Poll of the Day > is Xbox dead?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I don't know, what does your wife think?

my son says the xbox rog ally x will revitalize the brand

I hope not. I love my switch but got a Series S last Christmas and have barely picked up the Switch since. Game Pass is an incredible deal.

$150~ (so far) and Ive played way more games this year than any year before

Not dead, but it's definitely taken a few shots of cyanide and is currently being rushed to the hospital.

Incredibly bad business decisions made over the course of multiple generations have compounded to put them in a very awkward place. Along with the fact that they've apparently spent the last 20 years constantly fighting internally about whether or not they should be selling consoles in the first place.

It's kind of ironic that a lot of the original Xbox was based on Sega's consoles, because Microsoft definitely feels like they're following in Sega's footsteps a bit too much these days.



MrMelodramatic posted...

Game Pass is an incredible deal.

Not for much longer, apparently.

You know why they call it an xbox 360?

Because Bo is stuck between his two exes 360 days of the week

Sony and Microsoft seemingly went in two different directions but it's most pronounced this generation. Meaning I think playstation was a direct evolution in console gaming with additions to the core experience, but is still definitively console gaming. Microsoft tried to bridge the gap between console gaming and PC gaming and obviously it hasn't worked out too well for them. Console gamers are still looking for those truly must have exclusives multiple generations later, and PC gamers have a better experience by sticking with the PC.

I don't really consider this a good thing for the industry as a whole, however. Sony needs a worthy competitor to prevent stagnation. Nintendo has it's own lane and I don't think they are really direct competitors to Sony. Not in the same way, anyway.

BADoglick posted...

Microsoft tried to bridge the gap between console gaming and PC gaming and obviously it hasn't worked out too well for them.

I get the impression that their dream world was one where they could use Windows as a core to bridge PCs as a whole (not just gaming) along with tablets, phones, and their console to create a singular shared user multimedia experience across all hardware. And all of their design and business decisions over the last 10-15 years or so has been directly aimed at establishing that.

The problem is, almost no one actually wants that. And trying to achieve it generally makes them worse on every platform as they try to dumb down each platform to play well with all the others (the "Jack of All Trades, Master of None" scenario).

And it's also not helped by the fact that they don't really have solid dominance over any part of the ecosystem (apart from having Windows being a dominant OS on PC), with Xbox being the worst-selling console, Windows phone dying, and their Internet presence mostly being second to Google's at this point. So it's harder for them to leverage any one facet to push adoption of the others. Even putting Cortana in a phone couldn't get nerds to buy!

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Windows phone dying

There was a Windows Phone, lol?

ParanoidObsessive posted...

And trying to achieve it generally makes them worse on every platform as they try to dumb down each platform to play well with all the others

Has it? From where I stand, the only potential issues that could cause are promoting digital sales (which would be happening regardless of any cross-platform efforts), offering a wider variety of control options (which is generally a good thing and would be happening with any PC-ported game anyway), and having an account system to manage digital games and online play (to which the only real alternative would have been to tie everything to the system like Nintendo did with the Wii/DS, and that's not a great approach). None of that really amounts to "dumbing down" any of the involved platforms, because none of the involved platforms were "smarter" for not having digital sales/control options/accounts.

The only real example I can think of is Windows 8 having been overtly designed for tablets more so than PCs, and that got walked back pretty considerably with 8.1 over a decade ago and doesn't really apply to 10 or 11.

I made this a poll:

[ ] I hope not
[ ] Not yet
[x] Microsoft is playing dead until the next Xbox announcement
[ ] In the throes of it..
[ ] Better not 'die' before next Elder Scrolls game releases exclusive to Series X (With grizzled Lydia)

Has an Elder Scrolls game ever pulled a MacCready from Fallout 4? If they haven't, bring back Lydia.

Microsoft responded to how members no longer get DLC discounts by saying members will get more reward points (or whatever), but sources point out member rewards actually decreased while non-member rewards were more drastically decreased

Roachmeat posted...

Has an Elder Scrolls game ever pulled a MacCready from Fallout 4? If they haven't, bring back Lydia.

Why would they? They take place so long apart from each other and the characters aren't memorable enough to do that with.

