themightyant

Not surprising at all. I don't know how you would set a price in this uncertain climate where RAM can triple in a few months. Analysts seem to suggest prices won't come down for a few years, so this might well affect the next Xbox, but prices hopefully should have stabilised by then too.

@Fiendish-Beaver It could, but I don't think it will.

The trouble is this all basically rests on one man, Satya Nadella, and his cronies like Amy Hood. He could give a thumbs up or thumbs down one day and bring Xbox as we know it to an end. He's done similar for other divisions within Microsoft, even ones that by other's metrics would be seen as successful.

However 3 reasons why I don't think he will.

• Gaming is Microsoft's third biggest business segment, bigger than Windows. Even if it isn't being quite as successful as he would like, it still brings in big bucks.
• Gaming generally is still growing, especially PC, so there's still untapped potential.
• While Microsoft Gaming now makes more money from publishing than they do as a platform holder (based on the change in revenue and profit since they bought ABK) there's no doubt being a platform holder still brings in a lot of money and things like a 30% cut on MTX is basically free money with very little outlay. Games themselves are more complicated, but it's better to have eggs in many baskets.

And for balance here's 3 reasons why he might:

• I don't believe Game Pass is anywhere near profitable enough for him, but shut down that and what does Xbox have to rally around as a USP, to entice new gamers? Play Anywhere??? It's not enough. If you shut down Game Pass the best reason to own an Xbox for many gamers is gone. (Although the USP in future could be all the PC stores + Xbox on one device + Play Anywhere, that's more enticing)
• That 30% store cut might not last. If regulators decide to intervene and lower this then being a platform holder may not be as appealing anymore. However this would be worse for Sony who makes most of their money off other publishers games on their store. In fact I have posited that Microsoft / Xbox might even lead the way here, lower their store cut and try and put pressure on regulators to lower Sony's, effectively damaging the competition more than themselves.
• Cost of hardware for NextBox just becomes cost prohibitive with their current plans, made when PC parts were much cheaper, to the point where it just won't sell much. Rather than stick it out, sack it off, just move to publishing.

If I had to put money on it I don't think Xbox is going anywhere. They might shrink it further, but I don't think it will disappear as a platform. But what makes Xbox / Microsoft so interesting to follow at the moment is while I think that's HIGHLY unlikely, I do think it's possible. That sense of insecurity is making a lot of Xbox gamers nervous, and some are jumping ship, while I personally think that's a bit foolish, it is also understandable.

@Fiendish-Beaver Like @ilyn said I think it will be hard for Microsoft to make users use their store. But I have presented some examples of how they could do that.

In short Microsoft will likely give you the console experience via the Xbox store (pre-set game settings, pre-compiled shaders, Play Anywhere, cross save, quick resume, etc.) and generally make it as easy to use as possible. Convenience.

Whereas I'd expect them to make you jump through several hoops for the other stores and almost make it as inconvenient as possible, at least initially. I am FASCINATED to see how they attempt it, as it's one of the largest gaming shifts I can think of... and to see if they can pull it off.

There is always the chance, as some have suggested, that this is their exit strategy as a platform holder, just allow everything and then slowly step back and back to become a publisher only, initially only making extremely expensive devices and pricing people out. Effectively make us give up on them as a platform, not the other way around and slowly move us to PC.

I'm not sure I buy that, but it is possible, and if I was aiming for that in 7+ years this might be a way to go about it without tanking the whole Microsoft Gaming brand.

@Fiendish-Beaver These 'perks' are like when you receive an offer card in something else you purchased. Get £50 of free wine (... if you sign up to a £20 a month subscription). Almost all the games are MTX laden live services.

The reality is that the vast majority of people will only use the xbox store and never even install epic/steam/gog.

@BacklogBrad while I mostly agree with you if it was a mass market console, I am not so sure if it’s a high end premium PC/console. In that demographic users are more likely to be more tech savvy and willing to try things like sideloading and unofficial stores.

That said see my post above for reasons I agree with you.

@Sindayl I suspect that they hope features like Xbox Play Anywhere or Quick Resume will make the enthusiasts want to buy from the Xbox Store. They’ll give advantages to buying from them.

