[Official] Xbox Series X & Series S Discussion

By George P,
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George P    6,607
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Decided to start this thread to post news and talk about the event.  What do people expect and any predictions.  Still waiting for an official date but it might be around the 20th of July, though I hope it's actually sooner.

 

 

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Sszecret    2,530
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So far we know 343 is going to be there with Halo Infinite gameplay, mayhaps another trailer as well.

 

In terms of what has a good chance of being there:

 

- We're due for a mainline Forza title - Motorsport 8 -, and racing games are usually very good in terms of a visual showcase of the console.

- Playground has a separate team working on an RPG (there's job listings over on LinkedIn) that may or may not be Fable. 

- The Initiative has got to at this point have something to show, be it a tease or anything else. Rumored to be Perfect Dark but no concrete evidence of that.

- Alpha 5 of Flight Sim is due to drop in July, so we might see Asobo there too with maybe a gameplay trailer (since it's a sort of second-party affair, via XGS Publishing)

- It's possible we'll see things like a new Wasteland 3 trailer, maybe one for the next Minecraft Dungeons DLC. I do hope they get the 'here's the upgraded Series X version' + current-gen trailers out of the way first, if they're even present at the event.

- Ninja Theory's Hellblade 2 might have a story trailer here, but I don't expect it to launch until at least the second half of next year. 

 

May or may not be there

 

- Double Fine, either with a launch trailer of Psychonauts 2 or some other project.

- Obsidian with Outer Worlds DLC and perhaps another project.

- Highly unlikely since it's not coming to console but possibly Age of Empires III DE or AoE IV.

- It'd be cool if Compulsion (We Happy Few) made something that's actually more story-focused that WHF rather than survival-focused.

- Some random third-party deal that would be done via Xbox Game Studios Publishing.

 

As for the date, if it's rumored now to be the week of July 20, I'd guess July 23. It gets it out of the way of Microsoft Inspire (July 21-22), and it lands on a Thursday, like the May event (which was on the 7th).

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dipsylalapo    1,985
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It's probably unlikely but I'd love to know what the price of the console is. If they share the price, I'm hoping that pre-orders will open.

 

I think that Florin covered most of what I'd expect to see.

 

 

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George P    6,607
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8 minutes ago, Sszecret said:

So far we know 343 is going to be there with Halo Infinite gameplay, mayhaps another trailer as well.

 

In terms of what has a good chance of being there:

 

- We're due for a mainline Forza title - Motorsport 8 -, and racing games are usually very good in terms of a visual showcase of the console.

- Playground has a separate team working on an RPG (there's job listings over on LinkedIn) that may or may not be Fable. 

- The Initiative has got to at this point have something to show, be it a tease or anything else. Rumored to be Perfect Dark but no concrete evidence of that.

- Alpha 5 of Flight Sim is due to drop in July, so we might see Asobo there too with maybe a gameplay trailer (since it's a sort of second-party affair, via XGS Publishing)

- It's possible we'll see things like a new Wasteland 3 trailer, maybe one for the next Minecraft Dungeons DLC. I do hope they get the 'here's the upgraded Series X version' + current-gen trailers out of the way first, if they're even present at the event.

- Ninja Theory's Hellblade 2 might have a story trailer here, but I don't expect it to launch until at least the second half of next year. 

 

May or may not be there

 

- Double Fine, either with a launch trailer of Psychonauts 2 or some other project.

- Obsidian with Outer Worlds DLC and perhaps another project.

- Highly unlikely since it's not coming to console but possibly Age of Empires III DE or AoE IV.

- It'd be cool if Compulsion (We Happy Few) made something that's actually more story-focused that WHF rather than survival-focused.

- Some random third-party deal that would be done via Xbox Game Studios Publishing.

 

As for the date, if it's rumored now to be the week of July 20, I'd guess July 23. It gets it out of the way of Microsoft Inspire (July 21-22), and it lands on a Thursday, like the May event (which was on the 7th).

