Xbox and PlayStation Backlash VS Indie WINS!

[@Leopardeye]

I am not a cat person. But Little Kitty Big City is an AMAZING game, and I’d recommend anyone try it. Cat lover or not! 🐈 🐕

[@leonx3882]

The floppy and lube comments ayyyyyyo 🤣🤣🤣🤣 ngl for the first nerd test, I was working and when I heard it I knew it was metal gear. There was a specific sound that reminded me of mg and then the questions just steered me in the direction of mg. This is a great podcast here 😁

[@ninjason57]

Animal Well is 40 mb!?! That's similar in size to some Nintendo 64 games! Some Nintendo DS games are over 100 mb! For such a small game I wonder if we can get it ported to our retro handhelds like how they do with Celeste.

[@raspernor11]

Game Pass, like streaming movies, makes more sense as a repository for beloved classic material.

[@Daxiongmao87]

Shout out to EQ, still playing Project 1999 from time to time. Also, that boat implementation (and limited teleportation) really made Everquest feel large. I miss that. MMORPGs now are all about convenience. It even feels like leveling now a days is more of an obstacle than an adventure.

[@spikepaws1743]

Man, what a great episode this has been. Such a great departure from evil corpos into why we love what we love, and the cast really did bring the smiles. I get the four man show, Rich, missed you buddy. Yeah man!

[@unstopology]

If these studios would stop selling themselves, these huge corps can't destroy all of this great work.

[@KrytopsyX]

Devs very rarely have the choice on that. It's case by case and in the case of Bethesda, even if the executives wouldn't want to be bought, Microsoft bought their parent company which own them.

[@lmolivei]

Hey! Love the show! Regarding Nintendo, I am with you. It is already fantastic and the ps4 graphics talk is bonkers. What you guys didn’t talk about is how creative Nintendo is. Most of their consoles flipped the way we game around (NES, Gameboy, N64 controllers, Wii haptics and live play options, or the DS dual screen). The Switch changed the industry and pavemented/mainstreamed the way for powerful handhelds and, ultimately, the Steam Deck! So, the battery, the graphics, etc. all valid discussions. What I really want to know about is how Nintendo will be creative with the way we play with the tech we have today. What controllers our sensors? Definitely VR… what else?

[@cirmothe9]

For ghost of tsushima, it was only the multiplayer that would require linking a psn account but they overcorrected by removing it entirely from all those countries.

[@elizabaum]

Oh man, Everquest. What a blast from the past. I've been curious about Metroidvanias lately, as I'm not sure I've ever played one. (If I have, it was a looong time ago.) You guys have sold me on Animal Well.

[@StandardNegative]

As someone who works 45-50 hrs a week outside of the game-o-sphere, I’ve found myself re-buying a ton of games as well as buying games on PC specifically for the Steam Deck. I don’t have to spend a ton of time or effort and things just work. If Microsoft can give me a Steam Deck like ‘thing’ in the hand held space, then game pass would be much more of a value to me.

[@WillySou]

The most stupid thing about ghost of tsushima is that it's mainly a single player game. And they are forcing accounts to be created anyway...

[@abel5333]

Please cover the ASUS rma, repair scam. Big problem

[@ADDLER45]

If you lube up a 5 1/4 floppy. Will it become a hard disc drive?

[@Krizzy_Bot]

Can't stand by a subscription type of gaming business model because years down the line I want to make sure that when nostalgia hits I have the game still available to me. Steam sales is better even if it is a bit more expensive cause I know I have it "forever"

[@pxkqd]

The game pass model incentivizes bad games. Cram all this stuff together, salt it with something with hype, and go. I much prefer the steam model of just paying for your games, wait for the ones you want discounted.

[@jimmymac2292]

That makes no sense, if no one wants to play the games, no one will subscribe.

[@Marathon5151]

I still have my zboard where you switch out key sets such as an FPS one and one for WoW.

[@adamlowther8034]

I so wanted to get one of the 8bitdo keyboards but the fact that they don't have a UK layout one meant that I didn't buy one.

