They need less vague statements and to lay out exactly what they want and how to achieve it. They keep throwing out lots of words, but they don't mean anything specific and everyone can read what ever they want from it. That will just lead to more disgruntled fans long term as it gets interpreted as false promises.
A great game well worth playing as Night City is a joy to behold. There was a lot of arguing back and forth about if its an RPG or a or action game as many felt the RPG title was misleading, but its good either way you look at it.
That said I am in agreement that the majority of people interested probably all ready jumped in on it, but still a decent add for those who haven't.
Cancelling Campaign Evolved after announcing it would be just another nail in the coffin of poor decisions. If they want to reverse strategy going forward then thats fine, and a whole different story. But reversing on this would not be a great look and would just see them flooded with even more negative press.
That aside I think MS are in a very different position to Sony when it comes to exclusives, and how they need to treat them. MS may have more money overall, but they also have a smaller console base to sell to. This is made worse when you factor in gamepass which draws away from Day 1 sales, or sales in general. Sony getting access to an extra 35m would be good, but they have to balance that against what fans want. For MS they get access to an extra 90m users and that figure is harder to ignore after they have already tasted the income it can generate.
@Fiendish-Beaver The haptics and the controller speaker really add to games in such a major way in my opinion. The light can also be good to a lesser effect. Not got Requim yet but I recently played SH2 and that made great use of the speaker by having the radio static play through it. At points it gets so loud that it obscures the sound from the TV and helps ratched up the tension no end. They also have the light switch from Green>Yellow>Orange>Red in sync with your health.
As a publisher they will continue to do well but they also need to get the balance between quality and quantity right. 7 and 8s are still good but they should be aiming for 9s every time.
As a platform I think they are going under. The PC box will not be huge success imo as the price will likely cut a huge chunk of their current consoles players out. Meanwhile PC players are not going to entertain over a proper build.
I see gamepass then either being slowly sunset and they just focus on the sales.
@Globo If they got a system out early that was a significant upgrade from the Pro and still sat in that same price range then yes it would likely gain traction. However the chances of that happening are slim.
In reality a super premium model will likely be very expensive, a that cost has just increased with the recent ram issues. That price will along with the much smaller userbase will make it a niche device. Whilst the budget version likely won't move the needle enough to warrent it being a upgrade. Also It all assumes Sony just sits back and does nothing, which they wont.
Honestly I have no issue with a non gamer being the CEO as you want them in the role for their business knowledge. However don't make a clearly fake account and try to pass it off as genuine. Its cheap, lazy and just comes across as clownish, and we are all intelligent enough to recognize it for what it is.
Very sceptical about the truth in the details of this report, as the timing is all very suspect. Sarah was given no chance to speak on her way out, no one mentioned her in any of their emails. In fact the only one to even give her a nod, and thanks, is also on the way out of the door. Some thing just doesn't fit the all amicable story being spun.
That aside "This is an Xbox" was always a top tier garbage campaign regardless of whose idea it was. It made no sense at all because an Xbox is an Xbox, end of story. My Mobile, TV, PC, PS etc are not an Xbox just because I can choose to play CoD, Forza, Indy on them.
If nothing else the guy deserves respect for turning things around years ago and giving it his best shot. It was clear that he was always passionate about Xbox and gaming in general, but ultimately he was fighting an uphill battle. He had some good ideas like Gamepass and aquiring studios, and they helped keep it going this long, but it was all just never quite enough.
Given the poor sales of the Xbox One gen, and dropping further with the Series it was always clear that oversight would arrive and you could tell when it did as Phil suddenly became a toothless tiger with much less visible interest.
Ultimately however I can't see the new heads doing a better job, and think it will only go from bad to worse. It not a great time for Xbox at all sadly.
@Coletrain I think they did acquire then for that very reason, but I wonder if after being acquired both parties wanted something different for their future. Sony wanted them to keep making remakes, Bluepoint wanted to do their own original content.
Don't get me wrong I am not defending Sony as the talent at Bluepoint was great. Demon Souls was an incredible remake, as were all their previous games. Bloodborne also would have been a money spinner for Sony if Bluepoint made it. However I do think there is just something more to this that is not being shown currently, or likely ever will be.
@Coletrain By all accounts that seems to be a major part of all this. Sony don't really tell studios what to make, but instead studios pitch what they want to make. Of course that comes with the caveat of if it goes wrong....
If the studio who were experts in remakes decide internally that they had no interest in remakes any more then its not as simple as saying "they should have given them Bloodborne". For all we know they simply might not have had the chops to make original content and this is the unfortunate end result.