Additionally I expect them to create just enough friction, through deliberate UI design, to push people to buy on the native store not Steam, Epic etc. e.g. look how Android handles external app stores with warnings and other notices that will scare off a lot of casual users and most use the official stores.

You’ll probably have to jump through a few hoops to use the other stores which means less people will use it. Path of least resistance.

At least this will probably be the plan… whether it works 🤷

We’ll probably see all these tactics used and more.

@Fiendish-Beaver Same. I’m interested in Thai, but not at these prices. I played a bit at a mates house and it was ok. As you said plenty of other games to play.

@Fiendish-Beaver I get the impression Phil's autobiography would be a bit boring tbh. That's less to do with NDAs and more that I don't think he's the sort of self-aggrandising person that say Peter Moore or Seamus Blackley are (I like them both, but they are different personalities). He comes across as a loyal company man who's been there for so long and wouldn't want to upset the apple cart for Microsoft or his proteges even after the fact, similar to Shuhei Yoshida. And Phil's been handsomely rewarded for it (reports suggest around $10m annually, plus bonuses). But I agree I'd love a fly on the wall account!

@Jenkinss I agree they have had much more of a focus on financial results since ABK, I didn't say otherwise. Just questioning how the 30% might have been misinterpreted. I don't think it's a blanket top down "everyone must make 30% margins this year, or you're in trouble" statement like many believe.

@Fiendish-Beaver I tried... but when you see nonsense posted it needs to be called out and backed up with receipts not feelings.

It's possible to love gaming on Xbox and also admit the PS5 Pro is a great bit of kit... or even just that it's selling ok, not peddling fake news. This console war nonsense is just childish.

Christ you can't help yourself... everything has to be a bloody console war, and nonsense to boot. For the record, for those that like facts backed up by data, PS5 Pro accounted for approximately 13% of all PS5 consoles sold in the US during 2025, according to Circana (formerly NPD) who have actual sales data, which is in line with the PS4 Pro's historical sales. Sales were expected to be below the cheaper PS4 Pro so it is actually exceeding expectations.

In Japan 25% of all PS5s sold since PS5 Pro released have been the Pro model. See data from here and here.

Any ACTUAL evidence of a flop?

As for reviews that is more subjective. It's true it was initially had some teething problems with PSSR and the price made it prohibitive for some making it harder to recommend at the time. But recently PS5 Pro game enhancements have been strong and plentiful, and with other consoles prices going up the cost/price equation has gotten much better over time, hence why it's selling well.

@Fiendish-Beaver I have no idea what the average is.

We've heard conflicting leaks about Microsoft's 30% target. Taken at face value if it was mandated and forced then it's a bad thing.

But was it ACTUALLY mandated like that, or was this more of a goal "this is where we would like your division to be in X years. That is the target we want you to work towards" and have some flexibility in there, which I think is a healthier business goal. The trouble with leaks like this is they often have shreds of truth in them - like the 30% target - but are missing the nuance that changes how that is perceived.

The likelihood is we will never know the truth of it, but I doubt it was as heavy handed as some reports claimed. Several respectable journalists distanced themselves from the claims saying it wasn't quite accurate at the time, suggesting it was more the later than the former.

Good to hear, but it's still 9+ months away, still a long way to go and it might still need a little more time in the oven.

@Daffy-Duck I can't see it being a dud, but I can see many people being a bit disappointed by it in some ways. Personally I'm not that excited for the game itself, Rockstar's gameplay is very tired to me, but I am excited for the game world, and seeing what is possible in game development with virtually no limit on time, budget and devs. That makes it a day 1 buy, as there's nothing else quite like it. They might also surprise me on the gameplay side.

@Fiendish-Beaver 30% profit margins are not impossible, many studios have them especially with live services. And even a few mostly single player publishers do too, but you typically have to make great games, that sell well, cost efficiently, it’s not just GTA.

Look at Capcom for example that just announced net profits of ¥38.8 billion (up 68.6% YoY) on net sales of ¥115.3 billion (up 29.8% YoY). A 33.7% profit margin (up, I believe, from 25.9% last year).

But both Capcom’s quality and quantity of output is exceptionally impressive based on a reported staff count of less than 4,000 employees. Microsoft has a long way to go if they want to match this.

I agree with the rest of your post though, Microsoft need to focus on making better games of they want to hit that target.

