I don’t really care about graphical fidelity (my favourite game this year is probably gonna be Ooblets, which I play on a laptop with the graphics on ‘Fastest’), and also I have no interest in either game so it’s just an observation, but it is hard not to compare the Sony and Microsoft showcases as exhibitions of the ‘next generation’. For which Sony, to me, did much better.
It’s always good that games are on both generations for a bit, for sure, especially when it’s a big enough series that Microsoft could sell consoles by limiting it to the new one. Gamepass is like the one thing that could convince me to buy an Xbox, too, it seems like a great service. But just looking at it as the main game they showed for their new generation of games…
I for one am very excited for PSO 2: A Realm Reborn
Edit: By all accounts I’ve seen, this PSO2 reveal is, in fact, SEGA’s equivalent of an ARR-style update/overhaul for the game. I’ve had a great time with it since the NA release, but it is plainly obvious just how much of an eight-year-old game it is. If this trailer is indicative of what the gameplay will look like going forward – and if the developers are also going to overhaul the less sexy elements that need a refresh (e.g. inventory management, onboarding, the UI as a whole) – then this could be one of the most exciting things announced today.
I think this Polygon piece explains the Xbox strategy going forward really well:
Basically, the moving of more Series X units than PS5 is not their goal. Microsoft just wants you in their ecosystem in some way. It could be the Series X, or your PC, or your phone through xcloud, or even that crusty refurbished launch model Xbox One you can get at GameStop for $50. The point is that their strategy isn’t to push boxes by way of the Master Chief, but rather shotgun out a ton of different games in hopes a couple makes you interested in the ecosystem as a whole. It’s a different approach than what you’re seeing with the PS5, but in practical terms both consoles are going to have paltry launch lineups for a little while, just like basically any console launch in history. Microsoft just seems to be the first company to acknowledge that reality.
Yeah, I got it from like a conceptual perspective, I just don’t get it as a person who plays video games. It’s not really working for me, and I’m already ‘bought in’ insofar as I have a gaming PC. It made the tone of the whole showcase really lacklustre for me and most of my Twitter timeline, compared to Sony’s showcase. And I am way more interested in Avowed than I am any of the games Sony showed.
Maybe if they do a presentation at some point expanding the Windows-only version of Gamepass, or announce the digital-only Series X is, like, $150. I’m interested in Gamepass, though if Sony releases a competitor for it… But right now I just look at all that and think ‘idk, I bought that itchio bundle, I’m good until Avowed shows up on Steam/Epic’.
I found the size of the PC Gamepass library to be comparable to the Xbox version, and this recent rundown from Techradar has the PC count at 150 games versus 200 on console, so the gap isn’t quite as big as you’d think. Plus, with Gears Tactics, Flight Simulator, and Age of Empires II DE releasing on PC first, in some ways it feels like PC is taking precedence over Xbox this year. Of course, personal preference being what it is, perhaps the breadth of the library may not appeal to you, but I recommend checking out what’s there.
Also, if you are leaning in a PlayStation direction for a sub service and have decent internet, I messed around PSNow on PC a little back in February and the service is actually really good. Good enough to stream Spider-Man at least.
Last time I looked at the PC Gamepass it was super clunky, but maybe that’s just the Xbox software they use… but if they’ve expanded the library a bit, I might give it another look.
And I’ll look into PS Now, too, thank you for suggesting it!
I get Game Pass when it’s a dollar and play whatever interests me for that month, cancel and won’t think about it again until it goes on sale for a dollar. I’m not their target audience for any of this, which is fine. Sony wow’d me pretty good with their PS5 conference because a lot of what they showed was at least in-engine. A lot of Microsoft’s was just pre-rendered teaser, which doesn’t do much for me anymore.
I’m settling for getting a PS5 eventually. I’m at least more curious to see system-level stuff on that platform than I am with the Series X.
Oh and Microsoft needs to take another pass at their storefront. It’s poop from a butt.
The biggest announcement for me was really in the pre-show:
Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima working with Square Enix of all studios to make a new 3D platformer that has a lot in common with NiGHTS into Dreams. Even the studio’s logo evokes Sonic Team’s logo.
This is super cool, a spoiler FAQ for Tell Me Why that lays out concerns people may have with possible mishandling of LGBTQ themes:
I really hope stuff like this becomes the new norm in games. Why not allow people to spoil themselves if that makes it easier for them to access the work?
Completely agreed. This is like ten thousand times better than all the TLOU2 bullshit where even after release a lot of wikis and stuff still have bogus “leaked” info instead of accurate plot summaries.
Slowly coming to grips with the fact that I just don’t like the Halo games, or Bungie’s general gameplay and level design ethos.
Not Xbox specific but apparently the port announced today of Dragon Quest 11 S is using the downscaled Switch assets, and won’t offer existing owners an upgrade path (similar to Persona 5 Royal). Square-Enix is real frustrating sometimes with how they treat their back-catalogue of games.