[@JTHKG_MFM]

I try out games on game pass and if I like it, I’ll wait for a Steam sale and purchase it there. I want to support the developer and I want to everything in one place.

[@TreBouncee]

43:47 Microcenter does have that

[@igorgiuseppe1862]

this shadow drop was the first signal that they would kill the studio, relasing an game without marketing is asking for it to fail, yet, their plan didnt worked as expected, the game was an success without marketing, imagine with it. but then, they followed the original plan and closed the studio anyway.

[@DrewAk49]

I been paying for game pass since day one, barely even played any of the games on there. As long as they pay the developers a descent price, they don't have to worry about sales and can develope more games knowing they will get paid. Seems like a win/win, for descent games at least, maybe not AAA. But may be for them as well, idk.

[@oscopin74]

I'm also older and have disposable income. I'll buy it on steam before I play it on games pass.... Usually. Not always but usually.

[@leonard8766]

I played Pal World on Xbox Pass, and I must say that the experience was not satisfactory. The game was not updated to the latest build, which resulted in some mods not functioning properly. I prefer to buy my games now.

[@Baumie11]

Love the work.

[@UmVtCg]

Unless the developer is owned by Microsoft no developer is forced to put their game on Gamepass. Same goes for Steam Sales, NO developer is forced to put their game up on sale. Some games never go on sale, most just set their minimum price at the sale's price.

[@kohiek]

I am a cat lover, and I don’t normally like the type of game Little Kitty, Big City, but so far I love the game. Buuuuuuut…. I have been waiting for Hades 2 since the day it was announced. I am so addicted, and I have heard that 2 is already as big as the first game. So far I love the progression more.

[@SQUIRELS79]

They closed the studio to keep the ips

[@grayfaux_]

@12:31 I think it is important to consider that many of these games on game pass have stores and microtransactions that complicate the point of "do devs make any money if their game is on game pass?"

[@Vonliktenstien]

Biggest thing I hope for the super switch is that they leverage DLSS/DLAA in some way. The lack of AA on Nintendo games has been the sole blemish on their first party releases.

[@donniedarko4497]

Highly recommend against the storm. I've got 215 hrs logged in the last couple months and still playing a couple hrs every day. Its a fantastic twist on RTS games and runs decent on steam deck where I've played 90 percent of it.

[@Juice8767]

I’ve only used gamepass as a demo-service. I’m somewhat cheap but still like owning my games (as much as I can these days) so when ever I get ahold of a free month of gamepass I usually play a game for a half hour-hour and if I like it, I’ll buy the game because I still want to be able to play the game but don’t like having reoccurring services silently draining my account. I say this as a guy that mainly plays on PC and will happily wait a year for a 75% off sale.

[@Baumie11]

I love Gamepass because if I really like a game I will buy it when it goes on sale so I can have it for the long haul. Yes I don’t buy games full price anymore but I still feel like I’m supporting the studios whose work I love. Some games like Sea of Stars I love so much I buy it on multiple platforms (Steam, Xbox and Switch).

[@hutchings2023]

I think gamepass would work better if it wasn't day one releases. Therefore its an addition to your game libuary not to undercut new releases. So maybe games come to gamespass 6-12 months later. They could also keep the price of gamepass down then, and entice more users at lower price point for 1+ year old games. Then everyone thats gona buy the game will likely have brought in the 1st year.

[@weirddestiny999]

people who think cats are a holes might actually be the a holes lol.

[@maxducoudray]

I don't think N64 gold carts were Toys R Us exclusives. I got both Zeldas in gold plastic from Electronics Boutique.

[@OpoSai]

I had game pass with my Ally purchase and honestly never played it, it was laggy and picture would buffer kinda weird. Catalogue was also really weird especially since the Ally was my comeback to gaming after a 7yr break.

[@finraziel]

Sounds like you only used the streaming portion of gamepass, which is very dependant on the speed of your internet and WiFi, and even if that's great depends on your distance from Microsoft's data centers. With an ally you can also install games locally on the device and you wouldn't have those problems. But, last time I used it, the gamepass app on windows kinda sucked... Not sure about recently, I have a steam deck myself that doesn't support local gamepass.

