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Xbox Series X (coming 10 Nov 2020)
- Thread starter gkarris
- Start date
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diamond.g
macrumors G5
What I find interesting is china is making memory now and it isn't any cheaper.
pdoherty
macrumors 68000
Chinese RAM isn't cheaper yet because it doesn't have to be; why would they purposely sell for less than the market is currently getting?
This isn't even the first time RAM makers have illegally colluded in price fixing. They got busted for it in the early 2000s.
This isn't even the first time RAM makers have illegally colluded in price fixing. They got busted for it in the early 2000s.
diamond.g
macrumors G5
Xbox Layoffs Have Reportedly Gutted id Software, Obsidian, and ZeniMax Online, and Elder Scrolls Online's Roadmap Will Have to Change
Xbox layoffs have reportedly hit id Software, Obsidian, and ZeniMax Online hard, forcing changes to The Elder Scrolls Online's roadmap.
wccftech.com
Well 3200 folks. I'm kind of sad that iD Software is basically being gutted.
^^
Overall, more good news than bad! 🙂
That is that that all the studios won't be shut down for tax write offs. Instead four will be sold off so that the IP can survive and devs can innovate without influence from MS.
Overall, more good news than bad! 🙂
That is that that all the studios won't be shut down for tax write offs. Instead four will be sold off so that the IP can survive and devs can innovate without influence from MS.
Enjoy gamepass whilst you can. Big changes are ahead!
The low down is that Gamepass has failed to:
-Bring more players to Xbox(More hardware sales)
-Grow revenue for Xbox(Greater revenue from games and services)
For the studio’s that were aquired, gamepass cannibalised revenue from players who paid full price for the games. This is why the next COD won’t be available on gamepass from day one.
MS thought, that the more studios they buy, the more attractive gamepass would become. But actually, the more games added, the greater the financial cannibalisation.
The low down is that Gamepass has failed to:
-Bring more players to Xbox(More hardware sales)
-Grow revenue for Xbox(Greater revenue from games and services)
For the studio’s that were aquired, gamepass cannibalised revenue from players who paid full price for the games. This is why the next COD won’t be available on gamepass from day one.
MS thought, that the more studios they buy, the more attractive gamepass would become. But actually, the more games added, the greater the financial cannibalisation.
diamond.g
macrumors G5
I didn't think buying activision was going to turn out well. It looked like they were going towards just being a publisher which would have gotten them out of the hardware game. Now I am not sure what they are going to do. (that isn't true, they are going to get out of the console gaming business, they just need a plausible excuse, that Helix will give them)
I thought Activision aquisition was going to work out. However, what is logical on paper doesn’t always reflect human behaviour. If you are Nintendo or PlayStation fan, your love is tribal. It’s less likely that you will replace tour ps4 or switch just because cod or halo is avaible on gamepass. There will be franchises on the other platforms that you have been part of for years, if not decades.
I also think that gamepass has reached saturation. This has happened to Disney plus. Eventually you hit a point when you have attracted everyone who matches your core audience. To grow you need to bloat your product with content for other audiences.
diamond.g
macrumors G5
I'd think GP would need to be more like Apple Arcade than what it is currently to keep growth going without breaking the bank (and that includes lowering the price). It actually pains me to write that because I was so sure that Apple Arcade needed to be more like GP, but it seems I was wrong. I don't really see another path to 1 billion players/interactions a day with AAA properties. They are going to have to heavily rely on mobile to get there.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
This does not inspire confidence for the future of Xbox, at least not to me.
A "metaverse true believer". 🫣 😬
A "metaverse true believer". 🫣 😬
maflynn
macrumors Broadwell
Microsoft will find a way to screw it up. I think the Xbox x was a fantastic console but forcing all developers to have the same features on the lower powered S was a mistake imo
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
I don't want to manage store fronts. Running steam OS on my mini pc has alienated me from my main nvidia PC which has 5 different store fronts.
Nowadays I only want to buy games on stems because I don't want to manage updates, logins and clutter across store fronts.
Helix better feel closer to a console than a windows computer or else xbox will lose fans.
diamond.g
macrumors G5
I wonder if they will walk the multiple storefront thing back. In order to subsidize the hardware they probably would need to guarantee of making money from sales from their storefront.
I would also be curious if they are gonna price it cheaper than the Steam Machine, considering it is supposed to have cutting edge hardware.