I wonder if going so long between events is a negative because it just raises expectations even higher with no June event and the May event was a let down overall.

 

It might have been better for them to do something small, probably any 2nd party type deals in June and not have so much riding on the July event.

4 minutes ago, dipsylalapo said:

It's probably unlikely but I'd love to know what the price of the console is. If they share the price, I'm hoping that pre-orders will open.

 

I think that Florin covered most of what I'd expect to see.

 

 

The cat and mouse with Sony is interesting at least.   If the rumor about lockheart/Series S for August is true then I think odds of a Series X price coming out in this event are higher because then it forces Sony to price the PS5 and once MS knows the price for the cheaper digital only version they can drop Series S in August with a even lower price.

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Sszecret    2,530
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21 minutes ago, George P said:

I wonder if going so long between events is a negative because it just raises expectations even higher with no June event and the May event was a let down overall.

It might have been better for them to do something small, probably any 2nd party type deals in June and not have so much riding on the July event.

It could go both ways honestly. It could backfire given the length of time between events, but there's also the possibility that Microsoft is intentionally leaving this much of a gap. Lockhart itself is the worst kept secret, and perhaps given the recent attention it's been getting, that's why we'll see it in August.

 

If they would've done a smaller second-party event in June, the reaction would've been the same as with the May even I think. "Why isn't there more, it looks so lame" and the like. Luckily it's been confirmed there will be no webcams during the July event.

 

What I honestly see them doing in regards to a timeline is this:

 

- Have the July event on the 23rd, showcase first and second-party games, drive home the message about "looks and runs better on Series X at 4K"

- Wait for Sony to have their thing (be it a State of Play in July and August or just in August)

- Have an event in August where the Series X price is revealed (I guess Microsoft is hoping after Sony announces that of the PS5 / PS5 DE), then reveal Lockhart / Series S with its pricing. Let's say Series X is $499 at the top end (I don't think they'd go past 500), that would put Series S at $249 if they want to be aggressive.

 

Or, and this is what Phil may be crazy enough to do, launch the Series S via Xbox All Access. Say that it's a 1080p60 machine, and have the hardware be 'free' when you sign up for a two-year contract at say $20/month (which also gets you Game Pass Ultimate and the like). In other words, not too dissimilar to phone contracts.

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George P    6,607
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24 minutes ago, Sszecret said:

It could go both ways honestly. It could backfire given the length of time between events, but there's also the possibility that Microsoft is intentionally leaving this much of a gap. Lockhart itself is the worst kept secret, and perhaps given the recent attention it's been getting, that's why we'll see it in August.

 

If they would've done a smaller second-party event in June, the reaction would've been the same as with the May even I think. "Why isn't there more, it looks so lame" and the like. Luckily it's been confirmed there will be no webcams during the July event.

 

What I honestly see them doing in regards to a timeline is this:

 

- Have the July event on the 23rd, showcase first and second-party games, drive home the message about "looks and runs better on Series X at 4K"

- Wait for Sony to have their thing (be it a State of Play in July and August or just in August)

- Have an event in August where the Series X price is revealed (I guess Microsoft is hoping after Sony announces that of the PS5 / PS5 DE), then reveal Lockhart / Series S with its pricing. Let's say Series X is $499 at the top end (I don't think they'd go past 500), that would put Series S at $249 if they want to be aggressive.

 

Or, and this is what Phil may be crazy enough to do, launch the Series S via Xbox All Access. Say that it's a 1080p60 machine, and have the hardware be 'free' when you sign up for a two-year contract at say $20/month (which also gets you Game Pass Ultimate and the like). In other words, not too dissimilar to phone contracts.

I agree, Series S being part of All Access would be huge but also selling it alone for a possible $249 would be hard to pass up for anyone looking to jump into Xbox for the first time and doesn't want all the bells and whistles of the Series X.  

 

$500 is probably tops to, and I think PS5 will probably be the same price with the DE going for $400.   If Sony goes over $500 for some reason, they did it before with the PS3,  it'll be a big opportunity for MS to win on price and hammer home the more powerful marketing tagline.

