@MinervaX76 It does FEEL like Asha has far more free reign and autonomy than Phil and Co did towards the end, many updates were said almost through gritted teeth. Satya seems to be backing her far more, and then things like this happen. Love to see it. Keep it up.
So far Asha has been doing a lot of small things right, it has led to a far more positive feeling around Xbox, but this is the first BIG thing we've seen and i'm all for it. Keep it up.
I do find it interesting that they aren't dropping Premium or Essential pricing, they really want you to be on Ultimate and obviously saw far too large a drop off after last October's 50% price hike (more in some territories). That they are dropping PC pricing also suggests that the subscribers dropped off sharply there.
@GeminiX53 As EG and other outlets have said BOTH can be true. Starfield can top the charts in a relatively quiet week AND not have sold that many. Though I would take Alinea Analytics sales numbers with a healthy dose of salt, I don't rate them very highly.
@Fiendish-Beaver Well they don't own the factories for ANY Xbox and use many off the shelf parts, so in that regards NO Xbox was ever made by them if you wanted to see it that way (I don't), same as PlayStation, Nintendo, Apple etc.
From what I have seen this will be exactly the same as before, it will still be a first party Xbox, not in conjunction with anyone else.
The games never needed patches. They just needed a translator.
Amazing work! Now it's been laid out so clearly, hopefully this is something Asha and the team can fix pretty quickly. Love helpful, creative, community problem solving like this.
@Fiendish-Beaver They have said it a couple of times, most recently Jason Ronald in reply to this tweet above.
Project Helix will be available as a 1st party Xbox console.
The very specific wording AND the fact he is responding directly to this rumour/leak directly suggests to me very strongly that it is accurate that the Helix APU will also be in other third party PCs. If he wanted to shut it down he would likely use other language e.g. "only", "exclusively", etc.
@Fiendish-Beaver Xbox specifically said Helix will be first party, it won't be made my ASUS, etc.
@AI-Generation As someone who has both a PS5 Pro and XSX there is a difference, but it's only really in the latest AAA games, which is a minority of games. You also need an HDMI 2.1 TV with 4K @120Hz and VRR to get the most out of a Pro (and XSX for that matter). Both are great systems imo and recommending one over another would more depend on where you library is and what types of games you play. Honestly I don't think you can go too far wrong with either, or a base PS5, all great bits of kit. What are you currently playing on? Where are all your games?
EDIT: Also, how desperate are you? Next gen is probably 18 months away, especially for Xbox. There's perhaps some merit in waiting.
@Godot25 There are definite potential upsides - like Xbox's at different price points. But there are also potential negatives e.g. if the hardware specs differ on many different Xbox's how do developers optimise for console. Will we have to tweak settings like on PC to get the most out of the hardware? I was hoping for a more console like experience with the option to tinker.
As expected, they will sell a premium Helix console but allow other manufacturers to make them to move people to Xbox PCs. It could work, and if it does it will be a smart strategy, but I also think it just dilutes the brand.
@TrollOfWar Agreed. I think what they are doing with their publishing tools is smart, but it remains to be seen if third party developers will use them as their primary method, or stick with their existing workflows (which is probably likelier, people don't like change) will see how much their charm offensive at GDC worked in time.
@TrollOfWar PR isn't just for external comms, it's just as vital for internal comms. They still use similar methodology for companywide memo's in multi-national companies this size (and a lot smaller), not only as there's a good chance they get shared - they often do - but also because you are catering to such a wide diverse audience across countries, roles etc. and you want to appeal to all.
Like you I work in development (not games) so understand what she is saying, but it is still vague. She's given a few broad suggestions without any specifics. if it was politics it's similar to saying: "we need to work smarter to cut down on crime, optimise workflows to improve healthcare whilst sharing data across departments" (or words to that effect), these are all very broad ideas with few specifics. That was my point.
I agree that my interpretation is less about shared engines... though it could be interpreted that way - again it's vague, there are few specifics - hence why I mentioned that. I also agree that it is pushing towards optimising release of multi-platform games on many surfaces which is also in line with a big push they are having right now towards trying to get devs to use their updated tools with incentives to do so and optimised workflows.
I generally agree with that sentiment. Personally I've seen the points I earn per month tumble, yet it takes longer to earn and those points are worse less than before, so I expect it to be more of the same.
But until we see the specifics of how this works then I suppose we will have to give them the benefit of the doubt and PERHAPS this could be a good thing. Wouldn't bet on it though.
@TrollOfWar I'd also add, as i've just seen your excellent follow up, that I completely agree about split strategies with Activision, Blizzard, King, individual Zenimax studios etc. which are likely all still run as individual operations in a lot of ways.
