@AccessibleDaydream Sure. The natural refresh rate of the panel is 120Hz and 40fps divides into that exactly 3 times making motion appear smoother.
Whilst this is less important as the panel has VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) - meaning it will show a frame whenever one is ready - hitting a frame rate that better aligns with the panel's refresh rate is still preferable for perceived motion clarity with evenly paced frames. VRR is great, but it's not everything.
Additionally while 40fps may only seem a little better than 30fps, and a long way from 60fps, in fact it's the exact half way point between the two in terms of frame time. To my eyes it's a great balance between feeling smooth enough and being able to push fidelity as high as possible. 40fps is great, especially on handheld.
30fps = 1/30 = 33.3ms every frame
40fps = 1/40 = 25ms every frame (8.33ms difference to 30fps)
60fps = 1/60 = 16.66ms every frame (8.33ms difference to 40fps)
Personally I buy any Ubisoft games at a sale because playing the same thing isn't worth full price, and they have conditioned me that they will go on sale quickly. When was the last Ubisoft game that felt truly fresh and new? It's stale.
If they want me to buy day 1 they need to push the boundaries of what is possible again, be exciting, like they used to do with Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, early Assassin's Creed titles, Far Cry 3, The Division, Beyond Good and Evil, Rayman, Splinter Cell and others.
@Sol4ris I think it's far more nuanced than that. Are there some deranged takes online, sure yes, but there always are.
Are Xbox making more hardware? Yes absolutely. But will it be what users consider a home console? This is more complicated. Usually a console is a more affordable gaming device that plays games on a TV with far more convenience than a PC. What they seems to be moving to sounds less like a console and more like an optimised fixed spec PC. There's pros and cons to that, and while personally I’m quite excited, I also don't blame a lot of XBOX fans who are worried that they are going to get left behind. Especially on price.
The other trouble is Xbox has spent YEARS saying one thing but then doing another, hence many people simply don't trust their words anymore. ACTIONS speak louder.
I agree the Xbox rumours are out of hand, but I think this is problem of their own making. That's why they have alienated so many Xbox fans too.
@Deshalu Forza Horizon 5 was an undeniably well made game... but it was unexciting because it was basically just a reskin of Forza Horizon 4 with few new mechanics.
I put over a hundred hours into FH4 but dropped FH5 within the first 5. Many people said similar here and online. It maybe still deserved a GOTY nomination that year imo, but still won 3 awards. Hopefully they shake it up for FH6.
As expected Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 domination. I have it winning virtually every category it's in.
But GAME PASS players are the big winner with Expedition 33, Silksong, Blue Prince, Atomfall, The Alters, Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, Ninja Gaiden 4, Avowed, The Outer Worlds 2 all included. 10 TGA nominees, we been feasting!
The Earth has warmed and cooled countless times over the lifetime of the planet, and long before man ever existed.
This is undeniably true... but it doesn't tell the whole story. The earth has never warmed or cooled at anything like this rate EVER in the recorded history of the planet, which we can tell from analysing ice cores, ocean sediment, tree rings and other methods to read past climate conditions.
Whether you believe it's man-made CO₂ or not what is also undeniably clear is that SOMETHING has changed the earth's natural cycle, the Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate and there is a wealth of evidence to suggest it's caused by human activity.
I suspect the video was Piers Corbyn or one of the other FEW climate experts who deny this (and the cynic in me says they make a good living off it too... but i'd love the link anyway). Fact checked articles have stated 97% of climate experts DO believe climate change is caused by man. Am I more likely to side with that 97% who have a wealth of peer-reviewed evidence... or the few who push back usually with pretty flimsy arguments.
@Chip-Douglas It may well say that on the home screen, but there have been over 20 mainline COD campaigns, not unreasonably we have certain expectations from that... like not being pushed into a lobby on a single player campaign, and being able to pause the game because... life happens.
@Chip-Douglas It is when the SINGLE-player is always online and won't even let you pause it! (Madness)
@swedetrap I'm probably in the minority here but it's not just competitive multiplayer that I think is a bad fit for handheld. I don't really like playing AAA on handheld either. It feels like watching the latest big-budget blockbuster on a phone. I'd rather play it on a bigger screen / TV. I use my handhelds for older and simpler games, but save the big budget stuff for a screen where I can actually appreciate it.
is a pretty big caveat for a handheld device and Microsoft's biggest game every year. Though, personally, I wouldn't want to play competitive multiplayer on a handheld.
I don't care if creatives use AI as a TOOL to help them achieve their vision. But it does depend HOW it is used and on what. But we can't have clear lines, as it always depends on the final product. e.g.
Look at something like Microsoft Flight Simulators absolutely brilliant use of AI to process satellite imagery and other data to create the whole world, something that would have been impossible without it.
