themightyant

@Schonks it has little to do with that. Look at the stats on Xbox and it’s a much higher percentage digital than an PlayStation, likely because all their first party games come to Game Pass. Unless you have another reason?

In haste, and frustration with Sony, I said yesterday that Xbox should have a drive on Helix. But on thinking about it I don't think they should.

With Game Pass Xbox has already moved most users away from physical games. Whatever numbers Sony is seeing Xbox is even more digital that they are.

It doesn't make much sense for Xbox imo. Though I am pro-CHOICE and perhaps they could have an optional additional drive for those that want it.

@RentedPanda Cheers dude, always nice to hear a recommend.

Need to try and find time for Dungeons of Hinterburg... maybe.

That’s funny I was just about to post about how many games I am interested in here, and what a great line up it is, when I saw I had already posted the exact opposite in January when the lineup was very thin. It’s amazing how quick this changed. Absolutely stacked!

@Sol4ris I believe this may be due to how the discs are created (and also why SOME discs may not work)

I believe when Xbox were going to go with their digital first strategy for Xbox One one of the things was sharing games and discs each have a unique code i.e.

This digital entitlement is tied to the specific disc

I don't believe X360 discs have this, every disc is the same, so there would be no way to link the specific disc with your account and you could just keep selling or loaning the disc to infinite people until the digital license is on everyone's account.

(To be clear I am not 100% on this, but I think it's right, if anyone has more concrete info please confirm or correct this)

This is pretty cool. I don't like that discs are going away, but if they are at least give us a way to digitise our collections. I was saying similar on the PS article.

Though I will miss The Orange Box from X360!

The trailer looked really good, combat looked more fluid than the base game. Looking forward to trying this out.

No thanks. I'll wait don't care enough about a COD campaign to buy day 1.

@fatpunkslim Did you paste this from ChatGPT?

Xbox have a massive opportunity for an easy PR WIN here. Just have a Helix disc drive, even if it's optional / only for back compatibility.

FYI Redfall was Arkane AUSTIN, which has already been closed down by Microsoft. Arkane LYON made Deathloop and Dishonored - award winning games - so they are anything but an incompetent developer.

You might want to get your facts straight before posting.

@Weebleman Mic drop. #47

@fatpunkslim I can understand wanting to wait to see what actually happens, there are too many rumours circling - on that we can agree.

But labelling this "fake news" or speculating that Sony pays influencers to rubbish Xbox, or other made-up-in-your-head stories and then asking for "Sources" is sheer irony. Can't you see that? Where are your sources? The key difference is you don't have any inside information.

The trouble is there is no smoke without fire here, devs are already being told to find work from many studios, that is undeniable, as we've already seen hundreds of Xbox devs put their CV's on LinkedIn many with the "looking for work" photo tag and they are talking to reporters and influencers.

The best thing Microsoft can do is get this all out as soon as possible, as the longer Microsoft stay silent the more rumours will swirl.

@HonestHick Studio closures are only the start of it sadly, I believe many studios that aren't closed are being gutted too, wage bills being slashed.

@HonestHick Hard truths. Unfortunately Xbox gambled big with all the acquisitions and it hasn’t paid off for them, it’s a business and needs to make good profit to be sustainable.

Classic example of what happens when you try to grow too fast, too soon, without the market to back you up and pay for all those jobs. There simply never was the 100 million Game Pass subscribers they wanted and planned around.

Taking on around 12,500 ABK staff with so little return was the final straw, at least before then the books seemed to balance OK, Xbox was reportedly returning decent profit margins - though not as much as they wanted - but since they announced intent to buy ABK in 2022 it’s been brutal. Already 5000 jobs slashed since then and studios closed with more to come.

Wishing staff well. But this is sadly going to be brutal.

@Balaam_ LOL on XDF. That made me laugh out loud and literally spit out my cereal. Hell of a way to start the day. Thank you. 🤣

It's a good game but the performance is ass, don't expect that to change.

