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Xbox Xbox is failing so horribly, its kind of unbelievable

big lantern ghost said:
The question form for that Kinda Funny stream includes such hardballs as “Tell us your favorite Gamerscore memory and/or special achievements story?” There is a blank form to submit your own (brief) question but still lol. Seems like there won’t be much substantive discussion
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It'd be funny as hell if tossed him some hardball questions, or even just a "how much do you pay to Jez Corden to spin bad news"
 
neil said:
I think the Xbox brand used to mean Halo, best online play, and best console graphics. After its first two systems, it failed to protect those positions and now it kind of stands for nothing.
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I mean have they really lost the latter 2 points. Also gamepass is a huge aspect of Xbox now. I think Xbox's main problem is just terrible games output, the ecosystem and hardware are still fantastic.
 
the thing about gamepass I wonder is if it's actually expanding xbox's reach, rather than just going into the existing userbase. I'm not sure about that point
 
robertman2 said:
It'd be funny as hell if tossed him some hardball questions, or even just a "how much do you pay to Jez Corden to spin bad news"
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One of the casualties of E3 going away is we don't get Jeff Gerstmann grilling him on the couch for 30+ minutes. That one year (I think it was 2015) where he asked Phil what it was going to take for games to stop shipping in a broken state and he was just speechless for a moment.
 
I mean yes overall, I guess I feel all it takes is a steady stream to turn things around, like in a way Nintendo turned the 3ds around and the Wii U didn't kill them, PS3 turn around, I doubt PS3 level recovery but I don't know, I think it's just a result of them focusing on giant games scope wise, maybe that's all that sells but I don't know. I won't buy a box cause everything gets ported anyway but if they bring back Banjo I'd buy anything even Pilot 2 or some shit, but realistically that'll be a mid sized release in sales. I guess I'd just be somewhat concerned for Spencer's position in the company though he also got them out of the Xbone slump
 
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Having a good ecosystem and hardware is good, but at the end of the day, games are the only thing that matter. Every system needs several iconic games, and sorry but Forza Horizon 5 isn't one of those, Starfield should be the first one.
At the moment, Xbox Series feels like an extension of Xbox One, and I have yet to see a game that really feels "next gen" on Series X apart from improved resolution and framerate.
 
neon said:
I mean have they really lost the latter 2 points.
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I think in the mind of the average player they must have. Do they even talk about those things in their marketing anymore? How is Xbox really different from PS5 in those areas?

Even with Gamepass, have they really carved out a position with it? Seems like they just say, “by the way you can do Gamepass” rather than say, making Xbox the high end console where you don’t have to pay $60 for big new games. In my experience the average parent doesn’t even know Gamepass exists, or they don’t know what that key benefit is.
 
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EvilChameleon said:
Another thing I'll say is, let's assume the Activision deal does indeed go through. Suddenly Microsoft will have even more game studios, and if their overall output doesn't increase dramatically, you'd just have to wonder what in the hell is going on. Only putting out a Call Of Duty every year isn't going to cut it. Especially if we take them at their word that it's going to remain multiplatform. Why get an XBOX? Maybe they're gonna pull a SEGA and get out of the console business and just be a developer.
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I don't think it'd make sense to just be a dev when you're that big. As much as I don't like consolidation the idea of them pulling out would be even worse cause its basically end game, Sony vs Nintendo doesn't feel like much of a race with how much they've diverged in paths, frankly I wish there were 4 or 5 consoles (though as much as I'd like say, someone like-well SEGA but like say Ubisoft (not as in Ubisoft is good but just in industry mainly) to make a console, realistically it'd be like Amazon or Google or Apple (all 3 have made gaming efforts but sidestepped the actual box part)
 
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Some people can say "Playstation games are not for me" or "Nintendo games are not for me" but, at the end of the day, they both make games that appeal to a wildly large portion of the gaming sphere. The sales in both camps speak for themselves. When consoles as old as Switch and PS4 are often outselling your current console, that is not a good look.

