Xbox Series S/X: Thread 05

[MartyG]

Seems like (yet another) bad take to me, they can do both quite happily.

It absolutely makes sense to be promoting Game Pass outside of the console eco system though as this is an area of greater potential growth of Game Pass numbers and is part of the greater future vision that I have mentioned many many times of moving entirely to a streaming only ecosystem (and why MS will absolutely not be dropping Game Pass).

That isn't going to happen by the next console cycle though and Microsoft are already committed to releasing another system in 2027, so I very much doubt they're going to abandon marketting the consoles and thus abandoning its current core audience of console gamers (as if 28 million consoles sold is poor). That makes no sense at all.

Next rumour to sprout from this I wager will be: Microsoft to stop selling consoles in the EU.

[Lebowski]

Microsoft's struggle here is trying to convince non gamers to give their service a go. If you're not into gaming and don't have a console or pc, the first hurdle you need to get past is picking up a controller so you can use the service you then need to sign up for quite an expensive entertainment package (when compared to other entertainment services like Netflix Spotify or Apple TV It's pretty expensive).

They could do with a Fire stick TV tier with just streaming and the library of games, as it could be quite confusing for a non gamer picking the right one to sign up for, you don't need console or pc access. Maybe offer a cheap standard controller and 6 months discount on the steaming sub deal, hooking in new users could even be a gateway to upselling them an Xbox console.

[fishbowlhead]

I think we will see another Gen of Xbox but it will sell so poorly and be an afterthought for releases that it will finally be the death of the hardware devision of Xbox, with Xbox resigned to a marketing term used for gamepass that MS will shove on every device they can, Xbox GamePass, then after a few years just GamePass. Eventually GamePass will fail as well and that will be it.

[QualityChimp]

It really feels like Xbox is circling the drain. It feels like when Sega pulled out of making consoles. I'm a bit gutted really.

[fishbowlhead]

It really feels like Xbox is circling the drain. It feels like when Sega pulled out of making consoles. I'm a bit gutted really.

Xbox is dead, long live Xbox gamepass, for a few years, then long live gamepass, for a few more years until some exec rebrands it for no reason completely killing it dead.

[Neon Ignition]

Yep, attempts to expand Game Pass outside of the console haven't worked great up until now and streaming via TV is an old failed flogged horse of a notion. If you consider how to maximise profits from where they're at right now it's an easy pitch but they're approaching 15 years of hardware market decline and are clearly already not putting much into that problem. Honestly, I feel at this point they'd do better if they were just direct and said they were happy to offer an affordable 'all in a box' console option but were otherwise third party and all titles came to all platforms Day One. They're riding a really messy mid point where more people speculate about ports than actually play their new releases at this point - launching on their own systems just sucks the PR wind out of a title.

[nonny]

The issue with expanding outside the console box is the PC is dog crap and the cloud service (whilst decent) is still in beta and others have surpassed it already.

If I'm paying a premium for GPU and they're putting cloud apps on TVs and FireSticks I want to be able to stream 2K/4K and control the bitrate. I want HDR which they still can't do because they're using H.264 encode.

Basically make the PC and Cloud options as good as the competition or close to it and then market that fact.

It all just feels like the PR / marketing has it's hands tied at the moment while the company works out it's new direction but that's hardly an excuse where cloud/PC is concerned as those platforms have been around since way before the ABK/Bethesda acquisitions.

[Neon Ignition]

And while they're muddling their way through these changes they've been consistent in the one area that will be most critical whatever direction they ultimately choose - horrific PR management that will bury the Xbox name

[Nu-Eclipse]

(as if 28 million consoles sold is poor).

When Sony and Nintendo can outdo that by a ratio of 2:1 or even 3:1, 28m units sold isn't great.

I mean...are MS even making any money from Xbox hardware at this point?

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/price-hike-shows-xbox-is-determined-to-make-game-pass-work-opinion

During its launch month, Hellblade II: Senua's Saga failed to breka into the Top 100 in Europe

[Lebowski]

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/price-...s-work-opinion
During its launch month, Hellblade II: Senua's Saga failed to breka into the Top 100 in Europe

When it got no marketing spend, and it reviewed so poorly, are we surprised?

It's a mediocre walking sim with a short playtime (ten hours) repetitive combat, and really basic puzzles. For £49.99 it wasn't the tent pole release that Xbox needed, and it didn't hit the quality bar it needed either.

[fishbowlhead]

When it got no marketing spend, and it reviewed so poorly, are we surprised?

It's a mediocre walking sim with a short playtime (ten hours) repetitive combat, and really basic puzzles. For £49.99 it wasn't the tent pole release that Xbox needed, and it didn't hit the quality bar it needed either.

I’m shocked it did so poorly.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2024-df-weekly-you-dont-need-an-xbox-to-play-xbox-we-beg-to-differ

[hudson]

Can someone please provide guidance. As the 360 store is closing at end of month there are lots of games on sale. Such as Bionic Commando Rearmed for 69p. I bought it from the internet store here. However, my Series S does not see it anywhere. In my Purchased game library or on the MS store via the xbox. What have I done?

[wheelaa]

I don't think it's a backwards compatible title. Have to fire up a 360.