710°

Microsoft says ditching Kinect allows "10 per cent additional GPU performance".

"Yes, the additional resources allow access to up to 10 percent additional GPU performance," said a company representative. "We're committed to giving developers new tools and flexibility to make their Xbox One games even better by giving them the option to use the GPU reserve in whatever way is best for them and their games."

Read Full Story >>
eurogamer.net
mrpsychoticstalker3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

There's a lot devs can do with more power! Good moves by Microsoft. I am having fun with the Xbox games as they are, but if this makes them even better that's great news.

christocolus3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

Well a lot of them have been asking for this from the very beginning so let's see what they do it.

Mr Pumblechook3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

POLYGON report that the Xbox One is 10% more powerful which is great for gamers and basically means the death of Kinect exclusive games although it will still be used for voice control and OS navigation.

It's funny that Polygon make this their headline story and are pushing the benefits of their preferred platform.

Volkama3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

Not sure what you are getting at Pumblechook, the source is Microsoft.

NewMonday3612d ago

How does this work for those who have Kinect?

Gazondaily3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

@NewMonday

I assume it just means that games that utilise the Kinect won't benefit from this added 10% gpu performance.

"With this SDK, we will include new options for how developers can use the system reserve as well as more flexibility in our natural user interface reserve (voice and gesture). "

I don't think you will see any difference between the new Kinect-less Xbox One's and the original ones that shipped with the Kinect.

What is basically means is, ALL Xbox One's will get a 10% boost in GPU performance.

ZodTheRipper3612d ago

I'm glad that Microsoft was forced to ditch Kinect ...maybe they'll overthink their priorities now. I just don't expect any substantial sales growth from this. They actually raised the price for the box itself, it should have been under 400$.

u got owned3612d ago

@NewMonday

I dont know if you are serious... Common sense buddy, use it.

ZodTheRipper3612d ago

^If if's that easy you should be able to explain it. First the statements that make it complicated:

"Microsoft has confirmed that this boost in performance is in fact due to Kinect being stripped from the package."

"we're releasing a new SDK making it possible for developers to access additional GPU resources previously reserved for Kinect and system functions"

So what if you have Kinect connected but a game uses these 10% additional GPU power? Either Kinect won't work during that game (at all) or the game runs 10% worse than on a Xbox without Kinect or am I missing something?

Eonjay3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

@Mr Pumblechook

Polygon's article is extremely misleading and it doesn't do anything for Xbox One. They make it sound like people who already have an Xbox One wont get the power boost. And that is just not true.

They said:

"The upcoming Kinect-less Xbox One will receive a 10 percent boost in its performance due to the stripping out of the peripheral, Microsoft told Eurogamer."

They are just spreading confusion. And then they claim that Microsoft confirmed it. Which is even more misleading. You don't have to buy the new system to get the boost.

creatchee3612d ago

Simple answer: Xbox One games are no longer required to reserve a certain amount of processing power for some Kinect commands. This power can now be used for any other function that developers would like to use it for. It works this way, whether or not you have a Kinect and whether or not it is plugged in.

Anon19743612d ago

So will games be automatically dumbed down slightly for Xbox One with Kinect?

My guess is that devs will still develop for the lowest common denominator power wise (the Xbox One with Kinect) and simply let the Kinect-less Xbox One do it's own thing. Realistically, we're not suddenly going to see better games as devs retool their titles to take advantage of that extra sliver of power that's only going to be accessible to some users. It's going to be business as usual for devs, and if you want the extra power boost so games run slightly smoother, you'll just choose to go it without Kinect. That's my thought.

DragonKnight3612d ago

So basically Microsoft is perfectly fine with ditching all support for Kinect after saying they wouldn't and once again creating a development environment where there is a fractured userbase of people with Kinect, and people without Kinect.

Can they never stick to even one thing they've said?

Gazondaily3612d ago

@Dragon

We've kind of gone past that now. This is about improved performance of the X1 as a result of their decision to ship a Kinect-less X1.

DragonKnight3612d ago

@Septic: The point still remains though. If developers do a blanket development process of assuming that Kinect is not being used, then the people who DO use Kinect don't get to benefit from it. Of course, they probably could just NOT use their Kinect, but then they're left with an expensive paperweight.

