EvenStephen7

$400 range for a Series S is rough. That's a 30% increase. I guess in comparison to the SX it's still cheaper but now we're roughly at the same price as a much more powerful PS5. It also undercuts the Series S' value prop for a "foot in the door" console that's supposed to be a lighter investment.

Leisure activities like gaming are going to be harder and harder to justify when groceries/clothes/necessities continue to climb, and that's before you start raising prices. If Xbox sales were looking rough before, we ain't seen nothing yet. And $80 per game is a lot to ask when we're still waiting on many of this gen's big exclusives to arrive.

If I didn't have this generation's Xbox at the halfway point (or later) in its lifecycle, I'd probably look around at the current economic situation, the time left on this generation, and figure I'd just save up and wait for what's next.

@HonestHick Absolutely on the money. Anyone having sticker shock at a PS5 Pro are going to be in for a very rude awakening for the next Xbox/Playstation.

@Kaloudz I’m a terminal optimist haha. That’s a great point about RE6 too — now you have me wanting that!

@Kaloudz While I strongly (but respectfully) disagree, wouldn’t that make 3 the best candidate for a remake? A chance to update and improve?

Good option for those of us who emulate all the old Xbox and 360 games that MS won’t/can’t bring to backwards compatibility.

@Bigmanfan “The Xbox brand is spreading rapidly, infecting every screen in your house!”

“Don't forget that Gears of War: E-Day is probably around a year out from release as well, so timing its launch with a Netflix series could work out extremely well…”

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but there’s no way a Netflix show that hasn’t been greenlit yet would be ready be ready in time.

@LostInBlue0 I appreciate that — I was a little nervous to share my experience. And I totally get why you're holding onto your Xbox too. My digital library was very small (and mostly backwards compat titles) so that was definitely a factor; I'd probably not have left if I had a huge library built up.

I guess this is a great example of what Xbox is aiming for. We have different platforms, and different use cases in our gaming habits, but we're both still enjoying Xbox games.

@Isolte I think Microsoft is going to follow their Windows model.
Sure, they're more than happy to sell you a PC or a tablet. But what matters most to them? That you're using Windows and in their ecosystem.

I think similarly Xbox is going to make hardware, but their games will be everywhere. They don't care where you play, they just want you playing Xbox games. The Xbox hardware is just going to be there for people who want to buy a Microsoft device or get into the ecosystem in the easiest way possible.

Console warriors getting mad that other people get to play their "exclusives" is ridiculous. This goes the same for Sony fanboys that are mad when seemingly PS exclusives get ported over too.

But I do think there's a legitimate grievance for those of us who bought all 3 consoles. I got back into the Xbox fold, thinking that between my Series X, PS5, and Switch, I'd have exclusives on all three that'd keep me busy. Kind of like how it's always been.

I'll be honest: I saw this coming, which is why a few months ago I sold my Series X and picked up a Steamdeck. I figured between that and my PS5, I won't miss anything. I still like Xbox, I still like Xbox games, but I didn't need one more plastic box when it's not doing anything really unique. So in that sense, it was a bummer that I spent money getting into an ecosystem that eventually felt redundant as a multi-console user.

Gran Turismo and Forza on the same platform is going to be wild.

Forza was one of Xbox's three big pillars. While it's not surprising that it's being ported, this feels like a watershed moment for Xbox's cross-platform plans.

The only game I cared about today was Doom, and that’s a bit of a known quantity. So for me? C.

But thinking objectively and for people who are into the games, it’s probably a B. I’d be happy if I was a Ninja Gaiden fan.

@AverageGamer they aren’t obligated to offer it for any game, and plenty of smaller games pre-program are on there. You just said to someone “what Xbox game studio release isn’t play anywhere” without these qualifiers and I listed a few.

I found it pretty surprising that an online Halo collection, especially one that MS spent years updating until recently, wasn’t on there.

@AverageGamer There are a few big ones missing from Play Anywhere.
Off the top of my head:

• Halo: Master Chief Collection
• Rare Replay
• Sunset Overdrive
• Hellblade

I can’t lie, when developers brag about how long their games are my interest dips a little.

FH4 yes. FH5, no. Horizon 5 just feels so bland and stagnant. I appreciate the continued support but there’s nothing about it I’d consider “award-worthy.”

Like Cyberpunk, it had updates and was worth it for a while before the media started paying attention. But yea, the new lighting, even more bug fixes, and — perhaps best of all — running and gunning mechanic cement it’s value.

I’m an Xbox, you’re an Xbox. We’re all an Xbox!

This seems like the inevitable that many of us have been discussing for years now (a theory that used to draw a lot of hate online, including here).