Its sad to see them go and is a huge loss, but I don't think its as simple as angry fans are making it out to be. The only small glimmer of positive is that hopefully some of the staff will be moved to other studios for projects like the GOW remake, where their skills can shine.
@Gemini53 The bubble has to burst eventually. Its not that AI will suddenly go away, but at present every man and his dog are jumping in on it hoping they will be the first to solve it and make all the money. Meanwhile the amounts of money that are being thrown at it are staggeringly stupid, and thats what can't continue. At some points companies will have to bow out and realise they are never making a return, the worry is if something goes wrong the.
As for the downfall of society, its just the latest robotic production line and in another decade there will be another. Any form of tech has an effect on employment and in turn creates more jobs doing something else. Im not meaning to sound heartless here, its just something that has been said about every techological advance in history.
@OldGamer999 Its not a waste of money as they have to keep hammering that nail against the competition. MS have the funds to buy anything they want, and regulators would not stop them. This was shown when MS bought up some pretty big companies and suddenly made games exclusive. That gamble failed for them but its why Sony still has to be proactive about it.
Its just business and you don't stop targetting your competition because if they can steal more of the 35m series players than thats a win.
@Fiendish-Beaver SH Townfall looked fantastic. I always wonder if it is as simple as the novelty of it looking very british, and like places I have visited. The painted pebble dash render, sea front and small alley ways just drew me in to the style they were going for instantly.
Really happy they are exploring the SH franchise by branching out to other areas
@eduscxbox Its very unlikely that they will release for Xbox if the PCbox plans are true. They would just stick to PS / PC release the games on steam and Xbox players would be able to access then that way. There would be very little point making the effort for a specific port if the game could just be accessed another way.
@Fiendish-Beaver I think the issue with the series consoles is that they would also need to source ram for them at a higher cost. I seem to recall there was a report recently which said Sony had memory stockpiled for consoles, whilst MS did not.
It puts them in an awkward place of increasing prices on 5yr old hardware, keeping current gen with no new production runs or launch a new expensive machine early. They don't really have any good options open to them.
I can't help but think that various badged levels of machine will end up causing more damage to the brand identity. We already saw that there was confusion with the SS / SX with casual purchasers. Any one who comments here would clearly know, but it needs to be remembered that we are the minority when it comes to understanding the specs.
Having multiple price point sku's means you end up with a scenario of "your performance may vary" where a game will not be getting the same results. Im playing this game on my Xbox its great I get 60fps... nah it sucks im getting 40 fps and weird graphics issues.
Personally I think they would be better just having the single machine spec that is targetted, regardless of the price. Just pick a target and go for it rather than this scatter shot approach trying to cover all bases.
I foresee yet another increase as they will put all the good stuff in ultimate, and just keep hiking that one up to cover the day one stuff plus what ever else is added. WoW would be a simple sub for them to add with more cost as it's in their control.
I think PC Game pass will just be phased out and everything will become the normal one also.
They need to do something popular, I just doubt they will.
@Fiendish-Beaver I too have a good PC upstairs but have found myself playing on the console more and more because I like the ease of just pressing a button and im in the game. The other big shift was I bough a LG C3 with a soundbar about 18m ago and that really helps to elevate gaming beyond my 1440 monitor. I tested both with Resident Evil 2 and my PC which is more powerful looked worse than PS. I could of course get a bigger better monitor but its harder to justify that when compared to a TV.
I still use the PC for heavy RPG's, shooters but find its getting fired up less and less for gaming.
@Fiendish-Beaver Sorry there might have been some confusion, as I am mostly in agreement, what I was meaning is that people with only a console background who are more casual gamers would likely still use the Xbox store due to limited knowledge / convienience. How I think there is a real concern abou those users being turned off by sticker shock mixed with marketting they won't really get. I think that will have the effect of pushing these people away.
Where as the more knowledgable crowd will flock to steam, Epic, GoG if those platforms are made available, with Steam being the major one. @themightyant did make a very good point however that MS could try and make if difficult to use those stores. However I still think there is a real issue that those more invested in that market would just build themselves a Micro or Mini ATX system if they really wanted a small living room device.
Ultimately I can see the next box being like surface devices. Well designed bits of kit but with very limited sales in the wide scheme of things. Meanwhile MS will continue to be a hugely succesful publisher with the Xbox Game studios brand.
@BacklogBrad The reality is that the vast majority of people will only use the xbox store and never even install epic/steam/gog.
I think that entirely depends on the type of user who buys the device. I imagine consumers who previously played on a console only would be more likely to use the Xbox store. If PC players where to pick up the device then I think they would be far more inclined to use existing stores as they would already be aware of them.
That said I still can't see it having a major impact as the device is trying to appeal to two different camps which I suspect will be too PC for console fans, and too console for PC fans.