I do wonder what a super-small team could do, making something like an Elder Scrolls, using AI as a tool, similar to how Hello Games made No Man's Sky with a tiny team and procedural generation.
I am both excited about the possibilities of what we COULD do, while also very cautious about what studios and publishers WILL do. But I don't think we should say it's always good or bad, because it isn't.
@Fraser G The original press release for OT1 & OT2 specifically said they were going to be on Game Pass until January 2026, as reported on Pure Xbox here and elsewhere, I wonder what changed?
@Lucylu1983 That's a shame, and a surprise, as the original announcement specifically said they were staying on Game Pass until 2026, which is unusual.
But I’m not that excited by the Halo remake, I’ll play it, but I want NEW games. Forza Horizon 6 needs to be more than FH 4 part 3, needs new ideas. Clockwork Revolution & Fable are my most anticipated upcoming Xbox titles since Perfect Dark’s cancellation. I’d love those.
A rising tide lifts all boats... especially in an emerging market like the handheld PC space.
But the ROG Xbox Ally has been a massive advertisement for the Steam Deck as a lot of reviewers ultimately concluded... that they will be going back to their Steam Decks. I'm sure Valve saw a sales spike as a result.
My view is there are pros and cons to each system, and which you prefer will be subjective. E.g. if you are embedded in the PC Xbox ecosystem, Game Pass etc. then the Rog Xbox Ally X may be the better choice for you. But I also believe the Steam Deck is a better choice overall for a wider variety of gamers, crucially it;s also at a lower price point.
@Titntin Agreed. Though it's interesting they shared estimated sales revenue totals.
If they expect to generate $96m - $160m in sales from its Ally line this quarter, that's between 96,000 - 160,000 units of the Xbox Ally X and 160,000 - 266,667 Xbox Ally. (Though they will still sell some of the older models too)
But they also said it's the ROG Xbox Ally X (£1000) that is in demand not the £600 unit so it's likely nearer the 96k - 160k line.
@Cikajovazmaj I mean looking at many of Microsoft's other services they usually are convoluted and messy when compared to other API's. I have to deal with quite a few for work. Being a software and services company doesn't always mean your API's are easy to grasp for newcomers.
@Banjo- That's a fair point, you will always find SOMEONE willing to complain, but this is something that's been repeated several times over the years, not from one dev, which lends it credence.
Several devs have reported that Xbox dev Tools are behind the competition. Digital Foundry have discussed this and SkillUp's Patreon did a report into why people weren't publishing on Xbox and what the barriers were. One of them was difficulty with Xbox's dev tools.
In one sense he's not wrong, there is a large enough pie for everyone to have a sizeable piece. But... tell that to his overseers who won't be content with a smaller slice.
@kmtrain83 looking at Apple, and other devices, is a poor comparison, as Apple typically make a lot of profit on each device which gives them far more wiggle room to reduce profits without taking a loss. OR not upgrade systems as much each model while keeping profits the same.
What is fairer to compare is PS5 and it is odd that XSX has increased $150 since launch ($499 - $649) whereas PS5 has only increased $50 ($499 - $549). Why is this? Odd.
The obvious answer is PS5 has had a couple of internal revisions to make it cheaper to make. But if so why hasn't Xbox done the same?
No I don't think one game, even GTA, will change their plans if they are ready. It will be a year between GTA6 and next-gen, assuming GTA6 isn't delayed again. Just in time for a next-gen version after 18 months or so.
@Neither_scene Excellent post, agree with all of it. However I reckon the anti-cheat issue will become less of a problem over time. As more devices start to use Linux devs will likely develop workarounds that will work on these systems, they want to sell their games to as many gamers as possible, and keep them playing to buy MTX. I suspect Linux will become impossible to ignore.
@Weebleman I’m still not convinced NextBox will only run future
games as PC Versions, I still think there’s merit in having console versions with no tinkering required, games already optimised by the developer. That is a MAJOR benefit of console over PC.
I suspect Microsoft will likely also make the Xbox store PC versions more convenient with preset settings, pre-compiled shaders, cross buy, cloud saves, etc. making their PC versions more like an “it just works” console experience out of the box. Don’t discount how much people will pay for convenience.
Where Xbox might struggle however is the low budget crowd. If the neXtBox is as expensive as we expect then this will be a lot cheaper, anyone frustrated with Xbox or priced out of the ecosystem now has another reasonable option.
The Steam machine concept is very exciting in theory, but the specs leave me pretty cold. If it had released 5 years ago then maybe, but as it is on paper it looks like it will be behind current gen consoles in performance.
But more importantly with a new generation likely releasing about a year and a half after this it will be left in the dust in terms of performance shortly after release.