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SnoopZ    351
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My guess at pricing is.

 

Lockhart: $300 

XSX: $500

 

PS5DE: $400

PS5: $500

 

Now if Sony aggressively price the PS5DE lower than $400 then I believe Lockhart maybe in trouble considering its specs.

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George P    6,607
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1 hour ago, SnoopZ said:

My guess at pricing is.

 

Lockhart: $300 

XSX: $500

 

PS5DE: $400

PS5: $500

 

Now if Sony aggressively price the PS5DE lower than $400 then I believe Lockhart maybe in trouble considering its specs.

It'll be harder for Sony to price it too far lower since the only difference is the optical drive, all the rest is the same.  So $100 less makes the most sense.  The optical drive is probably the cheapest piece of hardware in these new consoles.

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LostCat    1,632
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23 minutes ago, George P said:

It'll be harder for Sony to price it too far lower since the only difference is the optical drive, all the rest is the same.  So $100 less makes the most sense.  The optical drive is probably the cheapest piece of hardware in these new consoles.

Makes the box less valuable to trade in too.  I'd love a digital only machine but I tend to trade in Sony consoles when I'm done with them.  :/

 

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SnoopZ    351
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1 hour ago, George P said:

It'll be harder for Sony to price it too far lower since the only difference is the optical drive, all the rest is the same.  So $100 less makes the most sense.  The optical drive is probably the cheapest piece of hardware in these new consoles.

True but if Sony can manage $450 for the regular PS5 then the PS5 DE would likely be $350 then it is just a case of how low MS can go, personally I can't see it being less than $300.

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George P    6,607
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1 hour ago, SnoopZ said:

True but if Sony can manage $450 for the regular PS5 then the PS5 DE would likely be $350 then it is just a case of how low MS can go, personally I can't see it being less than $300.

Yeah, it depends what the full systems are priced at, then we get a good idea.   I think going under $500 will be hard for Sony, from the sounds of it they've got a pricy cooling system going which is why the system is so big to begin with.  

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Sszecret    2,530
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May or may not be related to what we'll see in July, but Jenny Brewer joined Playground Games as a Senior UI designer recently. She's worked previously, among other places, at Lionhead between 2011 and 2016. Not clear which of the two Playground teams she has joined, but it's definitely interesting to say the least.

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George P    6,607
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53 minutes ago, Sszecret said:

May or may not be related to what we'll see in July, but Jenny Brewer joined Playground Games as a Senior UI designer recently. She's worked previously, among other places, at Lionhead between 2011 and 2016. Not clear which of the two Playground teams she has joined, but it's definitely interesting to say the least.

With the Lionhead background odds are it's whatever rumored RPG Playground is working on, which we all expect is the new Fable.

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George P    6,607
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Some new tidbits I haven't seen reported,  Thurrott is reporting that lockheart is smaller in size than the One X/S, quite small.  Also might hint at it not having a disc drive and being digital only from the start?

 

Also Tom Warren dropped a tweet talking about 20 CUs,  which is probably the GPU count for it.  

 

 

If it's a small digital only box that could bring the cost and thus retail price down lower than what people expect to see.  

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dipsylalapo    1,985
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I'll see if I can find the link that I found, but I read a similar thing. 

 

I'm paraphrasing here, but apparently when moving around these units they often use things like PCs to disguise what's being moved. Apparently Lockhart has been disguised inside a One X or S (I can't remember) so it's fairly small. 

 

Also would explain how they're potentially able to keep the price down. The Series X uses that split motherboard layout which is custom expensive

 

Edit - found the article, seems they were quoting Thurrot too! Here's the article - https://www.thurrott.com/games/xbox/237240/the-latest-on-lockhart

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George P    6,607
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2 hours ago, dipsylalapo said:

I'll see if I can find the link that I found, but I read a similar thing. 

