Comments 21

Re: Xbox Reveals New Details On 'Project Helix' Next-Gen Console, Says Devs Will Get It In 2027

h3s

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@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.)

Re: Xbox Reveals New Details On 'Project Helix' Next-Gen Console, Says Devs Will Get It In 2027

h3s

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@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.)

Re: Talking Point: Are You Happy With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate In 2026?

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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.

Re: Xbox Boss Questioned On Whether Exclusives Could Return In The Future

h3s

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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.)

Re: If You Like EarthBound, This New Xbox Game Is Getting Heavy Comparisons To It

h3s

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@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.

Re: Talking Point: What Have You Bought In The Xbox Countdown Sale This Year?

h3s

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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.)

Re: Digital Foundry Analysis Showcases 60FPS Versions Of Red Dead Redemption On Xbox

h3s

@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).

Re: Here's What's Included In The Xbox November 2025 Update

h3s

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).

Re: Poll: How Important Is The Xbox Play Anywhere Program To You?

h3s

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.

Re: Xbox Has More Competition From TikTok Than PlayStation, Claims Microsoft Exec

h3s

@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.

Re: Review: 8BitDo Ultimate 3-Mode Controller For Xbox - Rare 40th Anniversary Edition - A New Gold Standard

h3s

@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.