Xbox Megathread

Especially for titles that are not pushing the boundaries of resolution and framerate having a TV app based cloud gaming option just makes sense. I always feel silly having to turn on the console in order to have everyone play Jackbox via WiFi on their phones.

Utnayan said:

Sega TV.

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My buddy had the Sega Channel in the 90s and it fucking rocked.

meStevo said:

Bringing the Joy and Community of Gaming to Everyone - Xbox Wire

At Xbox, our mission is simple: bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. To achieve that, we aspire to empower everyone to play the games you want, with the people you want, anywhere you want. Ahead of the first-ever Xbox and Bethesda Showcase on Sunday, when we will...

news.xbox.com

Xbox Game Pass is Changing the Way We Discover, Connect, and Play

• Xbox Game Pass members play 30% more genres and play 40% more games. And more than 90% of members said they played a game that they would not have tried without Game Pass.
• On average across the Game Pass library, partners see engagement go up by more than 8x when they enter Game Pass.
• Whether it’s purchasing games inside or outside of what’s available in the library, or purchasing additional content for the games they like, members spend 50% more than non-members.
• Xbox Game Pass has become a true discovery engine, a platform for connection and community, and is driving game sales. New insights we’re sharing today include:
  • Since we started our partnership with EA Play in Game Pass Ultimate, our players have been engaging with EA’s subscription service in a significant way. Compared to before the integration, EA Play has seen record usage on Microsoft platforms, driving hours played on these platforms up by more than 200%. As a result, EA’s incredible portfolio of games has reached and gained millions of new fans on the Xbox platform.
  • The new Square Enix game Outriders is in Game Pass and was also the #1 selling digital game on Xbox during its launch week and a top 10 selling digital game on Xbox in the month of April. Game Pass helped introduce millions of players to the game.
  • During launch week, MLB: The Show 21 was the biggest sports game of the past year on Xbox and the second biggest sports game of all time on Xbox. Game Pass added millions of new fans and grew Major League Baseball’s player base significantly. MLB: The Show 21 was also the #1 selling paid game on Xbox for the month of April.

Xbox and Xbox Game Pass are Coming to More Screens

• Xbox is working with global TV manufacturers to embed the Xbox experience directly into internet-connected televisions with no extra hardware required except a controller.
• Xbox is exploring new subscription offerings for Xbox Game Pass so more players around the world can experience the most immersive and fun games across devices, geographies, and financial realities.
• Xbox is working with telecommunications providers on new purchasing models like Xbox All Access, which allows consumers to buy both a console and Game Pass for a low monthly price, rather than spending money up front.
• Xbox is building its own streaming devices for cloud gaming to reach gamers on any TV or monitor without the need for a console at all.
• Cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will launch in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Japan later this year.
• In the next few weeks, cloud gaming on the browser will open to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. With Edge, Chrome, and Safari support, players will be a click away from gaming on almost any device.
• We’re in the final stages of updating our Microsoft datacenters around the world with our latest generation of hardware, the Xbox Series X. This means gamers will see faster load times, improved frame rates, and experience Xbox Series X|S optimized games.
• Later this year, we’ll add cloud gaming directly into the Xbox app on PC and integrate it into our console experience to light up scenarios like try before you download.

An Incredible Pipeline of Games

• With more than 23 studios worldwide creating games for Xbox, our goal is to release at least one new, first party game into Game Pass every quarter. Role playing games, shooters, strategy titles, adventure games, and more are all being built by our first party teams to ensure that there is a steady stream of compelling exclusive content to explore.
• Our independent developer program ID@Xbox has earned developers over $2B dollars since the program’s inception, with over 2000 titles launched and many more on the way. This model is now being used for ID@Azure, allowing independent devs to build cloud-based experiences. These programs bring new voices from diverse backgrounds into the world of game development.

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I really like Gamepass. Outweighs Sony's ever decreasing exclusivity in my mind.

Forza Horizon 5 this year? Nice. Thought not til next year for some reason.

Old fallout games for game pass are finally ultimate editions, which is about time, but PC only, so still half dumb. Maybe they're still selling DLCs on console? Just annoying me at this point because who doesn't own complete editions on PC by now and could go play on PC if desired. Learned my lesson buying Skyrim for xbox only to have it go on game pass. I guess they're making progress though.

So I have been playing yakuza 7 for a month or so. It’s pretty fun and I bought it physically a few months back.

so now it’s on gamepass I eject the disk and hit launch. Guess what. It just works. No need to download a new copy like on PlayStation. No delay all my saves ready to go.

