Games with Gold has been garbage ever since Microsoft launched Game Pass. Microsoft only launched Games with Gold to compete with PS+ at a time when PS3 owners could play on-line games for free. Its time has passed but Microsoft can’t drop it because they need a rationale to sell Game Pass Ultimate at $180 per year.
GamePass depends on a critical mass of subscriptions to be more profitable than game sales. Not sure how much. Obviously more than they have now after spending $80B.
Microsoft and Sony have the same end goal of owning the living room. The difference is Microsoft has Windows and Office that let it spend billions and billions of dollars while Sony has to make a good console with good games. In brief: same strategy, different execution.
With all the supply constraints and small sales numbers of last gen’s pro consoles, I highly doubt this. I can foresee smaller, less expensive versions, like the PS3 Slim and Xbox One S, in a couple of years.
Elden ring sold 13 million so far, Make it and people will buy it.
On PS5, you need to restart the application every couple of hours. If you don’t, the game will crash and you’ll have to restart it anyway.
I see GamePass ending up more like Netflix then Spotify. Lots of low quality, garbage titles.Competition is good, though, and that means competition not only for consumers but also game providers, What should really worry us is consolidation of game publishers, led by Microsoft.
So another generic open world game.
Game of the year for 2019 for me. Maybe the game of the decade. Mixed reactions are good for the game industries. New genres are not born from repetition.
Or those chip factories could have been making chips for the Series X. Just sayin’.
As a consumer, I will always seek the cheapest option. But that doesn’t mean I’ll play the worst games because they are cheaper. I will seek the cheapest options for the best games. My family has this argument with me about Netflix and all of its crappy shows. We aren’t saving money if we are spending $15/month for shows we don’t watch.
“It's a dire state of affairs for a multiplayer-focused online service game”
That’s putting it mildly.
We have two PlayStations and while the primary console is fine when the internet goes out, the “away” console won’t play games without an internet check-in. Fortunately my phone’s wifi hotspot works for that purpose.
North America is the Xbox’s stronghold. If Xbox is going to win any region, it is North America. But these consoles are still supply constrained and we don’t know the breakdown of the weaker Series S to the true PS5 competitor, the Series X. This will matter more as we get more games that the Series S can’t run at 60 fps.
“I don't get how a non profitable game is getting DLC in June though?”
Because the game development takes a long time and they probably started the DLC before Outriders was released. Because DLC can be more profitable than big game releases. 1/10 the game at 1/3 the price. Because the developer can be contractually obliged even if the game is a money loser. This is how developers go out of business and why Publishers close studios.
The supply shortages are helping Microsoft gain back marketshare. Long term, I don’t know how much of a help the Series S will be for Microsoft. The Series S is a 30fps machine for some games and the lack of hard drive space doesn’t encourage Series S owners to buy more games. Still, if Series S buyers upgrade to a Series X, that more wins for Microsoft.
Apparently mojo in the game industry costs $80B.
“If Sony can't get production under control”
Tell that to the auto industry. Shortages are shortages.
Not usually. I’ll go for a “no kill” option if I can but I’ll also make decisions that will maximize level progression and steal everything if that is an option. I’m basically playing some kind of altruistic sociopath.
Extra to what? How is one of the best games ever made not enough for you?