430°

Xbox One To Support Mods? 'It's Up To Developers' Says Major Nelson

NowGamer: Following news that Xbox One can be used as a devkit, Major Nelson's comments suggest the console will be open to mods as well.

allformats3918d ago (Edited 3918d ago )

Now that would be a game changer right there.

I'm no Xbox One fan, and will never buy the machine because of Kinect, but making the console modable is a win, no doubt.

I suspect PS4 could do the same thing, 'if developers so choose'.

TimmyShire3918d ago

The PS3 had that option too, though it was rarely used sadly. I'd expect the PS4 will be the same.

I won't be buying an Xbox One either for the same reason, but I'm not a hater necessarily.

slimeybrainboy3918d ago

The PS3 did? What few games used it?

How would modding on console even work?

Thegamer413918d ago

Unreal Tournament has mods on the PS3, I remember having to transfer them from my pc to the PS3 using a flash drive then loading them from the game. Was a good feature which I think more games should include.
I hope next gen consoles see more mods in games.

JokesOnYou3918d ago (Edited 3918d ago )

"It's up to developers to support that," answered Microsoft's Major Nelson. "These are two very different things."

Edit -Cool but I almost thought he meant retail non indie games. lol, anyway this is good, really good news....but I'm still wondering if this has any bearing on big publisher retail games, cause I don't see why they would given all that great DLC they want to sell us.

cleft53918d ago

Would be cool if it happened, but I don't see developers allowing it to happen. Still this is yet more good news from the Microsoft camp. I am happy to hear some good news from them. It doesn't change anything for me, but I do have friends that are getting the system and I want it to be nice for them.

creatchee3918d ago (Edited 3918d ago )

The biggest problem with mods (or any other user-generated content) is the potential for the new data to have malicious content unless there is a specific checking/approval system. And even that isn't foolproof.

Consoles have been closed to outside viruses and stuff in the past, both because of incoming data control and the architecture of the console itself. Over the generations, consoles have gotten more and more like PC's, which means they are getting more and more familiar to a hack/virus friendly environment.

Could you imagine booting up Halo and having penis enlargement ads pops up, or Uncharted and being told that your PS4 is infected, click here to buy VirusKill3000? I'm not saying that that is exactly what will happen, but the more you open up a closed system, the more you open it up to attack.

millgate13918d ago

@Slimeybrainboy, Borderlands 1 mods. However, they were very basic. Things such has raising stats on guns or shields. Nothing noteworthy

WrAiTh Sp3cTr33918d ago (Edited 3918d ago )

XB1 is looking better and better...

"You think devs are going to let you at freely available mods of all kinds on consoles instead of the DLC you pay for to extend a game's lifespan? No chance, completely unrealistic.

The context in which the comment was made and the way it was offered in reply to the specific question - this isn't an announcement of intent or any reason to get excited."

Devwan brings up a good point but if the gaming community is as vocal about allowing such an option from the dev as they are about everything else in the industry, then I think more devs would be on board for such a feature for their games.

3918d ago
WeedyOne3918d ago

I remember playing Unreal tournament 3 on my PS3, with mods I was able to play as Halo's Master Chief on my playstation! Also I had a mod where you could play as Cloud from FF7 and I think Bowser from Nintendo.

Scholla3918d ago (Edited 3918d ago )

True story? PS3, modding capabilities?

andrewsqual3918d ago

Exactly. The only game Epic Games Studios made for PS3 fully this gen was Unreal Tournament 3 and.... shock horror, it supported mods. Shame they wasted all that talent since then. Such a fall for a once respected old school PC developer. Gears of War on PC also supported mods and free online play but Microsoft regretted that and soon put a stop to it before people realised of its existence.

SegaSaturn6693918d ago

I installed the facing worlds map from UT 1999 to UT3 via ps3. There's quite a bit of content available on the UT forums.

NegativeCreepWA3918d ago

Unreal had mods on the PS3, though I believe they had to pass a verification process so you didn't see many make it.

starchild3918d ago

This is no different than the PS3/360 generation. He is saying that if developers build in an infrastructure to support such a thing in their game then it would be possible, but the simple ability to use the Xbox One as a dev kit doesn't mean you can suddenly get mods on the console.

That's what he meant by "These are two very different things."