GP and sales will never go hand in hand, which is why we are seeing games come to PS on day 1, or as close to that as possible. If you release games on a service where you can play them for a fraction of the ticket price then it will hurt sales. I suspect its also the reason behind the gamepass restructure and price increase, of which I suspect another won't be far off.
@Fiendish-Beaver If you are a fan of souls like games then you need to play them as they are probably the second best series out there. The combat is miles ahead of anything Fromsoft and is also easily the best combat from KT have in any of their games. What I like is that each game also adds enough to refresh the system.
Not sure if you played Wo Long but that was a good game and Nioh is much much better. Its just so good.
@rhyno_888 Exactly they always list any exclusivity deals on the advert and when it is currently set to end. None of this stops the deal being extended or means its a 100% port once the deal ends.
@Fiendish-Beaver They have a link, but its honestly not critical to enjoying the games at all. They did release a PS5 collection for the originals so I imagine they could port them easily enough if they wanted to.
The question would obviously be is it worth it as the original games have been available for a while (2017/2020) and are on PC, which could limit sales a bit for the older titles if people played them elsewhere.
@Fiendish-Beaver Did you delete the profile on your PS5 before you tried moving it over? I did mine on Saturday morning with zero issues, but I used the transfer method where you have both consoles on and it just copies everything from one to the other, and makes the PRO your main console account.
@Fiendish-Beaver I did end up treating myself and ordered one with a drive. Used the Very Pay new customer trick along with top cashback brought the price down to about £560 all in, and I can trade my original ps5 in for another £200 so it was a decent saving all round.
@Fiendish-Beaver I have been thinking about replacing my base PS5 with the Pro because I highly suspect we are not going to see either side release anything for a while due to the ram issues. I also feel I deserve a treat after Dry January 😂
@Fiendish-Beaver Thats some crazy money right there.
To your other point regarding the PCBox, I think another success point hinges on how MS handles the console mode part of Windows 11 and if its also made available to all PC users. If they make it a windows feature so you can apply Xbox console mode on any PC then I think it would take away some sales from people willing to build their own more powerful rig, for a better price.
There are just so many what ifs? that will heavily affect everything and at present there is no real info outside of wishful thinking and sales talk.
@Tasuki Your comment is utter nonsense, its just console warring guff. They will have done the workings at high level and simply decided that the sales will outweight the lump sum offer from MS. Its the exact same decision every single publisher has to make in the same situation. For some the sales will win out, for others the GP offer.. its that simple.
@OldGamer999 I saw a great example a few years back that showed how much difference polgon counts made of character models. The leap from PS1 > PS2 > PS3 era was huge and really noticeable as the original polygon counts where so low that just doubling them made such a difference. Since the PS3 era the visuals are clearly still improving but the difference is much less despite talking more time to achieve.
@OldGamer999 Its nothing to do with working from home, or reduced hours as most studies have shown that people fit the exact same amount of work in the reduced hours. Its just a scapegoat to make out that the younger generation is somehow lazier than the older generation.
The reason games take longer is just that dev cycles have increased in line with technical improvements in gaming. Go back to the days of the C64 and games where made by max 5 people in 3-12m depending on complexity. It was nothing to do with working harder, its just games take much much longer to make now.
C for me. Fable was the only game of any interest and they didn't really show very much of it and what they did show looked a bit off. I'm willing to keep an open mind but they need to show more to get me properly interested in it
FF2 is a bit of a weird one as you think they would pay for the entire set of Pixel Remasters rather than choose the least popular and wierdest entry in the series.
Fable is the only one I have any interest in, but It will take a lot to reel me in as the originals were maybe 6/10 games for me personaly that promised loads but never really delivered outside of gimmicks.
@Toot1st I suspect you are in the minority there as the majority of gamers are not ready for, or simply do not want streaming only. Innovation is great but only if you take the consumer along on the journey with you. As long as there remains a demand for a plastic box then which ever companies offer one will continue to see results.
@dskatter the film it's never coming is my bet and I'm not convinced by this either. Blade is just not that popular compared to other Marvel characters. It doesn't help that to do a good Blade project you also need to target adults and not kids as no one wants Blade: The Twilight Saga
@Fiendish-Beaver The game they really need to get on Gamepass is Warcraft 3 Reforged. The remaster did get some stick compared to the original but the game is still a brilliant story driven strategy that more people need to experience. They have also done Warcraft 1 and 2 remastered but 3 was the real goat.
@Fiendish-Beaver @themightyant Another thing I feel steam does well on reviews, is recent reviews, and allowing you to see how popular a game is at various points in time on a graph. Its a great way to gauge how changes made to the game in patches can effect it over time. Its also a good way to see consumer sentiment when companies have made questionable decisions against community wishes.
