Xbox Series X games no longer defined by technology, says Microsoft

From Guardian Games: "The head of Xbox Studios says the machine removes the need to think about technical constraints – and discusses controversial Halo: Infinite and Fable demos!"

[seanpitt23]

These guys need to stop talking man they are digging a bigger hole for themselves... saying xbsx has no limits or technical boundaries then they show us that mediocre demo

[RpgSama]

IF the Series X might not have technical boundaries then the developers CLEARLY do, I'll blame MS mandate to do most of their games as GaaS + work cross-generation and PC, that's bound to only bring the games down.

I think of MS leadership as Mugatu from Zoolander saying "GaaS, SO HOT RIGHT NOW",,

[Bruh]

PC isn't really a constraint, you can build on the Series X and leave the PC port to be run on brute force. The Xbox One with its abysmal 1.6 TFLOPs will always hinder graphical prowess

[Ratchet75]

You sir, deserve one big foamy latte.
😂😂😂

[rdgneoz3]

Cross gen is what will hold them back. Having to make sure a game works on an 8+ year old piece of technology, rather than focusing on the new systems (and PCs can be built to handle it as well, depending on the money you want to invest). You won't see a true first party next gen game on XsX for 2 years as a result.

[solideagle]

yup, Even Dominos Pizza UK knows that: https://twitter.com/Dominos...

:p

[RauLeCreuset]

Yikes! That was mean. I think we can put to rest that this is just something being talked about on corners of the internet casual gamers don't pay attention to.

[Ratchet75]

That was really brutal.
😂 😂

[ABizzel1]

😂😂😂

💀💀💀

[DigitallyAfflicted]

Brutal

[dumahim]

Funny coming from Dominos, since I don't think they've done a single thing new with their pizza since they added the garlic flavor to the crust, which was 2009.

[rainslacker]

You got it all wrong. That demo was to show the power of retro gaming, in new glorious 4K/60 fps. It was really just a old crappy system filter you can apply....not ulike those black and white or rainbow filters that some games have.

MS is brilliant. They're just slyly making people think they suck, then BOOM!!!, they come out with a game that is marginally acceptable, and they are lauded for their innovation. Truly brilliant I tell ya. It's a great way to reduce production costs, because if you lower people's standards, then you don't have to work so hard to make awesome looking games, which means it lowers production costs, and then you can throw it up on streaming, and people will pay you all year for half decent games because the other option is below average games.

Just wait for it. It will all become obvious one day. The true power of Xbox isn't in it's Terraflops or Ray Tracing, or SSD, or CU's, or services like game pass....no.....Xbox's true power is the ability to lower people's expectations.

@solid

lol. Wow. Wouldn't expect that from Dominos. They're known to partner with MS for various promotions.

OTOH, it drove a ton of people to their twitter account. Could this whole thing become the next marketing meme? That would be something to behold.

[Petebloodyonion]

@ Rainslacker
So despite the fact that MS said several times that the SX version of the game would feel like playing on a Pc, that we have yet to see Multiplayer, if the game will be Coop, length, etc.. you are already disappointed in the game. It's okay I can respect your opinion
but I hope that If Spider-man Miles Morales feature a 6 hours story campaign with no multiplayer for 60$
or if it's just feature a little graphical update to ps4, that you will be the first one to mention it with the same passion you have about Halo and not suddenly change tune about game play or something like that.
Cause let's face it, the game, according to Sony, was made with PS5 in mind and that PS5 game should now way shape or form feel held down by the PS4 (like Halo).

Deal?

[SamTheGamer]

Lol

[HannibalLecter]

It really is like they are setting their fans up to be happy with mediocrity. Lower them expectations and put out a ton of gamepass filler with a few first party games here and there.

Not caring about quality really but filler for the services.

Fans praised savior Phil but now we all know why he was promoted basically to corporate because he kept you fans waiting, hoping and wishful thinking for an entire gen with barely producing anything of substance but sure sold you a x1, x1s, x1d and the 1x and how many controllers.
Then discontinue the 1X.
Hell I'd promote the man too bringing in money selling you folks services with hardly any real investment and being able to spin that PR jargon like a non stop top.

Keeping you fans strung along an entire gen and actually still continues to do so and you fans eat that shit up. You fans seem to love it.
Well some the others jumped out long ago with more to follow this gen it seems.
Kinda crazy world we live in now. Smh

[Rhythmattic]

Pete

0:41 might peak your interest.

https://youtu.be/-3OZHzPRzw...

[Petebloodyonion]

@ rytmic
I fail to see how this is supposed to pick my interest. I don’t doubt the PS5 power nor I doubt that it will have great game.
But seeing how streaming load work on PS5 vs PS4 pro is a given.
Now personally I won’t cry a river if Spideman feel a transition just like Halo because history has shown that big AAA game that showcase the power or console are usually release in the end of the sec year.

[Rhythmattic]

Pete...
Whoosh???
If games can be designed on new hardware architecture, where actual game worlds or game mechanics can be expanded upon without being tied to just "less powerful" designs... Well good on Res and FPS... Because even a GIF is based on the exact rudimentary idea..

Its just like VR...Its a game changer.... But, There are games developed from the ground up, understanding the approach must be different... And as those developers and tools develop and become more mature, Its more than shop hip and a jump from the satndard "Flat" gaming medium.....

Its definitely changed the way I play.... And the fact people just think FLOPS , well , Id personally prefer a few flops less with exclusive games, VR , and new possibilities than the same old same old "Its Faster"
But thats just Me... Nah.... I imagine a lot of others think the same....

[DarXyde]

I have to agree.

