive, negative, or neutral articles, but I'm convinced that in reality the majority of them are simply neutral.
It’s true that some influencers like to play with misinformation and use clickbait about Xbox (“Xbox tax”), but overall the more serious media outlets, like GamesIndustry.biz or even PureXbox ( @FraserG ), generally take a neutral stance.
@Fiendish-Beaver Thanks for your message! I wish you a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year. Even if we don’t always agree — and yes, you do have a knack for getting on my nerves sometimes 😉 — it’s always with mutual respect for each other’s opinions. What truly brings us together is our shared passion for video games, and that’s what really matters beyond everything else. Happy 2026, and may it be filled with amazing Xbox games — it’s shaping up to be a great year for gaming!
Merry Christmas to the PureXbox team, to all readers, and to every Xbox player. And a special thank‑you to all Xbox developers, Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond, who gave us a wonderful year on Xbox. I’m sure 2026 will be even better. Happy gaming, everyone!
After watching the YouTube video, it’s clear the game has been in development for at least two years. I just hope they modernize the gameplay and bring something fresh to the original—like power fusions, transformations, companions, and so on. In terms of level design, they should take inspiration from the best, like Mario Odyssey. Maybe go for something more linear overall, with occasional open sections, so players don’t get too frustrated trying to find their way around. A bolder art direction would also be great—something that doesn’t just rely on nostalgia. Basically, stay true to Spyro’s DNA, but don’t get stuck in the past—draw from the best the genre has to offer.
Arkane Lyon is a fantastic studio, and I have no doubt this will be a great game—they should take their time to make it truly exceptional.
In response to some of the comments here: Xbox hasn’t canceled more games or cut more jobs than others. They scrapped three projects that, objectively, had no future and hadn’t shown anything in years. Unlike some other publishers, Xbox has consistently given its studios time to develop their games. Saying otherwise is just bad faith. But at the end of the day, it’s still a business, and sometimes tough decisions have to be made—especially if keeping certain projects alive would come at the expense of others.
For comparison, PlayStation canceled 11 games and laid off 11% of its workforce, despite having three times fewer studios. I know some fans will rush in to argue otherwise, but that’s just the plain truth. So I don’t understand why some people keep piling on Xbox—there’s no objective reason for it. In fact, Xbox has released more games this generation than anyone else, including sequels, remakes, original titles, and brand-new IPs—something not all publishers can claim. So these kinds of accusations are completely unfounded.
Anyway, I’m really looking forward to Blade, which will probably launch around the same time as the movie—or shortly after.
@BrownOwl Wrong ! The PC won’t be able to play Xbox console games, while the next Xbox will be fully backward compatible—something a PC simply cannot achieve.
After all, we’re talking about two devices that deliver different experiences. What makes people buy a console is not raw power, but the unique experience it offers.
Moreover, the next Xbox will be cheaper than an equivalent PC, and on top of that it will be upgradable. The idea is therefore to offer both the experience of a console and the flexibility of a PC—something a PC alone does not provide.
PlayStation has only timed exclusives, whether it's third-party games, exclusive for a maximum of one year, or even first-party games that land on Steam a year later, and therefore also on Xbox. I already play Spider-Man 2 and God of War: Ragnarok on my Xbox rog ally X, and it will be the same on the next Xbox.
What matters is the ecosystem: a console capable of playing all games, on all platforms (Xbox console, PC, TV, cloud, handheld console), with a single purchase, and with complete backward compatibility. Only Xbox can offer that.
Absolutely no Xbox game has ever launched day one on other consoles, except for titles bought from other studios that were already multiplatform, like Call of Duty or Doom. Forza Horizon 6 has already been confirmed not to release day one on other consoles, and it will be the same for Gears e-day, Fable, etc.
The console exclusivity war is over. All PlayStation games end up on Steam, and therefore on Xbox. I’m already playing the latest Spider-Man 2 and the latest God of War Ragnarök on my Xbox ROG Ally X. Is it possible to play latest Gears or the latest Halo on PS5? No!
What matters now is the ecosystem: one console capable of playing all games across all platforms, with a single purchase. And guess who that is? It’s Xbox ! Many games are steam only and The PS6 will remain locked in its little ecosystem, without Steam games, with just a trickle of Xbox titles…
Clinging to so-called exclusives that aren’t really exclusives anymore, and clinging to consoles that just gather dust, makes no sense in 2025.
And yet another former PlayStation exclusive now on Xbox! PlayStation has never had so few exclusives in this generation. Almost no third‑party publishers — apart from a few small studios — make games for just one platform anymore. There was a time when Resident Evil and Final Fantasy for instance only released on PS.
That’s no longer the case, and it’s a good thing: the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem will be multiplatform from day one, for example. And Square Enix has already announced it will be the same for their future titles!
I’m starting to wonder if there aren’t actually more Xbox exclusives today than on PlayStation. When I look at Starfield, Avowed, South of Midnight, Keeper, Winter Burrows, Routine, State of Decay, Towerborne, Dead Static Drive, Mechabreak, 33 Immortals, plus the big franchises like Gears and Halo, and then the upcoming titles like OD, Replaced, Clockwork Revolution, Fable, etc…
Maybe some will remain temporary exclusives, but clearly others will stay fully exclusive — especially the smaller games that aren’t worth porting.
The strength of Xbox is that it doesn’t rely only on third‑party publishers, but has a solid lineup of studios. They can decide what to port to other platforms, unlike PlayStation which in the end has very few first‑party games and depend a lot on third party
Either way, nobody today (except Nintendo) can really talk about permanent exclusives. And in any case, all PlayStation games end up playable on Steam, which means on the next Xbox as well — and already on devices like the Xbox ROG Ally and other Windows consoles.
@Gabrie These are just small games ,all the big titles are also on Xbox. And when it comes to indie games, there are plenty that are exclusive to Xbox and not on PS5. Winter Burrows comes to mind, along with many others. So enough with the bad faith.
What really surprised me was the number of games that are Steam-only. That’s where you can actually say there’s a real difference between platforms. But that works out fine, since the next Xbox will be able to run Steam games , unlike the PS6…
Pretty good for Xbox, with South of Midnight and Doom: Dark Ages. And I’d add, without taking anything away from the talent behind Expedition 33, that this victory is also partly thanks to Xbox and Game Pass, which gave the game huge visibility — especially since most of its players are on Xbox and PC.
