AbsolutSurgen

PC is always the answer.

6 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

 

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.

Of course.  But, in a streaming world, the hardware is almost irrelevant.  You don't need to be tied to a MS console.  You can create an app that will run on an Amazon Fire, smart TV, or even create your own $20 streaming box.

That said, I still think that streaming of games is further away than a lot of people think.

Yes.  There are differences between PS4 Pro and XB1X games -- the biggest typically being resolution.  Whether you consider them "significant" is something different.

2 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

 

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.

Yes.  But they won't want to do that through Microsoft.  The publishers will want to own the streaming platform.  Why give 30% to MS if you can own it all?

1 hour ago, crispy4000 said:

 

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.

 

 

 

Agreed.  I think it is most likely that you will need to buy individual games that you can use with your streaming package, rather than publisher specific "all you can eat" packages.

14 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Why would there be a mandatory subscription? You're thinking like an MS version of Playstation Now?

Yes.  I think that is what this what this would essentially be -- except it would have options for access to all/most new releases.

I preordered this months ago on GMG.

1 hour ago, skillzdadirecta said:

I'm sure like game pass, there will be an option to buy your games.

There is likely to be a mandatory subscription, that will include a number of games, similar to gamepass.  I would be surprised if they would even stream "purchased games" without a subscription.

But, I suspect you are correct in that you will need to "buy games" as well -- I would be surprised if EA/Activision/Ubi/etc. would be willing to include their new releases as part of a MS subscription.

9 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

Childhood friend introduced me to Combat on the Atari 2600 and Karate Champ on the Commodore 64.

Wow -- in my gaming life those games were a lifetime apart.  I still remember seeing Karate Champ for the first time at Chuck E Cheese's arcade -- and not being able to quite figure it out.

Microsoft’s streaming Xbox will split up games to keep latency low

"Last month, we learned that Microsoft is developing a pair of new Xboxes for release in 2020 under the codename Scarlett. One system will be a full console; the other will be a cloud-connected system for streaming games. Today, Brad Sams at Thurrott.com has more to say about that streaming box.

We know Microsoft has been interested in developing a streaming service for many years. At this year's E3, the company reaffirmed that it's working on a streaming service that will allow games to be run in the Azure cloud and streamed to a relatively simple set-top box. This makes the end-user hardware much cheaper, but it has a consistent problem: latency. Every button press on the controller has to travel over the Internet to the server before it can be processed, and every frame of video similarly has to make the reverse trip before it can be seen. For games that don't rely on twitch reactions (RPGs or turn-based games, say) this is no big deal. But for games like first-person shooters, it's a huge problem.

According to Sams, Microsoft's solution is that the Scarlett Cloud box (as one person called it) will have some amount of processing power of its own. Not enough to run full games, but enough to do collision detection, input handling, and some amount of graphical processing locally without having to wait for the remote server. To do this, games are split into two parts (referred to as "slices" or "splices")—one part runs in the cloud; the other runs on the console.

The result is that Scarlett Cloud is apparently suitable for a wide range of games, even those that would normally be considered too latency-sensitive to be streamable. In fact, Sams reports that every Scarlett game will run on every Scarlett device, so streaming gamers won't be left out.

The downside to this approach is that it makes the hardware more expensive than if it was purely a dumb streaming device, but it's still markedly less expensive than a full console would need to be. Streaming games will of course require some kind of a subscription to play. This recurring revenue is a big part of why the company is interested in streamed games in the first place."

I still believe that the internet is not read for the streaming of games:

1) Too many people don't have the bandwidth to stream high quality games

2)  Data caps are still too low for hard core gamers

3)  Not sure if internet connections are stable enough to reliably stream games.  I seem to get too many "hiccups" that are annoying on video, but would be disastrous for gaming.

However, all signs are pointing to the next generation starting no later than 2020.

My Dad brought home an Atari 2600 pretty early on -- and it all started with playing Combat.

Will watch this tonight.

Unfortunately after a couple of bombs in a row, studio heads will lose their jobs.  Hopefully he will land on his feet.

1 minute ago, brucoe said:

One thing I'm noticing is how difficult it is to get used to the controller. I know some of you have been using them for some time and are quite comfortable with them, and I assume after some time I'll get used to it as well, but wow, it's really frustrating. The other day, I was trying out Destiny 2, and only going through the tutorial part of it, but man I was supposed to shoot some guy, and I kept trying to center him and couldn't get the target on him, shooting the side wall instead. He probably just stood there and laughed at me the entire time.

If you're comparing it to a KB/M -- a controller will never be as accurate for a FPS/TPS.  You "get used" to it, and console shooters generally have tons of autoaim to help.  But it will never be as accurate as a KB/M.

If you're comparing it to a PS4 controller, you'll get used to it.  They're pretty interchangeable in my mind (although I prefer the symmetrical design and ergonomics of the PS4 controller).

On ‎7‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 7:31 AM, mikechorney said:

This weekend it will be more Watch Dogs 2 and Wolfenstein 2.  I apparently like sequels to games that begin with "W".

Actually I spent more time "reinstalling Windows 10" because my controller drivers had become corrupted and crashed my computer whenever I tried to play a game with a controller.

11 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

How does this article confirm that you're not the only one who hates it when this article doesn't judge the console's looks just questions whether it's real based on low image quality and a colon?

Read the headline. 

1 minute ago, Emblazon said:

It doesn't look like that. 

 

And even more surprising... EGM still exists???

Now you're nitpicking.

Apparently EGM has more lives than a cat -- I believe its been killed numerous times.

15 minutes ago, Emblazon said:

That's my console you're talking about there. 

You still have time to come to your senses!  (I'm apparently not the only one who hates it.)

When I read the reviews about No Man's Sky -- the game appeared to be pretty consistent with my (low) expectations.  At the time I was always confused about why some people thought the game would be more than it was.

1 hour ago, darkness35 said:

I'm probably the only one that plays FEH here, but if anyone's curious they just added more awakening characters to the roster, but most of them are meh.

 

 

What is impressive is this.

 

 

 

SOEDA IPPEI DID HIM SO MUCH JUSTICE. HOLY CRAP.

FEH?

I am confused by this.

2 hours ago, Pikachu said:

 

That is one hideous looking console.

This weekend it will be more Watch Dogs 2 and Wolfenstein 2.  I apparently like sequels to games that begin with "W".

Just now, RedSoxFan9 said:

The Coalition will play could up the slack

huh?

Reminded me of this: