Xbox Megathread

spronk said:

xbox in a bit of freefall, hardware stagnating but even software sales (gamepass) down 7%. microsoft internally wanted 100m gamepass subs to be "the netflix of gaming" but that seems pretty much impossible at this point, the ceiling for people who will pay $15-30/mo for a library of games in NA/EU seems to be around 30m users and its likely going to start dropping as all the juicy signup deals ($1, conversions, etc) start vanishing.

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The reality is I don't care about renting games because

1) almost all of them are shit
2) I prefer to spend time on specific games I'm interested in which makes the value proposition negative

this is literally their advertisement on their homepage:

Blitz said:

No MLB The Show 25 on Game Pass this year (or at least at launch)... Yowzers. Big bummer and a big loss.

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I saw that, really glad I cancelled Gamepass. They're getting rid of all the season reset bullshit and PS4 and XBone support which is good, but I may pass this year.

So I finally got around to playing the two upcoming gamepass games I was most looking forward to trying out, Sniper Elite Resistance and Orcs Must Die Deathtrap and wow, both are a big disappointment that are undoubtedly nowhere near as good as past entries.

Sniper Elite was the least offensive as it at least still played alright, but holy shit it's amazing how they could make the game look so awful, no joke looks like an Xbox 360 game and I am far from the only person to make that comment looking at the Xbox reviews for it. Level design is also not as good as past entries, felt like going back to the first two games with how much smaller and more linear they feel. That and the characters are lame, new MC has some lame cockney accent and talks too much during the campaign missions and the resistance is led by your typical strong black woman who talks like someone trying to fake a French accent. I just couldn't be bothered to play it for long, especially given how there's only two survival maps and it looks like it will be a slow grind to unlock any new weapons.

Then there's the new Orcs Must Die. Holy shit what a piece of shit that is. First thing I noticed was the gay as hell DEI characters you are forced to play as. Then I start it and I am just pooped straight into some lame MMO hub world with even more lame ass characters who only exist to offer lame MMO upgrades you would need to slowly grind away for. Then the level design is simply awful and clearly centered around having a big group of people as it's got no balancing for solo or even two people trying to play it. Whole look and feel was like they're desperately trying to copy Fortnite or Overwatch or some shit. I liked the previous games for what they were but this is just some straight up garbage.

So yeah, that's the only two new games I wanted to play before my Gamepass expires, and seeing the quality of these latest games on offer I feel better than ever letting it expire. Fuck these new video games, I'm sticking to my backlog and whatever I can find that actually appeals to me, and apparently I am not going to find that on Gamepass anymore anyways. Today's gaming industry is cooked.

Sold my Series X to a friend's kid for $300. Kid was super excited. I bet I didn't have 5 hours total play time on the thing since I bought it early last year when they were easy to find. I kept PC Game Pass though. PC, Switch, Steam Deck and PS5 for me.

There's no way it'd be that bulky if it was just a Cloud Gaming device.

Vorph said:

There's no way it'd be that bulky if it was just a Cloud Gaming device.

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So tired of this lame cloud gaming bullshit for a handheld. If I wanted to be limited to that I would just buy a controller attachment for my iphone and game on that because honestly it can do that as well as anything so what's the point in having a dedicated device for it?

This whole gen is just making me want to be entirely PC with maybe the exception of having a Switch 2 for next gen. Heck Microsoft themselves recently announced how the next Xbox will be more like a Windows PC so why even bother with all the limitations an Xbox would impose? I already got all the backwards compatibility I could want or get from my 360, One, and Series consoles, and they aren't even going to be doing anything in the way of proper exclusives anymore either. As much as I am not a fan of Playstation anymore I have to admit that it seems to make a lot more sense to have one next gen if I am still interested in a home console.

I guess this is just going to be Xbox going forward, it's glory years as a gaming console platform is simply behind it. Now it's all about being some service.

Sylas said:

Having not owned a true console since Sega Genesis, what would you guys recommend Xbox or ps5?

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Almost everything Xbox can be had via PC (including handhelds like steam deck), tablet, phone etc with Gamepass.

If you must own a console PS5 at least gives you much earlier access to exclusives before they do PC ports.

They are both kind of pointless if you're patient and can hook up a hybrid gaming/media PC or handheld like steam deck to a TV imo since you can easily controller game that way and get much more out of it.

I'd only consider a PS5 if you're willing to spend the ridiculous amount of money Sony wants for the Pro (+disc drive +stand). Series X is better than the regular PS5 in every way.

Sylas said:

So PS5 then? Seems to be the consensus from both threads.

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I’d go PS5 over Xbox since that gives you all PS exclusives and Xbox is putting their games everywhere (PC and PS5). The pro is nice but it’s not a huge deal yet. It may be if you are into GTA. Other than that, can’t really go wrong.

I gave my Series X to my son. Never played it. It was PC or PS5 usually. My next console will be a Switch 2 and then I’m probably done with them.