Seventeen of the nominated games are in Game Pass (Ninja Gaiden 4, Avowed, …), and among the winners we find Doom, Expedition 33, South of Midnight, Silksong. Overall, that’s a solid showing for Xbox.
@Fiendish-Beaver I understand perfectly, thank you. My point is about your bad faith, because you deliberately take an example that makes no sense. Why talk about 100 people, if not to try to minimize this growth? We both know very well that we’re talking about several millions already using cloud gaming. Even if we don’t know the exact number, starting from several millions, +45% is necessarily a huge increase, and so your example makes no sense. That’s what I mean.
@Fiendish-Beaver "100 people" seriously ? That’s your best example, and we both know it’s false — always bad faith and negativity. We’re talking about several millions of players, and +45% is huge no matter what you say. The numbers are easy to find, just look at sites like Statista or others to see how many players use cloud gaming — it’s not 100 people… unbelievable what one has to read!
@MaccaMUFC I suppose it depends a lot on each person and on your level, but I didn’t find the fights difficult or too frequent at all. On the contrary, I think that if the game didn’t have at least a minimum of action, it would have been way too boring. I feel like there’s a good balance, but that’s just my opinion.
@MaccaMUFC I don’t know where you saw that there was a flood of enemies — that’s definitely not the case. There are some sequences with more action, but overall it’s a lot of exploration, puzzle‑solving, and the atmosphere is definitely there, don’t worry. The combat is very easy too, and if you explore thoroughly you’ll be rewarded with plenty of ammo for your pistol. Same goes for healing items — I always have between 5 and 10 health bottles in reserve.”
@FrenchVaniIIuxe There’s a difference between a bug‑filled beta and a roadmap with planned improvements. I personally own an Xbox ROG Ally and it works perfectly well. Adding features like default game profiles, improving the loading of my game library, and so on , those are genuine enhancements.
At the end of the day, it’s still a testing ground for the next generation of Xbox consoles, but I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a beta version, it's exagerated
I’m having a good time so far, not finished yet. I bought it at 50% off on Xbox (Xbox Play Anywhere). I can understand why it doesn’t excite everyone since the pace is pretty slow, with lots of back‑and‑forth, but that’s just the style of the game.
As for graphics and performance, it’s perfect on Series X , very beautiful and no lag, except occasionally during a few cutscenes. Well, it’s not the game of the year, but a good game
It’s definitely a very good option that brings it even closer to a true console‑like experience, since console players don’t want to bother with settings.
Some people didn’t get that this was a Partner Showcase, and as such it was a really good one. It’s impossible to be that jaded. They showed games that look pretty amazing, like Tides of Annihilation, Armatus, Reanimal, Total Chaos, Zoopunk, Raji, etc.
9 third‑party titles coming day one to Game Pass, a shadow drop, and 100% Xbox Play Anywhere support — what are people even complaining about, seriously?
This wasn’t the place to expect Fable, you need to read.
Armatus is impressive Crowsworn reminds me of Silksong, so I love it. I’m curious about Raji, I’m waiting to see some gameplay. And the shadow drop Total Chaos: already dwnloaded, Haven’t played yet, but the gameplay sequences look really promising.
Game Pass keeps delivering, then. Xbox are the only ones offering shadow drops of this quality and day-one games. And my son has been enjoying the Fortnite Crew since then, he’s happy.
I just installed it on my Xbox Series X, my PC, and my Xbox ROG Ally X. Xbox Play Anywhere is cool Xbox are the only ones who do this, with a single purchase.
Good show: A ! 9 games in Game Pass, 100% Xbox Play Anywhere, shadow drops. Impressed by Armatus, Reanimal, Total Chaos, Zoopunk, Tides of Annihilation of course, and Raji.
Really solid for a Partner Showcase—Xbox are the only ones doing shadow drops, day‑one Game Pass releases, and Xbox Play Anywhere
Good show: 8/10! 9 games in Game Pass, 100% Xbox Play Anywhere, shadow drops. Impressed by Armatus, Reanimal, Total Chaos, Zoopunk, Tides of Annihilation of course, and Raji.
Really solid for a Partner Showcase—Xbox are the only ones doing shadow drops, day‑one Game Pass releases, and Xbox Play Anywhere
@themightyant 152 mm (148 mm without the feet), by my standards that’s still very small, and I think that’s the factor that forces them to set a price that will end up being too high for what it is. And for $800, I can assure you that you can get a better machine than this, no problem.
@ButterySmooth30FPS Overall, all the stores apart from Steam are very poorly supported—you have to resort to tinkering, and in any case it remains very buggy. I have a Steam Deck. You can still use Heroic Games Launcher for epic and gog, but it forces you to have a different interface—it’s not centralized in the same hub, and it's buggy
@themightyant Actually, I don’t think so—the very format of the console will make it more expensive than a PC with equivalent components in a normal tower, it’s inevitable. Unless we compare it to other mini PCs, but even then the price-to-performance ratio remains very poor in any case. Miniaturization comes at a high cost
"In my opinion, the problem that forces them to set such a high price is that they chose a very compact format, and that’s what pushed them to offer an outrageous price—ultimately more expensive than the components inside. When you look at the price of a mini PC, with the same components but in a ‘normal’ PC format, the price is sometimes doubled. That’s the cost of miniaturization.
Given the low power of the machine, which sits somewhere between an Xbox Series S and an Xbox Series X, I don’t understand why it’s so expensive—it makes no sense. In any case, why would a PC gamer who already owns a gaming PC want to buy this overpriced thing just to play in worse conditions than on their own PC? Especially since the games will run in compatibility mode (Proton) rather than natively, not to mention the titles that aren’t even compatible with SteamOS like Battlefield 6, Fortnite, COD, etc. And let’s not forget games with technologies like DLSS, ray tracing, auto SR, etc., which also won’t be supported, or will have those features disabled.
Just like 10 years ago, this looks like a guaranteed flop for the Steam Machine!
Not a chance! Given the mess at Rockstar right now with layoffs and union tensions, it's very unlikely they'll stick to that date — they'll want to avoid a Cyberpunk-style fiasco.
@Balaam_ Here is the job description:
Reporting to the Vice President, Commercial Management as Senior Director of Multiplatform & Account Management, you will play a critical leadership role in shaping and executing the global commercial strategy for PlayStation Studios software titles across all digital platforms beyond PlayStation hardware, including Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox, Nintendo, and mobile. This role is accountable for optimizing title profitability, ensuring cross-functional alignment, and leading a high-performing team focused on multiplatform expansion, mid-range commercial planning, and platform partner management.