They honestly really turned it around for the better since the abysmal start to the Xbox One generation, but they still have a long way to go. And I hope they do (without having to buy gigantic publishers lol).
 
big lantern ghost said:
Phil is gonna need his absolute coolest Cool Dad Leather Jacket for this one. It’s damage control time!
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No he just needs to come up on stage and announce Banjo Redooie and Xbox will make 500 trillion dollars

Real talk though, with making this point-is the PC and generally lack of exclusivity an issue? Admittedly this thread is very IP heavy so perhaps console sales don't matter, but like I'm in a position of being a big enough Banjo fan to buy it on PC and buy the physical Xbox version... (want the box + more sales to signal we want Banjo to be a big deal) without actually buying a console, like in the timeline where you literally have to buy a Series X/S to play Banjo I don't know if I buy it but like the fact that's basically off the table, is it an issue and makes expanding variety not worth it since Nintendo esc gamers will just go to PC anyway?

(I also feel a new Banjo/remake would be exclusive to PC and xbox for like a year then come to Nintendo due to said association cause of the amount who won't buy it there, mixed with them making more money if you buy from them so year of only there and not announced til like 2 months of exclusivity ending so people who would buy Nintendo if day 1 but will only buy once are taken, + people like me who'd buy it a 2nd/3rd time but this is way off topic)
 
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I saw it getting mentioned on the previous page, but I completely agree that Microsoft’s message for their Xbox strategy is mostly muddled, which makes it a very unreliable factor. If you see that ever since the introduction of the original system, they have been in a constant state of changing their direction.
 
If I was running the division I would take the following steps to shake things up.

1.) Forget the Activision sale, $70 billion just for them was always a bit over the top.

2.) Instead pay Activision a few billion (still gonna be a lot but less than the 70 billion) to have new COD titles come to Game Pass day 1. No regulator can do anything about that. Also might as well pay for exclusive content while we're at it.

3.) Start money hatting games that are close to completion, none of this "we bought studio XYZ but their first game won't be ready until 5 years from now".

4.) Step up your marketing and attack Playstation directly, play up Game Pass as being a better deal than Sony's "rip off" $70 a pop pricing, etc. etc. Take a page out of Sega's playbook from the Genesis-SNES when they started to rip Nintendo openly and loudly. Enough with being Mr. Nice Guy. Get celebrities in your commercials.

5.) Allow ports of older Halo, Forza, Killer Instinct, etc. games to come to Nintendo Switch, get Master Chief into Smash Brothers, aim to be the no.1 3rd party on the Switch and turn that 120+ million Nintendo fanbase into one that is more XBox friendly than Playstation friendly. Nintendo's own market research shows like 65%+ of Switch owners also own one of a XBox or Playstation console. Greenlight a new Banjo-Kazooie that will come to XBox and Switch and PC at a reasonable budget.
 
JorgenRaft said:
They honestly really turned it around for the better since the abysmal start to the Xbox One generation
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I actually think that the abismal start of Xbox One wasn't their lowest point nor the reason for the current situation.
They had those awful policies like the always online, not sharing games, and a bad E3 presentation, but it still looked promising with big games like Scalebound, and they came from the success of 360.

Xbox had to fix that initial fiasco by making big decisions, and they did, but honestly, it was under Phil Spencer management when things went really wrong.
Instead of focusing on feeding the Xbox One with lots of high quality games, they disappeared. They started buying studios, backwards compatibility, gamepass... They tried everything but focusing on the only thing that matters: games.

A perfect example of this is the One X. Xbox One was less powerful than PS4, but... who cares? If it had had a great catalog, with a great Halo experience, a constant feed of innovative first party games, and great third party deals, people would be playing on Xbox One no matter what.
But no, they thought having a more powerful console with just a few games is a better idea. They also thought that buying studios is better than doing their own games. Turning their console into a "rent machine" is better than trying to compete with Sony as they did in the 360 era.

Sorry for the long post, it's just that I think the current Xbox division needs a change. And that's probably a Microsoft and Satya decision, they will have to chose if Xbox keeps being a console and competition to Playstation, so they start actually competing, or it becomes just a gaming service and publisher.
 
JorgenRaft said:
Some people can say "Playstation games are not for me" or "Nintendo games are not for me" but, at the end of the day, they both make games that appeal to a wildly large portion of the gaming sphere. The sales in both camps speak for themselves. When consoles as old as Switch and PS4 are often outselling your current console, that is not a good look.

