Xbox Game Studios |OTXI| Grounded in Reality

[canderous]

At this point I don't even care about price, lockhart, etc. being delayed til September. This whole lead up to launch has gone so far off the rails that I'm just along for the ride now.

Currently I'm just waiting for leaked pictures of Series S console before MS even acknowledges its existence.

 

[Albert Penello]

Also Albert Penello , now that you are outside Xbox is there anything in the leadup to this new generation that you wish console makers where doing different in terms of messaging?

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It's very easy to be an armchair quarterback and what I don't know is the impact of COVID to the plans, realistically. So I don't want to cast too much shade.

On hardware I'll probably be more critical of Sony, which always gets me in trouble. I think from a hardware and platform perspective we know more about Xbox than PS5. I have a clearer picture of back compat, accessories, game upgrades, etc. Partially for anyone that owns an X1X, the story is very similar so you can easily believe the claims Xbox is making. For PlayStation this story is fuzzier - they have a more spotty history around Back Compat so I just have less confidence there and if I were Sony I'd be more clear here especially as you're leading up to holiday game launches. Should I buy the PS4 version or wait? Will it work *for sure*? I don't know. Same with the variable clock rates - maybe it will be better, maybe it will have some sort of trade-off we don't know about. So I think Xbox has done better on the HW side.

On games - clearly Sony has done better here. Everything has been shown on PS5, that messaging has been clear. The games look great, I have a feel for what I'm going to get. I don't need to rehash the Xbox side but in terms of selling performance I think they could be doing better on that.

I think this messaging around "believing in generations" is such BS. The approaches are very similar, although nuanced, and I think that's getting overblown in a way that makes me cringe a bit.

I think they take equal criticism for the pricing game but I understand that. :)

So in short there you go. I think Xbox has done better with hardware and platform feature messaging, and Sony has done better on Games messaging.

 

[Albert Penello]

Totally fair and thanks for the reply. I worked at MS at the time, nowhere near xbox org but it still felt so frustrating to see those leaks. Thanks for posting here still, I really appreciate your analysis and insights. I think misterx is still around... Come on when will you be enabling that hidden gpu??

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It's only in the external power supplies! :)

 

[sujay]

I think this messaging around "believing in generations" is such BS. The approaches are very similar, although nuanced, and I think that's getting overblown in a way that makes me cringe a bit.

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Could you elaborate a little bit on this part?

 

[Albert Penello]

Could you elaborate a little bit on this part?

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Both of these consoles are new generations. You're getting similar hardware architecture, similar focus on RT and SSD, etc. The difference is about back-compat and how the companies support the previous generations. Both companies POV are supported by historical precedent.

Anyone arguing that only one console "believes in generations" means you're debating pretty nuanced points - which have pros/cons on both sides -and that just makes me cringe. Nobody said the Genesis wasn't a new generation because they shipped Sonic on the Master System. And nobody said Nintendo wasn't consumer friendly when Super Mario World didn't ship on the NES. I really dislike this line of debate in the current console war.

 

[knightmawk]

I dont remember where, but I thought I read that Microsoft secured something for Gamepass that will make the halo pill easier to swallow. I'm definitely keeping my eyes on fandoms.

( sorry if this has been discussed).

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There's been some insiders saying there would be a big Game Pass announcement, Shinobi said specifically it was related to a publisher., he said it'd be big but not universally earth shattering. The only person I've heard saying there would be news that would make the Halo news seem less bad was Phil, which...well...it is his job, so take it from that perspective.

 

[Caiusto]

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That's honestly so cool.

 

[Parcas]

I think people are just collectively done with leakers thanks to Summer Games Fest. Which I see as a blessing.

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Yeah but even without leaks there is normally a lot more buzz and news it is just quiet.

 

[Sotha_Sil]

It's very easy to be an armchair quarterback and what I don't know is the impact of COVID to the plans, realistically. So I don't want to cast too much shade.