They are indeed speaking explicitly about launching games on Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox, Nintendo, and mobile
But at no point do they explicitly talk about live service games. It’s just speculation on your part.
@Fiendish-Beaver: I didn’t talk specifically about AAA games going to Xbox, where did you read that? I was talking about games in general, because we don’t know more for now. At the same time, Death Stranding was originally a PlayStation AAA IP, and it ended up on Xbox, so nothing is impossible in principle. Anyway, given the few first-party games they release, and since everything comes out on PC, it naturally ends up on Xbox as well, so it doesn’t really change much in the end. Also, since 90% of their exclusives depend on third-party games, and since those are releasing fewer and fewer exclusives on PlayStation, PS finds itself in a situation with fewer and fewer exclusives. Again, this is just an observation—you only need to look at the number of PS4 exclusives versus the number of PS5 exclusives.
What I’m saying is that the path taken is toward more multiplatform games. It’s not speculation, just a simple observation, and simply obvious. I don’t see how anyone informed could say otherwise.
@Battlefield6gamergir: At this stage, it’s a rumor started by Jez Corden on Twitter, who is generally well-informed. But honestly, it doesn’t seem impossible at all to me playstation lauching its games Day one on PC (or at least more and more). Those who say it’s impossible are the same ones who, a few years ago, claimed that PlayStation would never release its exclusive games on PC—and yet it happened, and it’s been increasing ever since. So, I see this as the next logical and natural step in the end. We’ll see.
What he’s saying is that competition is a good thing, even if this Steam Machine will remain a niche device because of its software limitations and hardware specs. The only audience they can really attract is PC gamers with a Steam library—but why play under worse conditions than on their PC, which is both more powerful and offers full compatibility, especially since it’s very easy to plug any PC into a TV?
That’s why, despite the false hype maintained by the media, it will remain a niche machine, just like it was 10 years ago.
@Fiendish-Beaver No ! There are already rumors that PlayStation will bring its games to PC day one, and from the moment PS sends its games to PC, they will automatically be on Xbox as well—so the notion of exclusivity completely disappears.
Sorry to say it, but once again you’re off the mark. Management no longer defends exclusives—quite the opposite, they’re saying the exact reverse! They even recruited a team dedicated to multiplatform, so at some point you need to stop making things up
@Balaam_ It really depends on the games. Plenty of titles play perfectly well on a handheld console, with just as much enjoyment as on a big screen—it’s simply two different experiences, not really comparable. Of course, for some games, a handheld console isn’t always the best platform.
In any case, on my Xbox ROG Ally X I’m having a great time: I recently played, thanks to Game Pass, games like Dead Static Drive, Relic Hunters Legend, and I’m also thinking of Hollow Knight: Silksong. It’s awesome
@Gabrie Open consoles are obviously the future. In fact, the Steam Machine, even if it comes close, isn’t really that open because of technical limitations with other stores. Valve itself has said it prioritizes the Steam community…
The only truly open console is the upcoming Xbox, which will genuinely be open to all stores and fully backward compatible with all Xbox console games—something SteamOS will never be able to do.
But indeed, the big loser will be PlayStation, which will remain the only one keeping a semi-closed ecosystem: not allowing players to run PC games, while at the same time releasing all its titles on PC, even day one according to rumors.
@Medic_alert Yes, in fact Valve’s and Steam’s love is really for Steam on Windows, because the Steam Deck remains a niche above all. And the deception by many, even some media outlets, is to make people believe that the Steam experience on Windows will be identical on SteamOS, which is false. I even think this ambiguity is maintained by Valve itself.
Some games simply won’t work, or won’t work as well, on a Steam Machine even though they run perfectly fine on Steam for Windows: games with anti-cheat systems (Call of Duty, Battlefield, Fortnite, etc.), games using recent technologies like DirectX 12, DLSS, ray tracing, Auto SR, etc. Sure, you can often disable these features, but that comes at the cost of quality.
It’s maybe fine if you only play Steam games, but if you have titles from other launchers, things get more complicated. I’m not even talking about modding, which is also very difficult, if not impossible.
Since it’s a lightweight and specialized OS, many games run a bit better than on Windows, but that comes at the expense of software compatibility and support for certain features.
In fact, the performance aspect of the software system is the only real advantage of this Steam Machine, but the hardware specs ruin it.
And compared to the upcoming Xbox, which will have full compatibility with all games, all launchers, all software—including complete backward compatibility with Xbox console games from Xbox One through Xbox Series X—and with Xbox Full Experience constantly improving in terms of performance and smoothness, it’s doubtful that this performance advantage will last. Not to mention that the hardware specs of the next Xbox will be far superior.
Moreover, I don’t really understand who this Steam Machine is aimed at. PC gamers already have gaming PCs, so why play under worse conditions than their own PC? Worse in terms of performance, worse in terms of quality, and also worse in terms of compatibility, since not all games will run as well—or at all.
"So we kind of see it as a sign of success that Steam Deck ..."
It’s funny, if Phil Spencer had come out with this kind of phrases—nonsensical and full of bad faith—some people would have laughed in his face.
That said, I do understand what he means: it’s a win for the handheld console market, including the Steam Deck.
But what he doesn’t say is that if some players turn to a Windows-based console or an Xbox ROG Ally X instead of a Steam Deck, even though it’s cheaper, it’s simply because those devices don’t have SteamOS’s limitations in terms of game compatibility, compatibility with all launchers, and broader software support.
What he also doesn’t mention is that Valve entered the handheld console market earlier than the others, which explains their current lead.
In the end, he wanted to respond to Phil Spencer’s congratulations on their Steam Machine, but he did so awkwardly and with, in reality, a certain disguised frustration.
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Re: Xbox & Microsoft Dominate The List Of 'Most Covered' Gaming Companies In 2025
By popular demand, I conducted a sentiment analysis as well as a thematic analysis of articles from GamesIndustry.biz in 2025, for Xbox and same for PlayStation, for comparison.
