Xbox - Series S/X: Thread 01

[Team Andromeda]

Bar better gfx I’ve seen nothing on Xbox one that couldn’t be done on 360. I would have used PlayStation as an example but it has VR which kinda throws my whole point out the window lol.

You could have said much the same with 8bit and 16 bit generation. Other than better GFX and sound I didn't see any new game genre on the Mega Drive or Snes that couldn't be done on 8bit systems for the main and in most cases a lot of their games were in fact ported down to the Master System or the Gameboy

I very much doubt all next gen Xbox games will run on the Xbox One; maybe some of the 1st party titles for the 1st year but that's it . I mean my uncle's 486 could technically run Quake when it came out , but it run like crap . So I think the comment may have been taken out of context a little.

[Neon Ignition]

Have to assume it was as MS leave themselves at a disadvantage otherwise. When comparing to PC that backwards compatibility makes sense but most of it is tied to current consoles being the basis for most games. That won't be true next gen and also game design won't have to factor in the poor CPU's of current consoles either so unless Sony committed to gimping all their games as well to run on PS4, which is unlikely, then it would only harm MS to commit to it. It undermines the sales pitch too, they're aiming to sell next gen systems - not Xbox One X2 and Playstation Pro V2

[vanpeebles]

Bar better gfx I’ve seen nothing on Xbox one that couldn’t be done on 360. I would have used PlayStation as an example but it has VR which kinda throws my whole point out the window lol.

This really. Consoles now are just pc's in a box, the PS5 and Next Xbox will just be up specced versions of the same line of hardware. It's no different from a PC game on a new PC, to 5 year old PC, to 10 year old PC.

In the good old days, the hardware specs changed massively from machine to the next, these modern machines are as standardised as you are gonna get.

[Neon Ignition]

I can't imagine people won't move on anyway. I played the XBO S Forza Horizon 3 after the PC one and it was painful to go back, trying to get an XBO to run Forza Horizon 6 would be the stuff of nightmares.

[vanpeebles]

I think the X and PS4 Pro would be ok.

[Neon Ignition]

https://stevivor.com/features/interviews/vr-not-a-focus-of-project-scarlett-says-phil-spencer/

Don't hold your breath for VR on XBox anytime soon, Phil Spencer says its not a focus as no-one is really asking for it. The door remains open but as yet he doesn't think there's a worthwhile market for VR

[Cassius_Smoke]

Yeah i'm definitely not seeing growth on this graph.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/671403/global-virtual-reality-device-shipments-by-vendor/

The thing is, its easier for Xbox to do it because of its close ties to PC. They could just say its compatible with existing PCVR and that's it. The more i'm hearing about the Xbox4 the more confused it's sounding.

[Neon Ignition]

Yep, the sales figures just don't support the 'VR is going to grow' discussion you often get on the likes of Era. Sony's success is great for them but I feel it has to be looked at through the right lens. I feel it's less a reflection of millions of gamers demands for the tech and more one of how aggressively PSVR has been discounted over its relatively short lifespan making it the easiest and most affordable way for players to try it out, I imagine not that many have actually kept hold of their headsets either. I think it's reflected in the software as well, stuff regularly comes along but its a little reminiscent of the Vita in that Sony itself has offered minimal support and leaves it largely to small indies, most of them are just porting short titles from PC to try and maximise sales because they're low on PC.

I think MS is wary that getting into VR on Xbox will be a mostly exercise and that next-gen it'll be another Kinect moment. I suspect they're right as well, unless there are signs of software coming that make use of the PS5's abilities then it'll be a continuation of the same PC experiences and asking gamers to shell out hundreds again for an updated VR headset will likely shift a fraction of the 5m this gen has managed. It's a market that's drying up, a shame because it is a distinct experience, but I can easily understand why they're opting away from it.

[Team Andromeda]

SONY VR is just like the MEGA CD even down to number of units sold . A very expensive add-on and one that when used can offer an amazing experience, But too little games make use of the system and just like SEGA, SONY In-House teams and their big productions are all made for the base console.

