Anyone here play video games?
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@Nick The original Gears of War trilogy is what I'm most looking forward to, personally, as I frigging loved that campaign on my 360 back in the day. It's mad that Xbox is easily the largest publisher on PlayStation now.
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@EdH Console wars was silly. Think Xbox are playing the long game. Cloud gaming. A world with no consoles and sadly no media other than the digital form. Paid subs to play games etc.
They have always been 3rd behind Sony and Nintendo with hardware. Will be interesting to see how things pan out over next 10+ years.
Still, Sony are kings of single player experiences.
< something witty TBC here >
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@Nick I think there'll always be a place for dedicated hardware, in the living room, under the TV. Even the worlds' fastest internet won't ever completely eliminate the comparative lag introduced by sending your controller inputs over the internet and receiving the next image frame back. And some people (like me who spend all day at a PC) don't want to sit at a desk during their downtime.
The same way that Microsoft makes PCs and laptops, but you can also buy laptops and PCs that run Windows made by other suppliers, I think XBox in the next-gen or so could transition to making XBox something that is manufacturer agnostic. Microsoft could still make some, but I think they'll open it up so that other manufacturers could make machines that run the XBox O/S, and Microsoft will take care of optimising those games to run at different frame rates and resolutions behind the scenes, maybe utilising streaming when the device is particularly low-spec.
I think subscriptions are also topping out - XBox Gamepass just isn't growing, which is part of the reason they're bringing things to PlayStation and Nintendo. I don't think the business model works for games in the same way it does for movies and music. I think too many people (still?) value owning a game, which is probably linked to how you need to actively participate in order to utilise them and how they can take hours to play and enjoy. If you're one of the few million people who only ever plays Call of Duty or Fifa until a new one comes out, you'd be a mug to pay for Gamepass or EA's thing when you could buy the game for the cost of a couple of month's subscription. Those services are only really good value for people with a tonne of time to play a lot of different games each month.
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@Nick agreed, I think its daft, but I agree Microsoft is definitely playing the long game, I read the other day, the next move for xbox (whether this happens is a different matter) but Microsoft might be exploring the possibility of integrating Steam games into the Xbox ecosystem, Xbox will just become a "affordable" gaming rig compared to a PC, with adjusted graphics and frame rates etc like @EdH mentioned (steam gaming, adjusted for xbox)
@EdH I don't agree, you say its not growing but they hit 50 million this year (16million more than last year), which is a continuing growth, I think xbox just don't care as much as people think about the "war" ultimately if a "xbox exclusive" sells million copies, in the first few months then dies down, why not sell it to PS for another million copies sold, your only really bottle necking yourself in sales and players if it is online capable.
or maybe im just deluded in that thinking haha
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@JoshC said in Anyone here play video games?:
they hit 50 million this year (16million more than last year), which is a continuing growth
Quite right, I was a little behind in my stats.
My guess it was the CoD effect, and that PC Game Pass is still a screamingly good deal for the right kind of player - they raised the prices for console subscribers last year but left PC Game Pass alone.
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My issue with Game Pass is that I think (for me) it would encourage trying too many games and not finishing them. I feel like when you purchase something, you're committing to it. I know, it's stupid logic. I know 'back in the golden years' we could rent video games from the local video game shop. Actually, I'm so old I remember 'copying' games from one cassette to another (C64 and Spectrum) lol. Kids of today will never understand.
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@DeeDee85 oh definitely I remember in my little town where grew up going to the little independent VHS,DVD and game rental shop, used to pop in their just to have a look some days haha, I think the last game I rented off them was Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi for the PS1, which was a Star Wars Tekken style game, was killer from what I remember on the PS1 haha.
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Used to love going to our local VHS shop on a Friday evening, was conveniently next door to a Chinese takeaway so it'd often be a great combo!
Sadly I no longer own any game consoles as mainly do PC gaming now but came across something called Clone Hero which has reinvigorated my love for Guitar Hero (used to own nearly every version once upon a time!). Works on PC with Wii controllers and can load in your own tracks.
Got these coming from eBay hopefully in time for this weekend...
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@JoshC have to say I do miss the days where watching movies was a little bit more of an event. Trip to the video store, buy some treats for the night and get settled down on the sofa.
I can’t see my kids getting all nostalgic when they are older about having access to absolutely every film ever made in a matter of seconds
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@DeeDee85
- does that ever bring back memories!! I don’t know if my dad would do it on purpose or not, but some of his movie selections were semi-what questionable for a teenager where the occasional glimpse of skin and nudity caused the imagination to go wild.My mom was never impressed and couldn’t fast forward or stop the tape fast enough…
It would be tame compared to what most kids have access to on a daily basis in today’s world.
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@DeeDee85 oh absolutely, I remember going to my Nan and Grandads every Friday as a kid and we would either go to the shop and get a VHS or DVD and get some sweets, my grandad got me my first Star Wars VHS (A new hope special edition) which then created the love for Star Wars and being a nerd haha.
But I completely agree there is a excitement of that which has gone, even for gaming, I remember going to Game or Asda to get the midnight launch of say COD or GTA, Halo or something, then going back to a mates staying over but playing the campaign or multiplayer together.
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@JoshC Agreed… I have fond memories of multiplayer gaming too before the shift to online. Four player split screen on Goldeneye for the N64 at 2am, crammed into a tiny bedroom and trying to be quiet cos parents are asleep in the bedroom next door… no one’s allowed to be Odd Job cos he was too small and harder to shoot
lost many many hours to Worms too. Sad really that 99% of our kids multiplayer gaming will be through a headset. -
@DeeDee85 ahh mate, having 6 of you in your friends mums living room having a lan party doing 2 v 2 games or all v all, winner stays on etc such fun memories apart from having to carry your playstation or xbox in your backpack haha.
It is a shame, but it was a god send during the pandemic for me, as I lived in a small studio in London on my own, that was the way I could really stay connected to people and still do now with friends in Scotland, so it is a blessing and curse.
