outswimmingtheflood

@Questionable_Duck agreed but this feels like a weak value proposition. I wonder the number in millions of customers who (like us) have a big enough Xbox library to care enough to maintain it on Xbox hardware going forwards? That number is definitely not growing with how hardware has sold since the end of the 360.

I know I care because I have a library going back to 2005 but the reality is that many of them could be purchased fairly cheaply again if I wanted to go all in on Steam, or I could just keep my Xbox Series for my 'legacy' Xbox collection and maintain a newer library on a Steam machine.

Idk man, I'm super concerned and feel like Xbox have made themselves less relevant at the worst possible time.

It's nice that he's happy for them but I'd be superbly concerned if he's not concerned.

Xbox have essentially ceded the console market and appear to be banking quite heavily on the 'hybrid' ecosystem. Within it's closed walls, it works really well - I'm fully bought into the vision and will only buy Xbox Play Anywhere titles these days because of how seamless it works across my Xbox's and Rog Ally.

Problem is, Play Anywhere is really anemic - most games don't support it.

On the other hand, Steam have just announced a console where 'all' games are technically play anywhere with cloud saves. A single Steam purchase could will across a gaming PC, the Steam Deck and now this Steam console.

Steam have essentially beat Xbox to a vision they haven't even fully realized.

Am I just dooming with my analysis? Does anyone see it differently?

The only way this will excite me if it introduces Xbox Play Anywhere. I've currently got an Xbox save which obviously just won't talk to/recognize the PC version. Here's hoping.

I have both a Elite 1 & Elite 2 controller but definitely would not purchase an Elite 3.

I think it'd be foolish to invest further into what is essentially a dead platform.

Interesting. Huge HP fan growing up but never got around to playing it at launch. Actually already own it on PS5 but will definitely pick it up now on Xbox - Play Anywhere is an incredible feature.

It's interesting to see the game being made Play Anywhere retrospectively, unsure this has ever happened before?

Play Anywhere is a huge feature but I'm just about to complete on PS5.

If Part 2 releases and is also Play Anywhere, I'll definitely buy on Xbox. It's an amazing feature which means I can also play on my Rog Ally.

Confused by the title. Would the game have a different review score now that it's on GP?

They've probably laid off the team.

1. Pentiment.
2. Citizen Sleeper

@Kaloudz It's funny you mention that, because I tried to stream Watch Dogs Legion on my Xbox last night and encountered queueing for the first time. It said the estimated wait was 35-40 minutes.

I've both a Series X/S and was an earlier adopter of cloud. When the initial excitement wore off, it was hard to the usual limitations e.g. buffering etc.

I've recently started using it again to play Fallout 4 during my lunch break and it's definitely improved. It feels quite usable, and it probably helps that FO4 is slower-paced. I definitely wouldn't default to Cloud for a full gaming session, but for a quick play, the convenience is incredible.

I started Gotham Knights recently so was sad to see it leaving GP. I was even more sad to see it being sold for £55 - even with the GP20% discount accounted for. The game sells for about £10 on every other platform.

Decided to buy it for £15 on CdKeys which felt good value because it's a Play Anywhere title, meaning I can play it on my Series X/S & Rog Ally.

Had a session with it yesterday and realised it's so repetitive and bland, felt like a waste of my time (compared to Zelda BOTW which I'm playing for the first time).

That's £15 down the drain lol.

@andrewsqual complete agree. it's really annoying. from the headline, you'd think the game was a Game Pass exclusive. or at least launched on Game Pass day 1?

@Titntin I understand your point but honestly my Rog Ally has completely replaced both my Series X/S as the primary way I play Xbox.

I only use the Xbox App/PC Game Pass so it definitely feels like an Xbox!

Happy to oblige, I've recommended it to a few of my friends.

I'm currently playing an hour so per night on my Rog Ally and it's the perfect game after a stressful the day. The vibe is cosy, dungeons are really fun, especially with the puzzle elements and the mechanics are solid.

It's really surprised me.

Quite excited. I've never watched an Indy movie so planning to watch them all before the game releases.

Got this. It's the first time I've received an offer like this so happy to oblige.

Finally! Why has this taken them so long? If they want cloud to grow, they need these apps available on the most popular streaming devices.

Up until now, xCloud has awkwardly only been available on a particular subset of Samsung TV's.

