Xbox Series S/X: Thread 02

[Neon Ignition]

I wonder if it'll result in a shift to old practices such as developing a game purely for next-gen and then hatchet jobbing the previous gen one via an external studio where there's still a business case for it.

[fishbowlhead]

Unless you're a Sony first party dev, I guess that's the situation you're stuck with for the next couple of years. Based on what happened at the start of the current gen, I don't think third party publishers will be comfortable releasing a next-gen-only AAA till late 2022 at the earliest. I'd love to be proved wrong though!

Microsoft holding back their first party stuff with mandated Bone compatibility is beginning to look like an increasingly bizarre decision though. It's now generating negative press from not one but two angles - firstly that Halo Infinite isn't impressive looking enough, and then secondly from the rumours that they won't be able to keep to their promise that every game for the first two years will come to Bone.

They needn't have made the promise in the first place - I feel like they've massively made a rod for their own backs here.

Can someone insert the Fry im shocked gif pretty please.

[nonny]

I would have been fine if MS had gone Series X and Series S only on big franchises instead of the way they've gone. If anything that has blown out development time in the current climate. I don't think it's "holding back" what they can achieve on the new machines but obviously it's not as simple as flicking a switch to make it scale...

Perhaps MS will U turn on some games planned for 2021 and make them actual exclusives because of this?

[Neon Ignition]

It's pretty much fear of jeopardising Game Pass revenue that's led to the issue which I get given it's their golden goose for the Xbox division that has spent most of its existence losing them money but they've clearly underestimated the long term impact the decision can have. Though like was discussed yesterday, presumably Halo Infinite specifically is too problematic at a design level for release as the delay shouldn't affect XBO release if it was purely a visual thing given the ability to patch that later like other games will.

Given it's been two years it's a real shame they didn't have Forza Horizon 5 ready for launch day.

For third parties though, most have navigated generation switches before so they should just do their usual approach and if it doesn't suit them doing a PS4/XBO version then drop it, likewise if the next-gen version. If the game is likely to be a 2022 release then they should be looking to sever the old systems anyway as their rivals will be.

[wakka]

It's pretty much fear of jeopardising Game Pass revenue that's led to the issue which I get given it's their golden goose for the Xbox division that has spent most of its existence losing them money but they've clearly underestimated the long term impact the decision can have. Though like was discussed yesterday, presumably Halo Infinite specifically is too problematic at a design level for release as the delay shouldn't affect XBO release if it was purely a visual thing given the ability to patch that later like other games will.

Agreed re: Game Pass. I think it was absolutely the motivator beyond the 'everything still on Bone for two years' decision, and it's looking like that was a real miscalculation now.

I would say that no matter how ready the Bone version of Infinite is, it should be held back to release alongside the Series X version. They'd only be compounding the error if they released it six months earlier on Bone - it'd be effectively old hat by the time it hit Series X, and it would confirm in many Bone users' minds that it's not worth spending the £500 to upgrade to the new console since they still need to use their old machine to play the latest flagship.

[randombs]

I can’t imagine many people would be genuinely upset if MS did a U-turn on their cross-generation promise.

They could just say they listened to the fans, and it would be just like every console launch that came before.

[wakka]

Tbh they might as well stick to the cross-gen plan at this point. They’ve already developed the games with Bone in mind anyway. Halo and Forza must be pretty far along now. I mean Halo was meant to be done.

[fishbowlhead]

Tbh they might as well stick to the cross-gen plan at this point. They’ve already developed the games with Bone in mind anyway. Halo and Forza must be pretty far along now. I mean Halo was meant to be done.

Forza has been moved to SeriesX/S only now hasn’t it? Presumably because a lot of turn10 was moved onto halo Infinite to finish it, which all worked out nicely.

[Cassius_Smoke]

I'm going to bet that the seriesS isn't launched at the same time as the seriesX

[wakka]

Forza has been moved to SeriesX/S only now hasn’t it? Presumably because a lot of turn10 was moved onto halo Infinite to finish it, which all worked out nicely.

Ah yes you’re right, it has, I hadn’t realised that. Also it sounds earlier in dev than I had thought - still a ways away from the look of it.

[Neon Ignition]

It'll be interesting to see which arrives first, Forza 8 or Horizon 5. Presumably Forza 8 given the reveal which is a shame in a way.

[Leon Retro]

It'll be interesting to see which arrives first, Forza 8 or Horizon 5. Presumably Forza 8 given the reveal which is a shame in a way.

I think they've been working on the next Forza Motorsport for quite a while, so that will come first. Horizon 4 will get a patch for the Series X to enable 4K 60fps, but I'm not sure if it will include any other enhancements.

I've been loving Horizon 4 since buying an One X last year, so Horizon 5 is a game I'm really looking forward to. I have a feeling we're going to have to wait a few years for it though. Maybe it will be a 2022 release -- who knows?

[Neon Ignition]

Unless they hold it back for Fable 2022 seems the current best bet, though the way things are it'll also likely be the only entry all generation as a GAAS platform

[Leon Retro]

though the way things are it'll also likely be the only entry all generation as a GAAS platform

If they manage to deliver a much larger map with a lot of variety to the locations, then I'll be happy to play it for years. I'm definitely expecting Horizon 5 to be a much larger game with far more variety when it comes to the map and options.

[nonny]

Forza Horizon 4 already has a stellar 60fps mode on the One X with scalable resolution so I doubt it'll be hard to hit 60fps locked at full 4K... I am even wondering if it'll go higher.