They honestly really turned it around for the better sinuce the abysmal start to the Xbox One generation, but they still have a long way to go. And I hope they do (without having to buy gigantic publishers lol).
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I think the beginning of the Xbox One was one of the better periods when it comes to games, since there were some dissapointments but also there were plenty of good games outside of the Forzas, like Sunset Overdrive, D4, Ori, Rare Replay, among others. They have gotten amazing deals for the players but the appealing exclusives outside of Forza seem to be just less and less as time goes on.
 
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stodesign12 said:
A perfect example of this is the One X. Xbox One was less powerful than PS4, but... who cares? If it had had a great catalog, with a great Halo experience, a constant feed of innovative first party games, and great third party deals, people would be playing on Xbox One no matter what.
But no, they thought having a more powerful console with just a few games is a better idea. They also thought that buying studios is better than doing their own games. Turning their console into a "rent machine" is better than trying to compete with Sony as they did in the 360 era.

Sorry for the long post, it's just that I think the current Xbox division needs a change. And that's probably a Microsoft and Satya decision, they will have to chose if Xbox keeps being a console and competition to Playstation, so they start actually competing, or it becomes just a gaming service and publisher.
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See, the Series S/X era had the chance to be promising. Launching with Halo? Incredible!
instead, Halo had to be delayed (multiple times, in fact), and instead of a handful of XBOX exclusive launch titles, we got graphic updates to a bunch of XBOX One games. In fact, if I look through this list, the first XBOX-published game that did not appear on the XBOX One or PC first was Psychonauts 2 almost a year after the launch of the Series S/X.

It's why I wouldn't even think about launching the next gen after this one until I had a Halo or Gears game ready to go, and if those games have to be delayed, I would delay the console as well.
 
Personally I don't really have much faith in Microsoft and regardless of what they show next month I will just wait until the games come, or at least show solid gameplay with clear release dates. Their last 2 or 3 E3's were pretty good, although mostly for the multi plat games and Game Pass deals, and I personally saw a lot of people, especially here in Latin America, saying that with what they showed they were clearly gonna win the generation, but then the first party stuff either still hasn't come out at all by this point, or like Redfall or Halo Infinite, didn't deliver.
 
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stodesign12 said:
I actually think that the abismal start of Xbox One wasn't their lowest point nor the reason for the current situation.
They had those awful policies like the always online, not sharing games, and a bad E3 presentation, but it still looked promising with big games like Scalebound, and they came from the success of 360.

Xbox had to fix that initial fiasco by making big decisions, and they did, but honestly, it was under Phil Spencer management when things went really wrong.
Instead of focusing on feeding the Xbox One with lots of high quality games, they disappeared. They started buying studios, backwards compatibility, gamepass... They tried everything but focusing on the only thing that matters: games.

A perfect example of this is the One X. Xbox One was less powerful than PS4, but... who cares? If it had had a great catalog, with a great Halo experience, a constant feed of innovative first party games, and great third party deals, people would be playing on Xbox One no matter what.
But no, they thought having a more powerful console with just a few games is a better idea. They also thought that buying studios is better than doing their own games. Turning their console into a "rent machine" is better than trying to compete with Sony as they did in the 360 era.

Sorry for the long post, it's just that I think the current Xbox division needs a change. And that's probably a Microsoft and Satya decision, they will have to chose if Xbox keeps being a console and competition to Playstation, so they start actually competing, or it becomes just a gaming service and publisher.
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Nah I can completely understand where you’re coming from.

I think they’re completely capable of even doing more of the third party exclusivity deals that Sony and Nintendo are more known for. Hell, they had something going with Capcom for a while with Dead Rising. Honestly, while that option can be frustrating in its own way, it’s far more preferable than MS outright buying an entire company.
 
I love my Series X, but yeah, the current state of Xbox is pretty depressing.

I’m also probably one of the few that has absolutely zero faith in Starfield turning things around.
 