It all boils down to the fact that Microsoft are still running around like a chicken with their heads cut off, trying to narrow a gap they never will be able to narrow.

NewMonday3612d ago

how does the OS operate without this 10%? snap? skyp? chat? multi-tasking?...etc

shouldn't journalists be asking these questions?

alexkoepp3612d ago

With Ryse already being the best looking console game ever released, I can't wait to see what more power is going to bring us!

u got owned3612d ago

Major Nelson tweet:

"Dear Media: The GPU change was developer facing. Unplugging Kinect does not get you more HP. Devs have to code to the new specs. "

that should clear all confusion.

sinspirit3612d ago

I thought they had already done this when they removed the mandatory Kinect connection.

Why would they dedicate any GPU functions to the Kinect anyways? UI voice commands sure, but those don't need 10% of a GPU, the developers should have had control over Kinect resource allocation in the first place.

SilentNegotiator3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

@NewMonday

Developers will have to develop games so that it works both ways, shut off Kinect entirely, or not use the supposed 10% boost at all.

Early adapters will get probably get screwed with a bunch of games that don't allow simultaneous "essential accessory" use or else developers will have the extra hurdle of spending more time developing it for two different situations.

4Sh0w3612d ago

-The Devils in the details:

"Yes, the additional resources allow access to up to 10 per cent additional GPU performance. We're committed to giving developers new tools and flexibility to make their Xbox One games even better by giving them the option to use the GPU reserve in whatever way is best for them and their games."

"GPU reserve" means the previous SDK partitioned 10% of the GPU for future Kinect functionality/games, this will NOT affect the current the UI functionality or current Kinect games as it wasn't being used anyway, just intentionally reserved for future Kinect based future plans/games. #1If you remember prior to X1 launch micro already stated that the Kinect based GPU resources along with the OS footprint will be reduced with new SDK's, no different than 360. #2 Again yes this will give devs who want it more power but I am dissapointed that this points to them not exploring bigger more advanced kinect implementation in future games.

aragon3612d ago

ok for everyone here wondering if xbone with kinect will be less powerful? the answer no, its now up to developers to develope their games using the 10 percent that was reserved for kinect also prior to launch they already statrd they had an extra 10 percent sitting around for kinect that was not being used and that they would hand it over to the devs. what it means is that all games that were developed before the 10 percent was freed up wont benefit from the extra power, so if u buy a wolfenstein new order with your kinectless xbone, wolfenstein wouldnt have got that extra 10 percent but games that are made with the extra 10 percent will have a little tiny boost, this is all just pr nonsense and polygon and eurogamer are trying to make ms look like even bigger douchebags in the publics eye because there articles insinuate that early adopters will get screwed out of power boost which is wrong. its now up to devs to use the extra 10 percent toward their game if they arent going to use kinect integration with the game they are making

Pro Racer3612d ago

As someone who has a PC and is into overclocking, I have to say that 10% is a pretty huge difference. Shame on MS for trying to force the use of Kinect at such an expense to the GPU.

Glad they have finally reconsidered on the mandatory Kinect issue.

BattleAxe3612d ago

It's a good move. People didn't like Kinect on the 360, and most people don't like it or need it on XBOX:One. Great news for better game performance on Xbox.

cooperdnizzle3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

@Pro Racer. Tell me one thing that 10% would do to one game other than maybe a couple of frames? I have A pc too, I mean pretty much every gamer has a pc gaming rig.

First there would be no way of knowing if your over clocking is actually giving you a 10% boost. Second, I really can't think of anything other then a couple of frames that over clocking helps you achieve. It doesn't give you the option to turn on any other graphical options there already available. Plus overclocking just burns up you graphics cards. Just saying your point is very far fetched.

RedDevils3612d ago

So in other word, Kinect is just another failure gimmick lmao

UltraNova3612d ago

aragon got it right.

All games made before this 10% reserve got freed up will not benefit from it, as console games are not coded for scale-ability but for a fixed platform, in short only games after this will benefit or in the highly unlikely case of a dev going back and re-optimizing their original code and release it via a patch.

