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How Xbox Was Finally Proven Right in 2021

FrankWza

Member
I suppose saying 'loophole' and '$1 for 3 years of game pass' over and over again is more provocative.
Do you prefer the word “trick”?
This article refers to it as a trick and was recently updated. It’s not exactly an advertised promotion because you’re exploiting it to receive more than advertised. It’s been open for years and is a well known…whatever you want to call it.


(Update 11/26/2021: This trick still works as of November 26, 2021.)
 

Perrott

Gold Member
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.
Except that they aren't. Just look at the numbers, the Xbox division ain't more commercially successful than PlayStation, so how are they "kicking their ass" exactly? I don't know why the media are pushing for this distorted version of reality - of Xbox completely dominating the gaming landscape - just because they released a handful of good-to-excelent games in Q4 2021 after a whole year of simply not much going on content-wise since their next-gen systems' launch.

I feel that the good momentum that Microsoft has been enjoying these last couple of months it's being blown out of proportion. A hell of a lot.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Do you prefer the word “trick”?
This article refers to it as a trick and was recently updated. It’s not exactly an advertised promotion because you’re exploiting it to receive more than advertised. It’s been open for years and is a well known…whatever you want to call it.


(Update 11/26/2021: This trick still works as of November 26, 2021.)

It's not a trick when you have to go to an official page on MS's website for the upgrade from Gold to GPU.

If it was an unintended loophole, you can bet your ass it'd have been patched a long while ago.

This is MS's way of giving the first hit for cheap and get people in the ecosystem. It's worked great on a lot of people so far and will continue to do so.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
It's not a trick when you have to go to an official page on MS's website for the upgrade from Gold to GPU.

If it was an unintended loophole, you can bet your ass it'd have been patched a long while ago.

This is MS's way of giving the first hit for cheap and get people in the ecosystem. It's worked great on a lot of people so far and will continue to do so.

Agreed. I'm shocked how a trial period of a recurring subscription could be this confusing. Giving the promo the long-term length for those willing to invest in 3yrs of gold probably helped them spread the word across gaming sites and forums a great deal. A basic first month for $1 promo wouldn't have gotten the media reaction.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?

Banjo64

cumsessed
Good article. Xbox is doing well. Sony is doing well. Nintendo is doing well. Life expectancy is longer than it’s ever been. What a great time to be alive.

Mods cleaning house in this thread. I’m thankful to our lord and saviour Jesus Christ that I won’t have to read @Rivet’s input for the next week. Amen? Amen.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
Sure. GotG doesn’t have Ray tracing on s. Halo campaign doesn’t have 120fps on s. Both games have these features are available on the lead consoles they released on. Experience altered.
lol still going on about GotG. If you go by that game using your logic XSX and PS5 can only do 60 FPS at 1080p max. Why did we even need new consoles if the new ones max out at 1080p at 60 FPS?
 

kingfey

Banned
Do you prefer the word “trick”?
This article refers to it as a trick and was recently updated. It’s not exactly an advertised promotion because you’re exploiting it to receive more than advertised. It’s been open for years and is a well known…whatever you want to call it.


(Update 11/26/2021: This trick still works as of November 26, 2021.)
you need to pay 180$ upfront. That is not a loophole. Plus you need to have fresh xbox account, with no gamepass.
 

Topher

Gold Member
The amount of incest that must have happened to produce someone who actually deems it important which plastic box by which faceless billion dollar company sells more is baffling.

Go Alabama!

I'm from Alabama so fuck you! My wife/sister says fuck you as well.

Good article. Xbox is doing well. Sony is doing well. Nintendo is doing well. Life expectancy is longer than it’s ever been. What a great time to be alive.

Mods cleaning house in this thread. I’m thankful to our lord and saviour Jesus Christ that I won’t have to read @Rivet’s input for the next week. Amen? Amen.

Add that "max pain butthurt" to that as well. He put more thought into variations of "sodium" than in his posts.
 
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I'm from Alabama so fuck you! My wife/sister says fuck you as well.
You saved on Christmas presents
2jorZ6e.gif
 
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Xbox best period is definitely Xbox 360 period. What happened at that time ? Sony stumbled, and MS had the best games for some time. That's when people switched allegiance, look how it happened precisely at that time and only at that time. You can see it in the UK, not only in the US. UK became a major Xbox territory at that time, Xbox was in front of Sony in the UK at that time. Nowadays it switched back because of Xbox One TV strategy we all know about. It's all about games.