I think it’s fantastic though, and it feels like a sign that MS has finally figured out a direction for the brand and are taking it seriously.

MS sees the writing on the wall: they can’t compete in the console space. And while Sony’s a hardware company and that’s its edge, MS is a software one and they’re finally playing up to their strength. I feel like the future will be like the past: sure, MS will sell you a laptop or tablet if you like, but they mostly want you using windows regardless of the device. Similarly, they’ll still make affordable Xbox consoles, but they really just want you buying their games — on PC, phone, or even PS5 or Switch 2.

Just please Microsoft: now that you’ve seemingly charted a course (the marketing tells me this is serious), please don’t change on a dime again in a month. You’ve got a plan, now just commit and crush it.

This is going to sound so (unintentionally) snarky, but I think the pre-release hype and its promises? I was a hardcore Xbox guy that mostly sat out the One generation, so I remember being really excited. I remember being really impressed with how Forza Horizon 4 looked, which was new to me since I was absent for its launch.

But as the others above me said, this gen has unfortunately been a bit underwhelming.

Microsoft prioritizing profits over people?

I’m shocked!

Not surprised. Their PS5 ports sold like gangbusters. No way they’re going to close off that revenue stream after the experiment worked.

I also don’t believe for a second in the rumors that Halo and Gears of War are “red lines.” Maybe year exclusives. But games like those, especially Halo, live or die based on engaged audiences. Opening them up to a significantly larger install base — even if it’s just the F2P multiplayer of Halo Infinite — means more players, more microtransactions, and more money.

The Xbox user base simply isn’t big enough anymore for MS to make back all the money they’ve invested.

This is standard procedure for brands during times like these. I’m glad Xbox learned their lesson from last time.

MS saw people being briefly more mad at Sony and had to fix that.

Oh cool.

(Reads “Jez Cordon suggested”)

Nevermind.

I have seen far too many of these gaming “anniversaries” come and go without anything worthwhile (I’m still smarting over Mortal Kombat’s worthless 30th anniversary celebration).

I’m not holding my breath.

Some of us were warning that this would be the fallout of the Activison purchase — you don't get to throw that kind of money around as a division and still keep full autonomy. Unlike Nintendo or even Playstation (which keeps Sony in the black), Microsoft is doing just fine without the Xbox brand. They've shuttered bigger divisions for less, and we know they've attempted to shut down Xbox on at least two attempts. This was purely for profit scaling, and as soon as that deal closed corporate wanted to see a return on their investment. I think they gave Phil and co. a few months to crunch the numbers and make a case, but at this point Xbox is a distant third in the hardware competition. And since the Xbox console install base is considerably smaller than the competition, MS decided to look beyond to get their ROI.

I still think you can look to Microsoft's PC model to see where Xbox is heading. They'll probably do one more hardware box, but you won't NEED it as they'll open up the ecosystem. Kind of like how Microsoft is more than willing to sell you a laptop or tablet, but it's more important to them that you just buy Windows and install it on whatever device you use. Does this mean you need an Xbox soon? Probably not, especially if you own multiple consoles. But they'll be willing to sell you a box if you'd prefer it. They're predominantly a software company, after all (it's even in the name — Microsoft). Which will well-position them for gaming’s inevitable hardware-free future.

That's the future of Xbox at this point, which will surely be folded in under Microsoft Gaming Studios. What matters now is that you're buying Call of Duty and Doom and Halo or playing Candy Crush. They don't want exclusives, they want your money and the quarter-over-quarter growth must continue upward.

It kills me when people say “this makes sense to me” and “XYZ is more confusing.” Because to fans of XYZ, that makes perfect sense too.

Part of our job in brand and product marketing is making all of this as easy as possible for the widest audience possible. Xbox could call the console “poop on a stick” it wouldn’t matter for most here; brand loyalists and educated hobbyists would be there day one. But game console success isn’t defined by selling to the hardcore fans — it’s about widening the pool and making new fans/selling to casual audiences.

In that regard, the Xbox Series name was an unforced error.

I miss Xbox Live.

The bigger problem might be that after the "turbulent times" you pointed out — does MS have enough goodwill to ask everyone to turn around and fork over another half-grand for a new system? Especially when they feel the promises of Series S/X haven't been realized?

Ideally, future "generations" are half-steps like phones or PCs (something that the PS4 Pro/One X mid-gen refresh paved the way for). Afterall, even a very small power boost would still make Bond's claim of "the most powerful Xbox yet" accurate. But would smaller, muted launches every 2-3 years draw the same level of interest and excitement?

@TheSimulator Oh I was thinking before YouTube, in the dark, dark days of late 90s/early 00s videogame adaptations.

