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[Riky]

How Xbox Was Finally Proven Right in 2021

The Xbox team managed to make the most out of a sometimes rough year in gaming thanks to some smart decisions that offered a better way to do things.

www.denofgeek.com

Some interesting points here and good to see that Phil Spencer is changing the narrative about the Xbox and what you expect from an ecosystem.


"there are just some ways that the Xbox team seems to be objectively showing us a better path forward through both good times and bad."

"The simplicity and affordability of Game Pass make it that perfect way to expand your horizons and try new games. Creatively speaking, that’s honestly what the industry needs most right now."

"while I won’t pretend that the Xbox team’s backward compatibility programs are perfect, the gap between their efforts and Sony and Nintendo’s efforts in that arena is becoming a little depressing."

"When I talk about the Xbox team being proven right in 2021, I’m especially talking about programs like Smart Delivery that show us there are sometimes ways to do things that are simply better."

"the Xbox Series S isn’t another budget next-gen console; it’s a viable alternative to more powerful consoles that just aren’t as useful right now due to the slow rollout of true next-gen games."

"Microsoft is investing a lot of money into the idea that next-gen software and next-gen power don’t have to be so closely associated with a piece of hardware."

It's been a great year for Xbox with this multi pronged pushing of gaming forward, pleased to see them getting the recognition they deserve.

 

[nush]

he's not wrong.

 

[Goalus]

brb... getting some popcorn

 

[Ceadeus]

You forgot the “we really are the last of us”.

Kidding aside, he’s mostly right. Particularly at the backward compatibility quote. Oof… Ps and Nintendo could do better in that department.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

 

[mansoor1980]

"Microsoft is investing a lot of money into the idea that next-gen software and next-gen power don’t have to be so closely associated with a piece of hardware."

strange statement , dont understand it

 

[Riky]

"Microsoft is investing a lot of money into the idea that next-gen software and next-gen power don’t have to be so closely associated with a piece of hardware."

strange statement , dont understand it

Cloud gaming next gen games on older hardware.

 

[nightmare-slain]

MS is really giving Sony + Nintendo a showing up. MS are going in all the right directions and it seems they care more about their customers. I'm under no illusion that MS is in it for anything other than the money but they are doing such a great job with backwards compatibility and making their games easily accessible. Certain people would always cry "Xbox has no games!" but that's a thing of the past now. Xbox just release a load of high quality successful games like Flight Sim, Forza Horizon 5, and Halo Infinite. Of course they spent those billions on Zenimax and we have great games to look forward to such as Starfield/Elder Scrolls VI. Gamepass has really turned things upside down giving people easy access to titles they probably wouldn't have tried before. It's so much more healthy for the industry.

In a way they had to try something different after "losing" last gen. That's why competition is good. Sony kicked their ass last time but this time it seems it's the other way around. I've owned previous Xbox consoles but never got one at launch usually a few years afterwards or even 10 years afterwards! But the Series X is the first Xbox console i've been truly excited about and I say that as some one who as always bought a new Playstation day 1 for no other reason than "just because". I was so ready to get a PS5 but MS made me think twice and I don't have any regrets cancelling that pre order.

Well done MS. Keep at it. Hopefully we get to see Sony + Nintendo learn some lessons from you.

 

[Chittagong]

The one thing Microsoft is doing really well with Xbox is creating a connected platform for unique experiences, fully utilizing the power of Microsoft Azure cloud computing, while also preserving the legacy of videogames as a form of art, and democratising gaming with the Xbox GamePass program and the Xbox Series S console. Personally I look forward to the over 50 exciting exclusive games currently being developed at Xbox Game Studios around the world.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Xbox is class leading in games, services, hardware.

It's only lagging in sales. Which will come if they keep up.

 

[TheGodfather07]

i love microsofts different approach of giving people of choices how they play. they are miles ahead in a lot of way to sony and nintendo but what i want to see now is the same consistency of qaulity as sony and nintendo. i think they are still years away from that though. it takes years to build a first party that is able to output hit after hit.

