Microsoft-Activision-Blizzard Discussion Thread (Part 1)

[kjemiker]

@TavishHill

Yeah machine learning. Sony has no ML inference acceleration hw, no. They can do ML but it wouldn’t be accelerated and for some tasks like super res, not being accelerated basically defeats the entire purpose of using it for that. That said, there are other tasks for ML too like better anims, physics, systems simulation, enemy/npc AI, even question generation stuff.

Thank you for the explanation.

[Daniel]

Saw Grubb post something about this and found the Mike tweet kinda funny

[rtansey]

@Daniel

…Saw Grubb post something about this and found the Mike tweet kinda funny

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Pete Parsons is right. It wasn’t due to the price, probably the independence part

[andrew_schmidt (HaloGaming08)]

@rtansey

Pete Parsons is right. It wasn’t due to the price, probably the independence part

Yep

[Boosted_Gear]

@Daniel

…Saw Grubb post something about this and found the Mike tweet kinda funny

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To think, 1 week later, Zenimax was announced.

[No-1HoloLens-Fan]

@TavishHill

… very likely will) keep CoD multiplatform and on PSX, but that doesn’t mean MS won’t be the ones marketing it and promoting the hell out of it as an Xbox game. To say nothing of possibly having exclusive betas, early access for GPU members, and just being day 1 on GP. Hardware bundles too. And XSX will likely be the best version of the games anyhow due to tech resources being better with MS than they were before. I mean, imagine the commercials showing you can play CoD, Fortnite, Apex Legends, PUBG, Halo, Doom, Wolfenstein, Stalker, etc all for basically nothing if you own an Xbox. The amount of appeal for shooter fans cannot be overstated. In my opinion, most of those CoD fans on PSX systems were once 360 gamers and will gladly pack up and come back to Xbox even without CoD being exclusive.

Middle ground is always there… But it’s very unlikely

It would work if Xbox is looking only for new market share (new consumers in gaming) and gamers who play on both the consoles already.

This won’t work in bringing PS gamers to Xbox or make them buy xbox as secondary platform.

[andrew_schmidt (HaloGaming08)]

@No-1HoloLens-Fan

Middle ground is always there… But it’s very unlikely

It would work if Xbox is looking only for new market share (new consumers in gaming) and gamers who play on both the consoles already.

This won’t work in bringing PS gamers to Xbox or make them buy xbox as secondary platform.

Yep my old high school friend told me he’ll be pissed if cod is exclusive and I told him well I felt the same way about the marvel stuff it sucks but that’s just how the business works

[EldenDarkwraith]

"Xbox Is Going To DESTROY Gaming And Form A Monopoly" ! According To Adam "Ruins Everything" Conover

[No-1HoloLens-Fan]

@BellaBundy

If the current quality is maintained then they failed, because CoD is currently dog shit.

Didn’t meant current quality…

Simple meant the quality COD is known for.

[andrew_schmidt (HaloGaming08)]

@EldenDarkwraith

Frintanga! had a feeling one of these days his stuff would be shared here

[TavishHill]

@rtansey

Not necessarily, as it has been mentioned that ML goes beyond graphics upscaling and can be beneficial in other areas. A less graphically intensive game that pushes AI boundaries or animation blending, etc. I just don’t think you’ll be seeing a Gears 6 game looking hella good running something like XeSS to gain framerate while maintaining IQ, more than a traditional solution, on these consoles.

They have specifically cited ML super res for a primary use case multiple times, including at HotChips 2020 and in various marketing materials. Jason Ronald referred to that as the easy and obvious use case. They also have it working internally as of late 2020 for texture upscale at runtime.

[Jorge_Alexander_Acos (Jorge Alexander Acosta Duarte)]

Does somebody knows what could be next after the FTC? the EU? UK?

[AllianceOfficer]

@Jorge_Alexander_Acos

Does somebody knows what could be next after the FTC? the EU? UK?

Both will review it. If the Nuance purchase is anything to go on, it went FTC, EU then UK (still there)

[TavishHill]

@No-1HoloLens-Fan

This won’t work in bringing PS gamers to Xbox or make them buy xbox as secondary platform.

It already is bringing those folks over even right now, a year+ out from the deal finalizing and yrs away from any CoD even having the prospect of being exclusive.

You are treating ‘PS gamers’ (aka gamers who only have a PS4 or PS5) as if they are the most hardcore and most fiercely loyal Sony fans out there. But the overwhelming majority even of those gamers aren’t like that. TONS of PS4 owners, for instance, are casuals who came to PS4 from 360, and moved to 360 from PS2 before that. The casuals who play mainly just CoD aren’t going out and buying multiple consoles in most cases. They get their CoD box of choice and that’s it til the next cycle comes along.