[Cassius_Smoke]

I was actually being sarcastic. The graph shows year on year increase in VR headset sales. You only have to look at something like the recent announcement of Half Life being on VR to see that developers are getting excited about the hardware possibilities.
Oculus wouldn't put in money in R&D and release the Go if VR was on the way out. It's in its early days but its clear that VR is gaining traction.
Yes PSVR is clunky and the graphics are hindered, but going forward the hardware will allow much more detail and depth to the games and we could see some PC ports of VR games coming to the PS5.
Looking at the direction the PC market is going, people are building gaming rigs with VR in mind now and usually were PC goes, consoles follow. I think its very short sighted of MS to dismiss VR and not in the very least say that some select PCVR headsets are usable on it.

[Neon Ignition]

It's growing but its by incredibly small increments which are somewhat offset by the aggressive R&D costs. The likes of Oculus will be chasing it hard mostly because firstly it's Oculus's bread and butter, they're redundant without it, and the hope is that whoever is the first to get it down to being a cheap and refined product will reap the rewards. Fundamentally though VR is an advanced tech with a lot of applications in non-gaming and yet investment is limited from wider tech companies, it's the same with software companies. Some people have built VR tuned rigs but it's a microscopic proportion of users. The chart effectively shows Oculus alone saw solid growth in 2019, the rate of global sales increase across VR is actually incredibly poor.

Again, it's not to diminish the experience VR gives, but even Half-Life: Alyx isn't a vote of confidence in of itself. That game and Valve's VR efforts would have been born way back during the launch period haze of the VR wave. They'll no doubt be hoping it makes a big impact but the weight of proving that will come from post-Alyx investment and that's just judging Valve alone. I'd expect minimal growth in 2020, H-L will push PC units but PSVR is going to collapse with the generation shift so presumably the two will cancel each other out.

I still think all the old barriers exist as well. Full scale VR isn't that convenient for many, precious little becomes 'the future' without become the default standard across all formats, audiences have continually shown themselves to care little for 3D experiences and wearable/physical gaming when it comes to standards and they also have very little tolerance for cost inflation for devices seen as unessential. By the time VR can challenge all the issues it will be, and isn't that far off in terms of marketing, old tech that's hard to create a buzz around.

Basically, for Sony to release PSVR2 in the same manner as they did PSVR (as a minimal support premium peripheral) I reckon it'll be the end of the VR story on consoles for a long time and will sell worse than PSVR1 did. If MS doesn't see any signs of mid-long term aggressive push in that direction their investment probably is much wiser going into that other 'future' of streaming.

[Team Andromeda]

I was actually being sarcastic. The graph shows year on year increase in VR headset sales. You only have to look at something like the recent announcement of Half Life being on VR to see that developers are getting excited about the hardware possibilities.
Oculus wouldn't put in money in R&D and release the Go if VR was on the way out.

One game and to me making it 3D is a little get out of Jail and far less pressure to making a Half Life 3 .

Still too make it the major games are made for the standard display, rather than developed from the ground up to make sure of VR. Hardly any of SONY In House AAA productions are made for VR from the start

[Leon Retro]

SONY VR is just like the MEGA CD even down to number of units sold .

Well, Astro Bot is truly amazing. Sewer Shark was truly abysmal. PSVR will go down in gaming history as something special; the MCD, as much as some people have some fondness for it, has always been seen as an underwhelming misstep.

I'll never forget how incredible Astro Bot felt last year, Sony convinced me that VR has something fresh to bring to the table. It's far from perfect tech though, but I can imagine how much VR will advance over the next 20 years.

I'm glad you convinced me that Astro Bot was an amazing game, because I wasn't too keen on embracing VR before that.

[Team Andromeda]

Well, Astro Bot is truly amazing. Sewer Shark was truly abysmal. PSVR will go down in gaming history as something special; the MCD, as much as some people have some fondness for it, has always been seen as an underwhelming misstep.

Sewer Shark wasn't even made by SEGA or even a Mega CD developed for ground up game . Sonic CD, Batman Returns, Final Fighr and Switch, all were really good and used the system from SEGA .

VR is amazing, I love REZ, RE 7 and AstroBot but's it's not like SONY or most other Developer's are making their big AAA productions for VR and going forward I expect that to be the same.

VR still isn't mass market

[Cassius_Smoke]

Someone might want to pass on the memo...

https://www.pcgamer.com/vr-is-a-very-high-priority-for-the-microsoft-flight-simulator-team/