Rumour is Microsoft culled the physical division

[flipswitch]

We will finally get the definite edition of Starfield. Hopefully with the extra power under the hood they can eliminate loads times to zero.



.

[Madmya]

Brought to you by Good Guys Microsoft.

[Madmya]

If they make Game Pass like a Netflix service that's available on every gaming machine...

[Ambrose Burnside]

During the accompanying earnings call, Sony president, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki told investors that PS5 hardware sales are expected to decline, in part due to the console entering the "latter half" of its lifecycle, and that its first-party software offering will not feature new entries from any of its established IP until April 2025 at the earliest.

Don't need to when you're getting Game Pass

"No Spiderman or God of War this year, you'll have to make do with Halo and Forza."

[Ambrose Burnside]

What a nothing presentation

[Madmya]

So not even Starfield is likely to be going multiplatform. There must be so many disappointed people who wanted the Microsoft meltdown to happen.

Interesting about the new hardware, I'm keen to see where it goes. I want a version of Alan Wake 2 that's closer to PC. I'm also half-tempted into just moving to PC anyway.

[Froggy]

I did think to myself earlier this week, could this be a massive in house push to get hype up for them announcing their upcoming stuff. Like pushing all these rumours out themselves sent everyone mental and got so much traction that they got way more eyes on them today then they ever would have but I thought nah surely there's too much noise for it to be something like that. So it seems it was that lol. Throw a few games that they've taken all the cash they can from and put them multiplatform, it really makes no difference to xbox at this stage if sea of thieves or grounded go multi. I still do not get SOT but surely the player base is dropping off a cliff.

Anyway, yay we get competition! I also like that they have clearly identified that they need to go much bigger on hardware, like the old days instead of the last couple of consoles which one was disgustingly under powered in the xbone and the xbox series x was decent but then still couldn't handle what was promised.

[Froggy]

Also it feels like they are going to do over Sony again with a series x pro where sony's just gone the PS slim.. like how the ps4 pro was a decent upgrade but then the xbox one x took a shit on it.

[unfnknblvbl]

Digital Foundry hypothesised a fare days ago that the reason they Microsoft were talking so long in squashing the rumours was because they were gauging community reactions and refining their script appropriately.
With that in mind, I reckon they were going to do more. Maybe not exit hardware altogether, but perhaps making first party games "timed exclusives"...

But all this Friday and that presentation for four minor games? Nah.

[Madmya]

Serious question, have they ever made massive announcements on a podcast?

[Ambrose Burnside]

I'm also half-tempted into just moving to PC anyway.

Best of all the worlds.

[Froggy]

Right back to the original header, looks like I am right on the third party to do their physical. I suspect they will outsource it to the cheapest for each scenario, so we have limited run games doing the four games going to competitors consoles which fits as they are four games I'm not sure you'd ever buy physically anyway. Two live service and two.. obscure indie games.

I'll say to anyone if they didn't play grounded get on it. Especially if you have kids it ended up a really good game.

[unfnknblvbl]

"we will learn" does not mean "we will only release these four games" - and then there's Phil's recent comments about fan requests for Helldiver II to come to XBox, being along the lines of "I don't see why they don't do it" or somesuch.

What's the point of a console if it doesn't let you play unique games and provide unique experiences you can't get elsewhere?

[Madmya]

So what's the general perception of the rumours the next xbox is probably going to be more PC-oriented?

Multiple store fronts, the 'preservation of games' xbox division which I see as making old games work on PC.

[unfnknblvbl]

Into the bin with them. They clearly have forgotten what makes consoles special (and so have Digital Foundry).

There is literally nothing special about the Xbox anymore. I can play those games better on PC, so why am I buying a dedicated machine for a worse experience?

I cannot think of a single thing that excites me about the brand anymore. Microsoft have gone in with their usual Embrace Extend Extinguish tactics, and fucked over the entire scene for everyone.

They have forgotten the face of their father.

[Madmya]

I think I'll wait before I become too emotionally invested in this, but I am very much looking forward to seeing what they're going to offer.

I hope I can play the PC version of The Last of Us on my Xbox-branded gaming device.

[unfnknblvbl]

They lost the plot back when they decided to let go of high profile, successfully developers like Bungie and Bizarre. That's when they signalled that they don't actually give a shit about fresh, original games on their consoles. Then the forced installs on the 'bone, and now the shift to digital-only, always online bullshit. I have never encountered something so blatantly anti-consumer as modern gaming. I'm completely fucking over it. I sat down to play a quick game of Forza Motorsport on Sunday evening, but had to spend two hours downloading patches instead.
Fuck that. I'm sick of it. Just let me play my games when I want to, for the love of all that is holy.

[Madmya]

Letting go of Bungie was short-sighted. I could understand that they needed Halo, it was their icon, and Bungie didn't want to make Halo anymore, but I don't think it's worked out well for them. And imagine if after all this time Bungie decided to make another Halo. Megaton.

Moving away from optical media seems a no-brainer. I dunno, a lot of the stuff you're complaining about means nothing to me. Onwards and upwards

[Peppermint Lounge]

I hope I can play the PC version of The Last of Us on my Xbox-branded gaming device.

You mean a logo on the case? My PC is already a heavily XBox-branded gaming device with access to multiple storefronts. XBox PC app, XBox controller, XBox Windows overlay, XBox/Game Pass branded Windows pop-up ads.

The full TLOU on XBox experience will be connecting a PS5 DualSense controller to play it.

[Madmya]

Aye.

And if they do go down this route, I assume it's not going to mean a whole lot to people who are already PC gamers, bar maybe getting an exclusive xbox-modified OS?

Either way, the PC crowd already thinks there's no point in buying an xbox so I can't imagine that changing, unless it's a box that's great value.