Xbox Series S/X: Thread 03

[nonny]

I would assume flight simulator does support the most popular flight sticks at least, but it is aimed at mass gaming. It’s not really a simulator so should be more than playable with just a pad! Now if Xbox had VR…

I do wish MS got into VR on console. That's a major ommission for me given how that market has progressed in recent years.

I saw somewhere that there's new flight sticks for the release of flight sim on console. Think it was windows central reporting it. Nothing in detail yet but seems there will be new options... Though they should still obviously cater for PC setups as well.

[Cassius_Smoke]

I do wish MS got into VR on console. That's a major ommission for me given how that market has progressed in recent years.

I saw somewhere that there's new flight sticks for the release of flight sim on console. Think it was windows central reporting it. Nothing in detail yet but seems there will be new options... Though they should still obviously cater for PC setups as well.

Xbox doesn't need VR. Psvr was rubbish.
MS can just make Hololens and give it out on gamepass anyway if they wanted.

[samanosuke]

Well said. Main reason why I haven't commented on the discussion. Who gives a toss?

Personally I find it entertaining watching grown adults argue over which games console is the best. Come on Yakumo, you know we always have a bit of Speccy/C64 or MegaDrive/SNES banter over on the retro forum. MegaDrive Aladdin FTW

[QualityChimp]

Xbox doesn't need VR. Psvr was rubbish.
MS can just make Hololens and give it out on gamepass anyway if they wanted.

I thought you might have cooled down a bit from last night!

We all want dem new games and the consoles to succeed and sometimes it's easier to find the weaker areas of a platform's output than focus on the positives.

Please can we get back on topic, gang?

Cheers.

[wakka]

I would assume flight simulator does support the most popular flight sticks at least, but it is aimed at mass gaming. It’s not really a simulator so should be more than playable with just a pad! Now if Xbox had VR…

Yeah, there's actually something some bits of news on this.

Windows Central point out that the official Flight Simulator FAQ on MS's site shows compatibility with a few popular existing peripherals like the Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS, but also that they tease that more Xbox accessories will be announced:

https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-teases-new-xbox-compatible-peripherals-ahead-flight-simulator-launch

And then following that Turtle Beach have gone ahead and announced a yoke:

https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/14/22533223/turtle-beach-velocity-flight-one-sim-2020-pc-xbox-series-x-s-recon-controller-price-features

Presumably there'll be more stuff on the way, too.

I totally agree regarding VR. There's a part of me that really wants to pick up a Series X to try Flight Simulator, because it looks incredible and I've never played anything like that before. A lot of gaming hasn't been clicking for me lately, and the idea of flying around the world sounds interesting and, honestly, kind of weirdly soothing. Like a nerd mindfulness activity.

But I can't help but feel that it would be 10 times better if it were via VR rather than the TV. Shame that's not a thing for FS yet!

Flight sim players - if I do pick up an Xbox and FS, should I start with a stick or a yoke? Yokes are quite a bit more expensive. Or should I just use a pad?

[MartyG]

Flight Simulator in VR is absolutely fantastic, but it really, really hammers PC setups, even the RTX 3090 struggles a little bit to keep the frame rates over 60, there'd definitely be compromises on Series X in VR in that game.

You're absolutely right that the experience is 10 times better in VR for flight sims.

[Neon Ignition]

Go to assume VR on Xbox is a dead dream, with MS's ambitions to get xCloud and Game Pass on widespread formats they'd effectively be pursuing an expensive side option where if they ended up with 60m Game Pass subscribers at best barely 2-3m would own a set and less use each VR game with it. It's been so long MS seems just not interested in it, like Sony with Game Pass.

[wakka]

Yeah, I'd tend to agree. If they did do something, I'd almost feel a standalone headset, like the Quest, would be more likely, as another entry point to Game Pass.

There is always chatter about the enabling of existing Windows MR headsets for usage on Xbox, but I don't think that will ever happen. It would be a lot of work and wouldn't sell any more Xboxs or GP subs.

[MartyG]

Given it's a PC and runs on Windows 10 essentially, I doubt it'd be very much work to get PCVR running on it so costs would be minimal - MS has plenty of involvement on PCVR (colaborating with the develpment of HP Reverb G2 recently), but their focus has been more on augmented reality and the business side rather than gaming of late.

So no, I wouldn't expect to see VR on Xbox anytime soon. I wouldn't completely dismiss it entirely tho.

[Lebowski]

VR must of been profitable for Sony as their updating their VR headset again for PS5, anything that drives people to your console and gets them to purchase more software or game pass subs is a win isn't it?

ive said it loads of times before but Windows Mixed reality headsets where really decent budget pc headsets, They could very easily adapt this tech for the xbox as they have a unit that requires no towers or external cameras to function its a self contained unit surely to get it working on xbox only requires software writing for it. They where the pioneers of inside out tracking too and the quest 2 shows that if you get the right camera and placement on the headset you can get some pretty bloody good controller tracking.

[wakka]

Given it's a PC and runs on Windows 10 essentially, I doubt it'd be very much work to get PCVR running on it so costs would be minimal - MS has plenty of involvement on PCVR (colaborating with the develpment of HP Reverb G2 recently), but their focus has been more on augmented reality and the business side rather than gaming of late.

So no, I wouldn't expect to see VR on Xbox anytime soon. I wouldn't completely dismiss it entirely tho.

It's the ancillary costs to make it worthwhile - developing the games and getting developers to port them, marketing it and the games, and providing support for it - that I'm thinking of.

I think the undertaking in totality would be fairly significant, even if the actual 'getting the headset working' bit would be relatively trivial.

As you say, from how little we've heard on it, it just doesn't look like something that would fit into MS's strategy at the moment.

[Yakumo]

Personally I find it entertaining watching grown adults argue over which games console is the best. Come on Yakumo, you know we always have a bit of Speccy/C64 or MegaDrive/SNES banter over on the retro forum. MegaDrive Aladdin FTW

Lol, nah. what I think is correct. Nothing more to say
It was funny reading this at first but I got kind of bored in the end. I did think of going in to the PS5 thread to throw some **** about for giggles but in the end, I couldn't be bothered, lol

[Cassius_Smoke]

Lol, nah. You what I think is correct. Nothing more to say
It was funny reading this at first but I got kind of bored in the end. I did think of going in to the PS5 thread to throw some **** about for giggles but in the end, I couldn't be bothered, lol

PS5 is a piece of **** anyway. Who wants to play story driven games.
4 player horde games for the win. Am I right!!

[Neon Ignition]

Huge aside but PSVR2 we still run the risk that instead of getting it launched and some great new software waves for it we'll get the PSVita Mindset Sony where they just dump it on the market and leave it convulse and gag on the market till it chokes unnecessarily. Sony can be really weird sometimes with its sophomore efforts.

[Lebowski]

Lol, nah. You what I think is correct. Nothing more to say
It was funny reading this at first but I got kind of bored in the end. I did think of going in to the PS5 thread to throw some **** about for giggles but in the end, I couldn't be bothered, lol

im happy their is a bit of activity for a change, the last few pages of discussion are about people wanting Microsoft to do better in regards to bringing interesting games to their console like they did in the golden age of the 360, a Halo and a Forza is the main reason to get an xbox this year and thats not enough for some people. Being vocal about that suddenly makes you a Sony fan boy? really why aren't we Nintendo fanboys their doing well too aren't they?