On hardware I'll probably be more critical of Sony, which always gets me in trouble. I think from a hardware and platform perspective we know more about Xbox than PS5. I have a clearer picture of back compat, accessories, game upgrades, etc. Partially for anyone that owns an X1X, the story is very similar so you can easily believe the claims Xbox is making. For PlayStation this story is fuzzier - they have a more spotty history around Back Compat so I just have less confidence there and if I were Sony I'd be more clear here especially as you're leading up to holiday game launches. Should I buy the PS4 version or wait? Will it work *for sure*? I don't know. Same with the variable clock rates - maybe it will be better, maybe it will have some sort of trade-off we don't know about. So I think Xbox has done better on the HW side.

On games - clearly Sony has done better here. Everything has been shown on PS5, that messaging has been clear. The games look great, I have a feel for what I'm going to get. I don't need to rehash the Xbox side but in terms of selling performance I think they could be doing better on that.

I think this messaging around "believing in generations" is such BS. The approaches are very similar, although nuanced, and I think that's getting overblown in a way that makes me cringe a bit.

I think they take equal criticism for the pricing game but I understand that. :)

So in short there you go. I think Xbox has done better with hardware and platform feature messaging, and Sony has done better on Games messaging.

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Appreciate the fair takes and I agree 100%. I plan on getting a XSX day-one for the tech upgrade and awesome backwards compatibility movement.

I expected more gameplay on the software side of things, and that has been disappointing but it is what it is. Looking at when these studios were acquired, how much pre-acquisition work they still had/have to do, and COVID for the last six months, and it does make sense. I expected at least a couple 1P games from Global Publishing to go with Halo at launch, but it seems like that ain't happening.

 

[c bweezie]

There's been some insiders saying there would be a big Game Pass announcement, Shinobi said specifically it was related to a publisher., he said it'd be big but not universally earth shattering. The only person I've heard saying there would be news that would make the Halo news seem less bad was Phil, which...well...it is his job, so take it from that perspective.

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That makes total sense. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[knightmawk]

I'm sure Xbox will have something to show during Gamescom, maybe some new gameplay for announced projects or DLC / next gen versions for things like Gears Tactics. Outside chance of things like The Initiatives new game or Compulsion.

September is also Tokyo Games show, so maybe something there? There is some buzz that next gen consoles will be there in some way. I haven't seen more than just headlines so I'm not crystal on that. Plus the first production Xbox One was shown at Tokyo Games Show wasn't it? It'd be a good way for Xbox to show their efforts on Japan are more than just going through the motions. Good time to show off more Japanese games coming to Xbox, more Sega ports, maybe some Level5 or Falcom games maybe?

 

[Hilbert]

The spiders in Grounded made me shriek over the microphone while playing with my sister.

Here I thought I was a horror expert.

 

[DukeBlueBall]

Imo, first price to be revealed for Xbox will be Lockhart's.
i.e Next gen starts at <=$299.
I am also expecting a game reveal similar to HB2, though with COVID that might not be possible.

 

[VeePs]

i.e Next gen starts at <$299.

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Just feels too low tbh. Would be nice tho.

 

[FarSight XR-20]

Imo, first price to be revealed for Xbox will be Lockhart's.
i.e Next gen starts at <=$299.
I am also expecting a game reveal similar to HB2, though with COVID that might not be possible.

Click to shrink...

The Initiative didn't show their game yet.

 

[DukeBlueBall]

The Initiative didn't show their game yet.

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☝

I think it's powerful messaging to showcase next gen visuals for Lockhart, albeit at 1080p.

Xss will be my only next gen console for a while until hdmi 2.1 TVs are prevalent.

 

[iareec]

I'm curious to see what Xbox will show. I really want Series X, but most of my friends had a PS4. They won't care much about power difference, existence of Gamepass, etc. I feel like I'll end up buying PS5, because playing with friends is what matters for me. I know Phil Spencer already said that their focus is in services and being able to play in any screen, but imo there are atleast 2 ways of getting a way bigger userbase. Cheap console or free online. There are a lot of people that already stick with Sony and there should be something huge from Microsoft. I know it might not happen and I still think that MS is already doing a lot of progress, but don't expect at least where I live to see more people going for Xbox just because there's more power and XGP.