Xbox
Sentiment Number
Positive 32
Negative 27
Neutral 18
Theme Number
Layoff / social / union 12
Products & hardware 10
Business & financial performance 9
Game Pass & services 9
Opinion / analysis 9
Games & content 9
legal & regulation 7
Xbox strategy 6
Partenship & acquisitions 4
Cancels projects 1
Industry & market 1
Products & services 1
Playstation
Positive 24
Negative 20
Neutral 20
Theme Number
Games & content 11
Legal & regulation 9
Opinion / analysis 8
Strategy & PlayStation vision 7
Products & hardware 6
Layoffs / social 5
Communication & events 4
Industry & market 4
Business & performance 3
Innovation & technology 3
Products & services 3
Partnership & acquisitions 1
Cancels projects 1
What stands out is that the coverage is fairly balanced, and even slightly positive overall for 2025, for both Xbox and PlayStation.
On the thematic side, we can see that layoffs were discussed more often for Xbox than for PlayStation, even though PlayStation cut 14% of its workforce compared to 9% for Xbox.
PlayStation, however, had more articles related to legal and regulatory matters.
Perception then comes from the impact on social media, and a study (I don’t have the source anymore) showed that Xbox‑related topics generated more clicks, especially when they were negative, which encourages influencers to use clickbait—even when it’s based on false rumors or misinformation.
link to analysis: anonfilesnew.com/s/V9Q-59LMAep
Re: Xbox & Microsoft Dominate The List Of 'Most Covered' Gaming Companies In 2025
@themightyant Please! The bad faith here is unreal. Fiendish-Beaver didn’t mention a single positive point — look closely at his post, it’s entirely one-sided. Everything he says is negative, with zero balance. Same with Weebleman — no nuance whatsoever.
As for Coletrain, I actually agree with him, and he agrees with me on the positive things Xbox did this year. I was simply explaining my perspective.
And about that quote — seriously? I thought you were following the thread. You pulled that line completely out of context. I’m one of the few — along with Coletrain and a couple of others — who actually pointed out both the positives and the negatives.
Here’s a line that better sums up my view:
“It’s very easy to say the opposite as well. Let’s just say they ended the year poorly with the Game Pass price increase, but you can’t generalize that to the whole year, which was objectively good. (...) You can also add the cancellation of Perfect Dark.”
See? I clearly added nuance to my take which is "What I’m saying is that overall, Xbox had a good year, despite a few hiccups"— unlike some others who don’t balance their arguments. So please, in the name of intellectual honesty, don’t twist it. Thanks. And happy holidays.
Re: Xbox & Microsoft Dominate The List Of 'Most Covered' Gaming Companies In 2025
@themightyant You didn’t quite follow the thread properly — I never called anyone “blinkered.” I was quoting Weebleman’s own words, and simply pointing out that in response to his very binary statement, it’s entirely possible to hold an opposing view. And I demonstrated that view, backed by facts and figures that are easy to verify.
@Weebleman — these are just facts and math, not subject to personal interpretation. Unless I’m mistaken, 1,800 job cuts represent 14% of 12,700 employees at PS. Xbox being the number one game publisher is also an undeniable fact. The fact that they won two awards is another. Among the nominated games, 15 are available on Game Pass, and 6 of those won awards. The Xbox ROG Ally was generally well received and generated a lot of coverage, as did the upcoming Xbox, the “Xbox Full Experience,” etc. On top of that, you have Game Pass titles generating articles, Xbox games generating articles — none of this is negative. It’s neutral, even positive in some cases.
All I’m saying — and what some people seem to struggle with — is that I’m bringing a bit of nuance, weighing both the pros and cons. That’s in contrast to those who take a black-and-white view, claiming everything is bad and that it’s been a terrible year for Xbox. That’s factually false — it’s not a matter of perception.
What’s difficult here is that this goes against some people’s preconceived narratives. And clearly, that kind of intellectual effort is hard for some — it requires stepping outside the media-driven echo chamber and formatted thinking.
I work in data analytics, so I could easily run a sentiment analysis on articles from GamesIndustry.biz. . I can do it and share the results in a Google Sheet for anyone to verify.
Unfortunately, most people today are conditioned to see things in binary terms. Nuance has become too complex to grasp — to the point where even simple, verified facts are questioned. Everything has to fit neatly into boxes; it’s easier to digest that way. It’s just a shame that people are so easily brainwashed by media narratives built on clickbait, rumors, and misinformation. It’s unfortunate that more people don’t take a step back and look at things with a bit more perspective.
Re: Report: Xbox & PlayStation Could Delay Next-Gen Consoles Due To RAM Price Increases
In the end it’s a bit of a gamble — will waiting actually lead to more reasonable prices? Nothing guarantees it. And let’s not forget that console makers already sell hardware at a loss or with a very small margin, since they make up for it later through game sales. Xbox could actually benefit from releasing its console early, especially shortly after the Steam Box, even if that one looks like it will be very expensive and not very powerful.
Re: Xbox & Microsoft Dominate The List Of 'Most Covered' Gaming Companies In 2025
@Weebleman When confronted with simple, undeniable facts, arguments sometimes fall short — and in the face of evidence, it can be wise to acknowledge when the other person is right. It elevates the debate, and the debaters as well. On that note, I also wish you a very happy new year, filled with reason, wisdom, and above all, good health.
Re: Xbox & Microsoft Dominate The List Of 'Most Covered' Gaming Companies In 2025
@Weebleman So you're talking about Microsoft and not Xbox, but fine — 15,000 job cuts represent about 6.5% of Microsoft total workforce.
Out of those 15,000 jobs cut at Microsoft, around 2,000 were from Xbox, and those mainly came from the integration of Activision (all mergers unfortunately lead to job redundancies). That represents about 9% of the Xbox division (roughly 22,000 employees).
PlayStation cut around 1,800 jobs, which is about 14% of their workforce (around 12,700 employees). So 14%, it’s even worse than I thought after redoing the calculations.
Re: Xbox & Microsoft Dominate The List Of 'Most Covered' Gaming Companies In 2025
@Coletrain The difference is that I weigh the pros and cons, while some people only bring arguments (or no arguments at all) against Xbox. I’m not trying to act like a fanboy, I’m just trying to be objective. Saying that Xbox had a bad year and that everything was negative is simply and factually false. You just have to look a few months back, before the Game Pass price increase, which for some people suddenly turned everything into doom and gloom, while ignoring everything else.
Xbox games being ported to PlayStation isn’t new, it surprises no one, and it’s not a negative thing for me — only for PlayStation trolls and a few Xbox fanboys who don’t get it. And so far, absolutely no Xbox game has launched day one on other consoles, except for titles from acquisitions that were already multiplatform.