Their messaging has been abysmal in my opinion. Every time they say something, they raise expectations, only to under deliver or completely change their messaging.

Microsoft is literally the company that used TFlops as their indicator for performance on Xbox One X. Their devotees ran with that, and when Cerny said during the GDC talk that you have to look past that, the devotees once again said he was shook because "12TF>10.28TF". Great, they can do basic math. Now, Microsoft has mentioned TFLOPS don't matter ahead of their showing and didn't do a thing to say, "THIS is what 12TF can do with limited gameplay shown (and the gameplay that WAS shown really wasn't visually stunning—granted, I would certainly prioritize performance too, but nothing was shown that was outstanding and in game). They proceed to show Ori at 120fps, which would be great if it wasn't an old game.

I'm not complaining about Microsoft's showing exactly. I'm complaining about their hype and failure to follow through.

Now, we've got this whole "no limits or boundaries" messaging. Meanwhile, you're not taking advantage of its power any time soon and there's still no confirmed VR options for Series X. I think the box is a splendid piece of hardware and it's definitely going to impress technically, but Microsoft really needs to stop. Not to be political, but comparing this to the current state of affairs in the US presidential race, the guy in his basement seems to largely be the favorite according to polling while the guy who can't stop talking is hanging himself every time he opens his mouth.

Just stop talking, show gameplay, and let people form their own opinions. It's like they know what to say to get people excited, but haven't a clue when it comes to implementation.

[Chaos_Order]

This is like the "Power of the cloud" all over again.

I still remember watching that Crackdown 3 gameplay demo and having to pick my jaw up from the floor. At the event they literally showed gameplay in real time, with one of the devs shooting down a wall. I was absolutely blown away. It was incredible. There was no way they were BSing their way through that, right? We literally have gameplay! We can trust them... Right?

Sorry to go a bit off topic, but... That one still stings. And this time, with Infinite, even their BS "running on a PC" demo doesn't look great. Someone wake me up when GT7 and Rift Apart are released...

[dietis_h]

exactly.

microsoft is a joke.

[DigitallyAfflicted]

Power of Xbox depends on amount of vapour in troposphere/ more vapour = more power

[Hakuoro]

Ah, so I just had to read the article to ascertain the level of BS. (it's over 9000)

They start by making under the cuff excuses for not showing console and using PC to show their games.

And of course it wouldn't be a Microsoft interview without bringing up Sony specifically Horizon to try to capitalize on that games success and downplay Sony. (Anyone remember when Phil said single player games like Horizon and Zelda weren't relevant? Now they openly admit they are copying it.)

Of course mixed in with a ton of vague hyperbolic statements about power. And of course because Microsoft can double talk their own statements in a single interview they say things like. Yes we're beyond console technology, Then in the next sentence talk about how powerful the technology in their console is.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

"They start by making under the cuff excuses for not showing console and using PC to show their games."

MS has been using PC footage for its games since the 360 days, so who cares anymore. At the end of the day nobody cares, except you who toss and turns at night. Gee Its almost like MS are PC architects or something.

"And of course it wouldn't be a Microsoft interview without bringing up Sony specifically Horizon to try to capitalize on that games success and downplay Sony. (Anyone remember when Phil said single player games like Horizon and Zelda weren't relevant? Now they openly admit they are copying it.)"

Tell us where they brought up Sony in this specific article? MS: We have a strong console. You: That's a jab at Sony! Despite the fact that Sony can make the same general statement as MS because its true Sony has strong console, just like MS. You bought up The Horizon comments something that's complete irrelevant to this topic but you use that a go to excuse, for, reasons...I guess or no reason at all.

[purple101]

From what they showed. There console is anything but strong. I'm worried for xbox fans.

Personally I have always shared consoles with my brother.

Mehadrive/genesis
N64
Ps1
Dreamcast
Ps2
Xbox
Ps3 plus brother had xbox 360.
Brother also has xbx one.

Between us we've had them all and been gaming many, many years.

But when I got a ps4 for myself, I'm not going back to xbox. No way, Jose.

Thed have to pay ME to take one.

[JEECE]

As a longtime PlayStation fan who is buying PS5 day one and thinks it's pretty clearly the more compelling option, I don't get the hate. Sony fans are starting to get almost as bad as 360 fanboys were in 2005-2008 (almost...all the fake "MGS4 is coming to 360" articles don't quite have a counterpart right now).

Everyone uses PC footage sometimes, especially pre-console launch. It's certainly better than before XONE launched when MS got caught showing PS4 footage of Watch Dogs.

[TheProblem]

“ MS has been using PC footage for its games since the 360 days, so who cares anymore”

And it’s something they have always been criticised for.

Remember when they went full deception mode by hiding PC’s in cabinets while displaying the Xbox One in full view for their playable demo’s?

You would think they would learn their lesson

[kayoss]

@Angelic, you a Trump supporter? I see the same mentality in you as Trump Supporters. They will defend a moron like Trump regardless of how wrong he is.

[CaptainObvious878]

@Kayoss

Please stop spoon feeding cnn.

[HannibalLecter]

Seems you keep owning yourself with these desperate attempts at damage control. You did it all gen, I even gave you the benefit of the doubt at one point it seemed you were starting to question things yourself from xbox camp. Then you jumped right back on that hype train and continue the damage control.
When will enough be enough for you? Going in circles never gets you anywhere.

[dietis_h]

if this new console is so powerful, why can’t they show something running on it that looks next gen? what are they afraid of?