They had a rough 2022 and their latest release (Redfall) doesn't help, but I think it's a bit overblown. Some of their studios are having some troubles that they need to figure out but The Coalition (Gears series) and Playground Games (Forza series) seem to be doing fine, Tango Gameworks is now another studio with some interesting output (Hi-Fi Rush). I think most of their studios still didn't release stuff this gen yet so I'd wait a bit. There's still other promising studios like Ninja Theory, id Software, Double Fine
Looking at their catalog I might check out Ghostwire Tokyo, I saw it got a well-received update/DLC last month (The Spider's Thread) and it's now part of Game Pass (although it was initially a PS-exclusive amusingly xD)
 
I use mine every day, but very rarely for Xbox exclusives. I play Xbox because it's extremely convenient, has an extremely large library stretching back to the original Xbox, and even some N64 games, and of course, game pass.

With that said, some of my favourite games are Xbox exclusives. Forza Horizon 5 is my favourite racing game, perhaps my favourite game ever full stop, full of amazing scenery, tear-jerking writing and jaw-dropping, if a little stiff at times, gameplay. Halo Infinite's campaign is my favourite campaign in a shooter bar Portal or Splatoon, and Halo the Master Chief Collection is my favourite shoorfer overall bar Splatoon.

There is a LOT to love about Xbox in my opinion, and part of it is how accessible and easy to use it is. This year is rough for Xbox releases, sure, but Nintendo is mostly doing remakes or releasing formerly delayed games. I think all in all, they've had some very strong years. 2021 saw Flight Simulator and Forza Horizon 5. Best in class games that haven't been topped or even challenged.

Plus I really like the back catalogue. Official 360 emulation for Fallout? The only official 4K version of Portal 2? The only modern console with the Orange Box? I can hardly complain except that Valve refuses to support the perpetual testing initiative on Switch!
 
JorgenRaft said:
Nah I can completely understand where you’re coming from.

I think they’re completely capable of even doing more of the third party exclusivity deals that Sony and Nintendo are more known for. Hell, they had something going with Capcom for a while with Dead Rising. Honestly, while that option can be frustrating in its own way, it’s far more preferable than MS outright buying an entire company.
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They should get a Dead Rising 1 remake going!
 
Gonna be an interesting watch tomorrow.



(Parris is on the Kinda Funny Xbox podcast and they had an interview with Phil Spencer today.)
 
Beard said:
I love my Series X, but yeah, the current state of Xbox is pretty depressing.

I’m also probably one of the few that has absolutely zero faith in Starfield turning things around.
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Oh man......If Starfield is a mess at launch then its time for Phil (or Matt Booty) to go.
 
Concernt said:
Nintendo is mostly doing remakes or releasing formerly delayed games.
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Yes but so is Xbox but mainly the latter. Redfall was supposed to release last year but was released in a very awful state. When Nintendo delays games and they release later its going to be in a great state. All of the performace issues say of TOTK will be due to the Switch itself not because of the game being very buggy.


Also nothing wrong with remakes/remasters I rather play Meroid Prime Remastered 100 times. than even touch Redfall. That being said Xbox had only one great out so far that was a niche game, Hi Fi Rush was awesome.
Concernt said:
Xbox exclusives. Forza Horizon 5 is my favourite racing game, perhaps my favourite game ever full stop, full of amazing scenery, tear-jerking writing and jaw-dropping, if a little stiff at times, gameplay.
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Agree on the gameplay and very nice GFX but a great story? I respectfully disagree.
 
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undefined said:
They had a rough 2022 and their latest release (Redfall) doesn't help, but I think it's a bit overblown. Some of their studios are having some troubles that they need to figure out but The Coalition (Gears series) and Playground Games (Forza series) seem to be doing fine, Tango Gameworks is now another studio with some interesting output (Hi-Fi Rush). I think most of their studios still didn't release stuff this gen yet so I'd wait a bit. There's still other promising studios like Ninja Theory, id Software, Double Fine
Looking at their catalog I might check out Ghostwire Tokyo, I saw it got a well-received update/DLC last month (The Spider's Thread) and it's now part of Game Pass (although it was initially a PS-exclusive amusingly xD)
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That's one of their issues, though, is that they keep snapping up developers, announcing projects, and then those projects end up in dev hell or cancelled, and occasionally one releases in a half-baked state like Crackdown 3 or Redfall. This is happening too often over there for it to be a series of flukes. From the outside it looks like colossal mismanagement while they throw money away with reckless abandon hoping someone they buy can deliver them something that'll miraculously make all the sunk cash worth it

AAA games in general are in an abysmal state, and I think MS just stands as a good illustration of that general trend. Blockbuster games are still becoming increasingly expensive to make, and as they grow ever more costly they get more homogeneous and the publishers less risk averse. The games themselves are releasing in states that their publishers should be embarrassed by.