I've been waiting for this!

I enjoy playing career mode on my Rog Ally, and because it's not an Xbox Play Anywhere or cross-save game, I've resorted to console streaming, which has surprisingly been quite performant.

This joining cloud means I can stream directly to my Rog Ally, rather than stream through my console.

I was hyped last year seeing Richard Ayaode in the trailer and now even more hyped hearing Super Hans.

Gameplay looked good too. I think they'll nail the British humour that Fable is known for and I can't bloody wait.

Still playing Persona 5, want to play Persona 3 and never got round to playing Soul Hackers. Happy to pick it up for £15.

These games feel like too much of a time-sink to complete whilst on a subscription service.

@ValkyriaProfile next on the list!

Yes, it was a slow start but it's really sunk it's teeth into me recently. I'm basically ignoring the story quests and getting into weapon mods/crafting - it's quite impressive, almost a game within a game.

I've not really played any Bethesda game previously so I'm almost in disbelief how a game this good exists and is panned by critics. It does so much so well.

Graphics are the least of Forza Motorsports issues. It's just so 'soulless' compared to GT7 in presentation - it's the small details in the UI and the flow from one race to another. Racing games are more than technical showcases and GT7 has an appreciation for car culture which FM just doesn't have - really disappointed in it.

Technically, it's concerning that a game 'next-gen only' is less impressive than a cross-gen release.

I wasn't aware that having loading screen means a game isn't open world. Does that mean Starfield isn't an open world game? The irony.

I actually listened to this podcast and not sure how clear this was, Richard did step in and almost 'corrected' what John said here.

It doesn't make sense. If the Series S was the base console, they would be severely underpowered against the PS5?

Surprised an article has been made out of this.

I do wonder where Microsoft/Xbox go from here. Personally, I'd rather them spend just a few billion on getting their own studios in order and then money-hatting exclusives - Sony style.

The ActiBlizz acquisition seems quite pivotal to the future roadmap of Microsoft gaming and I wonder if the deal is blocked - do they still see it as viable? I feel a bit concerned for the future of Xbox.

Lmao what a guy. All this stuff going on in Brussels and he still finds the time to game.

Octopath Traveller is a big one...just never found the time to play it - and may never considering the sequel is missing the platform.

Could find myself in a situation where I'm playing the first game on Xbox and the sequel on PS5.

It's really low priority on the backlog but a must-play so may use the GP discount to buy it.

So you're announcing that a game showcase will announce release dates...lmao.

'Xbox Zombie MMO'? Is this first party? If so, which studio? Wasn't aware they had another studio working on a zombie game beyond Undead Labs/SoD3?

Typical! Just bought Eastward on Switch for £20. Could return it... or just play it handheld on the Switch. Decisions.

I was interested in the updated Duke controller but could never justify the price against the limited memories I have actually using one when I was kid.

The 360 controller is different, some of my best gaming memories in my teenage years (as I'm sure is true for many others). I'll definitely be ordering one of these, probably the white version for extra nostalgia points.

I think this sounds like a cool idea - especially with how crazy the cost-of-living effects are being felt (in the UK at least).

The only way this would work would be for it to function on a platform level (and therefore not require dev-input). I'm not an engineer so I have no idea how this could work but imagine if we could run a game on the Series X using the Series S 'profile' - this would be a good solution for those who want to use less power and presumably would not require extra work?

Just an idea I've thought of, but I think it's an interesting possibility.

Cool device. Way too expensive for what is essentially a streaming device.

I'm split on Cloud Gaming. I had a Steam Deck which I never used so swapped for a PS5 (which I probably use even less than the Deck).

I've got a Backbone which is pretty cool for cloud streaming but a sub £200/$200 device that is streaming only would appeal - I was hoping this would be it but not at that price.

@Darylb88 Series S has a 60fps mode? I split my playtime between Series X & Series S and as far as I'm aware, Series S is only 30fps?

No, I’m happy with the current dashboard.

@Richnj I'm not sure I agree with this. I've never played Halo online (I've been playing campaign since Halo 2) but I'm really enjoying Infinite's MP.

Sure it has it's problem but it's mainly really fun. I'm not sure Halo will ever be as relevant as it once was but as long I'm enjoying it, I don't really care about that.

Am I the only one that thinks they can't keep showing this game at every showcase? I think it's been there for like 3 years in a row...