A lot of this is just down to environmental factors you can't change. I lived in a house with carpets that held onto a lot of the dust and my PS4 console was pretty clean. But my PS4 Pro in an old dusty house with hardwood floors and it was filthy when I took it apart to clean it when it sounded like a jet engine.

@Coletrain I agree 48GB initially seems like overkill, but remember this is meant to be a premium device. Even the Xbox Ally X handheld has 24GB to run Windows and gaming at 1080p. 32GB seems like the bare minimum to me.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Who says it's the height of prices? Do you think they will come down anytime soon? Many analysts think this will be what RAM cost for many years... and it's still going up.

@Neither_scene Fair points. But I don't think AMD/Nvidia will sync with consoles, they'll get their stuff out when they can. To be clear I don't think it will be dated at launch, but give it a few years and if you've delayed 2 years it will be vs PC specs. 2 years sooner than usual.

Always good to see. Hate having to change my schedule to fit something leaving in.

@johnK It's always going to be subjective based on what you like and what you've already played but i'd say Jan was strong. SW: Outlaws, Re: Village, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Mio: Memories in Orbit, Talos Principle 2, Death Stranding DC, Warhammer 40K SM2, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, Little Nightmares and more. There's at least eight 80+ Metacritic games in January alone.

@ZeD It's impossible to keep up. But we don't have to. It's not like we complete Netflix or Spotify, it just means more choice.

@Coletrain Yes sorry shared pool, i'll fix that. But would it be crazy? RAM usually at LEAST doubles each gen, with most of it available to the GPU.

• Xbox had just 64MB of DDR RAM
• X360 had 512MB of GDDR3 RAM
• Xbox One had 8GB GDDR3 RAM
• Xbox Series X has 16GB GDDR6 RAM.

And XboxPC is rumoured to be a high end device, and would likely have to waste some resources on Windows, i'd say 32GB is bare minimum expected to get a noticeable bump.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Delaying initially seems like an easy solution, I agree there is life in the current systems.

BUT there's two problems with that. Firstly they will have spent hundreds of millions already developing their system and chips with AMD, they aren't likely to re-do all that, it costs too much, so the hardware just gets older before it's even released. The second problem is there is no guarantee the market will be any better in another 1-2 years, in fact hardware prices are still going up.

It's a tough problem to solve for both Microsoft and Sony, the market just isn't in a good place right now. But their chips would have been developed and taped out with circuit boards ready for manufacturing, they are VERY unlikely to go back and change that. So if they delay the hardware just gets older before it's even released. That's not good.

But on the other hand with RAM and other prices going through the roof, and the new console rumoured to have 36GB (or even 48GB) or DDR7 RAM this would cost a small fortune. They only really have a few options:

• Delay - but then the hardware gets older even before release
• Reduce the amount of RAM, maybe to 24GB but then it's not as balanced a system, it was designed around more.
• Release with 36GB of RAM but hike prices up for consumers
• Delay - but spend hundreds of millions developing new hardware (highly unlikely). Costs would also have to go up to cover this.
• Cancel the next Xbox

No easy choices.

@Jaxx420 It's not for all game. I still complete quite a few. But I try and only do it if i'm still having fun and not if it becomes a drag, which sadly many lists do. Yep we also all have comfort games, sometimes that's all you want.

I've decided I am not going to aim for completion, just mostly main line them and do a bit of the side stuff I actually enjoy, which reduces most games playtime to around 25% - 50% according to HLTB. They vary in length for the main campaign from 18 - 32 hours up until Like a Dragon, which is quite manageable, then they typically get longer. Whereas the completionist times are 80 - 144 hours to this point.

But the trouble is I do usually complete games, or at least do a lot of side quests, it's my preferred way to play. But it feels like either this or nothing, we'll have to see how I get on. Good luck @FraserG

@FraserG I feel ya dude! Playing Yakuza 0 and seeing how I get on is on my list for 2026! But it's a LOT of games.

Reminder that 150 points is around £0.13 in the UK (based on conversion to Xbox credit).

So 13p for at a minimum 1.5 hours of activity. As @Cakefish said this is hardly covering energy costs of Xbox, tv, speakers etc. Not worth it imo. YMMV

Also not a fan of mandating playing on different platforms like this. They already do if with search, mobile apps and more of you want to maximise rewards, it’s all gotten a bit tedious imo and too much like a second job.

