Microsoft Xbox news and discussion thread

[AndyKurosaki]

I'm seriously hoping that any minute now Sony will say "we're not doing any of that bollocks".

[Indiana747]

http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/08/sony-di ... hida-says/

This article written over a month ago seems to indicate that PS4 works fine with no internet connection. Has Sony backtracked on this and nobody told me?

[RoboticMonk3y]

Saw this linked on Twitter earlier and thought it was an interesting thing to repost here.


http://bit.ly/101oEDq

One day I'll work out how to link in a YouTube video properly from my phone!

[NokkonWud]

[youtube ] 9APmJHu8DNs [/ youtube]
Without spaces, obviously.

9APmJHu8DNs is the video identity found after the youtube URL on sharing (or in address bar)

[Doggett]

This has been doing the rounds on facebook.

[Sinclair Gregstrum]

Interesting breakdown on CVG of the Xbox One and PS4 exclusives:
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/41 ... ive-games/

The X1 is getting kicked all over the internet at the moment and rightly so for many reasons, but one has to admit that putting all the rights and online issues to one side it does have the stronger games line up at present (and this is in spite of all the cries that MS has taken it's eye off the gaming ball!). Plus that's not just in terms of quantity but (and I'm wildly speculating here) potentially quality as well. There are quite a few things in that X1 list that peak my interest, but very little on PS4.....

I'm an owner of both a 360 & PS3 so no bias coming from my side. Could we be heading for a split decision with one being the better hardware & consumer experience but the other having the better games??

Thoughts?

[ratsoalbion]

Too early to say, but people will calm down about the DRM stuff, and the console will get cheaper. Next gen won't be a one horse race, no way.

[Scrustle]

I really, really hope they relax these DRM aspects, but I doubt they will. And regardless of they do or not, it is probably true that people will calm down about them and the console will be successful (if not "1 billion sales" successful). I don't think the success will be because people calm down on the DRM though. Although that may lead a few more people to buy it than will have initially, I just think the brand is too big for them to be completely ruined by angry people on the internet. There are so many people who buy the Xbox who don't keep up with indutsry news and don't necessarily care about or even understand the DRM problems, and I think MS know that very well. I really wish that wasn't the case, but sadly I think it is.

[Sinclair Gregstrum]

I entirely agree with both of you gents. Xbox is too big a beast to be sunk by these issues and has now crossed over to a huge mainstream audience that don't really know/understand/care about the issues hardcore gamers are currently up in arms about online.

Price is also a temporary issue but one that could at least give PS4 a good head start as I think families in particular could find it hard to justify stumping up an extra £80 for X1 when the trusted Playstation brand is sat there beckoning them in at a lower price point and with such an attractive offering.....

[arry_g]

Interesting breakdown on CVG of the Xbox One and PS4 exclusives:
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/41 ... ive-games/

The X1 is getting kicked all over the internet at the moment and rightly so for many reasons, but one has to admit that putting all the rights and online issues to one side it does have the stronger games line up at present (and this is in spite of all the cries that MS has taken it's eye off the gaming ball!). Plus that's not just in terms of quantity but (and I'm wildly speculating here) potentially quality as well. There are quite a few things in that X1 list that peak my interest, but very little on PS4.....

I'm an owner of both a 360 & PS3 so no bias coming from my side. Could we be heading for a split decision with one being the better hardware & consumer experience but the other having the better games??

Thoughts?

Hmmm... I don't agree about Xbox One having the better games personally but that is down to my personal tastes and for some (if not most) I'm sure it has.

Looking at the exclusives (right now) the Xbox One has:
• Below
• Crimson Dragon
• Dead Rising 3
• D4
• Fantasia: Music Evolved
• Forza Motorsport 5
• Halo
• Killer Instinct
• Kinect Sports Rivals
• LocoCycle
• Minecraft: Xbox One Edition
• Quantum Break
• Ryse: Son of Rome
• Sunset Overdrive
• Zoo Tycoon

Whereas the PS4 has:
• Basement Crawl
• Driveclub
• Infamous: Second Son
• Killzone: Shadow Fall
• Knack
• The Order: 1886
• Secret Ponchos
• DC Universe Online (F2P)
• Planetside (F2P)

Now, the XBone clearly has the majority here, in-fact true to word they have fifteen but my personal take on this is as follows:

If I start by removing Minecraft as there are talks already of Notch releasing a PS4 version once his exclusivity deal runs out (rumour nothing more but I don't feel that it is impossible). Let’s also remove Zoo Tycoon because, well… no-one cares (Viva Piñata is a different matter, that would have helped MS I feel). Fantasia can be removed as it is a Kinect game and not overly impressive (IMHO) – the same for Kinect Sports Rivals and Crimson Dragon. I will also remove Below as I missed this and didn’t see anything on it. I shall also remove D4 as its name will probably fail to inspire sales. Now, what we are left with is the real meat of the Xbox One exclusivity, which looks like this:
• Dead Rising 3
• Forza Motorsport 5
• Halo
• LocoCycle
• Quantum Break
• Ryse: Son of Rome
• Killer Instict
• Sunset Overdrive

Of this list there are two games which I personally care significantly about are: Dead Rising 3 and Quantum Break. Killer Instinct I don’t care for, Ryse seems uninteresting and Halo deserves a couple of more years rest to better innovate (I feel). The rest I am curious about but not enough to inspire me to buy the system early.

Now, of the PS4: Infamous and the Order both looked fun to me. Killzone looked like a new game (different from the last three games), Knack looked interesting, Driveclub and its social driving features are for me really intriguing (though a new racing IP is risky) and Planetside is definitely a fun fast-paced FPS. Thanks to my PS Plus I basically have access to Driveclub (in some capacity), the Secret Poncho as well as non-exclusive Don’t Starve on day one. The Secret Poncho seems fun and Driveclub becomes less of a risk for that reason alone.

