Xbox Series S | X Console Discussion

[Julius]

Reminds me of a sportswear brand or energy drink. But hey, at least it's different? 

Edited April 22, 2020 by Julius

[Julius]

So it includes their promotions like the $1/£1 deal they ran a few months ago, but damn if this isn't great news for Xbox Game Pass heading into next gen. 

Definitely got a foot up on PlayStation in this space right now. It'll be interesting to see how Game Pass is pushed heading into next gen, and if (when?) PlayStation push Now forwards like this. 

[S.C.G]

So it begins...

More than 10% of the Xbox Live subscribed user-base has Game Pass.

Of course, this is a good thing for Microsoft but I can see them easily being the first to scrap physical games even if Sony don't.

The other angle is, with manufacturing taking a hit worldwide for pretty much everything (I'd have thought) that there may be less physical games in general.

With regard to the Xbox Series X though, is anyone seriously considering buying this machine at launch at this point? Or is it too early to tell?

I'm undecided but maybe leaning towards Sony being able to sell the PS5 to everyone more easily, though I still think £400 + for either machine in 2020/21 and beyond(?) is a hard-sell.

[Hero-of-Time]

1 minute ago, S.C.G said:

So it begins...

More than 10% of the Xbox Live subscribed user-base has Game Pass.

Of course, this is a good thing for Microsoft but I can see them easily being the first to scrap physical games even if Sony don't.

The other angle is, with manufacturing taking a hit worldwide for pretty much everything (I'd have thought) that there may be less physical games in general.

With regard to the Xbox Series X though, is anyone seriously considering buying this machine at launch at this point? Or is it too early to tell?

I'm undecided but maybe leaning towards Sony being able to sell the PS5 to everyone more easily, though I still think £400 + for either machine in 2020/21 and beyond(?) is a hard-sell.

Nope but then I think that will also be my stance for the PS5. 

I've said it before and i'll say it again. The power of this thing means absolutely nothing to me if the games aren't there. The same goes for the PS5. Sure, Microsoft have bought up studios this gen but whether or not these studios will actually produce games that appeal to me is another matter. It's not just first party games that are my concern either. One of the big things that i've loved about this generation was the return of Japanese developers doing what they do best. Microsoft missed out on a lot of these games and when they did arrive on the Xbox they were months or even years late.

[Ronnie]

I wish you could combine Xbox's forward-thinking initiatives like Cloud gaming, Game Pass, adaptive controllers, focus on indies, the Elite controller, Design Lab, backwards compatibility (ok that last one isn't so much forward thinking lol) and tons more .... with PS4's software.I get that the former has to do things like that to catch up this gen, and the latter doesn't have to do anything except release games, but still, a mix of the two would be a match made in heaven.

[Julius]

30 minutes ago, S.C.G said:

With regard to the Xbox Series X though, is anyone seriously considering buying this machine at launch at this point? Or is it too early to tell?

I'm undecided but maybe leaning towards Sony being able to sell the PS5 to everyone more easily, though I still think £400 + for either machine in 2020/21 and beyond(?) is a hard-sell.

Yeah, I won't be either.

Even if I were a diehard Halo fan (spoiler: have only briefly dabbled with previous games at friends' houses growing up, so that's not the case), knowing that this game would be available on PC and Xbox One anyways means that there's no reason for me to pick up a Series X yet. With Phil Spencer reiterating time and time again certain things that make it sound like there isn't going to be an experience which is Series X exclusive for the next few years anyways (and even, for PC gamers there's almost always your PC for this), a practise which is by all means great PR move for the community but a terrible business one, I just don't see why you'd want to pick one up on day one, unless you fall into a small number of players who are either a) head over heels for Xbox, or more likely in my opinion, b) only interested in one or two titles (Halo, Forza) running the best that they can on a console (so likely without a gaming PC) and have the disposable income to do so. And that group is only getting smaller and smaller every single day given the current economic climate, not to mention the concern for the RRP for this thing at launch. 

I think the PS5 is a much easier sell right now, assuming that they don't overprice this thing, and I expect it to hit the ground running when it comes to sales. As @Hero-of-Time mentioned, the support from a practically reborn and certainly revitalised Japanese gaming industry (I've read a bit about how difficult the transition was for them to PS3/Xbox 360, so I'm blown away by what we've had this gen) for the PS4 has been astounding, and knowing that games like Persona 6, Final Fantasy VII Remake Part II, Yakuza, whatever Konami might or might not have in the oven, etc., will very likely either be console - or at the very least timed - exclusives for PS5 means that I know for a fact I'll be picking up a PS5 at some point, and considering that I don't have a Pro and that there are already some PS4 games that I would like to revisit (next to the pile I've yet to play), backwards compatibility means that I'm happy to pick up a PS5 on day one. And this is all before we even begin to mention the abundance of Western developers, and the first party exclusive offerings they've got cooking too. And there's no way they're going to launch without a killer app...right???

But I digress. I think at least on day one - unless Sony completely implode during the reveal, don't have that killer app at launch, and manage to pull off Xbox One E3 2013 levels of stupidity - PS5 beats out the Series X pretty comfortably. I just can't see, after the PS4, how it couldn't. 