[crazyCoconuts]

When they mention Horizon I think they're taking about Forza Horizon

[AngelicIceDiamond]

@The Problem and what had it resulted in at the very end of the day? Nothing. Ryse held up well graphically as well as several other games like Quantum Break. Gears on 360 also looked great for its time. Elder Scrolls same thing. Nobody cares as a whole because the games are good.

[TheProblem]

It resulted in their games being downgraded. Every single game ms announced was downgraded from announcement to release.

If you can’t see what is wrong with falsifying a product in order to sell it then you are in a world of your own. If any other company did it for a retail product they would be in trouble.

It is something Sony never do anymore Every game they demo is either running or rendered on their hardware. You have to go back to 2005 with the kill zone 2 target render and they quickly learned from that. MS continue to deceive and never learn

[Redlife2g]

😂 You're like a downvote magnet

[zeuanimals]

Ryse, a launch game for the XBO, like you said still holds up. Actually, it looks better than Halo Infinite. Sure, it's 900p, 30-ish FPS, and not open world, but still, it came out 7 years ago on significantly weaker hardware.

And I guess people do care because many of the games have been mediocre or just okay.

[dietis_h]

do you work for microsoft? this is pure dmg control and you know it.

[rainslacker]

Also remember when Spencer said he wanted a game that could go up against Uncharted as his reason for getting Tomb Raider. Haven't seen that come to fruition after what....4 years now?

Personally, I don't ever take anything Spencer says he wants to do seriously, unless it sounds like something that will change consumer buying habits, or involves MS going towards another market that exists in the overall gaming market. Anything else is pretty much just hot air.

[CaptainObvious878]

I'm starting to see the same pattern again that occurred years ago.

At the time of the original xbone announcement it was clear what a disaster the launch was going to be after the 24 online check in and DRM. And I distinctly remember for about 2-3 weeks after the horrible announcement there were 2-3 articles DAILY coming out with new disastrous news. An MS excec would put their foot in their mouth or one of their lies being exposed, or they'd confirm some new anti-consumer information that made the whole thing even worse.
See https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Day by day is was getting worse and worse. So bad in fact that xbox diehards even saw it, but of course they could never admit it. They couldn't reconcile what was happening to their beloved brand, so they went full frothing at the mouth, hyper aggressive fanboy. I was genuinely, and I mean genuinely, concerned about their mental state and well being. You could feel the seething anger and utter desperation in every comment.

Fast forward to today and it's clear (even in this article some people are getting very angry and defensive) that same pattern has started again and I can pinpoint the very date it commenced. July 23rd 2020.

I'm pleading with you xbox guys, don't go down that dark path again. Please.

[SamTheGamer]

It’s called double standard by MS

[waverider]

Microsoft less talk, more work...

[cesar4]

Work takes work but bs is free.

[Kaedro]

Wow man, I think you clearly summarized Xbox's strategy.

[rainslacker]

LOL. Love that statement. Gonna use it from now on.:)

[nowitzki2004]

Im convinced they spend as much time researching BS they will use as they do making games.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

This looks more like backtracking to me. This is just a fancy way of them saying our 1st party is working on X Series games. I'm curious because now its seems like The execs and the developers, their own teams never communicated their strategy I guess MS assumed they were making generational exclusives.

But to be fair MS never specified, or it was limited to their own first party though.

https://www.engadget.com/20...

"It'll be a year or two before the console has first-party exclusives" That's the writers headline, which largely false.

What Matt Booty really said was:

"As our content comes out over the next year, two years, all of our games, sort of like PC, will play up and down that family of devices," Booty said."

"Content partners" 2nd and 3rd party indie, AA or AAA. So games like Tetris, Gunked, Bright Memory, The Ascent, Tell Me Why of course Halo Infinite which was already being developed on X1 way before the X Series and Psychonauts 2 again well into development on X1 and PS4 before MS bought them. Call Of The Sea. Only 2 1st party games are cross gen and the rest are cross gen, plus more will undoubtedly be announced if its the first year or two, that's fine by me. Also proof that MS wasn't dictating its 1st party to do cross gen stuff. They kept to their word and let the teams work on whatever hardware they choose, on whatever game they decide to make. So MS never back tracked or double talked at all, at least here.

That makes my first statement pointless now lol.

[neutralgamer1992]

Diamond

All I know is you have been at every Ms article defending them like you are getting paid. Right now what they are getting is fair criticism only with that criticism can they really improve moving forward

Instead of always defending maybe try to see their shortcomings too. Your heart might be in the right place but your comments are clearly defensive and show favoritsm

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Ok stop, stop stop what do you have to say about my post stay on topic. Don't worry about what I'm doing. What do you have to say about my post on MS cross gen approach?

[yomfweeee]

Phil Spencer 100% said "You won’t be forced into the next generation. We want every Xbox player to play all the new games from Xbox Game Studios. That’s why Xbox Game Studios titles we release in the next couple of years—like Halo Infinite—will be available and play great on Xbox Series X and Xbox One. We won’t force you to upgrade to Xbox Series X at launch to play Xbox exclusives."

https://news.xbox.com/en-us...

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Notice he only mentioned Halo Infinite. A game that was deep in development on X1 for a while. A launch game, he mentioned one game from its first party but Psychonauts is also cross gen title as well. The rest are from 3rd or 2nd party. Matt said from its content partners but not 1st party.

[rainslacker]

I love how suddenly H:I is a cross gen game, and that a good reason to not have high expectations of it. I mean, I recall how the cross gen stuff wasn't going to hold back the next gen. How if you even mentioned that H:I was a current gen game with enhanced graphics but nothing else, you were shot down by every Xbox fan boy here as a hater, or fan boy, or hypocrite. I recall how the XSX was the lead platform for H:I, and they were scaling back for this gen. The list really goes on and on about all the things that H:I was going to be. Countless arguments made up to defend MS, and every one of them ended up being proved wrong less than a week ago.