[@JamieR]

I played Ori on game pass, then proceeded to buy both on steam because of how good they are and ill play them again. Bought it on switch too because i want to support the Devs for that game. I'm probably in the minority though. I did the same with GGG and PoE. Bought a bunch of supporter packs from early on to support the Devs. I do it for smaller studios mainly through, or if the game is insanely good. Ps. In Xbox game pass app you can enable offline play which stores licenses on your device. Just make sure to connect to the net before going offline and travel. I did that on Rog to play offline.

[@YaaSalty...0_o]

I feel like I'm one of the only people who used game pass only when it was offered to me for a dollar just so I could check out some games I was curious about buying. I want to own the products that I play. Game Pass has always been like a trial service for me in order to check out games to see if I do want to buy them when they go on sale.

[@youngmostafa]

55 episodes already man time flying. That’s dope

[@hellknight03]

Love this podcast!!!

[@MetroidPrime35]

Gold Zelda 64 cartridges were early prints of the game, not Toys R Us. I got MM at Sam's Club. Also there was never any Toys R Us in my entire state, so I can confirm.

[@GameSlayer41781]

Watch hades 2 win goty, while in early access. If that isn't a wake up call for the "AAA" scene 😂

[@sugarhigh4242]

Gamepass is only "a good deal" or "pro consumer" if it has the games you want to play. Even with $70 AAA games, I'm always more limited by free time more than free money when it comes to gaming. I spent most of 2023 playing Baldurs Gate 3 which wasn't on Game Pass. Is it "a good deal" to pay $10/mo for a service I'm not using most of the year? It's better to play the games you want to play when you want to play them than hitch your gaming taste to whatever monthly deals Microsoft puts together.

[@UmVtCg]

Depends, I've had 6 years of gamepass for 35€ per year. And each year a game released that I would have bought otherwise for full price day one. Forza Horizon, Gears 5, Streets of Rage 4, etc. Some I've bought in a Sale on Steam. As staded in this podcast, gamepass does not give the feeling of ownership. Steam however, does. Although nobody technically owns their Steam games either. The only games one ownes are pirated or physical.

[@beowulfschmidt6031]

From a bean counter perspective (and you may safely assume that I do NOT use that term in a complimentary way), the closing/moving of those studios makes perfect sense. It's a good bet that the numbers for even HiFi Rush don't look good from a P&L standpoint. It wouldn't surprise me at all if inclusion in Game Pass actually hurt the studio. But that doesn't mean I don't think the decision was short-sighted. It just adds more evidence to the pile that Xbox isn't making the decisions, Microsoft is. And they are basing it purely on numbers. I can't blame them, given American law that governs publicly traded companies, but it's still short-sighted.

[@isaacsanta1503]

I am not a game pass person because my gaming time varies depending on my job needs, and it is better for me to pay for the game and play whenever i have the time. For my case, xbox Game Passss is a waste of money

[@radoski]

People forget about other markets outside the US when they talk about gamepass. It is so expensive to buy day 1 games here in Brazil so they dont lose a sale for me because I will never buy day one anyway. But I pay the sub and they get the money that way

[@chrishoward8500]

Animal Well is a genuine masterpiece. 10/10 game and will be competing with Balatro for so many awards.

[@wilfridsephiroth9213]

I like Adam. Finally someone suggesting games that aren't the obvious ones that EVERYONE is talking about.

[@AmethystHarp]

I'm on team Adam: I was using Gamepass for a very long time to check if the game was great and then buying that on Steam for the same reason that Russ said, that it will "vanish" eventually. Until I realized that it doesn't make any sense to use Gamepass, so I cancelled my subscription. Love the podcast, guys! Keep going! Btw, what is the game on the left top on Bil's camera? God, it looks amazing (and old)

[@ezrider1968]

“I’ve still got my five and a quarter floppy.” 😂

[@washuai]

When they buy and just close, don't even sell studios, aside from short sided money nonsense, they don't want that competition. They don't want someone else mahjong that IP. It's intentionally ending those games or game makers.

