theduckofdeath

When I see $70 games now, I usually hesitate, save for favorite franchises (SF, MK, VF, Tekken) and special cases. Most times I wait for sales ($10-$35).

When I was a kid, games were over $70. My brother and I would scrape money together to buy games. We got into importing, too. Japanese games were $80-$120 (SFII worked out to $150).

If the System Shock remake is the same one that came to PC, it is highly regarded. I haven't had a chance to start it.

YouTubers and Game sites are scoffing at this and not stopping to think, as usual. Bond said the largest "technological" leap, not discernable graphical leap. What technological advances have ramped up in the last 5-10 years?

AI (NPUs doing into PCs as we speak). MS invested $10 billion into Open.AI, and billions more into their company and others.

AI supersampling effects.
Frame generation.
Ray-tracing.
Noise reduction for ray-tracing.
More TFLOPS and way more TOPS.
Even faster load times (a given)
A new controller (Will they ditch analog sticks after 27 years?)
A separate SKU for portable Xbox (possible PC-hybrid).

Bringing MILO back (LOL j/k...but they could do it for real this time)

@K1LLEGAL He has been gone at least prior to Gamescom last August. The Senua actress says so herself in an interview at Gamescom (and it did not appear to be news even then). She was working with a new director for the game, who you see in other "behind the scenes" footage. The media is using it for controversy clicks now that the game is near.

@armondo36 Twenty-six years at one company, dude.

The expected length depends on the game. If Dragon's Dogma 2 or LAD were 8 hours, that would be really weird and $70 would feel too high a price. Even $50 would feel too high a price.

@Tyrant_T103 It is just the reality of consoles. I've consistently built and upgraded PC for 30 years because as you can see, we are still waiting for consoles to hit and hold the 60-fps mark. Thirty FPS is simply inevitable on consoles.

In fact, PCs have blown so far passed it, 60-fps is a "something's wrong" warning. Console game libraries came to PC and PC still has their "exclusives" due to resource requirements and happenstance.

I plan to bounce between PC and Xbox when playing Hellblade 2, starting on Xbox to examine performance and use the larger display.

This was painfully obvious the focal frame rate in all the reveals. Just based on the graphics, console platform, games like Starfield, and reality...I don't know how anyone could be shocked.

@OldGamer999 @somnambulance Xbox has a good chance picking up significant momentum in 2024. Unfortunately, during the quiet 5 month wait for HB2, they have stymied themselves again and damaged confidence with the porting effort. I don't know who thought this was a good idea or how it truly came about, but the timing was horrendous. It reminds me of Ghostbusters when the jerk forces them the open the ecto-containment unit.

@somnambulance The fanbase is divided because of the porting program. Specifically, porting to PS — I get it. Xbox is a public company and under a massive company in MS. Spencer has to answer to Satya and shareholders.

The sales divide between PS and Xbox is too great (again) to avoid MS scrutiny. If both were at 40 million units then PS5 would be pushing harder to PC. Spencer would have more breathing room. Buying ABK shown a spotlight on Xbox inside MS. Execs will ask, "if we are making CoD for PS, why not make other games for PS?" Sell s/w on consoles MS/Xbox did not have to produce and combine to be more console than they could ever sell.

As far as devs voluntarily skipping Xbox, those are rumors, and goofy ones at that. Unless the dev is paid by Sony or so small they can't develop all versions simultaneously in a reasonable time period, it is senseless. A healthy developer would not target 67% of consoles over 100% of consoles unless paid to do so. Xbox is a platform holder and even they are second-guessing absolute exclusivity.

@Doomcrow That is not what he said. He said Starfield being 10/10 would not stop the momentum that was built by PS4 in the previous gen. Xbox needed to keep their momentum from 360, and Mattrick squandered it. The next best thing would have been to be in the position (studio and project-wise) that they are in now when the Series gen started. It was not possible.

@somnambulance You can't blame him for that. Mattrick pulled the pin, popped the handle, and chucked him the grenade. He's done an admirable job thus far.

@AlienigenX The Housers, Leslie Benzies, and Lazlo have all departed Rockstar. Top it off with "modern sensibilities" and the humor/writing will likely be hamstrung.

@northernmonkey75 Capcom said framerate would improve, but not greatly. They have direct plans for improving optimization in the future.

@AnVold We don't know the specs. Could be cheaper than Series X, could have 2 TB SSD and other upgrades at $500. If you already own a Series X, there's little point in upgrading with next gen coming in 2026-2027. This is for new buyers and may save MS some cash in production.

How is AEW still so expensive?

@Phil-Spencer-Gate Regarding #2, Sony has a history in TV, film and music, so they tried to apply a pop culture approach to games. They try to make games look cool to people who don't play games. They started by "borrowing" from popular movies & IP (e.g. The Getaway imitating popular Guy Ritchie movies).

MS just did not seem to want to spend money on this. They focused on gameplay and were pretty tight with the wallet for too long. Services and multi-player were an important tool in bringing in more customers.

I already on Diablo on PC. The other two are not sufficiently interesting to me. Hot Wheels could get 20-60 minutes, I suppose.

Got DD2 on PC for $60.