Perhaps i’m not the target market for this, but 8GB of VRAM just isn’t enough in 2025 for anyone wanting to play the latest games on PC. There are many PC games that struggle with just 8GB and this will only increase going forward. I realise they wanted to keep costs down but seems mad they didn’t release a higher end model imo. V2 could be very exciting though.
@You-come-to-me looking at the specs the CPU looks better than series X, the GPU looks about the same give or take, but there is only 8GB of VRAM (whereas series x has 13.5gb usable for games).
As memory and memory off bandwidth have been the issue with the series S (and lower end PC GPUs) I expect this to be the bottleneck in many cases and it to fell behind Series X, ESPECIALLY in newer games that are VRAM heavy. It should be able to AI upscale a bit better though with the newer architecture and that might just save it.
But Series X Is 5 years old and a new Xbox console will likely release less than 2 years after this releases next year, at which point it will be left far behind.
@IOI They had a MASSIVE circa-50% boost when ABK joined that isn't going to happen every time, it happens once. Though of course they would like more than 1% growth.
But also remember they bought an asset and part of the reason MS is almost a 4 trillion dollar corp is because they bought companies like ABK. They don't have to see a return just in P&L, they got a share bump too.
Honestly, I think these “consoles” will kill traditional consoles.
The problem will be price. Valve have already hinted (to Steve at Gamers Nexus) that this will be priced more like an entry level PC than a console. Considering on paper this is somewhere between a Series S and a Series X how much would you pay for it? Especially with next-gen likely less than a couple of years after this releases.
The beauty of the console model is that the hardware has typically been more affordable than a PC.
On paper it looks like it will sit somewhere between Series S and Series X on performance, though that will depend on the game and what is being stressed- CPU, GPU, Memory etc. 8GB VRAM seems a little thin for me, it might struggle on the latest titles (Indiana Jones will be a good test which really requires 12GB on Windows) and that doesn't set it up for the future that well imo. It's a shame there isn't a 12GB or 16GB model.
Price will be key. Unfortunately Steve at Gamers Nexus said Valve hinted it would be priced more like an entry level PC than a console, so expect it to be bit more than the specs alone might suggest.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner It's basically a TV based Steam Deck with slightly better specs to push to a 4K TV. But it's hardly pushing the specs. That's fine for me as I mostly only use my Steam Deck for older games I don't want to be playing the hottest AAA on a handheld.
But price will be interesting. In terms of specs it's behind current-gen consoles, maybe ahead of Series S, will it be priced in that bracket? e.g. £399.
UPDATE on PRICE. Steve at Gamers Nexus said Valve hinted this would be priced more like an entry-level PC and less like a console. So unfortunately it might look quite expensive when gauged against consoles.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner Should be pretty competitively priced, considering the specs. It's designed to play current Steam library at 4K / 60fps using AI upscaling, but will likely be 1440p in many games.
However the big question mark is the 8GB of VRAM which isn't very forwards thinking imo. NextBox should be a whole other beast... but also a LOT more expensive.
I think this is great news. At the very least it will give Microsoft a lot to think about, and some competition in the PC/console hybrid space. But this is the low-end compared to next gen consoles.
I've got the last Backbone and it's mostly brilliant. The best and most convenient mobile controller I have used. But while this seems to answer almost all my little quibbles about the Backbone (e.g. slightly larger sticks, and an Xbox button) I wouldn't pay £170 for it, that's over 3 times what I paid for mine.
I have no doubt it's a mostly good device - but for $1000 it better be! I do wonder if your view would differ had you paid $1000 for it.
The screen size is an issue, especially for text heavy games, same as when I stream to Steam Deck or mobile. If "everything is an Xbox" then Microsoft really needs to mandate adjustable UI design that will adapt to be readable on all displays, else "everything is a crippled Xbox".
Likewise their software needs a lot of work going into next gen, but I am glad they have the ROG Xbox Ally as a test run. Hopefully that will improve the experience when Next-gen drops.
But there's no doubting when it works, it works well.
It's a rarity, but for once I agree with Tim Sweeney. Eurogamer crossed a line here again, I said that in their comments. Similar to them boycotting Hogwart's Legacy, not reviewing it or covering it at all, they are harming their own credibility long term.
Personally I have no skin the Arc Raiders game, I'm never going to play it, but their review is mostly extremely positive that reads, to me, like a 4/5; but then they go on an anti-AI rant and give it a 2/5.
But as a fan and supporter of that site it's disappointing.
Bungie always felt like a panic buy, in the wake of ABK, not in line with Sony's other acquisitions. But it's too early to call if it's a failure, for all we know Marathon, or more likely Destiny 3 might propel them back to the top. But right now it's looks like a bad purchase.
The dust HASN'T settled for me and many others yet as we are signed up years in advance at lower rates. That day of reckoning will come months or years from now.