There are lots of reasons why developers are not going to generally want mods on consoles. It's technically possible, just as it was on PS3 and 360, but it probably won't be used much at all just as it wasn't on the PS3 or 360.

3918d ago
FamilyGuy3917d ago

There was a mod to make the Unreal Tournament 3 into Gears of War. Third person view with skins. Mods were pretty cool but no other dev allowed it because they wanted to sell DLC. All those SFIV costumes wouldn't of sold at all for example had Capcom allowed it.

In the story of this case it's more like a way for indie devs to update their games without calling it a patch. Cool if they add some nice stuff. Basically free DLC.

badz1493917d ago

mods are pretty much a pc only thing for now. the PS3 fully supported mods and UT3 proved it but nothing else come after that because that paid DLC juice is just too tasty to pass up! thus many AAA multiplats are no even mod compatible even on pc lately, which is a shame! LBP still support some kind of mod though. you craft items, and put it as prize bubbles in your levels and people playing your levels can get that item.

talking about hardware, PS3 also support native kb+m setup but that's not getting dev support too for some reason. MS' policy, maybe? where dev can't make the PS3 version superior if they want to sell the same game on 360. we never know.

with native kb+m support, screenshot button works too but no dev support and the only game I can recall using it is Resistance 2. custom soundtracks are supported on PS3 too but only some games have it.

so, of course consoles support mods but more importantly, do devs and publishers support it?

Bigpappy3917d ago

This is all being done on X1 due to the cloud. If there is one thing that is universally known about the cloud, is that it provides huge online storage banks. Having users use some of that space to store mods for all can easily be implemented.

ShwankyShpanky3917d ago

@NegativeCreep: They didn't need to be "verified," but they needed to be "cooked" through a converter program to work on the PS3. Any level/skin/mod made on PC could be "baked" and loaded on the PS3.

And you could download them off the web onto a thumbstick, but someone also came up with a really easy way to download and install from the PS3 browser. UT3 had an in-game mod browser, but I forget if that was just to load mods or if you could download as well.

+ Show (16) more repliesLast reply 3917d ago
iamnsuperman3918d ago (Edited 3918d ago )

Sony really need to announce that this can be done too. Otherwise this is a big plus for Microsoft. Mods are cool and very useful. The only issue I see is how many mods will be made for console games? I can't see it being like the PC in quantity

jimbobwahey3918d ago

Sony has always allowed it. Microsoft is just playing catch-up yet again, is all.

Case in point, Unreal Tournament 3. The PS3 version of the game allowed all the mods from the PC version to be copied over and played. The Xbox 360 version didn't allow mods though, Microsoft blocked them.

dcj05243918d ago

As everyone is saying. PS3 allowed. Developers just didnt put it in except for unreal tournament 3. A shame to. tf2 on console is crap but with the pc updates and mods it could still be relavant.

ALLWRONG3918d ago

"Sony has always allowed it. Microsoft is just playing catch-up yet again, is all."

(((Windows PC))) <-- that just blew your mind didn't it?

twinspectre3918d ago

@yosp , @amboyes , @rohdescott
let them know we want #Ps4ModSupport

and i don't understand all the disagree seriously.
Microsoft took everything what Sony doing , and the modsupport on console was already available on PS3 with Unreal and i've played Unreal SideScrolling :)

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3918d ago
slimeybrainboy3918d ago

"It's up to developers to support that. These are two very different things."

I think that means that you would have to build in mod support, like how sports games allow you to create edit and share team rosters, I don't think this means literal PC style mods coming to the XB1. It means that a developer would have to build some kind of Little Big Planet engine within their game to create and distribute the mods, not modders using consoles as devkits. That's why he said that they are two very different things. That's how I took it anyway

Cuzzo633918d ago

Whoa! Now this! This is definitely a plus on Micro's side. Nice. Im gettn a little jealous now lol. Hmmm. Wonder if Sony got word yet lol.

Cuzzo633918d ago

Okay then. Maybe I shoulda said... This is boo boo. Ps4 ftw!... Xb1 sucks nuclear balls!!!

Naa, im a Sony supporter, im a Playstation supporter. Not a Sony fanboy. Sorry kids

Snookies123918d ago

Yeah, sometimes you'll get agrees or disagrees just for mentioning Microsoft, Nintendo, or Sony...