And it's not that value isn't important, but great AAA games cost a lot of money anyway. Even if they're part of a subscription model. Someone has to pay for it, and it can only be us in the end. Be careful what you wish for. AAA games in a subscription model will probably mean there will be a lot of microtransactions, or a higher subscription price in the long run.
Yup and Halo Infinite is proof of it going free to play. Most people don't mind or think it's a good thing, I personally can't stand seeing Halos multiplayer following that model, pushing seasons passes and skins. The Spartans now have skins that have nothing to do with Halo and have cringey dialogu etc. I also hate the way cross play is being integrated into games like Halo or BF 2042. They make cross play the default option which forces console players to play against PC or suffer the consequences of smaller populations/lobbies/longer matchmaking. For instance, in BF 2042 I can't find full lobbies in Portal unless I turn on crossplay and get demolished by PC guys. Unless you're a pro you're getting your ass handed to you against m+k.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
Good article. Xbox is doing well. Sony is doing well. Nintendo is doing well. Life expectancy is longer than it’s ever been. What a great time to be alive.

Mods cleaning house in this thread. I’m thankful to our lord and saviour Jesus Christ that I won’t have to read @Rivet’s input for the next week. Amen? Amen.

Truly a great time to game. Competition is better for everyone.

A moment of silence for Rivet Rivet and that user that forgot to replace the autofill on the signup form. At least it's just a week guys.

Edit: and alabtrosMyster alabtrosMyster and Max Payne’s Baretta Max Payne’s Baretta

Mods getting a workout with that ban hammer.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Agreed. I'm shocked how a trial period of a recurring subscription could be this confusing. Giving the promo the long-term length for those willing to invest in 3yrs of gold probably helped them spread the word across gaming sites and forums a great deal. A basic first month for $1 promo wouldn't have gotten the media reaction.

Also keep in mind that not really a lot of people know, or care, about maximizing the full 3 years of Gold to GPU. That information is not stated anywhere, so it's one of those things you would only know if you browse gaming forums like that.

Most people probably just opt in to the 3 months for $1 program that's widely advertised and continue from there.
 
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Topher

Gold Member
Also keep in mind that not really a lot of people know, or care, about maximizing the full 3 years of Gold to GPU. That information is not stated anywhere, so it's one of those things you would only know if you browse gaming forums like that.

Most people probably just opt in to the 3 months for $1 program that's widely advertised and continue from there.

To hell with all that. I get Game Pass for free with MS Rewards. I'm not paying a dime. lol
 
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kingfey

Banned
Agreed. I'm shocked how a trial period of a recurring subscription could be this confusing. Giving the promo the long-term length for those willing to invest in 3yrs of gold probably helped them spread the word across gaming sites and forums a great deal. A basic first month for $1 promo wouldn't have gotten the media reaction.
because that is what people want to believe. The 1$ is their argument against gamepass. They clearly know, that is just a trail. They dont care.

and the 3$ argument for the 3 years, while ignoring the 180$ upfront, and long commitment to the service.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
To hell with all that. I get Game Pass for free with MS Rewards. I'm not paying a dime. lol

You know, I've never really gotten a hang of how the point system REALLY works.

Last time I had some gathered, I used them to enter multiple raffles on the MS website for big gift cards, didn't win anything :-/

because that is what people want to believe. The 1$ is their argument against gamepass. They clearly know, that is just a trail. They dont care.

and the 3$ argument for the 3 years, while ignoring the 180$ upfront, and long commitment to the service.


If you're familiar and comfortable with using VPNs, you can actually get 3 years of GPU for a lot cheaper. Get the 12 month codes from CDKeys, you can find as low as $35 for 12 months for different regions, and then use a VPN to redeem it.

A lot of people I know have done this and saved a lot of money. I, personally, got my codes off of New-Egg on their black friday sale last year. I think I had to pay $120~ or so for 3 years of Gold > GPU.

And I've already played enough games on GPU to more than make up that amount maybe 4, 5 times over. So I'm extremely satisfied with it.
 
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Topher

Gold Member
You know, I've never really gotten a hang of how the point system REALLY works.