But I am on Ultimate until 2028 at least. Whether I will pay £23 a month (or whatever it costs in 2028) who knows, I will make that decision when I come to it. For now I am still averaging around £5 per month.
I suspect a lot of this has to do with lack of Switch 2 devkits, as it was reported that Nintendo was very slow to get devkits to studios, especially competitors like Microsoft. Furthermore it will likely take devs a bit of time to get accustomed to Switch 2 and development for the new system will initially take longer. I suspect in due course Xbox games will appear on Switch 2
Not for me personally, but it was a smart decision by Microsoft.
I don't believe the Series S has really 'held back' the Series X as some like to bleet, it just means the Series S version is lower resolution, lower framerate, and lower details than it could have been v XSX. I think there's literally been a handful of games where it was an issue. e.g. BG3 split screen.
Instead having a larger player base on Xbox, BECAUSE there was the lower prices Series S, has been an advantage, not a disadvantage, to Series X owners.
When she says "middle", she almost certainly means before it is discontinued and has little relation to next gen timings. E.g. PS4 was discontinued in Japan in 2024, but is still in production and supported elsewhere. I'd expect similar with PS5.
Series X is an utterly brilliant bit of hardware, marginally let down by some pretty average software. E.g. the OS is stuffed with ads and has enough features that should be great, like quick resume, but that frequently don’t quite work as intended.
For a software company Microsoft really needs to improve this side of things especially next gen where they seem to be merging with PC. If the ROG Xbox ally was a preview of things to come then there is a LOT of work still to do to have a smooth streamlined experience.
Regardless these software gripes are mostly minor and Series X is a brilliant device overall, been happy with my purchase since day 1.
Comments 7,976
Re: ASUS Announces Big Week Of ROG Xbox Ally Updates, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@AccessibleDaydream Sure. The natural refresh rate of the panel is 120Hz and 40fps divides into that exactly 3 times making motion appear smoother.
Whilst this is less important as the panel has VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) - meaning it will show a frame whenever one is ready - hitting a frame rate that better aligns with the panel's refresh rate is still preferable for perceived motion clarity with evenly paced frames. VRR is great, but it's not everything.
Additionally while 40fps may only seem a little better than 30fps, and a long way from 60fps, in fact it's the exact half way point between the two in terms of frame time. To my eyes it's a great balance between feeling smooth enough and being able to push fidelity as high as possible. 40fps is great, especially on handheld.
Re: ASUS Announces Big Week Of ROG Xbox Ally Updates, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
That's a pretty big one. I find 40fps is often the sweetspot that FEELS far closer to 60fps than 30fps to play. Amazed it wasn't at launch.
Re: Ubisoft UK Warns That Folks Just Aren't Buying As Many £50-£60 Games Anymore
That is likely ESPECIALLY true of Ubisoft games.
Personally I buy any Ubisoft games at a sale because playing the same thing isn't worth full price, and they have conditioned me that they will go on sale quickly. When was the last Ubisoft game that felt truly fresh and new? It's stale.
If they want me to buy day 1 they need to push the boundaries of what is possible again, be exciting, like they used to do with Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, early Assassin's Creed titles, Far Cry 3, The Division, Beyond Good and Evil, Rayman, Splinter Cell and others.
Re: Sarah Bond Insists Hardware Is 'Absolutely Core' To Xbox, Teases Powerful Next-Gen Console
@Sol4ris I think it's far more nuanced than that. Are there some deranged takes online, sure yes, but there always are.
Are Xbox making more hardware? Yes absolutely. But will it be what users consider a home console? This is more complicated. Usually a console is a more affordable gaming device that plays games on a TV with far more convenience than a PC. What they seems to be moving to sounds less like a console and more like an optimised fixed spec PC. There's pros and cons to that, and while personally I’m quite excited, I also don't blame a lot of XBOX fans who are worried that they are going to get left behind. Especially on price.
The other trouble is Xbox has spent YEARS saying one thing but then doing another, hence many people simply don't trust their words anymore. ACTIONS speak louder.
I agree the Xbox rumours are out of hand, but I think this is problem of their own making. That's why they have alienated so many Xbox fans too.
Re: Two Xbox Game Pass Titles Nominated For GOTY At The Game Awards, But Microsoft Misses Out
@Deshalu Forza Horizon 5 was an undeniably well made game... but it was unexciting because it was basically just a reskin of Forza Horizon 4 with few new mechanics.
I put over a hundred hours into FH4 but dropped FH5 within the first 5. Many people said similar here and online. It maybe still deserved a GOTY nomination that year imo, but still won 3 awards. Hopefully they shake it up for FH6.
