Xbox Series X | S

[JPL]

45 minutes ago, Rayn said:

With E3 starting this week I can't help but feel a bit worried that there aren't any new killer games out for the Series S|X consoles yet and if MS don't show off quite a few impressive games during E3 it'll be a massive letdown to me as I'm hungry for something fresh. 

 

At least we're getting The Ascent at the end of the month, that looks solid and will hopefully make the wait for other exclusives bearable but as it stands I'm starting to feel a bit envious of my PS5 mates who already has rinsed Demons's Souls and Returnal in good time for Ratchet and Clank which looks really impressive. 

I’m feeling the same to be honest and I’ve mentioned it before on here.

 

So far, PS5 owners have had:

Astrobot

Miles Morales (not technically only this gen, but has a few extra bells and whistles on PS5)

Demon’s Souls

Sackboy

Returnal

Ratchet & Clank

 

I’m sure I’ve missed some, but you get the idea. A nice steady stream of decent games, that looks set to continue.

 

Whereas on Xbox, all we’ve had is:

The Medium

 

A game that’s the very definition of medium.

 

Saying that, I’m expecting them to have a really good show on Sunday, but they need to start delivering now and giving us a timescale of things to come.

 

If it’s yet another load of trailers for games that we won’t see for a while, I think I’ll have to bite the bullet and get a PS5 as well, no matter how ugly I think it is.

 

Don’t let us down Phil.

[carlospie]

Having just downloaded two tb of games from game pass and the store for my Xbox, I disagree. There is enough games on it to last a lifetime. We know new games will be coming but there is plenty to go around for a few more months.

 

Plus if you get really bored you could complete the falconeer. 

[JPL]

2 minutes ago, carlospie said:

Having just downloaded two tb of games from game pass and the store for my Xbox, I disagree. There is enough games on it to last a lifetime. We know new games will be coming but there is plenty to go around for a few more months.

 

Plus if you get really bored you could complete the falconeer. 

I didn’t even mention Gamepass, which is excellent. I was talking about new gen games. I want something, other than Cyberpunk, which shows off what the system can do.

[carlospie]

Ah sorry yes you are right. Something. Truly next gen needs to come soon. I'm wondering if the series X will get noisy when playing them. It gets a bit loud with FIFA after a while. 

[rgraves]

18 hours ago, HarryBizzle said:

It’s like they went out of their way to create the ugliest possible thing that still accomplishes the task. Horrendous. 

 

It's pretty minimal - what's horrendous here?

 

[rgraves]

1 hour ago, JPL said:

I want something, other than Cyberpunk, which shows off what the system can do.

 

The Hivebusters DLC in Gears 5, or Gears Tactics - both look pretty bloody lovely - I think about the best the Series X puts out right now.

 

[JPL]

1 minute ago, rgraves said:

 

The Hivebusters DLC in Gears 5, or Gears Tactics - both look pretty bloody lovely - I think about the best the Series X puts out right now.

 

Funny you should mention that. I updated Gears last night, so I'll have a blast through the DLC later.

[metallicfrodo]

Yeah Hive busters looks amazing. It also sounds incredible with Dolby Atmos through the Series X wireless headphones.

[carlospie]

The main characters model is especially amazing. 

[Stanley]

56 minutes ago, carlospie said:

Ah sorry yes you are right. Something. Truly next gen needs to come soon. I'm wondering if the series X will get noisy when playing them. It gets a bit loud with FIFA after a while. 

Gets loud? I’ve not experienced that with FIFA, or any games yet, I’m hoping that like the OG Xbox One the Series X remains quiet. 

[Garwoofoo]

I tried playing Gears 5 and had no idea what was going on, I guess it assumes you’ve played the previous games. Is Hivebusters any more accessible for newcomers?

[Stanley]

Gears 5: get behind cover, shoot aliens, that’s pretty much it. There are driving bits later on which are new to the series, but other than that it’s pretty basic game play wise, very enjoyable though. 