I've noticed this quite a few times over this gen, where prior criticisms of MS are made into positives when it can be spun around, and past defenses on those things are ignored.

Hell, I recall when one user mocked me because I once made mention that H:I could be a GaaS game, not as it would be a bad thing, just a speculation based on the name, and not one I even pressed that often....even in the face of MS moving towards GaaS models. He went on about how wrong I was, and how MS was all committed to AAA, and all these new studios were proof of that.

Well...now here we are, and H:I is the laughing stock of the internet right now, oh, AND its going to be a GaaS game. I'm sure soon we'll hear how that's a good thing, so I really should pour through my comments to find that particular conversation.

Oddly enough, that person hasn't been around much since the conference, and hasn't posted in four days. I'd say maybe they got a restriction, but they haven't been in any of these negative articles, yet what few comments they do have are still positive towards mS, so it's not like they have finally seen just how bad MS actually is like I've noticed from a few other super fans around here.

What it comes down to is that H:I was the dinner bell for the serving of crow. An entire generation of MS performance, marketing, and PR BS exemplified in an 8 minute video. It's a last straw, and it's finally something that is so obvious, that it can't be denied, and people are going to take their shots at MS, and MS will continue on it's same performance path, use the same marketing, and talk the same PR BS that they have before, because if there is one thing that actually is consistent over at MS, it's that they never learn.

[RpgSama]

@Rainslacker

" I mean, I recall how the cross gen stuff wasn't going to hold back the next gen. How if you even mentioned that H:I was a current gen game with enhanced graphics but nothing else, you were shot down by every Xbox fan boy here as a hater, or fan boy, or hypocrite. I recall how the XSX was the lead platform for H:I, and they were scaling back for this gen"

Up until a week ago they were still going on about sliders and scalability, even Phil Spencer said it speaking to GamesIndustry, he called the idea of games being held back "a meme that gets created by people who are too caught up in device competition."

And fanboys used that quote for a good 13 days until they saw Halo Infinite, now it's ok for it to look old gen, actually it was expected according to them, it's us that are blowing things out of proportion by pretending too much from a cross-gen game, as always MS it's great at moving goal posts.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

If only people viewed it as such from the beginning.

Prior to the 23rd people swore up and down about how pro consumer it was that games were cross gen and how MS wasn't abandoning millions of current gen gamers just to sell/force you to buy a new box that will take devs a couple years to fully utilize it anyway. People were also adamant that if a game could run on previous consoles, why not release them on there as well. Also oftenly brought up was how you can build for next gen first and then scale down to lesser consoles.

Now games that were listed as coming to XB1 are being removed from the platform. And now people are like "MS never demanded cross gen in the first place!" Oh really? Then why weren't people saying this before? The 23rd comes and goes and all of sudden the cross gen vs next gen only debate is no longer a thing. Weird.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

We mainly took Matt's words out of context or we didn't read what he said rigbt. We saw 1st party, but he said content partners. We just immediately thought he meant their studios and ran with it. But he never said that all. I would of made clarity on his statement if I didn't read it wrong like everyone else did.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

But do you understand my overall point?

Correct if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that people only took that stance because they thought MS was pushing for it and not because they truly believed that cross gen was the best way to go. Otherwise one should be upset if a game had XB1 listed as a platform, but is now removed.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

They're still pushing for it, just not for 1st party. Matt could of re-clarified what he meant at the start.

[rainslacker]

That kind of stuff annoys me to no end. Countless arguments on here saying the same thing you said that is now used as a defense by the side that you were arguing with months, or even years ago. People that swore up and down how wrong you were, only to act like they always believed what you said to be true, and refuse to ever admit that others were saying that before, but as a criticism, not a positive.

Spin is an amazing tool, and MS does have it's loyal followers trained well. But, if you notice, it usually takes a few days for those things to start making the rounds. I'm starting to come to the belief that MS is putting this spin out there for it's community to use to negate the criticisms, because from what I can tell, most people who make these positive statements on bad things don't seem very good at coming up with any kind of original thought based on critical thinking skills. It's always just parroting the current talking points that paint MS in a good light.

[robleroy]

People (xbox and ps fans) are missing the big picture.

SONY and Microsoft are two different animals.

SONY is a hardware and entertainment (media) company which must rely on the quality of its products because of the name\brand SONY. (SONY means quality)

MICROSOFT is a IT product provider (internet and computing services) with a large portion of marketing wizards who are the best in marketing whatever they have (Microsoft has developed great products by copying/buying technology and marketing them at AAA level (Exchange,Skype,Windows etc etc))

From my point of view Microsoft is busy making gamepass their primair golden goose.
(I remember the 360 days when Microsoft pushed the 1parties to develop their games towards xboxlive (HALO3..Do we remember the quote "single play games are dead"/ paywall etc etc...?))
and turning down a HALO movie directed/helmed by direct9 and lord of the rings two directors because of an extra 100.000.000 and stating afterwards that they invested 300.000.000 for the design of the xbox one game controller.

Naturally BUNGIE left MS ofcourse to try to continue to conquer the world with destiny.

What I read trough the lines, is that MS is less interested (only during the OG xbox) in creating the best games, but more interested in having the most games\subscriptions and creating revenue because of that.