Re: Two Xbox Game Pass Titles Nominated For GOTY At The Game Awards, But Microsoft Misses Out
As expected Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 domination. I have it winning virtually every category it's in.
But GAME PASS players are the big winner with Expedition 33, Silksong, Blue Prince, Atomfall, The Alters, Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, Ninja Gaiden 4, Avowed, The Outer Worlds 2 all included. 10 TGA nominees, we been feasting!
Re: Xbox Dev Obsidian Says It Hasn't Used Generative AI 'At All' So Far
Fiendish-Beaver wrote:
This is undeniably true... but it doesn't tell the whole story. The earth has never warmed or cooled at anything like this rate EVER in the recorded history of the planet, which we can tell from analysing ice cores, ocean sediment, tree rings and other methods to read past climate conditions.
Whether you believe it's man-made CO₂ or not what is also undeniably clear is that SOMETHING has changed the earth's natural cycle, the Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate and there is a wealth of evidence to suggest it's caused by human activity.
I suspect the video was Piers Corbyn or one of the other FEW climate experts who deny this (and the cynic in me says they make a good living off it too... but i'd love the link anyway). Fact checked articles have stated 97% of climate experts DO believe climate change is caused by man. Am I more likely to side with that 97% who have a wealth of peer-reviewed evidence... or the few who push back usually with pretty flimsy arguments.
Re: Hands On: Black Ops 7 Is Amazing On The ROG Xbox Ally X, As Long As You're Not Offline
@Chip-Douglas It may well say that on the home screen, but there have been over 20 mainline COD campaigns, not unreasonably we have certain expectations from that... like not being pushed into a lobby on a single player campaign, and being able to pause the game because... life happens.
Re: Hands On: Black Ops 7 Is Amazing On The ROG Xbox Ally X, As Long As You're Not Offline
@Chip-Douglas It is when the SINGLE-player is always online and won't even let you pause it! (Madness)
@swedetrap I'm probably in the minority here but it's not just competitive multiplayer that I think is a bad fit for handheld. I don't really like playing AAA on handheld either. It feels like watching the latest big-budget blockbuster on a phone. I'd rather play it on a bigger screen / TV. I use my handhelds for older and simpler games, but save the big budget stuff for a screen where I can actually appreciate it.
Re: Hands On: Black Ops 7 Is Amazing On The ROG Xbox Ally X, As Long As You're Not Offline
is a pretty big caveat for a handheld device and Microsoft's biggest game every year. Though, personally, I wouldn't want to play competitive multiplayer on a handheld.
Re: Xbox Dev Obsidian Says It Hasn't Used Generative AI 'At All' So Far
I don't care if creatives use AI as a TOOL to help them achieve their vision. But it does depend HOW it is used and on what. But we can't have clear lines, as it always depends on the final product. e.g.
Look at something like Microsoft Flight Simulators absolutely brilliant use of AI to process satellite imagery and other data to create the whole world, something that would have been impossible without it.
I do wonder what a super-small team could do, making something like an Elder Scrolls, using AI as a tool, similar to how Hello Games made No Man's Sky with a tiny team and procedural generation.
I am both excited about the possibilities of what we COULD do, while also very cautious about what studios and publishers WILL do. But I don't think we should say it's always good or bad, because it isn't.
Re: Poll: What Are Your First Impressions Of Black Ops 7 On Xbox Game Pass?
@Gabrie This is the way. It's just a shame that it takes longer to download the campaign than it does to play it!!!
Re: Five Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Late November 2025
That's a real shame. Several big games leaving.
@Fraser G The original press release for OT1 & OT2 specifically said they were going to be on Game Pass until January 2026, as reported on Pure Xbox here and elsewhere, I wonder what changed?
A shame as I was hoping to play OT2 this xmas.
Re: Here's What Might Leave Xbox Game Pass In December 2025
@Lucylu1983 That's a shame, and a surprise, as the original announcement specifically said they were staying on Game Pass until 2026, which is unusual.
Re: Talking Point: Xbox Is 24 Years Old Today, What Do You Expect From Next Year's 25th Birthday?
Games… lots of games
But I’m not that excited by the Halo remake, I’ll play it, but I want NEW games. Forza Horizon 6 needs to be more than FH 4 part 3, needs new ideas. Clockwork Revolution & Fable are my most anticipated upcoming Xbox titles since Perfect Dark’s cancellation. I’d love those.
Re: Valve 'Excited' By ROG Xbox Ally And Insists It's A 'Sign Of Success' For Steam Deck
A rising tide lifts all boats... especially in an emerging market like the handheld PC space.
But the ROG Xbox Ally has been a massive advertisement for the Steam Deck as a lot of reviewers ultimately concluded... that they will be going back to their Steam Decks. I'm sure Valve saw a sales spike as a result.