There are some lesser known downsides to too much consolidation that are worth pointing out.
Psychologically it can affect morale at companies with individuals not liking feeling part of a larger monolith, rather than smaller individual companies each with their own methods and culture. Feeling like you are being forced down a path you don't want to go often leads to negative feelings that can spiral and lead to worse output. It's one reason bought companies ARE often kept siloed, part of what you bought was the unique culture that you don't want to disrupt ESPECIALLY with creative studios.
Another side is it can also make it harder to sell them off individually if it ever comes to that, or if they want to offload a company that is tightly embedded and has a lot of shared data or information that can be riskier. You don't necessarily want everything to be centralised.
Just pointing out there are some benefits to keeping studios siloed, as well as the obvious cons. It will be interesting to see how they navigate that. But broadly I agree they likely need some sort of wider plan across their portfolio of studios with SOME shared services.
@TrollOfWar Excellent summation / translation of the business terms. I mostly agree.
However I still think it's a pretty fluffy statement that can be interpreted in a lot of different ways. PR often is exactly that, let the people hear what they want and don't over commit with specifics. It's a classic PR statement in that regard, it appears to say a lot without m/any definitives.
Personally I'm not sure I want many things to be consolidated e.g. shared codebases or same engines etc. while it is true that would be more cost efficient in the short term, games are art, not just code/science, and I want more freedom of expression not less of it.
What I don't want, for example, is the same engine across games. Building Forza on IDtech, or Doom on ForzaTech would make very different games... or worse everyone using UE5. Sometimes, not always, a custom engine is the right choice. (Look at Capcom's struggles using RE Engine for massive open worlds - Dragon's Dogma 2 / MH: Wilds). But we don't know if this is what she meant as her statement is all so vague.
Giving her the benefit of the doubt you COULD argue that by making savings in some more technical areas you may be able to free up some budget to push towards the more creative ones. Only time will tell exactly what she means, and what actually happens, talk is cheap.
@BustedUpBiker @Fiendish-Beaver @Balaam_ I've tagged you as you seemed interested in the discussion and wanted to share another angle on it.
I would make a FEW more games exclusive where it makes sense - they have enough studios - and have more timed exclusives.
But there is a problem, what they need is exclusive system sellers but the the largest AAA games probably need to be multi-platform and smaller ones are unlikely to be system sellers. It's simple economics, you can't have a massive budget game and make it Xbox exclusive with their lower player numbers (+ Game Pass eating into sales) and expect to turn a good profit. You budget a game based on Sales / P&L and the higher budget AAA games need a wider install base to see a return. You could perhaps have one or two loss leaders, but that isn't a very Microsoft strategy.
People will say it is on PC too, but PC players often buy very different games to console players. But this will depend game to game.
I think timed exclusivity it probably most sensible balance with a few loss leader AAA exclusives to pull people to the brand.
@Balaam_ I think there’s a best of both worlds solution of having a pre-installed rechargeable battery pack that can be removed and replaced with AAs similar to the aftermarket ones you can buy today. Then everybody’s happy.
I find it hard to get too excited about what devs can do with new console hardware when games take so long to make and will be developed with current gen in mind for years to come. Hell we’re 6 years into the current gen and The Coalition hasn’t even released a new game on Xbox and many other studios have only made games that are cross-gen.
But I look forward to seeing what the devs can do with the hardware.
I also hope that the devs have had good input on features that’d want added next gen @Coletrain and others have mentioned a few on the controller that really needs to be updated with missing features. Gyro, haptics, battery, etc.
@ElectricWizard even better use TMR sensors which have the benefit of conduct like Hall Effect, without the downsides like faster battery drain.
Talking of batteries I’d love to see a built in battery, or at least an included swappable battery pack that could be replaced by AAs for those that want to still use them.
@Bob_Tempura The Last Night & Little Devil Inside were announced over 12 years ago! LDI was initially expected to launch in 2016 on the Kickstarter. In the same black hole as Beyond Good & Evil 2, Winds of Winter (Next Game of Thrones book), Doors of Stone and Ninjai: the Little Ninja. Not sure we will ever see them.
@armondo36 I think there are rules we just aren't privvy to them as they involve hard numbers which they don't share. It all comes down to Profit and Loss. If they can make a profit and be exclusive then we will see more exclusives, if they can't we won't.
Of course Game Pass complicates this and makes pure P&L sheets just one part of that, but they will have metrics for player numbers, engagement, subscriber churn and other data that they will link to certain titles to decide if games are exclusive or not.