I do not blame MS. They've tried during the 1 xbox, but it was a financial disaster to compete with SONY to manage game companies to create AAA games that could compete. (yes ther were very succesfull in topping SONY at their own game, but the investments and cost to manage game development was too much of a challance)
It's easier to create HYPE and a lot of hot air and invest 0 or less possible in gamestudios or games.

The ps5 development cycle was longer (2017 :sony's first confimation) compaired to the xbox x series, and the design should say a lot in how much investment was done in each of the consoles.

The gamepass method/stategy is mostly good for newcommers or indies. This is good because MS has been criticised because of this in the past.
The bad news is because of the multi platform playability pushing, AAA game development will be prioritised less. (the game/goal will not be about selling the most consoles anymore for Microsoft, but selling the most gamepass subscribtions)

I was betting on HALO to lure me into getting a xbox (I really miss the halo and halo2 days...Halo 3 was also great for multy play, the single play not so much)).

It looks like I'll be staying at SONY. ...I just can't see 343 or any company fixing HALO infinity to the level that it at least looks miles better than Destiny2 and maybe a little next GEN feel would also be good.

[FlavorLav01]

Oh, it’s still dragging that ball and chain called the OneS along with it, so yea I’d say their might be at least one technical limitation lingering around.

[crazyCoconuts]

I really don't think that's it- it's just the game isn't polished. RDR2 released on X1S and that didn't keep it from looking glorious on X1X. I mean we're not in the ballpark of expecting photo realism here or some inconceivable gameplay mechanic.

[FlavorLav01]

Yea, but we’re talking 4 months from release here. God of War 2016 footage didn’t improve that drastically after 2 additional years in development and release in 2018. Can’t imagine we’ll see a revolution in what was shown of Infinite vs. the release product. I think the not polished is a bit of an excuse at this point and with that games budget and importance to the brand personally.

[crazyCoconuts]

I'm just saying it's the game, not the decision to make it play on X1.

[zeuanimals]

It's definitely the game and not the XBO that's making the visuals that bad. There's more ambitious games on the XBO that don't even look that bad. As we see from the Gears 5 on XSX visuals, it looks great. Even Gears 5 on the XBO looked better than this footage. This game doesn't look great and the complete mismanagement of 343 is clear. And this is what they let happen to their most beloved franchise, while claiming it's gonna be supported for 10 years. That's 10 more years of mismanagement.

[Rhythmattic]

Flavour...
I think there more concentrated on the One s than the X... because theres certainly more of those "Consoles" owned which is a larger pool of money for Subscription .....

Sad really.....
Maybe Im old school.... A console is just that, a console....... not a cross platform, multiplatform gaming box,.,, Never will I consider a console a computer , a tablet,a phone ect.... .,,,,It seems once again the pure definition that is "Console Gaming" is losing the war to its actual ideal.
At least those "Candy Crush" phone players will be in Awe of the S graphics... but, they probably play it at home on their computer , and theyll be a side game linked to assests they can play on their phone.... All for the price of mediocrity,

[neutralgamer1992]

Just please talk less and show more it seems like even the executives are not on the same page so forget about PR and higher ups being on the same page

I know this Sony pushed hard on SSD and showed a game in ratchet and clank that clearly showed how beneficial it could be. Ms has been talking about power non stop yet so far where have they shown that power to be the IT factor

Xbox brand was nothing but confusion before launch of Xbox one and now that they are a bit more stable it seems they can't even get out of their own way

Please talk less and show actual gameplay that shows the power and other benefits of XSX

[RaiderNation]

Xbox series X games no longer defined by technology."

(Looks at Halo Infinite) You're damn right theyre not!

[rainslacker]

Apparently MS games are now defined by technicalities, and not technology.

[zsquaresoff]

Phil Spencer is the new Peter Molyneux. Over promise, under deliver.

[Sunny_D]

Milo still makes me cringe.

[rainslacker]

I think Molyneux actually wanted to deliver what he promised though. He failed to do so because he was over-ambitious versus his resources.

MS, OTOH, doesn't really care if it delivers what they promise, so long as they can make people think they're delivering what those people believe they want.

[TeamIcoFan]

https://twitter.com/Dominos...

[sin7279]

Lol hahaha!

[Sunny_D]

Ouch even pizza chains are making fun of Halo.

[CaptainObvious878]

Man....

You know it's bad when pizza companies are posting memes about how bad a game looked...

Also, the salty xbox fans in that twitter thread are hilarious.

[TKCMuzzer]

Funny as ef. All of them saying they won’t buy their Pizza again, unbelievable.
If you can’t laugh at things like this, fan or not then you to need to have a word with yourself. .

[Kaedro]

Oh of course they don't need to think about technological constraints... That is so true for a company that is developing all their games also for the OG Xbox one. No tech constraints at all. /s

[Poopmist]

Terrible messaging imo. Just show a game with incredible ray tracing on an XSX already if you want people to take it seriously.

[Charal]

Pure none sense, their is always tech limitations.
Plus, Greenberg said Halo was an old built to justify graphic backlash, but now it is art style for Spencer?

Seems like they don’t even try anymore.

[morganfell]

Yet 343 stated "While this is just a section of the final game, it took a herculean effort to make sure this little corner of our Ringworld was polished and pretty enough for its premiere!"

Does that sound like an old demo that wasn't good enough but they decided to show anyway?

[russo121]

Omg, the world is lost, they don't have a strategy, Greenberg says A, Spencer says B, 343 says C and fanboys ABC.

[CaptainObvious878]

This is the xbone mixed messaging all over again.

[Charal]

They should stop stating anything, as everything seems to contradict across this mess.