D4 was released in June of last year and I bought it for PC. Good to see people on Xbox getting to try it out.

@Wardstone234 I'm still using the rewards for this. My GPU sub should have expired in June 2023 and instead has been extended to August 2026 and counting.

@PhileasFragg It is not so bad — the game pass achievement requirement was dropped from 45 to 36 which is reasonable. I didn't have a problem achieving it in January or February. These are rewards points, so it is not something we are entitled to or have to do; it is just an option to save some money.

If it is savings you're after, you can earn more rewards by using the other apps (Bing phone, Xbox phone, Xbox Profile Rewards Tab, MS Rewards, Bing/Edge PC search, Edge quizzes).

@ScoTTieDLighT That all depends on the game and how you play it. If you play a game on easy or normal, then yeah, someone who plays games at all could probably shlub through it in a timely manner. Don't use the majority of game mechanics, make tons of mistakes, and still succeed.

As for Ready or Not, releasing on PC is simpler and far less restrictive than publishing to consoles. A dev doesn't even have to use a storefront, necessarily. The PC is wide open and has state-of-the-art consumer tech.

@UBERSICKO If the FFVII Remakes' sales continue to underperform, Square will become increasingly dissatisfied and ask for more money from Sony or drop the practice altogether. The Rebirth exclusivity is supposed to be 3 months, and I doubt we will see a PC version immediately afterwards. We'll see. That will restrict sales and dampen interests for the eventual PC release.

@rustyduck Davinder. I played as him solo, also.

Code: Veronica is in far greater need of a remake. I'd argue that RE5 does need it and RE6 was so bad that it doesn't deserve it.

@MaccaMUFC I have to disagree — the difference is readily apparent. Not the leap from 30 to 60 fps, no, but I've had games on PC drop to 60 (due to a config bug) from the normal 90-120 at the time, and immediately felt something was visual wrong.

@themightyant The game is funny and you build stuff. Similar to Grounded and other survival games. I guess the crafting/basebuilding/shipbuilding aspect of Starfield is another comparison. You have objectives, crafting materials to collect, unlockable technology, and captured pals that can work on your base.

The pals have different fighting and assistance abilities. They also have different personalities and suffer real world ailments and exhibit behaviors (slacking off at work, lazy, ulcers, stressed out). When assigned to a camp, they automatically help you out.

That's the hook. The "Fauxkemon" and what you can do to them is kind of funny. The player works on their base & improving combat effectiveness. Slowly you realize there are a lot of layers the devs put in. I've seen photos/clips of people who are way ahead of me, and it is surprising the things you can do.

@Weebleman I, too, think Sony will (begrudgingly) do something similar to a different degree over time. Xbox is acting erratically. They just had a big Direct show and 2024 is FINALLY lined up for them to start firing on all cylinders. Then within a couple weeks they pull this. If this decision is tied to not moving enough consoles (let's be real) then be prepared to move even less consoles.

Their timing is horrendous. Get a few solid years in the bank first, just maybe? They seem to suffer from cognitive dissonance or something. If you saw a couple grand on raft in the middle of an alligator pond, would you try to get to it or just leave it be? LOL

Could be someone else (MS suits) is grabbing at the wheel while they drive down the highway.

@SodaPop6548 I beat Sea of Stars over XCloud. The network performed pretty well the vast majority of the time. Time-to-completion was 65 hours. I did not expect that.

Eh...I already bought it on greenman...

Thanks for the reply, I'm in the same boat. 😄

At some point in the ABK trial, I would imagine most people came to terms with those games remaining multi-plat while MS reaped the earnings, for starters. ABK is not really part of the contention here, though the games media goes there first.

Rich on Digital Foundry had the most thoughtful examination of the situation. The other two were just off on their own fanciful desires, far to give any thought to the survival of Xbox the console. Being able to leverage the installed base of other platform-holders (consoles your company did not have to pay to produce) without deleterious effects to your own console is a fleeting dream.

PS is in a far better position to attempt this porting experiment than Xbox. They could do it without taking much of a hit to sales, the installed base is already high, and the right games would sell reasonably well. Xbox, on the contrarily, is doing this because of lagging sales, which will undoubtedly lag more severely after this.

@Weebleman It would be a gamble to swell Game Pass numbers and keep them high, while attractive new people to the platform.

I have certainly had my doubts the MS would launch a new CoD into GP or even add the previous year's CoD, which continue to outsell most of everything. This is just about guaranteed to come with a $35 DLC/early-access upgrade package in Game Pass. More people will be inclined to jump on that with GP giving a feeling of being ahead of the game.

@BacklogBrad Grounded is great. I stepped away because I was playing too much (and solo). Palworld kind of reminds me of it, in some ways. I got through the first murder in Pentiment. That is a very good game, just a different type of game than one that targets the lowest common denominator.

I wonder how these games will be priced...

@ShadowofTwilight Most people take it for granted that Hi-Fi Rush would run on the Switch.

@Muddy Play Anywheeeeree...sssoort of...

Boltgun is pretty good. I was playing it a lot on Steam Deck before getting burnt out.

This would be clutch since I play through XCloud on Steam Deck for some Game Pass games and can't do the same for the ones I own.