Sadly that doesn't help us gamers have a hard and fast rule to know where we stand.
I've said for a while that I think Microsoft has enough studios to make SOME more games exclusive, or at least more timed exclusives, but I don't think they have the playerbase to make most of them exclusive.
I know people will say they have PC too, and that's true, but PC players often play different games. When it's reported that games like Avowed and Outer Worlds 2 didn't hit sales expectations despite being multiplatform, and RPGs typically doing well on PC, then I don't think they have too much choice here unless they drastically shrink the scope. Do players actually want that?
In theory this sounds good, I agree it’s too expensive, but I also don’t think they will make it cheaper without removing things. Be careful what you wish for, perhaps they will remove AAA day 1 games or similar. Most likely just more enshitification.
Personally I’m still stacked for years at a much lower rate so I haven’t had to deal with the price hikes yet.
Hoping this is more 2023 or Last Light than Exodus. Exodus was a good game but less memorable imo and lost the one thing about the series that makes it memorable, the METRO!
"Agefield High: School The Rock" sounds like a name AI would create, and looking at some of the assets and lip-syncing it looks like AI could have made it. Hopefully not, and hopefully it's better than the awful name suggests, Bully was great.
December makes NO sense at all. Most players will be playing GTA6 for months. Latest Sept / possibly early Oct or early 2027. Of course that is assuming GTA6 doesn't delay, everybody waiting on this again.
You can run major AAA games on the ROG Xbox Ally X... but I've been surprised to find that I'm not really playing those games on the Ally
This is my experience with recent handhelds as well, whether it's Switch 1/2, Steam Deck or PS Portal, they are great for indies and especially retro / pixel art games, but for massive spectacle AAAs it feels somehow wrong to play them on such a small screen.
Of course we all like different things and some people like watching blockbuster movies on their phone. That's not for me.
Appreciate the 6 month update @FraserG. How's your anticipation for Helix?
@Mr_RC You already can hide games with 0 achievements on Xbox just go to the all achievements list and press X on any title with none and they don’t show up on your list, been doing that for years. The difference now is that you can hide other games too. Eg 15/1000 GS.
But what @Balaam_ was suggesting was being able to completely remove it “no matter how complete the gamerscore is for it” that’s not right imo as it opens it up to abuse and people faking things like their completion rate. However you can now hide any you don’t like if it’s an OCD thing.
I agree about quick resume, it’s great when it works, but it doesn’t always work and games often are at their buggiest if you don’t reset them from time to time. Like you I often just shut the games down as it isn’t reliable. Still i like this update as there are some games that simply don’t work with quick resume ant all and being able to turn it off entirely for these games is a decent QoL feature.
All good quality of life improvements that in truth should have been done years ago, but also nothing to get too excited about.
@Balaam_ I disagree. There are valid reasons not to be able to wipe your achievement history as people could fake things like 100% completion rates by just disabling games they didn’t finish, that would be wrong. You can hide it from your list if you don’t want to see it but you can’t manipulate your stats. Your history is your history, own it.
Where I agree is they should have gone further with things like separate DLC lists and ‘Platinum’ equivalents. Maybe next gen.
Boring answer perhaps.... but it completely depends on what type of games they like playing. There's no point suggesting Halo, Gears or Forza to someone that doesn't like those genres.
I recommend games for more casual friends and family the whole time and my first question is always what are your favourite games then go from there. Finding out what IP they like - Hogwart's Legacy has proved popular for example - and how much time they have all helps make better suggestions. Also finding out if they are willing to try new things, as some like to play it safe.
But if it was someone with taste similar to mine it would include games like Outer Wilds, Clair Obscur: Expedtion 33, Hollow Knight / Silksong, Skyrim, Blue Prince, Doom (2016) / Eternal, Return of the Obra Dinn, Minecraft, Ori Blind Forest / WotW, THPS 1&2, Halo 3, Stardew Valley, Dispatch, Chained Echoes, Arkham Asylum / City / Knight, Dishonored series / Prey, Celeste, Forza Horizon 4, Death's Door, Indiana Jones, Immortality etc. (far too many to mention)
If they have time (most don't) try Game Pass + recommends.
It looked pretty rough on Series S in the DF vid. Outdoors like a Vaseline layer was smeared on the TV, inside with the lighting artefacts like the walls are moving.
But it's not surprising, it's struggling on XSX and base PS5. Dev seems like they are ready and willing to make changes though and hopefully should be in better shape in 6-12 months.
@FarmDog08 I agree you've got to give them a chance and so far there hasn't been any really bad decisions yet. Early days.