Xbox really nailed the infrastructure this gen.

Nailed an xbox series x retail msrp, pickup monday. Wanted the ps5, but fuck paying scalpers. All my gaming library is on ps4pro, meh. So what do I do, have the game pass something in anticipation. What accessories do I need for the xbox? I hear horror stories of charging / batteries (wtf Ms?).

Izo said:

Nailed an xbox series x retail msrp, pickup monday. Wanted the ps5, but fuck paying scalpers. All my gaming library is on ps4pro, meh. So what do I do, have the game pass something in anticipation. What accessories do I need for the xbox? I hear horror stories of charging / batteries (wtf Ms?).

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Buy the Microsoft rechargeable battery pack. Holds a great charge and comes with 9 ft cord in case it gets low while playing. I also recommend the new Xbox headset. Great headset for the price. Alternate plugging in the headset and the controller after every time you play and you’ll never have battery problems.

Do what spronk said re Game Pass. I know it still works, my friend just did it last week. The value is insane, and it’s going to keep getting better over the next few years. If you’re willing to spend 5-10 minutes a day doing little survey type things, you can easily maintain a Game Pass subscription using Microsoft points. I did that for a while, but got too annoyed with it. Now I just wait for great deals and buy more time.

Izo said:

I hear horror stories of charging / batteries (wtf Ms?).

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Don't buy the MS pack, get these instead:

2600 mAh vs. 1400 mAh is a massive difference in play time, the MS pack is a total ripoff.

I just make sure I always have at least one more battery than I have controllers and it's far superior to dealing with having to charge the controller itself. Especially if I plug my PC-38X into the controller when I need a headset, that kills the pathetic 1560mAh DualSense battery in 3-4 hours (even less in games that use the haptic shit) while I get 8+ out of rechargeables on Xbox.

Izo said:

Nailed an xbox series x retail msrp, pickup monday. Wanted the ps5, but fuck paying scalpers. All my gaming library is on ps4pro, meh. So what do I do, have the game pass something in anticipation. What accessories do I need for the xbox? I hear horror stories of charging / batteries (wtf Ms?).

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Do the 3 year gamepass deal up front as previously described.

This will solve the battery issue

Xbox Rechargeable Battery + USB-C® Cable | Xbox

Also consider buying into the Microsoft rewards game to build up free Xbox $$. I earn about $10 a month clicking things for about 180 seconds a day. Gamepass rewards are involved in this. Those can take a bit more time but I enjoy that it introduces me to games I would not always try. Example of a weekly quest is things like “get 15 kills in dragon age Inquisition” but most are just launch the game. If it takes more then 10 min in a game I don’t have interest I just skip it.

I don’t need the cash but it’s kinda neat to have $30 in the Xbox bank after 3 months. Makes a $70 new game purchase a nice $40 on day one. (Thanks ME:L) - can also buy hardware with it via online store. Battery pack above is available this way.

One could argue real life daily’s are crazy but to each their own. It’s just a few min while already sitting at a computer.

Nester said:

https://www.amazon.com/Xbox-Rechargeable-Battery-USB-C®-Cable-one/dp/B08DFB4889/ref=asc_df_B08DFB4889?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80745477087807&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584345025968588&psc=1

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That's a 1400 mAh battery with no charger, just a cable that you have to plug in if it dies while in the middle of playing a game. Versus the one I linked which is two 2600 mAh batteries for $18 (or $25 for the three battery version) with an actual charger--that charges a battery that's almost twice the capacity in half the time--so you can just hotswap the battery in like 5 seconds and not have to worry about an annoying cable.

I've got 5 of them between my X1X, XSX, and PC, some a couple years older than the others but they all hold a charge equally well. I've read they also work perfectly in 8bitdo SN30+ Pro / Pro 2, but I haven't needed to test that with my Switch yet.

Is there a good kid size controller? 8yo is okay’ish with regular I think, 4 yo is petite like her mom, small hands.

And thanks you guys - really apprecite it

is it any easier to normal priced series x now? any tips?

Dizzam said:

I also recommend the new Xbox headset. Great headset for the price.

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Thanks. Was wondering/asking about it in the Dark Alliance thread since it seems heavily online. I'm pretty anti-social so don't even own a headset and definitely not an audiophile. Anyone think I'd notice or care between the $100 xbox vs $40 Kingston HyperX CloudX? Would only use for online occasionally and maybe to play with girlfriend in other room, so guess I'd need to get her a headset too since yelling into the other room wasn't her style lol.

should note, I'm a poor, but have a couple hundo in MS reward points/bucks.