Topic: Official Push Square Xbox Thread

@colonelkilgore
I took your initial comment as scarasm as what @Ravix is saying fits Xbox business mo down to a tee.
Same as when they put the price up just before they had something (Starfield) to actually release and then when they are about to release COD the price goes up again.
It isn't rocket science to suggest that they will delay releases in order to prevent people binging on content and then cancelling, of course the best thing is to play it like you play Netflix and wait for a decent amount of titles then sub for a month. Or better still don't sub at all, or if you do then do it on PC.

It feels so weird that Microsoft is burning away all the goodwill it's built up since 2013 with the Xbox One fiasco. It finally looked like they were in a good position with its consumers but that has been ruined now. My theory is that the acquisition of ActiBlizz was so large that Phil and the rest lost their autonomy and now the bigwigs at Microsoft are directly managing Xbox as they expect great returns from it. So now Xbox has become completely corporate as Phil's hands are tied, which is why we're seeing so many anti-consumer moves from Xbox.

I'm just glad that we still have PlayStation and Nintendo.

I definitely feel you there. It doesn’t feel like they’re making an effort to tap into the core console audience anymore. The combination of GP price increases + GP being on Samsung/Amazon TVs + extremely poor console sales is very alarming.

@CaptD it might’ve been… maybe… perhaps 🤔

@Yousef- Yeah, the future doesn't look good for Xbox. Series X could be my last Xbox console as I've been playing way more on my PS5. It's just so annoying having to wait such a long time for anything noteworthy to come out on Game Pass. It doesn't help either that some games have been delayed. Playing Hellblade II a couple of months ago didn't give me much satisfaction either.

And just to clarify, I know that it's taking a long time for first-party titles on PlayStation to come out as well. But Xbox has now what, 40 studios? They should be releasing way more games than PlayStation based on that.

There’s a lot going against MS as of right now. I’ve cancelled my GP sub because I don’t feel quite comfortable with it anymore. They have a “one dollar deal” every year but I’d rather not let it seap through my cracks and nudge me towards a monthly sub again. I’ve also been struggling to change my Microsoft security info and change my email since the current email associated with my Xbox is dead and as such I wouldn’t be to transfer my digital library.
And even if I could, I no longer see myself comfortable purchasing a new game system anywhere around the next 2-3 years (where I expect a new system being revealed), as the current direction the hardware industry as whole (not just consoles) suggests a general price increase in more stuff, newer things will be harder to afford for me in the future day 1 and I’d have to look harder for cheaper alternatives given my own current situation.

And even if I could, theoretically, get the new Xbox, I’d have so little use for it thanks in large to the current direction the industry is heading suggesting that 10th gen is not only likely to have a lot of its games be cross-platform, thus no longer necessitating a new piece of hardware, and I’d likely already have a backlog to fall back to anyhows. I find myself purchasing and installing 360 titles more often due to their small sizes not affecting my internet speed and 7th gen being a gen I’m generally fond of if I may speak on a personal note there. Even if that may be and series gets less crossgen 3rd party releases, I could always just buy a ps5 or the new switch. Those are definitely guaranteed to get supported longer.

@LtSarge and choosing to delay games that are ready to release just to try and eek out that little bit more from customers is just a super d*ck move.

Delaying a game that people buy doesn't really change anything cost related, but can help with its sales if timed right, but delaying to a subscription service definitely messes with the customers

I hope people vote with their wallets

MS may have more studios, but in reality, have you given any of them the same time you allowed Suckerpunch to make Ghost of Tsushima or maybe Guerilla Games and either Horizon games? There was 6yrs between Infamous and GoT and 5yrs between Horizon ZD and FW. Most of the Studio's, when acquired, had projects that were 'not' exclusive - games like Psychonauts, Wastelands or Outer Worlds for example from Double Fine, inXile and Obsidian. The Zenimax group also had games like Ghostwire and Deathloop and only 'joined' in 2021 with 'ABK' only joining last October - so 'few' have actually had the time that Sony allows for their games.