But I also partly agree with @RBRTMNZ that it is interesting that they are going on a full charm offensive both for Asha and to try and suggest Xbox is changing.
Yet we haven't actually seen much evidence of that. Other than the end of the "this is an Xbox" campaign; which I don't think is going to change to their actual policy of shipping multiplatform and pushing cloud / multi-devices, it's just the end of a bad marketing campaign.
I do think it's sensible as Xbox's biggest issue has been their brand perception, they need to rebuild that, but handing out packages to streamers isn't going to turn that around. But it's baby steps right now. Will be interested to see when they really start talking and making decisions if anything has actually changed much. Wouldn't bank on it.
Very cool the devs are so active on updates, but it's also clear the game will be in a better state in 6 -12 months. That's a wait for me, it isn't going anywhere.
@MaccaMUFC Thanks, it’s been so long since I looked at anything other than guides on TA.
But I did look at my stats:
280,091 GS
961 games
68.91% completion rate
11,384 Achievements out of a possible 16,521
Played Xbox for 204 days, 22 hrs and 48 mins
I think most of that was up until around 2019ish, that’s when I slowed down achievement / trophy hunting. I think I’ve only added circa 30 - 40k this gen. My PS Trophy rank works out at around 300k too across 1000 games.
@MaccaMUFC @fbnaulin yes. Totally agree that achievements can sometimes give you more out of a game, give a fun new way to play etc. But I think the games with good achievement lists are actually quite limited. Many are just dull uninspired lists, far too many collectathons that either require a guide to complete or countless hours exploring every corner. It’s not fun gameplay. But again I suppose we all like different things.
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Re: Xbox Exec Chimes In As Rumours Suggest Project Helix Chip Will Be Used For 'Other Machines'
@Sol4ris We do.
Interesting that Premium and Essential aren't getting a drop, they really want to drive console players to Ultimate.
Re: Xbox Announces Price Reductions For Game Pass Ultimate & PC Game Pass
@MinervaX76 It does FEEL like Asha has far more free reign and autonomy than Phil and Co did towards the end, many updates were said almost through gritted teeth. Satya seems to be backing her far more, and then things like this happen. Love to see it. Keep it up.
Re: Xbox Announces Price Reductions For Game Pass Ultimate & PC Game Pass
So far Asha has been doing a lot of small things right, it has led to a far more positive feeling around Xbox, but this is the first BIG thing we've seen and i'm all for it. Keep it up.
I do find it interesting that they aren't dropping Premium or Essential pricing, they really want you to be on Ultimate and obviously saw far too large a drop off after last October's 50% price hike (more in some territories). That they are dropping PC pricing also suggests that the subscribers dropped off sharply there.
Re: Xbox Exec Chimes In As Rumours Suggest Project Helix Chip Will Be Used For 'Other Machines'
@Sakai @Sol4ris @Fiendish-Beaver FYI Game Pass prices have just been dropped. News in 3-2-1... link
Re: Xbox's Starfield Tops The US Gaming Charts For First Time Since 2023
@GeminiX53 As EG and other outlets have said BOTH can be true. Starfield can top the charts in a relatively quiet week AND not have sold that many. Though I would take Alinea Analytics sales numbers with a healthy dose of salt, I don't rate them very highly.
Re: Xbox Exec Chimes In As Rumours Suggest Project Helix Chip Will Be Used For 'Other Machines'
@Fiendish-Beaver Well they don't own the factories for ANY Xbox and use many off the shelf parts, so in that regards NO Xbox was ever made by them if you wanted to see it that way (I don't), same as PlayStation, Nintendo, Apple etc.
From what I have seen this will be exactly the same as before, it will still be a first party Xbox, not in conjunction with anyone else.
Re: Xbox PC Project Might Have Solved How To Fix Hundreds Of 'Broken' Windows Games
Amazing work! Now it's been laid out so clearly, hopefully this is something Asha and the team can fix pretty quickly. Love helpful, creative, community problem solving like this.
Re: Xbox Exec Chimes In As Rumours Suggest Project Helix Chip Will Be Used For 'Other Machines'
@Fiendish-Beaver They have said it a couple of times, most recently Jason Ronald in reply to this tweet above.
The very specific wording AND the fact he is responding directly to this rumour/leak directly suggests to me very strongly that it is accurate that the Helix APU will also be in other third party PCs. If he wanted to shut it down he would likely use other language e.g. "only", "exclusively", etc.
Re: Fable Creator Says His New Game Is 'Most Significant Event' In His Entire 40-Year Career
@armondo36 He really can't. (also love him, for all his flaws)
Re: Xbox Exec Chimes In As Rumours Suggest Project Helix Chip Will Be Used For 'Other Machines'
@Fiendish-Beaver Xbox specifically said Helix will be first party, it won't be made my ASUS, etc.