 

[SpartyCrunch]

Can anyone help me with my xcloud streaming? I'm at a loss as to why I hear so many positive experiences yet I'm not having any. I tried the beta on my phone (S20 +) a few months back, as well as managing to get it on my shield, visually things looked fine but the sound kept cutting and the lag was really noticeable. I played FH4, Gears 5 etc and had similar experiences. My shield is wired with 108 download and about 6 upload. Phone is wireless with similar speeds. On to the "beta" for ultimate subscribers I'm having the exact same experience. It looks fine but the sound and latency is all over the place. What could be causing it? I'm sat about 5 foot from the router also (5ghz network)

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Feel freem to DM me answers, but in general your performance could be due to multiple factors:

• If you have other things running on your phone ("network optimizers", etc.) could inadvertently affect performance
• While you're on a 5GHz network, that network could also be congested. Maybe try changing the channel(s) used in your router?
• Are you on a mesh network? Maybe your device is hopping between multiple points?
• What happens if you try cellular instead of wifi?
• Where generally are you located?

 

[Prine]

Both of these consoles are new generations. You're getting similar hardware architecture, similar focus on RT and SSD, etc. The difference is about back-compat and how the companies support the previous generations. Both companies POV are supported by historical precedent.

Anyone arguing that only one console "believes in generations" means you're debating pretty nuanced points - which have pros/cons on both sides -and that just makes me cringe. Nobody said the Genesis wasn't a new generation because they shipped Sonic on the Master System. And nobody said Nintendo wasn't consumer friendly when Super Mario World didn't ship on the NES. I really dislike this line of debate in the current console war.

Click to shrink...

100% agreed. Thanks for sharing your opinion on the matter.

 

[cyrribrae]

Right? I didn't realise it was so soon until I started writing that post.

Is it unprecedented to be so close to a hardware release with no price? I can't remember for last gen(s).

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Sega Saturn.. available now!

More or less lol

I think this messaging around "believing in generations" is such BS. The approaches are very similar, although nuanced, and I think that's getting overblown in a way that makes me cringe a bit.

Click to shrink...

Both of these consoles are new generations. You're getting similar hardware architecture, similar focus on RT and SSD, etc. The difference is about back-compat and how the companies support the previous generations. Both companies POV are supported by historical precedent.

Anyone arguing that only one console "believes in generations" means you're debating pretty nuanced points - which have pros/cons on both sides -and that just makes me cringe. Nobody said the Genesis wasn't a new generation because they shipped Sonic on the Master System. And nobody said Nintendo wasn't consumer friendly when Super Mario World didn't ship on the NES. I really dislike this line of debate in the current console war.

Click to shrink...

Yea.. this is what bothers me. Not that I don't my fair share of mindless marketing for corporate brands, but this particular phrasing is silly. They're doing the same things, save for fairly minor decisions. But it is a bit disingenuous to champion a company's decision to do less work, in order to deliver less value. If ppl are happy, that's fine. But using that as a cudgel is so backwards lol.

Would TLOU2 be any worse if they had also developed it for PS5? Would TLOU2 on PS5 not be a better looking game than any of the next gen exclusives we've seen so far? Indeed, it is not already better looking on PS4? I'll be honest, a bit bummed still that Halo didn't prove my point that current gen games can look just as good as next gen games with significant investment. (Since, my point was that we should expect MS to put in the work to make these transitional games good on both platforms. I still think that's true, but not we won't know for a while.) But. Hey. Oh well.


Side note: are you still following this stuff as closely as you used to have to? Or are you kind of keeping your distance from everything now?

 

[In Amber Clad]

The spiders in Grounded made me shriek over the microphone while playing with my sister.

Here I thought I was a horror expert.

Click to shrink...

Horror is one thing. Spiders are quite another.

 

[Karateka]

Battletoads looking really fun cant wait to play it. I thought rash would be my guy before but now I figure Ill be a pimple player...

 

[Garcia el Gringo]

Sorry if this is OT: Is there any way to reverse bulk deleted communication permissions on my Microsoft Account? I accidentally deleted them all in one go.

If not, can any Xbox-oriented Microsoft Account power users that does things like Microsoft Store promo emails, Xbox/Insider, Xbox Ambassador, Halo/Insider, Sea of Thieves/Insider show me a list of permissions that I should work towards restoring manually? I think I had about a dozen or so permissions, and I listed a good amount right there, but I can't remember them all - I wish I took a screenshot.