[@silentbilly7971]

Most new games aren't worth buying except indies like I tried the ascent loved it play it ever so often so I bought it and dlc but most games are one and dones and I used a third party site to get 3 years of gpu super cheap so they barely get anything from me

[@jimjim5491]

Clacky old brown switches are the best imo. have 2 old 2013ish poker 2 keyboards with browns and pbt keys, have a blue switch and tried red as well, clicky blues r ok fot typing but suck for games. brown all around best by far....thick pbt plastic keys too, extra thick solid and clacky...not lightweight crappy abs plastic.

[@diegovillamagua4656]

Also ended up getting the Legion Go grips because of Russ 😂. Hopefully with all the orders the Etsy seller got, the shipment doesn’t get delayed. But I would completely understand if that’s the case.

[@NerdNest]

Russ is a menace.

[@grandmoffporkins]

Dang it Animal Well looks and sounds awesome. Now I’ve got another massive game to add to the library and finish in 3-5 years

[@deuxforever13]

I'm one of the 12 owners of the wiiU. 😂

[@NerdNest]

So is he, and so am I.

[@emiliosanchez4610]

Yeah feels like every company right now is trying to one up eachother on how much backlash they can generate.

[@bertymartinez6241]

I don't think a sub service devalues games. Nobody applies the same logic to tv or movies. Bad management though yeah that fucks everything up. Another point is that people treat the gp situation like games there suffer cause they lose sales but overall there only so much money going around and people can be prudent on how they spend it.

[@finraziel]

Exactly... It's just a combination of immense supply (there are so many games) and bad economy around the globe. People don't really have as much money to throw around, and they don't need to because it's so easy to game on the cheap.

[@bertymartinez6241]

@@finraziel If one wants to forego "traditional" gaming console/pc, phones now days are incredibly viable to play specially with a controller like the gamesir x2 which is good a cheap. Even on console if you want you can go ftp and have a good time. Warzone, Genshin and so on. So much content free. Inflation has definitely put a dent on my gaming spending. Been hacking away at the old backlog and probably will for a while

[@marcovanfontana6568]

You guys are 💯 right, at the same time Microsoft is also aware that AI generated video game art styles are on their way to disrupt the industry. Perhaps that's why they've been letting all these people go. It's not only video game and movie industry creative people that need to worry about their professional future in those fields. Basically 99% of all write collar jobs are concerned. On the flip side this could be a huge win for video game consumers because less workforce on the human resources spreadsheet column means bigger annual margins and happy shareholders for those companies and hopefully cheaper AAA video games. We'll see...

[@AbnormalObs]

Im still paying for PC Games Pass but ive stopped using it because of bizarre install issues and constant bloat of disk allocation. Id often have 2x or more the install size of game pass games "lost" even after uninstalling. I often feel conflicted when a title i want on PC is on gamepass now but id rather the Steam Experience. Mostly Gamepass (on Xbox) is where i get Games for my Kids id never buy for myself. Subscription services (both Gamepass and video streaming work for MS) as id likely not have one let alone two xboxs in the house without them as ive gotten older and have less time to allocate to gaming.

[@BandoidView]

Phawx is really selling Animal Well for me! 🤣

[@jonnyrouse830999]

The only time I get game pass now is if I ask for a few months for Xmas or my birthday. Normally I prefer to buy my games from Steam.

[@Cloud92390]

GP is good for me if I like to explore or dabble with games I haven’t decided to buy yet. I bought Yakuza 7 after playing it on GP

[@thomaslange2262]

When I had Game Pass I did use it as a demo option. If I liked something I would eventually buy it on steam

[@lilrockstar77]

This pilling on of game pass reminds me of Netflix vs Blockbuster, or Spotify vr buying music. I dont think game pass is the problem…. It’s just easy to make it the target.

[@toploaded2078]

How can anyone not be excited for the Super Switch? It's clearly going to be a wonderful refinement and I can assure you Nintendo will find ways to amaze you in both hardware and software. A rare bad take from you amazing gents :)

[@bluebroham]

Nerd Test works on a few levels, teach

[@wwrye929]

There are dlc add on you have to pay for on Gamepass

[@Ninjatoine]

Sony can’t operate in those countries isn’t a Sony restriction from what I understand. But that any game that requires a Sony account in those countries aren’t allowed. Which is why it’s an issue with hell divers. If Sony requires a psn account for the game. Those countries lose access to the game.