@AI-Generation As someone who has both a PS5 Pro and XSX there is a difference, but it's only really in the latest AAA games, which is a minority of games. You also need an HDMI 2.1 TV with 4K @120Hz and VRR to get the most out of a Pro (and XSX for that matter). Both are great systems imo and recommending one over another would more depend on where you library is and what types of games you play. Honestly I don't think you can go too far wrong with either, or a base PS5, all great bits of kit. What are you currently playing on? Where are all your games?
EDIT: Also, how desperate are you? Next gen is probably 18 months away, especially for Xbox. There's perhaps some merit in waiting.
Re: Xbox Exec Chimes In As Rumours Suggest Project Helix Chip Will Be Used For 'Other Machines'
@Godot25 There are definite potential upsides - like Xbox's at different price points. But there are also potential negatives e.g. if the hardware specs differ on many different Xbox's how do developers optimise for console. Will we have to tweak settings like on PC to get the most out of the hardware? I was hoping for a more console like experience with the option to tinker.
Re: Xbox Exec Chimes In As Rumours Suggest Project Helix Chip Will Be Used For 'Other Machines'
As expected, they will sell a premium Helix console but allow other manufacturers to make them to move people to Xbox PCs. It could work, and if it does it will be a smart strategy, but I also think it just dilutes the brand.
Re: Xbox Rewards Points Are Being Turned Into An Actual Currency For Buying Games On Console
Interesting. I wonder what the exchange rate will be like and if it will actually be worthwhile. Shame we can’t redeem Game Pass as easily.
Re: Xbox Exec Reveals That Blizzard Is Helping Out With Development On Fable
That's great news Blizzard's cinematics team is excellent.
Re: Asha Sharma Lays Out Plans For 'Deeper Investment' In Xbox's Platform Foundations
@TrollOfWar Agreed. I think what they are doing with their publishing tools is smart, but it remains to be seen if third party developers will use them as their primary method, or stick with their existing workflows (which is probably likelier, people don't like change) will see how much their charm offensive at GDC worked in time.
Re: Asha Sharma Lays Out Plans For 'Deeper Investment' In Xbox's Platform Foundations
@TrollOfWar PR isn't just for external comms, it's just as vital for internal comms. They still use similar methodology for companywide memo's in multi-national companies this size (and a lot smaller), not only as there's a good chance they get shared - they often do - but also because you are catering to such a wide diverse audience across countries, roles etc. and you want to appeal to all.
Like you I work in development (not games) so understand what she is saying, but it is still vague. She's given a few broad suggestions without any specifics. if it was politics it's similar to saying: "we need to work smarter to cut down on crime, optimise workflows to improve healthcare whilst sharing data across departments" (or words to that effect), these are all very broad ideas with few specifics. That was my point.
I agree that my interpretation is less about shared engines... though it could be interpreted that way - again it's vague, there are few specifics - hence why I mentioned that. I also agree that it is pushing towards optimising release of multi-platform games on many surfaces which is also in line with a big push they are having right now towards trying to get devs to use their updated tools with incentives to do so and optimised workflows.
Re: Microsoft Rewards Announces Major Changes For May 2026 Across Multiple Regions
I generally agree with that sentiment. Personally I've seen the points I earn per month tumble, yet it takes longer to earn and those points are worse less than before, so I expect it to be more of the same.
But until we see the specifics of how this works then I suppose we will have to give them the benefit of the doubt and PERHAPS this could be a good thing. Wouldn't bet on it though.
Re: Asha Sharma Lays Out Plans For 'Deeper Investment' In Xbox's Platform Foundations
@TrollOfWar I'd also add, as i've just seen your excellent follow up, that I completely agree about split strategies with Activision, Blizzard, King, individual Zenimax studios etc. which are likely all still run as individual operations in a lot of ways.
There are some lesser known downsides to too much consolidation that are worth pointing out.
Psychologically it can affect morale at companies with individuals not liking feeling part of a larger monolith, rather than smaller individual companies each with their own methods and culture. Feeling like you are being forced down a path you don't want to go often leads to negative feelings that can spiral and lead to worse output. It's one reason bought companies ARE often kept siloed, part of what you bought was the unique culture that you don't want to disrupt ESPECIALLY with creative studios.
Another side is it can also make it harder to sell them off individually if it ever comes to that, or if they want to offload a company that is tightly embedded and has a lot of shared data or information that can be riskier. You don't necessarily want everything to be centralised.