 

[Calverz]

I don’t think this is honestly surprising. Xbox is leading the way

 

[Ellery]

Xbox is class leading in games, services, hardware.

It's only lagging in sales. Which will come if they keep up.

I don't understand. Are they class leading in games over Nintendo and Sony first party games? What exactly does that mean?

Completely asking out of curiosity. No ill intent or secret agenda behind my post.

 

[StealthGoblin]

They are certainly moving the needle because they had to - they got their backside handed to them either commercially or critically every gen so they’ve had to put the cat among the he pigeons.

I like smart delivery and I’m a big fan of GamePass’s value. There just isn’t much in the Xbox ecosystem that interests me (even announced and thinking about Bethesda). Fable is the only thing they have on the books that’ll interest me and my wife. We’ll sub for that, then cancel again.

If you like their type of games then it’s a no-brainer.

Sony really need to get a grip with their OS and backend. I’m astonished that they haven’t hugely invested as it was clear in the PS3 era that they were far behind.

 

[Panajev2001a]

"the Xbox Series S […]a viable alternative to more powerful consoles that just aren’t as useful right now due to the slow rollout of true next-gen games”

This is an odd flex… are you sure you are posting a Spencer interview and not Sony ponies propaganda here ?

What happens once the rollout of true next-gen games starts? What are you saying to your XSX owners?
That is an odd way to state whatever positive message he wanted to state.

 

[IFireflyl]

"there are just some ways that the Xbox team seems to be objectively showing us a better path forward through both good times and bad."

Why does it seem like 99% of the population doesn't seem to understand the difference between "objectively" and "subjectively"? This annoys the fire out of me.

 

[Ozriel]

"Microsoft is investing a lot of money into the idea that next-gen software and next-gen power don’t have to be so closely associated with a piece of hardware."

strange statement , dont understand it

Haven’t you and Rivet been following Cloud gaming trends?

Take GeForce Now. You can play games running at ultra settings on a remote rtx 3080, right on a low powered Chromebook.

 

[Ozriel]

This is an odd flex… are you sure you are posting a Spencer interview and not Sony ponies propaganda here ?

What happens once the rollout of true next-gen games starts? What are you saying to your XSX owners?
That is an odd way to state whatever positive message he wanted to state.

That’s not a Spencer quote. It’s the author’s opinion.

Spencer would never be caught dead saying something like this.

 

[Hendrick's]

I don't understand. Are they class leading in games over Nintendo and Sony first party games? What exactly does that mean?

Completely asking out of curiosity. No ill intent or secret agenda behind my post.

This year they certainly are.

 

[Riky]

This is an odd flex… are you sure you are posting a Spencer interview and not Sony ponies propaganda here ?

What happens once the rollout of true next-gen games starts? What are you saying to your XSX owners?
That is an odd way to state whatever positive message he wanted to state.

You obviously didn't read the article at all as Spencer isn't quoted in it, thanks for your contribution though.

 

[mansoor1980]

Haven’t you and Rivet been following Cloud gaming trends?

Take GeForce Now. You can play games running at ultra settings on a remote rtx 3080, right on a low powered Chromebook.

not a fan of cloud gaming .

 

[Panajev2001a]

That’s not a Spencer quote. It’s the author’s opinion.

Spencer would never be caught dead saying something like this.

That makes more sense, it felt like he listened to a Jim Ryan mouth-footing course on Udemy by mistake.

 

[Panajev2001a]

You obviously didn't read the article at all as Spencer isn't quoted in it, thanks for your contribution though.

You’re welcome (not sure why, but hey ho)…

 

[Arioco]

But we already knew 2021 was going to be a great year for Series X and Series S. The Oracle had told us so.

 

[Rivet]

Haven’t you and Rivet been following Cloud gaming trends?

Take GeForce Now. You can play games running at ultra settings on a remote rtx 3080, right on a low powered Chromebook.