 

I'm paraphrasing here, but apparently when moving around these units they often use things like PCs to disguise what's being moved. Apparently Lockhart has been disguised inside a One X or S (I can't remember) so it's fairly small. 

 

Also would explain how they're potentially able to keep the price down. The Series X uses that split motherboard layout which is custom expensive

 

Edit - found the article, seems they were quoting Thurrot too! Here's the article - https://www.thurrott.com/games/xbox/237240/the-latest-on-lockhart

It's pretty interesting because the Series X devkits just look like a bit bigger One X dev kits, or maybe around the same size.  Using something like that for the devkit probably showed the need for the better cooling option.

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Sszecret    2,530
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Well, there we go. July 23rd it is.

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George P    6,607
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A 1hr pre-show, interesting, I'm guessing the show itself is also 1hr?

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Sszecret    2,530
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20 minutes ago, George P said:
A 1hr pre-show, interesting, I'm guessing the show itself is also 1hr?

This would, I think, be their E3-like thing. Given that Xbox briefings usually take about 1h30 - 1h40, and taking out all of the nonsense of the live event (stage, people walking, stumbling on speeches, etc), it should come in at around the same amount of time as Sony's, so a little over an hour. A 1h pre-show is definitely interesting, as Geoff usually schedules the pre-show for 20-15min before. Wouldn't be surprised if there was a post-show from Geoff too.

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George P    6,607
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1 minute ago, Sszecret said:

This would, I think, be their E3-like thing. Given that Xbox briefings usually take about 1h30 - 1h40, and taking out all of the nonsense of the live event (stage, people walking, stumbling on speeches, etc), it should come in at around the same amount of time as Sony's, so a little over an hour. A 1h pre-show is definitely interesting, as Geoff usually schedules the pre-show for 20-15min before. Wouldn't be surprised if there was a post-show from Geoff too.

They normally do post show inside xbox with MN and crew, that could happen.  Maybe the pre-show will have gameplay and more info on the games they've already shown from 3rd parties? 

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George P    6,607
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This could be huge if it happens.

 

 

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Sszecret    2,530
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It absolutely would be, though I don't see Microsoft acquiring the entirety of WB Games. Maybe just Rocksteady and NetherRealm.

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George P    6,607
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5 minutes ago, Sszecret said:

It absolutely would be, though I don't see Microsoft acquiring the entirety of WB Games. Maybe just Rocksteady and NetherRealm.

Yeah, just those two would be big on their own.  Possible KI and MK crossover?  

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Sszecret    2,530
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24 minutes ago, George P said:

Yeah, just those two would be big on their own.  Possible KI and MK crossover?  

That's the reason why I'd see them grab NetherRealm. We'd be due for a KI anyway, but I don't know who would make it at this point. Certainly wouldn't be announced on the 23 even if the deal goes through.

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George P    6,607
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They've announced new studios the last two E3s so, this event being a replacement for it, timing would fit.   Sure we wouldn't hear about new games unless they're deep into development on something at the time of sale.  Just the news of grabbing those studios would be big alone.

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      What's problematic to me is the lack of clear communication from Sony's end. It's disingenuous to customers to have them lambast Microsoft's cross-gen strategy for the past few months and then suddenly announce that you're planning on following that strategy too. Is the current-gen hardware then holding back PlayStation 5 titles too? Is it worth upgrading to the PlayStation 5 so early in the generation's cadence knowing that I'll be able to play most titles on current-gen hardware? I mean, sure, better frames-per-second, ray-tracing, and 4K textures sound like things worth upgrading to, but the absence of those never stopped me from enjoying all the PlayStation 4 exclusives I mentioned at the start of this piece.

      At the end of the day, it's the offerings of the game itself that make me stick to certain hardware. If the gameplay of Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Horizon: Forbidden West is good enough for me on the PlayStation 4, maybe I don't even need to buy the PlayStation 5 for these particular games so soon.

      Overall, I probably wouldn't have minded this move as much as long as Sony had made stuff like this clear from the start rather than harping about how it believes in console generations. It's the lost trust due to unclear communication that's the problem here, not the games launching with cross-gen capabilities.