Just pointing out there are some benefits to keeping studios siloed, as well as the obvious cons. It will be interesting to see how they navigate that. But broadly I agree they likely need some sort of wider plan across their portfolio of studios with SOME shared services.
Re: Asha Sharma Lays Out Plans For 'Deeper Investment' In Xbox's Platform Foundations
@TrollOfWar Excellent summation / translation of the business terms. I mostly agree.
However I still think it's a pretty fluffy statement that can be interpreted in a lot of different ways. PR often is exactly that, let the people hear what they want and don't over commit with specifics. It's a classic PR statement in that regard, it appears to say a lot without m/any definitives.
Personally I'm not sure I want many things to be consolidated e.g. shared codebases or same engines etc. while it is true that would be more cost efficient in the short term, games are art, not just code/science, and I want more freedom of expression not less of it.
What I don't want, for example, is the same engine across games. Building Forza on IDtech, or Doom on ForzaTech would make very different games... or worse everyone using UE5. Sometimes, not always, a custom engine is the right choice. (Look at Capcom's struggles using RE Engine for massive open worlds - Dragon's Dogma 2 / MH: Wilds). But we don't know if this is what she meant as her statement is all so vague.
Giving her the benefit of the doubt you COULD argue that by making savings in some more technical areas you may be able to free up some budget to push towards the more creative ones. Only time will tell exactly what she means, and what actually happens, talk is cheap.
@BustedUpBiker @Fiendish-Beaver @Balaam_ I've tagged you as you seemed interested in the discussion and wanted to share another angle on it.
Re: You're The Xbox Boss And Need To Figure Out Exclusivity, What Decision Are You Making?
I would make a FEW more games exclusive where it makes sense - they have enough studios - and have more timed exclusives.
But there is a problem, what they need is exclusive system sellers but the the largest AAA games probably need to be multi-platform and smaller ones are unlikely to be system sellers. It's simple economics, you can't have a massive budget game and make it Xbox exclusive with their lower player numbers (+ Game Pass eating into sales) and expect to turn a good profit. You budget a game based on Sales / P&L and the higher budget AAA games need a wider install base to see a return. You could perhaps have one or two loss leaders, but that isn't a very Microsoft strategy.
People will say it is on PC too, but PC players often buy very different games to console players. But this will depend game to game.
I think timed exclusivity it probably most sensible balance with a few loss leader AAA exclusives to pull people to the brand.
Re: Xbox's Recent Battery Issue Was A Reminder To 'Earn Every Hour' With Players, Says Boss
@Balaam_ I think there’s a best of both worlds solution of having a pre-installed rechargeable battery pack that can be removed and replaced with AAs similar to the aftermarket ones you can buy today. Then everybody’s happy.
Re: Metro 2039 Is Coming To Xbox This Winter, Gorgeous In-Engine Gameplay Revealed
Looks incredible and just what I wanted. Wishing all the team well
Re: Xbox's Studios Are Working 'Side-By-Side' With Microsoft On Project Helix
I find it hard to get too excited about what devs can do with new console hardware when games take so long to make and will be developed with current gen in mind for years to come. Hell we’re 6 years into the current gen and The Coalition hasn’t even released a new game on Xbox and many other studios have only made games that are cross-gen.
But I look forward to seeing what the devs can do with the hardware.
I also hope that the devs have had good input on features that’d want added next gen @Coletrain and others have mentioned a few on the controller that really needs to be updated with missing features. Gyro, haptics, battery, etc.
Re: Xbox's Studios Are Working 'Side-By-Side' With Microsoft On Project Helix
@ElectricWizard even better use TMR sensors which have the benefit of conduct like Hall Effect, without the downsides like faster battery drain.
Talking of batteries I’d love to see a built in battery, or at least an included swappable battery pack that could be replaced by AAs for those that want to still use them.
Re: 'Voila, 920GB Of Extra Storage' - Xbox Fan Turns Their 1TB Expansion Card Into A PC SSD
That's good to know. If Helix doesn't use these cards, and it might not, then I may be able to use this as an extended drive on PC.
Re: Roundup: The Reviews Are In For Replaced On Xbox Game Pass
@Bob_Tempura The Last Night & Little Devil Inside were announced over 12 years ago! LDI was initially expected to launch in 2016 on the Kickstarter. In the same black hole as Beyond Good & Evil 2, Winds of Winter (Next Game of Thrones book), Doors of Stone and Ninjai: the Little Ninja. Not sure we will ever see them.
Re: Roundup: The Reviews Are In For Replaced On Xbox Game Pass
Excellent! Looking forward to giving it a go soon.
