@redd214 haha, yeah, I finally broke down and got Nier: Automata on sale for $30. And then I saw a rumor the other day that it's coming to X1....ugh! Since i got the X1X I'd rather play on the more powerful of the two systems now that I have it ( Plus I really really (really really (really really)) hate the PS controllers. Always have. Always will. I'm still more of a PS fan than XBox fan....but the controllers are such a soothing siren song for XBox....
@ThanosReXXX yeah, I definitely see Game Pass as a rental service.....but that's not a bad thing. I was a huuuge game renter back in the NES/SNES glory days. I've missed that. Tried so many games back then, and found half my favorites that way (and would buy them on their annual Black Friday sidewalk sale when they liquidated their older carts ) So it's kind of a blast from the past. But yeah it's a "lesser" service than Gold, insofar as it kind of expects you ALSO have Gold (after all, you still need gold to play the included games online modes....) So although you can get them both separately it's almost an add-on to Gold. Especially since XBox is so online focused versus Sony and Nintendo.
Awwww, dang, someone stole my name! Nope, that's not me!
@DarthNocturnal There are several discount schemes for Forza Horizon 3 DLC, some either tied to Game Pass, Expansion Pass or Xbox Live, and others simply tied to buying bundles. And most of the time, around and after E3, Microsoft has the Summer Of Arcade event, during which a selection of DLC might also get a discount, so who knows.
@ThanosReXXX no worries man, I appreciate the insight! And thanks for that last post. I've been trying for hours to figure out which version to get the best bang for my bucks. That thread really helps.
@NEStalgia I'm the opposite. Not a fan of the offset analog sticks, much prefer symmetrical. I can deal with it obviously cuz I've played the Switch for over 1000 hours total. I got the original dualshock 1 the day it was released back in '99 with Ape Escape so my hands are so used to it now.
@redd214 Don't mention it. Always a pleasure for me to spread the fun amongst more people. And hopefully providing them with a means to a discount while I'm at it...
'The console wars are like boobs: Sony and Microsoft fight over which ones look the nicest and Nintendo's are the most fun to play with.'
@redd214 Oh. You're one of those. I see how it is.
I've always hated the symmetrical. It was kind of a "design by accident." N64 was the first analog thumbstick, and if you hold it with your hand on the middle handle, the stick is in the "offset" position (in terms of hand shape and position). Sony then added analogs into their PSX controller in a post-launch retrofit to compete with Nintendo, but they put them in a location where they didn't force the initial controller layout to change. I.E. they located the stick on the side so the D-Pad could stay where it was meant to be originally to not break the existing layout and control schemes of the controller. Additionally the Dual Analog (pre Dual Shock) had a switch to turn the Analogs off, since it was mostly assumed most games wouldn't use them. I.E. the symmetrical layout is based on the thought that most players aren't using the stick very often on a Playstation in favor of the D-Pad.
Meanwhile Nintendo continued the "offset" stick location on the best controller ever (GameCube), and Sega copied the offset for the DreamCast, which then got inherited by XBox, the spiritual successor of Sega's consoles (Sega partly designed the OG XBox....which is probably why that controller was so ungainly!). So Sony's the only one doing it wrong. (Now as ralizah always tells me, fans of mostly 2D games love the PS controller layout mostly because it lets them use the D-Pad primarily....which is, after all, why it was designed that way to begin with.)
I still stand by: Everyone but Sony has it right. Sony just got stuck with a legacy design that was really meant for how PS1 was meant to be played because then fans didn't want them to change it. The ideal controller would let you swap the stick and the D-Pad between the two spots. Sadly, not even the Elite and Razer Wolverine allows that Maybe the new rumored Elite v2 for E3 will have something like that?
@NEStalgia yeah I'm one of those people lol. Only analog stick controllers I've ever really like have been Sonys. I personally rank the N64 as one of the worst controllers ever. It's one of the reasons I actually didn't play it much as a kid. Have never even touch a GameCube Controller so can't comment on that one. Probably just comes down to muscle memory and personal comfort though. For me (outside of battery life) the DS4 is the best controller I've ever used and I've had about a dozen different home consoles since the NES. Great we have options nowadays😊
@redd214 Technically nobody liked the N64 controller GCN controller was a beauty though. I never had a GameCube but picked up a Wavebird (wireless GCN controller) with my Wii. Then of course got the GCN controller for WiiU It made so much sense in design with a "main" button and surrounding "other" buttons. The 8-way stick gates were a little weird though. (Wii Classic had that too.)