I’m talking about facts and reality, but the biased perception pushed by certain media outlets — attracted by easy clicks — definitely exists, and that’s another reality that shouldn’t be mixed up with the actual facts. There is an “Xbox tax”, with some people exaggerating, extrapolating, or spreading misinformation whenever Xbox is involved. That’s a reality you can’t deny. But they don’t define the facts, and factually Xbox had a generally good year, with some issues like the Game Pass price increase or a few cancellations — but nothing worse than what other publishers faced. It’s just that when it’s Xbox, everything gets blown out of proportion.
Re: Xbox & Microsoft Dominate The List Of 'Most Covered' Gaming Companies In 2025
@Weebleman You'd have to be pretty blinkered or just a pure fanboy to think this has been a bad year for them ! (i repeat your words and just changed one)
It’s very easy to say the opposite as well. Let’s just say they ended the year poorly with the Game Pass price increase, but you can’t generalize that to the whole year, which was objectively good — in any case much better than many publishers like PlayStation, who released very few games, won no awards, faced player backlash over the price of the PS5 Pro, cancelled 11 games, cut 10% of their workforce, etc.
The difference is simply a matter of media coverage. Xbox gets talked about when they release games, launch the Xbox ROG Ally, announce their next Xbox console — especially the fact that it can run Steam games, etc. The majority of the media coverage throughout 2025 was about games and hardware. The issue is just a perception problem for some people who have short memories and only remember the news from the last few months regarding the Game Pass price increase.
Re: Xbox & Microsoft Dominate The List Of 'Most Covered' Gaming Companies In 2025
@Fiendish-Beaver I'm not agreeing with you. Once again, you're trying to influence people with your biased view of things. Xbox was simply the number one video game publisher, the one that developed the most games, so it's only logical that they ended up in first place. It's for the same reason that Activision/Blizzard had less coverage this year: their gaming output was weaker than in 2024.
Objectively, Xbox had a very good year in 2025, with lots of games (as indicated by @Gabrie) , many day-one releases on Game Pass like Ninja Gaiden 4, a solid Xbox Showcase, they even won two awards at the latest Game Awards, xbox rog ally, the next xbox console, etc. In fact, the main negative impact was the Game Pass price increase, and yes, that also contributed to the higher number of articles. You can also add the cancellation of Perfect Dark, but that only accounts for a few articles on GamesIndustry.biz..
But over the whole year 2025, that’s far from being the majority of the coverage. The reality is that Xbox produces games, and therefore provides material for articles. You can also add the release of the Xbox ROG Ally, which was very well received, and the Xbox Full Experience, also well received, the next Xbox, which I think generated a very large number of articles, etc.
So yes, I also think it would have been interesting to see the breakdown of positive, negative, or neutral articles, but I'm convinced that in reality the majority of them are simply neutral.
It’s true that some influencers like to play with misinformation and use clickbait about Xbox (“Xbox tax”), but overall the more serious media outlets, like GamesIndustry.biz or even PureXbox ( @FraserG ), generally take a neutral stance.
Re: Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2025: The Results You Didn't See
@Fiendish-Beaver Thanks for your message! I wish you a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year. Even if we don’t always agree — and yes, you do have a knack for getting on my nerves sometimes 😉 — it’s always with mutual respect for each other’s opinions. What truly brings us together is our shared passion for video games, and that’s what really matters beyond everything else. Happy 2026, and may it be filled with amazing Xbox games — it’s shaping up to be a great year for gaming!
Re: Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2025: The Results You Didn't See
Normal for E33, and Avowed deserved more awards because it’s definitely a very good game. In any case, it has the players’ hearts.”
Re: Merry Christmas And Happy Holidays From The Pure Xbox Team!
Merry Christmas to the PureXbox team, to all readers, and to every Xbox player. And a special thank‑you to all Xbox developers, Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond, who gave us a wonderful year on Xbox. I’m sure 2026 will be even better. Happy gaming, everyone!
Re: YouTuber Thinks They've Found More Evidence Of Xbox Making A New Spyro Game
After watching the YouTube video, it’s clear the game has been in development for at least two years. I just hope they modernize the gameplay and bring something fresh to the original—like power fusions, transformations, companions, and so on. In terms of level design, they should take inspiration from the best, like Mario Odyssey. Maybe go for something more linear overall, with occasional open sections, so players don’t get too frustrated trying to find their way around. A bolder art direction would also be great—something that doesn’t just rely on nostalgia. Basically, stay true to Spyro’s DNA, but don’t get stuck in the past—draw from the best the genre has to offer.
Re: Xbox Game Pass Is Looking Great For 2026, But Only Six Games Have Release Dates So Far
replaced, hign on life 2 (i love the first one) and curious about menace
Re: Marvel's Blade Director Shares Brief End Of 2025 Update On The Game's Progress
Arkane Lyon is a fantastic studio, and I have no doubt this will be a great game—they should take their time to make it truly exceptional.
In response to some of the comments here: Xbox hasn’t canceled more games or cut more jobs than others. They scrapped three projects that, objectively, had no future and hadn’t shown anything in years. Unlike some other publishers, Xbox has consistently given its studios time to develop their games. Saying otherwise is just bad faith. But at the end of the day, it’s still a business, and sometimes tough decisions have to be made—especially if keeping certain projects alive would come at the expense of others.
For comparison, PlayStation canceled 11 games and laid off 11% of its workforce, despite having three times fewer studios. I know some fans will rush in to argue otherwise, but that’s just the plain truth. So I don’t understand why some people keep piling on Xbox—there’s no objective reason for it. In fact, Xbox has released more games this generation than anyone else, including sequels, remakes, original titles, and brand-new IPs—something not all publishers can claim. So these kinds of accusations are completely unfounded.
Anyway, I’m really looking forward to Blade, which will probably launch around the same time as the movie—or shortly after.
Re: The Much-Hyped Action-RPG 'Phantom Blade Zero' Officially Has One Year Of PS5 Exclusivity
@BrownOwl Wrong ! The PC won’t be able to play Xbox console games, while the next Xbox will be fully backward compatible—something a PC simply cannot achieve.
After all, we’re talking about two devices that deliver different experiences. What makes people buy a console is not raw power, but the unique experience it offers.
Moreover, the next Xbox will be cheaper than an equivalent PC, and on top of that it will be upgradable. The idea is therefore to offer both the experience of a console and the flexibility of a PC—something a PC alone does not provide.
