The Friday Inbox is feeling very positive about the Xbox One S and Microsoft’s next gen chances, as one reader recommends Hotshot Racing.
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Boardroom bother
I was really surprised by the pricing point on the cheaper next gen Xbox (the branding baffles me).
I thought that because of the tougher financial times we live in anything over £450-500 would just be a disaster so to release a next gen console for £250 with two years’ Game Pass and the option to pay monthly… amazing value, I paid more for my Nintendo Switch!
I have written in before to say that I’m fairly ambivalent to the next gen as there isn’t much game wise that’s different and I still feel that what, but at this price point I think I’ll be an early adopter.
The Sony boardroom and finance department must have let out a collective sigh when they saw the official pricing… they are going to have to come up with something good for those Xmas sales.
Keep up the good work GC.
R McKenna (gamertag)
PS: Will the current Xbox Elite pads work on the next gen?
GC: Yes, apparently they will.
A console for dogs
I feel that now is the exact moment that Sony need to wheel out Ken Kutaragi from retirement to make outrageous statements about the PlayStation 5.
What could he say?
Is it holographic 4D visuals?
Audio at frequencies that you can’t even hear?
A price tag so high, you need to work three jobs to afford this luxury marvel?
And, if all else fails, put out a demo made on a workstation, claim it’s playable and start talking about giant crabs.
This is, of course, just me having silly thoughts today, but you never can tell with Sony.
ZiPPi
GC: He was talking about 4D back in the PlayStation 3 day, so you’re looking at at least six-dimensional gaming by now.
Value proposition
Microsoft’s next gen package of low price, for what you’re getting, hardware; Game Pass; and Xbox All Access offers incredible value. The Xbox Series S retails for the same price as the current normal seven-year-old 500GB PlayStation 4, crazy.
I feel a little sorry Microsoft have been denied the opportunity, due to the difficulties of the current pandemic, to turn the tables on Sony and announce a cheaper price at E3 like Sony did for PlayStation 4. I think there’s no doubt the PlayStation 5 will be more expensive, the questions are by how much and if it really matters.
To be honest I think even if the PlayStation 5 was £600 – I’m not expecting to be though – I would still buy it over the Xbox Series X. I’m happily invested in the PlayStation 4 eco system now with 338 digital games on PlayStation 4 (140 are PS Plus games). Quite a few I haven’t got around to playing and will now delay until the next gen patches arrive, like The Witcher 3.
I think one of biggest difficulties Microsoft face is Sony have laid down strong groundwork this gen to roll over into the next gen, especially in a digital eco system. Personally I also prefer the PlayStation 4 pad, Sony exclusives (I’ve got to play Demon’s Souls remake), and love PlayStation VR. And although I think Game Pass is fantastic a sub model it’s not how I want to ultimately consume or pay for games. Buying them and having complete choice of the games I play, not a curated list, when I want to and for all time trumps the value offered in a sub model, where those things are taken away.
But credit to Microsoft for showing a really strong hand. They’re going for value as the main selling point and my word they are offering that in spades. Should keep Sony on their toes which is good all round.
Simundo
GC: The interesting thing about Sony’s position is that they’ve said nothing about subscription services at all and it’s impossible to tell if that’s because they’re keeping a secret or simply don’t have anything to talk about.
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S above X
I’m going to call it: the Xbox Series S will sell more units than the Series X and be more popular due to its price, it being all-digital, and the fact most parents and working people will be able to actually find and prefer to own the Series S.
Give it a year and you will see the Series S start to get price drops and even more units will sell, leading to this being more demanded than the Series X. However, the Xbox Series S will then become available in other versions, such as a slimline console which we have seen Microsoft do before with the previous Xbox 360 system.
A few years after the release of the Xbox Series S further price drops will happen and then you will see a huge spike in Xbox Series S consoles being sold and a lot of people will lend up owning one. You have to give Microsoft huge applause for the very competitive price for the Xbox Series S, as in the very long run this will help pay off for them and will benefit them in the future.
Considering how 2020 has gone the pricing for this system was actually a well-planned and smart move by Microsoft and Sony most certainly has now got a huge run for its money.
gaz be rotten (gamertag)
Part exchange
Despite my query about the Xbox Series S power, the monthly deal, including Game Pass Ultimate represents fantastic value for money, especially for gamers like myself who used to fork out £40-£50 for games in the 90s, many of which could be completed in an hour. I can really see this deal being a very big success for Microsoft, especially considering Xbox One S owners can get £100 odd from CeX for their console towards its replacement.
adams6legend
Change of plan
Interesting to see how aggressively Microsoft are pricing the Xbox Series S. At such a low entry price for the next gen I can see it being very popular. Am not sure how many people actually own a 4K TV these days, but I feel pretty certain that there are plenty still with ‘only’ 1080p sets. And even if the Series S can upscale to 4K surely that will be enough for many, as it’s often difficult to tell the difference.
My main concern is the size of the internal hard drive and the cost of purchasing expanded storage, which I expect to be high. Surely 500GB on a digital-only console won’t be suitable for anyone? That issue aside though, when you factor in Game Pass I think the Series S will be the purchase of choice for the many who don’t crave after the most teraflops or pixels on screen.
Very interested to see how Sony respond. I can’t see their digital-only PlayStation 5 being as cheap and I imagine a few gamers who were planning to buy the PlayStation 5 might just be (re)considering their options now.
ProEvoSan78 (PSN ID)
24 easy payments
I’m surprised no one is talking about the monthly payment option for the new Xbox series consoles.
