Jeff Grubb: Microsoft should be pretty talkative soon, implies multiple updates in August

[T0kenAussie (Scott Turner)]

@Thanathorn

Excited to see Lockhart finally. I’m starting to think it’s going to be called Xbox Series X…[insert word]. Lite? Core?

Series Y my dude but also maybe series E for entry level

[Zappy5]

@Hammer24

…- I only think they didn’t explain it very good. Look, the usual criticisms towards Xbox are:

3p might abandon them if their installed base is too small 1p is too small and not diverse enough no Japanese games

In this context, they addressed it all:

first show: 3p and indies only, show how viable they are in this regard, especially with GamePass second show: lead in with Japanese exclusive, then show the diverse 1p lineup, especially with the new studios they acquired third show: hardware and services - and here it is still important to remember, that the XSX is just one way to play their games

The sell for the XSX is in the end very easy. You want to play the games in high quality, but not invest in a full blown PC? Just get the box that does that for the price of a graphics card alone.

If I was to critique that - 1st show mainly showed smaller titles - which is fine but not sure it proved viability. Second show definitely was a superb gamepass showcase - which may be what they intended but I definitely sensed a late narrative develop around that - sure they wanted to have a ‘gamepass inclusive’ show but the rumour that they pulled content in order to do that suggests to me that might have been somewhat down to face saving.

They absolutely need to show a good variety of new games running on the Series X - they need a show to do that really - but nothing they’ve said points me to them necessarily setting that up in August at least and I feel right now they’ve lost the early momentum built up. I don’t really think that was down to Halo Infinite - its because they’ve not shown off anything at all running on their console and not pressed home having the most powerful console. There are reasons for that - if strategic then I think they’ve got it wrong - if because stuff isn’t ready (and of course Covid is likely responsible) then I think they should be honest and give us a date for when they can properly demo their console ahead of release. I fully support their gamepass moves but I think whilst Covid has impacted them they are IMO going about things in wrong order. Should be first - look at this whizzbang console and the shiny games it plays. Second and you can get all these games on gamepass and play them where you want. Third - look at value we offer. If you don’t promote your hardware releasing in a few months - then sadly I fear that they will lose further ground on 3rd party offerings. No matter gamepass and xcloud - if the series X falters in sales terms and the PS5 does as expected - then developers may well not even need deals to work on the PS5 first. I don’t think Xbox needs to enter a hardware contest - but what they do need to do is retain current XB1 owners in the ecosystem. My great fear based on anecdotal evidence is they are going to lose a lot of ground here…I hope I’m wrong because I want an XSX with the full range of 3rd party support possible.

[Hammer24]

@Zappy5

snip

I think there are several reasons. Covid delays play a role, that the studios they bought don’t have a finished AAA project ready, and last but not least that they don’t see the strategic need to concentrate solely on the SXS. As I said, it’s just one way to play their games - GamePass has far more meaning.

[SowingShade (Shade)]

@T0kenAussie

Series Y my dude

I foresee “Series Y Bother” memes, should they go that direction - ha; I’d recommend avoiding that particular name choice. Then again, if there’s no such thing as bad publicity, maybe another meme to go along with this inane “Craig” business wouldn’t be so unfortunate for the folks over at Microsoft.

[TavishHill]

@Jameson

Well whenever you reveal something new u want to stun everybody that’s why hellblade 2 was shown with the series x. I guess it doesn’t have to be a new game but a world premiere trailer because you don’t show a console without a game u just don’t.

To me the context of what is being reveal matters too though. XSS isn’t new in terms of the hardware tech compared to XSX or anything. It’s just a 1080p version of XSX for cheap. The main reason it exists isn’t to highlight next gen gaming tech but rather to offer 1080p next gen gaming on the cheap.

So in that context, it seems smarter to me to only speak of it as part of a larger platform-wide strategy of being super consumer-friendly and high value/low cost. Halo’s MP being f2p, new Game Pass news, streamlined Game Pass branding, XSS/XSX price points, launch lineup/dates, free online play, more PR around BC, xCloud news, reminding ppl about accessory compatibility, Xbox All Access…all of those directly boost value to customers (different demographics are targeted with different stuff, while other initiatives overlap).

Using that to show off a game that isn’t really showcasing a value-added element of the platform seems a waste imho. I’d rather they save that for Gamescom later in the month.

My 2 cents.

[peter42O]

At this point, I just want to know the release date (my prediction is Friday November 6th), prices (my realistic prediction is $300 for Series S and $500 for Series X) and when pre-orders open up so I can go to GameStop and pre-order the Series X.

[Chyld989 (Tom)]

@FairyEmpire

I’m buying a Series X pretty much regardless at this point, but I need a price ASAP.

If you’re buying it regardless why do you need a price ASAP?

[DasKoop (TenaciousC)]

I fully expect to buy one on release day. Just give me a date so I can book the day off work!