120°

Gaming: It's Not Like It Used to Be

Lets all take a trip backwards in time, shall we. All the way back to the first time we ever played a video game...

Well, I don't know about you guys, but some of those memories are the fondest that I have. I can remember my dad and I bringing out the good old Nintendo Entertainment System and playing "Sesame Street The Game". I two years old when I started playing it, and I don't think my dad realized what he had done with just this one simple game.

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thewhybutton.com
hennessey864080d ago

For over 20 years and yes it's nice to look back on the classics and memories you have, but gaming is definitely getting better with each year that passes and I hope that trend never ends.

Root4080d ago

I don't know I've felt it's gotten worse

Yeah we have better games, and the tec we have now is amazing but the feeling off certain games just isn't what it was like when you booted up your N64 and played on Banjo, the feeling when you got three Aku Aku masks in Crash Bandicoot or when you completed your first game on the SNES.

DLC, Cut content, high DLC prices, developers ruining games for a bigger audience, developers screwing over their loyal fans, developers lying to us, horrible PR stunts, bad games like COD selling millions while good worth while games get left in the dark, developers going after COD like sales, all this casual crap and how "anyone" can be a gamer when it's a load of rubbish

I could go on

I just felt gaming back then was a lot more isolated and developers knew who there target audience was...there wasn't this whole "please everyone" crap

ape0074079d ago (Edited 4079d ago )

games are getting better in gfx, polish and immersion but when it comes to single player experience, past games are definitely better but there are still great SP games coming, GTA V, Watch Dogs, bioshock infinite, KZ ps4 and MGS GZ

BTW, i see that bioshock, GTA V and MGS GZ hold up very well against PS4 gfx, they still look Damn Good IMO, 360\ps3 gfx are nowhere near as outdated against ps4 gfx as (let's say) san andreas to GTA V

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

hiredhelp4079d ago

Ok well i love the retro days i think many like us retro gamers do if i was to play a ocean game thats right kids OCEAN back then they were making AAA games along with codemasters,activision. I know i couldnt possibly complete a game right off the bat like we possibly could today's gaming.

Now i love todays gaming i mean wow 8bit to 16bit,32bit,64,128bit,and so on we no longer in 2D scroller land we in world today of evolving landscapes open world physix lighting true to life animation.

Now even thoe all that is amazing stuff the gameing industry is changing just like the world but in a bad way as well as good.
DLC cool but at a price huh locked content.... ? Whatever happened to the reward system play game complete unlock stuff make game replayable. Its all to do with easy money.

But hey its not all bad...?

hellvaguy4078d ago (Edited 4078d ago )

Its just blind nostalgia. Games are 10 times better than before. Ive watched everyone of my friends claim gaming used to be so great, but then when we fire up the old NES, they either get bored or frustrated because of the difficulty/save points within 10 minutes flat. Never fails.

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BootHammer4079d ago

I love the advances with newer tech and get psyched for each every new platform launch but the era of old school Nintendo and Sega will always be my favorite.

angelsx4079d ago

I just wana see how will look the games after 10-15 years . . .

profgerbik4079d ago

You said it brother.. I agree with Root, gaming seems to be getting worse and as more markets are open for games to be on it's only become more competitive which will only make it worse as well.

Also games now just aren't as good in a creative sense. Back in the day there were so many new games and they all were doing new things but now everyone is mainly doing the same things being less and less creative each time around.

Just not as many good games being made in mass, as there used to be in my opinion.

Gaming community has changed greatly also since back in the days, people have become extremely spoiled which isn't helping developers at all and limiting their creativity because people only want what they have had, most just seem so afraid of new change.

Fateful_Knight4079d ago

I've been gaming for 33 years approx., so i know exactly how it feels, that sense of wonder and excitement. It still exists every time i start up a new game. The trick it to explore different genres, not just shooters. If there is a game coming out that has a unique hook to it, that makes it stand out from the pack, then pick it up. Realism that comes with advancing tech is a good thing. Gameplay that comes along with that new tech should also be advancing as well. If you primarily do MP then you're going to get less and less of that wonder and exploration excitement. SP is where you'll find it.

Gaming has always been wonderful and will continue to be so. Just choose your games wisely and have fun.

Goodfella784079d ago

ive been gaming around 30 years and to this day i always start and finish a single player campaign before even looking at the online side of the game,to me thats old school habits,and for me that will always be the way,and in my opinion the graphics,physics,speed improves,but you dont seem to find much innovation in gameplay to get really excited about these days......

hellvaguy4078d ago

In 30 years not much innovation? So all games are still 2D side scrollers and no1 plays on the internet huh?

What rock have you been living under?

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260°

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.

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theverge.com
darthv7223h 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.

solideagle10h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic18818h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio7h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning773h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga10h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

shinoff21839h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga8h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan4h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

romulus233h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv722h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

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purple10113h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos12h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-2h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac11h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad11h ago(Edited 11h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple10111h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic9h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead2h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

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150°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos1d 12h ago (Edited 1d 12h ago )

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers1d 9h ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

Profchaos18h ago(Edited 18h ago)

How rediculas really. You can't say a word that's allowed in most PG films and prime time TV but the game is based around killing the enemy team using guns, explosives etc.

It's just backwards.

just_looken19h ago

What your talking about is called block list

In 2006 a spaceship dropped of the playstation 3/xbox 360 i say that that generation was the last great gen with game functions/tech that has yet to comeback

Anyhow the playstation 3 if you block listed a id they could not talk to you in chatroom with either text or voice. But that was pre mind fucked 2018 when people were more human than sheep.

But hey gta 6 is coming out billion dollar budget without a single player custom character creator and without singeplayer coop off/online something saints row 1-3 had on the xbox 360.

z2g1d 5h ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing1d 4h ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H91d 5h ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola1d 1h ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn6691d 4h ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle1d 3h ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

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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

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insider-gaming.com
Hereandthere1d 20h ago

Microsoft should have left them stay 3rd party

GamerRN1d 17h ago

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

Barlos1d 15h ago

Yeah, they're also jobless.

GamerRN1d 8h ago

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

peppeaccardo1d 10h ago

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

ChasterMies1d 6h 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 19h ago (Edited 1d 19h 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 17h ago

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

Mr Logic1d 3h ago

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

Crows901d 3h ago

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

blacktiger29m ago

You own nothing snd be happy. I'm sure you heard that

Profchaos1d 19h ago (Edited 1d 19h 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 19h ago

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

Profchaos1d 19h ago

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

Yi-Long1d 16h ago

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

XiNatsuDragnel1d 18h ago

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

Profchaos1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

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

TheColbertinator1d 17h ago

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

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