ABK are a 'mess' of a Company. Multiple Studios all wrapped up in that Annual CoD cycle - this year its Sledgehammers lead with Treyarch's BO6 coming but supported by the rest of Activision. The same goes for Blizzard who seem wrapped up in Diablo and WoW and of course you have King that only made Mobile games. Multiple Studio's but only 1-2 games a year yet MS with far fewer Studios and staff would release 'more'.

So they may have 'on paper' a lot more Studios, ABK which added a Bulk of them, haven't been at MS for a year yet and weren't prolific before the Take over. Since they acquired Zenimax, those Studios have delivered Ghostwire, Deathloop, Redfall, Hifi Rush, Starfield + ESO/F76 content. Machine Games had just announced Indy and id Software was about to release the last 'Doom: Eternal' DLC.

It perhaps feels 'worse' because MS announced some titles too soon - Hellblade, Fable, Perfect Dark, State of Decay 3 etc that are still not here and games like Redfall or Starfield wasn't good enough. Then you look over at Sony who has released games like Spider-Man 2 and Forbidden West, games Sony gave their Studios the 'time' to make with some envious eyes. All this Gen, it feels MS has the Potential with all those Studio's, even if the majority of the Studios and Devs haven't been at MS more than a year (ABK only became part of MS in Oct 2023 and their 'first' release since is coming to GP Day 1 - BO6) and everything Zenimax has released in their '3 yrs' at MS has too - even if some games had to release 'first' on PS. Naughty Dog/Sucker Punch haven't released anything 'new' since MS acquired Zenimax either and 4yrs later, still not sure what either are working on.

Overall - I see Gaming as little different from the Film and Music industry. Nowadays, you can take your music or film library with you wherever you want - you don't need to buy music on tape/CD, buy a personal tape/CD player for 'portable' access as well as a Hifi System for home, don't need a DVD/Bluray player to watch films etc - you can listen or watch on any device thanks to 'streaming'. When Netflix started for example, few had the infrastructure to use Netflix without 'buffering' or put up with low res, low bitrate content.

I don't think Consoles will disappear completely but whether or not they are still able to offer the newest games or not, I don't know. But it would seem that the future of Gaming is headed the same way as Music/Film where the vast majority stream to whatever device is most convenient, able to take the Gaming library with them regardless of whatever 'hardware' or 'generation' it was bought on. Streaming can mean only 1 'version' required - not multiple for different Hardware and different optimisations, works on any level of 'hardware' and not limited by the 'reach' of your Hardware. If Sony only sell 50m PS6's in the first 4yrs, that's the 'most' they can reach whilst 3rd Party software can reach far more gamers as they have all the other Platforms too. With games costing more and more, if they don't sell more games, reach more people, they can't recoup those costs.

I'm not saying that MS shouldn't have 'more' by now but I'm also aware that until Zenimax joined in Mar 2021, MS had fewer Studio's than Playstation, not more. In the time since 2021, MS have released 'more' games than Sony too - just that a significant portion of them were NOT exclusive (Deathloop, Ghostwire, Hifi Rush etc and some of course weren't 'new' even if they were 'new' to consoles (AoE2/4) and its the 'lack' of Xbox Console exclusives that 'you' want to play specifically that makes the situation seem 'worse'. I also think that their release schedule isn't that 'great'. They said they wanted '1' a quarter, but right now it seems like little to look forward to for months, then suddenly you get everything for the year in a few months. We've had nothing really this year 'yet'...

As for the future, I don't know that I'd buy the 'next' Xbox Console. It may make more sense to own a PC and buy a PS6 for Sony's exclusives. That seems the most sense to me right now as MS won't have any exclusives I can't play on PC and some games tend to come to PC first too. Xbox though isn't 'just' the Console, its the entire MS gaming brand that includes the Console, but also their games and services on ALL platforms. CoD will remain 'multi-platform' yet that will count as an 'Xbox' game and contribute to Xbox Revenue as will Candy Crush or WoW whether they are on 'Xbox' consoles or not.

Nah it’s just worse.

@colonelkilgore The point I was trying to make is that if you look at the time period from Mar 2021 - when Zenimax actually became part of MS and at least had similar number of Studio's, MS has actually released 'more' games than Sony so the 'quantity' perhaps isn't the issue and some of it is down to perception. Games like Deathoop, Ghostwire, AoE or even Minecraft (Legends) don't seem to count and/or get overlooked.

