Next-gen Cross-Platform Strategy [2020]

They'll be fine, Xbox One was so bad, people are dying to upgrade just to play all their current titles in 4K high def + enhancements and framerate / VRR improvements. And if they're lucky enough and MS had enough foresight to - some of the players libraries today (Control, Metro, BFV) will immediately pick up ray tracing.

Tons of reasons to upgrade.

They will need to focus on how their new Xbox will play everything they have today better than anything else they've seen.
 
Yeah, agreed. Terrible way to convince early adopters to buy the new box.
I used to think this made sense. But what also makes sense is people buying new iPads every year even though there's little to no exclusive software. Or those people who have 3 Switches because one came out in yellow and another had Mario painted on on it. I understand that there are those Xbox owners who wouldn't want to upgrade to another system without any exclusive content, but this limitation of cross gen software doesn't apply to 3rd parties, does it? Also, since Xbox One was the worst selling console of this generation, there's a fair amount of customers who won't be upgrading from another Xbox.
 
. I understand that there are those Xbox owners who wouldn't want to upgrade to another system without any exclusive content

There will be exclusive AAA games to MS's platform, using all the power from the next generation machines. They will launch after one or two years, or whatever it is. Hellbalde 2 is a nice example of true nex generational game graphics. Besides that, usually launch lineups aren't that great anyway, not even Sony's. I remember buying my PS2 on launch and thinking 'meh is this it', aside from SSX and the bouncer and maybe tekken tag. The real high budget AAA titles come throughout the consoles life usually.

It's not that your buying the XSX and never get to see true next generation games/graphics.
 
And it's not like there are PC Microsoft Studio games that are hamstrung by the Xbox One console. They know how to scale their game engines.
 
And even if it was restricted somehow, people still would want to play the games on the best hardware available.

This is natural. I think someone who is cash strapped will not be left behind. But everyone else with money being saved up since XBO, they are ready to upgrade, to get better performance for the new titles, better performance for the old titles and move forward.
 
They'll be fine, Xbox One was so bad, people are dying to upgrade just to play all their current titles in 4K high def + enhancements and framerate / VRR improvements.
If so, why isn't everybody using Xbox One X? The people who felt like that have probably upgraded already. To get people to buy new hardware you need the push, i.e. games you have to buy new hardware to play for and that's not happening for a year after launch.
 
If so, why isn't everybody using Xbox One X? The people who felt like that have probably upgraded already. To get people to buy new hardware you need the push, i.e. games you have to buy new hardware to play for and that's not happening for a year after launch.
Because it’s not a new generation. So you’ve bought extra into a generation that will absolutely 100% share all the titles.
MS is saying only up till 2021 there will be 1P shared games. After that exclusives will begin.
It’s still another generation; just not hard cut with launch exclusives. Trade in deals will be the best at launch. I disagree you’re going to find a better price in 2021 just waiting for it to come down.
 
MS is saying only up till 2021 there will be 1P shared games. After that exclusives will begin.

Which gives them time to polish and prepare solid true next gen titles for the xsx. Better that then a the order tech demo or another killzone sf or knack.
 
Which gives them time to polish and prepare solid true next gen titles for the xsx. Better that then a the order tech demo or another killzone sf or knack.

Killzone was fine.

How things turn out for MS with this messaging will depend on what happens with Sony. Unlikely, but if Sony does have a killer next-gen only exclusive at launch, it could keep people in their ecosystem.

I want compelling reasons (exclusive next-gen software) to buy back into the Xbox system. I haven't seen that yet.
 
Which gives them time to polish and prepare solid true next gen titles for the xsx. Better that then a the order tech demo or another killzone sf or knack.
You're aware how silly that sounds, right? A year in, all consoles get better exclusive games. There's no advantage to having an extra year 'polish' over any other game that decides to release in Year 2 as opposed to Year 1. Whether you like Killzone or not, it was a nice early-generational improvement on the PS3 games and gave early PS4 buyers something new and shiny to appreciate. If PS4 had only had PS3 games with a resolution improvement until the following year, PS4 owners wouldn't have had as much bang for their buck with that first investment.

That's not to say XBSX games won't be a good improvement on XB1 versions, as game dev is focussed more on scalability these days. But the argument that somehow waiting a year for platform exclusives targeting next-gen performance without having to worry about lower power platforms is a good thing is illogical.
 
You're aware how silly that sounds, right?