Re: Xbox Raises Eyebrows By Mentioning 'Exclusives' On The Series X|S Dashboard
There already are Xbox exclusives, especially indies on Game Pass and through ID@Xbox, so I don’t see this as evidence of any change.
Re: 'This Is One Of The Main Reasons It's Taking So Long' - Truck Simulator Dev Shares Xbox & PS5 Update
Appreciate both the transparency and the want to not reveal a date until it’s ready.
Re: Xbox Is Having 'Very Big Discussions' About Exclusivity, Says Reporter
@armondo36 I think there are rules we just aren't privvy to them as they involve hard numbers which they don't share. It all comes down to Profit and Loss. If they can make a profit and be exclusive then we will see more exclusives, if they can't we won't.
Of course Game Pass complicates this and makes pure P&L sheets just one part of that, but they will have metrics for player numbers, engagement, subscriber churn and other data that they will link to certain titles to decide if games are exclusive or not.
Sadly that doesn't help us gamers have a hard and fast rule to know where we stand.
Re: Xbox Is Having 'Very Big Discussions' About Exclusivity, Says Reporter
I've said for a while that I think Microsoft has enough studios to make SOME more games exclusive, or at least more timed exclusives, but I don't think they have the playerbase to make most of them exclusive.
I know people will say they have PC too, and that's true, but PC players often play different games. When it's reported that games like Avowed and Outer Worlds 2 didn't hit sales expectations despite being multiplatform, and RPGs typically doing well on PC, then I don't think they have too much choice here unless they drastically shrink the scope. Do players actually want that?
Re: Replaced Dev Reveals Xbox Series X And S Specs Ahead Of Game Pass Launch
Fingers crossed the gameplay can match the visuals and vibes. Looking forward to trying it.
Re: Xbox Boss Declares Game Pass Is 'Too Expensive' And Needs A 'Better Value Equation'
In theory this sounds good, I agree it’s too expensive, but I also don’t think they will make it cheaper without removing things. Be careful what you wish for, perhaps they will remove AAA day 1 games or similar. Most likely just more enshitification.
Personally I’m still stacked for years at a much lower rate so I haven’t had to deal with the price hikes yet.
Re: Microsoft Announces New 'Xbox First Look' Showcase For Later This Week
Hoping this is more 2023 or Last Light than Exodus. Exodus was a good game but less memorable imo and lost the one thing about the series that makes it memorable, the METRO!
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Capcom's Pragmata
Capgod continue to be on a roll. In 2026 already:
Re: The Bully-Inspired 'Agefield High' Releases For PC This Summer, Xbox Later In 2026
"Agefield High: School The Rock" sounds like a name AI would create, and looking at some of the assets and lip-syncing it looks like AI could have made it. Hopefully not, and hopefully it's better than the awful name suggests, Bully was great.
Re: Rumour: Fable Has Apparently Been Delayed Internally, But May Still Launch In 2026
December makes NO sense at all. Most players will be playing GTA6 for months. Latest Sept / possibly early Oct or early 2027. Of course that is assuming GTA6 doesn't delay, everybody waiting on this again.
Re: ROG Xbox Ally X: 6-Month Review - A Handheld I've Been Using In Unexpected Ways
This is my experience with recent handhelds as well, whether it's Switch 1/2, Steam Deck or PS Portal, they are great for indies and especially retro / pixel art games, but for massive spectacle AAAs it feels somehow wrong to play them on such a small screen.
Of course we all like different things and some people like watching blockbuster movies on their phone. That's not for me.
Appreciate the 6 month update @FraserG. How's your anticipation for Helix?
Re: Rumour: Microsoft Might Not Launch Call Of Duty 2026 On Xbox Game Pass
Rises prices to put COD in, if they take it out will they lower prices? If not, classic enshitification.
Re: Forza Horizon 4 Is Still Packed With Players On Xbox, And It's Easing The Wait For Horizon 6
FH4 still the high bar for the series.
Re: Talking Point: Are You Happy With The New Updates Coming To Xbox Consoles So Far?
@Mr_RC You already can hide games with 0 achievements on Xbox just go to the all achievements list and press X on any title with none and they don’t show up on your list, been doing that for years. The difference now is that you can hide other games too. Eg 15/1000 GS.
But what @Balaam_ was suggesting was being able to completely remove it “no matter how complete the gamerscore is for it” that’s not right imo as it opens it up to abuse and people faking things like their completion rate. However you can now hide any you don’t like if it’s an OCD thing.