But yeah, it's certainly personal comfort. Not so much muscle memory. I can and have used both for countless hours over years...but....there's just so much more comfort in the controls being at the top rather than the bottom. Oddly, that's the very reason the DS is the way it is, though. Sony knew that, and since the D-pad was still the primary input, that's the one they put at the top! I doubt they expected they'd pick up a fan base of people that don't like the primary control up there!
@NEStalgia Completely agreed. But then again, what do I know?
Once upon a time, I firmly believed that the Suzo Arcade Stick was the best controller ever:
At most, they came with two buttons:
And then came the joypads with their analog sticks, each new one more advanced than the other. I was actually glad that the Dreamcast controller had only one analog stick, seeing as even after all these years of having used the GameCube controller (and YES I bought my Dreamcast many years after its initial release, in case you're wondering), I sometimes still couldn't get the two halves of my brain work together well enough to coordinate the movement of my two thumbs so that they more or less worked in unison, resulting in my on screen character or vehicle sometimes wildly flailing around, especially in those high tension moments, much to the enjoyment of my "so-called" friends...
Truth be told, it was probably payback for me beating the crap out of them all the time with Goldeneye on N64. One analog stick I could handle just fine...
Topics like these though.... Psychologists would probably have a field day with it. I used to know a couple, and as it so happens, I do know that in general, so not just specific to gaming, there are two kinds of patterns that are recognizable where it concerns perfection/symmetry:
One half of the people strives for symmetry, which permeates everything they do, and the other half doesn't, and they go with a more natural flow of things because that is literally ingrained in our nature. I say natural, because symmetry, for the most part, isn't natural. It can always be a taste or preference, but it is not natural. Almost nothing in nature, including humans, is symmetric. That is why some people see this as a beauty ideal, to be perfect, symmetric, equal, whatever...
But there's a nifty little trick that you can do, that shows you that symmetry isn't natural. Perhaps you know of it: mirror the half of your face, and put the two halves together. It'll be the closest thing to a real life alien you'll ever see...
But yeah, muscle memory could be a factor, although personally, I'm not such a strong believer in that specific point, since I have so many different controllers, and I can use all of them perfectly fine.
I do think that personal preference, and more importantly: the period of consistent usage (such as always having stuck with one type of console, and as such one type (more or less) of controller, in the case of Sony) is something that could influence that.
And as such, what is the perfect controller to one, is an absolute monstrosity to another. From both of the individual's viewpoint completely unthinkable, and yet here we are...
In the end, it hardly matters. It's nice that we have choices, since obviously, we aren't all the same, nor do we all think alike. Would be a completely boring world as well, if you ask me. In general, we could do "a little" better overall, especially looking at all the useless conflicts all around the globe, but something like a worldwide collective opinion and view sounds like an absolute horror to me...
On a side note: I also think in general, that (especially online) it is about wording. A lot of people either forego or simply ignore adding "I think", "I believe" or "in my opinion" to their statements, making it look like they're stating a fact instead of their own view, and if you're not mindful of that, it can cause needless arguments, such as most of us here have seen plenty of times in more than one article on this very site.
Anyway, back on topic: I've delved into AC Syndicate a bit this past weekend, and I've actually enjoyed it. Didn't expect too much, considering the mixed reviews it got and the stuff I've heard from other people. And also keeping in mind that only now, with the latest installment, the series has finally returned to form, whatever that means...
P.S.
Now that I know that the Xbox Live NEStalgia I found is not the "real" one, I'm kinda curious as to what other label(s) you use. I just stuck with the same one for all consoles, as I already more or less did way back in the arcades...
Does anyone know how to set the x1 to NOT auto download games when you buy (or free redeem) then? It's driving me crazy as i grab some sale items and gwg games either on the console or online that it starts downloading and all i can do is clear the queue. I grabbed the the Inquisition mass effect Andromeda bundle and the shadow of Mordor deal... i already own them on ps but In physical format. Andromeda technically would look better on the ps pro since there's a pro patch and no x patch, but.... The controller.....