There will likely be two units, a handled that probably just about matches the Steam Machine. I think the more expensive one might have upgradable RAM and SSD. That's a clever way of passing on costs to consumers e.g if you want more RAM or SSD then pay for it. It keeps the headline figure in stores low.
diamond.g
macrumors G5
you think they would do a split memory pool? It has been a long time since consoles didn't use GDDR as system RAM.
Oh yes. Sorry. I forgot that in this day and age unified memory is better!
The biggest hurdle for success won't be price. It will be proving value due to the more expensive RAM and storage.
Xbox is in a pickle. If they equip Helix with high ram and storage it will be prohibitively expensive. If they make it affordable, the specs will suffer and as a result, the jump from a series X will be small.
They also can't subsidise a $200-300 loss. Especially if the console support multiple store front. You are not going to claw back much money from users playing free to play titles or buying 5 year old Ubisoft titles for $3.99.
diamond.g
macrumors G5
The most obvious issue MS would have with variable RAM in a console is developers can't rely on anything but the base specs. So it would be a crap shoot on having better included textures to make use of more RAM, or higher BVH/RT options. Which would imply that folks should just buy the PC version of the game (losing MS their 30% cut), which could end with folks upset about game performance as PC versions wouldn't be spec'ed to take advantage of the systems strengths (speculation on my part, but a reasonable one).
I don't envy the Xbox product teams of having to figure this out. Because of component prices, Helix risks being:
In relation to a console:
-Not as convenient
-Much more expensive
In relation to a PC:
-Almost as expensive
-Not as upgradable
-Less support for mods and side loading.
aespana
macrumors 6502
I feel sad as a consumer to see how badly MS has handled the Xbox brand.. I got a Classic Xbox when I was a kid and the memories of Halo 2, GTA San Andreas, Star Wars Battlefront 1/2. Even the emulators and playing Ocarina of Time (poorly emulated) and even Majoras Mask..
Always loved the 360 but got one for about 15 days and getting shocked how good GTA V looked in that little machine. Then see how beautiful even these days the Xbox One S is (probably will get one to collection) and after having both Series S/X.. with that absolutely insane feature called Quick Resume.. playing RE 4 Remake, stopping and returning to the game to play it exactly in the same spot I left it.. in a matter of seconds.
I left Xbox after the gamepass price hike and to seeing how it is going now.. it is sad. I can't see Project Helix as a savior for the Xbox brand. Not in these dark days
Always loved the 360 but got one for about 15 days and getting shocked how good GTA V looked in that little machine. Then see how beautiful even these days the Xbox One S is (probably will get one to collection) and after having both Series S/X.. with that absolutely insane feature called Quick Resume.. playing RE 4 Remake, stopping and returning to the game to play it exactly in the same spot I left it.. in a matter of seconds.
I left Xbox after the gamepass price hike and to seeing how it is going now.. it is sad. I can't see Project Helix as a savior for the Xbox brand. Not in these dark days
This video has a couple of interesting points about gamepass. Now I understand why Xbox is having a “reset”. Hardware isn’t selling, not enough first party blockbusters and gamepass is proving to not to have worked out as a business model.
I fear the gamepass might have been too generous. It can happen in business that your generous and heavily discounted product attract customers who will never be profitable or spend money on full price products.
If you raise prices to reflect the value that your product offer, but millions unsubscribe, you have a problem. Either your product isn’t valuable enough or you have attracted the wrong customers.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
I'm not sure if it's too generous or just "too much".
It seems like an odd offering to me. It sounds good to offer zillions of games for X monthly price, but I've always wondered how many people actually want that.
It seems like something designed in an era when the whole cloud gaming thing was being conceived, and as we've seen (more than a couple examples of now) that just hasn't become a thing.
Yes. When there is too much choice, finding gems can be hard. Also gamepass growth has likely plateaued because sales of Xbox hardware isn’t growing.
Sure there is pc, but for that platform gamepass is not very appealing. Many loved games especially older ones, Nintendo and PlayStation titles aren’t on gamepass. They are on steam and can sometimes be purchased for $2-10 dollars.
Then it’s better to spend money on a game that you want to play and own, rather than spending $13/month hoping to bump into a game that you might enjoy.
I might subscribe over winter for 1-2 months to binge forza incase gamepass is entirely overhauled.