Anyway yes, this is a very positive thing. Although it wasn't used much on the PS3 unfortunately. I loved that Unreal Tournament 3's PS3 version allowed mods. I was really hoping that would be a trend on PS3, but alas it was not. I'm sure PS4 has the capability to do this as well. We'll just have to wait and see how far it pans out for both Microsoft and Sony. Mods would be a console game changer for sure. They are what primarily keep me a PC gamer! So no doubt, I'd be extremely happy if they were embraced more openly on consoles. :]

fossilfern3918d ago

Yeah PS3 had modding but the only game that I know of that used it was Unreal Tournament 3.

scofios3918d ago

This was already the case with PS3 Unreal Tournament 3.
Sure this will be the same with PS4.

medman3918d ago

So you're telling me the company that has tried to restrict consumer rights at every turn is now a champion of open platform gaming? Uh..yeah. I'll believe it when I see it in action.

tuglu_pati3918d ago

Xbox One is in a roll this week.

Scholla3918d ago

Yup this would be HUGE!!!

avengers19783918d ago

If its up to the developers, then there probably won't be many games that have modding available... For either system PS4 or XB1.

webeblazing3918d ago

ill doubt any of the consoles will do it. seeing how people blindly buy dlc and theyre not gonna give up that money going up against free content. did you know devs use to give free content and you get unlockables just for playing the game, but now yall want them back. man how the sheeps changed the face of gaming

MicDude3918d ago

Could you imagine something like Project Nevada on these next gen consoles? It would be awesome!!!

3918d ago Replies(1)
cl19833918d ago

Sorry not trying to be a jerk but to clarify to make games mod able not the console is that what you where saying @allformats?

Ashunderfire863917d ago

But but but Kinect with mods would be sick!

aquamala3917d ago (Edited 3917d ago )

How would it even work? Mods work on pc because it's a pc, you can modify any files you want. Console code have to be signed, I suspect "mods" they refer to here are very limited , something like custom maps

BuLLDoG9093917d ago

maybe on games like fallout. but alot of publishers wouldnt want to give mod access, not for free at least.
it would cut into their dlc,

+ Show (14) more repliesLast reply 3917d ago
TimmyShire3918d ago

I'm all for it - providing it can be done properly.

I remember playing the PS3 version of Unreal Tournament 3 and being able to download maps from the internet, transfer them over with a USB and play them on the PS3. I dunno if the Xbox 360 version did the same - but I never saw X360 version so I'd expect not.

Either way, that was brilliant and I'd love that kind of support. Whether MS will enable as easily as PC games can be modded (highly unlikely) will remain to be seen, but I'll stay sceptical for now.

devwan3918d ago

You're correct, the 360 version does not support mods, unlike the ps3 version.

kwyjibo3918d ago

They need to do it properly.

The user experience on the PS3 is awful if that's how you did it, through a USB stick after having downloaded it from a PC. How many people do you think ever did that? That's why UT3 was one of the very few (only?) games which supported it.

Consoles need something like the Steam Workshop. A place that everyone can access and download and install mods from their console. That would be a game changer.

nick3093918d ago (Edited 3918d ago )

Only ut 3 had it.but if someone wants to put mods in their games in current gen consoles, they will need to hack their consoles, not for piracy just for mods.

vega2753918d ago

I'm glad I reserved my pre-order for the xbox one first. I really like what they are doing with the system and cant wait to play the games at launch

JohnCartenper3918d ago

TES:VI workshop for XBOne, system seller right there.

JohnCartenper3918d ago

No I mean like the Steam Workshop for Skyrim but on the XBO.

The Creation Kit would be on the pc side, or you think mods would be made on the console itself??

devwan3918d ago (Edited 3918d ago )

You think devs are going to let you at freely available mods of all kinds on consoles instead of the DLC you pay for to extend a game's lifespan? No chance, completely unrealistic.

The context in which the comment was made and the way it was offered in reply to the specific question - this isn't an announcement of intent or any reason to get excited.

iamnsuperman3918d ago (Edited 3918d ago )

You make a valid point. Consoles are built with DLC in mind. They are becoming the go to thing in console games. Modding could potentially eliminate the need for DLC. So good for consumers but bad for publishers which could mean we will not get it at all

theWB273918d ago

The fact that it has the capacity to allow mods is what you get excited over. He didn't state they would force developers to allow mods...so I don't think that's what people are getting excited over. Just the fact that it CAN happen....the pessimism people are showing to legit, decent, new information is just stupid.

