Topic: The everything Xbox thread

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-06-29-microsoft-will-...

Looks like we might see Series S in August.

If Microsoft wants to seize the momentum early and seize it decisively, this is the way to do it. People who aren't billionaires aren't doing great with money, but many of them like their video games. Additionally, many of us don't care to upgrade our TVs just to get the most out of our new consoles. And, frankly, Microsoft is rolling in money and can easily stand to eat the hit to loss-lead with their new consoles.

A true budget next-gen console like Lockhart designed for 1080p gaming that releases at $349.99 or less and launches alongside Cyberpunk 2077 will take the market by storm.

There are leaks that claim that PS5 will cost 500 and PS 5AD 400. In that case, Microsoft should release Series X for 400 if they don't want to give Sony another head start.

https://www.givemesport.com/1578124-the-prices-of-both-playst...

https://www.gizchina.com/2020/06/28/sony-ps5-console-and-acce...

@Anti-Matter Sales and region. XBox isn't popular in the Asia region, and the Asia region seems to have the most interest in physical collectibles (or need for physical for distribution purposes), so it's just a mismatch of the market for what people want, where. Microsoft isn't involved in that at all. That's the companies publishing that just decided there wasn't enough demand to justify the cost. Probably helped that a lot of XBox customers tend to favor digital since it's the best console at handling digital in general.

@Ralizah that would be awesome. I'd be tempted to bite. My screens are 1080p for now and much as I love staring at the grass (be quiet, Blue! ), I can't see getting a 4k 23" screen....really ever. Not sure one will ever even be manufactured , at least with VESA mounts. The big question is how much upgrade over 1X would it really be? OTOH, $400 for the 5AD would turn some heads. I'd probably jump in....I'm mostly digital now for game sharing reasons (it's cheaper than the cheaper physical copies because I need to buy one instead of 2 for the house.)

@NEStalgia Even with a weak-ish GPU, the SSD and much more capable processor would still make it a pretty solid step up over the One X. Presumably the weaker GPU would be reflected in lower resolution targets, which is exactly the way I'd have it.

I'd be extremely tempted as well. All of my other devices look good on a 1080p set, so there's no way I'd upgrade to a 4KTV right now, but I'd still like to have a fast and powerful next-gen system. Not too excited about the notion of paying hundreds of dollars extra for a 4K console when I won't even see the benefits, though, so a drastically cheaper option is right up my alley.

And, frankly, with the pandemic straining peoples' finances, a low initial price would go a long way toward pushing either of these devices early on.

Microsoft price matching PS5 with Series X and undercutting the All-Digital with the Series S would be an aggressive but presumably very rewarding strategy for Microsoft.

@Ralizah Indeed. Though I do value the free FSAA from the 4k rendering on the 1X and pro, so I probably shouldn't be too hasty about cost saving. But when I buy consoles I have to buy in pairs....so between X and 5, I'm looking at $1600 + tax (and excluding more storage) on 4 consoles even if they come in at $400 all around....and who knows if there's a new Switch behind that. Post-pandemic that's definitely not in the cards, I've had to spend into a hole just to keep up, and I don't think that spending is over yet. Not sure what way I'm going with new consoles. I wouldn't want a graphics downgrade losing out on the free supersampling....but I can't see paying top prices. though 1X will still be supported with new games for a few years, so I probably don't have to jump into X for a few years yet, while PS5 (and some future Switch) would probably lock me out of games. The X upgrade is inevitable given my library depth on the platform, but the question is when. The PS upgrade comes down to when their 1st party games library is bulky enough to justify....and on sale

So it seems that for PS5/Series X, the price of games is increasing to $70/£65 (New games for PS4 and XB1 are $60/£55) judging by NBA 2K21 preorders. This is probably going to put Game Pass more in the spotlight.

Well, the prices have stayed the same for years now, while most things have gone up a bit, at least.... So, I don't see why games should be the exception

They can charge what they like Day 1. If not enough copies are sold the prices will drop.

Yeah, I already am in the habit of waiting for sales on most games, so.... I'll become even stricter on which ones are worth pre-ordering or getting on launch

@DarthNocturnal No, current gen is normal price hence a price increase for next gen.

@DarthNocturnal Retailer preorders.

So I never got round to play all of the Gears of War games but have decided to go back and work my way through them.

I have to say, Gears of War 2 still looks graphically impressive to this day. It's really making me question how much I care about any of the graphical improvements that have happened in the last decade.

Yeah, I too replayed Gears 2 last November, and was impressed how good it actually still looks.

@Dezzy There really hasn't been a massive improvement to graphics, which is why I've been kind of meh towards new console announcements since even the Xbox One. Yes improved memory and storage is nice, and more modern video processing is nice, but I'm willing to bet had we kept the same quality of graphics as end generation 360 games but with better draw distance and resolution, everyone would have been happy.

The rumours were true, the event is on July 23rd:

I believe the Xbox presentation will be 0% of Kids / Family friendly games.
Call me if there are some kids games (in physical, not digital) from Xbox presentation.

This will be the one I'm most interested in. Nacon might have some racing games, and Ubisoft are bound to have something for me to take an interest in, but Microsoft will be the ones who deliver with the most interesting of games.

This is going to be the highlight of the "E3" this year.

@NEStalgia Since I have the LG C9 I can't decide between quality and performance mode in Forza Horizon 4 but, at the end of the day, I prefer performance mode, even more next generation with standard quality being raised.

Finally a date....looking forward to this one, even if I'm not super enthused by the new hardware of either brand right now given the storage issues and presumed high costs.

@BlueOcean Considering the high bar for this year's "E3" is currently set by EA, that's not a very high accomplishment to achieve.

Sony admittedly had some nice games to show, but opening with GTAV and having a presentation so bland EA managed to show them up massively, really all MS has to do is have Phil in front of a camera, blink twice, and leave.

@NEStalgia So true 😁. I expected much more from Sony after the "Sony is going to drop a bomb after their silence that will destroy Series X hype" meme.

You have an Xbox One X, you can wait a bit and see if a 2TB Series X model is announced. The official memory expansion cards are a great idea, too. I'm not sure that I'll be able to wait much but it would make sense to sell my Xbox One X first. What excites me the most about Series X is the pure compatibility and the best hardware. All the improvements that they have announced, it's not all about graphics but loading times, input lag, frame rates... for new and old games.