crispy4000

So many subscription services. So many launchers. Blegh. I just want more good bundles with steam keys.

Sadly, there's no way that would work without rebalancing the entire cast and adding in old mechanics. It'd feel so off just to adjust the physics alone.

Honestly, the movement doesn't look fun yet. It seems a little undercooked.

Overall, good direct. It's nice to see some of the things PM introduced finally making it into the main series, like Squad Strike. (ie: All Star Versus) I also like the addition of the FS meter. Sounds a whole lot better than the Smash Ball, especially considering that Final Smashes are weakened in that mode. But 2 of them can't be out at the same time? Seems a little whack. They probably didn't want to nerf them enough to make multiple at once not seem to busy.

By the time Ryzen comes to consoles, we'll have a new generation, and games that demand much more of the GPU and CPU. I don't know if you realize it @TomCat, but you're actually looking at this in terms of a future console's backwards compatibility. Not what we'll actually see out of new big budget games next-gen. No one should be surprised if sub 4k resolutions and sub 60 framerates are still a thing in the next cycle.

They could do a whole direct on how they've made the online experience better. Dramatically improved netcode, ranked modes, doubles team matchmaking, 'for glory' not being limited to omega stages, mmr stats, options for 1vs1s in 'for fun,' an items-light mode that takes away the most cheap/lag inducing ones... Nah, I'd be surprised if they do any of that.

lol, what a shit show

I see less of Netflix in this, more of Comcast and premium cable channels you purchase separately. Every major publisher will want to sell you on a subscription plan, regardless of it being cloud based or not. I definitely don't see this as a positive development. It's going to make things even more GaaS heavy than they already are.

August is going to be a hard month for me to play games. I'll probably need to start on this in September. Started Hollow Knight recently, so that'll be the first.

Tyranny and the Shadowrun trilogy haven't been. ... Wasn't Dragon Age: Origins a big hit on consoles for EA last gen?

They've got to find a way to make these games more appealing to console audiences, IMO. Porting more them would be a start. Shadowrun games have all been dirt cheap as well. A huge portion of their sales must have come from Humble Bundles.

Even more considering it's physical copies only.

Agreed. I don't think it's just an argument out of (blissful) ignorance either. You can find a similar ideology at work in how people judge visuals on a single platform. Are the best looking X1X games typically the ones that hit the highest resolution and framerate benchmarks? ... That's the kind of question that illustrates the larger picture is in the domain of subjectivity.

How about showing how talented certain developers are at working within hardware limitations? Pushing a console to its limits? Taking it farther than expected? That's always interested me more than raw spec comparisons. I enjoy seeing what consoles games look like when they punch above their weight class.

Ryzen. In a nutshell.

For another 2 years or so... That's always been the ironic part. For as much noise as the new consoles made, they'll still be short lived stop-gaps.

I picked up most of the free games they've given away over the years. Not a bad collection, but I never open up Origin. Ubisoft has had better giveaways over the years. Humble too.

Knowing Microsoft, they'll claim that it will be simple to optimize games for the streaming box. They'll try to streamline that as much as possible. But its still valid to question how much effort it'll take to get a game well optimized for it. Doubtful it'd take more work than the Wii, but I could see it being more than the old Xbox One model. Perhaps also the PS3 last gen, which had its own quirks. A streaming service would already come with its own negatives. If there's downsides on top of that on a game-by-game basis, it'd be a bad look. I'd also be concerned about how much priority developers will actually give it. If it was just lower spec hardware, they'd already be putting in some of that work anyways for a PC port. But this could add a wholly different layer of optimization issues and complexities. Not enough to make games unportable, but perhaps enough to make them essentially unplayable with a shoddy port job or subpar internet.

According to DF, there's parts of the game where the X1X's performance mode dips to the high 30's/low 40's. So it's kind of a give and take if you choose to play that way. The X1X's 30fps 4k mode is supposed to be slightly more stable than the PS4's checkerboarded 4k, which also has some LoD scalebacks. I've heard the most significant difference is actually Wolfenstein 2. ID didn't use checkerboarding on the Pro apparently.

Details and deals are probably being worked out now. Microsoft will probably use their cloud servers as a bargaining chip, especially for the low end console. Or they might straight up require their use, which could ruffle some feathers. We could see things like EA Access (Premier?) pop as independent channels, or be layered on top of GamesPass for an additional fee. Either way, publishers would be charging their own fees.

Actually, I think we've already seen publishers gearing up for future "all you can eat" packages. EA will inevitably be on that from the very start, especially when they just added a higher subscription tier to Origin Access on PC. I imagine we'll see Ubisoft follow suit next. It's a perfect fit for the GaaS model they adore.

The more significant leap will pretty much always be between them and the standard consoles. With that said, everything's still being designed around current gen limitations - almost no one is bumping the fidelity to a point of targeting 1080p with the newer machines. That tends to be the territory of poorly optimized games, like ARK. A lot more X1X games target 4k but can't stick it most of the time. And many of those half resolution Pro games are checkerboarded 4k. (as are some on the X1X) So the difference isn't quite to that level most often. Definitely wouldn't be the first. But if most other open world games are anything to go by, framerate won't be the biggest difference maker. Resolution will.

I also think a streaming box like this may require a GamesPass (+ XBL?) subscription, but going that far with releases is a pipe dream. It's much more likely we'd see a different additive or individual package for each major publisher. They won't want to let that money sit on the table.

Guacamelee is still the best indie Metroidvania. Toughest parts of the game were the bonus content bits that got added after launch. The main game isn't so hard.

The bandwidth thing is hardly my biggest concern. Microsoft needs to prove that a streaming box isn't garbage, by default. Even local network streaming solutions aren't perfect today. And there's inevitably going to be questions about the video quality (4k?) and consistency of the picture and/or input lag. I mostly wonder what they'd charge for the real deal console. I don't think $599 is out of the question, especially when the lower spec console could give them an excuse to aim higher.