Yes, cloud gaming is interesting, but it's hardly a MS-only thing. Google does it with Stadia, Sony does it with PS Now, Nvidia with GeForce now...

It's great. I tested GeForce now and it worked pretty well indeed.

 

[Riky]

But we already knew 2021 was going to be a great year for Series X and Series S. The Oracle had told us so.

Get back to me when those features are all used

 

[sircaw]

It is good to see Microsoft finally getting their act together, no two ways about it.

In the end, competition is good for us the consumer as other companies also need to be on top of their game.

Let the trend continue.

 

[Arioco]

Get back to me when those features are all used

I will.

If and when they're used, of course.

 

[oldergamer]

So many buzzwords here. I'd only add that they are giving good value and some great games. its the only reason they are changing the narrative. This honestly feels like the xbox 360 glory days without the red ring. If only they could make a few JRPG's or remakes of blue dragon & lost odyssey.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

I don't understand. Are they class leading in games over Nintendo and Sony first party games? What exactly does that mean?

Completely asking out of curiosity. No ill intent or secret agenda behind my post.

Class leading games :

One of best fps ever made: Halo Infinite

Best driving game ever made bar none: Forza Horizon 5

One of best platformer if you are mature: Psychonauts 2.

 

[Riky]

Class leading games :

One of best fps ever made: Halo Infinite

Best driving game ever made bar none: Forza Horizon 5

One of best platformer if you are mature: Psychonauts 2.

Yes it's been a spectacular line up, add in Flight Simulator which is the sort of next gen exclusive you rarely see on consoles and they have really hit their stride.
Now we're less than 12 months from Starfield which could be a next gen defining game.

 

[Ellery]

Class leading games :

One of best fps ever made: Halo Infinite

Best driving game ever made bar none: Forza Horizon 5

One of best platformer if you are mature: Psychonauts 2.

Thanks for clarifying. Now I understand what you meant by class leading.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

My only main issue with them was first party and minuscule complaints with the UI. I always liked everything else about Xbox.

What really gets me tho is there are some people who are also shouting how great they are now, who were so obnoxious in defending them during the Xbox One generation, shaming other fans for simply wanting them to do better . It says a lot .

 

[rofif]

Class leading games :

One of best fps ever made: Halo Infinite

Best driving game ever made bar none: Forza Horizon 5

One of best platformer if you are mature: Psychonauts 2.

Hey sorry don't take offense but:
Halo Infinite is mediocre at best... Gameplay saves it but it's nothing too amazing. The graphics and story are a shell of a game. 3 small "open worlds" and hours of corridors.
Forza horizon 5 is good. But I got just as bored after 2-3 hours as I did with 4. Feels super casual as always. Fun game though. It's tedious and the menu system is a nightmare. And I never liked "your festival" crap.

About the statement from OP.
Overall, I don't care what xbox has proven or I don't care what's right. I don't want full digital and sadly it is infecting ps5 too. You can't get spider man remastered on disc at all.
Series S maybe has it's place but it's a bad value console tf/usd compared to bigger consoles and also why cut yourself from physical at all? Like, not even an option to by used game.

Spending money, not owning anything is what xbox is proving so far

 

[adamsapple]

2021 has probably been the best year for the Xbox console ecosystem. They had some good games, added some good value added features for owners pertaining to older games and Game Pass has been a better service than ever before. And while I'm also not 100% on the Cloud Gaming wagon yet either, it is an excellent way to try out new games for a few minutes before you decide to download them for a localized experience. I have been doing that for newly added Game Pass games and it's worked out wonderfully.

Healthy competition is good. It makes all console owners try and 1-up each other which only benefits the gamers at the end. There wouldn't be any talks about a Spartan service from Sony if Game Pass wasn't received as well as it did. Nor would there be any talks of MS looking into creating a Dual Sense style controller if it hadn't been for that.

 

[ParaSeoul]

They'll be proven right when Starfield,Unavowed,Perfect Dark and Project Mara are released. The Series S is selling well but we'd have to wait to see how future proof it really is. Amateurish article honestly.