Re: The Much-Hyped Action-RPG 'Phantom Blade Zero' Officially Has One Year Of PS5 Exclusivity
Removed
Re: The Much-Hyped Action-RPG 'Phantom Blade Zero' Officially Has One Year Of PS5 Exclusivity
PlayStation has only timed exclusives, whether it's third-party games, exclusive for a maximum of one year, or even first-party games that land on Steam a year later, and therefore also on Xbox. I already play Spider-Man 2 and God of War: Ragnarok on my Xbox rog ally X, and it will be the same on the next Xbox.
What matters is the ecosystem: a console capable of playing all games, on all platforms (Xbox console, PC, TV, cloud, handheld console), with a single purchase, and with complete backward compatibility. Only Xbox can offer that.
Re: Two PS5 Console Exclusives Are Finally Releasing On Xbox Next Week
Absolutely no Xbox game has ever launched day one on other consoles, except for titles bought from other studios that were already multiplatform, like Call of Duty or Doom. Forza Horizon 6 has already been confirmed not to release day one on other consoles, and it will be the same for Gears e-day, Fable, etc.
The console exclusivity war is over. All PlayStation games end up on Steam, and therefore on Xbox. I’m already playing the latest Spider-Man 2 and the latest God of War Ragnarök on my Xbox ROG Ally X. Is it possible to play latest Gears or the latest Halo on PS5? No!
What matters now is the ecosystem: one console capable of playing all games across all platforms, with a single purchase. And guess who that is? It’s Xbox ! Many games are steam only and The PS6 will remain locked in its little ecosystem, without Steam games, with just a trickle of Xbox titles…
Clinging to so-called exclusives that aren’t really exclusives anymore, and clinging to consoles that just gather dust, makes no sense in 2025.
Re: Bungie's Marathon To Release In March 2026, Pricing And More Details Revealed
What a waste of time and money again, after Concord, it looks doomed once more.
Re: Two PS5 Console Exclusives Are Finally Releasing On Xbox Next Week
And yet another former PlayStation exclusive now on Xbox! PlayStation has never had so few exclusives in this generation. Almost no third‑party publishers — apart from a few small studios — make games for just one platform anymore. There was a time when Resident Evil and Final Fantasy for instance only released on PS.
That’s no longer the case, and it’s a good thing: the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem will be multiplatform from day one, for example. And Square Enix has already announced it will be the same for their future titles!
I’m starting to wonder if there aren’t actually more Xbox exclusives today than on PlayStation. When I look at Starfield, Avowed, South of Midnight, Keeper, Winter Burrows, Routine, State of Decay, Towerborne, Dead Static Drive, Mechabreak, 33 Immortals, plus the big franchises like Gears and Halo, and then the upcoming titles like OD, Replaced, Clockwork Revolution, Fable, etc…
Maybe some will remain temporary exclusives, but clearly others will stay fully exclusive — especially the smaller games that aren’t worth porting.
The strength of Xbox is that it doesn’t rely only on third‑party publishers, but has a solid lineup of studios. They can decide what to port to other platforms, unlike PlayStation which in the end has very few first‑party games and depend a lot on third party
Either way, nobody today (except Nintendo) can really talk about permanent exclusives. And in any case, all PlayStation games end up playable on Steam, which means on the next Xbox as well — and already on devices like the Xbox ROG Ally and other Windows consoles.
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade The Game Awards 2025?
@Gabrie These are just small games ,all the big titles are also on Xbox. And when it comes to indie games, there are plenty that are exclusive to Xbox and not on PS5. Winter Burrows comes to mind, along with many others. So enough with the bad faith.
What really surprised me was the number of games that are Steam-only. That’s where you can actually say there’s a real difference between platforms. But that works out fine, since the next Xbox will be able to run Steam games , unlike the PS6…
Re: Two Xbox First-Party Titles Win At The Game Awards 2025, Expedition 33 Takes 'Game Of The Year'
Pretty good for Xbox, with South of Midnight and Doom: Dark Ages. And I’d add, without taking anything away from the talent behind Expedition 33, that this victory is also partly thanks to Xbox and Game Pass, which gave the game huge visibility — especially since most of its players are on Xbox and PC.
Seventeen of the nominated games are in Game Pass (Ninja Gaiden 4, Avowed, …), and among the winners we find Doom, Expedition 33, South of Midnight, Silksong. Overall, that’s a solid showing for Xbox.
Re: Xbox Says Cloud Gaming Is Up 45% With Game Pass & Console Users In 2025
@Fiendish-Beaver I understand perfectly, thank you. My point is about your bad faith, because you deliberately take an example that makes no sense. Why talk about 100 people, if not to try to minimize this growth? We both know very well that we’re talking about several millions already using cloud gaming. Even if we don’t know the exact number, starting from several millions, +45% is necessarily a huge increase, and so your example makes no sense. That’s what I mean.
Re: Xbox Says Cloud Gaming Is Up 45% With Game Pass & Console Users In 2025
@Fiendish-Beaver "100 people" seriously ? That’s your best example, and we both know it’s false — always bad faith and negativity. We’re talking about several millions of players, and +45% is huge no matter what you say. The numbers are easy to find, just look at sites like Statista or others to see how many players use cloud gaming — it’s not 100 people… unbelievable what one has to read!
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Think Of Silent Hill 2 On Xbox So Far?
@MaccaMUFC I suppose it depends a lot on each person and on your level, but I didn’t find the fights difficult or too frequent at all. On the contrary, I think that if the game didn’t have at least a minimum of action, it would have been way too boring. I feel like there’s a good balance, but that’s just my opinion.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Think Of Silent Hill 2 On Xbox So Far?
@MaccaMUFC I don’t know where you saw that there was a flood of enemies — that’s definitely not the case. There are some sequences with more action, but overall it’s a lot of exploration, puzzle‑solving, and the atmosphere is definitely there, don’t worry. The combat is very easy too, and if you explore thoroughly you’ll be rewarded with plenty of ammo for your pistol. Same goes for healing items — I always have between 5 and 10 health bottles in reserve.”
Re: Six New Improvements Revealed For ROG Xbox Ally, With Lots More To Come In 2026
@FrenchVaniIIuxe There’s a difference between a bug‑filled beta and a roadmap with planned improvements. I personally own an Xbox ROG Ally and it works perfectly well. Adding features like default game profiles, improving the loading of my game library, and so on , those are genuine enhancements.
At the end of the day, it’s still a testing ground for the next generation of Xbox consoles, but I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a beta version, it's exagerated
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Think Of Silent Hill 2 On Xbox So Far?
