Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

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Alan
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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by Alan » Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:36 am

That’s how everything should work in this x86 world. Games should have a minimum console that’s will run on instead of games that’s could easily run on previous consoles being locked to the next generation. Also makes more sense in a world the X exists. I think it’s good call. Except that they are constraining themself to non-X hardware.
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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by DjchunKfunK » Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:46 am

Yeah I think it's a good way to keep people in their ecosystem, as these are just PCs in a box now it doesn't make a whole load of sense that you shouldn't be able to run games on other consoles.

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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by Raid » Mon Jan 13, 2020 1:56 pm

I think this is how we'd all like it to work, certainly I'm delighted my recently purchased One X is still going to be relevant long past the year or so I figured when I bought it. It's even better when you consider that Microsoft's first party titles are available on game pass at launch.

Given how I purposely abandoned the Xbox brand after the terrible anti consumer stuff they tried to push at the beginning of this generation, they're trying awfully hard to win people back. It clearly worked in my case, it'll be interesting if this helps restore them to relative parity with Sony. They do desperately need more varied exclusives though; does the idea of a new Halo or Gears or Forza really excite anymore?

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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by DjchunKfunK » Mon Jan 13, 2020 3:39 pm

The Microsoft Studio stuff doesn't really excite me, it's more about the smaller stuff they have bought up recently. I'm not a huge fan of Sony first party either really so console exclusives on the whole are a bit MEH. Couldn't care less about Last of Us 2, Horizons was boring, Dreams doesn't interest me and neither did Spiderman. God of War is the only thing they have put out recently that I liked.

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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by Mantis » Mon Jan 13, 2020 7:14 pm

What smaller stuff are you referring to? I feel like Sony still has the edge on them when it comes to interesting first party titles from both a high end and indie perspective.

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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by DjchunKfunK » Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:12 pm

InXile, Obsidian, Double Fine and Ninja Theory, stuff from them. On the indy side Sony haven't really bothered about that stuff for a while now, they have been going big on AAA singleplayer story games.

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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by Raid » Mon Jan 20, 2020 6:22 pm

Amazon are doing one of those dirt-cheap Game Pass subscription offers; 6 months of Ultimate for £33. £5.50 a month for this service is a steal.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xbox-Ultimate- ... urgam-m-21

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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by Medicine Man » Tue Jan 21, 2020 6:14 pm

Never one to be out done by Sony, Microsoft have said "fuck your year! How about the decade?"...

https://www.trueachievements.com/decade

Again like the Sony one, I can't get it to work, but im sure its full of loads of interesting tidbits, juicy nuggets and swollen pie-charts.

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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by Medicine Man » Tue Jan 28, 2020 4:51 pm

February's Games with Gold..


TT Isle of Man - February 1st - 29th
Call of Cthulhu - February 16th - March 15th
Fable Heroes - February 1st - 15th
OG Star Wars Battlefront - February 16th - 29th

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Alan
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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by Alan » Tue Jan 28, 2020 5:36 pm

Ooh, been meaning to buy Call of Cthulhu. This will be the first games with gold Ive redeemed in years.
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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by DjchunKfunK » Mon Feb 24, 2020 2:34 pm

https://t.co/WWFJ6YkHzT

12 terraflops! Also looks like buy once play anywhere will be a thing. With that and Game Pass, of the two new consoles Xbox is pretty way out in front in terms of the one I would be likely to buy.

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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by Raid » Mon Feb 24, 2020 4:34 pm

I find discussion of raw computing ability to be pretty pointless when it comes to consoles, at least initially. It's a sales pitch, telling consumers that there's a point in upgrading, despite the fact that Microsoft are making it more tempting than ever to not bother buying their new machine. It doesn't really matter how many teraflops a new machine has because developer experience with the older machines makes up for their lack of raw grunt to some extent.

But anyway, it sounds like a good machine with a few quality of life changes that I'd be interested in (especially the multi-game quick resume; that's almost the killer feature for me), but I'm not going to be upgrading from my One X for at least a few years. I applaud Microsoft's choice of making their new software hardware-independent, but I really think it'll destroy their sales figures, and Sony will just walk off with all of the headlines.

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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by DjchunKfunK » Mon Feb 24, 2020 4:51 pm

I applaud Microsoft's choice of making their new software hardware-independent, but I really think it'll destroy their sales figures, and Sony will just walk off with all of the headlines.
How so? There is not a massive crossover between those who own a PC and also those looking to buy a new console, I think this is one of those cases where we look at our 'community' and extrapolate out from there. The majority of console owners do not have a PC as well, certainly not one that will play games, for the majority of the console market it matters little that a game is also on PC.

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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by Raid » Mon Feb 24, 2020 9:46 pm

It's not the PC that this is competing with, it's the XBox One and One X that people already own. Perhaps "destroy" is overstating it a bit, but they're going to have to show off some pretty stunning visual or performance enhancements to make people think it's worthwhile upgrading if it doesn't actually offer new games, at least at launch. Why bother getting the new console (which let's not forget may cost nearly £500 if rumours are accurate) if you can make do with your old one while the new one drops in price?

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Re: Xbox & Microsoft News/Discussion

Post by DjchunKfunK » Tue Feb 25, 2020 10:41 am

Maybe but I don't think it matters that much if you don't immediately get people upgrading to the new console, they will still be buying games in your ecosystem so that is money for Microsoft and a customer building up a library in their ecosystem will be able to easily shift over to the Series X when they want to upgrade. Either way they are still Microsoft customers. I think the next generation is going to see a shift towards the console manufacturers offering a service rather than just a new box, backwards compatibility, games playable on multiple consoles, things like Game Pass and streaming means that it is no longer just about the box you buy, it's about the service the company is offering.

I think take up is going to be slow if the rumoured price points turn out to be correct and if in the meantime you can get your customers to invest further in your ecosystem by offering them games for their current system that they will then be able to play on your new system when they choose to upgrade, then you are in a pretty good position. As for those not already in the Microsoft ecosystem it doesn't matter that the game are cross-generationally they will buy the new console if they like the games.

The one big unknown in all this is how will making a game cross-generational effect the games you make, if there are big compromises made then that will give an advantage to Sony.

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