Even when it does come to Exclusives like Forza, they aren't considered 'true' exclusives because MS releases these on PC day/date too. If the game isn't 90+ on metacritic its also a failure so doesn't count either. That coupled with 'high profile' IP's being announced years ago that are still no closer to releasing, that seems to impact peoples memory on the games they have released.

So even if you can play some games on Playstation too, others on PC/Steam, not all were AAA or even released on 'Xbox Console' (inc Some Microsoft made games - Gears Tactics, Flight Sim, AoE 2/4 etc) it seems they are not counted/considered, even CoD BO6 probably won't be considered an 'Xbox' game or 'count' because its 'not' exclusive to just the Xbox Console on Day 1 - same with Doom: The Dark Ages too I expect.

Maybe its that 'narrow minded' Console gamer who feels the need to justify playing on their Hardware based on just the 'exclusives' that specific hardware offers. I doubt Sony Fanboys now count MLB as a Sony game because that's on Xbox now and won't count Minecraft (the biggest selling game in History) or the upcoming BO6 and Doom games as Xbox games because they aren't exclusive. Games like Pentiment, Grounded, Hifi Rush etc all count too for 'Microsoft', even if some gamers choose not to count these because they aren't the Big AAA Fable, Perfect Dark or State of Decay they announced but haven't yet released. If Indy isn't the Xbox 'Uncharted' 90+ Metacritic game, that will likely not count too as its not 'good enough' to 'justify' getting an Xbox Console and can play it on PC anyway if it was 'good' enough.

So yes, I do think it 'feels' worse than it actually is. Technically, they have released more than Sony - which compared to 5 or 6yrs ago when all you got was Forza, Halo or Gears, when Sony had more in terms of Quantity (aided by more Studio's). There are more MS games releasing a year, more variety and most, if not all Studios acquired before ABK joined last year, have released 'something' since joining MS. Only Compulsion (South of Midnight), Initiative (Perfect Dark) and Undead Labs (State of Decay 3) haven't. Double Fine (Psychonauts), Ninja Theory (Bleeding Edge, HB2), Obsidian (Outer Worlds, Grounded, Pentiment), inXile (Wastelands 3 & DLC) and Playground (FH5 & DLC) all 'have' and as stated, the Zenimax acquisition has delivered Games too (Ghostwire, Deathloop, Hifi Rush, Redfall, Starfield). ABK will 'start' to deliver games with BO6 and Diablo 4 has had new Content.

We don't know what Mojang will bring next but likely Minecraft and on EVERY platform so won't be counted as Xbox, 343 haven't announced what their next project will be - same with Double Fine but in the meantime, we do know what games most Studios are working on - Indiana Jones, Avowed, Doom: the Dark Ages, Perfect Dark, Fable, South of Midnight, Clockwork Revolution, Gears: E-Day etc.

6yrs ago, MS had Mojang, 343, The Coalition, Rare and Turn 10 - and Mojang didn't make 'exclusives' (they still don't) - so that was just Forza, Gears and Halo. Now they have a LOT more Studio's working on a LOT more games. As an Xbox owner, you had to wait for MS to even release Deathloop and Ghostwire on their 'own' console and some games - like Psychonauts 2 took years to 'finish' before Double Fine could 'start' on any 'exclusive' project so I do maintain that it feels 'worse' because you know MS has 'more' Studio's now, but numerous games aren't Console exclusive or even AAA.

The reason I say that it 'feels' worse is because the Console mentality of 'exclusives' and must be AAA 90+ metacritic games or NOT worth considering does seem to be affecting people. If you look at ALL the Xbox releases, Games owned and 'published' by MS (or MS owned Publisher like Bethesda or Activision) over the past '5yrs', MS has released more than Sony - and that includes 2022's extremely disappointing Xbox year. Its just that Console mentality about the big AAA Game of the Year winners you can ONLY play on Console, that only those on that Platform can play Day 1 - even if they do eventually release on PC too. Sony has 'Spider-Man' or 'Ghost of Tsushima' but don't need an Xbox to play ANY game - even if it is an award winner - just 'play it on PC' or maybe even Playstation too with some games (Hifi Rush or Psychonauts 2) so even if Xbox has 'games' they aren't exclusive enough, aren't good enough, aren't AAA enough....