@Fiendish-Beaver I can't see WoW standard making its way to console at any point in near future. It would need so much work to make it happen when they are already incredibly busy as a team working on expansions 4-6 years in advance. They are also just about to launch part 2 of a trilogy of expansions so I think the soonest they will jump to console woud be 4 years when they start a new story. Ofc at that point if the PCbox is a reality then whats the point.
As for adding it to GP I just can't see it happening without another price rise or it being a GP bolt on. They already get £8.99 a month from people so I can't see them giving that income up.
I bet the Blizz news will just be the launch of Midnight in March and the D4 expansion looking like it will add a decent amount more to endgame as they will want to keep on POE2's toes.
@Fiendish-Beaver I also though this and I think it would have been had Shattered Space had been better received. The Expansion falling a bit flat probably led to them waiting for something that could be launched with around more positive press.
I hope I am wrong and the game is great, but I am not convinced Betheda know how to make a good game anymore. They get distracted with nonsense engine physics that does not transfer into good gameplay. I don't care how many sandwiches can fill a room and spill out of a doorway, I want gameplay and story not a tech demo.
I enjoyed the game but it was in the category of good not great for me. I enjoyed the setting and the general weirdness but found the gunplay got a bit tedious so played it on a lower setting for the story.
It could be definately be improved upon in certain areas.
The refelcted looping corridor at the start area added mystery and confusion, but was quickly dropped in further areas.
The motel sections really wanted fleshing out
The weapon / skill mods pre expansion were to generic
@themightyant Did you find you had to really dial down the stick sensitivity on the PS5 version. That was the main thing I took issue with from a technical standpoint. It set to so damn sensitive that it really highlights any stickdrift to a ridiculous degree, on the plus side it doubles as a great testing tool.
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Re: Xbox Head Doubles Down On The Importance Of Console, Says It's A 'Reference Experience'
They need less vague statements and to lay out exactly what they want and how to achieve it. They keep throwing out lots of words, but they don't mean anything specific and everyone can read what ever they want from it. That will just lead to more disgruntled fans long term as it gets interpreted as false promises.
Re: Xbox Is Teasing Something 'Very Cool' For Game Pass This Month, Possibly Cyberpunk 2077
A great game well worth playing as Night City is a joy to behold. There was a lot of arguing back and forth about if its an RPG or a or action game as many felt the RPG title was misleading, but its good either way you look at it.
That said I am in agreement that the majority of people interested probably all ready jumped in on it, but still a decent add for those who haven't.
Re: Opinion: Xbox Should Consider Cancelling Halo: Campaign Evolved For PS5
Cancelling Campaign Evolved after announcing it would be just another nail in the coffin of poor decisions. If they want to reverse strategy going forward then thats fine, and a whole different story. But reversing on this would not be a great look and would just see them flooded with even more negative press.
That aside I think MS are in a very different position to Sony when it comes to exclusives, and how they need to treat them. MS may have more money overall, but they also have a smaller console base to sell to. This is made worse when you factor in gamepass which draws away from Day 1 sales, or sales in general. Sony getting access to an extra 35m would be good, but they have to balance that against what fans want. For MS they get access to an extra 90m users and that figure is harder to ignore after they have already tasted the income it can generate.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 28 - March 1)
@Fiendish-Beaver The haptics and the controller speaker really add to games in such a major way in my opinion. The light can also be good to a lesser effect. Not got Requim yet but I recently played SH2 and that made great use of the speaker by having the radio static play through it. At points it gets so loud that it obscures the sound from the TV and helps ratched up the tension no end. They also have the light switch from Green>Yellow>Orange>Red in sync with your health.
Re: Poll: How Optimistic Are You Feeling About The Future Of Xbox?
As a publisher they will continue to do well but they also need to get the balance between quality and quantity right. 7 and 8s are still good but they should be aiming for 9s every time.
As a platform I think they are going under. The PC box will not be huge success imo as the price will likely cut a huge chunk of their current consoles players out. Meanwhile PC players are not going to entertain over a proper build.
I see gamepass then either being slowly sunset and they just focus on the sales.
Re: Xbox Says 'Hardware Announcements Are Coming Up' As Team Looks Ahead To Next-Gen
@Globo If they got a system out early that was a significant upgrade from the Pro and still sat in that same price range then yes it would likely gain traction. However the chances of that happening are slim.
In reality a super premium model will likely be very expensive, a that cost has just increased with the recent ram issues. That price will along with the much smaller userbase will make it a niche device. Whilst the budget version likely won't move the needle enough to warrent it being a upgrade. Also It all assumes Sony just sits back and does nothing, which they wont.