The imagination and quality is just hemoraging as project sizes bloat. And now they cost $10 extra on top of the season passes, the microtransactions, the loot boxes, and all of the other scummy money grubbing techniques that make games worse because their design has to morph to accommodate monetization schemes.

The industry is in bad shape, and it's not coincidence that this is an entirely non-unionized and largely self-regulated industry.
 
Monster Mash said:
That's one of their issues, though, is that they keep snapping up developers, announcing projects, and then those projects end up in dev hell or cancelled, and occasionally one releases in a half-baked state like Crackdown 3 or Redfall. This is happening too often over there for it to be a series of flukes. From the outside it looks like colossal mismanagement while they throw money away with reckless abandon hoping someone they buy can deliver them something that'll miraculously make all the sunk cash worth it

AAA games in general are in an abysmal state, and I think MS just stands as a good illustration of that general trend. Blockbuster games are still becoming increasingly expensive to make, and as they grow ever more costly they get more homogeneous and the publishers less risk averse. The games themselves are releasing in states that their publishers should be embarrassed by.

The imagination and quality is just hemoraging as project sizes bloat. And now they cost $10 extra on top of the season passes, the microtransactions, the loot boxes, and all of the other scummy money grubbing techniques that make games worse because their design has to morph to accommodate monetization schemes.

The industry is in bad shape, and it's not coincidence that this is an entirely non-unionized and largely self-regulated industry.
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100% mismanagement, or maybe even lack thereof. The thing with the Xbox studios is that whenever they talk about Xbox, they talk about how great they are. They're hands off, they let them do their thing, etc.

As much as it pains me to say, I think they need to be a bit more hands on. When so many of their games take years to come out, or launch in a poor state, it's not hard to say it's an Xbox thing. Their studios are talented - more talented and creative than they're given credit for, I feel - but somebody needs to steer the ship up top so things like bloat, scope creep, and mismanagement happen less.
 
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There is much already said in this thread I agree with. One aspect that I think Xbox is struggling with is the casual appeal.

I do think that for casual gamers a Series S with Gamepass is the most bang for your buck you get if you just want a cheap and easy way to play video games.

But one thing I have observed is that while the market offer is really good in terms of price and value, one thing Xbox lacks is games that appeal to broad audiences. My wife for example isn't a gamer by any means, but she has been drawn in by many Nintendo titles and played Zelda, Mario, Animal Crossing, Luigis Mansion, Mario vs Rabbids etc. But she has basically never touched the Xbox other than to check out Hogwarts Legacy and she just thought that game was kinda boring and had complicated controls. Oh, and we played It takes two together, which she liked.

That's not to say that there aren't gems on Xbox that aren't violent murder fantasies or car games, but I do think that that Xbox's first party games has been a bit to skewed towards guns and cars. Games like Psychonaut 2, Hi-fi rush, the Ori-games are of course exceptions, and I really hope we see more of those more inspired games.
 
Sounds like unneccessary FUD and fearmongering. I'll take a close look at what each 1st Party actually manages to launch this year. Right now Sony is quite behind in comparison to both competitors in terms of this years output and the upcoming presentation might make the difference even clearer. Sonys advantage right now is more in favourable press than in actual 1st Party output.
 
Call me crazy but don't you all think that the name "Xbox" in itself has been a mistake to keep? I understand that it's an established brand and that Microsoft also likes that there is some distance between its core brand and the gaming business.

But there is just something so late 90's edgy male teenager about the name Xbox. And don't get me started on the naming scheme for their consoles.. I just think it would behove them to rebrand their gaming business to something that signals more broad appeal and something more friendly and approachable. And less edgy teen boy screaming profanities in their mic while shooting virtual guns.
 
Its a shame because I think they've done a great job with handling their back catalogue. Their effort with Gamepass and all the old Xbox and 360 updates have been incredible.