It looks fabulous and getting really strong reviews for a remake of a 25 year old game. Looking forward to playing this in due course.

Not played it yet. Was waiting for a lot of patches to enable things like NPCs that actually move! Might play it soon though.

I don't know why he keeps all titles back to 2020, that's not a roadmap, that's past history. Looking forward to Fable, Clockwork Revolution and Blade most of all. And of course Elder Scrolls 6, but I don't think that's anytime this gen.

I don't REALLY want it on Console, it's lacking a lot of features, but I love how it's clean and has so few ads unlike the Xbox dashboard that is littered with them. Take a bit of inspiration from that and tone down the number of ads, or at least give us more control to customise the home screen.

It sounds cool on paper, but I haven't played a game recently where space combat is fun for more than an hour or so. The gameplay gets tired fast imo. There just isn't much room for growth or player expression.

It was an interesting curio I enjoyed for a few hours and then promptly uninstalled it, never to be played again. Some games age gracefully, some age poorly, Goldeneye is firmly in the latter camp.

Looks like the Xbox UI wihout.... oh I see others have said the same. But it REALLY does look the Xbox UI without as many ads have a look yourself. https://xbox.com/play

Can we have this on Xbox too please.

I remember enjoying the first game... but can't actually remember it. Not sure quite what that says about it. But with Gamepass i'll give it another whirl.

Probably none of them, as my backlog of better games is so long. But maybe Anno Muta... (checks spelling)...tionem eventually if it's still on the service.

@Tasuki LOL. I think the reason they don't add it to Game Pass is like candy, or dealers, they have given Xbox users their first free fix and now want them to pay for it now they are hooked.

I loved Carmageddon back in the day, put countless hours into it, so fun... but I was also a teenager... not sure i'll get the same kicks from it now. Will be interesting to see how they have evolved the formula, if it holds up, and if subjectively I still find that fun.

@Fiendish-Beaver @Feffster Great shout PS+ for a new PS5 owner is a no brainer, whereas if you’ve been on the platform for a long time you’ve probably played most of those games and it’s less value. (Same for someone new to Xbox and Game Pass)

Also agree that most games are enhanced not just those with PS5 Pro Enhanced tags. Basically anything that doesn’t hit a stable framerate or has dynamic resolution scaling will look or perform better. Everything typically just plays smoother in my experience, and in some games like Elden Ring it’s a pretty sizeable difference that gets you over the VRR line pretty consistently.

@Fiendish-Beaver it’s less bout gaming at 120Hz this gen and more about using that 120Hz mode to enable 40fps modes, VRR with low frame rate compensation and other boons. Though a few games do offer 120Hz modes it’s usually not worth the graphical trade off imo. YMMV

@Fiendish-Beaver that’s quite the flip.

Anyway enjoy the PS5 Pro, it’s a great machine, and the best place to play almost all titles on console. I’ve been very happy with mine. If you haven’t played it get Astro Bot, it’s just about the closest to a perfect game I’ve played in a long time.

While I absolutely think Xbox will have another console I can understand your fears, even if I think they won’t happen anytime soon.

Maybe. Usually I’d say definitely not because they don’t want to cannibalise sales of their current console, but they seemingly don’t care about selling that much (low stock etc.) so maybe just a glimpse at what’s coming tomorrow. But odds are still low.

@Fiendish-Beaver @Sindayl I'm cautiously optimistic about Xbox-PC. I think it's the right direction for them... IF they can deliver on the alleged promise of a high-end PC with the convenience of an under TV console that plays everything XSX plays plus other PC launchers all under one roof, then it could be brilliant. But that's a big IF.

Xbox steps on so many rakes with any good news they seem to self destruct too. Here's my concerns e.g.

• I'm not convinced it will be a console like experience - ROG Xbox Ally X certainly isn't a smooth user experience.
• Will it actually play all games natively well? If so how are they going to do it. They shouldn't be able to emulate XSX games so it must either be translation layer, some sort of dual boot, or a Windows/Xbox hybrid OS (but will this work smoothly without issues). It just needs to work.
• Play anywhere needs to be on everything they sell / Game Pass. Don't make us think or have to look up which games are compatible. Again it just needs to work.
• Xbox pivots faster than runway models, I am not sure if they will follow through with it if it doesn't immediately succeed, or will pivot strategy once again.
• EDIT: Also what is all this going to cost? How many will it price out and alienate?