Wizard_King3612d ago

So if the GPU is going to perform about 10% better does that mean Titanfall will be getting a patch to up the resolution from 792p? Or that future games might have a bees dick chance of seeing 1080/60 with AA turned on?

/s

doubt it

DevilOgreFish3612d ago

All this means is that future games will be able to utilize more of the GPU. that's great. kinect based games probably won't because they'll require the device.

so pretty much kinect-less games will benefit this.

mmcglasson3612d ago

@alexkoepp

Killzone looks better and plays much better than Ryse.

Infamous is even better. Both Killzone and Infamous have a lot more going on in the environment too.

+ Show (25) more repliesLast reply 3612d ago
Copen3612d ago

What a lot of people don't know is the majority of this 10 percent has been available since January of this year so this is nothing earth shattering or new. Even with this and DX12 the gap will only widen and MS won't catch Sony sorry it's the truth. MS needs to just stop trying to compete with the ps4 on a power level because it's a battle they simply can't win this gen. They need to focus on other things that set their console apart from the competition because the power difference will remain and the games have shown this is the biggest power disparity between consoles in well over a decade.

Deltaohio3612d ago

So because the xbox will will never be as powerful as the PS4 MS should quit giving developers more resource for their games? Yes. Logic at its finest.

Elit3Nick3612d ago

Lol how will the gap widen if the X1 is using more of its power and using a technique that the PS4 doesn't have(DX12) Microsoft are masters of software, if you seriously believe that a hardware company can come up with better optimizations, then you are yet another delusional fanboy

scotmacb3612d ago

You talk crap the worst one was ghosts everything else you need to pause a comparsion video to tell and some are the same

sinspirit3612d ago

@Elit3Nick

DX12 isn't a technique. It's an API. Just like OpenGL. But, OpenGL is less bloated, supports Window's, Mac, and Linux, as well as whatever products are designed to run it, like PS4. DX12 is doing what OpenGL already allowed us to do, but because DX is a leading standard for PC it is holding back OpenGL because not many developers take advantage of it.

Btw, X1 already has a low level API, a modified DX, that already delivers exactly what DX12 is supposed to do a year from now.

M1ST4K33612d ago

I have a PS4 and yet I can say your statement makes 0 sense...
Development should never stop! Improvement shouldn't either.

Perhaps if MSFT didn't announce the DX12 performance boost, Sony wouldn't put team ICE working on an improvement (this is just an example... Improvement leads to more improvement)

Just stop being in pain because the other console got better... what the hell!? It's not that PS4 got worse, it's the Xbox one that got better!

Elit3Nick3612d ago

@sinspirit Even the current low level APIs aren't capable of balanced multi-threading, that alone will yield a sizeable improvement in efficiency, but either way, it's still an improvement that will nudge the X1 closer to the PS4, the amount is yet to be determined.

Why are you and the fanboys here so driven to put down anything xbox related, it obviously doesn't concern yourselves if you're bashing, and it's simply ignorance to think that xbox won't have the more efficient optimizations. Think of it this way, an improvement in the X1's performance will yield better looking games on both platforms, since they start with the lowest denominator and scale it up to the others

sinspirit3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

@Elit3Nick

Balanced multi-threading? That's one of the benefits of DX12 on PC. It will be improved for X1 of course but it isn't new, so it's not actually a big performance gain. This already exists on consoles. Sony is working on improving their multi-threading on PS3 as well as PS4. I'm not bragging about Sony. I just think you should know that it isn't a Microsoft thing. Seriously, stop finding terms and blindly trying to justify something with terms you don't understand.

warczar3612d ago

@Elit3Nick

"Microsoft are masters of software"

Spoken like someone who has never used Windows NT, Windows Vista, or Windows 8. All perfect examples of how Microsoft sucks balls at software.

jackdaniels3612d ago

@war car

and yet MS are one the richest software companies on the planet...man it must pay well to suck balls eh :)

Deltaohio3609d ago

@warczar

"Masters" of software not masters of knowing wtf ppl want from software. There is a difference.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 3609d ago
miyamoto3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

great news?

So what happened to these?