My view is there are pros and cons to each system, and which you prefer will be subjective. E.g. if you are embedded in the PC Xbox ecosystem, Game Pass etc. then the Rog Xbox Ally X may be the better choice for you. But I also believe the Steam Deck is a better choice overall for a wider variety of gamers, crucially it;s also at a lower price point.
Re: Stalker 2 Team Shares Parting Message Ahead Of Xbox Game Pass Departure
It's a shame it left after just a year. I was hoping to come back to it as Day 1 it was the buggiest mess i've played in years.
Re: ROG Xbox Ally X Demand Has 'Exceeded Expectations' And ASUS Is Ramping Up Production
@Titntin Agreed. Though it's interesting they shared estimated sales revenue totals.
If they expect to generate $96m - $160m in sales from its Ally line this quarter, that's between 96,000 - 160,000 units of the Xbox Ally X and 160,000 - 266,667 Xbox Ally. (Though they will still sell some of the older models too)
But they also said it's the ROG Xbox Ally X (£1000) that is in demand not the £600 unit so it's likely nearer the 96k - 160k line.
Re: Hi-Fi RUSH Is Now Published By Krafton, And It's Staying On Xbox Game Pass
Good news it's staying on Game Pass. Hopefully we get a sequel. Either way excited to see what that studio can do.
Re: Xbox Fan Lists 13 Games That Are Currently Hidden From Players' Libraries
On the one hand: Not cool.
On the other: I haven't even HEARD of any of these.
Re: Developing For Xbox Can Be Difficult, So Microsoft Is Taking Major Steps To 'Remove Barriers'
@Cikajovazmaj I mean looking at many of Microsoft's other services they usually are convoluted and messy when compared to other API's. I have to deal with quite a few for work. Being a software and services company doesn't always mean your API's are easy to grasp for newcomers.
@Banjo- That's a fair point, you will always find SOMEONE willing to complain, but this is something that's been repeated several times over the years, not from one dev, which lends it credence.
Re: Developing For Xbox Can Be Difficult, So Microsoft Is Taking Major Steps To 'Remove Barriers'
@Cikajovazmaj You are right, but both are true.
Several devs have reported that Xbox dev Tools are behind the competition. Digital Foundry have discussed this and SkillUp's Patreon did a report into why people weren't publishing on Xbox and what the barriers were. One of them was difficulty with Xbox's dev tools.
Re: Former Xbox Exec On Steam Machine: Choice Is Good, Not Everything Needs A Winner Or Loser
In one sense he's not wrong, there is a large enough pie for everyone to have a sizeable piece. But... tell that to his overseers who won't be content with a smaller slice.
Re: Xbox Series X|S: How Their Prices Have Changed Over The Past Five Years
@kmtrain83 looking at Apple, and other devices, is a poor comparison, as Apple typically make a lot of profit on each device which gives them far more wiggle room to reduce profits without taking a loss. OR not upgrade systems as much each model while keeping profits the same.
What is fairer to compare is PS5 and it is odd that XSX has increased $150 since launch ($499 - $649) whereas PS5 has only increased $50 ($499 - $549). Why is this? Odd.
The obvious answer is PS5 has had a couple of internal revisions to make it cheaper to make. But if so why hasn't Xbox done the same?
Re: Fallout Season Two Gets 'Official Trailer' Ahead Of December Launch
Looking good. Fingers crossed it matches season 1, which was excellent.
Re: Three Big Fixes Coming To Fallout 4 Next Week, Mod Storage To Increase By 50x On Xbox Soon
@RexPowercolt Boo! (but thanks)
Re: Analyst Questions Whether Next Xbox & PS6 Could Slip To 2028 Following GTA Delay
Novemeber 2027.
No I don't think one game, even GTA, will change their plans if they are ready. It will be a year between GTA6 and next-gen, assuming GTA6 isn't delayed again. Just in time for a next-gen version after 18 months or so.
Re: Three Big Fixes Coming To Fallout 4 Next Week, Mod Storage To Increase By 50x On Xbox Soon
Fallout London?
Re: Talking Point: What Does The 'Steam Machine' Mean For Xbox's Next-Gen Console Plans?
@Neither_scene Excellent post, agree with all of it. However I reckon the anti-cheat issue will become less of a problem over time. As more devices start to use Linux devs will likely develop workarounds that will work on these systems, they want to sell their games to as many gamers as possible, and keep them playing to buy MTX. I suspect Linux will become impossible to ignore.
Re: Talking Point: What Does The 'Steam Machine' Mean For Xbox's Next-Gen Console Plans?
@Weebleman I’m still not convinced NextBox will only run future
games as PC Versions, I still think there’s merit in having console versions with no tinkering required, games already optimised by the developer. That is a MAJOR benefit of console over PC.