      But this is not the only place where Sony lost my trust. The other notable instance is the PlayStation 5 pre-orders fiasco. In an interview with Geoff Keighley back in July, Sony Head of Worldwide Marketing Eric Lempel stated that the company would give "plenty of time" before opening pre-orders. During the firm's showcase event earlier this week, no mention was made regarding pre-orders. Some people received emails from Sony with unique URLs to place orders for the PlayStation 5 but there was no mention of this even on the PlayStation Blog.

      Keighley once again flew in to save the day and announced that PlayStation 5 pre-orders would open on Thursday, and shortly after, the PlayStation Twitter account also announced the same. Amidst this confusion, it appears some retailers chose to open pre-orders on the same day (that is, Wednesday) and then all hell broke loose, with practically every retailer making their PlayStation 5 listings active with the console being sold out in minutes. So much for the "plenty of time" being offered to customers to place their orders.

      The thing is, this wasn't completely or directly Sony's fault. Some trigger-happy retailer decided to open pre-orders early and chaos ensued. The problem is, Sony as a major corporation launching a highly-anticipated should have foreseen this, it should have clearly announced pre-order dates beforehand, and it should have been more than a one-day notice.

      Note that as someone who lives in Pakistan where Sony doesn't even officially launch consoles, the pre-order fiasco doesn't even bother me directly. What bothers me about this is that this is yet another instance of Sony's lack of clear communication. Due to the company's mishandling of the situation and not providing customers crystal-clear instructions, potentially hundreds of thousands of customers around the globe weren't even given a chance to be among the first to get their hands on the console come November, simply because they believed that Sony would indeed be giving them ample notice, as promised.



      In the other camp, Microsoft is now capitalizing on Sony's misfires, and rightly so. It has poked fun at Sony's pre-order snafu, and just recently and clearly announced pre-order dates in various countries. With pre-orders starting on September 22, this is what I call "plenty of time" to decide whether you want to lighten your wallet right now or wait a bit.

      Similarly, the company has also uploaded videos on its Xbox YouTube channel, highlighting Quick Resume and faster loading times capabilities on the Series S. Note that these videos highlight the power of the less-powerful $299 console, not the $499 Series X. To me, this is the epitome of confidence from Microsoft's part about its faith in its upcoming consoles as well as a very clear message to customers about the benefits they can expect from investing in the company's machines. One can safely assume that the performance on the Xbox Series X will be better. This is something that instills confidence for potential customers, and it's all thanks to the company's transparent communication over the past few months. Sure you might not like the titles available on the Series X|S consoles, and that is fine, but at least you know exactly what you're getting when you buy either of the two machines. This clarity has been missing from most of Sony's marketing material.

      That said, there's still almost two months before the PlayStation 5 launches. Instead of making claims that it can't back up with its games and events, the company should instead focus on clearly telling consumers what they can expect when they purchase a PlayStation 5. The latest antics from the company have definitely fanned flames of "console wars" among the gaming community and are good for marketing, but they ultimately harm Sony's image when it can't live up to its promises. Right now, almost every Tweet by the PlayStation Twitter account is being criticized for how the company handled the pre-orders situation, and the frustration is understandable. With the next generation just around the corner, it isn't smart to alienate a loyal playerbase.

      While these latest snafus by Sony don't turn me away from the PlayStation 5 (I really want to play God of War: Ragnarok!), but the firm's - unintentionally or intentionally - deceptive marketing tactics have diminished my trust, which means that I'll have to be very careful with setting expectations for next-gen, because I can't take anything Sony says at face value anymore.

    • Here's when you can pre-order Xbox Series X, Series S
      By Usama Jawad96
      Here's when you can pre-order Xbox Series X, Series S
      by Usama Jawad

      We have already known for sometime that Xbox Series X|S consoles are launching on November 10, with preorders open from September 22. However, following Sony's PlayStation 5 preorder fiasco, Microsoft seems to be taking extreme care to ensure that the same snafu doesn't happen for its customers.

