Comments 389

Re: Former Xbox Exec Defends Phil Spencer's Recent Decisions As Head Of Xbox

ilyn

@cragis0001 its not the franchises I am trying to put down, I agree the cinematic playstation games would review as well on Xbox as they did on PS despite people calling them "Sad Dads" or "Walking Simulators". What I was questioning is how many would buy them new when Xbox consoles are selling at half the volume of the PS5.

If we take your numbers and half them is it really worth the extra work making a game run on 2 sku's of the series brand for 0.5 - 1.5 million extra sales. Where as the flip side makes more sense, if it was viable to make a game for 28 million consoles then porting it to the bigger market will more than likely turn a profit.

Re: Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Comments On Indiana Jones PS5, And Microsoft's Plan Moving Forward

ilyn

@Banjo- The alternative to a console is not a gaming PC, thats just nonsense. Consoles have always offered a reasonably high level of entry at a acceptable price where as PC's offer superior settings but you can be damn sure you will pay for it. Some people they will move to a PC but the chances are more likely that they would have been spending that money previously on multiple consoles.

SS users (the majority of Xbox's sold) are not going to swap from a £250 console to a £1500 PC as the natural next step.

Re: Rumour: Xbox To Announce 'Big' Game For PS5 Next Week

ilyn

@OldGamer999 100% agree that MS need the console to keep GP going. People alway make the point that GPU is also available on PC but ignore that the takeup by the PC base is negligable when you consider the size of the PC market. If its not working now then its not suddenly going to rocket when other stores are better.

Re: Black Myth: Wukong Final Trailer Shows Us What We're Missing On Xbox This Month

ilyn

@Steel76 Game science did announce that the game needed futher optimisation for the series consoles, but did not explicitly say that it was on the S only. Given that the situation with the SS has cropped up a few times however, it would not be surprising if it was the issue.

As usual however some people are refusing to believe Game Science and assuming that they are just covering for Sony throwing money around, which is embarrassing and laughable.

Re: Xbox Shares Updated Release Schedule For Major Upcoming Games

ilyn

@GamingFan4Lyf Nice, basically the same as me but you have the newer model of processor. It should play everything for a good couple of years since the 4080 / 4090 are overkill for 1440p

Yeah mine is desk based in my room, at the old house had a second lounge with a sofa and a TV which the desk was right next to so I could throw the input there if needed. But I find the desk is fine for most things, and honestly better for some.

Now you gotta get yourself the expensive peripherals that PC gamers love so much 😅

@Mustoe If only PC would allow you to use a controller.. maybe one day we can all be living that dream

Re: Samsung Now Selling 'Select' TVs Bundled With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

ilyn

@armondo36 As I explained you are trapped because if consoles are gone then you are not going to have every publisher making games choose 1 single streaming platform. Its wishful thinking to imagine them all banding together to offer you all the games for the low price of 1 subscription. It will go exactly the same way as TV with a service for each publisher all charging £20+ a month.

And if you think companies will will make it easy to swap between them for a month at a time flipping back and forth based on new releases then you are very naive. People are for the most part lazy, and companies make it frustrating to unsub because they don't want you to leave. Mix that in with the fact that companies would hide everything behind premium tiers and you would find it a bleak future where you are paying way over the odds for a worse service.

Also you have to factor in paying more for the premium fibre to run all this well, because in the UK that would be costly. Sure you would be able to access everything from your TV, but the costs would spiral rapidly.

Re: Samsung Now Selling 'Select' TVs Bundled With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

ilyn

@armondo36 ahh yes exactly like how when Netflix originally came out and all companies banded together in this utopia where we were no longer trapped, and had access to every film, every series all for the low price of one single subscription. /s

Instead of being trapped on 1 plastic box you will be trapped on a subscription service where you only have access to a handful of games whilst 5 other subscription services offer the same at an ever increasing value whilst the value offered decreases. Its already happening, it won't get better. its only going to get worse.

Re: Talking Point: Do You Think This Generation Will Be A Short One?

ilyn

@Fiendish-Beaver It is looking more like they could drop the next Xbox in 2026, but I wonder if they will class it as a next generation or just something like the Series NeXt so its kinda new, but also still not.

Where as I think with the Pro sony could keep the Generation going a touch longer and still be running the 5 for a good while. Then the 6 will blow the Xbox out of the water given that I bet the neXt will not be much different to the Pro.