But I want the Series X to succeed. Xbox have so many great things going on (unfortunately from my perspective at the moment, this is outside of their software), and I would love to experience the Halo games at some point. Even though I have a gaming PC (mostly for some things outside of gaming) which could probably run those games pretty well, I want Xbox to convince me to play those games on Series X so I don't have to faff around with getting an adapter and Xbox controller (probably wouldn't feel right otherwise) just to play those games on PC. If they have the game's then I could get there, but between the Switch and PS4 catalogues, and potential PS5 catalogue, they've really got to turn this around within the first year or two from a software perspective. I think competition is always great, and PlayStation have been dragging their feet on many things that Xbox have been pushing recently (the adaptive controller, things like Game Pass...pretty much everything @Ronnie mentioned above), so at the very least I just want to see them competing to the point that we consumers win, and the industry and its future is pushed. 

[Sheikah]

So it includes their promotions like the $1/£1 deal they ran a few months ago, but damn if this isn't great news for Xbox Game Pass heading into next gen. 

Definitely got a foot up on PlayStation in this space right now. It'll be interesting to see how Game Pass is pushed heading into next gen, and if (when?) PlayStation push Now forwards like this. 

I actually think Game Pass is costing Microsoft massively. Microsoft still allow you to convert up to 3 years Live sub into 3 years Live + Game Pass sub for just 1 dollar, which is pretty insane, and there's always 1 dollar monthly trials you can renew too, pretty much continuously from what I hear.

 

When you consider that Microsoft give away their own games at launch on Game Pass you have to wonder if it's worth the money they are dropping on it. For instance Gears 3 physical retail sales were 20 times that of Gears 5, the latter of which launched on Game Pass. Clearly everyone was getting Gears 5 for almost nothing on Game Pass. You have to wonder how little money that game took overall..no wonder Microsoft will not release accurate sales data.

 

I reckon Microsoft are willing to shoulder the loss here because subscribers end up with these big libraries of games, which they aren't willing to lose so will stay with Xbox next gen. Maybe they think they can pull the rug one day and remove the trials and conversions and people will all stay subscribed, and they can then start to make profit. I think they might be in for a suprise, personally.

 

Ultimately though I don't expect Game Pass to put Microsoft on top next gen. It hasn't really started to turn Microsoft's fortunes around this gen and I think the main reason for that is that they just do not have the games. Games are what people really want and will affect people's console choice more than anything. Both Sony and Nintendo have great exclusives and their consoles are outselling Xbox comfortably, even though their games are (due to absence of Game Pass) much more expensive, all in all. You also don't see other companies copying Game Pass (in terms of putting full size titles at launch on it), which tells me it's not the next big thing that everyone should be doing, rather a bit of a risky move with a reason behind it.

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

I can see myself wanting to get one on launch...whether I will is a different story.

Money plays a big part obviously, and I like to feel like I'll get a good deal; I went for the One finally after the first price drop and when it bundled with Titanfall.

The fact I can continue to play all the games I am now on it is a massive plus...but also means I'm not in a massive rush to upgrade if there isn't a killer game I NEED to play on it.

Having said all that, after the year I've had so far (not including Corona virus!) It'd be nice to have something to treat myself with and look forward to!

[Happenstance]

I’ve said before in the thread but no, I won’t be getting one. So far nothing is attracting me to it in the slightest.

[Ronnie]

10 million, very impressive

[killthenet]

I definitely want to play the next Hellblade and a handful of other Xbox One exclusives (a list that is dwindling with every Microsoft release on Switch) so I am tempted by the Series X but really I may as well just invest in a decent PC - the only plus point for Series X is that it's plug and play, won't need to bother tweaking too many things, but a PC seems far more cost effective.

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

Phil Spencer has also gone on record as saying Project xcloud will be a part of game pass by the end of the year.

I've mentioned this before but the Xbox All Access package (which I believe they have committed to Series X as well) could be an absolute winner; console, Game Pass, ability to stream to your mobile device for, say, £25/£30 a month over two years? 

Feels like Microsoft are pushing in a different direction to what the traditional model has been, for better or worse.

[Map]

Next week it is then, looking forward to seeing what next gen has to offer.

 

[Hero-of-Time]

45 minutes ago, Kaepora_Gaebora said:

Feels like Microsoft are pushing in a different direction to what the traditional model has been, for better or worse.

This is a big reason why they've lost me. They seem to be going in a direction I don't really care for. 

Crazy to think just how on board I was with MS during the 360 era, as was the case for most of us who were on here at the time. In the space of a generation they completely lost us.

[Ronnie]

Looking forward to this, be great to finally see some next gen games.

Also:

21 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

This is a big reason why they've lost me. They seem to be going in a direction I don't really care for. 

Crazy to think just how on board I was with MS during the 360 era, as was the case for most of us who were on here at the time. In the space of a generation they completely lost us.

