r/XboxSeriesX • u/Asleep-Sprinkles-760 • Apr 20 '24

This generation has been underwhelming Discussion

I bought a Series X at launch, and can’t think of a single game that has impressed me this gen. I’m a big Halo fan, and Halo Infinite felt like a letdown. I’m a Forza fan, and Forza Motorsport felt like a massive disappointment. I was exited for Starfield, but was underwhelmed after playing it.

It just feels like we’ve had no heavy hitters this gen, even 3rd party AAA games have been average at best. I guess the only hope I have left is with Gears 6, but aside from that, Microsoft needs to get their act together and start releasing some new games. It feels like games are taking way too long to make these days, we used to get bangers every year in the 360 gen. Even the Xbox One had more compelling games than what we have now

2.2k Upvotes
  • permalink
  • link
  • reddit
  • reddit

84% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

257

u/ElvisDepressedIy Apr 20 '24

I agree, OP. I feel like the last truly great console generation was the 360/PS3. AAA has gotten too bloated, too risk averse, and it takes way too long for anything to release.

19

u/Fit-Doughnut9706 Apr 21 '24

File size is bloated, optimisation doesn’t seem to be the norm. The Xbox one never felt like they tried to push the hardware and for all the touted “power” the series x has, I have yet to truly see something worthy of the hype. It’s like they use the brute power of the console in place of finely crafted software.

4

u/IAintDoinThatShit Apr 21 '24

Some Xbox One first party games did tap into the potential of the console. Ryse, Halo 5, Forza, Gears 5. But I feel like XSX is nowhere near reaching its potential. Let's see how Hellblade and Gears 6 look.

32

u/SqueezyCheez85 Apr 20 '24

If you're on PC, it's one of the best times right now (if money isn't a barrier). There was a time when PC gaming felt like all we got were bad console ports... and Vista.

66

u/Shikadi314 Apr 21 '24

Things are great always in any part of life if “money isn’t a barrier” tho

21

u/the-pessimist Apr 21 '24

You can get refurbished Steam Decks direct from Valve starting at $279 right now. Given that's cheaper than any current gen console, I think that even counts as "money is a barrier" territory.

1

u/Impressive-Can-1125 Apr 21 '24

I got one of the first Oleds released, you get a one time notification that you got one of the first devices created, and then never see it again, wish I'd of gotten the LCD though because of screen burn worries, fh5 alone I have like 230 hours into, but also use the official dock sometimes, it is nice but that anti cheat thing, if you plan on playing call of duty of a good amount of other games you can't unless you get Windows on it

1

u/[deleted] Apr 21 '24

[deleted]

7

u/the-pessimist Apr 21 '24

Yes with either a dock or a USB-C to HDMI (or DVI or DisplayPort) adaptor. Any dock that also has a USB-C in (for power) is much better though or you'd be limited by battery life. Valve has an official dock but a lot of users prefer off brand options for a variety of reasons, one of which is that Valve's is notably more expensive. I think I spent about $40 on mine and it's worked perfectly the whole time.

3

u/DefenderCone97 Apr 21 '24

Yeah, but you should add a USB doc for about 50 bucks

8

u/SqueezyCheez85 Apr 21 '24

Yeah, but I'm saying as far as the games go. There was a time where owning a super high end PC didn't really matter because the game selection was so shitty. It's been really nice lately for PC gamers (other than the cost of the hardware).

1

u/thrutheseventh Apr 21 '24

Idk why he even mentioned that. Pc/steam has absurdly good sales all the time, and if youre okay with using cdkeys or othersites you can get nearly all games for half off or less

7

u/stuckintheinbetween Apr 21 '24

There's been some pretty bad PC ports in recent years, tbh.

6

u/SqueezyCheez85 Apr 21 '24

But some really good ones too. Bad PC ports used to be the norm.

9

u/the-pessimist Apr 21 '24

And the Steam Deck is a great entryway into PC gaming. Sure there are a few things that don't play well on it but there are so many things that do, many of which can be had for just a few bucks. I even saw that the refurbished LCD models are back in stock through Valve, so for $279 people can have access to more games than they'd know what to do with. I got one last August which now has a 2TB drive & dual-boots Windows (so I could access my play-anywhere Xbox games) and my Steam library has grown from 5 games to 318. Plus it can play docked on my TV using an Xbox controller. It's really made gaming exciting again.

3

u/evyrew Apr 21 '24

Soo many great indy games and older gen games to play. Easy to build up a library catching sales and bundles. I recently installed and modded fallout new vegas on the steamdeck... I played it on 360, but never finished due to bugs and crashes. Looks and plays great now.

2

u/Lupinthrope Founder Apr 21 '24

Yeah my Steam Deck has helped develop my Steam library significantly. Its just difficult having a Series X because I know games will run on it without any tweaking and run really well. I wish Valve put out another TV box with what they've learned over the years and with the Steam Deck I think it'd be great.

2

u/YNWA_1213 Apr 21 '24

my Steam Deck has helped develop my Steam library significantly

Been thinking hard on selling my Switch and picking one up because I have dozens of older games that would be perfect for that platform that I have to catch up on.