Re: Xbox CEO Shares Her Three Favourite Games Of All Time, Along With Her Gamertag
Honestly I have no issue with a non gamer being the CEO as you want them in the role for their business knowledge. However don't make a clearly fake account and try to pass it off as genuine. Its cheap, lazy and just comes across as clownish, and we are all intelligent enough to recognize it for what it is.
Re: Xbox's 'Pivot Away From Console' Had Been Failing And Questioned At Microsoft, Claims Report
Very sceptical about the truth in the details of this report, as the timing is all very suspect. Sarah was given no chance to speak on her way out, no one mentioned her in any of their emails. In fact the only one to even give her a nod, and thanks, is also on the way out of the door. Some thing just doesn't fit the all amicable story being spun.
That aside "This is an Xbox" was always a top tier garbage campaign regardless of whose idea it was. It made no sense at all because an Xbox is an Xbox, end of story. My Mobile, TV, PC, PS etc are not an Xbox just because I can choose to play CoD, Forza, Indy on them.
Re: New Xbox Head Suggests Bringing Back The Blades Dashboard In First Social Media Posts
@GeeEssEff 49m and still not banned... what is the world coming to when you can call people a potato freely
The fact you did this to make a point is brilliant btw
Re: Phil Spencer Announces That He's Retiring From Xbox
If nothing else the guy deserves respect for turning things around years ago and giving it his best shot. It was clear that he was always passionate about Xbox and gaming in general, but ultimately he was fighting an uphill battle. He had some good ideas like Gamepass and aquiring studios, and they helped keep it going this long, but it was all just never quite enough.
Given the poor sales of the Xbox One gen, and dropping further with the Series it was always clear that oversight would arrive and you could tell when it did as Phil suddenly became a toothless tiger with much less visible interest.
Ultimately however I can't see the new heads doing a better job, and think it will only go from bad to worse. It not a great time for Xbox at all sadly.
Re: Sony's Bluepoint Games Might Be Gone, But We'll Never Forget Their 'Impossible Port' For Xbox 360
@themightyant cheers for the confirmation, I knew they had said it recently but was not aware it completely predated the acquisition also.
Re: Sony's Bluepoint Games Might Be Gone, But We'll Never Forget Their 'Impossible Port' For Xbox 360
@Coletrain I think they did acquire then for that very reason, but I wonder if after being acquired both parties wanted something different for their future. Sony wanted them to keep making remakes, Bluepoint wanted to do their own original content.
Don't get me wrong I am not defending Sony as the talent at Bluepoint was great. Demon Souls was an incredible remake, as were all their previous games. Bloodborne also would have been a money spinner for Sony if Bluepoint made it. However I do think there is just something more to this that is not being shown currently, or likely ever will be.
Re: Sony's Bluepoint Games Might Be Gone, But We'll Never Forget Their 'Impossible Port' For Xbox 360
@Coletrain By all accounts that seems to be a major part of all this. Sony don't really tell studios what to make, but instead studios pitch what they want to make. Of course that comes with the caveat of if it goes wrong....
If the studio who were experts in remakes decide internally that they had no interest in remakes any more then its not as simple as saying "they should have given them Bloodborne". For all we know they simply might not have had the chops to make original content and this is the unfortunate end result.
Its sad to see them go and is a huge loss, but I don't think its as simple as angry fans are making it out to be. The only small glimmer of positive is that hopefully some of the staff will be moved to other studios for projects like the GOW remake, where their skills can shine.
Re: ROG Xbox Ally X Gets Its First Price Increase, Limited To One Region For Now
@Gemini53 The bubble has to burst eventually. Its not that AI will suddenly go away, but at present every man and his dog are jumping in on it hoping they will be the first to solve it and make all the money. Meanwhile the amounts of money that are being thrown at it are staggeringly stupid, and thats what can't continue. At some points companies will have to bow out and realise they are never making a return, the worry is if something goes wrong the.
As for the downfall of society, its just the latest robotic production line and in another decade there will be another. Any form of tech has an effect on employment and in turn creates more jobs doing something else. Im not meaning to sound heartless here, its just something that has been said about every techological advance in history.
Re: Silent Hill: Townfall Not Coming To Xbox At Launch, Along With A Few Other State Of Play Titles
@OldGamer999 Its not a waste of money as they have to keep hammering that nail against the competition. MS have the funds to buy anything they want, and regulators would not stop them. This was shown when MS bought up some pretty big companies and suddenly made games exclusive. That gamble failed for them but its why Sony still has to be proactive about it.
Its just business and you don't stop targetting your competition because if they can steal more of the 35m series players than thats a win.