Same thing happened between PS2 > PS3. It's why you can never predict who'll come out on top of a console generation

Edited April 30, 2020 by Ronnie

[Hero-of-Time]

1 hour ago, Ronnie said:

Same thing happened between PS2 > PS3. It's why you can never predict who'll come out on top of a console generation

Difference being with that though is that Sony managed to turn the ship around mid gen, get people back on board and ended up catching up to Microsoft. All of that was done despite having a shoddy product for the first few years of the consoles life cycle. For all the efforts that Microsoft have done trying to correct their mistakes, it still hasn't changed anything this generation. Whether or not it will have an effect for the next generation remains to be seen. However, as pointed out earlier, Microsoft are now playing a different ball game to everyone else. They seem mostly interested in active users and subscriptions rather than console sales.

This next generation is certainly going to be an interesting one as it seems all 3 console manufacturers are doing their own thing. It's certainly good for the industry as it keeps each of them on their toes and offers a wide range of options for people wanting to experience games in a way that suits them.

[Sheikah]

3 hours ago, Ronnie said:

Same thing happened between PS2 > PS3. It's why you can never predict who'll come out on top of a console generation

While true to an extent it gets easier and easier to predict. People have amassed game libraries now and bought into the ecosystem of each console, having friends tied to a specific console.

The only times recently when we have seen a landscape shift is when a company have done something a bit stupid. Like Microsoft with its used games/always online policy at the start of this gen, and like Sony by choosing the difficult to code for Cell processor for PS3 and having a ridiculous price tag at launch.

If anything the "fucking up" events are harder to predict. Like, we can probably assume Sony will outsell Microsoft again, unless there's a fuck up. And the more the industry matures, and the more mistakes they learn from, the less it feels like they're going to fuck up next time.

But you never know. PS5 could be 700 pounds. XD

 

[Happenstance]

14 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

 

But you never know. PS5 could be 700 pounds. XD

 

God I hope not, I’d have to reinforce my desk.

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

After the botched launch event for the One, it's clear that Microsoft have their eye on being a 'service provider' more than just making physical hardware; they almost forgot about the games and tried to make a TV service/Xbox as a hub.

Clearly after they realised that was going to tank the Xbox brand, they retreated and thought of a way to do that but focussing on games and what they're good at, technology. 

I have to say, xcloud is very good and works well even on my original Google Pixel XL phone. At the moment Game Pass is brilliant but, if I really fancied playing a game I haven't installed yet, that's potentially a 100GB install before I can. Putting that as part of the game pass package and ecosystem makes it alot of sense.

I'll be interested to see what third party games they show off next week; obviously if they aren't going to be under the game pass banner all of a sudden under the Xbox roof that makes them a harder sell.

Still, the three usual suspects are going off in different directions, MS as 'service' based, Sony more traditional model and Nintendo doing, as always, whatever it is they do 😂

[Hero-of-Time]

Looks like Microsoft are looking to keep fans in the know as they plan to have news/updates for their new console every month leading up to its release.

Quote

Starting with the May 7 episode of Inside Xbox, we will be showcasing what happens next in the world of Xbox, every month, which is why we’re calling it “Xbox 20/20.” These monthly moments will take place throughout the rest of the year and will be a way for us to engage, connect and celebrate with you about what’s in store for the next generation of gaming, including what’s next for Xbox Series X, Xbox Game Studios, Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud. Every month will bring something different.

July looks to be when the big blowout will be, with the first party studios finally being able to reveal what they've been working on.

Quote

In July, we will dedicate time to focus on the incredible games coming from Xbox Game Studios. A number of our studio teams are looking forward to sharing first looks at new gameplay, insights from development teams being optimized for Xbox Series X, and brand-new game announcements. We cannot wait to share this initial look at what some of those teams are working on.

I'm expecting more from Halo Infinite and the unveiling of a new Fable and Perfect Dark. 

[Ronnie]

Sounds good! Smart to keep fans engaged.

Hopefully they'll be tighter, more focused broadcasts than their usual Inside Xbox.

[Julius]

Guessing this is the new start-up sound/screen?

 

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

I'd be stunned by delighted if we got a Perfect Dark reboot, if we do I could see it be a 'reimagining' of the N64 original as opposed to brand new, so that people are more likely to buy it.

More interested in the first party presentation in July but still intrigued for tomorrow's show! Hoping to see the long rumoured Batman game, and it's about time someone did something with the James Bond license as well...

[Hero-of-Time]

32 minutes ago, Kaepora_Gaebora said:

I'd be stunned by delighted if we got a Perfect Dark reboot, if we do I could see it be a 'reimagining' of the N64 original as opposed to brand new, so that people are more likely to buy it.

Going from job listings and rumours, many are thinking that Perfect Dark is the game that The Initiative are working on. 

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

28 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Going from job listings and rumours, many are thinking that Perfect Dark is the game that The Initiative are working on. 

Yeah I've seen that speculation, I would be over the moon if that is the case (and it's more like the original than zero in style...) But I guess I don't want to get my hopes up!

With Battletoads confirmed already (and after Streets of Rage 4 being so bloody good hopefully that'll have a knock on effect) let's hope Rare IP will finally be utilised!