I’m having a good time so far, not finished yet. I bought it at 50% off on Xbox (Xbox Play Anywhere). I can understand why it doesn’t excite everyone since the pace is pretty slow, with lots of back‑and‑forth, but that’s just the style of the game.
As for graphics and performance, it’s perfect on Series X , very beautiful and no lag, except occasionally during a few cutscenes. Well, it’s not the game of the year, but a good game
Re: ROG Xbox Ally Adds Console-Like Optimisation Feature For 40+ Games, With More Joining Soon
It’s definitely a very good option that brings it even closer to a true console‑like experience, since console players don’t want to bother with settings.
Re: Roundup: All The Reveals From 2025's Xbox Partner Preview Showcase
Some people didn’t get that this was a Partner Showcase, and as such it was a really good one. It’s impossible to be that jaded. They showed games that look pretty amazing, like Tides of Annihilation, Armatus, Reanimal, Total Chaos, Zoopunk, Raji, etc.
9 third‑party titles coming day one to Game Pass, a shadow drop, and 100% Xbox Play Anywhere support — what are people even complaining about, seriously?
This wasn’t the place to expect Fable, you need to read.
Re: Xbox Announces 9 Titles Coming To Game Pass At November's Partner Preview Showcase
Armatus is impressive
Crowsworn reminds me of Silksong, so I love it.
I’m curious about Raji, I’m waiting to see some gameplay.
And the shadow drop Total Chaos: already dwnloaded, Haven’t played yet, but the gameplay sequences look really promising.
Game Pass keeps delivering, then. Xbox are the only ones offering shadow drops of this quality and day-one games. And my son has been enjoying the Fortnite Crew since then, he’s happy.
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Is Rolling Out Now On Xbox, And It's Discounted By 50% At Launch
I just installed it on my Xbox Series X, my PC, and my Xbox ROG Ally X. Xbox Play Anywhere is cool Xbox are the only ones who do this, with a single purchase.
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade November's Xbox Partner Preview Event?
Good show: A ! 9 games in Game Pass, 100% Xbox Play Anywhere, shadow drops. Impressed by Armatus, Reanimal, Total Chaos, Zoopunk, Tides of Annihilation of course, and Raji.
Really solid for a Partner Showcase—Xbox are the only ones doing shadow drops, day‑one Game Pass releases, and Xbox Play Anywhere
Re: Roundup: All The Reveals From 2025's Xbox Partner Preview Showcase
Good show: 8/10! 9 games in Game Pass, 100% Xbox Play Anywhere, shadow drops. Impressed by Armatus, Reanimal, Total Chaos, Zoopunk, Tides of Annihilation of course, and Raji.
Really solid for a Partner Showcase—Xbox are the only ones doing shadow drops, day‑one Game Pass releases, and Xbox Play Anywhere
Re: Rumour: Steam Machine To Be 'Priced Like A PC' Rather Than Traditional Xbox Or PS Console
@themightyant 152 mm (148 mm without the feet), by my standards that’s still very small, and I think that’s the factor that forces them to set a price that will end up being too high for what it is. And for $800, I can assure you that you can get a better machine than this, no problem.
Re: Rumour: Steam Machine To Be 'Priced Like A PC' Rather Than Traditional Xbox Or PS Console
@ButterySmooth30FPS Overall, all the stores apart from Steam are very poorly supported—you have to resort to tinkering, and in any case it remains very buggy. I have a Steam Deck. You can still use Heroic Games Launcher for epic and gog, but it forces you to have a different interface—it’s not centralized in the same hub, and it's buggy
Re: Rumour: Steam Machine To Be 'Priced Like A PC' Rather Than Traditional Xbox Or PS Console
@themightyant Actually, I don’t think so—the very format of the console will make it more expensive than a PC with equivalent components in a normal tower, it’s inevitable. Unless we compare it to other mini PCs, but even then the price-to-performance ratio remains very poor in any case. Miniaturization comes at a high cost
Re: Rumour: Steam Machine To Be 'Priced Like A PC' Rather Than Traditional Xbox Or PS Console
"In my opinion, the problem that forces them to set such a high price is that they chose a very compact format, and that’s what pushed them to offer an outrageous price—ultimately more expensive than the components inside. When you look at the price of a mini PC, with the same components but in a ‘normal’ PC format, the price is sometimes doubled. That’s the cost of miniaturization.
Re: Rumour: Steam Machine To Be 'Priced Like A PC' Rather Than Traditional Xbox Or PS Console
Given the low power of the machine, which sits somewhere between an Xbox Series S and an Xbox Series X, I don’t understand why it’s so expensive—it makes no sense. In any case, why would a PC gamer who already owns a gaming PC want to buy this overpriced thing just to play in worse conditions than on their own PC? Especially since the games will run in compatibility mode (Proton) rather than natively, not to mention the titles that aren’t even compatible with SteamOS like Battlefield 6, Fortnite, COD, etc. And let’s not forget games with technologies like DLSS, ray tracing, auto SR, etc., which also won’t be supported, or will have those features disabled.
Just like 10 years ago, this looks like a guaranteed flop for the Steam Machine!
Re: Talking Point: Do You Think GTA 6 Will Actually Launch On Xbox A Year Today?
Not a chance! Given the mess at Rockstar right now with layoffs and union tensions, it's very unlikely they'll stick to that date — they'll want to avoid a Cyberpunk-style fiasco.
Re: Assassin's Creed Mirage Gets Massive Xbox Game Pass Update, Including Free Single-Player DLC
I really enjoyed Assassin’s Creed Mirage, it’s the perfect opportunity to dive back in.
Re: Helldivers 2 On Xbox Helped Us 'Give The Players What They Want', Says Arrowhead CEO
@Balaam_ Here is the job description:
Reporting to the Vice President, Commercial Management as Senior Director of Multiplatform & Account Management, you will play a critical leadership role in shaping and executing the global commercial strategy for PlayStation Studios software titles across all digital platforms beyond PlayStation hardware, including Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox, Nintendo, and mobile. This role is accountable for optimizing title profitability, ensuring cross-functional alignment, and leading a high-performing team focused on multiplatform expansion, mid-range commercial planning, and platform partner management.
Source: https://www.nettosgameroom.com/2025/07/playstation-set-to-bring-more-titles-to.html
They are indeed speaking explicitly about launching games on Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox, Nintendo, and mobile
But at no point do they explicitly talk about live service games. It’s just speculation on your part.
