Topic: The everything Xbox thread

The Zenimax/Bethesda purchase is huge for Microsoft. ES6, Starfield and Fallout 5 will be three of the biggest selling and talked about games released over the next 3-4 years.

Now I'd bet they'll still be released on PS5 but there won't be any certainty until much closer to the time. On the flip side everyone now knows that those games will certainly be released on XBox Series S and X (and that they will now run better and look better on XBox). It's that uncertainty that will eat away at Sony's momentum. It gives a lot of PS4 owners a reason to wait on jumping forward.

Even worse from Sony's perspective is that Microsoft now has two cuckoos in the PS5 nest with Ghostwire and Deathloop. When Sony signed them up as exclusives they would have had in mind; a - selling a lot of software to make money directly, b - providing a technical showcase, c - those games being compelling exclusives to sell customers on PS5 over XBox, d - to hopefully inaugurate new franchises that will be heavily associated with Playstation. All of those plans are in flames. But the contracts - I'm sure - require Sony to pay a ton of money to advertise and market those games (and they pretty much have to anyway if they've built them tightly into their release schedule).

Expect a lot of Bethesda developers over the next year making comments on Twitter about how much easier it is to programme for XBox series S and X and how the X is just so much more powerful than the PS5. Doubly so if Microsoft does continue to release forthcoming Bethesda games on Playstation. The whole thing is a disaster for Sony however you cut it.

It's even more of a bind because of the way it significantly strengthens GamePass - both as a reason to buy XBox over PS but also for many as a reason not to buy full price new releases. Even if gamers buy both consoles there'll be fewer royalties going Sony's way and - we know from Netflix - that once consumers are in that type of subscription ecosystem they engage less with content from outside that ecosystem. It's much harder for Sony to make a switch to a subscription model.

So who has pre-ordered? I pre-ordered a Series X and will be selling my Xbox One X.

@BlueOcean
Pre-ordered Series S in the UK
Here's an interesting video from Alanah Pearce about Microsoft buying Bethesda and making some points about Game Pass I hadn't considered :

I pre-ordered from Microsoft store. Now we are waiting for November 10.

Good thing about getting from the Microsoft store is that I don't have to pay until November so time to get saving now

True, I ordered from another website this time (because I was late) and I have been charged already and I don't even know if I got a unit from the first stock. If I don't I'll ask for a refund if I can get it somewhere else come November the 10th.

You did the right thing, Microsoft website has never disappointed me.

Well for anyone else who's partially getting the Series S/X as a backcompat machine, I should point out the original Red Dead Redemption has just gone on sale in the European xbox store.

The exact same but one level lower. Pre-ordered a Series S and have put my One S up on ebay. Between the console and all of the physical games I'm selling to go digital, it'll more than up the price of the new console.

@BlueOcean Some online preorders do a check transaction where they do the transaction to make sure you can purchase the thing and then refund you soon after.

@Dezzy That's a good idea as well. You'll be able to get cheap digital games and there's Game Pass.

Big sale on now for games from:

• Square Enix
• Rockstar
• Capcom

Sales link:

https://majornelson.com/2020/09/22/this-weeks-deals-with-gold...

Waiting in line makes me wonder how good the deals will be for xbox one s will be this black Friday.

Well was in line at my local GameStop and wasn't able to get one. They only had 8 Series X and 2 Series S. Hopefully I can get one next shipment.

It's funny MS took that jab at Sony about the pre-order debacle and its going just as bad for them lol!

Anyone got a favorite Amazon dog yet?!

@redd214 well, to be fair, it was going to be chaos either way. Xbox was just controlled chaos.

Judging from how both consoles are selling like hotcakes(I'm not even bothering yet) this might actually be the first generation where sales and competition will be relatively even. That's very good for everyone I think.

@GilbertXI Of course it was going to be chaotic, that's my point. No biggie I just found it funny!

I did secure an X on Amazon for my neighbor though, you should see how happy he is lol!!

@redd214 I know I was agreeing with you. I can't find any preorders anywhere for any console, so I just gave up. I'm gonna wait until ps5's are available for more than a day to buy one. I'm in no rush really, I'm fine with my switch.

Here's some food for thought.

Microsoft didn't buy Bethesda, Todd found a way to sell Skyrim again, this time for $7.5 billion.

Got permission from the wifey to Get a second console now, so im gonna go for Xbox series x. Very excited 😃

@Octane The most expensive version of Skyrim yet, and it's so exclusive no-one will be able to play it except for Phil Spencer. Unless they steal the watch it's installed on.