Its such a solid foundation that so many things are not taking advantage of. 1st party AAA software is taking ages to release, and is so complicated to make that it comes out in states like Redfall. And with the ABK deal in question, this problem isn't being addressed very soon.

Then there's Gamepass, a solid idea and service if you actually play games regularly, but flawed without a huge audience to back it up , and judging by the fact MS doesn't share sub numbers anymore, a lot of money is being sunk that isn't recouping fast.

On the one hand, MS is such a powerful corp thay they'll be fine overall with this snag, but I also can't help but feel a little bad when their service towards the back catalogue has been so incredible.
 
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Christer said:
Call me crazy but don't you all think that the name "Xbox" in itself has been a mistake to keep? I understand that it's an established brand and that Microsoft also likes that there is some distance between its core brand and the gaming business.

But there is just something so late 90's edgy male teenager about the name Xbox. And don't get me started on the naming scheme for their consoles.. I just think it would behove them to rebrand their gaming business to something that signals more broad appeal and something more friendly and approachable. And less edgy teen boy screaming profanities in their mic while shooting virtual guns.
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No. You aren't crazy. Xbox as a name in 2023 feels dated.
 
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Xbox might be a tacky name but I don't think it has anything to do with why they've struggled for the last decade. Rebranding themselves would just make things more confusing. The bigger problem is the video game console market is incredibly competitive, especially now with PC having become more viable in that time period as a mainstream gaming device. This is especially true outside the Anglosphere where Xbox doesn't have remotely the mindshare PlayStation does.
 
Beard said:
I love my Series X, but yeah, the current state of Xbox is pretty depressing.

I’m also probably one of the few that has absolutely zero faith in Starfield turning things around.
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Nope. At this point I'm expecting Starfield to also crash and burn.
 
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touchfuzzy said:
No, I don't agree. Of course the goal of everyone in the end is to get you to spend money so they make money, but I think there's a lot of people at Sony, Nintendo, and even a lot of third parties that are still committed to games being fun, games being art, and games being special.

To Microsoft it's all just numbers -- they don't care about games or gaming, just the bottom line and how much they can control it. I legitimately feel bad for any developer purchased by them.
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Nintendo? The bloody corporation that tried to outlaw rentals and emulators? The Nintendo that is using their IPs to run unregulated gambling apps on mobile devices aimed at kids and teens? That Nintendo? The company that has one of the worst supports for legacy titles than any other manufacturers right now? The Nintendo that was sued and sent nced for market manipulation and price fixing in Europe?
And Sony? Of all companies you hold up Sony as a counter example of a company that isn't all about numbers? The "People will be happy to get a second job to afford Playstation" Sony? The Sony that uses its Monopoly to buy up exclusivity contracts left and right in order to keep an advantage over MS and Nintendo? That Sony?

I don't know wether your opinion is founded in some extremely selective perception of these corporation, or some good ole orientalist bias, or a mix of both, but it's simply ridiculous to pretend that MS is that big bad monolithic capitalist boogey man as compared to the plucky underdogs at Sony and Nintendo that are full of creativity, spark and dreams.
It's also extremely insulting to the massive creative talent working at MS game studios. People that care for their craft and have been working in this industry for decades. Despite being able to skip for much more lucrative and less time consuming careers.

Microsoft has a huge problem at the moment, but it isn't down to a lack of passionate, creative and caring developers
 
Another problem with gamepass is that gaming can be so cheap even without a subscription service. Honestly, one look at STEAM and you have access to last years back catalog at ridiculously cheap prices without the commitment of having to play the games before they vanish from the service.

Its to the point that more people seem to have back catalogs as wide as Gamepass
 
Christer said:
But there is just something so late 90's edgy male teenager about the name Xbox.
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LOL

You are right, but It's an iconic name, and there is no reason to not be proud of that past.
 
Laguna said:
Sounds like unneccessary FUD and fearmongering. I'll take a close look at what each 1st Party actually manages to launch this year. Right now Sony is quite behind in comparison to both competitors in terms of this years output and the upcoming presentation might make the difference even clearer. Sonys advantage right now is more in favourable press than in actual 1st Party output.
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Spiderman 2 is due to release this year, and Starfield is the only upcoming game from XGS/Bethesda that has even the slightest chance of competing with that from both a critical and commercial standpoint.