At least there is one next gen console we're getting info about instead of just specs and the triangle.

devwan3918d ago (Edited 3918d ago )

Well it's an improvement over the 360 in this respect, but the ps3 was open to this but only one game ever supported it (Unreal Tournament 3).

Just think realistically and sensibly, from the devs' perspective. The only games that are likely to support game content that is not DLC or does not come in the box are those with user generated content like Project Spark or Little Big Planet.

As for info from console makers, both have been offering plenty recently, just not the fine technical detail some would like from certain parties, but that's OT.

theWB273918d ago

I understand that devs most likely won't do it...but it's cool the ability is there. I just don't understand why genuine decent news is always met with so much pessimism. It's always a but, then followed by a downer.

devwan3918d ago

Maybe Sony and MS should both report that they support dispensing free cash money from the bluray drive slot, but it's up to publishers to support it.

It'll never happen, but it'd be great news and worth getting hyped up about!

JohnCartenper3918d ago

@devwan

Bethesda could.

On PC, even though there are thousands of mods available, its DLC still got bought by a ton of people.

So the next Elder Scrolls installment on console could have this feature, why not?

Devs need to learn that if their DLC can't even compete with user-made mods, they either need to step up their game or just avoid releasing them, as they are just cash grabs.

SpideySpeakz3918d ago

I just mentioned something like this over at a blog. The next-gen consoles need mod support, and it's own modding community with it's own workshop. Skyrim developer mentioned something about bring the full experience of mods that's on the PC to the console.

Think about this way as well, it will sorta solve own "used game" issues, by making the individual software more long-lived. Yeah, DLC helps a bit, but there's nothing like freedom of creativity. Face it, there will always be DLC because of the quality they bring. Most DLC are based off other community-made mods, so it will likely improve the quality of DLC even more. The PS4 and Xbone NEEDS this BADLY. This was one of the reasons why I started playing on PC instead of console.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3918d ago
Show all comments (103)
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?"

purple1013d 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 ☝️

Zeref2d 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.

DarXyde2d 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.

PhillyDonJawn2d ago (Edited 2d 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.

Einhander19722d 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.

MrBaskerville2d 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.

shinoff21831d 22h 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.

Profchaos1d 21h 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 1d 21h ago
isarai2d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref2d 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.

MrNinosan2d ago

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

mkis0071d 12h ago (Edited 1d 12h ago )

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

Einhander19722d 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.

2d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19722d ago

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

2d ago
2d ago
Zeref2d 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.

DarXyde2d 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.

Einhander19722d 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.

Einhander19722d 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.

BehindTheRows2d ago (Edited 2d 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.

Zeref2d ago (Edited 2d 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.

Chevalier2d 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.

Tacoboto2d 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.

shinoff21831d 21h ago

Yay steam

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

Tacoboto1d 19h 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 1d 19h ago
Hofstaderman2d 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?

crazyCoconuts2d 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.

Xeofate2d ago (Edited 2d 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.

crazyCoconuts1d 7h 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

FinalFantasyFanatic1d 16h 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.

Show all comments (43)
370°

Could Xbox Soon Become The Next Dreamcast?

Microsoft's future in the video game space is murky right now, so let's break it all down.

Read Full Story >>
thegamer.com
ApocalypseShadow14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Not anytime soon. But they're on that path.

One thing not mentioned in the article is Microsoft's money bags. If Sega had Microsoft's money, they would have still been around as a hardware manufacturer. Xbox as a platform only survives because of the money bags. They can continue making consoles for the core and port to PC.

The multiplatform strategy is only the result of arrogance and misguided leadership that blew up in their face. They thought gamers would jump on Xbox in droves if they knew that many of their favorite games would be only on Xbox. But that's not happening at all. Sales didn't increase. They decreased. Why? Because the dumb asses thought giving away these expensively made games in a cheap service would also turn the tide.

Gamers on other platforms are willing to buy quality. They don't need to be handed nearly free games in a service that aren't even finished and sometimes average in their development. Gamers buy Nintendo games. They buy Sony games. Microsoft groomed their base to not buy games. Even the quality ones. It has always been their plan to go digital. But most gamers still like single player gaming. Still like physical releases.