If i look at PS4's launch, it's something i can live without. One year isn't much. What i mean is, its not big of a loss, if games don't launch day one that take full advantage of the system. Like said, its a personal view on it, i can totally understand some need a The Order 1886 day one, or shadowfall. Point remains that the better games, both graphically and gameplay, come later in a consoles lifespan.
 
Phil Spencer disagrees with your messaging. Since 2016 he's been a proponent of a generation-less console industry and just a few days ago we was doubling on this, saying the customer and not the box is focus. I am confused.
I think the messaging is exactly the same.
"We can effectively feel a little bit more like we see on PC, where I can still go back and run my old Doom and Quake games that I used to play years ago but I can still see the best 4K games come out and my library is always with me. Hardware innovation continues while the software innovation is able to take advantage and I don't have to jump a generation and lose everything that I played on before."

And with the whole no exclusives from launch bit; it's all about that. He's given people a chance to continue to play together while early adopters move forward with the new hardware, those on the older hardware are not left behind from the launch day. That happens a year after.

All he's talking about is that those old games don't die just because there is a new console generation. The populations for those older titles don't need to die just because there is a new generation. Hardware new and old can still play those old titles together; and they go a step further to have 1 year of cross-generation exclusives, as opposed to having 1P console launch exclusives.

With XBO they launched with Forza 5 and Ryse Son of Rome.

Halo and Forza 8 will launch on both consoles.

That's pretty much the change I see here.
 
I think the messaging is exactly the same.


And with the whole no exclusives from launch bit; it's all about that. He's given people a chance to continue to play together while early adopters move forward with the new hardware, those on the older hardware are not left behind from the launch day. That happens a year after.

All he's talking about is that those old games don't die just because there is a new console generation. The populations for those older titles don't need to die just because there is a new generation. Hardware new and old can still play those old titles together; and they go a step further to have 1 year of cross-generation exclusives, as opposed to having 1P console launch exclusives.

With XBO they launched with Forza 5 and Ryse Son of Rome.

Halo and Forza 8 will launch on both consoles.

That's pretty much the change I see here.

Agree, and launch lineups aren't that amazing anyways, they more often are not. Yes they are great tech showcases, but that can be done through the likes of showing what will come (hellblade 2). Aside from that, Halo infinite could look very nice anyway, scaling is a thing nowadays. Even the switch runs Doom, it looks alot worse there, including lower resolutions, and scales all the way to a high end pc, where it is one of the best looking games this gen. See doom ethernal.
 
Early this generation we also had Titanfall launch on 360 and One. Both versions were visually impressive and performant while being feature complete. Of course the 360 version looked worse, and ran a bit slower, but the resolution was closer than expected. Just thinking about how the Xbox One has 16x more RAM than 360, and how those versions compare is crazy. The difference between 360 and Xbox One is going to be more than One and Series X, outside of new technologies like ray tracing. But turning RT off and replacing that with the old smoke and mirrors tricks games are currently using is going to be a hell of a lot easier than the work that had to be done to get Titanfall playable on 360.

Anyone here play a new release PC game on it's lowest settings? I think games will scale just fine. I think games played on Series X will have enough exclusive graphical features when compared to Xbox One that will motivate enough customers to upgrade. And I think Microsoft is playing a long game here, because the future is in services, so keeping and growing a user base of subscribers is more important than anything else. So jettisoning all current Xbox One users and expecting them to buy a new box is a less effective strategy than keeping them paying for Live, Gamepass, and renting and buying stuff digitally from Microsoft is and always has been the end game for them.
 
I think the messaging is exactly the same.
Phil Spencer's message has been, largely, consistent on drawing away from distinct generations. It's not message I'm questioning, it's your belief that XSX will appeal to a whole crowd that One X didn't because it's a new generation, despite - my point - Microsoft shifting from that concept.

You snipped a quote of Phil Spencer focussing on him saying "Hardware innovation continues while the software innovation is able to take advantage and I don't have to jump a generation and lose everything that I played on before".

That isn't Isn't that expected to be the case, distinct generation or not, I don't get it. Microsoft's message is: generations aren't a thing, the hardware evolves and you're saying everybody will buy a XSX because it's a new generation even though Microsoft will give them no reason to for some time. This is predicated on the fact that the greater console market buy the cheapest console, not the most performant. So again, why upgrade?

edit: transposed word
 
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