@BAMozzy if you had told the Xbox hardcore in 2017 the decisions that Microsoft would go on to make they would be furious… but instead they’ve all been slow-boiled like frogs in a saucepan of boiling water. The matter they find themselves in is constantly getting worse but they’re unaware of it due to the ‘slow-boil’ - c’mon in, the waters fine.

Every year Microsoft fails to deliver on its promises, apologizes to its fans, and then hypes up the next year, only to repeat the cycle. Xbox owners have been surviving on hope for a better tomorrow all generation. Meanwhile, Microsoft ratchets up prices, closes studios, and prioritizes porting "exclusives" to other platforms.

It's kinda like an abusive relationship.

Gratz, hope you have fun.

So lemme give it to you straight. Your mileage will depend (as you probably already know) on:

• how much you care about backwards compatibility
• how much you like the Xbox-owned stuff, of which there’s now there’s more than ever
• if you just prefer the user experience over PlayStation in general

But analyzing your comment, I presume you’re well acquainted with (at least one of) these three points, and are well acquainted with your purchase as a result.
Hope you have fun anyways!
One love.

Sorry, English isn’t my first language, so I needed to re-read the first part of the initial paragraph, but I think I believe I get it, and I believe I relate to the sentiment. Indeed we get new consoles to “go forward”, I suppose I did subconsciously neglect your POV of being a longtime Xbox user contrasting with me being a newbie, so the back comp felt like a larger deal to me than it likely did to you, sorry for forgetting that.

Indeed so many games are stuck on ps3, truer words have not been spoken. And yes that’s another relatable sentiment. Indeed the current gen can be dissatisfactory at times, often making me find myself more comfortable trying a 7th gen or 6th gen title I missed out on, rather than look forward to Gen 9’s outing (however I still have some games I look forward, be that as may be).

The library? Why, I find it quite excellent if I do say so myself. : D
Well, it obviously helps I have a vast variety of interests, but there is undoubtedly many a classic to play and replay.

Funnily enough, I did start Gears 1 the other day, jolly ol’ time, that one.

Speaking of SW, the force unleashed is something I’ve been forever curious about. I do find myself fancying a SW from time to time, Bounty Hunter and Revenge of the Sith, to name a few.

Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey are fun, definitely a comfortable recommendation.

Yes, GTA IV is quite indeed my favorite. Thank you for noticing that. : D

@Malaise well, all I'd say is make sure you purchase game pass by the tried and true method from earlier in this thread. Get x amount of time of core while it's available from a voucher code website, claim it, and then sign up for the £1 game pass ultimate trial while you're on Core. Then you will get say 8/9 months of game pass ultimate for the price of 2/3

I've had an Xbox for what, over a month or so? And apart from playing some Starfield from time to time, I've mostly used it for the third party content on Game Pass, as they have a lot of games that I would have bought available.

The positivity of the showcase is fading slightly, but it is genuinely the first time they've ever had games I'm at least partially interested in, so apart from all the other nonsense, it felt a good time to get on board.

There is plenty to be had, but I think someone, for example, joining the PS eco system for the first time would have almost infinitely more value tbh with the amount of great games avaliable on the PS platform. It makes you wonder how Xbox have survived this long tbh 😅

Very true. Lots of really cool niche Japanese exclusive to the PlayStation. Unlike Xbox, which has its cool niche Japanese games on the 360 backwards compatibility program, well, if you’re a shmup psychopath (like me).

I got the series X free with Microsoft reward points and get gamepass ultimate every month for free with reward points that why so far ive been mainly an xbox gamer this generation also the lack of PS5 only games i want to play

free gaming for years cant moan about that

@trev666 Sounds like a good deal. How does one earn Microsoft Rewards points, by the way? Is it like a credit card you use to earn points or like surveys you fill out to earn points or what?

@Th3solution it’s a garbage system purely because there’s no prompt to redeem them automatically. Very cumbersome and the system is bad bad bad.