[@LPJMANGA]

love hades 2 its awesome as it is now and for early access so good 70 hours in so much to do lots of areas

[@KrytopsyX]

GamePass is a problem for the industry, it's not the only problem but it's a big problem.

[@eldengarrett9153]

It's crazy to me that someone would subscribe to gamepass only to play the games they wouldn't want to play/buy.

[@weirddestiny999]

I enjoyed gamepass for a while, since canceling I am happy to have less and wait for games I want to go on sale via steam. Would rather own than rent and never own.

[@dtectatl1]

Dark souls should be in the hall of fame if it isn't already.

[@grayfaux_]

Microsoft vs Sony...Steam POV 🔥🔥🔥🍿🍿🍿🤭😂🤣

[@grayfaux_]

Metal Gear Solid needs to be inducted into the video game hall of fame.

[@NerdNest]

I've still never played it for more than 10 minutes.

[@grayfaux_]

@@NerdNest Highly recommend. I believe there is a remaster under the Master Collection on steam.

[@buddybleeyes]

I gave game pass on pc a go a few times. The first time i just didnt use it so i cancelled. The second time I was enjoying a game and it went off of game pass, so i had to rebuy it anyway an restarted the game on steam. Was enough to make me cancel my subscription and just wait for sales on steam. I have a steam deck since then, so i doubled down on steam purchases since then 🤣🤣🤣

[@oscopin74]

Im with Russ. The lottery of where you were born... Eveyone here won the lottery by being born where we were. We may not be rich individually, but our nation is, and we still reap the benefits of that. Its BS others cant and are restricted to what we enjoy without worry or concern everyday.

[@cunawarit]

As far as Microsoft and gaming goes they are providing me a way to play Fortnite and other free to play games at 120FPS cheaply. That's all the Xbox is to me now, so is the PS5! The core difference is that the PS5 a native gyro and you don't have to jump through hoops to use gyro like you do on Xbox. But essentially that's all they are, Fortnite boxes, and you shouldn't buy games for them as there's no long term warranty that any console game you buy nowadays will be playable in the future. Anything that you want to play long into the future you should buy on PC. I don't even use Game Pass anymore as there's not a lot in there that I like, the cloud gaming feature has never approached Stadia levels of quality. If I really want it then why not buy it on Steam? If I really want it and want it long term why not just get it? There aren't so many games on Game Pass that it's good value for me, most of the games are games that I'd never buy. And the ones that I REALLY want are few and far between and I'd rather buy them.

[@joshuawalker7038]

A handheld would help Xbox get into Japan

[@X862go]

Nice 👏

[@ssnclr01]

i use pc game pass to try games before i officially buy it on steam. i believe that if i really like a game to give $$$ to the developers so they can make better games.

[@CPUjunkie]

That's how I've used the free games on epic. If I like it I'll go buy it on steam.

[@AnDrEsA7X]

MIcrosoft doesn't want more games, they just want less games from their competition, just MS being MS

[@MichaelLudden]

Wouldn’t it be Xbox and PlayStation or Microsoft and Sony, not Xbox and Sony or Microsoft and PlayStation?

[@gusmlie]

Gamepass is Disney +. Same problem for their respective owners.

[@davidagiel8130]

They can't, But they can cannibalise themselves, and they are 😊

[@frankjohnson3987]

BOTW and TOTK run horrible on the switch at like sub 30. Most 2nd party games run poorly as well but the switch is good enough. It needs to be better.

[@davidagiel8130]

Netflix for gaming is not a good thing. But cloud gaming will become more relevant than consoles when game download sizes are too big to manage, until we get a patabyte hard drive/SSD. But, why download hundreds of GB and wait all that time to play a game you could jump straight into on any device anywhere with WiFi. It's easy to see, when the technology is there, that consoles will become obsolete and cloud gaming will take over and PC will be the last bastion of real true gaming. Maybe Nintendo survives making consoles because they are in a world of their own, but I don't see Sony and Xbox making consoles in ten years.