1

u/Lupinthrope Founder Apr 21 '24

It’s not as seemless as the switch but it’s a great system

2

u/YNWA_1213 Apr 21 '24

Yeah, I just got zero use outta my switch due to how anemic it is.

1

u/Lupinthrope Founder Apr 21 '24

First party only for me

1

u/SqueezyCheez85 Apr 21 '24

Good point. For indie games and older stuff, Steam Deck is awesome. I can't wait till they launch a 2nd one.

I'm not into portable gaming, but getting developers excited to develop for lower hardware requirements is great for everybody.

3

u/the-pessimist Apr 21 '24

Honestly I've been surprised by its performance. I know a lot of the credit goes to the game devs and Valve for their constant updates around big titles. (If you haven't heard/read what they did for Elden Ring it's interesting.) Personally I didn't expect to be playing games like Death Stranding, High on Life, Borderlands 3, etc. I've rarely come across anything that I can't find settings that look good, which I can't at least get locked at 40fps. (I've heard Starfield, Pacific Drive & Returnal are tough to get steady 30 but updates bring surprises all the time.)

0

u/Freefall_J Apr 21 '24

but getting developers excited to develop for lower hardware requirements is great for everybody.

Well there has been the Switch since 2017. It's mostly indies and Nintendo's first-party games that run and look nice on it though. The devs for Pillars of Eternity just couldn't get it to run properly on the Switch and IIRC blamed the hardware. Yet Divinity II apparently has no issues on the same hardware. I think a lot of devs though have gotten used to having too much power at their disposal despite other devs showing games on weaker hardware can work out.

1

u/Impressive-Can-1125 Apr 21 '24

I have a Lexar play 1tb micro SD card in mine, can I get Windows installed right onto that if it's already formatted and has games on it, or would I need to get another card just for Windows?

1

u/Freefall_J Apr 21 '24

people can have access to more games than they'd know what to do with.

That actually sounds scary to me. :p I have enough of a backlog as is. This is probably the big reason I don't want to get a Steam Deck though the little gizmo looks so neat and slick.

1

u/the-pessimist Apr 21 '24 edited Apr 21 '24

When you find keys for games you've been considering for $20-$30 on Xbox/PS5 for under a dollar it's hard to say no. Or a bundle of eight games, three of which are $30+ on console, for $12... yeah, your library grows fast. Still, I don't think I've even spent $200 on the 300+ games I've bought. I mean, that's less than 3 new games or like 7 on sale. Plus there's a roulette plug-in that will pick a game for me when I can't decide.

edit- but yeah, you give up on ever trying to complete everything.

1

u/Charming-Web-9264 Apr 21 '24

Helldivers 2 on that?

5

u/the-pessimist Apr 21 '24

I haven't bought it myself but I've heard it currently is fine until later more chaotic parts. I know some people that are hoping for an update from either the devs or Valve that makes it at least 30fps throughout but there are some who enjoy it even at lower frames or at lower graphical settings. ProtonDB is the go-to source for information on how things play and the best settings to use. (To be fair, posts are dated and things are always getting better so sometimes the information is outdated.)

1

u/Webbpp Apr 21 '24

It's mostly because of indie games tbh, so many started development during quarantine and are now releasing.

1

u/lukify Apr 21 '24

Higher up front cost but far lower ongoing costs. No sub needed to play multi and games are generally cheaper and have more sales.

0

u/HistorianBusiness166 Apr 21 '24

The money thing versus consoles is a discipline thing. Steam Deck $300. Desktop, stop caring about max settings. Take advantage of game sales and play older games. Now you don't have to pay a gamepass ps+ sub for online. That's approaching $1000 over a 7year console gen

1

u/SqueezyCheez85 Apr 21 '24

You're wrong about the max settings comment. Many newer games will not play at playable frame rates on the Steam Deck.

Also, of course you can play older games.

I personally haven't paid for online gaming in decades. I prefer single player content, but the online experience on consoles can be worth it to help avoid hackers.

The Steam Deck is amazing for older games and a lot of indie titles. It isn't great for newer, graphically intensive games.

0

u/newslooter Apr 21 '24

How so? Last year was notoriously a bad year for horribly unoptimized unfinished pc ports and games overall…

Can’t really think of any pc exclusives this year.

5

u/IDMRecursion Apr 21 '24

PS4/Switch gen was/has been better IMO even factoring in the WiiU and Xbox.

2

u/ZebraSandwich4Lyf Apr 21 '24

Yeah the 360 was the last good era for Xbox, but the PS4/switch era was absolutely peak.

8

u/SB3forever0 Apr 21 '24

You never played on PS4 ?

5

u/SidFarkus47 Apr 21 '24

Yeah the ps4 had some amazing first party stuff. Most of the best games available on ps5 are ps4 ports with 60fps updates.

2

u/slagerthauhd Apr 21 '24

I was very excited for Star Wars oulaws, but 140€!!!! No way man

0

u/stuckintheinbetween Apr 21 '24

Agree. I loved getting games like The Darkness from 2K. Linear 8-10 hours with great stories well worth the $60.