Link to "Manage communication permissions" https://account.microsoft.com/profile/communications?CTID=0

I unfortunately got disconnected from Microsoft phone support. One of those days.

 

[Noble]

It's very easy to be an armchair quarterback and what I don't know is the impact of COVID to the plans, realistically. So I don't want to cast too much shade.

On hardware I'll probably be more critical of Sony, which always gets me in trouble. I think from a hardware and platform perspective we know more about Xbox than PS5. I have a clearer picture of back compat, accessories, game upgrades, etc. Partially for anyone that owns an X1X, the story is very similar so you can easily believe the claims Xbox is making. For PlayStation this story is fuzzier - they have a more spotty history around Back Compat so I just have less confidence there and if I were Sony I'd be more clear here especially as you're leading up to holiday game launches. Should I buy the PS4 version or wait? Will it work *for sure*? I don't know. Same with the variable clock rates - maybe it will be better, maybe it will have some sort of trade-off we don't know about. So I think Xbox has done better on the HW side.

On games - clearly Sony has done better here. Everything has been shown on PS5, that messaging has been clear. The games look great, I have a feel for what I'm going to get. I don't need to rehash the Xbox side but in terms of selling performance I think they could be doing better on that.

I think this messaging around "believing in generations" is such BS. The approaches are very similar, although nuanced, and I think that's getting overblown in a way that makes me cringe a bit.

I think they take equal criticism for the pricing game but I understand that. :)

So in short there you go. I think Xbox has done better with hardware and platform feature messaging, and Sony has done better on Games messaging.

Click to shrink...

Hey Albert, just wanted to say it's great to have you around here and to know about your perspective on things. It all sounds very genuine and I appreciate that :)

Regarding what you mention about messaging, I totally agree. I believe Microsoft started VERY well, but due to several reasons (one being the pandemic I imagine) that strong messaging kinda diluted away. It feels like that "bold" side of Xbox from December 2019 goes away every time it comes to games.

The feeling I am getting is the pandemic hit Xbox harder than what was being preceived. Sony already has very well established studios, but it caught Microsoft in the middle of integrating their new studios and scaling them up, probably delaying stuff and affecting timelines.

Hopefully that will change soon.

 

[knightmawk]

The spiders in Grounded made me shriek over the microphone while playing with my sister.

Here I thought I was a horror expert.

Click to shrink...

Horror is one thing. Spiders are quite another.

Click to shrink...

This is me in Sea of Thieves when I fall off the boat. Xbox is the best place for horror. Silent Who?

 

[upinsmoke]

Feel freem to DM me answers, but in general your performance could be due to multiple factors:

• If you have other things running on your phone ("network optimizers", etc.) could inadvertently affect performance
• While you're on a 5GHz network, that network could also be congested. Maybe try changing the channel(s) used in your router?
• Are you on a mesh network? Maybe your device is hopping between multiple points?
• What happens if you try cellular instead of wifi?
• Where generally are you located?

Click to shrink...

Thanks for your response.
I don't have anything else running on my phone. If I try cellular I only get limited poor 4g coverage unfortunately (despite having a 5g phone and a compatible SIM)
I know the area I am in is fairly congested on virgin media but I still don't think it would effect me to this extent. All the tests I do say I have a good enough connection for streaming. I will try changing channels but I'm not sure it will help. The only other thing I can think of is my stock router is a piece of shit and I need to put it in modem mode and connect a better one maybe.

 

[In Amber Clad]

This is me in Sea of Thieves when I fall off the boat. Xbox is the best place for horror. Silent Who?

Click to shrink...

Especially if this is how you fall off the boat.

 

[knightmawk]

Especially if this is how you fall off the boat.

Click to shrink...

This and when I'm sailing full speed alone and I just slip off the side and I watch my ship disappear. Thank God there's no giant spider crabs.

 

[Albert Penello]

Side note: are you still following this stuff as closely as you used to have to? Or are you kind of keeping your distance from everything now?

Click to shrink...

Are you kidding?! I love it. Still in the thick of it - following along every day. Fun checking in with old co-workers and folks in the media or other companies I came to know over the years.