Also these rewards are utter garbage.

• The exclusive "sigil" is just a background to your profile.
• Morphable echoes x2 - You get echoes everywhere
• Premium Tuner x10 - I have thousands.
• Shell Credit x30,000 is like pennies down the sofa

Come on Xbox / Kuro games, at least give us some free wishes like Genshin etc. did, give me a reason to fire it up on Xbox, cos this ain't it. Still it's a good game.

@Gabrie That's fair, perception will change based on locale.

I was more thinking globally as a platform, it hasn't flopped but hasn't succeeding as they would like either. Microsoft have also made a lot of money from Xbox this gen... although not as much as they would like. That's kinda why I feel they are in the balance.

@Gabrie I'm not sure I'd call the Xbox Series X project a failure. It is a brilliant machine, that sadly hasn't sold quite enough. But at the same time it has sold well enough - 35 million users is nothing to sniff at - it hasn't flopped, it's in that middling ground.

I did see a lot of positive chatter about the 25th anniversary XSX, but it probably won't sell a lot at current prices. (They haven't actually announced how much this model will be and if it will be a premium - they likely want to avoid headlines like $1000 Xbox)

Xbox Ally X20 has the advantage of being PC hardware so they can just up the specs and improve performance, consoles don't work like that where devs target specific hardware. Though that comes with some problems e.g.

• Devs can't target the constantly changing hardware as easily
• Consumers often have to tweak game settings themselves to get the most out of the hardware.
• Consumers may feel hard done by if the new expensive hardware they bought is constantly superseded by a newer better model.

Xbox may need to navigate thse issues and more with Helix / Xbox PC in future.

These things and more

@Gabrie What would be the point so late in the generation? Most devs aren't going to go back and improve their games so a more powerful model would only work on a small number of games. Plus with current costs it would be more expensive than the $800 XSX.

This is mostly for collectors, both the type that want to keep it, and the type that want to eventually sell it as it as limited editions have a higher resale value.

@Weebleman It used to be a problem with typical journalists being sent on these wildly lavish party weekend's - there's some wild ones mentioned in Jason Schreier's book on Activision - but at least then you hoped there was some journalistic integrity to ignore that. But it's mostly frowned upon, and reported on, now.

But I have zero trust in most influencers and the amount of "PR" packages and things they receive can be ridiculous. I remember the yellow CyberPunk chair being a big turning point with many viewers pointing out who had accepted the bag - we saw a lot of those CyberPunk chairs disappear and get replaced quickly once the game released in the state it did. It's all too shady and obfuscated.

@Weebleman I'd posit many are influencers - it isn't cheap to attend these events. Certainly a lot were as many were talking about this in their videos that I saw, and many more were excited about the return of Fanfest in the run up to the event. Bringing back Fanfest was a sensible bit of marketing from Xbox imo.

Though - full disclosure - it's worth saying that I have also personally got gifts from Xbox Fanfest with ZERO gaming social media presence and zero following including a massive box the size of a dishwasher a few years ago containing all sorts of low-key goodies - X-box branded T-shirt, blanket, cushion, stickers, etc.

@Skinny-Pete But it is likely true, yet also not all that statistically relevant if IGN's affiliate links were 8:1 to Sony.

If Xbox had said nothing no one would be reporting on this today, the story would have come and gone over a quiet weekend. Instead they have just extended the negative news cycle on this matter into this week when far more eyes are on it. They need to learn when to say nothing and let things blow over.

And what was the point of speaking up? They didn't 'whoop' anyone or disprove anything, only made it look even more credible by having such a weak comeback. Of course GTA6 has record pre-orders, if it didn't things would be even worse than we thought, right?

Why does one have to be lie? BOTH are likely true.

From IGNs affiliate link they saw 8:1 PlayStation to Xbox... so what? It's a tiny sample.