"Microsoft: "Absolutely no plans" to release Xbox One without Kinect
Phil Harrison squashes possibility of Kinect-less bundle of upcoming next-generation console."

"Absolutely no plans at all," Harrison said when asked if a Kinect-free bundle may be offered. "We think Kinect is an integral part of our platform. All of the magical experiences that you get, both as a games-player and also the way you navigate the system are made even more amazing because of Kinect."

Harrison said that because every Xbox One console will come with Kinect, developers can design projects for the "widest possible install base."

"Xbox One is Kinect," Harrison said at the time. "They are not separate systems. An Xbox One has chips, it has memory, it has Blu-ray, it has Kinect, it has a controller. These are all part of the platform ecosystem."

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2013/08/...

Again.
Microsoft: "no plans" to release an Xbox One without Kinect"

Speaking with Eurogamer yesterday ahead of the announcement of the first Xbox One price cut, Xbox UK marketing chief Harvey Eagle said Microsoft was sticking with Kinect because the company feels it's "integral to the Xbox One experience".

"[A Kinect-less Xbox One] is not in our plans at all," he stressed.

"As we've said from the very beginning, we believe Kinect is an absolutely integral part of the Xbox One experience."

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

So what happened to this:

"It was really all about consumer choice," Spencer said in an interview with CNET. "Like we would have said on 360, the best experience was with the biggest hard drive possible. On Xbox One, I think the best experience is with Kinect."

http://www.cnet.com/news/mi...

So how is getting a console with "the best experience" removed, great news?

How about fixing M$'s conflicting PR message disaster and actually growing a backbone...that will be great news?

creatchee3612d ago

@miyamoto

You can still buy a Kinect if you want to. You now just have an option not to if you don't want one. The buyer who chooses not to assumes the liability of not getting the intended "full" experience, but at a lower price of entry. Are we really at the point where having an option is a bad thing?

nix3612d ago

@creatchee:

what's the point of buying Kinect if they are planning to ditch it?

Belasco3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

Judging from your comment history, you have an obsessive hatred for Microsoft. You seem to be a Sony fanboy I guess, but your comments are 99% about MS or the Xbox One.Question, could MS do ANYTHING that pleases you? Seek help. OT this performance boost is something made available to the devs, Kinect will not be affected, what is so hard to understand about this?

Gambloid3612d ago

@miyamoto

Change the record FFS

gamer78043612d ago

You see. Change happens when you appoint a new head of a division....

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3612d ago
Muffins12233612d ago

But I can guarantee you that every Microsoft first party game will use kinect in some way....so there goes that 10% for what games it actually matter for.

imt5583612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

Microsoft FREED UP EXISTING GPU RESOURCES with new SDK's, NOT ADDED NEW ONES!!!!

Total of 1.32 TFLOPS 10% were reserved for Kinect!!!!

Earth to Xbone fans!!!

Wizard_King3612d ago

Yeha it's not like suddenly the GPU got better or runs faster it's still the same GPU. Microtard just decided to drop the dead in the water Kinect and give the devs the locked up space for it.

Over all everyone who owns a launch unit should be pissed off at this. They bought the machine with MS PR going on about Kinect magic, integral part of the experience, blah blah bullshit. Now that part of the X1 is effectively dead and will see little to no further development. Expect the same cheap dance dance, sports fit and on the rails shooter games that's it.

I would be in favor of a full refund for everyone with a launch unit upset with this, pending a class action lawsuit guaranteeing the refunds to all.

agame9143612d ago

I don't understand how ditching a camera adds a 10% boost to the gpu. So does that mean when I have my xbox hooked up with kinect my graphics will be 10% less then a person without kinect?? So when I unplug my camera for my ps4 I'll get a 10% increase???

Obscured

Belasco3612d ago

Breathtaking amount of disagrees, must mean it's not true.

Smokeeye1233612d ago

The fact that 94 people downvoted your comment shows how much Sony fans makeup this site. N4PO (News for playstation owners)

Welshy3612d ago

The problem being, anywhere up to 5 million people already have Kinect since it was bundled with their console.

XB1 is already lagging noticeably behind PS4, are they really going to have those 5 million with Kinect have even WORSE versions of games since they won't have this "10% GPU boost"?