I suspect Microsoft will likely also make the Xbox store PC versions more convenient with preset settings, pre-compiled shaders, cross buy, cloud saves, etc. making their PC versions more like an “it just works” console experience out of the box. Don’t discount how much people will pay for convenience.
Re: Talking Point: What Does The 'Steam Machine' Mean For Xbox's Next-Gen Console Plans?
Where Xbox might struggle however is the low budget crowd. If the neXtBox is as expensive as we expect then this will be a lot cheaper, anyone frustrated with Xbox or priced out of the ecosystem now has another reasonable option.
Re: Talking Point: What Does The 'Steam Machine' Mean For Xbox's Next-Gen Console Plans?
The Steam machine concept is very exciting in theory, but the specs leave me pretty cold. If it had released 5 years ago then maybe, but as it is on paper it looks like it will be behind current gen consoles in performance.
But more importantly with a new generation likely releasing about a year and a half after this it will be left in the dust in terms of performance shortly after release.
Perhaps i’m not the target market for this, but 8GB of VRAM just isn’t enough in 2025 for anyone wanting to play the latest games on PC. There are many PC games that struggle with just 8GB and this will only increase going forward. I realise they wanted to keep costs down but seems mad they didn’t release a higher end model imo. V2 could be very exciting though.
Re: Steam Machine Specs Revealed, Here's How They Compare To Xbox Series X|S
@You-come-to-me looking at the specs the CPU looks better than series X, the GPU looks about the same give or take, but there is only 8GB of VRAM (whereas series x has 13.5gb usable for games).
As memory and memory off bandwidth have been the issue with the series S (and lower end PC GPUs) I expect this to be the bottleneck in many cases and it to fell behind Series X, ESPECIALLY in newer games that are VRAM heavy. It should be able to AI upscale a bit better though with the newer architecture and that might just save it.
But Series X Is 5 years old and a new Xbox console will likely release less than 2 years after this releases next year, at which point it will be left far behind.
Re: Sony's Purchase Of Former Xbox Studio Bungie Isn't Exactly Going To Plan
@IOI They had a MASSIVE circa-50% boost when ABK joined that isn't going to happen every time, it happens once. Though of course they would like more than 1% growth.
But also remember they bought an asset and part of the reason MS is almost a 4 trillion dollar corp is because they bought companies like ABK. They don't have to see a return just in P&L, they got a share bump too.
Re: Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Shares His Thoughts On Valve's New 'Steam Machine'
Gabrie wrote:
The problem will be price. Valve have already hinted (to Steve at Gamers Nexus) that this will be priced more like an entry level PC than a console. Considering on paper this is somewhere between a Series S and a Series X how much would you pay for it? Especially with next-gen likely less than a couple of years after this releases.
The beauty of the console model is that the hardware has typically been more affordable than a PC.
Re: Steam Machine Specs Revealed, Here's How They Compare To Xbox Series X|S
On paper it looks like it will sit somewhere between Series S and Series X on performance, though that will depend on the game and what is being stressed- CPU, GPU, Memory etc. 8GB VRAM seems a little thin for me, it might struggle on the latest titles (Indiana Jones will be a good test which really requires 12GB on Windows) and that doesn't set it up for the future that well imo. It's a shame there isn't a 12GB or 16GB model.
Price will be key. Unfortunately Steve at Gamers Nexus said Valve hinted it would be priced more like an entry level PC than a console, so expect it to be bit more than the specs alone might suggest.
Re: Valve Announces New Hardware, Including A Steam Machine That'll Compete With Xbox
@PsBoxSwitchOwner It's basically a TV based Steam Deck with slightly better specs to push to a 4K TV. But it's hardly pushing the specs. That's fine for me as I mostly only use my Steam Deck for older games I don't want to be playing the hottest AAA on a handheld.
But price will be interesting. In terms of specs it's behind current-gen consoles, maybe ahead of Series S, will it be priced in that bracket? e.g. £399.
UPDATE on PRICE. Steve at Gamers Nexus said Valve hinted this would be priced more like an entry-level PC and less like a console. So unfortunately it might look quite expensive when gauged against consoles.
Re: Valve Announces New Hardware, Including A Steam Machine That'll Compete With Xbox
@PsBoxSwitchOwner Should be pretty competitively priced, considering the specs. It's designed to play current Steam library at 4K / 60fps using AI upscaling, but will likely be 1440p in many games.
However the big question mark is the 8GB of VRAM which isn't very forwards thinking imo. NextBox should be a whole other beast... but also a LOT more expensive.
Re: Valve Announces New Hardware, Including A Steam Machine That'll Compete With Xbox
I think this is great news. At the very least it will give Microsoft a lot to think about, and some competition in the PC/console hybrid space. But this is the low-end compared to next gen consoles.