Unless they can give us grown up Braith to Fus Roh Dah off a cliff

i can usually get at least $5 a month by casually using bing and the rewards system. At first with the changes it did look like an increase and not a decrease in rewards but will see over the next couple of months

LaggnFragnLarry posted...

i can usually get at least $5 a month by casually using bing and the rewards system. At first with the changes it did look like an increase and not a decrease in rewards but will see over the next couple of months

ya, I don't have an xbox so I'm just going with teh news

xbox shot themselves in the foot with the increases.

i really hope the ones who have gamepass don't invest or at least take the tier that isn't so swindling (1st or 2nd tier).

I always love the quote that started last year.

"Sony is run by people that would drown if it rained and they still have no competition because Microsoft is the 8 year champion of slamming their dick in the car door."

Yeah Xbox sucks, I've been saying since the infamous Xbone reveal there's no point in owning an Xbox and that hasn't changed, only intensified. The one time I thought Xbox might have pulled their shit together is when Hi-Fi rush came out and would have been an easy GOTY if it didn't come loaded in a year with absolute bangers. Then MS fired the entire Studio 8 months later despite telling everyone it was a huge success and their best received exclusive since the 360.

Salrite posted...

Roachmeat posted...

Has an Elder Scrolls game ever pulled a MacCready from Fallout 4? If they haven't, bring back Lydia.

Why would they? They take place so long apart from each other and the characters aren't memorable enough to do that with.

Unless they can give us grown up Braith to Fus Roh Dah off a cliff

Neloth & Jiub from Morrowind appear in Skyrim, for the Dragonborn & Dawnguard DLCs respectively.

the xbox rog ally x launches in a week

Roachmeat posted...

Has an Elder Scrolls game ever pulled a MacCready from Fallout 4? If they haven't, bring back Lydia.

Salrite posted...

Unless they can give us grown up Braith to Fus Roh Dah off a cliff

I always figured a grown up Braith would be a roaming mercenary always chewing something and groaning about the jobs she ends up with. She wasn't a potty mouth like MacCready, but the foundation is there.

OHJOY90 posted...

Neloth & Jiub from Morrowind appear in Skyrim, for the Dragonborn & Dawnguard DLCs respectively.

Yup. Neloth also came with a piece of the island traveled in Morrowind. Should have remembered that given that I had the Skyrim strategy guide for so long (and would read the thing like a telephone book).

Xbox contracted a terminal disease in 2013 when the Xbox One was announced. It finally succumbed.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]



This slam down is right up there with the PS 1 Price announcement.

I don't even KNOW what the current Xbox console is called.

CyborgSage00x0 posted...

I don't even KNOW what the current Xbox console is called.

Xbox Series X if you were serious..

Xbox Series S if you were trying to save money or were only using the system for Gamepass.

Walmart no longer carrying xbox
Costco either

I honestly have a hard time believing xbox will ever die; microsoft is just to big/rich to let it go imo

green_dragon posted...

I honestly have a hard time believing xbox will ever die; microsoft is just to big/rich to let it go imo

True, I think it's very obvious MS has always been using thier wealth to buy into the industry, rather than actually accrue talent by dedicating itself to quality games. Especially evident with how they've been gobbling Studios up and relying on Gamepass.

CyborgSage00x0 posted...

I don't even KNOW what the current Xbox console is called.

Here's a handy guide.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/d1f9b823.jpg

not looking forward to the Sony/Nintendo gaming duopoly

Xbox sucks now but them dying ain't good

Valve just needs to get into the home console market. They've already gotten into the VR and Handheld one.

A bit redundant, but so is buying a console over a PC

MomSpringfield posted...

not looking forward to the Sony/Nintendo gaming duopoly

Xbox sucks now but them dying ain't good

Yeah. This worries me. We saw first hand with the Switch 2 announcement what Nintendo will do when they think they can get away with it (and thus far they have). Im worried what Sony will do without any real competition.

Ive had little love for the Xbox since the One and their demise is self-inflicted, so its hard to feel too bad, but it was nice to have them there to keep Sonys worst impulses in check.

HelIWithoutSin posted...

Here's a handy guide.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/d1f9b823.jpg

Thanks, I hate it.

MomSpringfield posted...

not looking forward to the Sony/Nintendo gaming duopoly

Xbox sucks now but them dying ain't good

I mean, 905 of the Xbox's library is shared with the PS5/PC anyways. Unless there's something about the Xbox and interface or controllers you just really liked, which, fair. The Steamdeck rising in prominence will be a better Xbox, game wise at least.

Zora_Prince posted...