[JPL]

1 hour ago, carlospie said:

Ah sorry yes you are right. Something. Truly next gen needs to come soon. I'm wondering if the series X will get noisy when playing them. It gets a bit loud with FIFA after a while. 

It shouldn't get loud. I can't imagine FIFA is pushing it all that hard.

[Dudley]

19 hours ago, MattyP said:

Its pretty damn fine isn't it?! For those that also have a PC and a VR headset it's been patched to use it. It's phernominal!  and also part of GP on the PC too! 

 

Not so much patched as "Was specifically designed to be a VR game from the start". If anything pancake mode is the patch.

 

But yeah, it's phenomenal in VR.

[MattyP]

24 minutes ago, Stanley said:

Gears 5: get behind cover, shoot aliens, that’s pretty much it. There are driving bits later on which are new to the series, but other than that it’s pretty basic game play wise, very enjoyable though. 

And one of it's beauties.. No complexity in terms of multitudes of options. Its like a grown up version of space invaders in 3D. Although still think the first one is best. Adding too much "clutter" in the newer ones and part of the reason I don't get on with 5 as much as the earlier ones. Purity of the Gears vision by Epic. Now its just another franchise they are working out how to keep fresh and generate revenue from. Rather than coming up with something new.

 

Loved the 360 era lots of new things coming to the fore on all consoles.. Now it sometimes feels a bit well flat because we don't have new things like the original Gears. Uncharted on the PS3 and well complete curveball ideas from Nintendo with the Wii. 

[JPL]

Well, I’ve just booted up Gears 5 and this is what I’m presented with. What is going on? How do I access Hivebusters?

 

 

 

Edit: Ignore me. For some reason it put me deep into the multiplayer menus. Something which I’ve never even played!

[JoeK]

I ask this all the time but never quite seem to get an answer, but are the original Gears games (1 - 3) updated at all for the Series X? 

 

 

[MattyP]

6 minutes ago, JPL said:

Well, I’ve just booted up Gears 5 and this is what I’m presented with. What is going on? How do I access Hivebusters?

 

 

 

Edit: Ignore me. For some reason it put me deep into the multiplayer menus. Something which I’ve never even played!

See case in point... to bloody complicated these days...  

 

[moosegrinder]

1 has an Ultimate edition which was remade for the Xbox One. I think 2 3 and 4 got One X enhancements. Not sure about Judgement.

[Garwoofoo]

3 minutes ago, JoeK said:

I ask this all the time but never quite seem to get an answer, but are the original Gears games (1 - 3) updated at all for the Series X? 

 

 

 

1 got an Ultimate Edition re-release on the Xbox One which now in itself looks pretty dated (1080p/30fps) but they've all-but-confirmed that it's going to get a FPS boost at least on the Series X. Not quite yet though.

 

2 and 3 got enhanced resolution support for One X and run as such on the Series X, they look remarkably good for their age.

 

4 just got added to the FPS boost programme a couple of weeks ago and now runs at 60fps on the Series X.

[rgraves]

31 minutes ago, JPL said:

Well, I’ve just booted up Gears 5 and this is what I’m presented with. What is going on? How do I access Hivebusters?

 

Edit: Ignore me. For some reason it put me deep into the multiplayer menus. Something which I’ve never even played!

 

Yeah, it can be a bit odd that way - I think part of it is the way it's a modular download - depends which pieces you have installed and ready to go? I found the front-end to not be particualrly friendly at all, but once you're in game it's straight-forward enough.

[TehStu]

5 hours ago, Garwoofoo said:

The one they've got now is a model of simplicity and functionality compared to what's gone before.

But the tab order is still terrible, unfortunately. I wish they'd somehow fix that.

[JPL]

Just now, TehStu said:

But the tab order is still terrible, unfortunately. I wish they'd somehow fix that.

What do you mean by the tab order? I'm pretty sure you can rearrange the order of the guide menu, if that's what you're referring to.

