An alternative reality is that over the next few years this whole AI bubble implodes on itself, all these AI startups collapse under the immense weight of their unrealistic valuations, and sellers end up over-stocked with RAM chips there's no longer an insane demand for anymore.
@Fiendish-Beaver in the past I've found dealing with the Xbox/Microsoft store to be an excellent experience, some of the rare times I've ever felt like an online storefront actually has real "human" support behind it.
This would be great if rewards registered for me on PC, but as it stands no Game Pass rewards work at all on that platform. Any game I play it's like I never did anything, even though on console it works fine. Apparently there are many people with this issue and there's no clear fix for it.
@FraserG I've bought both the Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 with disk drives to make sure I lock in access to the physical media up until this generation, and as far back as each platform supports backward compatibility. I'll have to see what options exist down the line to keep those systems running after they drop support.
We're really heading towards that future where we no longer have private ownership of our games (or other multimedia). Where it's all just licensed, and they know exactly who it's licensed to. Not to mention how easily they'll be able to (and even can now) block you from "your" content.
I personally noticed it when Valve updated their service agreement for Steam, and changed the terms of ownership to "licensed software".
Something tells me a lot of people who don't grow up in this corporate nightmare will be missing the good ol' days.
@ThatFilbo @Fiendish-Beaver not sure if you've seen the upcoming game NO LAW yet, it's a first-person RPG in a cyberpunk sci-fi setting, developed by Neon Giant, who were also responsible for The Ascent.
When I was looking into getting an expansion card I saw that the options above 1TB seemed unrealiable, lots of bad reviews and general issues with them. Not sure if anyone's experienced anything like that. I've had no issues with the Seagate 1TB, but I would have preferred more.
You can get Game Pass Ultimate from online stores for around half the price, I don't see the problem.
It's just over $15/month (£12) if you purchase 12 months upfront. It even works out to about $17/month (£13) if you just get it for 3 months. This is for the EU/UK market at least.
None of the PC related rewards have ever worked for me, doesn't register for playing a PC game or the weekly bonus on PC, and I'm on Game Pass Ultimate. Everything console related works fine.
Strangely it doesn't track how long I've played a game on PC either, just shows "N/A". Tried both the standard and Insider releases of the Xbox app, no difference. So I've always missed out on the PC reward points.
@FraserG would it be possible to update this list with a column that indicates if it's a Day 1 release or not?
Given that the latest price increase of Game Pass used the 70 Day 1 releases as a selling point it would seem useful to show that here in the list. Just a thought.
If they go the PC/Console hybrid route it could very likely replace my now 10-year old Asus Strix 1060 GTX, which still holds up surprisingly well to current AAA games, and even for VR gaming via an Oculus Quest 3.
Given a new gaming laptop would cost around $1500 minimum (and that's now, probably even more in a couple of years), anything below that would be a sound investment.
Personally I think the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X has a great price point, the only thing that held me back from getting one is that it won't really handle the demand of VR well, although I've seen some videos where it doesn't do a bad job at it.
I'm wondering if this even matters as a metric anymore, given how Microsoft reported that Xbox Game Pass reached nearly $5 billion in annual revenue over the previous year. That's not to say they probably didn't earn anything from console sales, but that's not where the money is for them, so I don't see why sales numbers in that segment would matter at all.
I mean, their "real" business is now in games publishing, the hardware is just a side hustle at this point. That's even how they're pitching the next-gen Xbox, as a "very premium, high-end" product. Maybe we can be forgiven for being trapped in the status quo of thinking of Xbox as a gaming console first, but I believe those days are gone.
When you start thinking primarily of Xbox as a games publisher (the biggest in the world at this point), who just so happen to sell a hardware option, the whole "who sold more boxes" argument starts to look a little insignificant.
I've been a Nintendo fanboy most of my life, but with the release of the Switch 2 this year I couldn't continue any more. Somehow Nintendo lost their way, and no longer feel like the magic, innovative, risk-taking company they were, and instead are just following the fastest path to revenue, regardless of what's best for their customers, their brands, or even the company for that matter. I can't blame a business for aiming to be profitable, but I started to feel like it was at my expense.
So, this year I wanted to switch to something which I felt put gamers first, focused on what's best for the broader gaming ecosystem, and offered superior hardware and services at reasonable prices. And that's how I ended up getting an Xbox Series X with Game Pass Ultimate, and I haven't looked back. It's honestly been one of the best gaming experiences I've had in a very long time. I genuinely feel like it offers the most player friendly environment available, and I'm actually excited to see how the future pans out for Xbox, with the new direction they're taking it.
Comments 15
Re: Valve Admits Its New Console Plans Have Been Affected By Component Crisis
An alternative reality is that over the next few years this whole AI bubble implodes on itself, all these AI startups collapse under the immense weight of their unrealistic valuations, and sellers end up over-stocked with RAM chips there's no longer an insane demand for anymore.
At least it's something we can dream about...
Re: MindsEye's 'Most Significant' Update Has Just Arrived On Xbox, Here Are The Patch Notes
@Fiendish-Beaver in the past I've found dealing with the Xbox/Microsoft store to be an excellent experience, some of the rare times I've ever felt like an online storefront actually has real "human" support behind it.
Re: Xbox Begins Testing New Monthly Quest For Microsoft Rewards Users
This would be great if rewards registered for me on PC, but as it stands no Game Pass rewards work at all on that platform. Any game I play it's like I never did anything, even though on console it works fine. Apparently there are many people with this issue and there's no clear fix for it.