Microsoft's problem has always been that they don't produce high quality games at the same output as Nintendo and Sony. Actually, they should be producing quite a lot more because they're worth over 2 TRILLION. How they don't have more is ridiculous and no excuse. Buying publishers to take away from competition only backfired. Because it still takes millions of dollars to continue to make those games from the publishers they snatched. Their only choice was to crawl back to their competitors to help sustain those developers because Nintendo and Sony platforms were the ones buying games.

Am I sorry for Microsoft? Hell no! They deserved last place for putting in the least effort. They deserved the fallout for buying up the industry and didn't make a single blip on the radar against their competitors where they now need those same gamers they took away games from to support them. Part of it may have been to cash in on their competition. But the result is the slow death of their platform. They may go 3rd party. They may keep making hardware. I don't give a shit about them to worry about it. I only give a shit about the destructive nature of their industry moves that only negatively affect gamers. They could sell and drop out of the industry and I wouldn't blink. Probably laugh. But not blink. They deserve whatever comes to them. At least Sega put in the effort when it came to games. They just had poor leadership. Microsoft has poor leadership and barely makes memorable games. That's a killer combination. And not in a good way.

Cacabunga14d ago

That would be an insult to Dreamcast.. it had a crazy line up of legendary critically acclaimed games.

Crows9014d ago

I was thinking the same. Dreamcast had incredible games in such a short amount of time. It was truly exceptional.

darthv7214d ago

...and yet all those great games were not enough to sway people from the looming release of the PS2 at the time. Sony just has that kind of brand loyalty.

Cacabunga14d ago

Darth

I do not agree.. Sony had even better games thanks to an unprecedented 3rd party support..
DC had amazing lineup but 90% were arcade games..

88314d ago

@darth:
And Sony showed off "The Emotion Engine" and their real time demos that made everyone think they would miss out on REAL next gen 128bit magic if they jumped in before PS2s polygon pushing monster (and early lack of anti-aliasing with a healthy heap of shimmer + DVD playback) stepped up. PS2 was a fantastic system though with amazing games.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 14d ago
blacktiger14d ago

That's not true. Just because Microsoft has the money doesn't mean Microsoft can allow xbox to bleed entire Microsoft money. It doesn't work like they. Also SEC will be watching and investor won't allow it. Lot of reasons why Microsoft can not continue even if they wanted to. SEC regulations is expensive.

fr0sty14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Exactly this... Microsoft is a publicly traded company, mostly owned by their shareholders (Approximately 59.24% of the company's stock is owned by Institutional Investors, 7.73% is owned by Insiders and 33.03% is owned by Public Companies and Individual Investors.). Their shareholders call the shots on the business decisions, and their shareholders want one thing and one thing only, for their stock price to go up. Losses do not make stock prices go up... so if the division continually posts losses on hardware, but shows profits on software and services (which has been the case with Xbox its entire lifespan, for over 20 years now), the shareholders are going to grow impatient and demand they stop making hardware and focus on the only thing that has ever made them money, software and services.

When Microsoft bought Blizzard and Activision for almost 100 billion, I knew that was the nail in the coffin for Xbox as a console... as the shareholders were going to expect a quick return on that investment, and when it didn't materialize, they were going to be out for blood... out to force Xbox to sell those games on as many consoles as possible, "and while you're at it, sell those first party exclusives that aren't selling well on other consoles as well... hell, just stop making consoles and sell games."

If there is another Xbox console generation, it will definitely be the last, but I doubt there even will be one at this point. I think the Xbox division planning on it just in case, but I don't think the project has been greenlit from Microsoft itself. The rumors that they have not yet even secured the chips needed from the chip fabrication facilities ties into this.

shinoff218314d ago

While I usually agree with you . Alot of what was said can just also be asked before any of that.