Of course this won't be utilised, if I was an early adopter of the XB1 who was FORCED to have a Kinect, I'd already be pissed that the device I had forced upon me was getting significantly reduced support, let alone being 10% down on performance for future titles.

ITPython3612d ago

10% of nothing is still nothing.

Also didn't MS give the devs access to 8% of the Kinects reserves a long time ago? If so, this means devs are only going to see a 2% boost.

Ghost_Nappa3612d ago

107 disarees? Seriously people wtf? Is it a crime to like xbox?

imuze3612d ago

you just went full retard.

TOTSUKO3612d ago

Im going to miss saying "Xbox, Go Home"

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 3609d ago
aceitman3612d ago

Ok so last time they optimized x1 the boost increased by 10 percent, so in other words not much of a difference with and without kinect.

tuglu_pati3612d ago

Huh? 10% is a nice boost.This could be used for better framerates or better resolution.

GUTZnPAPERCUTZ3612d ago

No, That was Overall system performance boost. This is 10% just for GPU, so it will be noticed more visually in games.

Neonridr3612d ago

Interesting news no doubt. Hopefully devs can put that extra power to use.

ginsunuva3612d ago

They can't.
Some people will still have Kinect connected, so they have to cater to the lowest common denominator.

kneon3612d ago

No, the dev can disable Kinect when their game is running so that they can use all the power available on the device.

marlinfan103612d ago

its already confirmed it has nothing to do with the kinect

snookiegamer3612d ago

10% GPU gain can only be a good thing....but surely MS didn't use the term 'Ditched', as that would seem disrespectful to those early adopters would bought into the Kinect vision.

truefan13612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

I just don't think anyone reads these days. Phil Spencer as direct as possible tweeted the June update allows for 10% more GPU performance. The way article after article has worded it makes it sound like it's for the kinect less XB1 only.

psycho I know you didn't write it, but the title and premise of the article is very misleading. Below is the exact quote, where does he mention kinect less.

Phil Spencer @XboxP3 · 22h

June #XboxOne software dev kit gives devs access to more GPU bandwidth. More performance, new tools and flexibility to make games better

@kayant Agreed.

Kayant3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

"Phil Spencer as direct as possible tweeted the June update allows for 10% more GPU performance." - No he give no info on the measurable reserve being freed up. All he said was more gpu bandwidth being available.
https://twitter.com/XboxP3/...
It was eurogamer with their inquiry that found it was related to the kinect reserve.

"In June we're releasing a new SDK making it possible for developers to access additional GPU resources previously reserved for Kinect and system functions. The team is continually calibrating the system to determine how we can give developers more capabilities. With this SDK, we will include new options for how developers can use the system reserve as well as more flexibility in our natural user interface reserve (voice and gesture)" - Not all of it is going they still need it for system function (snap, etc).

But yh I don't know why Polygon are being misleading here and putting it only for kinectless Xbox when if they bothered to quote the whole update from eurogamer it's a general thing for all variants of XB1.

Rockefellow3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

I think it's the way they're wording it. It applies to ALL Xbox Ones, but the 10% increase is obtained by allocating resources previously designated to Kinect-- as referenced in that tweet of Phil's. This means that even people with Kinects will be able to get this power boost in games that utilize it-- they'll just have to unplug (or disable) their Kinect.

To most people, that would mean a "Kinect-less Xbox One"; you have Kinect, but it's not being used, so the X1 is Kinect-less. It might be a little hard for some people around here to understand, I know.

Dudebro903612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

No one needs to unplug their Kinect.

Its simple. Microsoft reserved 10% of the gpu for Kinect to be used in all games, even if it didn't use Kinect.

Now that 10% is not forced. Period.

Brim3612d ago

idk why you're getting disagrees .. i completely agree that's the only reason why i clicked on this particular story.

OrangePowerz3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

"The additional resources allow access to up to 10 per cent additional GPU performance."

It's not for Kinectless X1 only, but it is resources that are allocated to Kinect previously. So yeah the title is rather wrong.

GW2123612d ago

Yeah, I literally read the title and had a sh*t. So I buy a launch day edition and get screwed for doing so? That would be a complete disaster.

