Finally my brother in law can stop pestering me about getting an Xbox One.

Dvader said:

MEGATON!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is so gigantic. What happens to Xbox live now, Windows 10 will get the same service for free. How can MS justify that?

And this is just another step to them blurring the lines of the consolse and PC. At this point the Xbox in terms as a machine for exclusives is over.

This was the Xbox's original plan from the get go. It was suppose to be a trojan horse to have a gaming system and PCs be an all-around entertainment machines that connect to TVs. People don't buy consoles due to exclusives anymore except hardcore gamers and casual Nintendo fans. People mostly buy game consoles based on the brand.

robio said:

I think MS sees the writing on the wall and is pretty much saying this is their last console. At this point, they will probably be lucky to see half of what Sony sees in sales worldwide. They'll never have a market in Japan. Its an uphill battle if they want to continue to challenge Sony, so it's probably wiser to keep pushing Windows and the PC route. Wouldn't be surprised to see Xbox Live go free around E3 though.

I've been saying Microsoft was going to do this since our Gamespot days yet I kept getting accused of "trolling". Microsoft STILL hasn't made money on the Xbox project fifteen years after getting in the market.

Dvader said:

travo said:

Fuckkkk! Thats amazing!!  But why would they do that?  

It's the end of Xbox. They are pretty much removing everything that makes that an exclusive device.

Glad I didn't pick up a One yet, though I'm going to want to play Gears someday.

I'm glad Microsoft is leaving consoles. The Xbox consoles have arguably done just as much harm (made pay to play online standard, created the annoying as shit acheivements, on the forefront of abusive DLC, minimum game shipment, dumbed down a lot of PC games) than good (really pushed online gaming, crafted the modern game UI, brought indie gaming marketplace to consoles). I really wish Sega never died. Would trade them over Microsoft in a heart beat.

Holy shit. Now bring out Final Fantasy XIV please.

I will be very sad if Microsoft leaves the console space. I've loved what they've brought to the table especially Achievements which was pure genius.

Punk Rebel Ecks said:

I'm glad Microsoft is leaving consoles. The Xbox consoles have arguably done just as much harm (made pay to play online standard, created the annoying as shit acheivements, on the forefront of abusive DLC, minimum game shipment, dumbed down a lot of PC games) than good (really pushed online gaming, crafted the modern game UI, brought indie gaming marketplace to consoles). I really wish Sega never died. Would trade them over Microsoft in a heart beat.

This this this.

robio said:

Punk Rebel Ecks said:

Remember that Dreamcast my coworker found in the dumpster? Well he gave it to me and it works! Just played NFL 2K2 with zero problems.

Why does everyone else find good stuff in garbage?  All I find are used condoms and needles.

I found a dildo kit.  Sold it to a coworker for $20.

MS is transitioning Xbox from a hardware service to a software client the likes of Steam.  They've pushed their brand out of gaming into the generel consciousness, they've been putting all of their recent exclusives on PC as well and have been testing their infrastructure with download codes for games packed in with hardware bundles.  Xbox consoles will achieve what Steamboxes failed to: provide a benchmark for PC games where you can cheaply buy an Xbox (when compared to the price of a gaming pc) and rest assured that it'll run all the upcoming games for the next half-decade or so without problems.  This also blends well with their recent statements about yearly upgrades to the Xbox hardware.  It won't matter when you buy into the brand and you'll always know what you're getting for your money.  In one move they could remove all the hurdles that keep the casual masses from gaming on PC while at the same time locking them into their ecosystem and thus out of that of Valve.

Kind of puts a new perspective on the Xbox One moniker.

Punk Rebel Ecks said:

Star Citizen is an independent game. I didn't assume you meant "low budget" as that would literally make no sense. You would essentially be asking "what low budget indie game is equivlent to modern Shenmue, which would be a game that would be amongst the most expensive in the industry due to its cutting edge ambition". I'm sure you can see the catch-22 in that question.

"Minimalistic" meant that the game told its story through atmosphere and noticing clues along the way rather than thorough tons of texts and events. This doesn't mean the game doesn't have a complex lore to it. I'll pull out Dark Souls again as an example. The series barely has any dialogue and has hardly any cutscenes yet it has lore deeper than your standard RPG.

I said Shenmue III wasn't indepndent, not Star Citizen.

I said Star Citizen, a modern-day indie equivelent to the original Shenmue, has a massive budget.

Ah, okay. When I think world desgin, I usually think of the gameplay design of the setting in which you play rather than the lore of the setting.