So, until more information on more of the games surfaces Sony are still ahead for me. The fact that Sony have more first and second party studios working on projects unaccounted for, as well as the fact that Sony is still taking risks on new IP’s for their current system such as: The Last of Us and Beyond: Two Souls and the fact that PS Plus gives me access to two of those exclusives (or maybe one and a half) as well as Sony’s commitment to Gaikai in 2014 makes it all too easy for me to make a choice.

My only concern is when Sony forgets about the gamers and get all corporate again but MS is doing that any way so – meh!

As stated my break down is based on individual taste and it could be done in reverse by someone who feels that way but the point I am making is I don't personally feel at this stage that MS has the stronger line-up, by GamesCom they might though and I personally think it is foolish to count any developer out. MS will turn opinion around, be it in a week, a month or a year... they will.

[Electric Crocosaurus]

Too early to say, but people will calm down about the DRM stuff, and the console will get cheaper. Next gen won't be a one horse race, no way.

Agreed, and I wouldn't want it to be anyway. Competition is only ever good for consumers. Plus, even though PS4 stands likely as the console I'll pick up first, I'm going to miss using an XBox controller; it's the best standard controller there's been for a console, and the XBox One's looks like it will only make it better.

[Scrustle]

For me the only Xbox games that interest me are Forza and Project Spark. Below seems like it could be interesting, but we know nothing about it so I can't really say I'm that excited for it. Also it's an indie game. They're not exactly system sellers. And if this past generation is anything to go by, there's a good chance it'll come out on PS4 too at some point down the line. It seems like that's going to be the console to go for regarding indie games.

As for the PS4, DriveClub, InFamous, and 1886 interest me, but I have to say I'm not that crazy about any of those either. They definitely look good and I imagine I'll probably get them myself, but I have to say I'm actually more excited by what MS showed. Forza is Forza, and if Project Spark turns out to really be as open as they made it look, it could be mind blowing. But they're never going to be enough to make up for the console though. There's also the fact that like Below, 1886 is really nebulous right now. Don't know anything about it, but I really like the setting and tone of the trailer.

But actually, the games that most excited me from the whole of E3 were multiplatform games. Those being Mirror's Edge and The Crew. While again we didn't see much of Mirror's Edge, just the fact that it exists and it is actually coming is enough for me. The Crew really surprised me with how interesting that looked.

I don't really think new racing game IP is that risky though. Although there is a certain amount of risk with any game that's an early release for a generation, and a new IP in any sense, I think racing games are probably the safest bet you can make within those confines. Racing games are always pretty good for showing off new hardware, so they're common among launch titles. Also the term "IP" is probably not really that relevant when it comes to racing games. They all have licensed cars and are usually set in some kind of world that resembles reality. Usually with a realistic art style too. They're far from something that has a bunch of weird, brand new characters in an odd world with a potentially alienating art style. Something like DriveClub is going to be a much safer bet than launching a console with something like Zeno Clash for example.

[arry_g]

They all have licensed cars and are usually set in some kind of world that resembles reality. Usually with a realistic art style too. They're far from something that has a bunch of weird, brand new characters in an odd world with a potentially alienating art style. Something like DriveClub is going to be a much safer bet than launching a console with something like Zeno Clash for example.

I failed to clarify on this but when I say "risky" I mean that the genre is hit and miss when it comes to new IP's and so whilst the genre is more likely to sell well than a new third person adventure IP for example - forty to fifty notes can be a big gamble for an individual (a gamer) to make on a game they are unsure about when a game of the same genre with a proven track record (due to the IP winning favour of many racing fans already) exists on another console (Forza and the Xbox in this case).

[Sinclair Gregstrum]

Any other old Saturn owners/Panzer Dragoon fans out there that are excited by the prospect of Crimson Dragon?

Could genuinely be a clincher for me (although probably not for anyone else!)

[ratsoalbion]

I find it strange that people put so much stall by early titles - as if Kameo, PGR3, Resistance and Motorstorm have any significant influence on our feelings towards the 360 and PS3 now, or whether those machines are worth owning.

We're talking about potentially 7 or 8 years, not just 2013/2014. With very few exceptions, almost every console has been well worth owning once its library has developed.

[Sinclair Gregstrum]

You're entirely right of course and it is over the long haul that a console's fortunes and legacy are really formed.

However, it can't be denied that if you're in the market for getting a new console early doors like many of the folk that frequent this forum, then initial games line ups do play a substantial role in helping you make your choice on format.

They are what you'll be playing over the first few months of ownership after all so that gives them at least temporary importance for many.....

Would also be interested to hear your thoughts Leon on what consoles you don't think have justified ownership even after their game libraries have really come together. Phillips CD-i??

[ratsoalbion]

Oh definitely, and of course I know it's not easy to justify shelling out for both day one, especially for those with financial dependants.

[ratsoalbion]

Any other old Saturn owners/Panzer Dragoon fans out there that are excited by the prospect of Crimson Dragon?

Oh goodness me yes, of course.

[Sinclair Gregstrum]

Funny you should mention financial dependants as I've got my first wee dependant due at the end of December this year, right after the consoles launch!

You're right - it is going to be hard to justify to my good lady why I'm spending the £400....

That's going to require some thought....

[ratsoalbion]

Would also be interested to hear your thoughts Leon on what consoles you don't think have justified ownership even after their game libraries have really come together. Phillips CD-i??

Yep, that would be one. CDTV, Nuon, Virtual Boy, GX4000, Gamate, Apple Pippin!

The Jaguar and 3DO are both borderline for me, along with MD add-ons Mega CD and 32X, though of course these have a small handful of absolute crackers which hardcore fans and collectors would consider essential.