They will not be any massive graphics overhaul for a launcher in 4 months: some framerate polishing and bug cleaning at best If the game is close to completion.

If not, let’s be prepared for a poor graphics and bug cramped product at launch.

[morganfell]

They do not have 4 months even. 2 months with the last month being Gold Master Cert then reproduction and shipping. During that time they can work on a patch but still it will be 3 months or less.

[yomfweeee]

No limitations folks! Just ignore the bad demo we had! Just ignore that we can't show you any game play! Trust us!

[Gamist2dot0]

If that's the case then the director for Halo needs to go. In the gameplay trailer, you can hear large exploding canons firing at the ship. The ship goes down, crashes. You come out of the ship and only a few alien grunts attack you. The rest of the aliens and life nearby are completely oblivious to what just occurred.

[MADGameR]

There you go folks. MS is clearly all about GamePass not next gen gaming.

[TheHateTheyGive]

Xbox is lucky that them 3rd party games on game pass sell tons on ps4 because they're not selling on xbox one, next gen i see 3rd parties not putting their games on xbox for that reason. Game pass will be indy games xbox studio unreal engine cheap games and old xbox one games.

[tochi]

Should have said it BEFORE the disastrous conference.
Then it could have sounded a bit nicer.
Liar.

[TheHateTheyGive]

I remember double talking compulsive lying phil was gushing after seeing the ps5 games reveal, then the xbox seriex x games reveal was embarrassing, just a frog and fairy for the MMO fable, cgi of obsidian new game, a 3rd party timed exclusive after phil and all the xbox fans said timed exclusives are anti consumer. I really was gonna get a series x at launch, but not anymore. ill wait a few years and get it cheap like i did xbox one.

[thebobbywhite2629]

This is exactly what we asked for. There is nothing i want more than what that gameplay looked like. thats exactly what fans have been asking for

[lukasmain]

You asked for low quality textures and ridiculous pop-in all over the shop? Dude you come across as extremely desperate my man. You repeated yourself twice in your short post. I'm glad you're happy with subpar quality. But lots of people aren't. It doesn't have to be perfect, but there is a certain standard people expect. It also didn't help MS over-hyping and under-delivering like always. I seriously don't understand how you can tow-the-line as you do.

[dietis_h]

you asked for a company to give you crap for your money? really?

[Godmars290]

And yet they've ONLY been pushing technology!

Sad thing is, if they just stopped pushing a tech advantage, with the ray tracing and teraflops, just go with what they're actually pushing which accessibility via streaming, they wouldn't be embarrassing themselves by repeatedly failing to - immediately - deliver on the tech that they obviously DON'T HAVE READY!!

[YourMommySpoils]

Defined by AA batteries.

[cesar4]

You have to wonder if they are getting some kind of kickback from the battery companies and landfill owners.

[spambot0815]

true they are defined by a minimum risk, maximum profit strategy of microsoft corp.

[ColdSin]

FFS.... Microsoft needs to fire this marketing team... they are digging themselves a grave.

[Traecy]

LOL!

[neomahi]

Bull crap, you just don't know how to say "we're losing again."

[ForwardDude]

16K 480fps graphics confirmed on Series X day one? I mean he says "no longer defined by technology". What else could it mean?

[ChristopherJack]

As a PC gamer, Halo obviously looked pretty bad graphically speaking. Aside from the pop in, which can be fixed, seems a lot of the criticisms were because of the shadows which are apparently fully dynamic so it could look very different when I play it.

Regardless, there's only so much shadows can do to make a good looking game & I don't think this will ever be one without a shit tonne of other little touch ups but it does look fluid which should hopefully translate well to multiplayer- which is frankly the reason the vast majority play Halo.

Aside from that, there seems to be an overwhelming amount of negativity around here towards the XsX, as if it's somehow a bad console.

Even if you're not a fan of the exclusives, they haven't done anything outright offensive like last time around where they tried forcing always online, the death of used games, & so on & so forth.

We already know the hardware & we already know it'll receive all the major AAA third party games, unlike the Switch, & with the hardware, most of those games will be looking as good as PC Games at high or Ultra without spending $2000 for a similarly specced PC.

As of right now, I'm still deciding between the XsX & PS5 & while Sony deservedly has more hype for their exclusives, showing superior gameplay & CGI trailers, I'm still not sold on the weaker console & a few of MS exclusives really grab my attention, namely Avowed(because Obsidian has made some of my favourite games of all time) & Fable (because 1 & 2 were also among my favourite games of all time), I also enjoyed the first 2 SoD- but all of them could take a long time before release & we don't know how any of them play.

Obviously, if I had the money, I'd get both, or at least the PS5 & a brand new console smashing PC, but I don't & my gaming Laptop barely matches the X1X so the XsX seems like the best way to experience next gen gaming considering that none of the PS5 exclusives currently demand my attention despite their prequels critical acclaim

[CaptainObvious878]

If you're still deciding which console to get (even though you have a beefy pc, so it's obvious) ask yourself....

How has ms's first party support been for the last 10 years?

Then ask yourself...

How has sony's first party support been for the last 10 years?

And you'll very quickly come to your answer.

[ChristopherJack]

It's not about support, it's about personal subjective taste. I didn't strongly care for either platforms exclusives this gen.

Spiderman was fun but not enough for me to replay or 100% it. I enjoyed the gameplay of HZD but not the setting. Infamous was good but again, not replayable. I stopped caring for Uncharted after 2. I just couldn't get into TLOU.