Anyway it tried to dl it all and then will try mgs5 tomorrow.... Frustrating. I just want them available, not installed! Like my ps...grr.
Also any way to have the machine not turn on every time i charge a play connect controller?
@NEStalgia In case you're wondering: I removed my previous answer, since it was only valid for the old Xbox One. I myself have got no problems with games auto-downloading, so I don't know how to specifically enable or disable that, and all I could find is the following:
Go to settings, then system, and then to updates. There's two options there that you can turn off, but I have them both checked and I still don't have auto downloads, so I really don't know what's up with that.
Perhaps you could try unchecking (if they aren't already) the three options on the right on that same page.
As for the controller connect thing: might be under settings, power & startup, Power mode & startup. There is a setting there in the middle row for the power mode, which can be either instant-on or Energy-saving. You could try the latter and see if that makes a difference.
If I come across anything else, I'll let you know.
Oh, and another thing: you might also want to turn off the downloading of 4K updates & assets, seeing as you haven't got a 4K TV anyways. It will save you quite a bit of hardware space per game...
@DarthNocturnal On the original Xbox One, you should be able to do the following:
Go to Power mode & startup in settings, uncheck "Automatically download updates and purchases".
There's also a thread about it here:
'The console wars are like boobs: Sony and Microsoft fight over which ones look the nicest and Nintendo's are the most fun to play with.'
So stayed up until about 2 playing Forza Horizon. What a fantastic game!! As a car geek and a huge racing game fan it's damn near perfect. Looking forward to playing more.
@ThanosReXXX question. I know with the Xbox anywhere program I have a pc copy now as well, does the dlc packs count for that too? Basically if I buy the dlc on the xb1 will I have to repurchase if I play on pc?
Well, at least you played the third game which is one of the best instead of the second... Which still holds up well but has a terrible progression system attached to it for the races, along with the races themselves.
@DarthNocturnal thank you, I appreciate the answer! I'm seriously considering buying (not building) a mid tier pc that could run it. We will need a new computer anyways here soon and by off setting the costs by selling the Xbox wouldn't be much more than I would spend anyways. Plus I would get to to use my ps4 wheel!! I'm so far down the rabbit hole now, my wife doesn't know what she's done lol 😂
@redd214 That seem to be the case, yes (not re-buying, but being able to share, obviously). Couldn't tell you from experience, since my PC isn't anywhere near capable of running current gen games, but this is what I found on the original Xbox site, and it also mentions Forza Horizon 3 in the game list, a little lower on the page.
It says:
Progress goes with you
Pick up where you left off on another Xbox One or Windows 10 PC, bringing all your saves, game add-ons, and achievements with you.
Glad you're enjoying the game. There's a heck of a lot more to discover, though, so prepare to sink quite a few more hours into it. I personally LOVE to find all those secret races with which you can win additional cars, and I also like the special races, such as against the train. And the whole off-road thing is also a nice bonus. Almost open world...
I do hope I didn't give away any big spoilers...
By the way, have you already opened three festivals? That's what's needed to unlock the Hot Wheels expansion, or the Blizzard Mountain expansion, so for both of them, you'd need six festivals in total, otherwise you can only race to the location on the map, but the expansion won't be accessible yet.
@DarthNocturnal Combined with the energy saving option, and turning off the hard disc when switched off, it should prevent from downloading anything automatically, and that goes for ALL models Xbox One. I've linked to official pages in previous comments, so you could try that.
'The console wars are like boobs: Sony and Microsoft fight over which ones look the nicest and Nintendo's are the most fun to play with.'