Re: Xbox Series X|S Console Sales Down A Third In Europe With 'Weaker Software Lineup' In 2024

ilyn

@Pabpictu I have a gaming PC, its a 4070 setup so I know exactly what they are like and still say they are far more complex than a console. Even if you ignore the OS differences adding complexity you still have to address Drivers. Depending on your card make you do need to get drivers and keep them up to date because windows will occassionally "helpfully" install drivers without the GPU program that has the setting. Or windows helpfully resetting audio settings after major patches.

Then you have peripherals which most people will have on a gaming rig. Logitech mouse, you need to set up G Hub. Corsair Keyboard and Headset, Also set up iCue. Razor gamepad, get that razor app loaded also. If you want any RGB control then again thats through extra apps.

Anyone commenting on a site like this is by default an enthusiast and probably would have no issue with that stuff. But the point is that the majority of people are not enthusiasts and by that standard PC's are nowhere near as simple as consoles, and likely never will be if you want to keep the benefits of it still running like a PC.

Re: Xbox Series X|S Console Sales Down A Third In Europe With 'Weaker Software Lineup' In 2024

ilyn

@Pabpictu Having a console is nothing like owning a PC with installations / updates. Sure games updates but everything is done seemlesly in the background and automated for the most part on a console.

You don't have to deal with driver errors, windows errors, 3rd party installations to manage mods and everything else that PC's have as an increased level of complexity.

I have always been a PC gamer and a console gamer and both have their benefits, but the notion that a PC is as simple as a console is not even remotely true.

Re: 'Tipster' Suggests Xbox Will Stop Marketing Consoles In Certain Markets

ilyn

@Fiendish-Beaver Some people will go to great lengths to deny persistent rumours, even when those spouting the rumours have proven track records...

You are forgetting that magical qualifier of them only having a good track record when the rumour is good news. When its bad news they apparently know nothing 🤣

Re: 'Tipster' Suggests Xbox Will Stop Marketing Consoles In Certain Markets

ilyn

@OldGamer999 Their terrible presence in the UK is made worse by the push to digital also. MS are not advertising the console and then when you go in stores they don't bother stocking many games as MS is training people to buy digitally. Even in second hand stores like CEX their presence is utterly diminished. Which matters because even in the world of internet shopping, retail shelf space is stil powerful advertising.

Its all well and good people claiming that MS know where the money is and are chasing GP. But this week they have admitted that GP is not doing as well as they want and the best way to grow GP would be to grow the console install base, which won't happen when your average non gamer is losing awareness of the brand.

Re: Talking Point: Xbox Fans, How Do You Feel About The Future Of The Brand In 2024?

ilyn

Publisher wise they should be fine, the only concern is how they have handled some studios recently with closures and how much of that is influenced from the higher up corpos. Its will be intersting to see how Ninja Theory are handled following Hellblade 2 not exactly setting the world ablaze given how others were treated.

Hardware wise I think it would take something amazing for them to ever offer meaningful competition. On paper people may like to say they have the bet console, but when sales are lowest the perception of the consumer says the opposite.

Game pass I think will probably get worse overtime or just become a primarily microsoft game studios product. Similar to how all sub platforms seem to decline over time.

They should be fine but I think the real focus will shift over all to being a publisher, and gamepass as a publishers own platform with some guest spots.

Re: Microsoft Makes Statement On The Xbox Delay For Black Myth: Wukong

ilyn

@kelomaniack The RAM is actually a very large issue, its what caused BG3 issues and with Alan Wake 2, Remedy cited that the Series S has a GPU and RAM issue which does affect them more than it would on PC where its easier to work around memory.

Imo this has nothing to do with money hatting, or being a timed exclusive. It just sounds very much like a deflaction to get fanboys on the defensive whilst defending the brand. The statement says nothing more than we don't want to comment on the rumours you have heard. Where as Game Science have made a definitive statement saying they need more time to optimise the game. So I would take Game Science at their word over rumours

Re: Microsoft Makes Statement On The Xbox Delay For Black Myth: Wukong

ilyn

@Moby I would disagree and say the S is entirely Microsofts fault. Even if there is nothing at all wrong with the S and dev's simply can't be bothered optimising for it, then its still very much a microsoft problem for insisting on parity and creating that situation in the first place.

