Xbox Series S/X: Thread 03

[Neon Ignition]

Nice to see MS revel in their history a little, shame in a way it sidesteps some key games etc to focus so much on Forza, Gears and Halo but it was funny to read them try and pass Halo 2 off as some sort of breakthrough bastion for gaming popularity

[Neon Ignition]

These things are going to drive hardware collectors nuts, another month and another MS Rewards exclusive Series X - this time for Battlefield 2042

[Atticus]

These LE consoles aren't all my cup of tea but I like how MS are engaging with their fans, keeping a fun factor present.

[teddymeow]

These LE consoles aren't all my cup of tea but I like how MS are engaging with their fans, keeping a fun factor present.

On the flip side, maybe they could just make more of the normal ones for regular folk to buy?

[Atticus]

^^^ Haha, fair point teddy ^^^ but I do like it when companies do cool stuff for the fans/don't take their user-base for granted

[nonny]

Nice to see MS revel in their history a little, shame in a way it sidesteps some key games etc to focus so much on Forza, Gears and Halo but it was funny to read them try and pass Halo 2 off as some sort of breakthrough bastion for gaming popularity

In fairness Halo 2 was basically the killer app for Xbox Live for years after launch and delivered an online feature set on consoles unheard of at the time... so yeah, it was pretty popular and a breakthrough on consoles.

[Neon Ignition]

It was in that sense, more that the wording they use leans to it being the first big event game to hit mainstream attention etc which it was generations behind on. I mean it's MS trumpeting it's own success so it shouldn't be a surprise, hell, the Xbox itself wasn't a megahit. PGR gets robbed again in the site

[Lebowski]

I remember Halo 2 being a massive thing at the time it felt like no gaming franchise was bigger, Microsoft during the 360 era popularized online gaming and brought it to the mainstream console player, before the 360 days we didnt have voice chat as standard or party chat and online messaging wasn't a thing, Halo was a big part of this, as was Gears of War, PGR, Forza and certain Xbox live arcade games.

My Xbox series X has arrived, it's sat in my lounge and I'm at work!!!! still, Roll on 4 o clock cant wait to get home

[nonny]

I remember Halo 2 being a massive thing at the time it felt like no gaming franchise was bigger, Microsoft during the 360 era popularized online gaming and brought it to the mainstream console player, before the 360 days we didnt have voice chat as standard or party chat and online messaging wasn't a thing, Halo was a big part of this, as was Gears of War, PGR, Forza and certain Xbox live arcade games.

My Xbox series X has arrived, it's sat in my lounge and I'm at work!!!! still, Roll on 4 o clock cant wait to get home

I was actually at a VIP launch event in Sydney when Halo 2 came out as I reviewed for an Xbox site there (after my early days reviewing for the mighty NTSC-UK).

I still had to pay for my copy of the game but didn't have to queue up for it. I spent most of the night sat in a room with a heap of celebrities playing on a LAN and as the alcohol flowed it just got louder and more hilarious. Good times.

It was one of those games that put down the blueprint for how a multiplayer game should work on a console. Most of the big games that have come after owe a lot to it.

The only other game I can think of in the console shooter space which has had a similar effect is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The killstreaks and general progression in that game was so original at the time... Now look where we've ended up...

[Lebowski]

I was actually at a VIP launch event in Sydney when Halo 2 came out as I reviewed for an Xbox site there (after my early days reviewing for the mighty NTSC-UK).

I still had to pay for my copy of the game but didn't have to queue up for it. I spent most of the night sat in a room with a heap of celebrities playing on a LAN and as the alcohol flowed it just got louder and more hilarious. Good times.

It was one of those games that put down the blueprint for how a multiplayer game should work on a console. Most of the big games that have come after owe a lot to it.

The only other game I can think of in the console shooter space which has had a similar effect is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The killstreaks and general progression in that game was so original at the time... Now look where we've ended up...

That Halo 2 launch sounds pretty epic, before xbox 360 i gamed online via the PS2, and every game did stuff differently, no unified voice chat or global messaging and arranging of games had to be done via forums or IRC chat, the xbox's way of doing things was the standard for many years and just look at what happens when people try and fix these things. The current ps5 card system for chat is a massive step backwards for me, they need to fix it asap.

[nonny]

[nonny]

Have to say, all of the Gears titles look amazing now, particularly the originals Ultimate remake.

[Cassius_Smoke]

SeriesS is the big seller this Black Friday.
I guess it's because its cheap already, so with a sale its super cheap. Throw GP in and its a no brainer.
And the PS5 and SeriesX are still like rocking horse ****.

https://www.businessinsider.com/most-popular-game-console-black-friday-2021-xbox-2021-11?r=US&IR=T

[fishbowlhead]

Simple availability plays a big part in that as well, the other two just aren’t on the shelf to buy.

[teddymeow]

If the availability of the Series S is better then that must mean they are making more of them?