@theduckofdeath Yea I was probably being generous with TM. I guess I was thinking it was faithful to the tone and feel of the original games (pre-Black), similar to Fallout and Last of Us feeling faithful to their source material. Whereas Halo just felt like a movie exec’s impression of what Halo was after playing it for 15 minutes.

I didn’t hate it. I think in another time it would have been better received.

But compared to the quality of other videogame shows like Fallout, The Last of Us, and even Twisted Metal, and Halo was clearly still in the minor leagues.

Look, all love to Xbox and all, but I’m not going to junk up my tree with this.

Master Chief Collection
Rare Replay
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection

I’m the kind of guy who finds a genie and wishes for more wishes.

@InvaderFromSpace Absolutely. The traditional thinking with these types of bad news is that it’s best to drop it all at once, so you might have a bad week or two before everyone moves on — rather than dragging it out with multiple bombshells.

The problem as I see it:

1)These bundles of bad news are dropping so frequently that it’s still dragging out

2) MS is doing nothing with messaging to steer the narrative, choosing to stay quiet as everyone is confused/frustrated and more damaging rumors spread.

Time after time, the most interesting stories on PX this year are how Xbox shoots itself in the foot. I can’t even understand how things are this mismanaged.

How can you stop what you never started?

This is why emulation is so important.

@101Force This was my thought too. They couldn't build a streaming device to retail below $130?

But going further, why is this even a box at all? Xbox cloud exists as an app on TVs and smartphones --- why isn't this a HDMI streaming stick, ala Amazon Firestick? It'd be cheaper to manufacture and sell. Looking at this thing, with an ethernet port, HDMI ports and vents — it just feels like MS is overthinking things.

I already have a Series X. But I'd be very interested in a $35-50 HDMI Xbox cloud stick that I can covertly stick into the back of a TV when traveling or moving between rooms. But another box cluttering up space? No thanks.

@Kezelpaso “Absurd” was too strong of a word on my part (blame just waking up). There are definitely worse cases out there; it’s just a surprising step back to me. For instance, there are a few Jurassic Park vehicles they could have used or other WB properties to leverage.

Then again, I’m a massive 007 fan so anything would have a hard time competing with FH4’s pack for me.

You’re not wrong though; they’ve been great at providing free FH5 content up to this point.

The 007 pack for Forza Horizon 4 gave us ten unique and iconic cars for $10.

Giving us 3 and passing them off as 5 for the same price is absurd.

This response is honestly pretty surprising. It feels simultaneously defensive and soulless. After all this time and lying low, he’s finally on record…and sounds likes he’s just another suit. Presumably he was given strict talking points from Microsoft HQ, once again raising the question about how in control he really is anymore.

I mean, I’d be okay we all retreated from Gears 4 and 5.

I’ll be honest — this past year my Series X has taken a big backseat to PS5, Switch, and Steamdeck. I was even toying with selling it, but decided to hold off until today’s showcase.

I’m glad I waited; this was fantastic and represented everything I’ve been wanting from my Xbox for years now.

There will surely be questions about what’s going multi-platform and, as we’ve seen with first-party Xbox titles in the last few years, great trailers do not mean a great finished product. And a lot of these reveals were known quantities/leaked beforehand (which is not Xbox’s fault).

But for the first time in a very long time, I’m excited to own an Xbox. Now please MS — just deliver on your promises and stop shooting yourselves in the foot.

The trailer just says Steam. I don’t see anything about consoles?

I keep forgetting Moss is in the next Fable….

Meanwhile, there’s still emulation to keep these alive. Sure, can’t get ‘em on Xbox, but you can play many for free on PC or Steamdeck.

Games can become surprise viral sensations without launching on a streaming service (see: Helldivers 2, though that obviously does have a big marketing push being a first-party PS title).

And Gamepass has enough games competing for attention that the game needs to be top-quality anyway to stand out and find a foothold. So it could easily find an audience still --- but it will need a demo.

As subscription services continue stalling and/or falling, it's important to remember not everyone has or wants Gamepass. GP might remove one barrier, but for any game the goal is still just a matter of finding your audience.

@deadmaker Agreed on that point too (though caveat, I hope they DO sell well on Xbox and we continue seeing more).

FF16 and FF7R were fantastic (I'm a little more mid on Rebirth, but I know most people love it). I'm happy they're going to potentially get a wider audience and people who only have Xbox get to finally play them.

1) The more people who get to play games, the better — regardless of console.

2) It’s going to be funny seeing the commentators who swore up and down that SE only puts out trash bend themselves backwards to praise the same games when they’re ported.