I agree about quick resume, it’s great when it works, but it doesn’t always work and games often are at their buggiest if you don’t reset them from time to time. Like you I often just shut the games down as it isn’t reliable. Still i like this update as there are some games that simply don’t work with quick resume ant all and being able to turn it off entirely for these games is a decent QoL feature.
Re: Talking Point: Are You Happy With The New Updates Coming To Xbox Consoles So Far?
All good quality of life improvements that in truth should have been done years ago, but also nothing to get too excited about.
@Balaam_ I disagree. There are valid reasons not to be able to wipe your achievement history as people could fake things like 100% completion rates by just disabling games they didn’t finish, that would be wrong. You can hide it from your list if you don’t want to see it but you can’t manipulate your stats. Your history is your history, own it.
Where I agree is they should have gone further with things like separate DLC lists and ‘Platinum’ equivalents. Maybe next gen.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 11-12)
Back to Skyrim in VR, it's transformative.
Also realised the new Starfield DLC is included in what I bought before so I might give that a go soon.
Re: Talking Point: If Someone Was Buying Their First Xbox Today, What Games Would You Recommend?
Boring answer perhaps.... but it completely depends on what type of games they like playing. There's no point suggesting Halo, Gears or Forza to someone that doesn't like those genres.
I recommend games for more casual friends and family the whole time and my first question is always what are your favourite games then go from there. Finding out what IP they like - Hogwart's Legacy has proved popular for example - and how much time they have all helps make better suggestions. Also finding out if they are willing to try new things, as some like to play it safe.
But if it was someone with taste similar to mine it would include games like Outer Wilds, Clair Obscur: Expedtion 33, Hollow Knight / Silksong, Skyrim, Blue Prince, Doom (2016) / Eternal, Return of the Obra Dinn, Minecraft, Ori Blind Forest / WotW, THPS 1&2, Halo 3, Stardew Valley, Dispatch, Chained Echoes, Arkham Asylum / City / Knight, Dishonored series / Prey, Celeste, Forza Horizon 4, Death's Door, Indiana Jones, Immortality etc. (far too many to mention)
If they have time (most don't) try Game Pass + recommends.
Re: Mouse P.I. For Hire Performance Specs Revealed, 120FPS Confirmed For Xbox Series X And S
InterceptorAlpha wrote:
...on Series S too! I'll probably play at full 4K @60fps though.
Re: 'The Series S Version Can't Be Readily Recommended' - Digital Foundry Reviews Crimson Desert On Xbox
It looked pretty rough on Series S in the DF vid. Outdoors like a Vaseline layer was smeared on the TV, inside with the lighting artefacts like the walls are moving.
But it's not surprising, it's struggling on XSX and base PS5. Dev seems like they are ready and willing to make changes though and hopefully should be in better shape in 6-12 months.
Re: Xbox Is Sending Out Project Helix Gift Packages Signed By New Boss Asha Sharma
@FarmDog08 I agree you've got to give them a chance and so far there hasn't been any really bad decisions yet. Early days.
But I also partly agree with @RBRTMNZ that it is interesting that they are going on a full charm offensive both for Asha and to try and suggest Xbox is changing.
Yet we haven't actually seen much evidence of that. Other than the end of the "this is an Xbox" campaign; which I don't think is going to change to their actual policy of shipping multiplatform and pushing cloud / multi-devices, it's just the end of a bad marketing campaign.
I do think it's sensible as Xbox's biggest issue has been their brand perception, they need to rebuild that, but handing out packages to streamers isn't going to turn that around. But it's baby steps right now. Will be interested to see when they really start talking and making decisions if anything has actually changed much. Wouldn't bank on it.
Re: Crimson Desert Dev Details List Of New Features Coming To Its Massive Xbox RPG
Very cool the devs are so active on updates, but it's also clear the game will be in a better state in 6 -12 months. That's a wait for me, it isn't going anywhere.
Re: Xbox Achievements Are Getting A 'Refresh' With Multiple New Improvements
@MaccaMUFC Thanks, it’s been so long since I looked at anything other than guides on TA.
But I did look at my stats:
I think most of that was up until around 2019ish, that’s when I slowed down achievement / trophy hunting. I think I’ve only added circa 30 - 40k this gen. My PS Trophy rank works out at around 300k too across 1000 games.
Re: Xbox Achievements Are Getting A 'Refresh' With Multiple New Improvements
@MaccaMUFC @fbnaulin yes. Totally agree that achievements can sometimes give you more out of a game, give a fun new way to play etc. But I think the games with good achievement lists are actually quite limited. Many are just dull uninspired lists, far too many collectathons that either require a guide to complete or countless hours exploring every corner. It’s not fun gameplay. But again I suppose we all like different things.