Re: Silent Hill: Townfall Not Coming To Xbox At Launch, Along With A Few Other State Of Play Titles
@Fiendish-Beaver SH Townfall looked fantastic. I always wonder if it is as simple as the novelty of it looking very british, and like places I have visited. The painted pebble dash render, sea front and small alley ways just drew me in to the style they were going for instantly.
Really happy they are exploring the SH franchise by branching out to other areas
Re: Sony Is Hosting A Huge State Of Play This Week, Do You Think We'll Get Any Big Xbox Reveals?
@eduscxbox Its very unlikely that they will release for Xbox if the PCbox plans are true. They would just stick to PS / PC release the games on steam and Xbox players would be able to access then that way. There would be very little point making the effort for a specific port if the game could just be accessed another way.
Re: Microsoft Apparently 'Expects' The Xbox Series Era To Last, Despite Next-Gen Plans
@Fiendish-Beaver I think the issue with the series consoles is that they would also need to source ram for them at a higher cost. I seem to recall there was a report recently which said Sony had memory stockpiled for consoles, whilst MS did not.
It puts them in an awkward place of increasing prices on 5yr old hardware, keeping current gen with no new production runs or launch a new expensive machine early. They don't really have any good options open to them.
Re: Report: Xbox Working With OEMs To Build Next-Gen Options For 'A Range Of Price Points'
I can't help but think that various badged levels of machine will end up causing more damage to the brand identity. We already saw that there was confusion with the SS / SX with casual purchasers. Any one who comments here would clearly know, but it needs to be remembered that we are the minority when it comes to understanding the specs.
Having multiple price point sku's means you end up with a scenario of "your performance may vary" where a game will not be getting the same results. Im playing this game on my Xbox its great I get 60fps... nah it sucks im getting 40 fps and weird graphics issues.
Personally I think they would be better just having the single machine spec that is targetted, regardless of the price. Just pick a target and go for it rather than this scatter shot approach trying to cover all bases.
Re: Report: Microsoft Is In The Early Stages Of 'Expanding' Xbox Game Pass
I foresee yet another increase as they will put all the good stuff in ultimate, and just keep hiking that one up to cover the day one stuff plus what ever else is added. WoW would be a simple sub for them to add with more cost as it's in their control.
I think PC Game pass will just be phased out and everything will become the normal one also.
They need to do something popular, I just doubt they will.
Re: 'We've Been Talking To Microsoft' - Epic Games Wants Its Store On The Next Xbox Console
@Fiendish-Beaver I too have a good PC upstairs but have found myself playing on the console more and more because I like the ease of just pressing a button and im in the game. The other big shift was I bough a LG C3 with a soundbar about 18m ago and that really helps to elevate gaming beyond my 1440 monitor. I tested both with Resident Evil 2 and my PC which is more powerful looked worse than PS. I could of course get a bigger better monitor but its harder to justify that when compared to a TV.
I still use the PC for heavy RPG's, shooters but find its getting fired up less and less for gaming.
Re: 'We've Been Talking To Microsoft' - Epic Games Wants Its Store On The Next Xbox Console
@Fiendish-Beaver Sorry there might have been some confusion, as I am mostly in agreement, what I was meaning is that people with only a console background who are more casual gamers would likely still use the Xbox store due to limited knowledge / convienience. How I think there is a real concern abou those users being turned off by sticker shock mixed with marketting they won't really get. I think that will have the effect of pushing these people away.
Where as the more knowledgable crowd will flock to steam, Epic, GoG if those platforms are made available, with Steam being the major one. @themightyant did make a very good point however that MS could try and make if difficult to use those stores. However I still think there is a real issue that those more invested in that market would just build themselves a Micro or Mini ATX system if they really wanted a small living room device.
Ultimately I can see the next box being like surface devices. Well designed bits of kit but with very limited sales in the wide scheme of things. Meanwhile MS will continue to be a hugely succesful publisher with the Xbox Game studios brand.
Re: 'We've Been Talking To Microsoft' - Epic Games Wants Its Store On The Next Xbox Console
@BacklogBrad The reality is that the vast majority of people will only use the xbox store and never even install epic/steam/gog.
I think that entirely depends on the type of user who buys the device. I imagine consumers who previously played on a console only would be more likely to use the Xbox store. If PC players where to pick up the device then I think they would be far more inclined to use existing stores as they would already be aware of them.
That said I still can't see it having a major impact as the device is trying to appeal to two different camps which I suspect will be too PC for console fans, and too console for PC fans.