Xbox have record pre-orders... also so what? This isn't surprising. GTA6 is expected to be the biggest media release of all time, it would frankly be more surprising if they DIDN'T have record pre-orders.

But the fact Xbox are saying anything just comes across as overly defensive, and that they pull out a fairly useless stat like record pre-orders on the most popular game ever, that won't stop the rumour mill, in fact it will just keep tongues wagging even more.

A bit naïve of Xbox imo, if they had said nothing this story would have come and gone faster, instead they have made it a larger story. I think they need to learn that often the best thing you can do is be quiet.

Record pre-orders on Xbox does not necessarily mean it isn't being massively outsold on other platforms, they aren't mutually exclusive.

While I agree the specific affiliate link data from IGN was pretty useless what isn't useless is data from Chris Dring of The Games Business that said:

A new AAA single-player game on console tends to do about 75% - 80% of its sales (at launch) on PlayStation vs Xbox. That number is often lower when it comes to online multiplayer games

The fact Xbox are even saying ANYTHING feels like deflection tbh.

The one that shocked me about this is no Gears E-Day! I know you said it's only just been added to this list earlier this month... but Stranger than Heaven was also only recently added and makes the Top 10, GTA6 was only added days ago and is #1.

And I will never understand the MASS appeal of Euro Truck Simulator. I can understand it has appeal, I just am surprised it's so many.

Standard edition - I don’t want to support the “Ultimate edition” business model.

But I also think people are exaggerating the importance of the additional content. E.g. It’s unlikely these are the only stores doing tattoos and car mods, it’s likely you just can’t use one of many. A lot of games have Ultimate editions with additional content that isn’t actually important, I suspect this will be similar and there will be very little difference between the two.

It's a nice story, but in truth there's not many of the same Pokemon devs making this.

It's part of a Game Freak initiative called the "Gear Project" Model where small teams internally pitch non-Pokemon ideas that then get funded and produced by external partners with Game Freak handling direction and oversight. This is unlike Pokemon where almost all the staff are in house.

@Millionski For sure. It's also going to be interesting to see how they handle this going forward and to see what the competition does.

If, for example, the rumoured PS6 handheld "just works" and plays all games easily that would be a highly compelling offering to many gamers I think. Yes that would lock you into the PS ecosystem, and could be expensive - there's pros and cons to each approach - but for many gamers I think that would be the preferable solution.

I look forward to seeing how both of these approaches evolve, I hope Xbox mandates this from next gen so that EVERY game works.

Because from Xbox's perspective they just want to sell you games, and many buyers like reviews. I agree it's stupid.

@Millionski half baked is right.

• FPS boost = absolutely brilliant but only a tiny subset of games
• X-enhanced - exactly the same
• Quick resume - amazing… when it works
• Smart delivery - not always so smart
• Auto-HDR - only works well on a small subset of games
• Play anywhere - brilliant! But we shouldn’t have to consult a spreadsheet to see if our current game works or not. It needs to “just work”, no questions asked…

ALL these are brilliant in theory but Xbox likes to abandon them too soon imo, or not improve them. It’s a shame as if they did all these would stack up. It goes hand in hand with their constant flip-flopping of strategy. Just see it through. So frustrating, be better.

Big milestone, well done. 👏

But it really needs to JUST WORK from next gen. Every game has to be included else it isn’t going to be a unique selling point for most players.

Gamers shouldn’t have to consult a chart on whether a game is compatible it should just work like Switch 2. Until it does it’s a nice to have feature when it works but not something you can rely on as a key differentiator for Xbox.

@kmtrain83 Totally agree for us enthusiasts 2TB is just the start of what we need. Sad to see it discontinued but also don’t blame them, it was understandable when the XSX 2TB version. Was briefly more expensive than the PS5 Pro 2TB. It got them a lot of grief.