So they have a lot of hurdles to climb. But as I said yesterday I'll likely be there day 1 again.

It's a shame for Xbox fans but also understandable. If you are feeling the pinch as a developer and need to focus on just 1- 2 platforms the obvious one to skip is usually going to be the one in last place.

This is something Microsoft is seemingly addressing next gen with their XboxPC, but until then it will continue to happen sadly.

@Fiendish-Beaver I'll probably also end up getting both, not least I now have Game Pass stacked till 2029 and I use the service a lot. But it will depend on the cost and features of the PCBox, everything will be cross gen for a while, so I could just stick on XSX if it's super expensive and/or I don't like the direction it's gone.

Good to see it getting positive impressions, hopefully gamers give it a fair shake.

I'd love to see something new from them. Hopefully there's something new in amongst all these shows.

@acmiguens Oh that's for sure. Some people will just complain whatever, and it can be hard to parse the valid complaints from the whingers.

But as someone who used to buy virtually ALL their games day 1 and haven't bought even one day 1 for the last 5 years I think there's a lot to complain about. While I get around to many of them eventually it just feels like i've played most of it before, their games doesn't surprise and delight much anymore.

Ultimately I think they make good games now - well made, but uninspired games - but they used to make great games - games that would push boundaries and ideas - but no longer, and to me that's a shame. I'd love to be as excited for the next Ubisoft release as I was 20+ years ago, i'd love Ubisoft to regain their status as one of the great developers in the world. Fingers crossed the restructure helps them claim some of that former creative glory.

@acmiguens In a similar position, though I have a Series X I think I might want to own this and so if the PS5 Pro version is good I might but it there. Will wait for reviews. Massively looking forward to it.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner If you want a serious answer... ask AI... apparently. The only reference I could find is to how much it sold in first 6 days, which isn't the same question. It's also from a guestimate from Alinea Analytics, not a very reliable source. There are no official numbers on game sales on different platforms.

@Feffster OK I'll bite. The dislike, as far as I see it, is twofold.

• Ubisoft USED to be a company that pushed boundaries and new ideas, their content felt fresh and exciting. Even within series Far Cry 2 was very different to Far Cry 3, Prince of Persia, AC, Rayman used to all massively evolve, now they don't. We've basically had Far Cry 3 and Assassin's Creed on repeat for a decade.
  On top of AAA they used to bring out unique and beloved titles like Beyond Good and Evil, Child of Light, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Child of Eden. Now they don't
• All their game series now feel alike, if you have played more than a handful they all start to merge into each other, it's homogenised game design by committee. Well made, but pretty soulless games that rarely push game design in new interesting new ways.

But credit where it's due, they do support their older titles with updates, Kudos for that at least.

That would be awesome as I love this format, it's just about perfect.

They certainly have enough developers, and if their games are ready go for it!

I don't think we can quite say that yet, at least in terms of console exclusives. I think we might still see some, when it makes sense, just not many.

The memory crisis is a major concern that there isn't an easy solution to, especially for Xbox if they are committed to building an ultra-premium console. If, as was leaked due to bus size, Xbox Magnus was aiming for up to 48GB, with 36GB most likely (24GB unlikely) of ultra fast GDDR7 memory then this will cost a small fortune.

They can either.

• Release as planned and pass the cost on to us. $$$$$
• Delay, hoping memory costs come down. But then the rest of the silicon is just getting older, and every year they wait the specs comparatively get worse.
• Reduce the amount of memory to 24GB or lower, but then it doesn't do what they were planning it to, and consoles are built to work in harmony, this will be a bottleneck.
• EDIT: or yeah, cancel it like you said... But I think that would be death of the brand, one big lie too many. I don't see it happening.

No easy solutions. While this is the same issue Sony and others will have to deal with the rumour it PS6 was designed to be a more cost efficient console so the cost increase from memory shouldn't be as large. That could mean we are looking at Xbox being twice as expensive as PS6 which makes it a hard sell to many.