Its similar to how the PS3 architecture was very much a Sony problem despite Dev's could adapt to it. But they didn't all adapt, or took their time and that was squarely on Sony as this is on Microsoft.

Re: Talking Point: How Are You Feeling About Fable After The Xbox Games Showcase?

ilyn

The character is a non issue imo and choice or not I really don't see why it matters as both options have benefits. Full character creation is cool as you get to make something fun, and usually i will just pick which gender i feel suits the charcter / setting better. If the character is set then I find that often leads into better more in depth back story. You can go the Cyberpunk route and have a generic character with choice but it was an illusion as it had no real impact and meant you had very little back story to V.

For Fable I will probably give it a go but am curious to see if its improved as I found the original trilogy lacking due to being very short. Plus I felt they got worse as the series went on, but that was entirely because I prefer sword and sorcery and when they moved time on it felt like the game lost its magic.

Re: Poll: How Would You Grade The Xbox Games Showcase 2024?

ilyn

C Grade for myself.
Not much caught my eye and those that and as above some games actually put me off with trailers that did nothing for me. Also in a few cases there was an over reliance on cinematic trailers which tell you nothing, just show us game play instead.

Atomfall, Wuchang and Expedition 33 where the standouts for myself.

I will also take a look at Indy but am still not convinced with it being 1st person. If you are going to play as an iconic character then I want to see him and not just some fists on screen.

Re: Reaction: Xbox's Push Towards 'Microsoft Gaming' Looks More Drastic Than We First Thought

ilyn

@GamingFan4Lyf I am pretty sure you can get it to run steam automatically in big picture mode, or just go the route of a steam machine with Steam OS.

That said I am not sure that the idea of a PC in the lounge is really the future we all want given that PC gaming has just as many, if not more issue than console gaming. I just did a reply of Dead Space 1 and 2 on PC as they both still hold up imo when played at 1440, but the first game was terribly janky to get working on my PC to the point of being so frustrating that I nearly just gave up playing it (the issue was as simple as it would not load with a controller plugged in)

For me they beauty of a console is knowing you don't get the PC issues which end up requiring fan fixes, mods and workarounds as OS's change and games are not as backwards compatible as you would expect. Consoles work best when Its just a straight forward turn on and play whilst sat on the couch.

The beauty of the PC is that its a windows machine that allows me to game, email, shop and work at a desk with mouse and keyboard, which feels better for certain genres like MMO's Strategy and FPS.

The other thing I would question is even if Xbox went the route of PC in the lounge how it would get access to the games. If it allows third party stores like steam then why pay for the Xbox bagde. If they went the route of the Xbox gaming app (which is terrible on PC) then companies could potentially just not licence games on that app to continue the exclusivity trend.

Re: World Of Warcraft For Xbox Is Still Discussed Internally At Blizzard

ilyn

@NEStalgia I main a warrior and its probably one of the easiest classes, but even that is 12 buttons in your normal rotation. Then may another 5 situational abilities, plus binds for healing, trinkets etc. Its technically doable on a controllor but would be a pita.

Bringing it to more platforms would be good but I just don't see it working out long term unless they drastically changed the game for console only.

Re: World Of Warcraft For Xbox Is Still Discussed Internally At Blizzard

ilyn

@NEStalgia In terms of raw numbers its still the reigning champion by a considerable margin and in recent years they have expanded the franchise quite a lot with the release of Classic WoW. Then they started adding seasonal content for OG Vanilla WoW like Season of Mastery and Season of Discovery which has proven popular, along with Classic Hardcore which again had a good following. They had a few down years with Battle for Azeroth and Shadowlands but the most recent expansion Dragonflight has been pretty much entirely positive and then they brought Metzen back and announced a trilogy of expansions which are being well received.

As a long time player (about 18 years) the main issue they have with transferring to console is the pace at which wow is played is just not suitable for a controller. The standard GCD is 1.5s for your abilities with haste dropping it lower and most classes have multiple abilites they are always using so trying to get that on a pad would be horrible. Then when you add in the vast reliance on macros and addons to tweak the UI I think you would get a pretty poor experience. If they had to release something I think the most realistic content would be the original vanilla content as it was much more simplistic overall.

To me it would be like playing POE on consoles, it would kind of work but be vastly inferior to a mouse / keyboard setup.