Re: Obsidian Says Two Of Its 2025 Titles Didn't Meet Sales Targets, Vows To Learn For The Future
GP and sales will never go hand in hand, which is why we are seeing games come to PS on day 1, or as close to that as possible. If you release games on a service where you can play them for a fraction of the ticket price then it will hurt sales. I suspect its also the reason behind the gamepass restructure and price increase, of which I suspect another won't be far off.
Re: Nioh 3 Could Mark The Series' Xbox Debut As Sony Confirms 6-Month PS5 Exclusivity
@Fiendish-Beaver If you are a fan of souls like games then you need to play them as they are probably the second best series out there. The combat is miles ahead of anything Fromsoft and is also easily the best combat from KT have in any of their games. What I like is that each game also adds enough to refresh the system.
Not sure if you played Wo Long but that was a good game and Nioh is much much better. Its just so good.
Re: Nioh 3 Could Mark The Series' Xbox Debut As Sony Confirms 6-Month PS5 Exclusivity
@rhyno_888 Exactly they always list any exclusivity deals on the advert and when it is currently set to end. None of this stops the deal being extended or means its a 100% port once the deal ends.
Re: Nioh 3 Could Mark The Series' Xbox Debut As Sony Confirms 6-Month PS5 Exclusivity
@fatpunkslim The IP has been multiplatform since 2017 when it released on PC, the same year the original game released on console.
Re: Narrative Adventure 'Indika' Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (February 2)
@Weebleman I spent the entire time during my playthrough going WTF is happening? Its proper weird and then just ends.
I agree its something everyone should try tho just to see if it clicks.
Re: Nioh 3 Could Mark The Series' Xbox Debut As Sony Confirms 6-Month PS5 Exclusivity
@Fiendish-Beaver They have a link, but its honestly not critical to enjoying the games at all. They did release a PS5 collection for the originals so I imagine they could port them easily enough if they wanted to.
The question would obviously be is it worth it as the original games have been available for a while (2017/2020) and are on PC, which could limit sales a bit for the older titles if people played them elsewhere.
Re: Capcom Is Delivering Another Early-Year Xbox Treat This Month With The Latest Resident Evil
@Fiendish-Beaver Did you delete the profile on your PS5 before you tried moving it over? I did mine on Saturday morning with zero issues, but I used the transfer method where you have both consoles on and it just copies everything from one to the other, and makes the PRO your main console account.
Re: Talking Point: Will The Next Xbox Console Be Revealed In 2026?
@Fiendish-Beaver I did end up treating myself and ordered one with a drive. Used the Very Pay new customer trick along with top cashback brought the price down to about £560 all in, and I can trade my original ps5 in for another £200 so it was a decent saving all round.
Re: Talking Point: Will The Next Xbox Console Be Revealed In 2026?
@Fiendish-Beaver I have been thinking about replacing my base PS5 with the Pro because I highly suspect we are not going to see either side release anything for a while due to the ram issues. I also feel I deserve a treat after Dry January 😂
Re: Talking Point: Will The Next Xbox Console Be Revealed In 2026?
@Fiendish-Beaver Thats some crazy money right there.
To your other point regarding the PCBox, I think another success point hinges on how MS handles the console mode part of Windows 11 and if its also made available to all PC users. If they make it a windows feature so you can apply Xbox console mode on any PC then I think it would take away some sales from people willing to build their own more powerful rig, for a better price.
There are just so many what ifs? that will heavily affect everything and at present there is no real info outside of wishful thinking and sales talk.
Re: Talking Point: Will The Next Xbox Console Be Revealed In 2026?
@Fiendish-Beaver I have to ask do you keep a spreadsheet of all your gaming purchases
Its impressive that you track how much you spend on all this stuff.
Re: MLB The Show 26 Releases This March, No Sign Of Xbox Game Pass
@Tasuki Your comment is utter nonsense, its just console warring guff. They will have done the workings at high level and simply decided that the sales will outweight the lump sum offer from MS. Its the exact same decision every single publisher has to make in the same situation. For some the sales will win out, for others the GP offer.. its that simple.
Re: Fable Could Finally Be Xbox's Big 'Game Of The Year' Contender, But There's One Problem
@OldGamer999 I saw a great example a few years back that showed how much difference polgon counts made of character models. The leap from PS1 > PS2 > PS3 era was huge and really noticeable as the original polygon counts where so low that just doubling them made such a difference. Since the PS3 era the visuals are clearly still improving but the difference is much less despite talking more time to achieve.
Re: Fable Could Finally Be Xbox's Big 'Game Of The Year' Contender, But There's One Problem
@OldGamer999 Its nothing to do with working from home, or reduced hours as most studies have shown that people fit the exact same amount of work in the reduced hours. Its just a scapegoat to make out that the younger generation is somehow lazier than the older generation.
