h3s

For me to want a PS5 Pro the input subsystem and VRR would have to be as good as Xbox. Framerate and input lag are far more important to me than absolute nicest visuals. (I have always used performance mode over quality given the option.)

I hope with project helix the Steam bit is unrestricted. (I have stuff like Outrun 2 on there that needs mods to work on current systems.) I don’t mind if the Xbox bit is totally locked down and separate though.

I think the big problem is the lack of reviews for most of these games. I think Xbox is the best platform for indies but it doesn’t seem to sell as much as Switch or Ps( despite the VRR (When outpacing 4k/120) and input subsystem being far better than either Sony or Nintendo.

Take Super Meatboy 3D (I gave it a try after the NintendoLife review thinking it would be unlikely any performance problems would be noticeable on Xbox and I was right). But if Hookshot prioritises Nintendo all the time lots of people will keep buying and playing versions that are not the best and nothing will change.

(It used to review every Wiiware and Vc release now it just seems to repost stuff found elsewhere (A Human doing that is no better than an AI in my opinion it’s not original content.)

I don’t mind proper AAA console games but not western style ones for the most part. (I buy 90% of my indie games on Xbox because they work better I think but the market share they get seems not what is deserved.) It wasn’t uncommon for people to state when another systems version was superior in the past I don’t know why it’s so uncommon today.

(SEO should be separate from content)

XNA was a good thing. I generally prefer small games using monogame or fNA to Unreal or Unity. When a AAA studio uses an engine then they change enough so that it feels like a distinct game.

It’s not even comparable for me the quality of stuff around the 360 era to now. They might look better but they feel the same and stuff like the actual level design is not good.

With regards to Absolum I consider them scammers for doing all the publicity saying it wouldn’t come to Xbox. (So I bought it to play on Switch 2 and it is not a functional game).

I do want to play Hades 2 and Absolum but I just bought them. (Really annoyed I bought Absolum on Switch due to the devs saying it is never coming to Xbox. The Switch version sucks no Switch 2 version.) I don’t think saying something is never coming to Xbox and then reversing course is fair it is a scummy way to get 2 sales and for any other games I have decided it is only going to be something I am willing to do at a big discount. Supergiant have proven themselves over time so I have actually preordered Hades 2.

Have Essential for Racing Crossworlds. (Thay Hyper Ring engine has drastically improved my enjoyment playing it online.so I want to continue at least for now ).

There is not all that many big AAA games but the ones I do want day one are not on Gamepass anyway.

If there were more stuff like HiFi Rush day one I would definitely go for it. (The quality is a cut above most indie titles it is not that I don’t want AAA games but I want traditional console games. There is loads in the original and 360 back catalog but they don’t seem to make those types of games as much these days.)

This is one of the games I liked the least on 3DS that I bought. The amount of grinding is insane and there is hardly any npc s or story to speak of. There is no content everything is just a straight line pretty much.

@Gemini53 It is different doing the PC version at the same time and with the same team to doing a port later using a 3rd party. (Apparently they intend to stop doing even that.)

I think Valve allow too much stuff that is detrimental on Steam. (3rd party DRM/Mandatary Acccount requirements (Should use Steam for everything if it’s on there) / kernel anti cheat If using Steam versions of stuff comes with those drawbacks I will stick to the MS store on Helix.

My TV is also very well supported (4k/120 vrr / Atmos pass through compared to an Nvidia based PC just how nice it looks is not the most important thing for me.)

@Gemini53 Xbox might as well be a PC even now (Windows Kernel/Direct X) there are a few bits of nice tech like this VRR and the input but the rest advantages of coding for one specific target are lost due to 1 Series S and 2 Everything made for PC as well and to be ported to PC from the get go. (Sony is different and it shows - The end result is the PC versions are pretty poor or not consistent. It is done for PS first then the PC is kind of an afterthought.)

I just got a 6 month essential a few days ago when my ultimate expired. I didn’t get much use out of it because the games I wanted that are on it now I bought already. I might have left it completely for a bit but I am playing a bit of Racing Crossworlds. I might stack it and convert to ultimate if I can get it to £8 a month or less (Probably when I can a gamepass code with something else I need for just a bit more.) but I still buy quite a lot of games so it is probably not worth it.

One good thing about Apple Arcade is that it doesn’t allow extra DLC’s I might be more interested in Gamepass if it was like that but the base game + all the DLC’s is usually not that much more than just the DLC’s for a lot of things.

I don’t think it really matters that much as long as they are going to PC as well. (I can’t see them doing a really shoddy PC port due to optimising it really well for console alone and having to support both series X and Series S.) I am personally happy with the VRR implementation/best input lag situation at the moment but something needs to be done about the numbers otherwise stuff will stop getting released on Xbox. (The only Xbox regret I have is BG3 not that the game is bad but I want to use mouse and keyboard (Very unusually for me.) it’s very annoying I will probably have to buy it again from GoG. Using a computer and xcloud seems like it should be an ideal use case for this.)