Last time I had some gathered, I used them to enter multiple raffles on the MS website for big gift cards, didn't win anything :-/

Here is my OT on MS Rewards:


I still need to update it on getting points on consoles. Working on it...
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Here is my OT on MS Rewards:


I still need to update it on getting points on consoles. Working on it...

Thanks for the share, will definitely check it out !
 

kingfey

Banned
If you're familiar and comfortable with using VPNs, you can actually get 3 years of GPU for a lot cheaper. Get the 12 month codes from CDKeys, you can find as low as $35 for 12 months for different regions, and then use a VPN to redeem it.

A lot of people I know have done this and saved a lot of money. I, personally, got my codes off of New-Egg on their black friday sale last year. I think I had to pay $120~ or so for 3 years of Gold > GPU.

And I've already played enough games on GPU to more than make up that amount maybe 4, 5 times over. So I'm extremely satisfied with it.
The problem is, I cant drop 120$ like its normal. i dont make alot of money, so 120$ is too much money for me. That is the only reason, why i dont bother with 3 years gamepass.

15$ is nothing for me, since I can skip 3 days breakfast work for 1 month, and pay for the service.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
The problem is, I cant drop 120$ like its normal. i dont make alot of money, so 120$ is too much money for me. That is the only reason, why i dont bother with 3 years gamepass.

15$ is nothing for me, since I can skip 3 days breakfast work for 1 month, and pay for the service.

I understand. I replied to Rivet earlier that gaming is definitely not a cheap hobby and we shouldn't treat it like it is.

Topher's method is a great way for people to continue gaming on a budget, the only caveat is that you will need to rotate through a lot of games quickly to gather up enough reward points.
 

MOTM

Banned
because that is what people want to believe. The 1$ is their argument against gamepass. They clearly know, that is just a trail. They dont care.

and the 3$ argument for the 3 years, while ignoring the 180$ upfront, and long commitment to the service.
They pay upfront $180 (an amount you never pay in gaming outside of buying a console) and be like "Ah ha I got you MS take that!" 😂
 

SteadyEvo

Member
Look, I like MS just as much as the next gamer. And have been on Gamepass since the beginning. But I cannot pretend there isn’t a big gap in quality when I comes the 1st party.

Going from Halo and Forza to Miles Morales and TLOU2 on ps5, to me, there’s a big difference in graphic quality, story telling and immersion. I bring this up because the value of Gamepass was brought up. Given my views on Sonys quality I don’t see how that model is possible.

Where GP excels to me in quantity. Volume. There’s a ton of shit to choose from. I’ve played games I never would’ve given a chance and enjoyed a few of them. Not sure where I was going with this rant. Think I’m trying to say for as great as GP is in terms of variety, to me it lags behind the competition in quality. Infinite is a great step in the right direction and we’ll see about Starfield and Perfect Dark.

Just my opinion. I’m an equal opportunity gamer just sharing thoughts. Be nice 👍
 

DaGwaphics

Member
To hell with all that. I get Game Pass for free with MS Rewards. I'm not paying a dime. lol

I'm just the opposite. I purchase GP and then use MS rewards to grab good deals on games outside the service. Just zeroed out my balance today for Hitman 3 and GoTG (this one was even a bit pricier than my typical spend). :messenger_grinning:

@SteadyEvo FH5 is excellent as is Halo (got to get back to that). Give it time, more will come. I wouldn't use last-gen to rank the competing first-party studios against each other, Xbox first party was smaller and was working with a box with less performance by a good margin, that has a way of figuring in (and they still released some great playing/looking software). I think XGS will release some great things this gen, as will Sony.
 
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KAL2006

Banned
I'm not really a Halo fan or a racing game fan so they haven't managed to tempt me. I'm also not into game subs as I'm used to being able to choose what I want to play and I play a handful of games a year. However 2 thing shave impressed me with Series Console, the backwards compatibility improvements on games as well as future exclusives potentially being just haves like Starfield. However I am too into the PlayStation ecosystem and not hardcore enough to own 2 systems where 90 percent of the game libraries are the same which I barely have time to play every game on PS5 as it is. One thing Microsoft will win me over with is a Gamepass ultimate sub if something like Starfield is a must have I can easily just stream the game without buying a system.
 

Concern

Member
They're like some crazy cult. They think if they repeat "Xbox is leading" enough times, it will somehow become true. Too bad it actually doesn't have any effect in the real world.

