Consoles

Since Xbox’s last significant first-party game, Phil Spencer admits that “it’s been too long”

Published

1 year ago

October 31, 2022

Although the year has been rather quiet for first-party Xbox games, Microsoft’s head of gaming asserted that 2023 will be more busier for the platform owner.

By the end of 2022, Xbox Game Studios will have released five games, although only one of them, Obsidian’s Pentiment, will be a brand-new title created in-house.

The other games are Obsidian’s Grounded, a Forza 5 expansion, an Age of Empires re-release, and independently made As Dusk Falls (which has been in Game Preview for two years).

On the Same Brain videocast, Phil Spencer remarked, “One thing we’ve clearly heard loud and clear is it’s been too long since we’ve shipped what people would consider is a huge first-party game.

We might cite Covid and other reasons for our shortcomings, but in the end, I know that consumers utilize our platform because they want high-quality games.

Spencer continued by saying that Xbox’s 2023 lineup would be much stronger and that the production delays brought on by the pandemic that caused Starfield, the company’s original big holiday release, to be postponed until 2023, were now in the past.

We’ve talked about the upcoming games, and we’re enthused for 2023,” he remarked. “Those games are progressing successfully, and we have completed the production schedule changes made by Covid.

“And when you simply consider the launches, the industry as a whole has less games this Christmas season than we have in a while. God of War and Call of Duty are on the way, which is fantastic since Nintendo has had a tremendous year. But generally speaking, I think we’ve been a touch light.

But when I look ahead to 2023, I see a fantastic lineup of upcoming games that I’m looking forward to. It will be exciting to have our first authentic Xbox first-party titles from Bethesda, which will launch alongside Redfall and Starfield.

Spencer continued by saying that Xbox was “doing a lot more work” on PC and that it will soon release a significant update for the Xbox app.

This week, Spencer asserted that while subscriptions to Game Pass on consoles are “slowing down,” they had increased by a staggering 159% on computers.

He added at WSJ Tech Live, “I’ve seen growth slow down, partly because at some point you’ve touched everyone on console that wants to subscribe.”

Spencer asserted that Xbox Game Pass is “10-15% of (its) overall income” and that the service is lucrative for the business in the same interview.

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Consoles

Despite popular belief, PS4 sales in the UK skyrocketed last year

Published

3 months ago

January 10, 2024

Zach Riley

PS4 sales in the UK climbed by a shocking 633 percent year-over-year in 2023, so apparently the old system isn’t dead yet. The previous year’s very limited supply of the system is likely a major factor in this figure, since the console’s lifespan was drastically reduced because of chip shortages caused by the pandemic. Still, it’s proof that PlayStation’s original platform has unmet demand.

With the very low prices of PS4 software (both in-store and online at the PS Store), this strategy makes a lot of sense. Plus, it’s future-proof, so there’s no harm in stocking up on PS4s while new-gen pricing is still high, since if you decide to switch to a PS5 in the future, you can transfer all of your purchases across. Not to mention that the majority of new releases still come out on the PS4, with several offering free PS5 upgrades.

While the percentage rise may seem huge, real PS4 sales will probably be much lower. It’s a sign that the gadget, which is now a decade old, isn’t completely dead yet, and we expect it to keep receiving maintenance for a while longer. Of course, this is great news for Sony, because the company would rather have PS4 players playing on its last-gen gadget than none at all, even if it would love to have them upgrade to PS5.

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Consoles

New PS5 firmware is available for download!

Published

5 months ago

December 6, 2023

Zach Riley

A PS5 firmware update on a cold winter morning is unmatched. The latest PS5 system software update is 23.02–08.40.00 from Sony. Does this one add useful features or just boost system performance?

Though closer to the latter, it’s more than Sony’s favorite patch note. It fixes security issues, improves messages and usability, and boosts system software performance. Official patch notes for this 1.185GB update:

We updated system software security
We improved system software stability and performance
Some screens now have better messages and usability

That’s it. PS5 gets another win to recover from its midweek slump. Do you share our enthusiasm for this firmware update? Comment below. To spice things up, make your comment rhyme.

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Consoles

Baldur’s Gate 3’s Xbox Version Will Help PS5

Published

5 months ago

November 30, 2023

Zach Riley

Belgian developer Larian Studios’ work on Baldur’s Gate 3’s Xbox Series S version will improve performance on all platforms, including PS5. The game’s fifth major patch, expected to launch this week, will include upgrades and new features. More details will be revealed later today.

Director of Publishing Michael Douse says PS5 performance improvements may be the “least exciting thing” in the title’s next update, so it sounds like a big one. Larian Studios employees are proud of “finally” implementing tweaks, fixes, and changes, Douse says. Later today, we’ll bring you all the Baldur’s Gate 3 update details.

Those who reached the RPG’s third act have reported technical issues during the narrative’s conclusion, especially in co-op, so today’s update should fix them. New features like a permadeath mode are expected, along with Xbox Series S optimization fixes. What else should be added to the game?

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