[TavishHill]

@Jorge_Alexander_Acos

Does somebody knows what could be next after the FTC? the EU? UK?

No idea. Would be cool if Hoeg could talk some on that front since he would know better than most, even though he is focused on US law. Don’t think he has really brought it up much yet.

[Harlow (Oggier Nil)]

I counted in the 50 most played games on XBOX in Europe there are 15 XBOX proprietary games and 4 Take Two games with a very high ranking for GTA V just behind Fornite and Cod WarZone and RDR 2 is also in the Top 10 with NBA 2K 2022 (Take Two is massive on XBOX)

Red Dead Redemption 2 was the most played game the entire time it was available on Gamepass

I think this is an important indication of a future buyout.

( Fallout 4 and Skyrim are still in the top but ranked behind GTA V and RDR 2 )

I’m also amazed to see Sea of Thieves between Roblox and Minecraft the game is a real success

[Jorge_Alexander_Acos (Jorge Alexander Acosta Duarte)]

@TavishHill

It already is bringing those folks over even right now, a year+ out from the deal finalizing and yrs away from any CoD even having the prospect of being exclusive.

You are treating ‘PS gamers’ (aka gamers who only have a PS4 or PS5) as if they are the most hardcore and most fiercely loyal Sony fans out there. But the overwhelming majority even of those gamers aren’t like that. TONS of PS4 owners, for instance, are casuals who came to PS4 from 360, and moved to 360 from PS2 before that. The casuals who play mainly just CoD aren’t going out and buying multiple consoles in most cases. They get their CoD box of choice and that’s it til the next cycle comes along.

True, here in Colombia back in the beginning of the one/ps4 era tons of people changed “perspectives” when SONY started promoting COD with their consoles. Marketing deals absolutely matters to casuals as it let them thinks their version got the most, is the better one, or even think that is exclusive to the platform (and Colombia was an xbox land)

[Jorge_Alexander_Acos (Jorge Alexander Acosta Duarte)]

1. Nvidia isn’t close to being one of the biggest SMC companies by marketshare. The reasoning between UK, US and EU (not just a UK thing like you suppose) is due to a downstream player buying an upstream player and blocking other downstream players by using the upstream player as leverage. Sound familiar?

2. Facebook’s later two investigations are on buying suppliers/publishers to block competitors. Sound familiar?

3. Not even close. Microsoft was comically “evil” in how it wrote software to break competitors and even partners.

its not just buying competitors, but buying suppliers or publishers to either hurt competing publishers or competing platforms. Predatory pricing by running a unsustainable loss leading model subsidized by money from other industries to force competitors out of the market. It could be about future effects, a market changing move or counterfactuals.

Was sailing the internet when I found an interesting take from an user and…man, some people are really desperate to see this failing.

[Chyld989 (Tom)]

@No-1HoloLens-Fan

This won’t work in bringing PS gamers to Xbox or make them buy xbox as secondary platform.

Umm, yes it will. PS fanboys? Maybe not. But regular PS gamers don’t give a shit if they’re gaming on PS or Xbox, they simply game where their friends are and where the games they like are. My future brother-in-law hates Xbox and has been hardcore Playstation forever and he’s already worried that he might not be able to get a Series X before Starfield comes out. The same will happen with Call of Duty people if it goes exclusive (or even gets marketing rights, which work on casuals: another friend thought Destiny was a PS exclusive for over a year simply because of the marketing rights).

[mcolt]

@Jorge_Alexander_Acos

…g other downstream players by using the upstream player as leverage. Sound familiar?

Facebook’s later two investigations are on buying suppliers/publishers to block competitors. Sound familiar?

Not even close. Microsoft was comically “evil” in how it wrote software to break competitors and even partners.

its not just buying competitors, but buying suppliers or publishers to either hurt competing publishers or competing platforms. Predatory pricing by running a unsustainable loss leading model subsidized by money from other industries to force competitors out of the market. It could be about future effects, a market changing move or counterfactuals.

Was sailing the internet when I found an interesting take from an user and…man, some people are really desperate to see this failing.

They’ll be disappointed.

And it’s not like we didn’t just see a much more impactful acquisition go through smoothly (Disney - Fox).

Microsoft itself had many of those in the last 5 years, in less competitive areas, and in much more serious markets (Nuance, LinkedIn, Github)