I’ve never really considered one of their machines before (always had Nintendo and Sony boxes under my TV), but the £28.99 monthly subscription for the Xbox Series X and Game Pass seems an incredible deal and it’s really making me think of getting this before a PlayStation 5.
Let’s face it, for someone like me, I’d still have my PlayStation 4 to play the best that console has to offer and would immediately have access to dozens of titles I’ve never played before… And as we know there won’t be a plethora of decent new titles at launch for the PlayStation 5, so potentially I could pick that up a bit later once its library has built up.
I really think Microsoft could be on to a winner.
Birdamrob
Next gen market
I’m really seriously considering buying an Xbox Series S now. I honestly think pound for pound, and what it has to offer technically and hardwar-wise, Microsoft have really knocked it out the park and I wasn’t even originally in the market for a next gen console straight away.
Especially as my gaming needs have declined greatly over the last few years. My only dilemma is you can’t have it all, as I’m really looking forward to the new Lego Star Wars game, The Skywalker Saga, even if it’s just to play the Death Star trench run again in Luke’s X wing or taking on the AT-AT walkers with the trusted snowspeeders in the battle of Hoth.
However, I want the deluxe edition with the exclusive Lego Luke Skywalker figure holding his blue bantha milk carton, the special art cover on the box showing Darth Vader’s face when you slide his helmet up and the extra DLC containing an extra six characters too! (Well I guess you can’t have it all can you guys? Decisions, decisions.)
JAH
GC: We’re not sure we understand, that game is on Xbox Series S as well?
Dragon on
So, forgive me, but when it came to the Dragon Age 4 reveal/update – what exactly was there to get excited about? It was nice to hear confirmation that it still existed, yet there’s still plenty of time for executive meddling from EA. But it looked very early in development, so any hopes of cross gen are completely unfounded. 2022 is probably being optimistic as a release date.
And they showed… nothing. Just lots of whatever the developer equivalent of luvvie speak is. ‘Oh yes, it’s so wonderful working for all these wonderfully talented and creative people! We are delighted to be working on this project and EA are such a wonderful company to work for in this studio that definitely hasn’t been compromised beyond repair!’
They didn’t say that last part.
DMR
GC: If it’s still at least two years out, which we agree it probably is, what exactly did you expect to see?
Retro racing
Just a quick letter to say how much I’m loving the new Hotshot Racing that has come out this week everywhere including Xbox Game Pass! It’s a fab old school arcade racer that takes you straight back to the 90s with the look at feel of it.
Handling is great and racing can definitely get fast and furious. I would suggest any fans of those types of racers to check it out.
Saints Stickman (gamertag)
GC: We played a few hours, with a view to doing a review, and weren’t too impressed ourselves.
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Apples and oranges
I finally defeated the Valkryie Queen (along with the wayward camera) and finished God Of War yesterday. The game was enjoyable enough but I couldn’t help comparing it to two other far superior games, Devil May Cry 5 and Bloodborne. The battle system was fairly entertaining in God Of War but paled in comparison to the balletic genius of Devil May Cry 5. Just one of the three characters in Capcom’s game had more intricacy in their move set than Kratos had in the entire game.
The focus of God Of War is not combat alone, with its new more open world and exploration, but this is where Bloodborne comes to mind. Whereas Yharnam is an intricately weaved city full of layers, Midgar felt small and funnelled, effectively having a number of branching corridors radiating out from the central hub. Yharnam offers a sense dread and wonder around every corner that makes exploration terrifyingly thrilling. Even with the other realms God Of War’s world just wasn’t as captivating with less variety and fine detail.
The story was the most surprising let down. The background of Norse mythology and Mimir’s tales was great but the central relationship of Kratos and Atreus just barely worked for me. I never played the original trilogy but Kratos must’ve been a real psycho before if he’s calmed with age now. He’s still murdering things left, right, and centre. Being so po-faced just makes him both boring and immoral.
Atreus would have been a better character if it wasn’t for his ridiculous Mr Burn’s style changes of heart. His character development was not properly earned but made to fit the plot which I always find extremely jarring. Although they have completely different styles, I genuinely enjoyed Devil May Cry 5 and Bloodborne’s stories much more.
Obviously, God of War is still a good game but as a contender for the top tier I think it’s sorely lacking.
Ryan O’D
GC: Although there are some surface similarities, none of those games are similar enough that we’d even make a direct comparison. We strongly disagree about the story in God Of War too, it’s one of our favourites of this generation – and yes, Kratos was a monster in the previous games.
Inbox also-rans
There’s been a lot of talk about the graphics in Super Mario 3D All-Stars but i’d just like to point out something that many people seem to overlook… rumble support in Super Mario 64 at long last!
JDB
GC: There was actually a Rumble Pak compatible version released in Japan, although we don’t know if that’s what’s been emulated in Super Mario 3D All-Stars.
Pretty disappointed by the Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War multiplayer reveal – not a single new idea other than that mini-battle royale mode, and I’m not sure that really counts as new.
Brubek
This week’s Hot Topic
The topic for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Garrison, who asks what is your favourite combat system in a video game?
It can be from any kind of game you like, from a first person shooter to a fighting game or role-player but which one do you think had the best battles and what made them so good? Was it how the weapons felt to use, if it was an action game, or the depth of option in terms of moves and abilities?
How much did the graphics and sound play a part and what about storytelling? Was it a game where all the different elements were good or just the combat, and how much did that affect the overall experience?
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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
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