I think you're right though, it will be up to the software developers as to how to use the Kinect bandwidth. I love the Kinect for "out of game" stuff like turning it on, snapping, starting apps, etc. I'm not a huge fan of actual games that use Kinect so I'd rather they "shut off" the Kinect in-game in order to get better performance.

MCTJim3612d ago (Edited 3612d ago )

Trufan, I got it and get it, the new SDK allows you to ignore the reserve for Kinect and utilize it somewhere else. The Kinect can still be used like it always does without affecting performance..ie the reserve for it being used in games..if the game developer doesnt use it, then they gain that %...so easy to understand...but I see on other sites they twisted the words to make it seem like people with Kinect were getting screwed and losing that performance gain. So its not a misunderstanding, its just poor use of wording in articles..with intent to cause confusion and spread FUD.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3612d ago
incendy353612d ago

Polygon are masters at click bait haha. Using misleading headlines to rise a stir and get users to see their ads. Personally not going to click on it and encourage them, especially since we all know the reserves exist on all Xbox One's.

Show all comments (218)
50°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
darthv7211h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

purple10121m ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

300°

Microsoft Seemingly Closes Bethesda France

As part of its plans to cut 1,900 jobs, Microsoft has reportedly shut down operations at Bethesda France, letting go roughly 15 people

Read Full Story >>
insider-gaming.com
Hereandthere1d 7h ago

Microsoft should have left them stay 3rd party

GamerRN1d 5h ago

If they are let go, they can be whatever they want. They ARE 3rd party now... 🤦

Barlos1d 2h ago

Yeah, they're also jobless.

GamerRN19h ago

They can form a company if they want, they are just as jobless as if "Microsoft had left them as 3rd party".

peppeaccardo21h ago

"MIcrosoft leaves Bethesda do what they know how to do best" ... close! Oh the irony ....
(Citation from a week old article)

ChasterMies17h ago

I think Microsoft and other game publishers are letting people go because they think ai will replace them. Doesn’t matter how much profit they make. They were always going to be let go.

PassNextquestion1d 7h ago (Edited 1d 7h ago )

Bethesda France was made up of roughly 15 people... they couldn't of being doing much

Bethesda France mainly did publishing and marketing within the region

blacktiger1d 5h ago

that's a shame for you to say that, i'm sure Elite loves hearing what you just said.

Mr Logic15h ago

What a stupid thing to say. The elites give 0 fucks what we say on an obscure website in the comments section.

Crows9014h ago

You can always reach out and give them jobs at your company man. Don't wait

Profchaos1d 7h ago (Edited 1d 7h ago )

Bethesda France focused on publishing and marketing in the region. And 15 people lost their jobs as part of the closure.

I wonder if this is part of Microsoft's strategy to abandoned physical media or possibly gamepass advertising makes their roles redundant you don't need to market a game as hard when the majority of players get the game as part of a sub which already promoted upcoming games

Tacoboto1d 6h ago

It's France too, there's a high likelihood only 1-2 people on the team even had an Xbox.

Profchaos1d 6h ago

Possibly guven all the leaks we know the Xbox brand is really struggling in the region.

Yi-Long1d 3h ago

Well, if your consoles and games are barely found in any stores any more, of course you're gonna struggle finding consumers ...

XiNatsuDragnel1d 5h ago

Tbh Microsoft I think Bethesda being 3rd party same with Activision would probably more competitive than thus scenario imo

Profchaos1d 4h ago (Edited 1d 4h ago )

I think it would have been better for all parties really especially gamers

TheColbertinator1d 5h ago

The recently purchased Activision French offices might take over all the licensing and marketing for Microsoft in France from now on.

Show all comments (21)
280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple10112d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref11d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde11d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander197211d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville11d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff218311d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos11d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 11d ago
isarai12d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref11d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan11d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis00711d ago (Edited 11d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander197212d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

12d ago Replies(3)
Einhander197212d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

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Zeref11d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde11d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander197211d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander197211d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier11d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto11d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff218311d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto11d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 11d ago
Hofstaderman11d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts11d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts10d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic11d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

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