      To that end, Microsoft has detailed exactly when and where you'll be able to preorder Xbox Series X, Series S consoles from.



      In a blog post, the company has stated that its upcoming consoles will be available in 37 countries by November 10, and 41 countries by this holiday season. From September 22, preorders for the Series X and SeriesS at $499 and $299, respectively, will start as follows:

      Similarly, preorders will also open on the same at 9AM CEST across Europe, Middle East, and Africa at various retailers including Microsoft Store, Amazon, MediaMarkt, GameStop, FNAC, and Elkjøp/Elgiganten.

      On the other hand, if you'd rather enroll in Microsoft's Xbox All Access program which allows you to lease the Series X|S for a monthly fee of $34.99|$24.99 bundled with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, pre-order start as follows on September 22:

      Microsoft has specifically noted that pre-orders for Xbox All Access will not be available in Canada, France, Poland, and South Korea on September 22 but they will be open before the consoles' official launch. The company plans to share more details about its rollout soon.

    • Microsoft is updating the privacy settings on Xbox, no longer collecting voice data
      By indospot
      Microsoft is updating the privacy settings on Xbox, no longer collecting voice data
      by João Carrasqueira



      Microsoft has announced that it's building on the commitment shared in April of last year by updating the privacy settings for Xbox users. As it promised at the time, the updates aim to give users more control and provide more transparency regarding the types of data it collects.

      In the coming weeks, when users first sign into their consoles, they'll see an overview of the data required diagnostic data that Microsoft collects. This message will also show up on Xbox Series S and X consoles when they launch on November 10.

      The required diagnostic data includes error details that prevent games and apps running, errors with the console setup, and errors related to software updates. Naturally, this data is required so Microsoft can keep things working as you'd expect them to. The new message will let users learn more about the data being collected, though you'll be forced to accept it if you want to use the console.

      One thing that's changed is that Microsoft is no longer collecting data from voice searches or speech-to-text conversions. According to the company, it collects data with the goal of supporting "positive player experiences" on the console, and it has concluded that this data isn't necessary for that purpose.

      In addition to the required data, users will also be given the option to share optional diagnostic data, which includes actions you take while using the console, performance data, and enhanced error reporting with more details on the conditions that cause crashes or errors. Like with required data, you can learn more about what's being collected, and in this case, you can choose not to share said data. You can also change this setting after the fact in the console's settings.

    • Xbox Game Pass is gaining Company of Heroes 2, Destiny 2, Halo 3: ODST, and more
      By LoneWolfSL
      Xbox Game Pass is gaining Company of Heroes 2, Destiny 2, Halo 3: ODST, and more
      by Pulasthi Ariyasinghe



      Microsoft today revealed what Xbox Game Pass members are getting in the second half of September following the games that were delivered to the subscription program in the past couple of weeks.

      The list isn't huge this time, but it does have some major releases such as Halo 3: ODST for PC, the return of Vermintide 2 for Xbox One, as well as Destiny 2 plus its Shadowkeep and Forsaken expansions. Moreover, thanks to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription gaining cloud gaming support tomorrow, many of the games incoming this month are also playable on Android devices through the cloud.

      Here's everything that was announced today:

      Company of Heroes 2 (PC) – September 17 Destiny 2: Shadowkeep and Forsaken (Android and Console) – September 22 Halo 3: ODST (Android and PC) – September 22 Warhammer: Vermintide 2 (Android and Console) - September 24 Night in the Woods (Android, Console, and PC) - September 24 Meanwhile, below are the games leaving the programs on September 30. As Rocket League is soon going free-to-play, it will also be leaving behind Game Pass.

      Microsoft recently announced that Electronic Arts titles from EA Play would be joining the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC subscriptions at no extra cost. Also, the Game Pass PC variant will be leaving its beta tag behind on September 17, which means the monthly price tag is being bumped up to $9.99 mirroring the Xbox console variant.