Both companies may be having a bit of a dry year overall, but Xbox has just come off a year where they released literally zero new internally developed games. The console is stalling and sales are actually down YoY (and we're only just entering the 3rd year of its life now, this is something that simply shouldn't be happening this early into a console's life). While Sony can afford to coast for a little while off the back of their 2022 releases and some exclusive 3rd party heavy hitters like FF16, Microsoft can't afford another dry period; they need exclusive big hit games now. Their future as a hardware manufacturer is depending on it.
 
Nothing that Microsoft does is gonna be more stupid than not putting gyro in their next-gen controllers.
 
Idk wtf is going on at Xbox but

  • Fanbase of flagship IP were hugely incompetent and helped kill said IP, it's like they couldn't kill it fast enough
  • Most prestigious franchise is a simulation racer
  • Heavy hitters such as TE6 taking way too long
  • Fable, Perfect Dark taking too long
  • No culture of game design or innovation, not willing to be brave enough in bringing fundamental change
  • No identity any more
  • No history
Edit - Sorry for including S.T.A.L.K.E.R. as a delayed title in this post. I should have known better given I read about the war on a daily basis.
 
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Mer.Saloon said:
Another problem with gamepass is that gaming can be so cheap even without a subscription service. Honestly, one look at STEAM and you have access to last years back catalog at ridiculously cheap prices without the commitment of having to play the games before they vanish from the service.

Its to the point that more people seem to have back catalogs as wide as Gamepass
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Yeah, you’re right. Gaming is cheaper than ever. Most big releases go on sale a few months afterwards.

Game Pass is a great option but so is waiting a few months!
 
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I wouldn't say NSO is "kind of a good deal" considering how poor their Splatoon 2/3 and Smash servers are. Even more so considering what you get in return.
Emulation of old games you could purchase for pennies on older Nintendo consoles? multiple smash hits missing from each emulated platform within the service? """deals""" like supposedly saving 20$ off with a voucher? (despite the fact that you need NSO in order to even be able to get a voucher making it actually a 0-16$ discount depending on how many months you've subscribed for), temporary ownership of DLCs for games you might not even own? full trials for games no one cares that only happen every once in a while?

No, I wouldn't consider it a deal. More like a ripoff.
 
Mer.Saloon said:
Its to the point that more people seem to have back catalogs as wide as Gamepass
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That's me. I'm not going to sub to Game Pass because I already have a huge selection of games to unwrap on Steam. Not to mention I play primarily on Switch anyway, because portable is how I get the most gaming time in.

Gaming as a subscription service seems like it will take a while to catch on. Because right now, most casual gamers zero in on a few specific games that interest them. They're not interested in the buffet style of gaming.
 
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I keep saying that MS NEEDS to watch the volatility of things like Netflix and Disney + very carefully. It could very well be their future too. Infinte sub growth is far from a guarantee
 
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This is very interesting, I liked the interview, and it seems they actually hear people, but I'm disappointed for the following reasons:

He said that the solution is not just delivering lots of high quality games, because they can not compete with Sony. "It's impossible to be a better green version of the blue guys" or something like that. Well, may be, but it's a crucial starting point. He also insisted they are commited to the gamepass and services things instead of just consoles and games like Sony, and he knows that may upset people... So they literally know what people want, but don't do it because they think they can't. Yes, I'm upset.

Then he tries to explain why is Xbox the third company and can't compete face to face with Sony and Nintendo. There are two main reasons:
First, he still blames the early Xbox One era, and honestly, that was a decade ago, he had time to fix it.
The second reason is not having those third party exclusive deals like FF or Call of Duty, and he blame themselves for that. I mean, at least he doesn't deny it's their fault, but how should we feel about that? Is that they didn't care? Sony is a much smaller company than Microsoft and still got their exclusive deals. That just feels like Sony actually cares about games more than Microsoft, period.
He also knows that people may not trust them anymore if they keep doing those big Xbox Showcases but then they don't deliver.

Phil looks like a nice guy and I appreciate the transparency effort, but please. Please. Focus on games, not services and suscriptions. Games.
 