[@lynchc236]

It is insane to me that the Xbox pc app is so bad. Microsoft made Windows AND Xbox, why is it so awful?

[@TicoDK]

23:00 even if MS shuts down all blizzard and activision games, it's still better than bobbyK

[@jimmymac2292]

Why hold Microsoft's feet to the fire? Sony consolidated 8% of their gaming division, so did Microsoft. Take-two shut down two studios, and the list goes on. There is a contraction in the market and we are simply seeing a corrections industry wide

[@mervinvelasco3307]

I'm from phillipines 2 weeks ago i added ghost of tsushima in my cart on steam. Now can't buy it anymore. Freaking sony

[@NeroVingian40]

Sony is just being stupid and doing oopsies, you know that’s how it is by how they’re u-turning on everything they did. Someone in there just doesn’t know how to run their division. Microsoft, on the other hand, is just dealing with the repercussions from their ATVI acquisition. We never really know if it was going to happen or not but it finally did. The thing about Xbox is that they need to grow GamePass, it’s basically their only baby now, Xbox is just in a bad position right now. Doubt it was an easy decision to ax Arkane and Tango but, well, that’s what happened. Xbox is basically dealing with the consequences of several events over the years since before the Xbox Series consoles even came out.

[@truthgamingchannel112]

it sucks be on xbox & playstation in 2024 I'm ok with playing games on pc plus I don't need to pay money for game pass or ps plus I like buying the games and keeping em forever even if they say the games we buy ain't our games well I say to them if we spend money on these games that mean its our games and if they take a game down from the store they should pay the players back they money just for the record xbox is wrong for a lot of messed up stuff they doing if I was yall I would sell the xb and ps 5 back and get a pc or a handheld that good like the steam deck because sooner then later xbox and playstation isn't going to be around for so long I think pc is taking over the game space today and now with all the pc handhelds that out now pc is definitely taking over the industry I will say by 2026 or 2027 xb and playstation will not be around any more

[@davidagiel8130]

Xbox have lost the console Wars, But they might win the cloud Wars after locking down all the IPs the have and how far advanced GamePass is over what Sony offers. GeForce Now will likely beat them both though.

[@UmVtCg]

LOL the cloud wars, even the best service: Gforce Now has noticable latency. Because you know, laws of physics. Unless you are close to the datacenter, you will be at a disadvantage. There is no "cloud war" in gaming, Google has already realized this and has wisely jumped ship. MS is just slow too catch up, as usual. Cloud gaming is an evolution dreamed up by subscription horny companies. You will own NOTHING and you will love it. Fortunately this tickles the F-You bone of most kapitalist consumers out there. Even more fortunate, unwanted added LATENCY due to the nature of networking permanently prohibits any real success in cloud gaming.

[@davidagiel8130]

@@UmVtCg yeah, but in ten years cloud gaming will be more relevant, consoles have one maybe two generations left, then it's the cloud Wars.

[@davidagiel8130]

I think Xbox should just go all in with gamepass and have every game on there day one. If people stay subscribed to GamePass just to play GTA6 or the latest COD.and stay subscribed for 5 years or more, that's more money than a once off purchase.

[@PhaserXI]

Gamepass is great for the customer but horrible for the developers. Yes, we get great games for a great deal. The people who actually make these games, won't see the revenue as they would as if they sold their products at retail value. I'm all for anyone and everyone, no matter their financial situation, enjoying gaming. If gamepass would put all of their old catalog of xbox original and 360 games on there, and then maybe still charging $20 to $30 for the new releases and possibly letting the subscribers have early access to these titles for half the price. It's a double edged sword, but at least the development teams would get what they're owed. The current gaming landscape is weird and I'm not sure where it's heading, lol.

[@workbirdygaming]

The lies on this panel 😂😂😂 I only demo games on gamepass and buy the game because I like it.... then your definitely not using the service the right way, I subscribe and I never buy the game end of story

[@APEXGuerilla]

1st

[@gusmlie]

Don’t see Phil surviving considering he pissed $70 billion of Microsoft’s money up the wall.