There would need to be a new tier inserted; Xbox...Penultimate?

Historically, I have bought most Ubisoft games that interested me. There is not enough in their service to warrant a subscription for me. Maybe the option of adding a discounted Ubi Plus as a "channel" (as some streaming services do) would work for some.

I think the Until Dawn "remake" (being generous here) has a better chance of launching on Xbox than HD2.

@Kang81 Xbox will recoup the ABK money through ABK games and services. Those titles (definitely the highly popular ones) will remain multiplatform. Porting other games a year late won't bring in comparable profit. What will do is make the console less and less attractive. Lower console sales (what got us here in the first place) means lower Game Pass subscriber growth.

The notion that putting Xbox games on PC will make people more interested in Xbox is...amusing. Porting those games will only further disassociate them from Xbox, undermining the console and core ecosystem.

@DennisReynolds Sony definitely has reasons to games on release on Xbox, they're just stubborn. Look home clumsy they are about PC releases. PC is the DMZ in the "console war."

Sony's model is the old Nintendo model of holding games hostage, whether you made them or not. I don't blame them; I think Xbox should be extremely careful about porting games.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I don't think it will it will come to Xbox anytime soon or possibly ever. However, these platform holders are struggling to create growth and certainty in the market. Playstation has pivoted to Live services and more consistent PC releases.

We see with Xbox acquiring ABK, they will be a larger 3rd party publisher. That has apparently sparked the question, "Why not bring over other games?" Critically-acclaimed-yet-lesser-performing titles have been selected, along with live service games that need a sustainable community. How long until the suits come back to ask, "Why are we not trying ports of the more popular games? Why not port sooner?"

Both platform holders are looking for places to milk their completed games further.

@electrolite77 Same here, pretty much. Well, to be more precise, I had older siblings so as a kid we had ColecoVision, then Sega Master System and Nintendo. Genesis then SNES.

By '95 I was in college and worked to buy a PS. I was waiting for N64, but Nintendo is on their own timetable. One roommate at school got an N64 and my brother had one back home.

I bought PS1-3 and Xbox OG/360. I even bought PS4 and Xbox One at launch. The PS2 hype got me and I did not buy a Dreamcast until after it was discontinued. I always felt bad about that.

Times change and I was rather disillusioned with console hardware, so I sold the PS4 unopened. That set a precedent and I did not bother to buy a PS5.

Since '95 I also been playing on PC. The Series X is in the living and provides a certain convenience and synergy.

Will MS/Xbox have the guts to drop the new CoD in Game Pass? That would be a gamble. Maybe it would work out for them. The ol' $35 for DLC, boosts and early access will be offered, of course.

@HammerKirby Sarah Bond could have meant cumulatively. The next box will have much higher native compute no doubt. Xbox could also leverage cloud computing, AI, new controller technology, portability, etc. Maybe even VR or AR. In those way ways it could prove to be a larger technological leap.

Consider the leap we've had in recent years with DLSS1-3, DLSS, frame generation, GPT-4...

If we are speaking pure CPU cycles, IPC, TFLOPS, and RAM, then the next Xbox would have to have a greater leap than OG to 360.

A lot of time has passed since I completed the first two (hell, even since Exodus at this point). I recall that they were good and not too long. You may want to play them to better understand what is going on. Exodus has a graphical leap, so you may not recognize all the characters right away.

The games were definitely upgraded on PC. That may have carried over to Xbox.

@Kaloudz No, nothing like Borderlands. It is a mix of STALKER and ...well...let's see — it is a more modern and focused STALKER with a heavier narrative. Maybe a little like Far Cry (not the amusement park aspect, though) with smaller areas. Open-region not open-world. Metro is grounded other than mutant creatures.

The missions are chapter-based. There are survival aspects (health, gas mask, radiation, oxygen), managing your ammo, finding the correct ammo, and understanding how some of the homemade guns work. Better to sneak around, avoid enemies or get the drop on them. They are smart enough to hunt you down.

Metro Exodus is one of the most atmospheric games. Wind, heavy storms, explosions. The guns also sound incredible, and change based on your environment. The first time I fired the magnum was out in the open, and it sounded amazing. There is appropriate echo and reverb.

@ShadowofTwilight31 Right now there is no way to play Xbox games natively on a portable. XPlay only supports Game Pass titles, not titles you own. So, if you have a Steam Deck, Xbox support is hampered. Game Pass and ID@Xbox have a ton of games that work well on portable.

Price (for the console market) and memory would be major concerns, though.

@armondo36 I don't think this will be some fount of profit. There may be additional profit, and efforts to pursue greater profits will further undermine the console and ecosystem, while discouraging new hardware purchases.

I say so because people only have so much time and money to spend on games. PS5 is hostile territory with a larger library of games to contend with.

NTM, unless Microsoft has developed some AI porting software, significant time and resources must be dedicated to porting games. Resources that could be dedicated to Xbox. Is this a wise choice when Starfield, Redfall, and Forza each arrived a year late and in varying states of completeness? When updates are arguably slow and not substantial? The fanbase will take umbrage as the focus drifts from Xbox.