@ThanosReXXX Yeah I tend to underestimate how hard it is for people to acclimate to dual analogs. It's honestly a serious skill. I went keyb/mouse after D-pads and arcade sticks. When I got my console I was bad with it. I even bought one of those mouse adapters to play with a mouse on a console....it was sketchy but worked Though as for which one you spent most time with, I've actually spent most time with parallel sticks. I had the PS3 before the X360, and had a Logitech PC pad that was, of course, designed to ape the PS2. Still hate parallel So the X360 style controller I'd had the most briefly, but loved it most. I'm actually mostly one of those "symmetrical everything" people. But I don't sneer at ergonomics that work But here's the secret: It's the X360/X1 controller that is symmetrical for modern games. The PS4 controller is asymmetrical. It was designed that way because back when the DS format was designed the D-Pad was the primary input in their predominantly 2D games. One thumb lives on the top left for movement (D-Pad), the other thumb lives on the mirrored same position on the right (diamond OXAN). The XBox/Sega/Nintendo controllers simply recognized that 3D games, not 2D games were to be the main games on their machines, so the left thumb would be on the analog, not the D-Pad, most of the time, meaning they should be swapped to maintain FUNCTIONAL symmetry (at the expense of aesthetic symmetry.) The "offset" stick is actually the same symmetrical (functionally/ergonomically) layout that the Dual Shock (1) was meant to achieve, in the era of 3D games. It's just visually asymmetrical if you don't see a hand on it. With a hand on it, it's symmetrical. Left on the top stick, right on the top ABXY, most of the time.
Cool that you like Syndicate. Yeah it was something of a return to form even on its own, in an odd way (at least a return to 2, if not to 1.) I finally tried the new one as well. It's really good. It's a little Breath of the Assassin but I think it's more Assassin's Creed: MGSV Edition. It does a lot for AC what MGSV did for MGS. It feels much more like the original, finally, though still not quite. It's its own thing. The original was still tighter on very focused, elaborate assassinations but with free approach. This one still has the big hits as "strolling NPCs." But the world is excellent.
Downloads: That would stink if it were tied to auto updates. I want games and OS to auto update, I just don't want it to go on a 4TB downloading spree if I buy 5 games on a sale. I do have auto updates on. I'm using Instant-On mode (otherwise it won't suspend your game....a key feature of modern consoles to me, but I do have it power down the HDDs (works for internal and external). I think if you go to download, it spins up the drive(s) even while off, to download. PS4 does that too, if it's in sleep mode, and you buy a game online, it'll still WoL and spin up and download it at low speed without firing up the GPU. But it doesn't auto download.)
Controller connect auto power on is annoying. May not be able to help it though if Instant-On is on. But the download thing is annoying. It may actually be an MS Account setting rather than a console setting...but I can't find it there either.
@DarthNocturnal Like the official page on energy saving mode mentions, that depends on whether or not you have the hard disc turned off with the console as well, otherwise it stays in standby/sleep mode and will push any and all downloads, even when the console isn't switched on.
If the console is switched on and you purchase something, then it will typically start downloading straight away, but that doesn't seem all that strange to me. And even on the old Xbox One, you could only stop auto downloads in the case of the console not being switched on.
Would have been nice to have the option to choose "download now or in sleep mode" such as we had on the Wii U, but this is as close as we're going to get to that, on the Xbox One. Personally, I'm really not that bothered by it, to be honest.
I mostly buy my (free) games on the website, so they won't start downloading until I power up the console anyways, and if something is downloading in the background while playing another game shouldn't really be a bother to anyone either, unless you have a really crappy internet connection and you want to play online...
'The console wars are like boobs: Sony and Microsoft fight over which ones look the nicest and Nintendo's are the most fun to play with.'
@NEStalgia So, if I understood you correctly, you use suspend to have some sort of instant save? I have done that, but most games have sufficient save points, so there's really no need, and switching instant-on to energy saving in combination with switching the hard drives off, does indeed prevent any auto-downloading, and certainly if the console is switched off.
As for the whole symmetric/a-symmetric debate: I wouldn't call offset sticks symmetric. The very definition of symmetry is it being the same on all sides, and the Xbox controller definitely isn't, where stick placement is concerned, so it sounds a bit odd to me to call that symmetric.
But scratch that: at least we agree on that being a much better controller than the DS...
As for AC Syndicate: yeah, the world is great. The whole Britain/industrial age vibe has been caught pretty decently, and it also has a bit of a steam punk flavor, so all in all, a pretty good game in my opinion. Haven't put any more hours in it since last weekend, so I have to wait and see how it holds up further along in the game, but I'm cautiously optimistic that it will.
'The console wars are like boobs: Sony and Microsoft fight over which ones look the nicest and Nintendo's are the most fun to play with.'
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