AlienLion writes:
"It’s not like you need more reasons to love the 50′s, but that’s when man invented both video games and lasers. The decade is basically the guitar solo of human existence but I digress. Ever since gaming appeared, we have been trying to use whatever available technology to make it more awesome, from vector displays to PC’s to HDTV’s to cell phones. If gaming is at all possible on a given gadget, we have put it there (there is Doom on a calculator FFS); and whenever gaming became too much of a pain in the ass on a certain type of a gadget, we have abandoned it and moved on to better things.
For awhile now, video game consoles have been a very convenient and suitable gaming gadget but perhaps it’s time to take a closer look and see if the upcoming 8th generation of consoles is about the time to move on yet again..."
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.
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.
Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.
"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.
Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"
Microsoft: "why's that"
Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'
A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.
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.
Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.
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.
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.
Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.
At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath
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
I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.
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.
As part of its plans to cut 1,900 jobs, Microsoft has reportedly shut down operations at Bethesda France, letting go roughly 15 people
They can form a company if they want, they are just as jobless as if "Microsoft had left them as 3rd party".
"MIcrosoft leaves Bethesda do what they know how to do best" ... close! Oh the irony ....
(Citation from a week old article)
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.
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
that's a shame for you to say that, i'm sure Elite loves hearing what you just said.
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
It's France too, there's a high likelihood only 1-2 people on the team even had an Xbox.
Tbh Microsoft I think Bethesda being 3rd party same with Activision would probably more competitive than thus scenario imo
I think it would have been better for all parties really especially gamers
The recently purchased Activision French offices might take over all the licensing and marketing for Microsoft in France from now on.
We need consoles.
No more ease of convenience- That one speaks for itself as a stupid argument. You buy it, you plug it in, you're done.
Price - Again invalid. If you can't sell your games on the PC than when you buy Bioshock, playthrough it in a week. You have just spent £30 you can't get back, whereas on console you can spend £35 and get £25-30 back. Also PS+ means that the money you spend on multiplayer is subsidised by the vast amount of content that will exceed the cost of PS+.
No value - I don't wuite understand the point? That there hasnt been a format change in any media to add value to consoles? Dumb point. I buy a game console to play games, not to watch TV, not to watch movies, not to play music. The fact there havn't been any new formats means that the consoles are just as valuable as ever.
More restrictions - true. Modding is why some people really enjoy PC, not for me. With more restrictions also mean hackers and aimbots and hackers. I will give more restrictions as a positive for PC but it does have it's trade offs.
REASONS TO HAVE CONSOLES
Ease of use
The majority of people play on one system allowing developers without having to scale down to any other systems.
The exclusives
Poor/late PC ports
Additional features on a machine built to facilitate gaming features.
I've got a master idea that will make PC and console gaming obsolete forever. I just need 10 - 15 years, with a fund of 15 - 20 billion dollars, and a massive scientific research of the human brain. No more controller. No more television screens.
1) Convenience
2) Exclusive games
3) True optimization due to the fixed hardware. No need for developers to scale their games.
4) Substantially lower initial price