The reason games take longer is just that dev cycles have increased in line with technical improvements in gaming. Go back to the days of the C64 and games where made by max 5 people in 3-12m depending on complexity. It was nothing to do with working harder, its just games take much much longer to make now.
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade 2026's Xbox Developer Direct?
C for me. Fable was the only game of any interest and they didn't really show very much of it and what they did show looked a bit off. I'm willing to keep an open mind but they need to show more to get me properly interested in it
Re: These 10 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass, Multiple Major Additions (January 21 - February 3)
@FraserG Ahh that makes more sense, I did have a glance but missed that.
Re: These 10 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass, Multiple Major Additions (January 21 - February 3)
FF2 is a bit of a weird one as you think they would pay for the entire set of Pixel Remasters rather than choose the least popular and wierdest entry in the series.
Re: Poll: In Order, Which Games Are You Most Excited For At The Xbox Developer Direct?
Fable is the only one I have any interest in, but It will take a lot to reel me in as the originals were maybe 6/10 games for me personaly that promised loads but never really delivered outside of gimmicks.
Re: Xbox Console Sales 'The Worst On Record' In 2025 As Microsoft Shifts Focus (UK)
@Toot1st I suspect you are in the minority there as the majority of gamers are not ready for, or simply do not want streaming only. Innovation is great but only if you take the consumer along on the journey with you. As long as there remains a demand for a plastic box then which ever companies offer one will continue to see results.
Re: Marvel's Blade Director Shares Brief End Of 2025 Update On The Game's Progress
@dskatter the film it's never coming is my bet and I'm not convinced by this either. Blade is just not that popular compared to other Marvel characters. It doesn't help that to do a good Blade project you also need to target adults and not kids as no one wants Blade: The Twilight Saga
Re: Talking Point: Will Any Of Xbox's 2026 Releases Become GOTY Contenders Next Year?
I don't think they will because of GTA, that's probably the safe bet for 2026
Re: Xbox's Blizzard Team Is Preparing For Its 'Biggest Year Yet' In 2026
@Fiendish-Beaver The game they really need to get on Gamepass is Warcraft 3 Reforged. The remaster did get some stick compared to the original but the game is still a brilliant story driven strategy that more people need to experience. They have also done Warcraft 1 and 2 remastered but 3 was the real goat.
Re: 2025 GOTY Contender 'Dispatch' Just Got Revealed For Switch, But What About Xbox?
@Fiendish-Beaver @themightyant Another thing I feel steam does well on reviews, is recent reviews, and allowing you to see how popular a game is at various points in time on a graph. Its a great way to gauge how changes made to the game in patches can effect it over time. Its also a good way to see consumer sentiment when companies have made questionable decisions against community wishes.
Re: Xbox's Blizzard Team Is Preparing For Its 'Biggest Year Yet' In 2026
@Fiendish-Beaver I can't see WoW standard making its way to console at any point in near future. It would need so much work to make it happen when they are already incredibly busy as a team working on expansions 4-6 years in advance. They are also just about to launch part 2 of a trilogy of expansions so I think the soonest they will jump to console woud be 4 years when they start a new story. Ofc at that point if the PCbox is a reality then whats the point.
As for adding it to GP I just can't see it happening without another price rise or it being a GP bolt on. They already get £8.99 a month from people so I can't see them giving that income up.
I bet the Blizz news will just be the launch of Midnight in March and the D4 expansion looking like it will add a decent amount more to endgame as they will want to keep on POE2's toes.
Re: Rumour: Starfield Set For Eventful Year In 2026, Including Multiple New Releases
@Fiendish-Beaver I also though this and I think it would have been had Shattered Space had been better received. The Expansion falling a bit flat probably led to them waiting for something that could be launched with around more positive press.
Re: Three Elder Scrolls 6 Developers Share How The Game Is Progressing At Bethesda
I hope I am wrong and the game is great, but I am not convinced Betheda know how to make a good game anymore. They get distracted with nonsense engine physics that does not transfer into good gameplay. I don't care how many sandwiches can fill a room and spill out of a doorway, I want gameplay and story not a tech demo.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Hope To See From 'Control Resonant' On Xbox?
I enjoyed the game but it was in the category of good not great for me. I enjoyed the setting and the general weirdness but found the gunplay got a bit tedious so played it on a lower setting for the story.
It could be definately be improved upon in certain areas.
@themightyant Did you find you had to really dial down the stick sensitivity on the PS5 version. That was the main thing I took issue with from a technical standpoint. It set to so damn sensitive that it really highlights any stickdrift to a ridiculous degree, on the plus side it doubles as a great testing tool.