Ghost of Tsushima also looks great, though I'm not able to try it as I sold my PS4 Pro as all my gaming has been on my PC. For some reason, I just get fatigued with Sony's open world games much quicker than the likes of Skyrim, Witcher, Fallout- even the likes of Assassin's Creed & Farcry- games that are all playable on both consoles.

[Petebloodyonion]

I would suggest you waiting until a game that you really like is release on ether of the console.
This way you will be sure to not be disappointed.

[SullysCigar]

Or just take out the risk and go for Sony. Same outcome.

[cesar4]

I find all the bs and lies offensive.

[nowitzki2004]

You are not a PC gamer lol, Really dont sound like one.. Unless you are counting Solitaire.

[ChristopherJack]

I don't know why somebody would lie about such a thing. You have a funny delusional, paranoid fanboy mind but I suppose that's common here, the mods even had to do an article about the delusion that has clearly fallen on deaf ears.

Any who's: https://steamcommunity.com/...

You can judge for yourself. This is obviously excluding offline play as well as Epic, Origin, Uplay, Xbox for PC & individually installed games.

For reference, here's my Xbox profile https://i.imgur.com/SS5LsX9...
You'll see a whopping 4 "Xbox One" games played however they were actually all on PC. I never owned an Xbox One.

I did own a PS4(which I traded in for a Pro) & played some of Sony's exclusives but after HZD & Days Gone- I decided that exclusives aren't personally a big selling point to me any more. Though I did really enjoy Spiderman, just not enough to keep my PS4 Pro when I needed money.

[jznrpg]

They can fix the graphics a lot . I don’t think it will world class graphics but it will look a lot better for sure but still not good enough for being Halo . But the acting was horrible , like cheese fest bad . That guy sitting next to Master Chief is a B movie actor at best in that performance.

[talocaca]

You should go back and see the way they talked about Crackdown 3 for years......how it would have unlimited potential with the power of the cloud.

Then read the reviews and just look at it 🤷‍♂️

[jznrpg]

Lol that’s some dumb shit

[frostypants]

LOL

[SamTheGamer]

Then release your games on Xbox 360. What is the point of making a “ most powerful console with 12 TF if you won’t use the technology..

[GameBoyColor]

??? Isn't that all they tout about the sx?! Xbox team has a huge problem with PR and managment right now.

And again, Phil is just a big talking head.

[Good-Smurf]

So now your sereis X can do full ray tracing at 8K 300 fps in the next event then?
Don't say that bullshit or it's going to come bite you in the ass like it did months prior.
Shut the hell up!
Time to wade through the garbage and not being the garbage themselves,FFS what the hell is wrong with these people.

[Kurupt]

@bruh 1.3 not 1.6tf

[menghina]

But only by Xbox One xD xaxa

[DaniMacYo]

Hahaha!
Please....

[DragoonUS]

Lol we can see that! :D

[Kubark]

There is a technical constraint though, isn't there? Halo Infinite has to run on the Xbox One and it shows. Microsoft are so good at shooting themselves in the foot. It's just stupid not to have exclusives ready for the XSX until two years after the XSX releases. I've no idea what's going through the heads of these Xbox executives.

[Charal]

My point exactly for months.
It is such a bad decision, and we only see the beginning of the uncanny situation it will turn Xbox marketing for years.

It is either a complete ignorance of the gaming market, or the worst arrogance driven move of the whole industry.

Even Mattrick infamous launch management and Kinect focus wasn’t has bad for Xbox business than the situation here.

I hope Xbox fanboys will finally get Spencer accountable for it, there is no more “guy before” to take the hot shots.

[shaenoide]

What about the most powerful console?

[Kavorklestein]

I personally think MS needs to get the opinions of as many people that are willing to answer, to get a Survey or Poll going.
Ask questions like:

1. Are you satisfied with the Halo gameplay demo you were shown at the Xbox event?
2. Would you rather have the game come out with similar graphical effects, and visual style to what was shown? Or Have it be possibly Delayed to focus on Graphical improvements?
3. Does the Gameplay look satisfactory?
4. Did the open world of Halo look fleshed out enough? What if anything would you change in that regard?
5. What are your feelings on the Brute close up scene?
My personal opinion is, the Voice acting and dialogue of that brute did not match the taste the graphics left, in my mouth or my eyes. Like how do you go that far backwards from Halo 5? Halo 5 at least looked pretty for it's time. I feel like the actor's voice and performance outclassed the visuals.
I wouldn't have been cringing so hard if the graphics were making my eyes water instead of wonder what the hell happened. Seriously... the delivery of his dialogue fell flat because the graphics were so underwhelming. SMH...

If they can do something like this, and actually LISTEN to the feedback, then they might, MIGHT have a chance at seeing all the ways they can try to improve the game.
I say if MS wants to prove they listen and care about their hardcore audience, then they need to be willing to admit this did not look next gen, (even as a cross gen title it looked seriously lacking) and that even tho people would be willing to play the game, they would NOT be getting the top tier Halo title that all the fans clearly want and deserve.
I think a focus on solving the problem is the best approach they can muster here.

Doing nothing and releasing it in a fashion that is even CLOSE to what was shown, would be a total disaster and they have enough money to be able to afford the costs to make it right. They need to be willing to do whatever they can to re-focus and re-invest, from scratch if they have to. I don't feel they should have to scrap everything, but just re-focus what they are creating.
Seriously, they cannot afford to let this become a Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker or Last Jedi debacle where fans hate it so much that MS pulls a Disney and tries to find ways to de-canonize their latest film etc...

Do the hard part NOW, not hate yourselves for doing it later, or not at all.