More interested in Super Meatboy 3D. I didn’t like the Binding of Issac. (Don’t like that they cheaped out with the Super Meatboy versions other than Xbox and PC that soundtrack is far superior.)

@FraserG Thanks for not doing that thing that NintendoLife does to break copy paste here. (I get most of the indie games I like on Xbox because especially Unity / Unreal games they tend to work properly it is bad that it’s so difficult to find reviews but I think the genius VRR solves all. I haven’t had any issues with 9/10 games reviewed there and I had loads when I was getting them on Nintendo.
Seems bad though for the creators (Xbox seems to nearly have a very low split of sales.)
I appreciate the higher signal to noise ratio here than the other hookshot sites.

The Music is far better on this version of Super Meat Boy than e.g the Switch version. (Think it’s a choice on the Steam version also). Don’t think as much effort was put into the replacement soundtrack. (Or the composer wasn’t as good)

Sonic Racing Crossworlds digital deluxe. £50 all in was what I was willing to pay. (I can’t believe they copied the worst thing about Mario Kart though where if you do really well on the first two laps the AI suddenly becomes loads better for the last lap but if you don’t really try then try on the 3rd lap you will win most of the time.)

I have bought loads of indies and whilst they are almost never reviewed here I am far happier than I was playing the same games on Nintendo. I think a large part of it is how great the Xbox VRR is.

It is not a Unity or Unresl game so the Switch version might be alright. I have been generally getting indie games on Series X recently however. Even something like Freedom Planet 2 which Digital Foundry praised technically on Switch feels better on my Series X and noticeably so. (Dunno if it’s working good VRR or input lag or what.)

@Master_Cthulhu70 They have already said they won’t be adding a 60fps mode which is a deal breaker for me. (RDR2 had a 60fps mode (1080p)/in the stadia port which I played quite a bit of but I just can’t get any enjoyment out of the 30fps series X version don’t care what it looks like it won’t play right as far as I am concerned).

I will try it on my M2 iPad (via Netflix) and make a decision. I played a fair bit of RDR2 on Stadia before it was axed (in the 60fps mode I think at 1080p). I have bought 2 again but not touched it because I don’t like 30fps and I don’t absolutely love the game as it is.

I used to use Steam on a gaming PC when that was the only option to get 60fps versions of consoles style games. The problem of bad ports still seems to exist. I use a Mac desktop now and a series X/Switch 2. The things that really annoy me don’t seem to happen on Series X (Slowdown/framerate drops (probably VRR is so good that I just don’t notice it)/jagged lines/flickering). I try to avoid anything that uses Unreal/Unity on Switch because it nearly always ends up annoying me regardless of whether it’s a good game or not. I am not bothered for the really cinematic games that are 30fps with loads of cutscenes. It’s a bit annoying this site doesn’t seem to bother reviewing the games I want (Have to use the Nintendo Life reviews and make a guess as to whether it will be okay on Xbox.) I think most of the sales of what I like are on Switch/PC so I don’t know how long the situation can continue. I could tolerate a mini PC as long as it’s silent and everything works well but afaict there is no hdmi 2.1 in amdgpu so I doubt I will get as good an experience with a Steam Machine as I have now on Series X. (Maybe 4k/120 can work with hdmi 2.0b for it but I am not sure if it can).

I wish there was a way for me to play Balders Gate 3 with a mouse and keyboard with the copy I have already paid full price for. It’s bad that the Xbox version doesn’t support it but as it doesn’t support play anywhere I don’t have an option of using GeForce Now for a while. (Whereas the PC version supports both options seems stupid to me Xbox doesn’t). It’s very unusual for me to not want to use a controller but this game is an exception.

@MrStark Kinect with Dance Central was pretty good for what it is. Just Dance is pretty popular but far worse. I think they could have kept it around for those people.

@Questionable_Duck Gaming is still fairly cheap compared to some hobbies. Watching a film in the cinema once a week plus a few streaming subscriptions or Lego is much more than Game Pass even at the new high price not to mention stuff like skiing or parachuting or a premium gym membership. Some parts of the world it does seem prohibitively expensive but I wouldn’t say it is in the UK or US.

@smoreon afaik the controllers that do cost a fortune because of the licensing fees.

@smoreon I think Xbox controllers support both Bluetooth and a proprietary Xbox Wireless standard. (That is also supported by the usb adapter for Windows). When connected to the Xbox the Bluetooth support isn’t used.

@Damo What exactly makes the Dpad better ? (Other reviews say it’s squishy. I guess like the Switch pro controller one ?) I have had no issues with any particular type of game with the series X dpad. I generally find the squishy type of dpad okay for 4 way (But you can’t rest in the middle and move across like you can with a SNES/NES pad. (I was happier with Wii U or 3DS dpads didn’t have any issues like the standard Series X one.)

If it can work well for Street Fighter 2 specials and Tetris I guess it’s fine ?

Would appreciate a little more information about the dpad.

Thanks.

Does this apply to buying from e.g Iceland when you are in the UK ? (It just lets you do it.)