Yeah. This worries me. We saw first hand with the Switch 2 announcement what Nintendo will do when they think they can get away with it (and thus far they have). Im worried what Sony will do without any real competition

Alright, I'll bite: What did Nintendo "get away with", here?

CyborgSage00x0 posted...

Thanks, I hate it.

I mean, 905 of the Xbox's library is shared with the PS5/PC anyways. Unless there's something about the Xbox and interface or controllers you just really liked, which, fair. The Steamdeck rising in prominence will be a better Xbox, game wise at least.

Alright, I'll bite: What did Nintendo "get away with", here?

I'm assuming they mean the price of games, namely mario kart world and that welcome tour thing

green_dragon posted...

I'm assuming they mean the price of games, namely mario kart world and that welcome tour thing

Alright, I haven't really cared to look into it, but what exactly was the problem with Mario Kart? For all intents and purposes, an open world Mario Kart game sounds sick.

green_dragon posted...

I'm assuming they mean the price of games, namely mario kart world and that welcome tour thing

Which is silly, since $70 games have already been a thing this year. Doom Eternal, Borderlands 4, etc. It's just the natural and inevitable price increase.

CyborgSage00x0 posted...

Which is silly, since $70 games have already been a thing this year. Doom Eternal, Borderlands 4, etc. It's just the natural and inevitable price increase.

Try $80. And no, this isn't something we should be accepting from anyone. Especially Nintendo when they never lower their prices. It's easier to just wait on any other developer for a sale further down the line.

CyborgSage00x0 posted...

Which is silly, since $70 games have already been a thing this year. Doom Eternal, Borderlands 4, etc. It's just the natural and inevitable price increase.

It's neither natural nor inevitable though.

There is absolutely an argument to be made that consumers shouldn't be expected to pay more for games when the games aren't necessarily better than previous iterations, and where most of the increased production costs are coming from terrible design decisions, corporate bloat, wasteful inefficiency, and paying hundreds of employees in any given studio when some of the best games developed recently have been made by teams of only a dozen or so members, or even in some cases, by only one or two.

Nearly every facet of game design has grown far beyond its ability to support itself. The solution isn't to just shrug and keep feeding the beast, the solution is to buckle down and demand more accountability.

Not helped by the fact that the "Games cost more to make now, publishers need more money to pay for it!" argument has never really been a valid one once publishers started cramming every game with microtransactions, DLC, season passes, "deluxe editions" and other forms of recurrent revenue (not to mention the increased profits from phasing out physical media in favor of digital downloads). Publishers tend to make far more on any given game than just the retail price. The "real cost" of any given "$40 game" or "$60 game" can soar into the hundreds.

If people want to draw the line in the sand at what they (rightly) see as unbridled corporate greed, it's a worthwhile stand to take. Especially in an increasingly poor economy and with a co-concomitant drop in quality across the board for most goods and services. Childhood nostalgia can only offset predatory business practices for so long before people start to balk.

The only real problem is people who complain about how much it costs, and then buy it anyway, because they have terrible impulse control and no real sense of principles. Those people aren't helping anything.


It's also worth noting that this isn't just a gaming issue. Media piracy as a whole has been hugely on the rise again after dying down to minimal levels for years. The harder companies attempt to bleed their potential customer base, the more that customer base starts to find ways to justify looking for free alternatives.

two days till the xbox rog ally x

Salrite posted...

Especially Nintendo when they never lower their prices.

Nintendo does sales on first-party games all the time. They're generally not as deep or as frequent as other studios, and the base price tends to remain steady, but it's not terribly difficult to get Nintendo games for less than full price if you're patient and keep an eye out for sales.

I'm fully expecting Mario Kart's price to drop after the holidays, though. I'm pretty sure the $80 price tag was more of an effort to make bundling it for $50 seem more appealing than actually believing that it should be sold for that price. With the bundle ending at the end of the year, that opportunity for tricksy pricing goes away, and dropping the price to get more people playing it would make sense.

Salrite posted...

Try $80. And no, this isn't something we should be accepting from anyone. Especially Nintendo when they never lower their prices. It's easier to just wait on any other developer for a sale further down the line.

Games have been a lot more than $80 for a while, because the gaming community has broadly gotten used to and accepted the idea of development studios hacking off bits of the game so they can sell them to you later for $5-$10 at a time.

Slap the DLC label on it and people generally don't notice that they've been paying $100+ for full games for a decade now.