[Kavorklestein]

Now who the fuck could possibly disagree with what I said?
I'm fully admitting Halo looked pretty much ass in that presentation. But I'm talking about a possible solution... not talking crap, is it cuz I'm not saying MS evil doomed or just slinging crap and bashing them actively?

Like what the fuck, people.
MS fans need to admit it needs saving.
Sony fans need to allow discussion about the solution and hope it can change, be sad for MS fans who got bad news, not frolic in the missteps and demise of Sony's only direct competitor.
I'd rather you guys realize the sting of it and how disappointing for fans, instead of jumping around like monkeys with limitless poo to fling around.
Like if some people just want to watch the world burn, then oh well, I guess I can't stop them from being putrid.
But come on... what the hell could possibly be so wrong about what I said?

[Charal]

But they don’t care, period.
I know it is hard for Xbox fans, but the company does not care at all of want they want.

They are spinning endlessly to shape the business the way MS wants it: stable monthly revenues, financial predictability and good margins.

Forget about any risk, any innovation or any artistic ambition.

This is so obvious now.

Stop buying box product and cancel all gamepasses for 2 or 3 months, put financial pressure on MS if you want things to change in customer way.

[Kavorklestein]

You don't know if they care.
It's a huge disappointment but it's not like people have to not buy xbox stuff to send the Message. Solving the problem BEFORE the game comes out is better than just accepting defeat and boycotting the entire console forever. Sony fans would love that, but I think the BEST thing would be to get their hands dirty and change their product. Change can and SHOULD happen. Whether or not it will, is another matter.
If people actually took the time to keep reminding MS that this is not what they want, andnif MS were to listen, then that would be a much better scenario.
Is all else fails, then sure, people can vote with their wallet.
But the goal right now should be to strive for change, not just give up.
Then nobody wins.
The game needs to go back to formula.

[FanboysKiller]

Youtube is not be all and end all platform for judging what's seen through it , the damage control is real and anyone doesn't see it this way is a noob , wait for the release if you don't wanna lie to yourself.

[arminukxbox]

Second they announced gamepass I knew they going to reduce they quality of their games now what matters for Microsoft is quantity than quality

[GordyNYC]

The spin is necessary after realizing they've miscalculated their strategy.

[Pego]

Graphics are not that important. Look how amazing Zelda BotW was with its low resolution and textureless graphics.

[anast]

Holy F'k! Take a modifier of -10 to your intelligence, if you still buy into to this.

[glenn1979]

Hey bad press is also press right🤷‍♂️

[S2Killinit]

Maybe MS intentionally showed sub par graphics so that once people got upset, they would release a better version, claim that they are developing it specifically on series X and dropping xbox one. And be like “see, we listen”’are you impressed? Then the comparisons would impress and get a lot of attention that they wouldnt get otherwise. MS magic. I wouldnt put it passed MS.

[Minute Man 721]

But the 1st impression was underwhelming, people might not even give them a second look

[Profchaos]

Ummm what you spend the past 6 months bragging about the tech in your console and how it's the most powerful console ever and then you claim technology doesn't define games.

Seriously? It's one or the other? You can't change your mind otherwise why bother upgrading the hardware at all.

[Darkborn]

I hope they talk about the power of the cloud again. What did they say before the Xbox one x was announced again? Something along the lines of with the cloud they won't need to make any more consoles because the base Xbox one could do push the best graphics and physics in the world with the cloud. Sounds accurate. Tell me, how did that work in crackdown 3 again?

[Rhythmattic]

These are goal posts.......[-]
→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→ →This is where MS has moved them to. [-]

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

MS needs to stop talking, They have hyped up power, power, power, then when they have nothing to show for it it's "Power is not that important". typical MS, always flip flopping, chaning narratives.

[AmUnRa]

MS can better stop giving interviews for a while, with every hyperbowling interview the are digging a deeper hole for themselfs

[XiNatsuDragnel]

It's about games Microsoft

[TechnoGoat]

Translation: We can't compete.

[masterfox]

MS please be quiet.

[NealGamby]

They rather be defined by mediocrity.

[Critic4l_Strik3]

I'm surprised Phil hasn't come out to say something regarding all this mess...

[moriarty1889]

they keep touting the specs but now this? what is it defined by then???

[PrinterMan]

Every game and developer is constrained by present technology. Always will be that's why we get different generations of machines. This is a duh statement.

[Bateekh]

He's right. I believe with this new gen of xbox series x and PS5, we are reaching a point where the hardware will START to matter less and less. Kind of like how smartphones are now. Nobody boasts about the GPU or CPU and RAM in smartphones and how they can run apps so smoothly. Every smartphone today can pretty much do it all. Same thing with consoles, the hardware will begin to matter less and less because it will reach a point where you will be able to create and simulate almost anything, it will simply be a matter of two things:

1) How optimized is the software with the hardware and capitalizing on that. It helps that everyone who has a console has the same specs so no need to account for other hardware like with PC.

2) How game devs effectively utilize the specs of the console to not only realize their vision for the game, but creating a fun and immersive game to play.

One last thing, Microsoft needs to do better job of showing what their console can do. These demos were terrible. They need to redeem themselves because as an IT professional, I know full well how powerful these consoles are, just so surprised they didn't really showcase it.

[NealGamby]

First they want everyone on Game Pass. With that, comes "Always online" and the DRM they wanted when they first introduced the Xbone years ago. They will eventually get what they originally wanted if we don't stay vigilant.

[ikarodemon]

This is all bull...! We devs allways find technical constraints. Some are not hardware side but they will be there always.

[SpineSaw]

Duhhhh! The Xbox Series X is defined by how much money Microsoft can take from people while doing the least possible for said money.