Re: Backbone Pro: Xbox Edition Announced, And It's Available To Buy Today
I've got the last Backbone and it's mostly brilliant. The best and most convenient mobile controller I have used. But while this seems to answer almost all my little quibbles about the Backbone (e.g. slightly larger sticks, and an Xbox button) I wouldn't pay £170 for it, that's over 3 times what I paid for mine.
Re: A Month Later, The ROG Xbox Ally X Has Totally Changed My Gaming Habits
I have no doubt it's a mostly good device - but for $1000 it better be! I do wonder if your view would differ had you paid $1000 for it.
The screen size is an issue, especially for text heavy games, same as when I stream to Steam Deck or mobile. If "everything is an Xbox" then Microsoft really needs to mandate adjustable UI design that will adapt to be readable on all displays, else "everything is a crippled Xbox".
Likewise their software needs a lot of work going into next gen, but I am glad they have the ROG Xbox Ally as a test run. Hopefully that will improve the experience when Next-gen drops.
But there's no doubting when it works, it works well.
Re: Epic Games CEO Comments On ARC Raiders And Its Use Of AI Voice Generation
It's a rarity, but for once I agree with Tim Sweeney. Eurogamer crossed a line here again, I said that in their comments. Similar to them boycotting Hogwart's Legacy, not reviewing it or covering it at all, they are harming their own credibility long term.
Personally I have no skin the Arc Raiders game, I'm never going to play it, but their review is mostly extremely positive that reads, to me, like a 4/5; but then they go on an anti-AI rant and give it a 2/5.
But as a fan and supporter of that site it's disappointing.
Re: Sony's Purchase Of Former Xbox Studio Bungie Isn't Exactly Going To Plan
@IOI Was ABK a terrible business decision? Microsoft's financial reports suggest not. But for consumers like us it's been a disaster.
Re: Sony's Purchase Of Former Xbox Studio Bungie Isn't Exactly Going To Plan
Bungie always felt like a panic buy, in the wake of ABK, not in line with Sony's other acquisitions. But it's too early to call if it's a failure, for all we know Marathon, or more likely Destiny 3 might propel them back to the top. But right now it's looks like a bad purchase.
Re: Poll: Now That The Dust Has Settled, Which Xbox Game Pass Tier Are You Subscribed To?
The dust HASN'T settled for me and many others yet as we are signed up years in advance at lower rates. That day of reckoning will come months or years from now.
But I am on Ultimate until 2028 at least. Whether I will pay £23 a month (or whatever it costs in 2028) who knows, I will make that decision when I come to it. For now I am still averaging around £5 per month.
Re: Former Nintendo President 'Surprised' That Xbox Hasn't 'Fully Embraced' Switch 2
I suspect a lot of this has to do with lack of Switch 2 devkits, as it was reported that Nintendo was very slow to get devkits to studios, especially competitors like Microsoft. Furthermore it will likely take devs a bit of time to get accustomed to Switch 2 and development for the new system will initially take longer. I suspect in due course Xbox games will appear on Switch 2
Re: Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition Isn't Getting The Best Reception From Fans Right Now
That's because it runs like arse (especially on PC) and is breaking people's saves. An overpriced, shoddy release that feels like a cash grab.
Re: Five Years On, Xbox Series S Is Still A Fantastic Place For Current-Gen Gaming
Not for me personally, but it was a smart decision by Microsoft.
I don't believe the Series S has really 'held back' the Series X as some like to bleet, it just means the Series S version is lower resolution, lower framerate, and lower details than it could have been v XSX. I think there's literally been a handful of games where it was an issue. e.g. BG3 split screen.
Instead having a larger player base on Xbox, BECAUSE there was the lower prices Series S, has been an advantage, not a disadvantage, to Series X owners.
Re: Sony Exec Suggests PS5 Is Far From Finished, And It's Likely The Same For Xbox Series X|S
When she says "middle", she almost certainly means before it is discontinued and has little relation to next gen timings. E.g. PS4 was discontinued in Japan in 2024, but is still in production and supported elsewhere. I'd expect similar with PS5.
I'd also still expect PS6 in November 2027.
Re: It's A Big Birthday For The Xbox Series X, So Let's Look Back At Our Review From 2020
Series X is an utterly brilliant bit of hardware, marginally let down by some pretty average software. E.g. the OS is stuffed with ads and has enough features that should be great, like quick resume, but that frequently don’t quite work as intended.
For a software company Microsoft really needs to improve this side of things especially next gen where they seem to be merging with PC. If the ROG Xbox ally was a preview of things to come then there is a LOT of work still to do to have a smooth streamlined experience.
Regardless these software gripes are mostly minor and Series X is a brilliant device overall, been happy with my purchase since day 1.