Re: Microsoft CFO Admits Xbox Revenue Was 'Below Expectations' In FY26 Q2
Just a thought, but here's a list of things that could have impacted the FY26 Q2 report:
I'm still optimistic that the console/PC hybrid direction is good for Xbox, but this news should surprise no one at this point.
Re: Carmageddon: Rogue Shift Is Bringing Its 'Brutal Roguelite' To Xbox Next Week
@Markatron84 doesn't look like Mick Gordon worked on that. Amazon has the devs, 34BigThings, as the credited artist on the OST.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Carmageddon-Rogue-Shift-Original-Soundtrack/dp/B0FY5M7FZ5
Re: In The US, 66% Of Xbox Series X|S Sales Were Digital-Only In 2025
@FraserG I've bought both the Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 with disk drives to make sure I lock in access to the physical media up until this generation, and as far back as each platform supports backward compatibility. I'll have to see what options exist down the line to keep those systems running after they drop support.
We're really heading towards that future where we no longer have private ownership of our games (or other multimedia). Where it's all just licensed, and they know exactly who it's licensed to. Not to mention how easily they'll be able to (and even can now) block you from "your" content.
I personally noticed it when Valve updated their service agreement for Steam, and changed the terms of ownership to "licensed software".
Something tells me a lot of people who don't grow up in this corporate nightmare will be missing the good ol' days.
Re: Footage From Xbox's Cancelled ZeniMax Online Game Leaks, Looks Very Cyberpunk
@ThatFilbo @Fiendish-Beaver not sure if you've seen the upcoming game NO LAW yet, it's a first-person RPG in a cyberpunk sci-fi setting, developed by Neon Giant, who were also responsible for The Ascent.
Re: Talking Point: Xbox Series X|S Owners, How's Your Storage Looking In 2026?
When I was looking into getting an expansion card I saw that the options above 1TB seemed unrealiable, lots of bad reviews and general issues with them. Not sure if anyone's experienced anything like that. I've had no issues with the Seagate 1TB, but I would have preferred more.
Re: Talking Point: How Do You Feel About Xbox Game Pass In 2026?
You can get Game Pass Ultimate from online stores for around half the price, I don't see the problem.
It's just over $15/month (£12) if you purchase 12 months upfront. It even works out to about $17/month (£13) if you just get it for 3 months. This is for the EU/UK market at least.
Re: Microsoft Rewards & Xbox: How To Make 10,000 Points Per-Month (2026 Edition)
None of the PC related rewards have ever worked for me, doesn't register for playing a PC game or the weekly bonus on PC, and I'm on Game Pass Ultimate. Everything console related works fine.
Strangely it doesn't track how long I've played a game on PC either, just shows "N/A". Tried both the standard and Insider releases of the Xbox app, no difference. So I've always missed out on the PC reward points.
Re: StarCraft, Wolfenstein 3 & Fallout New Vegas Remake Could All Be In The Works Over At Xbox
I'm personally getting really tired of all the remasters and remakes at this point.
Re: Xbox Game Pass In 2026: The Full List Of Everything Announced So Far
@FraserG would it be possible to update this list with a column that indicates if it's a Day 1 release or not?
Given that the latest price increase of Game Pass used the 70 Day 1 releases as a selling point it would seem useful to show that here in the list. Just a thought.
Re: Talking Point: How Much Would You Be Willing To Spend On The Next Xbox Console?
If they go the PC/Console hybrid route it could very likely replace my now 10-year old Asus Strix 1060 GTX, which still holds up surprisingly well to current AAA games, and even for VR gaming via an Oculus Quest 3.
Given a new gaming laptop would cost around $1500 minimum (and that's now, probably even more in a couple of years), anything below that would be a sound investment.
Personally I think the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X has a great price point, the only thing that held me back from getting one is that it won't really handle the demand of VR well, although I've seen some videos where it doesn't do a bad job at it.
Re: Latest Sales Estimates Suggest Xbox Sold Over Two Million Series X|S Consoles In 2025
I'm wondering if this even matters as a metric anymore, given how Microsoft reported that Xbox Game Pass reached nearly $5 billion in annual revenue over the previous year. That's not to say they probably didn't earn anything from console sales, but that's not where the money is for them, so I don't see why sales numbers in that segment would matter at all.
I mean, their "real" business is now in games publishing, the hardware is just a side hustle at this point. That's even how they're pitching the next-gen Xbox, as a "very premium, high-end" product. Maybe we can be forgiven for being trapped in the status quo of thinking of Xbox as a gaming console first, but I believe those days are gone.
When you start thinking primarily of Xbox as a games publisher (the biggest in the world at this point), who just so happen to sell a hardware option, the whole "who sold more boxes" argument starts to look a little insignificant.
Re: Talking Point: How Much Time Have You Spent Gaming On Xbox Consoles This Year?
I've been a Nintendo fanboy most of my life, but with the release of the Switch 2 this year I couldn't continue any more. Somehow Nintendo lost their way, and no longer feel like the magic, innovative, risk-taking company they were, and instead are just following the fastest path to revenue, regardless of what's best for their customers, their brands, or even the company for that matter. I can't blame a business for aiming to be profitable, but I started to feel like it was at my expense.
So, this year I wanted to switch to something which I felt put gamers first, focused on what's best for the broader gaming ecosystem, and offered superior hardware and services at reasonable prices. And that's how I ended up getting an Xbox Series X with Game Pass Ultimate, and I haven't looked back. It's honestly been one of the best gaming experiences I've had in a very long time. I genuinely feel like it offers the most player friendly environment available, and I'm actually excited to see how the future pans out for Xbox, with the new direction they're taking it.
So yeah, it's been nearly all Xbox for me!