At least here in Europe nothing has changed, as far as I can tell. Software sales are like 80/20 or more towards Playstation according to UK numbers we get... UK is a former Xbox territory of the Xbox 360 era (the only one), so that's not very good.

Meanwhile, Gamepass missed its annual worldwide growth target, a bad omen when you're still giving away subs for $1/month... "Subscription service only grew by 37% during fiscal year, compared to target of 48%"

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/artic...-pass-growth-slows-as-microsoft-misses-target

Not saying it will fail, I don't know, but it doesn't look that good until now. I'm not sure it's a good time to celebrate a "turnaround" for Xbox.

I think some of those people are paid to do that constant cheerleading. MS bought out DF people (see the other thread), so they can definitely pay for a few astroturfers and promotional material on GAF and elsewhere.

But what MS should actually do is use this money to make a new AAA IP and impress us instead. That's the real way you can become a leader one day, like Sony and Nintendo understood years ago.

It may happen with all their new studios, we'll see.


Paul Bearer Dance GIF by Jason Clarke


Its no wonder you barely post lol. Stick to triggered emojis sheesh
 

DaGwaphics

Member
I'm not really a Halo fan or a racing game fan so they haven't managed to tempt me. I'm also not into game subs as I'm used to being able to choose what I want to play and I play a handful of games a year. However 2 thing shave impressed me with Series Console, the backwards compatibility improvements on games as well as future exclusives potentially being just haves like Starfield. However I am too into the PlayStation ecosystem and not hardcore enough to own 2 systems where 90 percent of the game libraries are the same which I barely have time to play every game on PS5 as it is. One thing Microsoft will win me over with is a Gamepass ultimate sub if something like Starfield is a must have I can easily just stream the game without buying a system.

Panda Come To Me GIF by Zoo Berlin
:messenger_winking_tongue:

It is great that they keep the games as accessible as they do. You could even grab a used X1 (if prices ever settle down to normal for used last-gen systems) and stream from that (and play the local software that is supported).
 
I think starfield will be the big defining release for microsoft. It cements the bethesda merger as truly a microsoft 1st party since no big games have released from them on the console yet, in fact the opposite. The first big bethesda game released this new gen has been on PlayStation.

Second, it will drive the point home that microsoft can do big budget 1st party single player games that can compete with nintendo and sony. I think BGS really has to stick the landing with starfield. I know that being good alone could get me along with a lot of other people to finally get a xbox or into gamepass at least.

The biggest thing riding against Starfield is if it launches like a typical BGS game.
 

Concern

Member
I think starfield will be the big defining release for microsoft. It cements the bethesda merger as truly a microsoft 1st party since no big games have released from them on the console yet, in fact the opposite. The first big bethesda game released this new gen has been on PlayStation.

Second, it will drive the point home that microsoft can do big budget 1st party single player games that can compete with nintendo and sony. I think BGS really has to stick the landing with starfield. I know that being good alone could get me along with a lot of other people to finally get a xbox or into gamepass at least.

The biggest thing riding against Starfield is if it launches like a typical BGS game.


Im probably in the minority but I have absolutely no interest in Starfield. Im more interested in seeing Avowed tbh.
 

KAL2006

Banned
Panda Come To Me GIF by Zoo Berlin
:messenger_winking_tongue:

It is great that they keep the games as accessible as they do. You could even grab a used X1 (if prices ever settle down to normal for used last-gen systems) and stream from that (and play the local software that is supported).

No I already stream games on a 12 inch OLED tablet alot for remote play for my PS5 on occasions. So if I ever do Xcloud gaming it would be on that. Streams on a large 4K screen don't look so great but on a 12 inch screen streams look very crisp.
 

Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
I think starfield will be the big defining release for microsoft. It cements the bethesda merger as truly a microsoft 1st party since no big games have released from them on the console yet, in fact the opposite. The first big bethesda game released this new gen has been on PlayStation.

Second, it will drive the point home that microsoft can do big budget 1st party single player games that can compete with nintendo and sony. I think BGS really has to stick the landing with starfield. I know that being good alone could get me along with a lot of other people to finally get a xbox or into gamepass at least.

The biggest thing riding against Starfield is if it launches like a typical BGS game.