 

[DaGwaphics]

MS is really giving Sony + Nintendo a showing up. MS are going in all the right directions and it seems they care more about their customers. I'm under no illusion that MS is in it for anything other than the money but they are doing such a great job with backwards compatibility and making their games easily accessible. Certain people would always cry "Xbox has no games!" but that's a thing of the past now. Xbox just release a load of high quality successful games like Flight Sim, Forza Horizon 5, and Halo Infinite. Of course they spent those billions on Zenimax and we have great games to look forward to such as Starfield/Elder Scrolls VI. Gamepass has really turned things upside down giving people easy access to titles they probably wouldn't have tried before. It's so much more healthy for the industry.

In a way they had to try something different after "losing" last gen. That's why competition is good. Sony kicked their ass last time but this time it seems it's the other way around. I've owned previous Xbox consoles but never got one at launch usually a few years afterwards or even 10 years afterwards! But the Series X is the first Xbox console i've been truly excited about and I say that as some one who as always bought a new Playstation day 1 for no other reason than "just because". I was so ready to get a PS5 but MS made me think twice and I don't have any regrets cancelling that pre order.

Well done MS. Keep at it. Hopefully we get to see Sony + Nintendo learn some lessons from you.

Agreed. You see this a lot with many products/services in different fields where the greatest innovations come from the players that aren't winning the race just yet. Maybe because you are less likely to upset the ship if you are on top.

 

[kingfey]

I don't understand. Are they class leading in games over Nintendo and Sony first party games? What exactly does that mean?

Completely asking out of curiosity. No ill intent or secret agenda behind my post.

They are giving gamers, the ability to play their games anywhere they want to. Any device they like (devices which support Xbox), and have a sub service for 1st party games, at 3 big Mac price monthly.

Gamers like that option.

 

[Chukhopops]

The most exciting part is how GP will change in 2022. Between the beginning and the end of 2021 the number of games added per month has increased by 50% and the games added Day 1 went from almost none in 2020 to 20+ per year in 2021.

I’m expecting more and more publishers to drop their games Day 1 on the service for increased sales and visibility.

 

[Fafalada]

SW-upgrading process bit is a good point.
Especially relative to Sony who always had an awkward way of handling digital SKU stuff. Not sure it's a major point (we're only one gen into multiple-platform entitlements, and that's one where Sony led, and MS was years late to the party), but they've gotten user-experience right, and moving away from explicit separation makes sense(thought preservation purists may have some cause for concern there).

Series S paragraph is a bit... baffling.
The most generous estimate shows it representing 15% of Unit-market share in Nex-gen console market(actual number is likely lower), and how many of those are sales simply because higher-priced units were unavailable.
There will eventually be a point where a budget offering actually has a marketable audience, but nothing to date suggests that happened in the first 14 months.

Cloud paragraph is worse though - it's like something straight out of Cloud-company PR mouth-piece (First hand experience comparisons here, not some external observation). Even in ideal world where we've solved all the negatives of cloud-interactive computing (say we've found a faster than light communication etc.) - putting ownership of compute platform entirely into corp hands will only lead to higher costs to consumer(and not improved experiences). Substantially so over time (as the choices dwindle).
Look no further than to landscape of ISP monopolies in certain countries if you want to see how that future looks like (both in terms of regression of tech-progress, escalation of costs, and deterioration of customer service).

All in all - it reads less like a celebration of achievements, and more like asking people TO celebrate for the company, I dunno, maybe it's an American thing.

 

[Batiman]

Got an XSX yesterday and loving it. I’ll hold off on PS5 for a couple years and get one cheap to catch up on some exclusives I miss. With the X and GP I’m loaded with shit to play for a long time.

 

[adamsapple]

Got an XSX yesterday and loving it. I’ll hold off on PS5 for a couple years and get one cheap to catch up on some exclusives I miss. With the X and GP I’m loaded with shit to play for a long time.

That's exactly what I plan to do.