@Titntin That 2TB has always been underrated on Pro. It was ONE of the key reasons I upgraded when I was on the fence due to sticker shock. I already had a 1TB m.2 expansion installed, upgrading again would have meant replacing this with a 2TB one which was pricey at the time. It's a considerable upgrade especially if you had the launch model (just 667GB usable) it tripled your usable base storage.

Like the look of this. I am intrigued why Amazon dropped funding for it though.

@RegnumSolipsi Well done! I am still kicking myself for not picking up 32GB (or dare I say 64gb) of fast DDR5 RAM last year when it was £75. Hell 64GB was half what I paid for 32GB then (£299) and that felt like a bargain as most is £400+.
Same with SSDs! Crazy times, with no end in sight.

@ilyn This was always the problem with both consolidation and games taking so long to make. IP just sits there doing nothing.

Also in reality most creatives don't want to be working on the same IP forever, they want to create new things. This is where I think Japan has done it quite well where things like Mario and Zelda go on but new staff and teams take over (with some of the same heads) which both keeps the devs happy and keeps the games fresh.

As for Resistance I liked all 3 games... but I don't think it's a very strong IP, I don't think it sold all that well, and sales tailed off as the franchise went on, not sure that is the IP I would bring back personally, but we all have favourites.

@Skinny-Pete I honestly don't think parts prices are getting any cheaper any time soon. I actually just bought a new PC (primarily for work) yesterday because of this. A system I had specced up last year for £2k is now well over £3k. Madness.

I didn't want to pay that so went for something more modest with some upgrade potential in a few years if prices ever come down.

@ilyn You don't get good results if creatives are "put to the task" of anything, they have to deeply WANT to make their games else you will end up with average games, or cancelled ones, and staff that leave.

Sony historically doesn't tell their studios what to make, instead the studios have to pitch their own ideas to Sony that have to be approved, and then constantly re-approved at various milestones to not be cancelled. Obviously you can't always win but this process has typically worked well for them in the past. Trust in your creators.

What complicates this is when Sony pushes towards something like live services and the studios know that and also want funding and so they pitch live services because their other pitches are being rejected - this is the grey area, and as we have seen leads to less good results.

Bungie hasn't been at Sony very long, just since 2022, so they haven't made a game that was initially green-lit by Sony and run through this process, so it will be interesting to see if they can recover and make something worthwhile. Fingers crossed, it would be a shame to see Bungie die.

@Kloppo @Ooccoo_Jr Life isn't so one dimensional. It's possible to feel for a company like Xbox who is already struggling and has to make ***** anti-consumer decisions like this due to things beyond their control. NO one want's to raise the price of Xbox, most of all Microsoft, it does them no favours, but what's the alternative? Lose hundreds per box with no chance of a ROI?

Workers being laid off is an entirely separate matter and of course it's possible to feel for them too, it isn't either/or.

And can’t Microsoft let Sony have a whole day of bad news without saying “hold my beer”?

AGAIN!!! WTF???

Feel for them to be honest, no one want to do this.

Sad to see, but not unexpected, wishing those affected well.

Unfortunately Bungie was a bad panic buy by Sony, writing should have been on the wall when Activision released them from their contract early.

Selfishly I hope the core team is focused into making something with a campaign more like Halo than live service like Destiny.

I've almost only used Rewards to get Game Pass. It used to be you could get more per month than Game Pass Ultimate cost so I have barely spent anything on that this gen. I think I have around 60k points right now and 3 years stacked so will likely just keep saving it to use there.

@NishimaruX Already GoW Laufey is rumoured to be Feb / March. That on top of Fable, Tomb Raider, Metro 2039, Persona 4 revival... and we're still 8ish months away. Honestly Feb/Mar might end up worse than Sep/Oct.

This only makes me more worried to be honest.

It's like football teams coming out and backing their manager.

No smoke without fire.

I'd like to see them standardise the Game Hub button. If you have switched the layout so that 'A' still opens the game and 'X' opens the Game Hub then this doesn't work everywhere (e.g. on groups of the homepage) it should be the same everywhere based on your setting.