It's nice because there had to be a certain arms-distance with other industry folks (not just media but friends who worked at partners or competitors) just to be careful what was shared. Now, I can talk about whatever to whoever, and I'm not under the pressure of actually having to execute the launch.

 

[In Amber Clad]

This and when I'm sailing full speed alone and I just slip off the side and I watch my ship disappear. Thank God there's no giant spider crabs.

Click to shrink...

Oh god, that would be hell. The sharks do freak me out at times, because almost every time you're swimming back to the boat and think, "I should check there're no sharks behind me, " there's always a shark behind you.

But giant spider crabs? No.

No thank you.

 

[Vico]

Especially if this is how you fall off the boat.

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Man, I hope Rare had big plans for Sea of Thieves for the launch.

 

[HgS]

Albert Penello

Just wanted to say it's really great to get your perspective here. We get some developers, but very rarely do we get someone who is more on the corporate side of the business. It's a perspective we really lack and one I find fascinating.

 

[TheUnsungHero26]

Yeah, it's super cool to read Albert Penello's thoughts on the new console launches. People were pretty awful to him back on GAF, so nice to see we haven't chased him off :P

 

[elzeus]

Imo, first price to be revealed for Xbox will be Lockhart's.
i.e Next gen starts at <=$299.
I am also expecting a game reveal similar to HB2

Click to shrink...

That's how it should be done but knowing AA-ron Greenberg they will have a Series X refrigerator commercial where Master Chief walks up and opens the door and pulls a 2 liter Mountain Dew from a shelf marked $499 and then you see a glimpse of a smaller 20 oz Mountain Dew on the shelf below that for $299 and it fades to black. Then Greeny will wonder why everyone is mad at him.

 

[pg2g]

Especially if this is how you fall off the boat.

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This is the first time ive ever wanted to play sea of thieves

 

[Kevin360]

I played the Sea of Thieves beta test. Enjoyed it.

Played on launch day, got trapped in the cage in the boat and the guys on the boat at the start of the game laughed and mocked me and sank the boat. I turned the game off and never played again.

 

[FarSight XR-20]

 

[TheRuralJuror]

I played the Sea of Thieves beta test. Enjoyed it.

Played on launch day, got trapped in the cage in the boat and the guys on the boat at the start of the game laughed and mocked me and sank the boat. I turned the game off and never played again.

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I had a similar experience, but tried it the other day. Was a good time.

Click to shrink...

Great lineup. Only bummed that I have to wait for however long to get flight sim on Xbox. Hope it's not too long.

 

[WordsintheWater]

Click to shrink...

Great month for Xbox, really interested in "Tell Me Why"

 

[iareec]

It's EA Play?

 

[Dokkaebi G0SU]

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excited for wasteland 3.

 

[Jack-O-Lantern]

It's EA Play?

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Yep. It sure looks EA Play it's gonna be on Gamepass.

 

[Outrun]

Love the new OT smell.

 

[iareec]

Yep. It sure looks EA Play it's gonna be on Gamepass.

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I would say it's even confirmed.

 

[Vico]

Yep. It sure looks EA Play it's gonna be on Gamepass.

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If it is, does that mean I could effectively play the entire Star Wars Squadrons campaign day one on Game Pass?

 

[DukeBlueBall]

That's how it should be done but knowing AA-ron Greenberg they will have a Series X refrigerator commercial where Master Chief walks up and opens the door and pulls a 2 liter Mountain Dew from a shelf marked $499 and then you see a glimpse of a smaller 20 oz Mountain Dew on the shelf below that for $299 and it fades to black. Then Greeny will wonder why everyone is mad at him.

Click to shrink...

X gonna bring it to ya.

 

[pg2g]

If it is, does that mean I could effectively play the entire Star Wars Squadrons campaign day one on Game Pass?

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Think EA has a couple tiers, the cheap tier and the day one tier (which isnt available on consoles right now)

 

[MrAlderson]

so everyone is leaning that it will be EA joining GamePass in a big way ?

 

[FarSight XR-20]

It's EA Play?

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lol

 

[Raider34]

It's EA Play?

Click to shrink...

that would be huge madden fifa nhl ufc star wars squadron