By the time I get a PS5 in 2023~ most of the earlier exclusives will be $9.99 or so.

SX and Game Pass is keeping me occupied extremely well until then. I calculated this for another topic and turns out I've played approx 83~ games via Game Pass this year (not all to completion obviously but still ...)

 

[mejin]

They are moving from a distant 4th option to a solid 4th option. Brand was extremely damaged, but gamepass made this turnaround a possibility.

Playstation, Nintendo and PC are way ahead, but people are considering Xbox now.

 

[IDKFA]

Microsoft are really revolutionising gaming, but I want to see more from them.

They could be doing so much more for consumers. Gamepass is great, but besides the first party titles, it's nothing more than a glorified rental service. It sucks that third party games leave the service and AAA third party titles don't drop on Gamepass day one.

Microsoft are one of the richest companies on earth. It's scandalous that they can't dig a little deeper and pay third party publishers more money to ensure their games always drop on Gamepass day one and never leave the service.

 

[Riky]

Microsoft are really revolutionising gaming, but I want to see more from them.

They could be doing so much more for consumers. Gamepass is great, but besides the first party titles, it's nothing more than a glorified rental service. It sucks that third party games leave the service and AAA first party titles don't drop on Gamepass day one.

Microsoft are one of the richest companies on earth. It's scandalous that they can't dig a little deeper and pay third party publishers more money to ensure their games always drop on Gamepass day one and never leave the service.

AAA First party games do drop day one.

 

[ManaByte]

Got my nephew a XSS with a year of GP for Christmas. Not only was he NOT mad about it being a S, he loves it, when we hooked up the system to set it up I saw what made GPU so great. Once the system was setup and his GPU active, he was able to just click on Halo Infinite and begin playing it without any waiting for a 20gig install thanks to the cloud gaming.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

They have been on fire recently

Now give me that Elite Series 3 controller with improved haptics soon into 2022

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Hey sorry don't take offense but:
Halo Infinite is mediocre at best... Gameplay saves it but it's nothing too amazing. The graphics and story are a shell of a game. 3 small "open worlds" and hours of corridors.
Forza horizon 5 is good. But I got just as bored after 2-3 hours as I did with 4. Feels super casual as always. Fun game though. It's tedious and the menu system is a nightmare. And I never liked "your festival" crap.

About the statement from OP.
Overall, I don't care what xbox has proven or I don't care what's right. I don't want full digital and sadly it is infecting ps5 too. You can't get spider man remastered on disc at all.
Series S maybe has it's place but it's a bad value console tf/usd compared to bigger consoles and also why cut yourself from physical at all? Like, not even an option to by used game.

Spending money, not owning anything is what xbox is proving so far

Halo Infinite has GOAT shooting mechanics.

At launch its like any game with GAAS model. (Destiny 2, Halo 5, Gears 5 etc. These games have so much content now it's ridiculous. I can play them forever)

It has very, very sound fundamentals to build upon.

As for Forza, if it doesn't click with you, that's fine. It has perfected it's formula so deserves the mention.

Playstation, Nintendo and PC are way ahead, but people are considering Xbox now.

More like loving it.

 

[Orbital2060]

Xbox in beast mode

 

[Max Payne’s Baretta]

Hey sorry don't take offense but:
Halo Infinite is mediocre at best... Gameplay saves it but it's nothing too amazing. The graphics and story are a shell of a game. 3 small "open worlds" and hours of corridors.
Forza horizon 5 is good. But I got just as bored after 2-3 hours as I did with 4. Feels super casual as always. Fun game though. It's tedious and the menu system is a nightmare. And I never liked "your festival" crap.

About the statement from OP.
Overall, I don't care what xbox has proven or I don't care what's right. I don't want full digital and sadly it is infecting ps5 too. You can't get spider man remastered on disc at all.
Series S maybe has it's place but it's a bad value console tf/usd compared to bigger consoles and also why cut yourself from physical at all? Like, not even an option to by used game.

Spending money, not owning anything is what xbox is proving so far

Sodium Chloride