Really good interview. I like how he acknowledges that they won't copy Sony and pump out TLOU games over and over. Gamepass seems to be working, they just need more third party stuff on it.
 
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Bought a Series S as a back-up console, and initially had a whale of a time with Halo Infinite and Psychonauts 2 through Game Pass in December 2021 and January 2022. The lack of progress with Halo Infinite - and especially the absence of anything like a campaign update or continuation in late 2022 - was a real bummer for me. It had a huge amount of potential and there's something seriously wrong with Microsoft's production pipeline if they can't capitalise on what has historically been Xbox's most influential and significant franchise. It could've been an early poster-child for the Series hardware and for Game Pass, and an effective reboot for the series after a difficult decade post-Bungie, but it feels like it's difficult, perhaps impossible, to rescue it now.

Expecting a notable single-player expansion a year after launch might sound tough, but look at Nintendo's software pipeline. The quality and scope of their DLC has been pretty mixed, but looking at expansions for series like Splatoon and Xenoblade, and the form is there for some teams to get really high quality, fairly generous (very generous when it comes to XBC) expansions out, and out within 12 months of the base game. I really think that 343 needed to be in much better shape, and better supported, and that Splatoon/Xenoblade model should've been the target: small waves of content coming into multiplayer, with the promise of a meatier single-player offering coming within 12 months of launch. It would've given Microsoft something higher profile to hang their hat in late 2022; and it's not as if it needed to be quite as long as the Infinite base campaign, either.

For me, personally, I'm happy to hang on to my Series S for now. It was an affordable and very enjoyable way of playing the remastered Mass Effect trilogy and Tunic in 2022, though the fact Microsoft have dropped the £1 GamePass offer means I'm not sure when I'll next subscribe. I do want to play Pentiment, but I'd rather stay subbed for a few months next time and aim to get my money's worth. Things like Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment are really attractive offerings on Game Pass, but I do think, with Halo Infinite having floundered, 343 struggling, and much of Xbox's software plans seemingly being 2024 or beyond, a lot is now hanging on Starfield.

If Starfield is an excellent, compelling game, I'd give serious thought to really getting into GamePass. Play Starfield as a long-term investment, and supplement it with unusual and new titles like Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush. I think, in the longer-term, that'd be what GamePass has to be: a steady supply of semi-annual blockbuster titles that keeps a mass audience engaged for several months at a time, supplemented by more regular drops of low and medium budget games from Microsoft's array of teams. They don't need to commit all their resources to the current high-end model, because that's increasingly difficult and time-consuming to compete in; but they do need at least some of those types of games to reach a mass audience. Rather than looking at Sony, I think Microsoft should be looking at what Nintendo do: a few big budget titles are supplemented by a much higher proportion of medium budget games in different genres and franchises. Obviously, I don't think Microsoft can and should try and offer 'Nintendo-like' games, more that they should take a leaf out of Nintendo's book when it comes to the scope and scale of individual titles.

Finally, from my perspective, Nintendo's hybrid ecosystem pretty much caters to me near-perfectly. If Nintendo can keep that going in 2024 and beyond with more powerful hardware, it's going to be difficult for Microsoft or Sony to wrestle much of my limited free time from Nintendo's hybrid platform. GamePass and Series S isn't even a regular supplement to that right now, just an occasional one.
 
Dcubed said:
Spiderman 2 is due to release this year, and Starfield is the only upcoming game from XGS/Bethesda that has even the slightest chance of competing with that from both a critical and commercial standpoint.

Both companies may be having a bit of a dry year overall, but Xbox has just come off a year where they released literally zero new internally developed games. The console is stalling and sales are actually down YoY (and we're only just entering the 3rd year of its life now, this is something that simply shouldn't be happening this early into a console's life). While Sony can afford to coast for a little while off the back of their 2022 releases and some exclusive 3rd party heavy hitters like FF16, Microsoft can't afford another dry period; they need exclusive big hit games now. Their future as a hardware manufacturer is depending on it.
Click to expand...

You are pretty much confirming that it is a very barebones year for Sonys 1st party lineup. With their new focus on service games this might become a regular thing from now on, unless they change course.
 
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