[TehStu]

Can I ask I really stupid question - how do I ensure I'm getting Atmos to my headphones on the pad? I paid for the app, pretty sure I selected headphones and... it isn't really any different.

 

I know I have almost the cheapest headphones possible, waiting for v2 hardware of the official Xbox ones. But still, I was expecting something.

[JPL]

1 minute ago, TehStu said:

Can I ask I really stupid question - how do I ensure I'm getting Atmos to my headphones on the pad? I paid for the app, pretty sure I selected headphones and... it isn't really any different.

 

I know I have almost the cheapest headphones possible, waiting for v2 hardware of the official Xbox ones. But still, I was expecting something.

I think you'll be waiting a while for v2 of the headphones, they've only just released the current ones. What's wrong with the current ones anyway?

[TehStu]

2 minutes ago, JPL said:

I think you'll be waiting a while for v2 of the headphones, they've only just released the current ones. What's wrong with the current ones anyway?

I can wait. I don't really want to go first on new hardware if I can avoid it. 

[JPL]

1 minute ago, TehStu said:

I can wait. I don't really want to go first on new hardware if I can avoid it. 

Not sure why, they're supposed to be really good. I'd definitely pick some up if I needed some, but I'm sure a few people on here already have them and will be able to let you know if they're worth getting.

[TehStu]

7 minutes ago, JPL said:

What do you mean by the tab order? I'm pretty sure you can rearrange the order of the guide menu, if that's what you're referring to.

Not the order of the guide menu.

 

So I guess we don't have a "tab" button on the Xbox so I didn't mean the literal tab order, but the design of the navigation in general. There's no neat up/down and left/ right, the layout of actionable things on-screen is all over the place. This would be fine with a mouse, or haha a Kinect, but it doesn't lend itself to a control mechanism which largely gives digital up/down and left/right input (I'm mostly using the d-pad to get around). 

 

For example, open Game Pass app to get to the quests, which are inexplicably buried toward the bottom rather than something you can pin to the guide. Now this screen is largely up/down to get to the section you want, and then left/right to select things on it (good). So you select quests and now you're on a new screen. 3 tabs across the top in the center, and then a nav menu down the left, and then things to scroll through on the right. There's no neat navigation, hitting up and down can go from the top, centered nav to the "scroll through the stuff" on the right, which is NOT a direct up/down movement. So now you're hitting left to get to the left nav to make sure you're on game pass quests instead of the other stuff (achievements? I'm doing all of this via memory).

 

I think it's called the social screen and they need to change it. The navigation in the store, and the game pass app, is better. It should be a grid. Hitting up and down should not also cause the cursor/selection thing to move left/right.

[TehStu]

5 minutes ago, JPL said:

Not sure why, they're supposed to be really good. I'd definitely pick some up if I needed some, but I'm sure a few people on here already have them and will be able to let you know if they're worth getting.

It's a general policy after having experience some v1 hardware woes over the years. Obviously, no avoiding it for a console launch. It is in no way a reflection of these headphones, I'm sure they're great.

 

Anyone know how to verify I'm definitely getting Atmos over my $9.99 Sony tat while plugged into the pad 3.5mm jack?

[Garwoofoo]

18 minutes ago, TehStu said:

Anyone know how to verify I'm definitely getting Atmos over my $9.99 Sony tat while plugged into the pad 3.5mm jack?

 

Make sure you've selected Dolby Atmos for Headphones as the output format in Settings, for a start. And load up the Dolby Access app at least once to enable it.

 

Then you need to play something that actually supports Atmos. One reliable way to check it's working is to load up Netflix or Disney+ - if you go into a movie or show that supports Atmos, it will show up when you click on the movie alongside 4K, HDR and whatever other options it supports. If you don't have Atmos it will just say 5.1.

 

Not many games explicitly support Atmos but even for those that don't, you'll get a decent virtual surround presentation. Also I find the various equaliser presets in the Dolby Access app make a huge difference. I think I settled on Game mode, Performance mode OFF, Equaliser set to Warm, but YMMV.