How long will the shareholders wait? It doesn't appear long at all

Babadook713d ago

I think I get your point. Like just because MS has money does not mean they are content to throw it away on a dying ecosystem. Xbox has to be profitable or “what’s the point?”

ifinitygamer14d ago

Money bags, yes, but are we ignoring that Xbox actually makes a profit on games and GamePass? Hardware is often a loss leader, and they're probably making profit 4 years into the life cycle, but games and services revenue have been very profitable while other parts of Microsoft's business is struggling. Say what you will about the quality of those games, of course, but this is kind of a reverse Dreamcast situation, where the console was dragging down the company and put it at risk of shuttering entirely. Killing that console saved the business and allowed it to continue to make games on multiple platforms. In this case, the service is very profitable, as are the games, and they're also double-dipping into Multiplatform to extend this further, while their hardware is just sort of what they believe to be the best for gamers and their own titles (whether that is the case or not...)

fr0sty14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

The issue is, they aren't selling enough hardware to make their exclusives profitable, and now that they've bought half the gaming publisher/dev industry, they have no choice but to go third party to make a profit... and that is making their shareholders take a real close look at their hardware division under the microscope... why keep making the hardware if the software is all that is making them money, and they continually, generation after generation come in dead last with hardware sales?

Look at a game like Spiderman 2... if it had been an Xbox exclusive, with the amount it cost to develop, it would have been a huge failure... simply not enough consoles out there to sell it on. They would have been lucky to break even.

ifinitygamer14d ago

@fr0sty agreed completely, which is why they're hedging by releasing other games to multiplatform, plus they have PC to make up for the difference in a lot of ways, which is why their games are not complete money pits. It brings up the question of whether or not those exclusives would drive sales of consoles, though. Let's say Spiderman 2 was an Xbox exclusive, it would certainly have pushed console sales, though who's to say how much is anyone's guess.

fr0sty13d ago

That's why you can't rely on just one exclusive, Sony has always delivered on a wide range of solid exclusives, even this generation (even if they haven't been strong on the first party exclusives, they've made up for it with third party). They don't rely on just one "system seller", they have a portfolio of them.

14d ago
JBlaze22613d ago

ApocalypseShadow To be honest Sony has more of a chance to go 3rd party because like you said Microsoft has money, Sony does not. Sony does not have games, Only games they have come from 3rd party. Sony has been losing money for years and you. Saying Microsoft has been putting the least effort just proves you have no idea what's been going on. All Sony has done is repeat and recycle, never innovating or doing something new. All Sony has is brand loyalty nothing else and it shows.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 13d ago
LG_Fox_Brazil14d ago

Not sure about that. It's been two decades and I still think about Power Stone, Shenmue, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Seaman and others, but I'm not sure I'll remember Xbox Series X/S games in a few years from now... Maybe I'll remember about the franchises that the Xbox brand spawned, but I don't believe that the Xbox Series lives up to the late Dreamcast or even to the Xbox name itself. I do have great memories about the 360 with Blue Dragon, Gears 2 and Lost Odyssey though

isarai14d ago

Nah, sega actually makes good games

Becuzisaid14d ago

No, Dreamcast was ahead of it's time and most still have very fond memories of it that had one. It also had some good games on it even in it's short lifespan. Xbox has none of these qualities.

Profchaos14d ago

I remember it coming out at the time in a really bad place they hit the market before the PS2 but it was during this transitional time when Sony was promoting the power of the PS2 and so many of the Dreamcast games were awesome but often third parties simply ported the PS1 version increased resolution and performance but rarely fully utilise the capabilities of the console.

I think in the end bad marketing done it in and like the GameCube so many people are fond of it now but at the time it was looked at in the lense of the day and it didn't stack up.

Personally I miss Sega in hardware they took risks that many companies won't

Becuzisaid14d ago

I never owned it, and got the PS2 right when it launched. But there were certain games it had that I was always jealous of that I didn't have access to - Sonic adventure, crazy taxi, power Stone, code Veronica, shenmue, skies of Arcadia. I always thought it was a really cool machine though. I've never heard a bad thing about it though from those that had it.

FinalFantasyFanatic14d ago

I only ever saw one Dreamcast, and that was one my friend owned, pity I never got to play it, I wonder what games he had for it?

It would be nice if some of those games got ported to modern systems.

Profchaos14d ago

Oh man sonic adventure on the Dreamcast made me so jealous as a huge sonic fan on the mega drive who also moved to PlayStation 2 I never got the chance to play it back in the day either. The Dreamcast in Australia where I am was always relegated to the smallest corner of EB Games it was kind of a strong first indicator that things were not going well at the time.

Show all comments (72)
80°

Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox and weekly streaks to be killed off soon

Microsoft has announced the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox will be discontinued in April and has confirmed that weekly streaks will also be coming to an end.

Read Full Story >>
trueachievements.com