Xbox gone crazy. 9000 people sacked

[The Salt Umpire]

So now Microsoft swears it's not giving up on consoles anytime soon while morale takes a dive due to their recent decision. Seems to me morale has taken a hit with each dubious decision they've been making as of late.

Xbox Still Swears It's Not Giving Up On Consoles As Fans Panic

Microsoft refuted rumors that it was getting out of the hardware business anytime soon

kotaku.com

They're not winning hearts and minds with the decision to end support for W10 either, converting 400 million expensive computers into e-waste. I wonder how many of those owners have, like me, sworn off Windows entirely.

 

[Candlicious Ghost]

They're not winning hearts and minds with the decision to end support for W10 either, converting 400 million expensive computers into e-waste. I wonder how many of those owners have, like me, sworn off Windows entirely.

That's a very good point, shame Linux can't get bigger and become a bigger alternative

 

[Owain Taggart]

They're not winning hearts and minds with the decision to end support for W10 either, converting 400 million expensive computers into e-waste. I wonder how many of those owners have, like me, sworn off Windows entirely.

I mean, it's not entirely unreasonable given their EOL policies with previous versions, but what's different this time around are the strict requirements. But yes, they are making some very odd decisions all around this year. A lot of palms to foreheads.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Microsoft, in particular, Sarah Bond, continues to be rather tone deaf and continues to pour salt onto XBox's wounds.

Xbox President Sarah Bond was recently asked if Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox “could kind of be a gaming PC and console in one.” Her response didn’t pour cold water on the idea, kicking off a new wave of speculation that Xbox’s future lies in a new Windows hybrid gaming experience rather than in the traditional console space. It also made the upcoming hardware sound pricier than fans might be used to.


“I can tell you you’re right that the next-gen console is going to be a very premium, very high-end curated experience” Bond told Mashable this week. “You’re starting to see some of the thinking that we have in this handheld, but I don’t want to give it all away.”

Microsoft Hints At A More Expensive, More PC-Like Next-Gen Xbox

Nothing about the future of Xbox sounds cheap

kotaku.com

Bolded for emphasis. I just have to wonder, what kind of market is going to be left for them if : a) they keep jacking up the price of Gamepass, b) keep jacking up the price of the hardware to be a premium device, c) Games. What games, they keep closing studios and have very little to show for their buying sprees.

 

[Rincewiend]

Halo, Gears, and Forza on Playstation...

 

[Candlicious Ghost]

Halo, Gears, and Forza on Playstation...

MS fans be "Never"

 

[Owain Taggart]

And technically they aren't 'new' in the sense that they are last-gen at best. They are all old releases instead of innovations. When I think of games, I'm thinking of new games, games like the Indiana Jones game, which there have been so few of coming out of MS..

 

[Candlicious Ghost]

And technically they aren't 'new' in the sense that they are last-gen at best. They are all old releases instead of innovations. When I think of games, I'm thinking of new games, games like the Indiana Jones game, which there have been so few of coming out of MS..

Speaking of games.. Here's a quirky one

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[Owain Taggart]

^Oh yeah, I remember seeing previews of that several months ago. Definitely looks interesting!

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Halo: Campaign Evolved Is a Pretty Remake Coming to PS5

The Remake for Halo 1 is coming to PS5.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I find that one an odd one to bring over, perhaps moreso than Forza Horizon. Because for the OG XBox, it was a launch game and the Master Chief became the XBox's mascot more or less. Bringing it over feels more symbolic than anything given that status. I don't really see Playstation players clamouring for it though. But I may be wrong. As someone with no personal history with the franchise, it just makes me shrug with indifference. On the other hand, maybe I'm not the right market for it. Makes me wonder who is though.

 

[Rincewiend]

And just Halo 1, not the MCC?!?
Same with GOW though...
But yeah, can't see Playstation gamers clamoring to get their hands on those games...

 

[Owain Taggart]

It'd be like bringing over a remastered version of the original version of Half-Life to consoles 30 years after the game's original release. Good game for its time, absolutely, but I wouldn't blame them for looking it askance. And to be fair, HL did come to consoles. I remember a friend with a 360 who after telling him about PC's most popular FPS, went out and bought the Orange Box for the 360 and he didn't care for it one bit and was wondering why it was popular. And fair enough; it's simply down to exposure and what one was used to. In this case though, I think there was a fair bit of difference in design philosophies back then, where PC FPS's had much more open designs to their levels whereas you already saw signs of FPS on consoles evolving to becoming corridor shooters due to the limited amounts of memory.

So, going back to Halo on Playstation, one important thing is that Playstation players have no nostalgia at all for this going in, so rather than claiming nostalgia on this one like XBox players, the game will have to stand entirely on the quality of the gameplay. So, if anything it should be interesting to see the reaction from PS players and their unfiltered opinions about it that aren't beholden to brand loyalty.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I thought Halo was overhyped nothing back in the day, never played a sequel and it probably wouldn't fare much better today.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I never played it beyond a brief demo back when they were touring colleges in promotion for the original XBox. That was during the era of the huge controller, and I have small hands and I was having issues with it and so I never paid much attention to the XBox. And to be honest, Halo didn't impress me much as I'd played better PC FPS. That begs the question as to wether a even Remaster has aged well. When you don't have nostalgia to compare it to, how well can it hold up?

 

[Owain Taggart]

And again, Microsoft's messaging seems to be all over the place. This latest one seems to be a direct response to people cancelling their Gamepass subscriptions due to the price hike. Because Surprise surprise, they now want to do away with the multiplayer paywall entirely! Winds of change! When they blow, it seems we never know what to expect from Microsoft and XBox.

For over two decades, Microsoft has been charging Xbox owners anywhere from $4 to $10 a month for access to online multiplayer. The full suite of features was bundled as Xbox Live Gold and has since morphed into being part of Game Pass. The company is now reportedly exploring doing away with that fee for its next-gen console, bringing it more in-line with PC gaming where the perk is provided by companies for free.

Now, the interesting thing about this is that Playstation orginally did not have a multiplayer fee, and it only did so because of Gamepass, so it will be interesting to see wether Playstation will follow MS in that direction as well if it pans out this way. But wow, first the price hike, and now they're toying with doing away with the multiplayer fee.

Microsoft Might Finally Kill One Of The Worst Things About Console Gaming

Microsoft is reportedly discussing whether to sunset its Xbox Live multiplayer tax

kotaku.com