@Fiendish-Beaver: I didn’t talk specifically about AAA games going to Xbox, where did you read that? I was talking about games in general, because we don’t know more for now. At the same time, Death Stranding was originally a PlayStation AAA IP, and it ended up on Xbox, so nothing is impossible in principle. Anyway, given the few first-party games they release, and since everything comes out on PC, it naturally ends up on Xbox as well, so it doesn’t really change much in the end. Also, since 90% of their exclusives depend on third-party games, and since those are releasing fewer and fewer exclusives on PlayStation, PS finds itself in a situation with fewer and fewer exclusives. Again, this is just an observation—you only need to look at the number of PS4 exclusives versus the number of PS5 exclusives.
What I’m saying is that the path taken is toward more multiplatform games. It’s not speculation, just a simple observation, and simply obvious. I don’t see how anyone informed could say otherwise.
@Battlefield6gamergir: At this stage, it’s a rumor started by Jez Corden on Twitter, who is generally well-informed. But honestly, it doesn’t seem impossible at all to me playstation lauching its games Day one on PC (or at least more and more). Those who say it’s impossible are the same ones who, a few years ago, claimed that PlayStation would never release its exclusive games on PC—and yet it happened, and it’s been increasing ever since. So, I see this as the next logical and natural step in the end. We’ll see.
Re: Former Xbox Exec On Steam Machine: Choice Is Good, Not Everything Needs A Winner Or Loser
What he’s saying is that competition is a good thing, even if this Steam Machine will remain a niche device because of its software limitations and hardware specs. The only audience they can really attract is PC gamers with a Steam library—but why play under worse conditions than on their PC, which is both more powerful and offers full compatibility, especially since it’s very easy to plug any PC into a TV?
That’s why, despite the false hype maintained by the media, it will remain a niche machine, just like it was 10 years ago.
Re: Helldivers 2 On Xbox Helped Us 'Give The Players What They Want', Says Arrowhead CEO
@Fiendish-Beaver No ! There are already rumors that PlayStation will bring its games to PC day one, and from the moment PS sends its games to PC, they will automatically be on Xbox as well—so the notion of exclusivity completely disappears.
Sorry to say it, but once again you’re off the mark. Management no longer defends exclusives—quite the opposite, they’re saying the exact reverse! They even recruited a team dedicated to multiplatform, so at some point you need to stop making things up
Re: ROG Xbox Ally X Demand Has 'Exceeded Expectations' And ASUS Is Ramping Up Production
@Balaam_ It really depends on the games. Plenty of titles play perfectly well on a handheld console, with just as much enjoyment as on a big screen—it’s simply two different experiences, not really comparable. Of course, for some games, a handheld console isn’t always the best platform.
In any case, on my Xbox ROG Ally X I’m having a great time: I recently played, thanks to Game Pass, games like Dead Static Drive, Relic Hunters Legend, and I’m also thinking of Hollow Knight: Silksong. It’s awesome
Re: Valve 'Excited' By ROG Xbox Ally And Insists It's A 'Sign Of Success' For Steam Deck
@Gabrie Open consoles are obviously the future. In fact, the Steam Machine, even if it comes close, isn’t really that open because of technical limitations with other stores. Valve itself has said it prioritizes the Steam community…
The only truly open console is the upcoming Xbox, which will genuinely be open to all stores and fully backward compatible with all Xbox console games—something SteamOS will never be able to do.
But indeed, the big loser will be PlayStation, which will remain the only one keeping a semi-closed ecosystem: not allowing players to run PC games, while at the same time releasing all its titles on PC, even day one according to rumors.
Re: Valve 'Excited' By ROG Xbox Ally And Insists It's A 'Sign Of Success' For Steam Deck
@Medic_alert Yes, in fact Valve’s and Steam’s love is really for Steam on Windows, because the Steam Deck remains a niche above all. And the deception by many, even some media outlets, is to make people believe that the Steam experience on Windows will be identical on SteamOS, which is false. I even think this ambiguity is maintained by Valve itself.
Some games simply won’t work, or won’t work as well, on a Steam Machine even though they run perfectly fine on Steam for Windows: games with anti-cheat systems (Call of Duty, Battlefield, Fortnite, etc.), games using recent technologies like DirectX 12, DLSS, ray tracing, Auto SR, etc. Sure, you can often disable these features, but that comes at the cost of quality.
It’s maybe fine if you only play Steam games, but if you have titles from other launchers, things get more complicated. I’m not even talking about modding, which is also very difficult, if not impossible.
Since it’s a lightweight and specialized OS, many games run a bit better than on Windows, but that comes at the expense of software compatibility and support for certain features.
In fact, the performance aspect of the software system is the only real advantage of this Steam Machine, but the hardware specs ruin it.
And compared to the upcoming Xbox, which will have full compatibility with all games, all launchers, all software—including complete backward compatibility with Xbox console games from Xbox One through Xbox Series X—and with Xbox Full Experience constantly improving in terms of performance and smoothness, it’s doubtful that this performance advantage will last. Not to mention that the hardware specs of the next Xbox will be far superior.
Moreover, I don’t really understand who this Steam Machine is aimed at. PC gamers already have gaming PCs, so why play under worse conditions than their own PC? Worse in terms of performance, worse in terms of quality, and also worse in terms of compatibility, since not all games will run as well—or at all.
Re: Valve 'Excited' By ROG Xbox Ally And Insists It's A 'Sign Of Success' For Steam Deck
"So we kind of see it as a sign of success that Steam Deck ..."
It’s funny, if Phil Spencer had come out with this kind of phrases—nonsensical and full of bad faith—some people would have laughed in his face.
That said, I do understand what he means: it’s a win for the handheld console market, including the Steam Deck.
But what he doesn’t say is that if some players turn to a Windows-based console or an Xbox ROG Ally X instead of a Steam Deck, even though it’s cheaper, it’s simply because those devices don’t have SteamOS’s limitations in terms of game compatibility, compatibility with all launchers, and broader software support.
What he also doesn’t mention is that Valve entered the handheld console market earlier than the others, which explains their current lead.
In the end, he wanted to respond to Phil Spencer’s congratulations on their Steam Machine, but he did so awkwardly and with, in reality, a certain disguised frustration.
Re: Black Ops 7 Campaign Review (Xbox): Black Ops Pedigree Can't Save This Mess Of A COD Campaign
Making a new Black Ops just one year later, it’s simply not possible to maintain the same level of quality.