Microsoft Xbox digital events [E3 2020 Replacements]

I think the differences will be there when we have the xbox one and xsx builds next to each other

 

That was just an engine demo wasn't it?

 

What does "a game for adults" even look like? I dont even think consumers have figured that one out let alone devs.

I dont think its neccesary either. Just make a quality product that is enthralling in some way.

 

Yea so the engine is capable of it. The features are there.

 

Looks to me like there wouldn't have been much of a showcase if they only showed gameplay. Microsoft Game Studios are looking like they're at least two years away from releasing a next-gen AAA title. They may have great stuff in the future. That new Santa Monica studio wasn't mentioned at all, it and it sounds like the Coalition may have Gears 6 and another title in the works. Xbox could be back loaded for games in years 3-6. But they need an install base to make it worth it. I just don't have a good feeling about how they're positioned.

 

Oh, i hear you.
But it's probably not the jump in gfx that you miss. I've analyzed myself for a long time and was looking for the answer why games were 'better' back then:
1. When you played games in 2003, the game looked better than to older one. But even more important: It carried a vision with it. The vision was 'Cool, but the next game will look even better!', and it was true. Insert whatever you want - better gfx, better physics, better storytelling...
2. There was more variety, and they still came up with whole new genres. There was movement. Now everything has settled. Everybody follows the same recipe about how the perfect genre game works. So we get the same game again and again.
3. Games did not try to tackle things they can not handle. Telling stories about relationships, being political correct, building up complex in game personalities, being real life like, etc... All this does not make much sense in a game where you still run around and kill everything that moves, or do some other core loop of simple mechanics. Modern solution: Hide the gameplay and show trailers about an artistic vision that goes beyond what games are. Results are often ridiculous.
4. As you already know, increasing production costs was the only way to keep moving, resulting in risk reduction, common direction, finally sycophancy to self assure it's all right.

There is no way back. VR was not the wonder we hoped for, woman might keep preferring their mobiles to play games, increasing costs but no growth, but disappointment will keep growing and next gen might only hold the downfall back for some time.
But it will go upwards after that. (I've always a bit of optimism in reserve )
That's surely no popular opinion, but i guess many have similar thoughts.

 

@JoeJ Yah, genres stagnate. People dumpster Fortnite and Minecraft because they're "for kids," but they actually have inventive gameplay. They were new experiences. Even though BR games already existed, the whole building mechanic in Fortnite just made something new and people flocked to it. Then I see Halo Infinite and it's like, "Oh, master chief is driving a warthog around in the grass and he's shooting the same guns at those little guys that you fought in 2003."

 

What an uninspiring show. It's a good thing Microsoft isnt concerned with how many consoles they sell because they wont be selling many this season.

 

hehe, tbh i thought about those little guys when i typed 'ridiculous'. There is this trailer, about reactivating this huge biggest hero of the whole universe... :O
And then... he jumps out of his buggy and shoots cute little dwarfs.

Another example: I remember BJ Blazko. as a Nazi killing machine. Not to take that serious, just for fun. He kills them all and yep - that's what games do.
And then... in the last Wolfenstein i have played, big BJ lies an the knees of his mother and cries like a little baby.

Coming up with new genres is hard ofc, but such things could be avoided easily.

 

Watched it entirely. Went back and watched individual games. Must say. Rather whelmed. Definitely a showcase for GamePass. I really didn't think I expected that much from a graphical standpoint. Maybe I should follow Brit's example and go watch the previous release year E3 conferences. Something must be coloring my expectations.

I know better than to get excited about a tech demo. Or a target render. Or a straight up trailer, in engine or not. So far I haven't had to remind myself heavily of this fact. Maybe excepting Horizon, HB2 and Fable. Had to tamp it down a bit when I saw those. I was surprised at the pop-in for Halo: Infinite. Was actually quite noticeable. All of the gameplay footage just looked.. stale? Visually speaking. Gameplay wise, happy to return to the earlier style HALO games.

Looks like Live Gold is not getting rolled into Xbox Gamepass. Just GamePass Ultimate (Which is the current state I believe. Correct me if I am wrong.) A little disappointed with that.