No one outside of console warriors are suggesting that Microsoft can't do big 1st party SP games. They used to do this often, but moved to a cancerous GAAS service for many of their titles - leaving them to be more disposable and forgettable. Hoping they move away from GAAS, but given Halo Infinite? I don't trust they will.

As for Starfield, most BGS games are buggy, yes, but are more than playable and rarely ever "game breaking". The game should be great at launch, as long as it isn't being designed as a "faux-MMO" like Fallout 76 was.
 

nush

Gold Member
I bow down to our new xbox overlords. er, wannabe overlords. they are outsold by both nintendo switch and playstation 5. they are literally in last place (y)

Brave warrior, have you seen the sticky?

 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Im probably in the minority but I have absolutely no interest in Starfield. Im more interested in seeing Avowed tbh.

I have a lot of general interest in Starfield, like any big BSG launch. But I'm extremely nervous about it getting delayed.
 

KAL2006

Banned
I think starfield will be the big defining release for microsoft. It cements the bethesda merger as truly a microsoft 1st party since no big games have released from them on the console yet, in fact the opposite. The first big bethesda game released this new gen has been on PlayStation.

Second, it will drive the point home that microsoft can do big budget 1st party single player games that can compete with nintendo and sony. I think BGS really has to stick the landing with starfield. I know that being good alone could get me along with a lot of other people to finally get a xbox or into gamepass at least.

The biggest thing riding against Starfield is if it launches like a typical BGS game.

Agreed. While Halo and Forza reviewed well, these franchises are staples for Xbox brand for a long time, and I don't see people who didn't care for these games all these years suddenly feel like they should now. However times have changed in the WRPG genre, Witcher 3 took engaging side quests to a new level and still hasn't been surpassed. Now many non RPG games have RPG elements like God of War and Assassin's Creed. We have other quality RPG games like Horizon. Bethesda need to deliver and they have a lot riding on this, Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 were not exactly top tier. Skyrim was a long time ago let's hope they can finally deliver.
 
Im probably in the minority but I have absolutely no interest in Starfield. Im more interested in seeing Avowed tbh.

With you. If Starfield's going to have multiple massive planets to explore i'm already put off by it. One focused open open world sounds much more appealing and less of a chore

Plus i like fantasy as a genre more than Sci Fi anyway. Love the pillers lore too
 
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Concern

Member
With you. If Starfield's going to have multiple massive planets to explore i'm already put off by it. One focused open open world sounds much more appealing and less of a chore

Plus i like fantasy as a genre more than Sci Fi anyway. Love the pillers lore too


Yea Im not into exploring a bunch of massive planets, much less that are probably mostly empty with just some fetch quests tied to them.

Also lean more towards fantasy than sci fi.
 
Im personally just not a huge Obsidian fan outside of new Vegas. I didn’t like the first Pillars of Eternity (never played the second) and I didn’t like The Outer Worlds.

On the other hand i liked Skyrim and love fallout even 4.
 

DeaDPo0L84

Member
People need to learn to discuss things with nuance and not be so tribalistic with things, especially with something like fucking videogames.

Recognizing a particular platforms progress no matter how big or small is not an indictment on your allegiance to your favorite console and its both sad and hilarious that what I assume are "adults" are receiving bans cause they can't discuss this topic without freaking the fuck out.

Videogame industry benefits from all companies doing well, they all copy eachothers homework and as long as they're all doing well and you aren't platform agnostic you'll always benefit as the gamer since you'll never experience a drought in quality games.

If you are platform agnostic, well in the great words of RDJ "never go full retard".
 

supernova8

Banned
I'll give Microsoft/Xbox/Spencer mansion credit for being upfront about not having any really next-gen games for a few years after launch. I'll never forget Jim Ryan's "we believe in generations" followed by the revelation that both Horizon and GT7 were going to be fucking cross-gen. As much as I think Xbox is lame for having no real next-gen stuff, it's not like they mislead anybody.

Plus, think back to the whole always-online DRM stuff before the start of last-gen. If I remember correctly, Sony was planning to implement pretty much the exact same thing as Microsoft but took it out when Microsoft got absolutely slaughtered by the press and the gaming public... or did I get that wrong?

If so, you could argue Microsoft was never really the "bad guy", they were more like the "fall guy".

Speaking of Fall Guys, great game.
 
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