I was intrigued by a number of the games themselves. Certainly GamePass just looks more and more attractive to me overall. Cost dependent. And cost is going to matter here. While there were a number of games I thought looked like something I want in on, there remains a problem. I looked over at my wife a number of times and she was wearing what I can only call a "shit-eating grin". Normally she doesn't pay much attention to me watching these things. Fable, Gunk, Everwild and Grounded, just for starters, all had her rapt attention. And Gamepass has no family option and only allows 1 login at a time per. Irrespective of how you set up multiple boxes. So that is 2 Xbox's (come on Lockhart - save me!), 1 Elite controller (me) and maybe a 2nd now (unlikely), and at least 1 if not 2 new tv's. And the 2 Gamepass Ultimate subs......This is getting expensive.......

 

Because even current gen games have shadows, AO, and more proper alpha transparencies. 4K Textures that can be seen at a distance have been around since X1X debuted.

 

Lol I am 100% into the same titles. And Avowed. GamePass can be shared. 2 consoles logged into each other but a different home will allow it. My home Xbox is downstairs but I log into the Xbox upstairs to let the kids play.
And they can go downstairs and used that too under a different login.
https://support.xbox.com/help/hardware-network/console/my-home-xbox

 

I am very curious about the state of exclusivity for many games. Console exclusive is exclusive on XBOX console and PC. But console lunch exclusive it might be eithwmer released on PC later or on PS5 or both


Btw some of the titles they showed looked exceptionally good but thry didnt show gameplay. So I am not sure if they are just CG, or in-engine offline rendered or real time

 

After watching it, I have to say I'm also in the underwhelmed crowd.
Halo looks like Halo, and that is good.
I'm sure that the LOD pop in, shadow and performance issues will be addressed before launch for the SX.
For the next base console, and XBO, they will mostly remain there, hopefully with locked framerates.
The assets though, are a different story, I don't think many things can be done to improve them, and in my eyes at least, they are very last gen quality.
The same can be said about lighting in general. It was in my opinion the most underwhelming aspect of the gameplay.
Of course, this is Halo, and if the game is good, I personally don't need state of the art graphics to enjoy it.
I was just hoping this would be the MS statement of what next gen is.

Everwild really caught my imagination, but I have no clue what the game is, or if what I saw was in engine or a pre-rendered trailer.
Stalker, was a nice surprise, and I'm all for it. Hopefully it will be as good as the first one.
Fable, well, what can I say, I want one. By the looks of it, I might get my wish in five years or so.
Because that trailer was telling me, that they don't even know what game they are doing. That was not a target render, not even close...

My problem with MS in the last two generations (XBO, SX, although in some cases also with X360 which I did own) is that I have no reason to buy their console.
I'm primarily a PC gamer, if what MS offers is available on my primary platform, I will look elsewhere.
Admittedly, I might be the niche, and if that is true, it stands to reason that it is not in their best interest to cater to my wishes.

 

Maybe it was on medium settings? Sorry, I'm just grabbing at straws. I don't think it looked bad at all. But I would be interested to know what platform that demo was targeting(XB1X, XBSX or PC). There may have been a conscious decision to low ball it so that XB1 players didn't feel left behind?

Tommy McClain

 

Only if selling consoles is not their goal.

 

I would say, that it would be reflective of what X1X is capable of. But not reflective of what XSX is capable of. Let’s just wait and see what 343i does. The fact there is a ray tracing patch coming has some weird indications of a lack of XSX optimization given how poorly it’s already handling.

 

Saw something on Twitter that was a nice reminder. The event today was the Xbox Games Showcase, not the Xbox Series X showcase. Xbox platform is Xbox One, Xbox Series X & Windows 10. Actually it might have been better to call it the Xbox Games Pass Showcase. This wasn't meant so much to get people to buy a Xbox Series X console, but really to get people really excited to buy a Xbox Game Pass subscription, of which is on multiple devices. If you look at it like that, it was a great show.

Like I said above it's looking like they're interested more in selling subscriptions.

That sounds like a fair assessment. Now we wait.

Tommy McClain

 

So there's another event?